Joe Raedle/Getty Images(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) -- Fears in storm-battered Puerto Rico have shifted to a failing dam as the U.S. territory reels from the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria.
Early Saturday morning, the National Weather Service said failure of the Guajataca Dam in northwest Puerto Rico is "imminent" and could cause "life-threatening flash flooding" downstream on the Guajataca River. Dam operators said it began to show signs of failing, causing flash flooding, on Friday around 2:10 p.m. ET.
"Move to higher ground now," the National Weather Service urged residents in the area. "This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation."
At a press conference Friday afternoon, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said all available resources were sent to evacuate people near Lake Guajataca, where the dam at the northern end is in danger of breaking. The National Weather Service in San Juan tweeted that nearly 8,000 people who live in the area could be affected. The number previously given had been an estimated 70,000 people.
Maria weakened to a Category 2 hurricane on Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph as of 5 a.m. ET. The storm at the time was moving toward the north at 9 mph, and its eye was located about 530 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is still projected to stay off the East Coast, but tropical storm or hurricane watches could be put in effect for the Carolina or Mid-Atlantic coasts on Sunday with tropical storm-force winds currently extending 240 miles from the eye.
The death toll in storm-hit areas is rising as Maria continued to barrel through the Caribbean on Saturday, three days after its landfall in Puerto Rico left the island in the dark.
At least 24 people have died in the storm, including 15 in Dominica, seven in Puerto Rico and two in Guadeloupe.
The hurricane came ashore in Puerto Rico early Wednesday as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph winds -- the first Category 4 to hit the island since 1932. The storm wiped out the island's power grid and dumped 20 to 30 inches of rain in 24 hours, with some areas seeing 40 inches locally.
There is potential for the death toll in Puerto Rico to rise, the island's secretary of the department of safety said on Friday.
Although Maria has hurtled past the island, Puerto Rico will see heavy rainfall through Saturday from the storm's trailing rain bands, likely an additional 3 to 6 inches, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Water supplies on the island are lacking because of the lack of power, Rossello said. In addition, the water agency suffered "severe damage," he said.
Rossello has also extended a curfew and ban on alcohol sales on the island from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. ET through Sunday.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo departed for Puerto Rico on Friday to bring donated supplies to the island and assess the need, after Puerto Rico's governor made a request for aid. Cuomo traveled with members of the National Guard as well as New York Congresswoman and Puerto Rico native Nydia Velazquez.
Residents of Puerto Rico's hard-hit north coast were seen wading through floodwater inside what's left of their homes.
ABC News correspondents observed widespread destruction in the town of Guaynabo, about 10 miles south of San Juan where trees and power lines were downed and storefronts and building facades had crumbled. Neighborhoods in Guaynabo were filled with waist-deep floodwaters and destroyed homes that were apparently not built to any kind of code.
Guaynabo resident Ramon Caldero and his family hunkered down in their kitchen during the storm, which caused part of the ceiling to collapse in his sister's room.
"I was worried," Caldero told ABC News. "My sister was screaming."
Christy Caban of Nashville, Tennessee, rode out the storm with her husband and 13-month-old baby in their hotel room just east of San Juan.
"We don't have power, we don't have water," Caban told ABC News.
Puerto Rico's emergency management agency confirmed that 100 percent of the island had lost power by Wednesday afternoon, noting that anyone with electricity was using a generator.
Abner Gomez Cortes, executive director of the agency, told ABC News more than 12,000 people are currently in shelters, and hospitals are running on generators. Two hospitals -- one in Caguas and one in Bayamon -- were damaged in the storm.
A spokesperson with the Puerto Rico governor's office confirmed to ABC News at least one person has died in the storm. The person was killed in Bayamon, just southwest of San Juan, after being hit in the head by a wooden panel.
Meanwhile, telecommunications throughout the island have "collapsed," Cortes said, describing the storm as unprecedented.
Multiple transmission lines sustained damage, according to Ricardo Ramos, director of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. Ramos said he hopes to start launching helicopters by this weekend to begin inspecting the lines.
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello has imposed a curfew on the island Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. ET through Saturday.
Puerto Rico narrowly missed landfall by Hurricane Irma two weeks ago, with the Category 5 storm traveling just north of the U.S. territory. The island suffered heavy rain and wind, but nothing near the widespread damage incurred by Maria.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Thursday, President Donald Trump said Hurricane Maria "absolutely obliterated" the U.S. territory and "totally destroyed" its power grid, but that the recovery process will begin soon with "great gusto."
Puerto Rico got hit with winds, they say theyve never seen winds like this anywhere," Trump added.
On the forecast track
Maria is expected to turn toward the north-northwest later Friday, then turn toward the north by late Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center. That means the storm's core will move away from Turks and Caicos on Friday and pass near the Southeast Bahamas through Sunday.
The National Hurricane Center on Friday warned a "dangerous storm surge" coupled with "large and destructive waves" will raise water levels by as much as 9 to 12 feet above normal tide levels in parts of Turks and Caicos and the Southeast Bahamas. And through Saturday, Maria is expected to produce up to 20 inches of rain in parts of Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos.
But Maria is forecast to gradually weaken during the next 48 hours and beyond due to higher wind shear as the hurricane moves into the cooler waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The diminishing storm will move between Bermuda and the eastern coast of the United States before heading further east and out to sea sometime next week, according to the latest forecast models.
The storm's path is still expected to steer clear of the U.S. mainland.
"At this point, I dont think Maria will have any major impacts to the mainland besides the high surf and rip currents," ABC News senior meteorologist Max Golembo said Friday morning.
Other Caribbean islands devastated
Maria also did severe damage to other Caribbean islands without making landfall.
Dominica's prime minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, told ABS Television on Thursday that at least 15 people have died and many homes are destroyed beyond repair. The death toll in the island nation is likely to rise and search and rescue missions are ongoing. At least 16 additional people are missing in some communities, he said.
We have many deaths, but it is a miracle that we do not have hundreds of deaths in the country, Skerrit told ABS Television.
According to Skerrit, the island has no electricity and only limited telecommunications have been restored since the storm. Some villages are now only accessible by sea or via helicopter
The prime minister told ABS Television that his home's roof was ripped off during the storm and he had to take cover under a bed to protect himself from falling debris.
While wiping away tears during the emotional interview, Skerrit issued an urgent appeal for desperately needed aid, namely water, tarps and baby supplies.
Its going to take us a very long time to get back, he said.
Hartley Henry, an adviser to Dominica's prime minister, told reporters via WhatsApp on Wednesday that his country has suffered a "tremendous loss of housing and public buildings" since the storm hit, ripping off roofs and tearing doors from hinges. Dominica's main general hospital "took a beating" and "patient care has been compromised," he said.
"The country is in a daze -- no electricity, no running water," Henry said via a WhatsApp message. "In summary, the island has been devastated."
The Ross University School of Medicine, based in Portsmouth, Dominica, announced Wednesday on Facebook that it is attempting to make contact with all of its students. More than 1,400 students and faculty have signed the registration sheet so far, and the school has reached out to the family members of more than 700 others, who informed them that they are safe.
In Guadeloupe, officials announced Wednesday two people were killed and two others were missing in the storm's wake.
France's Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said some 80,000 people in Guadeloupe -- around 40 percent of the population -- were without electricity Wednesday. Many roads there are impassible due to flooding and French Navy planes have not been able to assess the damage on the island due to bad weather conditions.
In Martinique, about 70,000 homes were without electricity and 50,000 homes did not have access to safe drinking water Wednesday. Fallen trees and downed power poles have blocked many roads there, Collomb said.
Police and soldiers have been deployed in both Martinique and Guadeloupe to ensure security. More than 3,000 first responders are on the French Caribbean islands, according to Collomb.
The U.S. Department of State sent a message of solidarity Wednesday to the people of Dominica and all across the Caribbean who were affected by Maria.
Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
GRAND FORKS -- Grand Forks Air Force Base appears to be safe from another round of base reviews after the process was left out of recent legislation.
But North Dakota needs to continue its strategy to make the base irreplaceable, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said.
The U.S. Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act with amendments on Monday, Sept. 18. What was not included in the act was the authorization of a Base Realignment and Closure round, known as BRAC.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., led a proposal to draft legislation that would require the Pentagon to compile a list of potential base closures and realignments to be submitted to Congress by fall 2019. With the backing of the Pentagon, McCain said he had enough support for the legislation.
The last BRAC round was in 2005, when Grand Forks Air Force Base was slated to close, said Tom Ford, government relations administrator for Grand Forks County and chairman of the countys Base Realignment Impact Committee. Leaders worked to convince the Pentagon to realign the bases focus from tanker missions to unmanned aircraft development.
We got a mission that is a future mission rather than a legacy mission, a mission that is a growth area, said Hoeven, who at the time was North Dakotas governor.
He pointed to Grand Sky, the countrys first unmanned aircraft technology park, where UAS can be tested.
The Pentagon has pushed for a BRAC round several times since then, but Congress was more receptive to the idea this time than in previous years, Ford said. The McCain amendment would have eliminated an independent commission that tends to limit political influence from larger states, Ford added. North Dakota and Grand Forks would have had to do a lot of work to convince Congress to keep the base open, he said.
Nothing can completely eliminate politics, but it is a good shield against politics, he said of the independent commission.
With roughly 4,100 military and civilian personnel, the base has a $252.3 million economic impact in the region, according to its 2016 impact statement.
Congress as a whole doesnt desire to conduct a BRAC round, Hoeven said. The process is disruptive and costs more money in the short term without any guarantees it will save money in the long term, he added.
Both Hoeven and Ford agreed a BRAC round is off the table this year and in 2018 as Congress members prepare for the midterm election. However, Ford believes momentum is building and is still possible in future years.
North Dakota needs to make its bases irreplaceable, meaning the work they do cant be replicated in other states, Hoeven said.
In other words, Grand Forks Air Force Base must become a one-of-a-kind location for military work.
In a BRAC, theres a lot of competition for other places wanting to take over your mission, he said. The key for us is to continue to develop our capabilities at Grand Forks Air Force Base.
McCains office did not return requests for comment.
Qataris and foreigners converge on Dohas waterfront to greet emir after first trip abroad since start of Gulf crisis.
Thousands of people have gathered in central Doha to welcome back the emir of Qatar following his trips in Europe and the UN General Assembly, in a show of unity in the wake of a nearly four-month diplomatic crisis in the Gulf.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani returned to the Qatari capital on Sunday after concluding his first foreign trip since the major crisis erupted on June 5 when a Saudi-led group of Arab countries cut ties with Qatar and imposed a land, sea and air blockade on it.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism, an allegation Doha strongly denies.
Patriotic fervour
Al Jazeeras Hashem Ahelbarra said that thousands of Qataris and members of the expatriate community had amassed in Dohas waterfront, known as the Corniche, to greet the emir as his motorcade passed by.
This is a very important moment for the people of Qatar, Ahelbarra, reporting from Corniche, said.
For them, this is a show of unity and also a message to the international community that despite the fact that a blockade was imposed on the country, they continue to fight for what they consider to be a legitimate right to defend the sovereignty of Qatar.
READ MORE: Qatar-Gulf crisis All the latest updates
The show of unity was also aimed at refuting rumours from other Gulf media outlets that Qataris are looking for a change of leadership.
This display of passion and patriotic fervour among the Qataris is really quite unprecedented, Ahelbarra said.
Great vibes at Doha Corniche right now. #___ pic.twitter.com/2JPeC99C20 Mohd Noor (@MohdNoorudeen) September 24, 2017
Sultan Barakat, director of Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies at the Doha Institute, said it felt as if half of Doha was on the street.
Ive never seen anything like it in terms of traffic, he told Al Jazeera.
Publicly, seeing the images today will push them [the blockading countries] to think twice about this particular issue, he added.
Its been about 110 days or so and there hasnt been any feeling of split in the society and it seems to me that everyone is very much united behind the emir.
Foreign trip
Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Sheikh Tamim said that the countries imposing an unjust blockade on Qatar are seeking to destabilise a sovereign state.
I stand before you while my country and my people are subjected to an ongoing and unjust blockade imposed since June 5 by neighbouring countries, he said, asking if this was not the definition of terrorism.
Earlier, the emir had met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, where he said he is ready to sit at a negotiating table to solve the regional crisis.
Sheikh Tamim also held discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron, who called on the blockading countries to lift the embargo on Qatar as soon as possible.
Renewal of bill comes two days before scheduled independence referendum in Iraqs semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
Turkeys parliament has approved the extension of a mandate that allows the deployment of troops in Iraq and Syria if faced with national security threats.
The move on Saturday came two days before an independence referendum in Iraqs semi-autonomous Kurdish region a vote denounced by Ankara as a mistake and a threat to its security and regional stability.
The motion was backed by members of parliament (MPs) from the ruling Justice and Development Party, as well as the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party. MPs from the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) voted against it.
OPINION: Kurdish independence vote A historical perspective
The mandate had previously allowed the Turkish military to carry out cross-border operations from October 2, 2016, until October 31, 2017.
The motion said that Turkey places great importance on the protection of Iraqs territorial integrity, national unity and stability.
The bill read in parliament listed combating Kurdish fighters in Syria and Iraq and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) armed group as national security requirements for Turkey.
It also emphasised the importance of Iraq and Syrias territorial integrity and said separatism based on ethnicity poses a threat to both Turkey and regional stability.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) plans to hold the referendum on support for independence in three governorates that make up the region in northern Iraq, and in some disputed areas, including the oil-rich province of Kirkuk and parts of Nineveh province.
Baghdad is vehemently opposed to the vote, which has also alarmed neighbouring Turkey, which has a large Kurdish minority. Iran and Syria also worry that the vote will encourage secessionist ideas among their own Kurdish minorities.
KRG President Masoud Barzani reiterated on Saturday that any postponement of the vote is out of the question.
Holding a referendum is the decision of the people, Barzani said as he met French ambassador to Iraq Bruno Aubert at his residence in Erbil, according to a statement issued by his office.
The poll would not be postponed but be held on schedule, he added.
OPINION: Regional implications of the Kurdish independence vote
Earlier on Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim blasted the referendum as adventurism that puts Turkey at risk.
With our 80 million citizens and the 780,000sq km of our homeland, we will never tolerate any adventurism for our countrys security or the welfare of our nation, he told reporters in the central Anatolian province of Kirsehir.
Calling the referendum the wrong decision, Yildirim added: As a neighbouring country, Turkey has given the necessary warning in a friendly way since the beginning. But we see that these warnings have not been heeded.
OPEC+ group has agreed to its deepest cuts to oil production since the coronavirus pandemic, and the US is not happy.
Europes biggest budget airline cancels 2,000 flights, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers.
The cost of purchasing cheap tickets on low-cost airlines has proven costly for hundreds of thousands of passengers.
Ryanair, Europes biggest budget airline, recently cancelled some 2000 flights.
The company says the decision was made because of a scheduling blunder among its pilots and cabin crew.
That decision sparked immediate outrage from frustrated passengers.
Ryanairs CEO Michael OLeary, was forced to apologise, saying the airline messed up.
To make matters worse, travel insurance companies told many of the travellers that hotel and car rental cancellations will not be covered.
The flight cancellations are expected to last until the end of October.
So, what can passengers do to protect their rights?
Presenter: Peter Dobbie
Guests:
Simon Calder Travel editor of The Independent
Terry Tozer A former airline pilot
Gabor Lukacs Air passenger rights advocate
The case against Assange is as political as it is legal; where does it go from here? Plus, Kenyas election influencers.
It should be fairly obvious that picking scabs seldom promotes the healing of wounds. What percentage of the U.S. population thought race relations were good in 2008? What percentage thought they were good in 2016? For the eight years of the Obama Administration, race was a constant topic of discussion. Did it improve race relations or worsen them? In 2008, very few people were claiming the police were racist, and no one was shooting policemen (black and white) because of it. In 2008, no one was rioting over monuments to Confederate soldiers, or suggesting that the "Star-Spangled Banner" should not be sung, or that the Jefferson Memorial should be torn down because Thomas Jefferson owned slaves.
How many people reading this have owned at least one slave? Unless some readers have lived in the Middle East or held an executive position in the sex trade, the answer is surely zero. How many have been a slave? Again, unless someone has lived in the Middle East, or been the victim of the organized sex trade, the answer will be zero. Why are we talking about something in which we have not been directly involved?
Everyone reading this who is descended from a slave, please raise your hand. If you are white, and you did not put your hand up, think again, and put it up. From shortly after Adam and Eve got their eviction notice until the mid-19th century, slavery was the normal condition of the bulk of mankind. Surely, there is no one on this earth who does not have slaves in his family tree, including the crowned heads of Europe. Slavery is considered a racial issue today only because its last gasp in the Western world involved enslaved Africans.
Slavery found its way to the Western hemisphere because agriculture needed labor and the supply was insufficient. Slaves were for sale in West Africa and farmers bought them. Europeans did not enslave Africans. They bought slaves -- human beings who had been enslaved by Arabs, and by other Africans.
One of the bad habits of our period is judging people from earlier times by the standards of our own. We find slavery abhorrent; but for most of the history of mankind slavery was considered a normal part of life. That attitude began to change in the late 18th century, and by 1820 Great Britain had outlawed the slave trade and set the Royal Navy to the task of suppressing it. Anti-slavery sentiment in the U.S. was growing in the decades leading up to the Civil War. People in the South may or may not have approved of slavery, but they knew their economy would be destroyed by its sudden abolition -- as it was in 1865.
One last comment on race. There were black slave owners in the South. If a free black had a farm too big to work with his family, he would purchase a slave. Slavery was not strictly a black/white matter. The Jim Crow laws were. Those laws were the result of hardening political attitudes during Reconstruction. We dont need to be doing anything to harden those attitudes again.
And a final political statement. Is it in anyones political interest to keep the racial cauldron bubbling? If one seeks political advantage by convincing people that they are victims, would it ever be to that persons advantage to lift the victims out of their victimhood? Listening to the news, one could become alarmed that neo-Nazis are about to take over the world. How many skinheads, neo-Nazis, and KKK members are there? Look up the number. It amounts to a few thousand the highest estimates are less than five figures. How much of a threat can they be? The fact that they carry Confederate battle flags is no reason to do away with that flag. The KKK uses the cross as a symbol. Should churches be required to remove their crosses? Should the Red Cross be required to change its name and its symbol?
Keep things in perspective. We need to avoid the racial bickering that is plaguing more and more of the United States.
TIOGA Four years after discovering North Dakotas largest oil pipeline spill, Steve and Patty Jensen are looking forward to removing the last contaminated soil from their former wheat field.
Crews are nearly done excavating soil from what remains a massive operation to clean up 20,600 barrels 865,200 gallons of Bakken crude that Steve Jensen discovered while harvesting wheat on Sept. 29, 2013.
Patty Jensen, surveying the progress last week, took a photo from the industrial site and hopes to stand in the same spot in two years and photograph a wheat field.
Its like were starting to see light at the end of the tunnel, she said.
Andeavor, the pipeline owner formerly known as Tesoro Logistics, plans to continue treating a stockpile of contaminated soil through the winter, said Dallas Burnum, project manager.
Contractors bake the oil out of the soil using an environmental remediation technology known as thermal desorption. Two mobile thermal desorption units are on site and crews from Nelson Environmental Remediation of Alberta, Canada, heat the soil around the clock.
Soil samples are tested by a third party and clean soil is returned to the pit, which was excavated in some areas more than 50 feet deep to capture oil that spread.
Burnum said his goal is to return the land to the Jensens next spring, but weather and other factors could affect the progress. Ultimately, it will be up to the North Dakota Department of Health to determine when cleanup is complete.
It was a very massive amount of work that was put into this, said Dave Glatt, enforcement chief for the Environmental Health Section. I do think the progress is good. We haven't seen this type of remediation to this extent before.
About 6,000 barrels, or 30 percent of the spilled oil, was recovered. The rest of the light, sweet crude oil seeped into the ground, which in that area contains a lot of permeable sand and gravel that allowed the oil to spread.
When this occurred, they had no idea that it was going to go this deep, said Bill Suess, spill investigation program manager for the health department. Thats been the biggest challenge of it.
The total area being cleaned up is about 14 acres, but the company has leased 75 acres from the Jensens to store equipment and stockpile clean and treated soils, said Andeavor spokeswoman Destin Singleton.
Contractors have excavated 650,000 cubic yards of soil, according to Singleton, noting that not all of the excavated soil required treatment.
Health department staff are on site regularly to inspect and oversee the cleanup, including Suess who said he aims to be on site every other week.
North Dakota State University soil scientists have test plots on site where they have been experimenting during the past two growing seasons to help return the soil to productive farmland.
Weve learned a lot about soil function after a disturbance and strategies to better improve that soil productivity, said Tom DeSutter, associate professor.
Andeavor has provided $300,000 for the first phase of research, and NDSU is working with the company on a plan for a second phase.
The test plots, which use different soil mixtures, have shown promising results with mixing the thermally treated soil with topsoil, DeSutter said.
Were in a region where theres not lots of topsoil just laying around available, he said. Sometimes, we have to think outside the box and make soil, if you will.
The oil spill did not affect drinking water sources, Suess said. Monitoring wells installed on site allow health officials to watch for potential groundwater contamination.
After the cleanup is considered complete, the health department will continue oversight of the monitoring wells for three to five more years, Suess said. That timeframe could be extended if necessary, but the monitoring would stop if conditions have improved.
That doesnt seem like enough for me, Patty Jensen said.
If contamination is discovered years in the future, Andeavor would be considered responsible for the site forever, Suess said.
The Jensens have a friendly relationship with workers who have been cleaning their farmland for the past four years, with Patty Jensen often bringing homemade pies and the crews ready with hot coffee for the landowners.
But its been challenging at times, they say.
Theres been times its mentally draining, Steve Jensen said.
The Jensens say they're afraid to think about what could have happened if the spill had been caused by a company without the resources to follow through. Andeavor has spent at least $73 million so far on cleanup, according to what the company reported in February.
The state health department fined Andeavor $454,000 for the incident.
For us, its not so much about the fine as it is how committed they are to follow through with the cleanup, Glatt said.
The Jensens have invited members of the North Dakota Industrial Commission to visit and see the cleanup site firsthand. Gov. Doug Burgum, chairman of the commission that regulates oil and gas development, toured the site in July. The Jensens said they hope Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring will visit to see what a challenge it will be to return the land to a productive field.
Anyone sitting on the Industrial Commission should see it, Patty Jensen said. They need to see what can happen.
The North Dakota Public Service Commission, which approves oil transmission pipelines, recently met with Andeavor representatives to discuss the spill, but commissioners have not visited the site.
Following the spill, an investigation confirmed that the likely cause was a hole in the pipeline caused by electrical discharge, consistent with a lightning strike. The size of the spill highlighted the importance of technology to prevent spills and detect leaks sooner.
Through this whole process, hopefully oil companies have learned that leak detection is really invaluable, Patty Jensen said. Im sure it pays for itself.
A significant deadline is approaching. The federal fiscal year ends on Sept. 30 and with it this years opportunity to use reconciliation to reform and replace ObamaCare. Time is running out to make changes that will devolve any power back to the people and the states, a component of federalism. For Republicans, it may be the last chance to fulfill any aspect of the promise that they have campaigned on for over eight years. Hesitant politicians in Congress should support this effort through the Graham-Cassidy bill, despite its shortcomings.
Senator Rand Paul, a physician, has argued for a complete repeal and replacement with large private associations to eliminate the penalty of pre-existing conditions. A dedicated purist, he is presently against this rendition of reform as he considers it ObamaCare-lite since it does not eliminate all the funding nor the regulatory mandates under the existing laws. This is correct (though block-granting funds will reduce spending by 5-10%), but it misses an essential point. The longer the ACA law remains in effect, the harder it is to replace it with an improvement, as the entrenched and dependent constituency grows. An addition to the bill which might garner Pauls support could include cross-state insurance purchasing or more regulatory flexibility at the state level.
Already, the most progressive wing of the Democratic party (led by Senator Bernie Sanders, a registered Independent) has unveiled a version of a national single-payer system. This version supported by 16 Democratic senators, according to their estimates (which are always below the real costs) will require expenditures of $32 trillion while funding is only $16 trillion over ten years. Clearly this deficit dwarfs the cost of ObamaCare and will bankrupt this nation. All efforts at socialism successfully rob a nation of its wealth. The ACA is not sustainable without tremendous infusions of federal dollars, so significant changes must occur. Will we miss this last chance to end the individual and employer mandates?
The 2012 Supreme Court ruling essentially concluded that the ACA was a tax scheme. Chief Justice Roberts, voting with the four liberal judges, legitimized the effort to nationalize healthcare. This is now settled law and one only needs to consider the 1937 ruling giving Social Security its legitimacy (under the same concept) and turning that program into the third rail of politics (as it is deadly to tinker with its benefits). History has taught the open-minded that programs rarely shrink with time.
Bipartisan attempts to reform ObamaCare in the Senate have failed since the divide is too wide. Democrats led by Senator Patty Murray sought to expand the federal subsidies to stabilize the private insurance health care markets. She wanted several years of financing with the Congress bypassing President Trump. Going down this road ensures the expansion of Obamacare which is not supported by the chairman, Senator Lamar Alexander, who supports one year of subsidies voted by the Congress. Under present law, the president has great latitude to manage these subsidies (including one for Congress itself).
The failed Senate attempt in August to repeal and replace ObamaCare mustered only 49 Republican votes. Senators Susan Collins, John McCain and Lisa Murkowski opposed the skinny repeal, fearing the impact upon their states. This version of repair provides some relief for their states. In fact, the losers will be the more liberal states with mostly Democrat senators that receive a disproportionate amount of Medicaid dollars. Already, Governor Christy of New Jersey has voiced objections as it cuts $4 billion from state funding. Most Republican governors support this bill. The distribution of funds will become more equitable on a population basis. This may help secure sufficient votes.
Senator Collins, who has consistently voted against repeal of ACA, has some concerns about the impact of block-granting Medicaid funds. Uncertainty scares some people, but the present system is unsustainable. Rural hospitals and clinics depend upon Medicaid funding for their survival. These institutions have few options for alternate sources of financing healthcare delivery. Under the proposed bill, states could improvise. Previously I suggested that those with limited funds could purchase Medicaid coverage on a sliding scale based upon income. This legislation could give this freedom to the states, as an alternate to unaffordable private insurance.
Senator Murkowski has not identified specific objections to the skinny repeal. Her position could be influenced by sweeteners (the way of the swamp) for Alaska. The enormous pressure upon her (since she previous voted for repeal) may induce a positive vote next week for Graham-Cassidy.
Senator McCain, who voted against the August bill, has stated that he will do the same in the next vote.
For a century, the Democrats have sought national health care. First proposed by Woodrow Wilson, the progressives have used incrementalism to move toward complete socialized medicine. In Canada, the final process took 20-40 years. Obama sought to accomplish this in half the time. Senator Graham states that the choice is between socialism or federalism.
Funding determines who makes the rules. A single source of funding will limit creativity, efficiency, and excellence. The ultimate national plan would be a Medicaid organized medical payment program as Medicare costs could not be sustained. The deficit under the Sanders proposal is evidence for this. In all of this, people have missed the substantial proportion of health care dollars the private insurance system underwrites. If this system disappears then the pressures upon the institutions accelerates. Senator Collins must understand this issue.
Attempts to roll back ObamaCare have been unsuccessful. The entire health care financing system is under pressure. The quality of our services depends upon the financing, innovation, dedication of providers, research efforts, and regulatory pressures (to name a few issues). Democrats argue to improve Obamacare, which means adding more federal government control of our health care.
This bill is the compromise that our governing elite have wrought. We seize it or fail to improve the dying system. When you are drowning, it is not time to question the color of the rope thrown your way. Voltaire said perfect is the enemy of the good. If this bill passes, further improvements are possible. If it fails, then we are dead in the water and progressives will determine our future.
As more and more leaks about the ongoing Russian collusion witch hunt by Robert Mueller appear in print, it seems to me that if Russia had been trying to erode our faith in our institutions, the Deep State is accomplishing what Russia failed to do.
The Obama claques efforts were initially intended to help Clinton when they thought she would win and no one would know about their crimes. Then they continued the unlawful spying to cover up their role in the worst case of misuse of federal power in our history, to effect the removal or emasculation of the President, and now they are desperate to cover up their illegal actions when all that failed.
A. Where we are today on Russian collusion?
Instapundit tweeted the answer succinctly: The election was hacked! turns out to mean, Russia bought some ads on Facebook.
Facebook is turning over ads presumably purchased by Russians during the campaign. Good -- lets see them. As the article notes:
The announcement that Facebook would share the ads with the Senate and House intelligence committees came after the social network spent two weeks on the defensive. The company faced calls for greater transparency about 470 Russia-linked accounts -- in which fictional people posed as American activists -- which were taken down after they had promoted inflammatory messages on divisive issues. Facebook had previously angered congressional staff by showing only a sample of the ads, some of which attacked Hillary Clinton or praised Donald J. Trump.
As Tom Maguire reminds us, it would be unwise to assume this was a one-sided campaign: Let's see all the ads and find out whether Russia was winding up both sides. Back in the day it was believed Russia backed anti-fracking groups in Europe. Why not also in the US?
Best of the Webs James Freeman thinks that, in any case, the notion that these ads swung the election is ridiculous on its face:
So the spending on fake Russian political ads identified by Facebook amounted to around 1/7,000th of what Mrs. Clinton spent on advertising. And of course these fake ad buys were not material in the context of Facebooks total advertising revenues, which amounted to nearly $27 billion last year. Is a $150,000 ad buy even big enough to require sign-off from Mr. Putin? If as some believe, Russian meddling was simply intended to discredit the likely winner, some poor Russian agent may now be headed to Siberia for engineering the election of a U.S. President who seems determined to drive down the price of oil. Lets hope Congress gets to the bottom of this. If $150,000 amounts to the entire iceberg, and it still managed to sink the S.S. Clinton, marketing majors will be studying these ads for years to come.
B. Using the Full Force of FISA to spy on a political opponent
Obama has a long history of spying on his opponents and releasing information damaging to them. Its a lifelong pattern. He got two opponents sealed divorce records unsealed in order to use unsubstantiated claims in pleadings by estranged spouses against them. As President, he continued this practice. By way of example, the Obama Administration did that with IRS, collecting information about the activities and donors of conservative and pro-Israel citizen groups while it refused to grant them the tax-exempt status to which they were entitled. The EPA collected private information from farmers and ranchers and released it to environmental groups to help them in their battles against those farmers and ranchers. Theres no reason to suppose that this pattern didnt carry over to the 2016 election, and plenty of evidence that it did. As Sharyl Attkisson points out, they did it with reporters and Congressmen.
Nobody wants our intel agencies to be used like the Stasi in East Germany; the secret police spying on its own citizens for political purposes. The prospect of our own NSA, CIA and FBI becoming politically weaponized has been shrouded by untruths, accusations and justifications. Youll recall DNI Clapper falsely assured Congress in 2013 that the NSA was not collecting any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans. Intel agencies secretly monitored conversations of members of Congress while the Obama administration negotiated the Iran nuclear deal. In 2014, the CIA got caught spying on Senate Intelligence Committee staffers, though CIA Director John Brennan had explicitly denied that. There were also wiretaps on then-Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) in 2011 under Obama. The same happened under President George W. Bush to former Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-Calif.). Journalists have been targeted, too. [snip] The government subsequently got caught monitoring journalists at Fox News, The Associated Press, and, as I allege in a federal lawsuit, my computers while I worked as an investigative correspondent at CBS News.
As Attkisson reminds us, other Trump associates General Michael Flynn and Carter Page were also under government surveillance. As bad as that was, it was discovered [that] multiple Trump transition officials were incidentally captured during government surveillance of a foreign official. We know this because former Obama adviser Susan Rice reportedly admitted unmasking, or asking to know the identities of, the officials. Spying on U.S. citizens is considered so sensitive their names are supposed to be hidden or masked, even inside the government, to protect their privacy.
She also specifically unmasked Steve Bannon, who met in the transition period with a UAE official so its altogether possible they were spying on him generally as well.
If so, that would mean that four Trump associates had been spied on, multiplying the number of conversations with the President these people were listening in on.
Even more unmasking-- revealing the names of those innocents scooped up in this broad surveillance -- about 300 people had their privacy violated when the dyspeptic-looking UN Ambassador Samantha Power was revealed to have made almost one unmasking request a day, rapidly adding to the list as the inauguration approached.
Samantha Power, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was 'unmasking' at such a rapid pace in the final months of the Obama administration that she averaged more than one request for every working day in 2016 -- and even sought information in the days leading up to President Trumps inauguration, multiple sources close to the matter told Fox News. Two sources, who were not authorized to speak on the record, said the requests to identify Americans whose names surfaced in foreign intelligence reporting, known as unmasking, exceeded 260 last year. One source indicated this occurred in the final days of the Obama White House.
C. The FISA Court surely was misled in order to get information to surveil and to continue surveilling Trump and his associates.
FISA (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) permits blunderbuss intelligence gathering. Its not designed to gather information on crimes in general, but only to act as a tool of counterintelligence or counterterrorism. And it certainly would be suspicious if efforts were made to misuse it to conduct domestic political spying. Theres only one legitimate reason to conduct surveillance on a U.S. citizen under FISA -- to find out more about the activities of a foreign power or terrorist organization. Since in the process of scooping up so much information, other matters might be revealed, minimization procedures are used to mask the identities of those caught up in the sweep who are not involved in such activities.
CNN reported -- with some obvious omissions and errors of law -- that former FBI director James Comey secured secret FISA orders to wiretap Paul Manafort, who briefly served as Trumps campaign manager, and that having received nothing from that order, then secured another FISA warrant in 2016 (after Manafort joined the Trump campaign) and continued that surveillance into 2017, after the election.
Further, CNN reported that two attempts were made in the summer of 2016 to obtain a FISA order, both of which were rejected, and an order was issued only after the third try. FISA rarely rejects such requests, so I think it fair to assume the court was suspicious of these requests, which smelled like political, not national security matters. I think it almost a certainty that the final request received the personal imprimatur of Comey (as Director of the FBI) and Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
And what, you may ask, was different about the third and ultimately successful third attempt? I suggest it was the phony Steele dossier, which credible reports indicate was partially financed by Comeys own FBI.
The House Intelligence Committees investigation took a sharp and notable turn on Tuesday, as news broke that it had subpoenaed the FBI and the Justice Department for information relating to the infamous Trump Dossier. That Dossier, whose allegations appear to have been fabricated, was commissioned by the opposition-research firm Fusion GPS and then developed by a former British spook named Christopher Steele. [Ed: Sources for the most scurrilous allegations in it were from unnamed sources in Russia, most likely Russian government intelligence agents or liars working on a pay for dirt basis.] The Washington Post in February reported that Mr. Steele was familiar to the FBI, since hed worked for the bureau before. The newspaper said Mr. Steele had reached out to a friend at the FBI about his Trump work as far back as July 2016. The Post even reported that Mr. Steele reached an agreement with the FBI a few weeks before the election for the bureau to pay him to continue his work. Who was Mr. Steeles friend at the FBI? Did the bureau influence the direction of the Trump dossier? Did it give Mr. Steele material support from the start? The timing matters because it could answer the vital question of why the FBI wanted the dossier. Heres one thought: warrants. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which oversees spying activities, is usually generous in approving warrants, on the presumption law-enforcement agencies are acting in good faith. When a warrant is rejected, though, law enforcement isnt pleased. Perhaps the FBI wanted to conduct surveillance on someone connected to a presidential campaign (Carter Page?) but couldnt hit what was -- and ought to be -- a supremely high bar for getting such a potentially explosive warrant. A dossier of nefarious allegations might well prove handy in finally convincing the FISA court to sign off. The FBI might have had a real motive to support Mr. Steeles effort. It might have even justified the unjustifiable: working with a partisan oppo-research firm and a former spook to engineer a Kremlin-planted dossier that has roiled Mr. Trumps entire presidency.
True Pundit claims that FBI connivance with GPS Fusion to create the dossier was not all it did to secure the final 2016 FISA warrant -- it also set up a meeting in Trump Tower and used information gleaned from Britains GCHQ in NSA headquarters to unlawfully gather information on U.S. citizens.
From the beginning it was a set up to find dirt on Trump campaign insiders and if possible to topple Donald Trumps presidential aspirations. Before and after the 2016 election. And while this operation had many moving parts and alternating players, the mission to unseat Trump never changed. And it remains ongoing. And none of it was very legal. [snip] Six U.S. agencies [the FBI, NSA, CIA, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Treasury financial crimes division under DHS, Justice Department]created a stealth task force, spearhead by CIAs Brennan, to run domestic surveillance on Trump associates and possibly Trump himself. To feign ignorance and to seemingly operate within U.S. laws, the agencies freelanced the wiretapping of Trump associates to the British spy agency GCHQ. The decision to insert GCHQ as a back door to eavesdrop was sparked by the denial of two FISA Court warrant applications filed by the FBI to seek wiretaps of Trump associates. GCHQ did not work from London or the UK. In fact the spy agency worked from NSAs headquarters in Fort Meade, MD with direct NSA supervision and guidance to conduct sweeping surveillance on Trump associates. [snip] The Justice Department and FBI set up the meeting at Trump Tower between Trump Jr., Manafort and Kushner with controversial Russian officials to make Trumps associates appear compromised. Following the Trump Tower sit down, GCHQ began digitally wiretapping Manafort, Trump Jr., and Kushner. After the concocted meeting by the Deep State, the British spy agency could officially justify wiretapping Trump associates as an intelligence front for NSA because the Russian lawyer at the meeting, Natalia Veselnitskaya, was considered an international security risk and prior to the June sit down was not even allowed entry into the United States or the UK, federal sources said. By using GCHQ, the NSA and its intelligence partners had carved out a loophole to wiretap Trump without a warrant. While it is illegal for U.S. agencies to monitor phones and emails of U.S. citizens inside the United States absent a warrant, it is not illegal for British intelligence to do so. Even if the GCHQ was tapping Trump on U.S. soil at Fort Meade. The wiretaps, secured through illicit scheming, have been used by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Muellers probe of alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 election, even though the evidence is considered poisoned fruit. Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer who spearheaded the Trump Tower meeting with the Trump campaign trio, was previously barred from entering the United Sates due to her alleged connections to the Russian FSB (the modern replacement of the cold-war-era KGB). Yet mere days before the June meeting, Veselnitskaya was granted a rare visa to enter the United States from Preet Bharara, the then U.S. Attorney for the southern district of New York. Bharara could not be reached for comment and did not respond the a Twitter inquiry on the Russians visa by True Pundit.
(More on the unusual visa granted to Veselnitskaya here. More on GCHQ operating from NSA headquarters here.)
In July, Bharara's former associate US Attorney Andrew Goldstein was added to Muellers army of largely Clinton backers and contributors to the special counsels enormous team.
In sum, the contention by True Pundit is that the government first spied on Trump and then concocted a national security ruse and desperately sought a FISA warrant to cover up the political spying which occurred before the FISA warrant was ever issued.
The editors of the Wall Street Journal also suspect that the dossier was used to obtain the FISA warrant, and, if so, that requires a congressional investigation:
The FISA court sets a high bar for warrants on U.S. citizens, and presumably even higher for wiretapping a presidential campaign. Did Mr. Comeys FBI marshal the Steele dossier to persuade the court? All of this is reason for House and Senate investigators to keep exploring how Mr. Comeys FBI was investigating both presidential campaigns. Russian meddling is a threat to democracy but so was the FBI if it relied on Russian disinformation to eavesdrop on a presidential campaign. The Justice Department and FBI have stonewalled Congressional requests for documents and interviews, citing the integrity of Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation. But Mr. Mueller is not investigating the FBI, and in any event his ties to the bureau and Mr. Comey make him too conflicted for such a job. Congress is charged with providing oversight of law enforcement and the FISA courts, and it has an obligation to investigate their role in 2016. The intelligence committees have subpoena authority and the ability to hold those who dont cooperate in contempt.
I agree with Daniel Greenfield. Based on what Ive read and observed, while the initial surveillance was to stop Trump and help Clinton, Obama used FISA to provide a national security cover for politically spying on Trump right up to the inauguration. As he notes, the first 2016 application was made the month after Trump obtained the nomination and the second in October, the month before the election.
As the unmasking picked up pace after the election, the reasonable assumption is that its purpose was to undo the results of the election or hamstring the incoming President.
Now Obama and his allies are or should be terrified that the scope of the illegal surveillance is revealing their criminal acts.
This is why I believe Mueller is growing increasingly desperate to find one crime by one person he can force by threat of jail to provide any shred of anything that might be used to justify their illegal espionage. Greenfields conclusion is apt: The left is sitting on the biggest crime committed by a sitting president. The only way to cover it up is to destroy his Republican successor. A turning point in history is here. If Obama goes down, the left will go down with him. If his coup succeeds, then America ends.
Why do I say that Mueller seems increasingly desperate? How else does one explain a middle-of-the-night pick-lock armed entry (and the search of his bedclothes-garbed wife) into the home of a man who by all accounts had been fully cooperating and turning over all requested documents? How else to explain requesting a court grant such a necessary special warrant on the ground that otherwise documents evincing a purported eleven-year-old crime would suddenly be destroyed? How else to explain the effort by Mueller to find out client information from the Skadden Arps and Akin Gump law firms, materials probably covered by attorney-client privilege? With each leak of his conduct designed, I suppose, by his team to terrify honest men into lying to redeem the special counsels misbegotten efforts -- Mueller looks more and more like a petrified enlistee in the secretive repressive state force -- the Stasi -- as the wall is coming down and their conduct made public.
As we reflect on law and policy, it is often useful to see how changes play out in the practical, nitty-gritty of everyday life. For example, we can consider how progressives have, over time, separated love, sex, and marriage. Divorce has skyrocketed during the post-WWII years, out-of-wedlock children have come into existence by the millions, sexually transmitted disease has become rampant, cohabitation is becoming more and more popular with each passing year, the porno industry has captured the time, money, and imaginations of tens of millions of men on the Internet, and there is a gossip feeding frenzy regarding the immoral habits of celebrities. Pedophilia is being publicly defended as a legitimate activity, and being HIV positive is something, according to signs on NYC subways, that can be handled by partnering with ones doctor and various city agencies.
The new morality is manifesting in many ways in our public high schools. Judeo-Christian values and traditional norms promoting integration of love, sex, marriage, modesty, and self-restraint are disappearing with the happy support of school administrations. Schools may not lead students in prayer, but are allowed to lead students into paths of sexual expression.
When this writer was teaching in the New York City public high schools, the sexual revolution expressed itself through sex education classes where the teachers instructed students on how to unroll and stretch a condom onto bananas and/or cucumbers. This was and is standard fare in health ed classes throughout NYC public high schools. However, in one high school where I taught, a unique a health center was created. There, students could have a 15-20 minute conversation with a counselor, and then be referred for an abortion without a parents consent (in New York State, parental consent is not required). When I had the audacity to rebuke one of the counsellors about her mission, she defended herself by stating that the students referred by her came from dysfunctional homes, and that the babies being aborted were being saved from entering those same environments.
While covering a class for an absent health education teacher, a sex ed textbook lay open on the desk. It stated that some people still prefer to wait until marriage to have sexual intimacy, and that these people should be tolerated. This was to show the magnanimity in the progressive mindset. The unity of love, sex, and marriage is no longer treated as a goal, but as a sub-species of intimacy merely to be tolerated.
A different chapter in the book had a comment about the male sex organ, and stated that many believe that there was a relation between size of said organ and pleasure in the sex act. However, the reader was cautioned that this was an urban legend, and that studies had shown that there was in fact no such connection. It was a relief to know that our teens were being disabused of this misconception.
On one occasion, a directive was issued that all history teachers would on a certain date pick up a lot of condoms and distribute them to the students in their classes to whomever requested them. Since I did not believe that part of my educational duties was to promote teenage fornication, and since condoms were readily available in corner grocery stores or pharmacies, I began thinking of creative ways to evade completing this assignment. One of the ways was prayer. The prayer was answered, and on the day before distribution, the assigned project was taken away from the history teachers, and given to a special condom office in the school.
As early as the late nineties, a new student club was formed, The Gay and Straight Alliance. The groups sponsor, a young lady history teacher, knew about my Christian beliefs, and taunted me by swirling around the history department office and mockingly repeating, I dont have a soul. I dont have a soul. Notices announcing the clubs meetings were regularly put on walls throughout the school. It was clear that this club was not just to be a safe haven for same-sex attracted students but was to be a place for recruiting straight students into the homosexual lifestyle. The teen years with its many identity stresses is a fertile field for recruitment. The principal received a note from me asking him to imagine hallways with boys holding hands, hugging, and kissing. The exhortation was that he do all in his power to sabotage the club. However, there was no reply from the principals office, and my letter was quietly placed in my personnel file.
At one of the faculty meetings, the topic of student sexual harassment came up. The head of the Guidance Department was asked if boys hanging around the doors of the girls bathrooms was being considered sexual harassment. The principal leaped to his feet, and answered the question even before the Assistant Principal could get the words out of his mouth. Absolutely not! he replied. Here, lack of male respect for the female students was seen as perfectly innocent and normal.
Another custom at one of the high schools was Senior Cross Dressing Day. Under this rubric, senior males voluntarily dressed as females with dresses, bras, high heels, wigs, lipstick, nail polish or fake nails, and pranced around the school and attended classes in drag. Many of the males doing this were actually making fun of transvestites, but the school authorities saw this as innocent fun. However, when one teacher activist questioned this student activity to the administration, the parents, and teachers at a committee formed to form policies for student life, the reaction was overwhelmingly that they were just kids having fun. When the same teacher suggested that this could be traumatic if viewed by younger, 9th grade students, and that all the major religions have scripture specifically rejecting men wearing womens clothing, his presentation was scoffed at as taking the entire matter too seriously.
At the same high school in New York City, there was a regular Mr. and Ms. High School Contest. Photos of six or seven male students flexing their muscles and dressed only with jock straps was hung on the wall in the student cafeteria. Alongside the photo was another of girl contestants posing in skimpy bikinis. Additionally, in the same school, as is common in many high schools in New York City, there was one-day-a-year entitled Pajama Day. On that day, students of any year freshmen through seniors were invited to wear nightwear to school. Virtually all types of nightwear were present in the hallways and classrooms, from pajamas and bedroom shoes, to more revealing shorts and nighties. This too was considered part of the upbeat progressive, liberated model.
All of the above events flew directly in the face of the schools dress code. But clearly the dress code was just there for window dressing. It was for prudes who still have an idea that schools are operating in loco parentis and are not just loco. Parents are not asked to give permission for their teenage children to participate in any of these events. Rather, the events themselves are expressions that the sexual revolution and sexual liberation is part and parcel of life without restrictive Judeo-Christian morality. These are but a few examples of how the disintegrating morality of society is expressing itself in our public education.
Bret Stephens seems to work hard at finding new things about which to complain about President Trump. In his latest column, it is our relationship with Australia.
In his column on September 23, Stephens says Australia has suffered 100,000 casualties in the last century in Americas wars -- Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan.
"A visit to the Australian War Memorial is a moving reminder that Australians have fought alongside Americans in nearly all of our wars over the past century: in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and to this day Afghanistan. More than 100,000 Aussies perished in these efforts, a staggering sacrifice for a country with less than 8 percent of Americas population."
Australian War Memorial
In fact, the number of Australians who died in these four wars is fewer than 1,000:
340 in Korea;
521 in Vietnam;
2 in Iraq; and
42 in Afghanistan
905 in total.
Australia suffered heavy casualty counts in World War 1: 61,532, and in World War 2: 39,652, and even if one were generous enough to assume Stephens meant to include these wars, Australia's relationship with Great Britain had a lot more to do with their involvement in these wars than anything to do with the United States. Most of Australias World War 1 casualties were absorbed before the United States even entered the war., and not in the last century in any case.
The student organization at Berkeley that was planning to host Milo Yiannopoulos's "Free Speech Week" event sent a letter to school administrators informing them that the event had been cancelled.
Berkeley Patriot, a campus student publication, had agreed to host the event but decided on late Friday to pull the plug. "For the last few days, we've been concerned about threats the university had been making and the potential of violence, Berkeley Patriot President Mike Wright said in a phone interview with the LA Times.
In fact, as the San Jose Mercury News discovered, the event never got off the ground. The student group never reserved space for Free Speech Week speakers and several of the speakers that the group announced would be there say they never received an invitation.
In an email chain obtained by the Bay Area News Group, Lucian Wintrich, one of the supposed speakers, told UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof Saturday morning that the event had been merely an attention grab from the start. It was known that they didnt intend to actually go through with it last week, and completely decided on Wednesday, Wintrich wrote. Wait, whoah, hold on a second, wrote a clearly surprised Mogulof. What, exactly, are you saying? What were you told by MILO Inc? Was it a set-up from the get-go? Yes, Wintrich, a writer for the right-wing blog The Gateway Pundit, responded. When he withdrew his name from the speaker list last week, Wintrich was hit with allegations that he was scared of left-wing antifa protesters, he said by phone Saturday afternoon. No, no, Wintrich said. Whats the point of keeping your name on something thats set up to fail? Mogulof said in an email to the news media Saturday morning: It is extremely unfortunate that this announcement (about the cancellation of Free Speech Week) was made at the last minute, even as the university was in the process of spending significant sums of money and preparing for substantial disruption of campus life in order to provide the needed security for these events. During a late Saturday afternoon news conference that was interrupted by a shouting protester with the group Refuse Fascism, Mogulof said that UC Berkeley was prepared for Yiannopoulos to show up but would not discuss specific security plans. School officials had said they had expected to spend about $1 million on security and logistics for the event. One reason is that violent demonstrations had rocked the campus the last time Yiannopoulos tried to speak there in February.
It sounds like Berkeley was making an effort to accomodate the conservatives. But the attorney for Berkeley Patriot claimed otherwise.
In a Saturday letter to the school, Melo, the attorney, accused administrators of putting up roadblocks and said the group was contemplating initiating litigation against the responsible parties and the administration for violation of our clients civil rights. But Michael Cohen, an American studies professor at UC Berkeley who also attended the march, said, This has never been about free speech. This is the equivalent of a five-day flat earther conference in front of the physics department, he said. Mogulof also hit back at the notion the school wants to restrict conservative speech, saying in an email, Claims that this is somehow the outcome desired by the campus are without basis in fact. The university was prepared to do whatever was necessary to support the First Amendment rights of the student organization.
But several high profile speakers who were announced as atttending the event were never even invited.
In recent weeks, Yiannopoulos insisted that a bevy of high-profile speakers would be attending the Berkeley series. But one of the most controversial names on the list conservative commentator Ann Coulter told The Times Friday that she was never coming. My speakers bureau never booked me to speak at Berkeley. No contract for me to speak existed, she said in an email Friday. Former White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon was another unconfirmed speaker. He didnt respond to repeated requests for comment.
Charles Murray, who had been accosted at Middlebury College when he gave a lecture there last year and who was an announced speaker, scoffed at the notion that he would show up at any event connected to Milo:
The inclusion of my name in the list of speakers was done without my knowledge or permission, Murray wrote. I will add that I would never under any circumstances appear at an event that included Milo Yiannopoulos. When asked why he would never appear with Yiannopoulos, Murray reportedly told the Chronicle: Because he is a despicable asshole.
Milo announced during a livestreamed news conference on Saturday that he would speak in front of the Berkeley administration building on Sunday anyway.
Conservative champions Mike Cernovich and Pamela Gellar will also join Yiannopoulos at Sunday's event. The slate of speakers includes Canadian far-right personality Lauren Southern, Los Angeles street artist SABO, conservative author Lisa De Pasquale, and former UC Irvine College Republicans President Ariana Rowlands.
Berkeley police say Milo is within his rights to speak at the unofficial event, but he has no permit to use "amplified sound," meaning they will probably shut him down before he gets started.
What a mess. The right's most persistent provocateur may have been hoping that the school would cancel the event, giving him a propaganda opening and a chance to haul Berkeley into court. It certainly looks like most of the major speakers were never invited or figured out that the entire event was a sham and backed out. The fact that so little was done to plan for the event, including the most rudimentary checklist items such as securing a venue, and officially confirming the speakers who would participate, suggests strongly that there was never any intention by Milo to go through with it.
Berkeley Patriot was had by a master propagandist. Interestingly, the cancellation means that Antifa will get all dressed up and have no place to go. That may have been part of Milo's plan all along.
One of the most outrageous abuses of the Obama presidency was a scheme by which fines for corporate misbehavior by the biggest Wall Street banks were channeled into the hands of radical leftist groups that are now vehemently opposing the policies of President Trump. We are talking hundreds of millions of dollars that ought to have gone to the federal treasury, but instead became a slush fund for the left.
Paul Sperry explains in the New York Post:
Wall Street might be shocked to learn it is helping bankroll the anti-Trump resistance movement thats aggressively fighting policies it favors including corporate tax cuts and the repeal of Obama-era banking and health-care regulations. The Obama administrations massive shakedown of Big Banks over the mortgage crisis included unprecedented back-door funding for dozens of Democratic activist groups who were not even victims of the crisis. At least three liberal nonprofit organizations the Justice Department approved to receive funds from multibillion-dollar mortgage settlements were instrumental in killing the ObamaCare repeal bill and are now lobbying against GOP tax reform, as well as efforts to rein in illegal immigration. An estimated $640 million has been diverted into what critics say is an improper, if not unconstitutional, slush fund fed from government settlements with JPMorgan Chase and Co., Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp., according to congressional sources. The payola is potentially earmarked for third-party interest groups approved by the Justice Department and HUD without requiring any proof of how the funds will be spent. Many of the recipients so far are radical leftist organizations who solicited the settlement cash from the administration even though they were not parties to the lawsuits, records show.
This should never have happened, and conservatives (including AT) were aghast at the time. Imagine if President Trump were to try to funnel fines for corporate misbehavior to the NRA or the Family Research Council. The din of complaints from every MSM outlet in the country would endanger our national hearing. Sperry lists three radical left groups that are conducting anti-Trump activities that are funded by money belonging to taxpayers.
THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA The Hispanic-rights group strenuously protested the Republican-led skinny repeal of the Affordable Care Act after receiving at least $1.5 million from the Obama regimes bank settlement funds, congressional researchers say. The notoriously radical organization, which advocates on behalf of illegal immigrants, argued the Trump proposal would have a harmful impact on the Hispanic community, including stripping potentially 8 million Latinos of medical coverage.
Note that this group, originally funded by the Ford Foundation, has recently rebranded itself, because people started realizing that an explicitly race-based advocacy organization looks bad in a race-obsessed leftist universe. Now, they are transitioning to the brand of Unidos.
And
NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE After receiving at least $1.2 million from the bank-settlement slush fund, the African-American advocacy group solicited its supporters to oppose efforts to repeal ObamaCare by signing a letter to senators arguing African-Americans stand to be disproportionately impacted. It claimed more than 5 million black people would lose coverage under repeal legislation.
And:
NATIONAL COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT COALITION Since hauling in at least $2.6 million in funds under settlement in the Obama-era mortgage suits, the liberal housing-rights group has slammed tax-reform proposals by the Trump administration as unfair, while trying to block efforts to privatize mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, claiming doing so would deepen the racial wealth gap. NCRC is also actively lobbying against regulatory repeal of many provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
I presume that since the fines were converted into donations, they were mad tax-deductible. Id that is so, then taxpayers were doubly hosed: loss of the $640 million dollars that belonged to the Treasury, and then the corporate income taxes that were not paid on the taxable income, thanks to deductions. If this was at the corporate rate of 35%, it amounts to another $224 million, or a total of $864 million dollar given away by the executive branch, with no authorization from Congress.
I dont know who might have standing to sue on behalf of taxpayers over the unjust enrichment of left wing political groups, but in my dreams the courts would use the legal mechanisms to claw back the funds misappropriated.
Hat tip: Clarice Feldman
They're never going to leave. Politicians such as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and now, Joe Biden, continue to insert themselves into the American political scene despite their heyday having come and gone.
Joe Biden is back for sure, playing the race-card schtick, despite the fact that he's one of the most improbable practitioners of it, given his age, his whiteness, and his history of racially insensitive remarks.
CHARLESTON, S.C. Former Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday evening urged Americans to stand up to hate groups and took direct aim at President Donald Trump, who he said has publicly proclaimed the moral equivalency of Neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and those who oppose their hate. Speaking at the centennial fundraising dinner for the Charleston branch of the NAACP, Biden said, This is a moment for this nation to declare what this president cant with any clarity, consistency, or vision: there is no place in America for hate groups.
Politico thinks he's running for office, given his string of political grandstandings, from his article in the Atlantic, to a foreign policy op-ed he wrote shortly afterward in the New York Times, to his economic statements at the University of Delaware at the opening of a new institute named after him, to his very appearance in South Carolina, where early voting is taking place.
He's even said he's not ruling out 2020.
Is he serious? Well, Politico thinks so. And that raises questions about what kind of shape the Democratic Party is really in that someone like Biden, who is in his 70s, could see 2020 as his great political opportunity, his time to shine after failing, much to his regret, to run for president as a Democrat against Donald Trump in 2016.
Seriously, is Biden going to attract the Black vote? Is he going to attract the youth vote? Is he going to be attractive to immigrants? These are all key members of the coalition that elected President Obama in 2008.
And yet - he's pretty much all Democrats have got, given their thin bench in the wake of the Obama administration with its exclusive focus on a single personality, rather than a movement. Obama sucked the life out of the Democratic Party as he governed by decrees and executive orders, all of which were unpopular and spilled over onto the Democratic Party and left it desolate. Democrats lost more than 1,000 legislative seats across the country on Obama's watch.
If Politico is right, then we can expect to hear more from Joe Biden as he makes increasingly more virulent, and in his case, stupid, statements in the bid to seize what's left of the Democrats and come forward as their standard-bearer. He should have been put to pasture years ago, but the lust for power in these people is eternal, and the enfeebled establishment won't be able to fight them off or offer any new faces.
Once upon a time, we had "Dixiecrats," or U.S. Senate Democrats from the old Confederacy. They were some of the great characters of the U.S. Senate, like Senator Thurmond, who ran for president in 1948, or Senator Fulbright of Arkansas, who was very close to Bill Clinton, and others who represented their region rather well.
Today, there are no Dixiecrats. Instead, there are southern GOP senators and members of the U.S. House.
What we do have is a shrinking and very coastal Democratic Party, as TIME magazine exposed and Matt Vespa analyzed:
The Democratic Party is in shambles.
Say what you will about the Republicans they have problems too but at least theyre a national party. For all his faults, Trump was able to virtually get the entire GOP base to vote for him in 2016. The GOP controls Congress, the presidency, two-thirds of the governorships, and 69/99 state legislatures. Theyre at the apex of their power. As the GOP licked their wounds and learned from their 2008 and 2012 defeats, the Democrats, smug, content, and insufferable, felt they had advantage for the next generation. They would run the table on national elections due to demographic shifts. Then, Hillary Clinton torpedoed that whole narrative. Time magazine delved into the state of the party, its hit to the mouth after Trumps win, and noted that things look grim for this regional, shrinking party. As many other, including here, have noted the Democrats have no leader, no message, dismal fundraising, and seem to be on the brink of civil war over issues on what actually makes one a Democrat.
The party has a lot of problems, indeed.
The climax was election night 2016. It was that night that Democrats walked away from the party, as they did in 1972, when President Nixon blew up the Democrat South, and in 1980, when then-governor Reagan connected with blue-collar workers.
A week after Mr. Trump's victory, I was at Telemundo Dallas discussing the results. I was asked why so many "white workers" had walked away. I answered by focusing on the Democrats' obsession with illegal aliens.
Then I used this example of a mythical couple living in the Midwest.
Imagine a working-class couple in southern Wisconsin. They have lived there for generations. It's possible that their father and grandfather worked at that factory. It's likely that they also served in World War II, Korea, or Vietnam. The man probably hunts often, and they proudly display the US flag. They are religious and believe in the goodness of their country.
The wife asks her husband about the news that the plant may be closing and moving overseas. The husband confirms the story. The wife asks: who is looking out for us?
After dinner, they turn on the TV to watch the news. They hear Mr. Trump talking about saving their jobs and the Democrats talking about sanctuary cities or protecting illegal immigrants.
Whom did that couple vote for? They voted for Mr. Trump, and that's why he won.
The Democratic Party no longer connects with that couple in southern Wisconsin or others who feel disconnected from a party run by public-sector unions and secular elites who call you a "homophobe" if you believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. They also don't get why the party is more focused on climate change than their manufacturing jobs.
Before we write the Democrats' obituary, let's remember the cycles of politics. At the same time, parties come back when they learn from their defeats. They bring back the voters they rejected.
How do the Democrats bring back conservative white workers? I don't see anything they are doing that will bring them back anytime soon.
Yes, they will be the Coastalcrats for a while.
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have moved on and dissipated, but their calling cards are strewn widely across the greater Houston area and virtually the entire state of Florida. The wind and water maelstrom may have ended, but the economic storm is just revving up.
Early damage estimates vary but run as high as $200 billion for the pair, outweighing previous champion Katrina by a wide margin and opening the floodgate of questions that lie dormant during fair-weather times.
Pundits of all stripes wonder why millions of smart people live in harm's way and question the adequacy of preparedness for mitigating nature's wrath. Government policy at local, state, and federal levels is scrutinized, often focusing on property zoning and building codes. Availability and issuance of insurance and reinsurance are examined and re-examined, leading to the ultimate aftermath question: who will pay to restore Houston and Florida to civilization as we know it?
This web of queries looks formidably complex, but the resolution is actually quite simple, rooted in just two numbers. The $200B price tag for the storms may appear daunting, but when we add together the productivity of the Greater Houston area (Metropolitan Statistical Area) since its last major hurricane (Ike, 2008), and for Florida (Wilma, 2005), eight years of weather doldrums in Houston and eleven years in Florida contributed a total GDP north of $12 trillion.
The arithmetic says reward far outruns risk. Houstonians and Floridians may not employ the wisest weather strategies when in extremis, but when Mother Nature isn't swelling tides or tossing cows in the air, Houstonians and Floridians know exactly where they want to live.
But when calamity strikes, the long-running bill for living and working in the ruts of historical storm tracks comes due. Who should pay and who will actually pay are not synonymous, but are closer than much of the media would have us believe.
Between incessant TV video footage of shredded roofs and beached boats, we are constantly reminded of the significant numbers of the uninsured and under-insured, as if a formal contract with an insurer were the primary solution to disaster recovery.
Simple economics says otherwise. For openers, think of a portion of that $12T productivity gain as self-insurance, sitting in the pockets and treasuries of all who prospered during the dry and calm years.
And who prospered? Local property owners, businesses, employees, and government at every level -- local, regional, state, and national -- all thrived. In short, virtually everyone prospered. Imagine a Texas without Houston; or a scenario of life in America, not only short the $1.5B annual GDP of Houston and Florida, but an America without a tropical Floridian oasis bordering on the Caribbean, or a nation bereft of the energy contribution of a major piece of the Gulf Coast.
We may be tempted to overemphasize the moral hazard, valid as it may be, whereby local uninsured and underinsured victims dump their disaster liabilities on governments and innocent citizens, yet prior years of prosperity amply contributed to the welfare of all Houstonians, Texans, Floridians, and Americans.
It is no more possible to accurately allocate the spread of recovery costs among all beneficiaries of prosperity than it is to predict the location, severity, and timing of natural disasters. The account ledgers are smudged. The cost burden between local and national is continuing to shift toward Washington, and perhaps excessively so, but, all prosperity considered, it's not entirely unreasonable.
Harvey and Irma afford us a somewhat cloudy crystal ball view into the future of natural disasters. Preparedness will continue to improve, American heroics and generosity will abound unabated, and the pains of recovery will be shared both locally and across the land a literal model of a Federal Republic.
Republican Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala., appointed to fill the remaining term of the missing-in-action Attorney General Jeff Sessions, received the oddest endorsement for a full term from President Trump at a Strange rally in Huntsville, Alabama Friday night vote for Luther Strange, because he hardly knows the equally AWOL Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell:
During a rally in support of Luther Strange's election campaign, President Donald Trump attempted to distance any relationship between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Strange despite McConnell-linked money streaming into the race and a report that McConnell handpicked Strange for the seat. "He's not a friend of Mitch McConnell. He doesn't know Mitch McConnell, until just recently," Trump said of Strange at Friday night's rally for Strange. He added that he wasn't saying that as a bad comment about "Mitch, at all." "He just got there," Trump said of Strange. He stated that he once asked Strange how well he knows McConnell and Strange claimed that he had just met McConnell.
Mitch who? Seems Luther Strange should have known and met Mitch McConnell when he worked as a lobbyist in the nation's capital, making him no stranger to the swamp President Trump wants to drain:
Mr. Sessions, who was sworn in as attorney general on Thursday, was succeeded on the same day in the Senate by the attorney general of Alabama, Luther Strange, a former Washington lobbyist and onetime partner at a white-shoe Birmingham law firm with deep ties to the establishment wing of the Republican Party. "He's going to be a mainstream conservative Republican," Karl Rove, the former strategist for George W. Bush, predicted of Mr. Strange, whom he met in the 1990s when the two worked together on the ferocious campaign for Republican control of the Alabama Supreme Court. "He's very smart, really hard-working."
Getting praise from Karl Rove as a "mainstream Republican conservative," a phrase some might apply to Sen. John McCain, may indicate that Strange is not exactly the swamp-drainer Trump's own base might warmly embrace. Justice David Souter was once considered a mainstream conservative jurist, and look how that turned out. Granted, Strange has participated in conservative victories at the state level, and even McConnell himself did stellar work in holding Justice Antonin Scalia's SCOTUS seat until Trump could appoint Neil Gorsuch. But many in Trump's base feel that Judge Roy Moore is more of a rebel in the Trump mode, willing to fall on his sword for conservative principles, than an eminently ineffective Senate leadership.
Luther Strange has about 8 million reasons to be knowledgeable about Mitch McConnell, who is moving heaven and earth for Strange:
The Republican leader is aiming to thwart Rep. Mo Brooks and former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore in a special election in Alabama next month. Both men are campaigning against McConnell as a despised symbol of the establishment and both would exacerbate his already stiff challenge wrangling his GOP Conference. McConnell is responding in kind. His super PAC is set to spend as much as $8 million to boost his favored candidate, recently appointed Republican Sen. Luther Strange. McConnell has activated his sprawling donor network and pressed the White House for more resources. And the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP campaign arm McConnell controls, has warned consultants they'll be cut off from future work if they assist Strange's opponents. And in a highly unusual step, one of McConnell's top political lieutenants has begun quietly advising a long-shot Republican primary candidate running for Brooks' House seat. The move is designed to get in the congressman's head and dissuade him from emptying his campaign war chest in the race for Attorney General Jeff Sessions' old Senate seat.
Again, Mitch who? It's hard not to know someone who is funneling $8 million into your campaign. Trump likes loyalty, and Strange did stick with Trump, unlike McCain, on Obamacare repeal and replace. Trump said he was not asked for any quid pro quo, but the cynical might suggest that Strange was thinking about it in a hotly contested Alabama primary.
Speaking of a quid pro quo, Strange, as Alabama attorney general, reportedly "ramped down" his investigation of crimes committed by the man who appointed him to the Senate, Gov. Robert Bentley:
As attorney general, Strange was investigating Bentley for crimes that would later force Bentley to resign and plead guilty to charges related to campaign finance and ethics fraud. There are those in Alabama that have made the connection between Strange's office ramping down their investigation and the Senate appointment. Would you be shocked to find that Strange ran on a pledge to "Clean up Montgomery" the state capital when running for attorney general in 2010? Because of the ethical cloud surrounding Strange's appointment, Alabama's new governor, Kay Ivey, called a special election for 2017 instead of waiting until the November 2018 election as Bentley had scheduled. The new election date is Dec. 12, 2017, with primaries scheduled for Aug. 15. If no primary candidate receives a greater than 50 percent share of the vote, a runoff is scheduled for Sept. 26.
Alabama voters may very well be facing a choice between an ethically challenged Strange and what many consider a bedrock conservative, Judge Roy Moore. Moore has received the endorsement former Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka, who said he left the White House full of people with dubious loyalties to the Trump agenda, and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Gorka explains:
Dr. Sebastian Gorka, former deputy assistant to Trump, explained that Strange is a "swamp dweller" and Moore will be better at advancing the president's "Make America Great Again" agenda. Gorka said that Trump endorsed Strange because he's been under pressure by people like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). He noted that Trump said during the rally on Friday that he will "campaign like hell" for Moore if he wins in Tuesday's runoff. "The judge is ahead at least six points right now, ahead of Luther Strange, because the people in Alabama understand that this is the person who represents the agenda of what the president came in to do," Gorka said.
Sarah Palin embraced Judge Roy Moore as someone whose loyalties and priorities are properly aligned and someone who, like Trump, will serve the American people and not the political establishment:
Sarah Palin returned to the campaign trail Thursday night to rally support for Judge Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race, armed with a pitch heavy on anti-GOP establishment criticism. "We're sending Trump someone who has our back not Mitch McConnell's," Palin told a raucous crowd of hundreds .President Trump endorsed the other candidate in this race, Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed in February to fill the seat left open by Jeff Sessions when he became attorney general. But Palin, the former 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, insisted that backing Moore is not an act of defiance toward Trump. "A vote for Judge Moore isn't a vote against the president, it is a vote for the people's agenda that elected the president," Palin said.
Can Judge Roy Moore, like Trump, buck the establishment and win? You betcha.
Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investor's Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine, and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
KINDRED -- During the last moments Bob Jostad had with his wife of 45 years, her lower body was pinned by the engine of a school bus.
Cathy Jostad, 64, was driving the Kindred bus on a foggy morning Sept. 25, when a loaded farm truck pulled out in front of her from a gravel road onto Highway 46.
Miraculously, no students were badly hurt when the bus slammed into the side of the trailer, but the impact crushed Cathys legs. Three other farm trucks hit those vehicles soon after.
Bob Jostad, a school bus driver himself and rural ambulance volunteer, rushed to help while others worked to free his wife from the wreckage.
Cathy was conscious the entire 40 minutes it took to free her and, during that time, Bob Jostad said she pleaded with him repeatedly.
Youve got to do something about this, he said his wife kept saying, pointing toward the truck with its load of soybeans spilled over the roadway.
En route to a Fargo hospital, Cathy stopped breathing. Bob Jostad said she was resuscitated but never regained consciousness. The mother of two, grandmother of two and lifelong lover of horses died a week later.
A Cass County prosecutor declined to file criminal charges based on a state troopers report that said fog was a major factor and that multiple drivers were going too fast for the conditions.
Jostad filed a civil lawsuit against Eldon Burdick, the driver of the first truck. Jostads attorney, Patrick Weir Jr., said the suit was recently settled out of court and the terms are confidential.
With legal matters now behind him, Jostad feels free to do what his wife asked -- call for stricter licensing and more training for people who drive farm trucks.
Its been hell on earth living alone, Jostad said. We need to keep more grandmas from being killed, or anyone.
Commercial licenses for all
Normally, a commercial drivers license is required for anyone driving a semi.
However, farmers have long had a CDL waiver under a federal law exemption, allowing them to hire anyone with a valid, regular drivers license to haul their crops.
Jostad thinks those drivers should have a CDL, with its mandatory medical exams and drug testing.
While he acknowledges theres much more at stake with a cargo of children than a load of crops, he thinks the higher standards should be met because buses and trucks share the road and often pass within feet of one another at highway speeds.
This vehicle and everything its size is potentially dangerous, Jostad said, gesturing to one of the Kindred school buses.
Bill Hejl, a rural Amenia, farmer, said hed be in favor of CDLs for farm drivers if it would improve safety, but he doesnt think thats the case.
Having the commercial drivers license wont make the truck stop any faster, he said.
Hejl employs five drivers during harvest whove either been doing it for years or come with good recommendations from other growers.
His trucks are inspected every year before harvest and, if visibility is poor, neither he nor his drivers leave the farm.
I dont want my truck to get wrecked. I dont want anyone else to get hurt and I dont want the driver to get hurt. You live with that the rest of your life, Hejl said.
Hiring challenges
Approaching age 70, Jostad said hes not able to lead a push for increased farm truck safety and thinks it may be futile anyway in an agriculture-dominated state.
Two state legislators from his home District 25 admit it would be an uphill climb.
Sen. Larry Luick, a Republican from Fairmount whos also a farmer, said finding qualified drivers is already difficult.
Some farmers may reluctantly end up in a spot where if you can keep your eyes open and steer, youre hired, he said.
The commotion of moving crops quickly and dealing with weather variables can make matters worse.
In a loaded truck, you get tired people, cranky people, things can go south in a hurry, Luick said.
Rep. Alisa Mitskog, a Democrat from Wahpeton whos married to a farmer, agrees there are hiring challenges.
She recalls the crash in that city in 2010, when a sugar beet truck driver ran a red light, striking and killing an 18-year-old woman.
The truck driver, who had a DWI conviction and multiple suspended license violations, pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and was sent to prison for a year.
Just a terrible reminder of what can happen if you dont hire the right people, Mitskog said.
An empty chair
Mark Watne, president of the North Dakota Farmers Union, said emotional reactions regarding safety are common when accidents occur.
Nobody wants anybody to die, he said.
But, according to Wante, theres nothing magical from a safety standpoint about having a commercial drivers license.
Capt. Bryan Niewind of the North Dakota Highway Patrol agrees, saying past crashes, while unfortunate, werent necessarily because the driver did not have a CDL.
It was a decision-making issue, Niewind said.
In the crash that killed Cathy Jostad, prosecutor Tanya Johnson Martinez said there was no disputing Jostad had the right of way and that the farm truck driver pulled out in front of her.
But she said the fog and the fact multiple drivers involved in the Highway 46 crash, including Cathy Jostad, were driving beyond their sight and reaction zones, would make it difficult to prove anyone acted in a criminal manner.
Still, its a bitter pill to swallow for Bob Jostad, who thinks its time to hold farm truck drivers to higher standards.
Theres an empty chair in my house, he said, his voice choking. Theres something that can be done.
President Trump and congressional Republicans have been all over the news from Hurricane Harvey relief bills that raise the debt ceiling to the reform of the Affordable Care Act. But among all the news, the most poignant and lasting is the Republican tax reform plan. Recently, the Senate Budget Committee agreed on a target of $1.5 trillion in tax relief over the next ten years. At first glance, it seems like a simple strategy to reduce corporate taxes, remove the estate tax, eliminate industry-specific tax breaks, and overall increase the amount of money saved by taxpayers. However, Republicans need to be careful to not fall into critics' arguments. Some of the tax reformers have suggested reviving ideas from former House Ways and Means Committee chairman Dave Camp's 2014 tax proposal. The Michigan Republican's proposal shares several similar stipulations to the current tax reform plan, including almost identical tax reductions for businesses and individuals. However, it also has several disguised provisions that are anti-conservative and, in general, uneconomic that Congress should kill. How can a tax reform be fair if you reduce taxes in one place but increase them somewhere else? The Camp tax proposal doesn't change anything but the rules, and that is a huge problem. These net-zero positive rules sit among effective tax cuts and tax reform. When reading Camp's plan, two particular net-zero rules pop up: an ad tax and 401(k) "reform." The Dave Camp ad tax is a proposal that would permit businesses only to deduct half of their advertising expenses each accounting season. The rest of the expenditures would be amortized over the course of a decade. In the simplest of accounting terms, according to GAAP (generally acceptable accounting principles), expenses are supposed to be deducted from a business's net income before taxation. Even beyond that, this new ad tax would have a sourly adverse effect. Not only would large firms be less willing to buy advertising, but start-ups and small businesses would spend far less or nothing at all on it. This problem is especially troubling, given that only 20 percent of new businesses survive after their first year. When considering how important advertising spending is to success and how little revenue start-ups have in their vaults when first getting off the ground, it is clear that this change in deductibility will artificially push that statistic even lower. If Congress adopts Camp's ad tax, the body will essentially be picking winners and losers the winner being the federal bank and the losers being any business that advertises, especially smaller ones. Simply put, the tax is antithetical to the free market and contradictory to conservative economics.
On the side of reform, Dave Camp's 401(k) proposal, which some in Congress are reportedly reviewing, is also bad news. Unlike the ad tax, it does not change any existing rates of taxes. However, this provision would change exactly when the taxation would occur.
Currently, a 401(k) is not taxable until one begins pulling funds for retirement. But the new proposal would alter this policy, making the depositing of contributions subjected to taxation instead. The plan aims to raise nearly $144 billion within a decade by allowing the government to collect now rather than later.
At first glance, the policy seems harmless since the tax dollars are the same quantity. However, it ignores the long-term implications. Instead of solving the "supposed" budget deficit, it simply defers costs to the future. The government may be making more money now, but in the long term, they won't have any taxable 401(k)s, since withdrawing money would no longer be taxable. So, in effect, Congress would be pushing the revenue problem further into the future, instead of creating a structure to promote stability.
The current conservative tax blueprint harrows well founded economic policy, but implementing certain provisions from the Camp bill can potentially impede the otherwise positive effects of reform.
Republicans can help the economy if they recognize that success cannot occur without failure. Good tax reform understands this principle.
In politics, there is no such thing as perfect. You can't learn to ride a bike if you aren't willing to fail.
Policies that try to stop failure may prevent the immediate day of reckoning, but inevitably, they will create more problems in the long term. Instead of being so fixated on short-term battles, conservatives need to focus on the effects of policy on future. Economists like Friedrich Hayek, Claude-Frederic Bastiat, Murray Rothbard, and even John Maynard Keynes, speak to this principle. Why shouldn't tax reform?
The current tax reform blueprint has the potential to create an economy free from the duress of an unpredictable and overreaching government. Let's keep it that way.
Our UN dues at work, right after President Trump called our attention to the fact that we pay almost 22% of the total in his historic speech last week.
Speaking at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General (since May) of the World Health Organization, lectured us on our soil about a current political issue:
Rush transcript via Grabien
Now I welcome to the stage the director of the organization Dr. Tandros.
>> Hello global citizens. Good evening. Yesterday, I had a meeting with a great group of studes from North Carolina. Theyre here tonight. Where are you carboro high school? I ask them I had a speech initially, I asked them I changed that and I asked them what I should say to you tonight. Here is what we agreed. Were one human race, and we all have the right to health, if you are healthy, anything is possible. If you dont have health, you have nothing. Do you agree?
>> Yes!
>> And no one should get sick and die just because they are poor. Every year, more than a hundred million people are plunged into poverty because of the health care costs. This is a scandal we must not accept. At W.H.O., were on a mission to make sure and to choose so that no one has to choose between death and poverty. The best way to do that is, to make sure that all people have health coverage. Tonight we have agreed to join forces with global citizens to make universal health coverage for all a priority on the global agenda many global citizens, do you believe in health for all?
>> Yes!
>> Do you believe in health for all?
>> Yes!
>> I cant hear you!
>> Yes!
>> Then keep tweeting. Keep e-mailing. And also calling your leaders to invest in health for all. You have the power. You have the power, make it happen. Make health for all happen. You have the power, thank you so much. Thank you, thank you.
I had no idea what the Global Citizen Festival is, but it turns out to be mainly a rock concert that raises money for the hard left, and does its bit to indoctrinate the crowd the musicians bring in.
Photo credit: Global Citizen Festival
Its home page tells us upfront:
FOR FREEDOM. FOR JUSTICE. FOR ALL. We are the movement that will achieve freedom from want and economic justice for all. Join us.
Dont you love how wannabe totalitarians always disguise their intentions by promising utopia?
No wonder the head of one of the UNs most important agencies signed on.
Sen. Heidi Heitkamps announcement on Sept. 13 that she would seek a second term wasnt unexpected. The Democrat has been sounding more like a candidate in recent months, but there was always the possibility she would bow out.
The Senate race likely will be the most interesting contest in the 2018 election. Sen. Tom Campbell, R-Grafton, already has announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for the Senate. Other possible Republican candidates are U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer and state Sen. Rick Becker, R-Bismarck. If Cramer should seek and get the nomination it would open the door for Becker or Campbell to run for the House. The Senate race could give North Dakota Republicans another compelling convention contest like the 2016 gubernatorial battle.
Political pundits have gone back and forth on the Senate contest, with some giving Heitkamp a slight re-election edge. Of course, its a long time to November 2018.
Heitkamp has been stressing her willingness and ability to work across the aisle with Republicans on key issues. She traveled with President Donald Trump and a load of Republicans on Air Force One when the president visited Bismarck-Mandan to give a tax speech. He openly courted her vote for his tax plan and called her a good woman after calling her to the stage. He also challenged her to vote for his tax plan.
It didnt go unnoticed that Heitkamp revealed her re-election plans after being one of three Democrats invited to a White House dinner to discuss tax reform with the president and Republican lawmakers. She went on her brothers radio program the next morning to announce her candidacy and told him "I really felt last night that there's an opportunity to do some good bipartisan work."
There has been some grumbling in the state Democratic Party about Heitkamps positions. Some feel she has been too conservative at the same time that Republicans are painting her as too liberal. Republicans cite her support of the Affordable Care Act and her vote against repealing methane emissions as examples. Some Democrats are disappointed by Heitkamps support of the Keystone XL pipeline. Still, Heitkamps endorsement by the Democratic convention seems assured.
Whoever is her Republican opponent it will be a good opportunity for a discussion of the issues. This race carries national significance because it will help determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. Republicans will counter Heitkamps argument that she can work across the aisle by arguing that North Dakotans need a Republican in the seat to guarantee the GOP agenda, which seems to be in alignment with the majority of North Dakota voters.
Heitkamp won the Senate seat in a close race with Rep. Rick Berg in 2012. Theres likely to be a Libertarian candidate in the Senate race and theres no reason not to expect another tight contest. It would be helpful for Heitkamp if the Democrats could field some other strong candidates. Ben Hanson, 30, a Fargo Democrat and former state House member, has entered the U.S. House race. He doesnt bring much name recognition to the contest.
Theres a lot of time until the party conventions and the 2018 election, but North Dakotans should expect an important U.S. Senate battle.
Punching fascists and other hate crimes: why Astro Labe attacked tony Abbott
Astro Labe has been charged with assault for an alleged attack on Australian MP Tony Abbott. Labe, a 38-year-old bartender and barista, tells Adelaide Now why he did it. Was it all about Abbotts opposition to same-sex marriage, something Australians are voting on? At the time of the alleged incident, Labe was sporting a same-sex sticker on his anorak. He says:
It was nothing really remotely to do with that. Its just about Tony Abbott the f***ing worm that he is. All it was is I saw Tony Abbott and Id had half a skinful and I wanted to nut the c***. I want to divorce myself [from the same-sex marriage issue] not because I disagree with their stance but this was nothing to do with that. Thats just my personal hatred.
Is this a hate crime, then?
I was like Tony, Tony, I kind of trotted up behind him. I trotted up behind him, I just want to shake your hand and just went bang. Kind of missed it. Gave him a fat lip. He got off pretty lightly. Hes just lucky Im not a violent c***.
Phew! Lucky escape for Abbott that Labes a peacnick.
He goes on to tell Sydney Morning Herald:
[It] was just a lifelong ambition to headbutt a fascist because Im a skinhead that likes ska music and hates fascism. Hes an evil c, Im an anarchist and I believe in human rights I headbutted him quite piss-poorly because I was quite pissed.
If Labe wants to attack a fascist, why did he go for Abbott, someone who does not oppose democracy in principle? What Labe means by fascist, of course, is anyone he disagree with and finds morally unacceptable. Its thinking very bit as lazy as his headbutt.
Anorak
Posted: 24th, September 2017 | In: News, Politicians Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
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The Eddy County Sheriff s Office was engaged in a multi-hour standoff Saturday with a local man after the man reportedly fired a shot at another individual.
The ECSO arrived at a residence at 5412 W. Dallas Ave. around 9:30 a.m. Saturday in response to a call of shots fired. The man at the center of the call entered the home soon after the authorities arrived and refused their commands to exit.
The Eddy County Tactical Team was called to the scene at which the ECSO Detective Division, Carlsbad Police Department, and New Mexico State Police were also present and the man finally exited the home around 3:30 p.m. and was placed under arrest.
The Daily Press spoke to two men who were present at the time of the initial shots fired incident Saturday; they say theyre fortunate the encounter resulted only in damage to a vehicle.
He was definitely shooting at me, said Shannon Johnson.
Johnson and his friend Patrick Morrison, both of whom were standing approximately 40 feet away from the male individual whose name is not yet being released pending official confirmation say the man pointed the gun at Johnson before firing. The shotgun blast ultimately struck Johnsons personal pickup (pictured) around the area of the back passenger window.
Johnson, Morrison and one other individual were standing on the other side of the truck at the time.
He shot the one time and then backed into the house once the sheriffs showed up, said Morrison. He was yelling at them to get off his property as he was backing into the house.
The confrontation stems, Johnson says, from his ongoing efforts to retrieve personal property located at the address.
He says he and his wife purchased the home from the man and had begun moving belongings onto the property in late January. The man had agreed to vacate the residence in March.
Somewhere around mid-March, he decided not to move, and the next time my wife and I went out there, he pulled a gun on us and ran us off the property, said Johnson.
Johnson says the man had previously agreed to the Johnsons transferring some of their belongings which he says includes approximately $200,000 worth of tools and equipment, and approximately 14 vehicles to the address ahead of his move-out date and had cleared vehicles out of a shop at the residence in order to accommodate their items.
Johnson says after the man began refusing to allow him to retrieve his property once he opted not to move, he obtained a lawyer and filed suit in Fifth Judicial District Court. He says after four-and-a-half to five months, the case was dismissed, citing a lack of jurisdiction.
It turns out our lawyer filed the case under the wrong writ and would have to re-file, and that was going to take approximately $30,000, said Johnson. I didnt have the money to go back to court, so I elected to just get my personal belongings I had out there and let the property go.
Johnson says he asked if law enforcement could escort him onto the premises including Saturday but was informed the ECSO does not engage in civil stand-bys. He was told the issue was a civil matter and to obtain a court order, which he says he cant afford.
Everything that Ive got to make any more money is stuck on that property, Johnson said. Im a welder by trade, and hes got all my welding equipment.
Johnson says he finally contacted ECSO and asked if he was within his legal rights to enter the property and retrieve his belongings, provided he had all the appropriate documentation to prove the items were his.
They said, Yes, but we advise against it, he said. Well, I need my personal possessions. I was told I was within my rights as long as I didnt go into the residence. I could enter the property, the shop, and the barn, just not the house.
He says he and around 14 other individuals arrived a little before 8 a.m. Saturday. About 45 minutes later, the man exited the home, armed, and ordered them to leave.
Ive said to him, I dont want problems, I just want to get my stuff and go away and leave you alone, said Johnson. We were having a conversation, and I was telling him to put the gun down. He pointed it right at me and ended up shooting the side of my truck around the rear passenger door.
The man was taken into custody and transported to Carlsbad, but the charges against him have not yet been released. Morrison and Johnson say they were advised he was back at his residence as of Saturday evening.
Additional details will be published as they become available. Calls placed to the number listed for the residence in question Saturday night were unanswered.
This expansion will take the number of countries where the brand is present to 60 from 30 currently.
Sri Sri Ayurveda, the FMCG brand of spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, plans to launch its products in 30 new countries. Photo: AFP
Mumbai: Sri Sri Ayurveda, the FMCG brand of spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, plans to launch its products in 30 new countries with a focus on Latin America, including Brazil and Argentina, a top company official said.
This expansion will take the number of countries where the brand is present to 60 from 30 currently. "We will launch Sri Sri Tattva brand of products in 30 new countries with a focus on Latin America, including Brazil and Argentina. We are already present in countries in Middle East, Far East, and Russia, where we will further expand our range," Arvind Varchaswi, MD of the FMCG firm, told PTI here.
The company also plans to launch 1,000 new stores in the next few years, through a partnership with Franchise India, Varchaswi added.
He indicated that 600 stores will be opened this year. "We are also expanding our personal care range, and home care and Pooja ranges," he added.
The brand intends to launch about 20-25 products in the next one month in these various categories. It has also launched an apparel range with Indian ethnic wear, which will sell online and through the app, he said.
Unveiling range of healthy cookies in collaboration with Bangalore-based biscuit maker Unibic Foods India.
The company has set up two more factories in Bengaluru for its personal care range.
On Friday, regulatory body Transport for London refused to renew Uber's operating licence in the city.
Uber is prepared to make concessions as it seeks to reverse a decision by London authorities not to renew its licence in the city.
London: U.S. taxi firm Uber is prepared to make concessions as it seeks to reverse a decision by London authorities not to renew its licence in the city, which represents a potentially big blow for the fast-growing company, a newspaper reported.
The Sunday Times also quoted sources close to Londons transport body as saying the move was encouraging and suggested the possibility of talks.
While we havent been asked to make any changes, wed like to know what we can do, Tom Elvidge, Ubers general manager in London, told the newspaper. But that requires a dialogue we sadly havent been able to have recently.
A spokesman for Transport for London (TfL) declined to comment.
The Sunday Times said Ubers concessions were likely to involve passenger safety and benefits for its drivers, possible limits on working hours to improve road safety and holiday pay.
TfL stunned the powerful U.S. start-up on Friday when it deemed Uber unfit to run a taxi service for safety reasons and stripped it of its licence from Sept. 30, although the company can continue to operate while it appeals.
The regulator cited failures to report serious criminal offences, conduct sufficient background checks on drivers and other safety issues.
Uber responded by urging users in London to sign a petition that said the city authorities had caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice. The move echoed Ubers strategy in disputes with other cities.
By 2200 GMT on Saturday, more than 600,000 people had signed although it was not clear how many of them were in London.
A spokesman for Uber said around 20,000 Uber drivers had emailed the citys mayor directly to object to the decision.
Kumar said the GSTN portal has handled a humongous load of filing of 1.3 lakh tax returns filing and payment per hour on September 20.
GSTN has tweaked some of the features on its portal over the past month to make the system more robust , said CEO Pawan Kumar.
New Delhi: GST Network (GSTN) has tweaked some of the features on its portal over the past month to make the system more robust and allow glitch-free tax payment facility to nearly 35 lakh assessees, its CEO Prakash Kumar said on Sunday.
Of the total 87.33 lakh registered businesses on the GSTN, which manages the IT infrastructure of the new tax regime, 68 lakh were eligible to pay taxes in August. Of the total registered taxpayers, 24.56 lakh are new registrations, while 62.77 lakh have migrated from the earlier excise, service tax and VAT regime.
Kumar said the GSTN portal has handled a humongous load of filing of 1.3 lakh tax returns filing and payment per hour on September 20 -- the last day of filing of August tax returns.
"Nearly 35 lakh people had filed returns till Saturday. We have done some tweaking in our portal and it is evident from the load GSTN handled at the time of August return filing," he told PTI. Kumar said a significant number of returns were filed even after the due date of September 20 for August month.
Till September 20, over 30 lakh returns were filed, and the tally went up to nearly 35 lakh till September 23.
"A lot of businesses file returns even after the end of due date as the (GST) Council has done away with late payment fee. This delayed filing of returns used to happen at the time of VAT payment as well in states," Kumar said.
The ministerial panel under Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi to look into glitches in GST Network will meet on October 4 to assess improvement in functioning of the portal.
The group of ministers will meet just two days before the full GST Council meeting on October 6 and would update the Council on its findings.
GST Network (GSTN) had faced glitches during the GSTR-3B filing for July, which had forced the government to extend the due date for filing of returns.
As many as 49.68 lakh returns in GSTR-3B were filed for July. This compares to 59.6 lakh businesses who are required to file returns. Taxes of over Rs 95,000 crore were collected in the maiden month of roll-out.
The GST Council had earlier this month constituted the group of ministers under Modi, to sort out the issues faced by businesses while filing returns and paying taxes on GSTN portal. After the first meeting of the GoM on September 16, Modi had said that 25 key issues have been identified and there would be visible change on the GSTN portal in next 7-10 days.
While the announcement of the show came a while back, actress Shweta Tripathi is now set to star in the show.
Producer Zoya Akhtar, who is working on the web series Made in Heaven, is currently shooting in Delhi. While the announcement of the show came a while back, actress Shweta Tripathi is now set to star in the show. The 10-episode series tells the tale of competition between a traditional wedding planner, who is competing with a wedding company set on modern values.
Shweta has joined the team in Delhi for the show, in which she will be seen in a couple of episodes. She will play the role of a bride-to-be, informs a source.
The actress will then move to Benaras where she will begin shooting for her next. Apart from this, the actress will soon make her way to Busan International Film Festival where her film Zoo, is all set for a world premiere in October.
The students alleged that police thrashed, dragged them by hair, but DM Varanasi, who was present on the spot, denied all such claims.
The ongoing protests outside the BHU campus were triggered when a first-year female student of BHU alleged that she was molested by three bike-borne men outside the varsity campus on Thursday. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)
Uttar Pradesh: More security forces were deployed outside the BHU campus on Sunday after clashes erupted between police and varsity students on Saturday night.
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday lathicharged the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) students, who were protesting since three days against alleged molestation of a varsity girl.
It has been reported that the protesting students tried to enter the residence of University Vice Chancellor and when the deployed security forces tried to stop them, students became violent and attacked the police after which the security forces also used force and lathicharge on the students to disperse them.
The students alleged that the police thrashed them and dragged them by hair, but DM Varanasi, who was present on the spot, denied all such claims.
The ongoing protests outside the BHU campus were triggered when a first-year female student of BHU alleged that she was molested by three bike-borne men outside the varsity campus on Thursday.
The victim in the matter has claimed that she went to the university administration for complaining about the incident but the administration instead of taking any action against the molesters, shamed the victim for her awkward hostel timings.
Angered over the laid back attitude of the administration and lack of action from their side, the varsity students staged protests outside the campus on Friday and blocked entry to the campus through the main gate.
The protests in Uttar Pradesh coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to his Lok Sabha constituency.
A chilli grenade makes use of a naturally-occurring compound in chilli powder to cause severe irritation and temporarily immobilise its target.
Rohingya Muslims, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, stretch their arms out to receive packets of biscuits thrown at them as handouts. (Photo: AP)
New Delhi: India has stepped up security along its largely porous eastern border with Bangladesh and is using chilli and stun grenades to block the entry of Rohingya Muslims fleeing from violence in their homeland of Myanmar, officials said on Friday.
Border forces in India, which wants to deport around 40,000 Rohingya already living in the country, citing security risks, have been authorised to use rude and crude methods to stop any attempts by the Rohingya to cross the India-Bangladesh border.
We dont want to cause any serious injury or arrest them, but we wont tolerate Rohingya on Indian soil, said a senior official with the Border Security Force (BSF) in New Delhi.
Were using grenades containing chilli spray to stop hundreds of Rohingya trying to enter India the situation is tense, added the official, who declined to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to media.
More than 420,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since August 25, when a coordinated attack by Rohingya insurgents on Myanmar security forces triggered a counteroffensive, killing at least 400 people, mainly militants. The UN has called the assault a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.
Bangladesh is struggling to shelter all the refugees desperate for space to set up shacks, sparking worries in India that the influx could spill into its territory.
R.P.S. Jaswal, a deputy inspector general of the BSF patrolling a large part of the border in West Bengal, said his troops were told to use both chilli grenades and stun grenades to push back the Rohingya.
A chilli grenade makes use of a naturally-occurring compound in chilli powder to cause severe irritation and temporarily immobilise its target.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis government is growing increasingly hostile towards the Rohingya in India, with home minister Rajnath Singh calling on Thursday for their deportation as illegal migrants.
Seeking to get legal clearance for the deportation plan, the home ministry told the Supreme Court this week it would confidentially provide it with intelligence information showing Rohingya links with Pakistan-based militants.
Most of the refugees had no link to criminal activity, two Rohingya men protesting against the deportation move told Indias top court on Friday.
An official of Indias federal investigations agency said it was seeking help from Muslim religious leaders to step up surveillance of the Rohingya.
Police have arrested a suspected al-Qaeda member who they say was trying to recruit Rohingya in the country to fight security forces in Myanmar. More than 270 Rohingya have been in Indian jails since 2014.
Our investigations have revealed that al-Qaeda wants to use India and Bangladesh as their base to start a religious war against Myanmar, said New Delhi police official Pramod Singh Khuswah. Clearly they are a threat to our security.
Mayawati alleged atrocities against weaker sections of society have gone up in BJP-ruled states after the NDA govt came to power in 2014.
Mayawati's attack against the BJP came on a day when Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani laid the foundation stone for the Ambedkar Sankalp Bhoomi memorial project in the city. (Photo: Twitter/ANI)
Vadodara: BSP supremo Mayawati on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using B R Ambedkar's name for the sake of votes of weaker sections of society, and said OBC and Dalit leaders of the BJP would always remain "bonded labourers" of the RSS even if they become PM or CM.
Sounding the poll bugle in Modi's home state, she alleged the BJP believes in caste discrimination even today. Mayawati also warned that she and her supporters would embrace Buddhism if Hindu religious leaders did not change their attitude towards Dalits.
"Even if the BJP appoints a Dalit or an OBC leader as the chief of the party or as chief minister or prime minister, he would always remain a bonded labourer of the casteist and communal RSS, and would not be able to do much for backward classes," she said.
"I and my followers will embrace Buddhism if Hindu saints and Shankaracharyas do not change their behaviour and attitude towards dalits," Mayawati said.
Mayawati's attack against the BJP came on a day when Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani laid the foundation stone for the Ambedkar Sankalp Bhoomi memorial project in the city. "Modi calls himself an OBC but has done nothing for people of this section. He is using the name of Ambedkar only for garnering votes of dalits," Mayawati told a rally to mark the centenary year of "Mahasankalp diwas".
Mahasankalp diwas is observed to mark the day Ambedkar is said to have resolved to change the way Dalits were treated after he had to leave the city because of discrimination. The BSP chief said that September 23, 1917, was the day when Ambedkar decided to leave his job in Vadodara because of constant discrimination and insults.
Mayawati, whose party was reduced to the margins in Uttar Pradesh after electoral setbacks, launched a scathing attack on the RSS, the BJP's ideological mentor. Accusing Modi of "doing nothing" for Dalits in the last three years, Mayawati said the Prime Minister was making several promises to the community in view of elections in his home state.
"When elections come they (BJP) see Dalits as Hindus, but later they do not even like to sit with them...people in BJP believe in caste discrimination even today," she said, adding that the V P Singh government had in 1990 conferred the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, on Ambedkar under the BSP's pressure.
She said the BJP was "unhappy" over the honour bestowed on Ambedkar and implementation of Mandal Commission's recommendations. Continuing her diatribe, the Dalit leader alleged that Modi, during his stint as chief minister of Gujarat, did nothing for construction of a memorial to Ambedkar in Vadodara.
"After learning about my today's visit, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani laid the foundation stone for the Babasaheb Ambedkar 'sankalp bhoomi' project on the outskirts of the city. This shows the state government was very much worried about my visit," she said.
Rupani laid the foundation stone for the memorial, which will be constructed by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC). Mayawati said if the state government failed to complete the project, the BSP would complete it after coming to power in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
She alleged atrocities against the weaker sections have gone up in the BJP-ruled states after the NDA government came to power in 2014.
Mayawati referred to Saharanpur cast violence in her home state earlier in 2017 to defend her resignation from the Rajya Sabha before completion of her term. The proposed Ambedkar memorial project in Sayaji Baug will have a convention centre, an art gallery and a museum. Earlier on Saturday, Rupani said his government had a special concern for the rights and security of Dalits.
Ambedkar had joined the royal family in Baroda after his return from Columbia University. He was in the service of the royal family from 1916 to 1917.
Before leaving the city to launch the struggle against untouchability, Ambedkar had spent five hours at Sayaji Baug. His followers call the area 'Sankalp Bhoomi'.
The Dalit icon, who later became the architect of the Constitution, was sent to Columbia University on a scholarship by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the ruler of the erstwhile Baroda state.
Delhi and Washington share concerns about Afghanistan, and Trump announced a new strategy for the war-torn country last month.
Mattis is scheduled to arrive in Delhi late Monday and is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and new defence minister in the first visit by a top US official since Donald Trump became US president in January. (Photo: AP)
New Delhi: Fighter jets, drone deals and shared concerns over Afghanistan's security challenges look set to dominate the agenda when US Defence Secretary James Mattis visits India this week.
Mattis is scheduled to arrive in Delhi late Monday and is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and new defence minister in the first visit by a top US official since Donald Trump became US president in January.
"The United States views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia," a Pentagon statement said.
Trump and Modi met in June in Washington, and Mattis' visit is a sign "the political leadership in both countries place defence cooperation as a top priority", Mukesh Aghi, president of the US India Strategic Partnership Forum said.
Delhi and Washington share concerns about Afghanistan, and Trump announced a new strategy for the war-torn country last month, which cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops.
The billionaire president has urged India to boost assistance to Afghanistan's economy, and has lambasted Delhi's arch-rival Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".
Mattis "will express US appreciation for India's important contributions toward Afghanistan's democracy, stability, prosperity, and security", the Pentagon said.
India has long vied with Pakistan for influence in Afghanistan, building dams, roads and a new parliament in the troubled country. Last year, it offered some $1 billion in aid.
Delhi frequently accuses Islamabad of stirring up violence in Afghanistan and harbouring militant groups.
In 2016, the United States designated India a "Major Defence Partner" and Trump has sought to further boost military ties, praising India for contributing to regional peace and stability, and for purchasing US military equipment.
Mattis is likely to seek to convince India to purchase Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70 aircraft -- a lucrative deal pegged at $15 billion.
Lockheed Martin has offered the most upgraded version of the fighter jet to India, the world's largest weapons importer.
The US manufacturer is competing with Swedish defence giant Saab, whose Gripen E made its maiden flight in June.
India has said it requires at least 100 single-engine fighters to counter the growing air threat posed by China and Pakistan.
Saab and Lockheed have both offered to build the jets locally to comply with Modi's "Make-in-India" initiative, which aims to cut imports and build a domestic defence industry.
A drone deal for the Indian Navy will also likely be up for discussion, a source familiar with the negotiations said.
"Since Chinese assets have started to dominate the Indian Ocean region, the Trump administration is keen on fast-tracking the acquisition of the drones," the source said.
Many commentators have said that US-India cooperation is crucial to countering an increasingly assertive China, which has been developing its military capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.
In his suicide note, Arsh, resident of Swaroop Nagar in Kanpur, made some serious allegations against 4 teachers, including the principal.
Meanwhile, the Kalyanpur student is admitted in Madhuraj Nursing Home and is in critical condition. (Photo: Representational/File)
Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh): A student of Delhi Public School, Kalyanpur attempted suicide by consuming sleeping pills and phenyl on Saturday, alleging harassment by his teachers.
In his suicide note, Arsh, resident of Swaroop Nagar in Kanpur, made some serious allegations against four teachers, including the school principal.
"Had joined school two months back. No one talked to me because the teachers asked them not to. Teachers and students targeted and taunted at me," the student told ANI.
The boy's mother said that he was depressed as he was told that a gun had been found in his bag, bacause of which other students were asked to stay away from him.
Meanwhile, the Kalyanpur student is admitted in Madhuraj Nursing Home and is in critical condition.
Kanpur Deputy SP said that a case has been registered in the matter and further action would be taken based on probe.
This is the first visit by a senior minister in the Narendra Modi government to China border after the resolution of standoff in Doklam.
During the tour to Barahoti, the home minister will interact with the personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police which guards the border outpost located at an altitude of 14,311 feet. (Photo: AP/File)
New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh will this week visit China-India border area in Uttarakhand which has witnessed transgression by China's People's Liberation Army in the recent past, officials said.
During the tour to Barahoti, the home minister will interact with the personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police which guards the border outpost located at an altitude of 14,311 feet.
This is the first visit by a senior minister in the Narendra Modi government to China border after the resolution of the standoff in Doklam.
Singh will also visit ITBP border outposts at Rimkhim (altitude 12,500 feet), Mana (10,500 feet) and Auli (10,200 feet) during the four-day trip beginning September 28, a home ministry official said.
There were reports that on July 25, Chinese soldiers had entered 800 meters into the Indian territory in Barahoti, located in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, and stayed for sometime before returning to the Chinese territory.
The home minister will also address the probationers of the IAS, IPS and other services at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, besides interacting with central government's additional secretary rank officials there on the first day of the visit.
The home minister is expected to review the situation on the border, address a 'Sainik Sammelan' and assess the progress in various infrastructure projects, another home ministry official said.
The 3,488 km-long India-China border stretches through Jammu and Kashmir (1,597 km), Himachal Pradesh (200 km), Uttarakhand (345 km), Sikkim (220 km) and Arunachal Pradesh (1,126 km).
The Chinese and Indian troops were in a face-off situation for more than two months in Doklam in Sikkim sector after Indians stopped the construction of a road by China's army.
The China-India border is not fully demarcated and the process of clarifying and confirming the Line of Actual Control is in progress.
The area is characterised by high-altitude terrain and thick habitation which have resulted in inadequate development of infrastructure in these regions.
To redress the situation arising out of lack of infrastructure along border with China, the government has decided to undertake construction of 73 roads of operational significance.
Of these, 27 roads involving 804.93 km are being constructed by the home ministry in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh at an estimated cost of Rs 1,937 crore.
The CBI on Friday took over the probe into the killing of Pradhuman after receiving a notification from the Centre.
Pradyuman Thakur, a student of Class 2 in Ryan International School of Bhondsi campus, was found in a pool of blood inside the toilet of the school on September 8. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: The CBI is likely to conduct a lie-detection test on bus conductor Ashok Kumar in connection with the killing of Pradhuman, a seven-year old student of Ryan International School, Gurugram (Haryana) who was found with his throat slit on September 8.
The agency, sources said, is exploring the option of conducting certain scientific tests, including a lie-detection test on the bus conductor, prime suspect, to probe the conspiracy, if any, behind the brutal murder of the Class 2 student. Many, including parents whose children study at Ryan International School, alleged that the bus conductor is being framed in the murder case, sources said, adding that decision to conduct scientific tests on the driver is expected to be taken very soon. Sources further clarified the agency will first need to seek his consent as legal provisions entail that such a tests can not be conducted without his permission.
Meanwhile, a CBI team along with forensic experts on Saturday visited the premises of the school where the body of Pradhuman was found on September 8. The CBI sources said the 10-member team will try to gather evidence and make an attempt to recreate the events of the day Pradhuman was killed.
The CBI on Saturday questioned the bus conductor, regional head of the school group Francis Thomas and HR head Jeyus Thomas after taking them into custody. The agency had earlier approached the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court seeking custody of Kumar, Francis and Jeyus, which was granted. While the driver has been sent for a one-day CBI custody, the remaining two are for two days.
While Kumar has been sent for a one-day CBI custody, the remaining two are for two days, a CBI spokesperson said.
At the request of the CBI in an ongoing investigation of a case related to the alleged murder of a student in a school at Gurugram, the competent court today remanded three accused in one day police custody, the spokesperson said.
The CBI on Friday took over the probe into the killing of Pradhuman after receiving a notification from the Centre. The case had been registered by the state police at the Bhondsi police station in Gurgaon.
Violence erupted soon after PM visit; students claim they were not allowed to meet Modi; Yogi govt orders inquiry by commissioner.
Students of the Banaras Hindu University and the police in a standoff in Varanasi late on Saturday night. (Photo: PTI)
Lucknow: Violence erupted on the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus late on Saturday night, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit was over, when students protesting against an eve-teasing incident clashed with the security personnel. Over a dozen students and some mediapersons have been injured in the violence.
UP chief minister Yogi Aditynath has ordered a probe into the attacks on the media and on students to be conducted by the commissioner of Varanasi division.
The BHU and all undergraduate colleges have been closed till October 2 in view of the prevailing tension on campus. Hostellers have been asked to vacate the hostels by late Sunday night.
BHU vice-chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi justified the police action by saying he had information that some outsiders were trying to create trouble on the campus. He said he would upgrade the security for girl students.
UP Congress chief Raj Babbar, who reached Varanasi on Sunday to meet the protesting students, was detained and prevented from going to the trouble-hit campus. The Samajwadi Party is also sending an eight-member team to Varanasi to find out the truth about the situation.
The students had been protesting for the past two days and had wanted to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latters two-day visit to Varanasi but were not allowed to move out of the campus.
According to reports, students from the boys hostels joined the protesting girl students and tried to enter the vice-chancellors residence. The police then tried to stop them and the students pelted stones and petrol bombs at the police and paramilitary forces, after which the police resorted to a lathicharge.
Reports of some students being injured in the incident further aggravated the situation. Surprisingly, there were no women police deployed at the spot even though most of the protestors were girl students.
Varanasi SSP R.K. Bhardwaj said a heavy police force has been deployed at BHU and SP (City) Dinesh Singh was camping on the spot in view of the campus violence.
Trouble had started brewing on the campus on Friday when the girls held a 13-hour demonstration to protest against the sexual harassment of a girl student near the Bharat Kala Bhavan. The girl was allegedly harassed by two male students and the security personnel standing nearby had refused to come to her rescue. When she reported the matter to the proctor, he asked her why she had stayed out of the hostel after sunset.
The girl went back and informed the other girls of the incident and the response of the authorities. The girls on Friday staged a demonstration and some of them even tonsured their heads to register their protest.
Their charter of demands included round-the-clock security, making security personnel accountable for untoward incidents targeting girl students, proper lighting arrangements on routes leading to their hostels, a CCTV network, proper checking at all entry gates, recruitment of women security personnel and formation of a gender sensitisation committee.
The girls demanded that the vice-chancellor talk to them at the protest venue but no BHU officials had met them till Friday evening. The protest had led to a change in the Prime Ministers route during his visit to the city. The girls said the student wings of all political parties were extending support to their agitation.
BHU spokesman Rajesh Kumar Singh alleged that the girls had been provoked by those who had been ousted from the university in different episodes, including an agitation for keeping the library open round-the-clock. He alleged that the protest was politically motivated and was timed with the Prime Ministers visit. He claimed the girl who was targeted by miscreants on Thursday evening had already met the V-C in his office.
He said the BHU had announced that a new security plan for the campus and the other demands of the students would also be met.
Forest minister also challenged party rebel Dhinakaran to release video of Ammas treatment.
Madurai: Taking the controversy over the circumstances that led to former chief minister J. Jayalalithaas death after prolonged hospitalisation in Chennai last year one notch higher, senior party leader and state forest minister Dindigul C. Sreenivasan has virtually admitted that the entire AIADMK ministry then (during September 22, 2016, when she was first admitted to hospital until her death on December 5, 2016) had lied to people on the health conditions of their benevolent leader J. Jayalalithaa since she was admitted in the hospital, but claimed that what they are saying now is true.
Addressing a gathering to mark late chief minister C.N. Annadurais birth anniversary celebrations at Madurai on Friday night, Mr Sreenivasan listed the lies the ministers had made to the people during that period, like Amma was having idli and chutni.
We were compelled to lie about her health. We made such statements to make the people believe that she was doing well, he said. I apologise for having made such false statements on our leaders health, said Sreenivasan.
We were not allowed to even see her in the hospital. Whenever we visited the hospital, we were made to sit in the room of the hospital owner. Sasikala would meet us in that room and we will return, he said, adding, in fact nobody was allowed into the floor where Jayalalithaa was given treatment. Sreenivasan said that Jayalalithaa would have told them what was happening and the hardship she was undergoing in the hospital if they (Sasikala) family had allowed them to meet her.
The forest minister also challenged party rebel TTV Dhinakaran to release the video of Ammas treatment which he claims was in the possession of their family members.
Meanwhile, a petition has been filed in the Madras high court for setting up an inquiry commission, headed by a retired high court judge, to find out the truth behind the death of the former chief minister.
The two leaders said that they were not invited to the convention of the party which they had founded in 1992.
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav with other senior party leaders during the 8th state convocation of Samajwadi Party at Ramabai Ambedkar ground in Lucknow. (Photo: PTI)
Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party inched closer to a split with party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav staying away from the partys state convention held here on Saturday. The two leaders said that they were not invited to the convention of the party which they had founded in 1992.
I did not get any invitation or information, Shivpal Yadav said.
The official posters of the event also did not include Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav, giving a clear indication that there was no place for them in the party now.
The state convention saw a realignment of forces within the party as senior SP leader Azam Khan not only attended the event, but also attacked people who have betrayed the party.
It was obvious that the reference was to Shivpal Yadav, his one-time friend and confidant. Another surprise presence was that of Beni Prasad Varma, SP MP, whose inclusion into the party last year was said to have triggered off a battle within the family.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday cautioned his supporters against fake samajwadis, signalling fresh strain in the partys top ranks. Akhilesh, however, struck an emotional note when he said that, Netaji (Mulayam) is my father and this party belongs to him. His blessings are with us and we will carry forward his legacy. My father has always been with us and will remain with us. Mr Yadav, in his address, said that the people of Uttar Pradesh were already regretting the fact that they had voted for the BJP in such large numbers.
The BJP government in the state and Centre has betrayed farmers by not fulfilling the promises made to them before elections. Their loan waiver scheme is a farce. Development is not the core agenda of BJP, he said. Continuing his attack on the BJP, Akhilesh said, The BJP claims that the Lucknow Metro is a dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Everyone knows who brought the Metro to UP.
The SP president said that the Samajwadi Party is the largest political party and plays a bigger role in Uttar Pradesh politics.
I have said several times that if you want to improve education then improve figures in Uttar Pradesh. If the country wants to achieve significant success in the field of health, the health condition of the people of UP should be improved. Only then can one bring changes in the countrys politics, he stated.
Meanwhile, SP state president Naresh Uttam was re-elected unopposed as partys state chief at the state convention.
An exodus of American designers to Paris left New York fashion week earlier this month a withered shadow of its former self.
An exodus of American designers to Paris left New York fashion week earlier this monh a withered shadow of its former self. (Photo: Pixabay)
When Paris fashion week begins on Monday, it will do so in a city that is once again the undisputed fashion capital of the world.
New York, Milan and London have all tried to take its crown, but more than ever Paris remains fashions reference point, analysts insist.
An exodus of American designers to Paris left New York fashion week earlier this month a withered shadow of its former self.
The loss of Rodarte, Proenza Schouler, Thom Browne and Altuzarra to Paris prompted a bout of soul-searching in the US fashion industry which had felt that momentum was on its side.
Three is a trend, but now theres four, said US Vogues Nicole Phelps. And its not just any four; its four of the best regarded, most influential labels on the calendar. New York has lost a good-sized chunk of its new guard.
The iconic New York brand Tommy Hilfiger also decamped to London, with sportswear giant Lacoste following the rush to Paris. And on Friday the ever so British Mulberry also said it was quitting its traditional London berth for Paris.
While New York fashion weeks slimmed down line-up now lasts six days like Milan, and London is all over in four, Paris is a whirlwind of nine mostly madly packed days.
New Yorks bid to rewrite rules:
The turnaround in fortunes is all the more startling given that 18 months ago New York looked like it was going to turn the whole fashion calendar on its head.
Its big commercial brands were pushing a shift to the see now, buy now model, where clothes go straight on sale after shows.
Paris resisted ending the traditional four- to six-month lag from runway to retail, warning of the environmental impact of unsold clothes no one liked and claiming it would steamroll creativity and younger labels who need to try out ideas on the catwalk.
With many designers already questioning the need for fashion shows in an age of Instagram launches, Paris looked like it might be caught on the wrong side of history.
But things have worked out quite differently, French analyst Nicolas Boulanger of L&CPG consultants told AFP.
Paris has only become more dominant, he said.
There is a density of luxury brands (in Paris) that you do not find elsewhere, and the fact that it is the home city of large groups like Kering and LVMH, who dominate luxury brands, only reinforces its historic hold, Boulanger said.
He argued that Paris has a greater legitimacy in some respects over other fashion capitals because of the holy unction imparted by haute couture, the elite shows of handmade creations that are only held in the French capital.
Boulanger said part of the reason that Paris has been shining even more in recent seasons was because haute couture opened its doors to younger talent.
Tom Fords return:
Steven Kolb, head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, which runs the New York shows, remains bullish, citing how New York poached pop star Rihannas Fenty Puma show back after two years in Paris.
The council is also making the best of a bad lot by showcasing 13 American designers work in Paris.
Kolb told reporters that the US brands who defected to Paris had done so for personal or strategic reasons, mostly to prolong the time their collections stay in the shops.
If you were to ask any one of them, I think they would confirm that its not a negative statement on New York, he said.
And Boulanger agrees that talk of New York fashion weeks demise is off the mark. Tom Fords return to show in New York... means he sees his future there and it would be foolish to write it off in an industry where everything moves so fast, he said.
As if to prove the point the Global Language Monitor, which measures the online and media impact of major events, this month named New York on top of its annual global fashion capitals list, toppling Paris.
Boulanger insisted that having a few fashion capitals rather than just one was important in a truly global business... so having different capitals with different personalities is a strength, he added.
The incident went viral as people were shocked and asked if the father was insane.
Doctors play a very important role in society as they save lives and are often part of miraculous efforts. But there are always people who are not very grateful to doctors who at times even face attacks from patients or their relatives.
Days after a shocking incident in Pune where a man stabbed a doctor over expenses for his treatment, another one has been reported from China. A man whose son survived the blockage of an artery in the lung after a life saving surgery, asked doctors to pay for the patients torn clothes.
As the hospital staff worked on saving the boys life, his father noticed that his clothes were cut and contents of his pocket were missing. He simply ignored what the doctor had done for his son and demanded 1500 yuan as compensation for the damage.
The incident went viral as people were shocked and questioned if the father was insane. A report by the Shanghaist suggested that the doctor did eventually pay 1000 yuan after negotiating the amount.
The doctor told the media that he understood the behaviour of the man and said that although the amount wouldnt be a big deal for many, it meant a lot to the father.
In her career, Frida has located 12 people alive beneath the rubble.
MEXICO CITY: For a country still in mourning and counting its dead from Tuesdays devastating earthquake, Frida the Navy rescue dog has emerged as a source of inspiration and pride in the search for survivors.
Known for her custom-made doggy goggles and boots, the 7-year-old yellow Labrador has become a social media star, appearing on one mans tattoo and the unofficial image of a 500-peso note. Some posts have wildly exaggerated her feats.
In her career, Frida has located 12 people alive beneath the rubble plus more than 40 others dead, more than any other Mexican rescue dog, the Navy said. She has put her nose to work in disasters such as an earthquake in Ecuador last year, another one in southern Mexico two weeks ago, a landslide in Guatemala in 2015 and a Mexico City gas explosion in 2013.
Her credits for the most recent disaster has not been tallied yet, said Navy Captain Armando Segura, because she is still busy trying to save lives. The 7.1-magnitude quake has killed nearly 300 people, and rescuers were still digging through some of the 52 buildings that collapsed in Mexico City alone.
Frida has spent most of her efforts at a school in southern Mexico City where 19 school children and six adults died, but 11 more children were rescued.
As one of the of the countrys most trusted institutions, the Mexican Navy has a wider role than most armadas, including a canine unit that has two other dogs, a pair of 18-month-old Belgian shepherds, Echo and Evil.
Mexicos army also has rescue dogs digging through the debris of damaged buildings, and a dog named Maya from the Jalisco state government was credited with finding two dead bodies on Thursday. The United States and Chile have also brought rescue dogs for the Mexican quake.
None can match the fame of Frida.
Its a source of pride to work with Frida. Shes a very, very special dog, said Israel Arauz, her handler for the past two years.
Frida only has about a year left as a life-scent dog before her olfactory senses are expected to decline, after which she will retire to live with Arauz.
The move comes over a month after the chief minister held a meeting with all medial superintendents to review the functioning of hospitals.
New Delhi: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday exhorted lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal to send him the file on empowering heads of government hospitals to hire contractual staff, alleging that officials had refused to show it to him citing the L-Gs orders.
The move comes over a month after the chief minister held a meeting with all medial superintendents to review the functioning of hospitals, where it was decided to empower them to hire contractual staff till vacant posts are filled up on a regular basis.
In the meeting, the chief secretary had been directed to seek the lieutenant-governors (L-G) approval in view of the huge shortage of staff in the Delhi governments hospitals. I understand that the proposal for the same has been sent to you (L-G) without showing it to the health minister, the finance minister or the chief minister, Mr Kejriwal said in a letter to the L-G.
In the proposal, I am told that the bureaucracy has imposed such conditions that as a result, no medial superintendent would be able to practically hire anyone, he said.
The chief minister alleged that when asked for the file, officers said that the L-G had asked them not to show the file to any minister, including the chief minister.
Without showing it (file) to any minister/CM and without seeking their approval, the file has been sent directly to the L-G, he said.
Mr Kejriwal urged the L-G to send the file to him so that he and his ministers could offer their comments on the basis of their extensive visits to various hospitals and their interaction with several patients, doctors and hospitals. The final decision would, of course, be taken by the L-G, Mr Kejriwal said.
Our main objective is the same i.e. to provide best quality healthcare to the people of Delhi. It is in best interests of Delhi that all of us work together and in a transparent manner, he said.
On August 16, the meeting of medical superintendents with Mr Kejriwal had come close on the heels the tragic incident at a government-run hospital in Gorakhpur where several children, including infants, had died.
The CM has said that if for some justified reason, like any hospital lacking life saving facilities or non-availability of beds when a patient.
New Delhi: Three days after a newborn baby died due to lack of oxygen supply in a government hospital, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has directed health minister Satyendar Jain to submit a concrete action plan within a week to ensure that critical patients requiring life support do not have to run around hospitals in times of crises.
It has been noticed in a number of cases that family members of patients in critical conditions, who rush them to hospitals, are turned away citing the common excuses of either lack of facilities or non-availability of beds. The family then has to undergo various ordeals. They do not have information as to where necessary facilities would be available. Family members are forced to rush critical patients from one hospital to another, till any hospital, if at all, agrees to admit such patients, said a statement issued by the government. On Thursday, this newspaper had reported that a one-day-old baby girl, who had breathing issues and low heart rate after she was born, died as four government hospitals LNJP, Chacha Nehru, GTB, and Jag Pravesh Chandra refused to admit the child citing lack of critical care beds with ventilator facilities.
The chief minister has said that if for some justified reason, like any hospital lacking life saving facilities or non-availability of beds when a patient, who is in a critical condition, is brought for admission, then it will be the mandatory emergency duty of that hospital to find out in which other hospital such a facility is available, and it should be part of the clearly laid down standard operating procedure (SOP) that the patient is sent to that hospital without any delay.
It is an unacceptable scenario that helpless family members keep running from pillar to post and critical time, in which the life of a serious patient could have been saved, is often lost, said the statement.
The chief minister has asked the health minister to include in the SOP that the hospital, where a critical patient is first brought for admission, will ensure that the patient gets immediate life saving care.
The primary objective of the action plan will be to ensure that the live data of functional critical care facilities in all Delhi government hospitals is readily and easily available.
He has made it clear that loss of lives due lack of facilities in the hospitals of Delhi is unacceptable since the government is committed to provide the best health care for the residents of the national capital, and that it has allocated nearly Rs 6,000 crore in the current financial year for the health sector, the statement added.
Caller asks to drop charges against Khadse, warns of dire consequences.
Mumbai: Social activist Anjali Damania on Saturday lodged a police complaint claiming that she got a threatening call from Karachi in Pakistan early on Saturday, asking her to withdraw all the complaints she registered against Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) senior leader Eknath Khadse.
According to Damanias complaint on Saturday, the caller threatened that if she fails to do what is asked of her, they would make her life miserable.
Damania took to Twitter and shared the screenshots of the Truecaller app, which reveals caller identity. The screenshots showed that her callers number belonged to a Dawood 2 from Pakistan.
According to police sources, Damania received a call from the number early on Saturday, and threatened her of dire consequences if she does not withdraw the complaints she lodged against Khadse. The caller also said that she has made their life miserable and if she does not stop this, her life would be miserable too. Damania has registered a complaint against an unknown person who called her at 12.33 am in the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.
Mrs Damania told The Asian Age, The call I received at 12.33 am showed in a number identification application that it was a Dawood 2 calling me from Karachi. I have appealed to the Prime Minister and Home Minister to look into the matter.
Earlier in September, Damania had lodged a complaint against Khadse alleging that the latter had made obscene comments about her. She is also pursuing corruption cases against him in the Bombay high court. The former Aam Aadmi Party leader had also accused the former Cabinet minister of having direct contact with Dawood in Pakistan.
Deputy commissioner of police (Operations) Rashmi Karandikar confirmed the incident and said, The FIR has been registered, and the investigation is underway. The search for the accused person is on.
An FIR has been registered against the unknown caller under section 507 of the IPC that pertains to criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication read with relevant sections of the IT act.
To launch drive after carry bags block drains during August 29 deluge.
The BMC plans to take strict action against those who use illegal plastic carry bags.
Mumbai: Worried over the growing plastic menace in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to undertake a special drive to curb the use of plastic carry bags in the city. The BMC plans to take strict action against those who use illegal plastic carry bags. The drive will begin at municipal markets and later would be extended to shopkeepers and vendors.
During the heavy rains on August 29, plastic carry bags and thermocol played a major role in clogging the city drains that resulted in flooding several parts of the city. It was found that plastic and garbage had blocked the roadside drains in a large way. In addition to this, floating material like plastic bottles, carry bags and thermocol clogged the outlets of pumping stations which affected their functioning, BMC chief Ajoy Mehta had said.
The state government has announced to implement plastic ban from Gudhi Padva. In the backdrop of state governments decision, the civic body too has decided to intensify its action against plastic bags in the city.
According to civic officials, the BMC is also contemplating a ban on plastic carry bags across the city.
It was seen that plastic bags were primarily responsible for choking the drains and outlets of pumping stations during the heavy rains on August 29 and September 19. Despite repeated appeals, the use of plastic bags is growing. Hence, the BMC is considering to ban its use in the city. The municipal commissioner has decided to prepare a policy in this regard, said deputy municipal commissioner Sudhir Naik.
We will also start public awareness drive to enlighten people about the hazards of plastic use. For this, the assistant commissioners have been directed to hold dialogues with officials of market associations, shopkeepers etc, said a senior civic official.
Sources said that Kaskar has told his interrogators that Ibrahim has not been happy with the formers addiction to cocaine and liquor.
Mumbai: The Thane City police has written to Google and Skype, seeking details of Iqbal Kaskars online accounts in light of his claims of not having spoken to his brother fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim since the past few years.
Sources in the Thane City police said the details would not only help ascertain the veracity of Kaskars claims but also could be used as evidence against him. While the police suspect that Kaskar kept in touch with Ibrahim via Skype video calls, Kaskar has so far denied this, claiming that his brother held a grudge against him.
Sources said that Kaskar has told his interrogators that Ibrahim has not been happy with the formers addiction to cocaine and liquor. Kaskar has told the police that after pulling him up several times over his lifestyle, Ibrahim finally stopped talking to him and the latters wife Mehzabeen would pass messages between the two brothers since then.
The anti-extortion cell (AEC) of Thane crime branch has been interrogating Kaskar since he was nabbed along with two aides on Monday in an extortion probe. A couple of days later, another case of extortion was registered against him.
Kaskar allegedly threatened and extorted a property developer and a jeweller in Thane, the cases of which have been registered with the Kasarvadavali and Thane Nagar police stations.
We have sought details of Kaskars online accounts since 2010, when he is stated to have begun his activities in Thane. These logs and details may even help us link Dawood with these cases, said a senior police officer of Thane crime branch.
Ever since Kaskars arrest, the police have been looking for links between Ibrahim and him so as to book the fugitive gangster to strengthen Indias case that the ailing criminal is still active and making money by extorting businessmen.
Addressing the UN general assembly on Saturday, Sushma Swaraj slammed Pakistan and said it was the 'pre-eminent export factory for terror'.
Exercising her right to reply after Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday hit out at Pakistan for creating terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and the Haqqani Network, Lodhi alleged that India had levelled allegations against Pakistan to divert world attention from brutalities in Kashmir. (Photo: AP/Twitter)
United Nations: Pakistan accused India of adopting a posture of that of a "predator" and said if the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between the two neighbours, it must call on New Delhi to halt its provocations and aggressive actions.
Terming India as the "mother of terrorism" in South Asia, Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi accused it of sponsoring terrorism in various parts of her country.
Exercising her right to reply after Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday hit out at Pakistan for creating terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and the Haqqani Network, Lodhi alleged that India had levelled allegations against Pakistan to divert world attention from brutalities in Kashmir.
She also told the UNGA that India, the world's so called largest democracy, is in fact the largest hypocrisy.
Read: India set up IIT, Pakistan created LeT, says Sushma Swaraj in UN address
"If the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between India and Pakistan, it must call on India to halt its provocations and aggressive actions. It must end the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control. It must halt its sponsorship of terrorist groups against Pakistan," Lodhi said.
Given that such responses are normally given by a low level foreign service official, it was quite significant that the top Pakistani diplomat took up the floor to launch a verbal dual against India.
India did not immediately exercise its right to response to Lodhi's remarks, in which Pakistan for the second time accused the National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval of interfering in Balochistan.
Lodhi said if the parties fail to resolve a dispute, the UN and the international community has not only the right but the obligation to intervene and help to resolve the dispute.
"UN Security Council resolutions do not lapse with time. Or are 'overtaken', as the Indian foreign minister put it. Law has no expiry date. Morality has no sell-by date. India's posture is that of the predator. It cannot escape its legal and moral obligation to abide by the resolutions of the Security Council," she said.
Referring to Swaraj's remarks on terrorism and her push for a definition, Lodhi said the UN should actually define terrorism.
"India has sponsored and perpetrated terrorism and aggression against all its neighbours; creating terror groups; destabilising and blockading neighbours to do its strategic bidding and sponsoring subversion, sabotage and terrorism in various parts of Pakistan. All this establishes that India is the mother of terrorism in South Asia," she alleged.
She said the "largest democracy" is also "the world's largest hypocrisy" and it's ruled by the "fascist" ideology. Lodhi alleged that Swaraj in her speech criticised Pakistan's founding father MA Jinnah.
Bangladesh already prohibits the sale of SIM cards to its own citizens who cannot provide an official identity card.
Bangladesh's telecoms authority said the ban could be lifted once biometric identity cards are issued to the newly arrived refugees, a process the army says could take six months. (Photo: AP/File)
Dhaka: Bangladesh has banned telecommunication companies from selling mobile phone connections to Rohingya refugees, citing security concerns for the latest restrictions, officials said on Sunday.
Bangladesh's four mobile phone providers were threatened with fines if they provide any of the nearly 430,000 newly arrived refugees from Myanmar with phone plans while the ban is in force.
"For the time being, they (Rohingya) can't buy any SIM cards," Enayet Hossain, a senior officer at the telecoms ministry, said on Sunday.
Saturday's decision to impose a communication blackout on the stateless Muslim minority was justified for security reasons, said junior telecoms minister Tarana Halim.
Bangladesh already prohibits the sale of SIM cards to its own citizens who cannot provide an official identity card, in a bid to frustrate the organisational capacity of homegrown militants.
"We took the step (of welcoming the Rohingya) on humanitarian grounds but at the same time our own security should not be compromised," Halim said, without elaborating on what specific risk the Rohingya posed.
Bangladesh's telecoms authority said the ban could be lifted once biometric identity cards are issued to the newly arrived refugees, a process the army says could take six
months.
It is just the latest restriction imposed on the Rohingya who have fled in huge numbers from violence in neighbouring Rakhine State into squalid camps in Bangladesh's southernmost Cox's Bazar district in the past four weeks.
The nearly 430,000 refugees have been herded by the military into a handful of overstretched camps near the border, where tens of thousands live in the open without shelter.
Many have been evicted from squatting in forest and farmlands by police and soldiers, who have been ordered to keep the Rohingya from seeking shelter in major cities and
nearby towns.
Roadblocks have been erected along major routes from the camp zones, where a dire shortage of food, water, shelter and toilets is creating what aid groups describe as a humanitarian crisis.
Some 5,100 have already been stopped at these checkpoints and returned to the designated camps, police said.
"We have set up 11 check posts across the Cox's Bazar highway to stop the Rohingya refugees from spreading further toward the interior," Cox's Bazar police chief Iqbal Hossain told reporters.
Chief of the Naval staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah witnessed the event and praised the combat readiness of the fleet.
Islamabad: In a display of power, Pakistan Navy on Saturday undertook live weapon firing in the North Arabian Sea.
Chief of the Naval staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah witnessed the event and praised the combat readiness of the fleet.
In this striking demonstration of fire power, Pakistan Navy Helicopter Speaking launched Air to Surface Anti-ship Missile which successfully hit the intended target with pinpoint accuracy, reaffirming weapons lethality and offensive punch of the PN Fleet, said a military statement. The successful firing by PN helicopter Speaking is reflective of high state of readiness and professionalism of PN fleet, the statement said. The Admiral expressed his satisfaction on the combat readiness of PN Fleet. The Naval chief specially appreciated professionalism and high morale of the personnel, it said. He reaffirmed the resolve of Pakistan Navy to ensure countrys seaward defence and safeguard maritime interests at all cost.
The students were from a school named after Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayaka who was a special guest at the wedding.
About 250 students of a state-owned school carried the train of the 3.2-kilometre (two-mile) long saree worn by the bride as she and the groom walked down a main road in the central district of Kandy on Thursday, local media reported. (Photo: AFP)
Colombo: A Sri Lankan couple is under investigation for deploying hundreds of school children to carry the train of the bride's saree during a wedding ceremony, authorities said Friday.
About 250 students of a state-owned school carried the train of the 3.2-kilometre (two-mile) long saree worn by the bride as she and the groom walked down a main road in the central district of Kandy on Thursday, local media reported. Another 100 students served as flower girls at the wedding.
The students were from a school named after Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayaka who was a special guest at the wedding, according to media reports, which said the saree was the longest ever worn by a bride in Sri Lanka.
(Photo: AFP)
The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) said it was probing the incident.
"We have started an investigation," NCPA Chairman Marini de Livera told AFP. "We are going all out because we don't want this to become a trend."
De Livera said deploying students for such ceremonies during school hours was against the law, with violators facing up to 10 years in prison.
"What they (the wedding party) did is a violation of child rights," de Livera said. "Depriving children of education, risking their security and harming their dignity are criminal offences."
The law minister said that long and protracted deliberations were held to craft this consensus document.
Islamabad: Ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is set to return as the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) chief under a new law around two months after being forced by the Supreme Court to vacate the post.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had de-notified Nawaz Sharif as a member of the National Assembly in the light of the Supreme Courts July 28 verdict in which he was convicted for hiding assets rendering him ineligible to lead his party as its President.
The government has now got the amended Elections Bill 2017 passed from Senate despite the fact that chairman Raza Rabbani walked out. The new legislation paves the way for ousted premier Nawaz Sharif to become head of the PML-N again.
During the Senate proceedings, the treasury benches with the help of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement MQM) and the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) defeated an amendment - sought by Leader of Opposition in Senate Aitzaz Ahsan in clause 203 which stated that someone who was no longer a member of the National Assembly could not become the chief of a party either.
The clause 203, to which Senator Ahsan had proposed an amendment, envisaged electoral reforms including a fine of up to Rs 0.1 million on lawmakers or three years in jail if irregularities were found in details of their assets and termination of lawmakers membership if they fail to submit asset details within 60 days. It also granted Election Commission of Pakistan powers allowing it to summon services of any institution to investigate irregularities.
A vote count was held on the proposed amendment in clause 203 of the bill with 38 lawmakers rejecting the amendment against 37 lawmakers who pressed to pass it.
Railways Minister Saad Rafique played a key role in mustering the support of the MQM and the BNP-M in defeating the amendment with one vote.
The Elections Bill 2017, which contained 241 clauses was moved by Minister for Law Zahid Hamid, also envisaged reforms to ensure free, fair and transparent elections in the country. The bill also included some amendments moved by opposition members.The bill, which was approved by the National Assembly in August, gives every citizen the right to be part of a political party or create one, except those who are in government service.
The law minister said that long and protracted deliberations were held to craft this consensus document.
After the passage of the bill, Minister for Climate Change Mushahidullah Khan said that with the approval of clause 203, Nawaz Sharif could become the party chief again. In fact, it can be considered that he has already become the party chief, he added.
Senate Chairman Rabbani staged a walkout from the Upper House saying he had done so as the House had voted against his decision to disallow Law Minister Zahid Hamid from moving an amendment for undoing an amendment to clause 60 of the bill.
During consideration of clause 60 of the bill, an amendment was moved which was put to the House, Mr Rabbani said in a statement. Thirty-nine members voted in favour of the amendment and 38 against the same. Consequently, the amendment was carried.
During the Angelus, Pope Francis explained the parable of the day workers called up at different times but paid the same remuneration. "Jesus wants to open our hearts to the logic of the love of the Father, which is free and generous. US missionary Stanley Francis Rother, killed in 1981 by death squads in Guatemala, is beatified.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) "In the Kingdom of God there are no unemployed. Everyone is called to do their part; and for everyone in the end there will be the reward that comes from divine justice - not human [justice], for our good fortune! that is, the salvation that Jesus Christ has acquired for us with His death and resurrection. A salvation that is not deserved, but given. Salvation is free for "the last will be first, and the first will be last," said Pope Francis as he explained todays Gospel (Mt 20:1-16, 25th Sunday Liturgical Year A) to pilgrims in St Peter's Square before the Angelus.
The evangelical page relates the parable of the landowner who at different times of the day looks for labourers to employ in his vineyard and at the end of the day gives everyone the same pay, even to those who worked only an hour.
"In fact, the landowners injustice is used to provoke, in those listening to the parable, a move to the next level, because here Jesus does not want to talk about the problem of work and the proper wage, but about the Kingdom of God!"
"With this parable, Jesus wants to open our hearts to the logic of the love of the Father, which is free and generous. It is about letting oneself be amazed and fascinated by Gods thoughts and ways, which, as the prophet Isaiah notes, are not our thoughts or ways (cf. Is 55: 8). Human thoughts are often marked by selfishness and personal gain, and our narrow and tortuous paths are not comparable to the Lord's broad and straight paths. He uses mercy, forgives broadly, is full of generosity and goodness that he pours onto each of us, opens to all boundless territories his love and grace, which alone can give the human heart the fullness of joy."
"Jesus wants us to contemplate the look of that landowner: the look with which he sees each of the labourers waiting for work, and he calls them to go to his vineyard. It is a look full of attention, of benevolence; it is a look that calls, invites to get up, to set off on the path, because he wants life for each of us, wants a full, committed life, saved from emptiness and inertia. God who does not exclude anyone, who wants each one to reach his or her fullness."
Following the Marian prayer and before the greetings to the various groups present, Francis said that "yesterday, in Oklahoma City (United States of America), Stanley Francis Rother was proclaimed Blessed. The missionary priest was killed in hatred of faith for his work of evangelisation and human promotion in favour of the poorest in Guatemala."
In 1968 Fr Rother (1935-1981) was sent as a priest to the mission in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, among the Tz'utujil Indians. He was killed by a death squad during the Efrain Rios Montt regime. "May his heroic example, said Francis, help us to be brave witnesses to the Gospel, engaged in favour of the dignity of man."
By Alice Gorman, Senior Lecturer in archaeology and space studies, Flinders University
National Physical Laboratory
Most of us will never have the opportunity to travel into space. But we can feel connected to it in other ways.
Above us right now, and every day, are extraordinary old satellites from the 1950s and 1960s, orbiting at speeds of 7-8 kilometres per second.
Theyre part of our space heritage.
Deciding which parts of this heritage should stay, and which should be on a hit list for removal, is the tricky bit.
Listen: Speaking with: Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield
Cultural heritage is defined as things from the past and present, worth preserving for present and future generations.
In recent decades there has been a movement to recognise the heritage of the modern world, including the Cold War, aviation, mass manufacturing, computing, and space exploration.
This includes space junk in Earth orbit.
Image courtesy of Don Hillger and Garry Toth, University of Colorado,
Orbiting heritage
Space junk is the archaeological record of the Space Age, in which everyday life on Earth has come to depend on satellite services such as telecommunications.
The junk includes spacecraft with high levels of cultural significance, such as:
Vanguard 1, the oldest human object in orbit
Telstar 1, the first active telecommunications satellite
Syncom 3, the first geostationary satellite, and
NigComSat 1, Nigerias first telecommunications satellite.
ProjectAdrift
In the future, these spacecraft may be the targets of orbital debris clean-up.
We do have to get rid of some of this stuff before Earth orbit becomes too dangerous. But heritage values should be considered in any proposal to actively remove space junk. The location of these spacecraft in orbit is part of their cultural significance, and many are low collision risks.
Read more: Jewelled LAGEOS satellites help us to measure the Earth
How do we make sure that significant cultural heritage in orbit isnt lost, without exacerbating the debris problem?
Methods used on Earth include heritage listing, cultural heritage management plans, and mitigation strategies. These can also be applied in space - but some adaptations are necessary.
The problem with heritage lists
Numerous space places on Earth - like rocket launch sites and satellite tracking antenna - have been heritage listed under national or state heritage legislation.
OTC/Colin Mackellar
However, nations cant place their orbital heritage on a national heritage register, even though they legally own it. The Outer Space Treaty (OTS) states that space is the province of all mankind [sic]. Applying heritage legislation could be interpreted as extending a national jurisdiction into space, and thus making a territorial claim in contravention of this principle.
Read more: The outer space treaty needs adaptation
The UNESCO World Heritage List cant be used to safeguard orbital heritage either, even for spacecraft which have outstanding universal value.
The World Heritage Convention does not cover moveable objects like our high-speed space junk. And despite its name, the World Heritage List is dependent on nations nominating properties: it is rooted in the nation-state.
Working with what weve got
The answer may be to turn to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) or other international organisations, which cant assert national interests in space. The Inter-Agency Space Debris Co-ordination Committee, with 13 member space agencies from across the world, could play a lead role in managing research and processes.
But why not adapt an existing list? While not providing legal protection, these lists do lend moral weight. For example, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics maintains a Historic Aerospace Sites list, which includes Tranquility Base on the Moon.
The United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs has a register of all objects launched into space, the European Space Agency keeps the DISCOS database of space debris, and the International Council on Monuments and Sites could provide expert heritage advice.
The most dangerous satellite in orbit
We could also do it in reverse. A number of satellites consistently appear on hit-lists for urgent removal. Among them are Midori-2, Metop-A, Metop-B, COBE and the number one risk, Envisat.
Launched in 2002 for Earth observation, Envisat is one the largest spacecraft in orbit. Contact was lost in 2012, but it is likely to remain in orbit for another 150 years.
ESA
Some predict that collisions with Envisat could generate enough debris to trigger the self-sustaining cascade of collisions dubbed the Kessler Syndrome. For Envisat, cultural significance is never going to outweigh the risks.
A Cultural Heritage Management Plan for the satellite would start with a significance assessment. Ideally, the satellite would be fully recorded before its de-orbit, so that this documentation could be used for further research. However, this is not feasible at present.
Read more: Powerful and ignored: the history of the electric drill in Australia
Instead, we could propose an offset. The idea is that a loss in one area is offset by preserving or investing in an area of equivalent environmental or heritage value.
A heritage offset may involve an effort to gather and curate associated documentation on Earth; to collect oral histories about the satellite; and to locate components, models, prototypes, or fragments which survive re-entry. This ensures that maximum information about Envisat remains for those studying 21st century human activities in orbit.
The common heritage of humanity
Heritage isnt an optional extra in space. It helps preserve the cultural diversity of humankind, as recommended in the 1977 UNESCO Declaration on the Responsibilities of Present Generations towards Future Generations.
Recognising the orbital heritage of countries or groups usually marginalised in space exploration fosters an inclusive approach to space.
Heritage allows us to explore relevant principles for international agreements on mitigating orbital debris, which are progressing far too slowly given the urgency of the problem.
But most importantly, protecting culturally significant spacecraft enables people on Earth to feel connected to space as the common heritage of humanity.
This article is based on a paper presented at the 68th International Astronautical Congress taking place this week in Adelaide, South Australia.
Alice Gorman is a member of the Advisory Council of the Space Industry Association of Australia, and on the Local Organising Committee of the 68th International Astronautical Congress.
Originally published in The Conversation.
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Much of the rest of the state may be on the edge of a cultural revolution now that recreational cannabis is legal in California.
The original plan for today was to go to Zermatt by train, then check out Matterhorn in the afternoon. But the weather forecast said it would start raining today around 3 pm and continue raining all day tomorrow, so we really need to get to Zermatt early and try to see Matterhorn ASAP. So we got on an 8:03 am train to Interlaken Ost, then transferred to 9 am train to Spiez, then transferred to 9:36 am train to Visp, then transferred to 10:08 am train to Zermatt. Arrived at Zermatt at 11:14 am. Went to our hotel in Zermatt, room was not ready of course, we stored the luggage there, ran across the town to catch the 11:50 am funicular up the mountain, then a cable car further up, and finally a gondola to Rothorn, one of the several Matterhorn viewing places. The whole morning felt like an Amazing Race :)
1. Matterhorn seen from Rothorn.
2. Matterhorn seen from Rothorn.
3. Rothorn gondola station.
4.
5. At Rothorn.
6. At Rothorn.
7. At Rothorn.
8. Saw some black faced sheep around Rothorn and Zermatt. This one is resting its face on the stone surface and sleep :)
9.
10. Plaza in front of Zermatt train station.
11. Zermatt.
12. Zermatt.
13. Zermatt.
14. Local musicians playing with alphorns.
15. Zermatt.
16. Zermatt.
Even though we didn't get to see the best of Matterhorn and Zermatt because of the weather, I have to say Zermatt is really beautiful. I have never seen another town decorated with so many flowers in the balconies and window boxes.
(To be continued)
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ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump continued to escalate threats to North Korea late Saturday as he responded to their foreign minister with a warning "they won't be around much longer" if the country continues provocation.
Trump took to Twitter just after 11 p.m. to respond to statements made earlier Saturday by North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, who said bombing the U.S. mainland was "inevitable."
Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
Ri is currently in New York at the United Nations General Assembly and spoke on Saturday in a much-anticipated rebuttal to Trump's message delivered on Tuesday in which he said the U.S. would "totally destroy" North Korea if forced to defend itself or its allies.
"Due to his lacking of basic common knowledge and proper sentiment, he tried to insult the supreme dignity of my country by referring it to as a rocket," Ri said, referring to Trump's new penchant for referring to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as "Rocket Man." "By doing so, however, he committed an irreversible mistake of making our rockets' visit to the entire U.S. mainland inevitable all the more."
Kim and Trump have spent the better part of the last few months hurling insults back and forth at each other. Trump tweeted early Friday morning that Kim was "obviously a madman who doesn't mind starving or killing his people."
Ri referred to the president as "a mentally deranged person full of megalomania and complacency" in Saturday's address.
The war of words has continued to escalate as North Korea advances its development of a nuclear weapon. The country has fired three intercontinental ballistic missiles over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean in the past month. They also conducted a nuclear test on Sept. 3, with U.S. officials saying the country exploded a hydrogen bomb at an underground facility.
Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
By Alyson Klein, Andrew Ujifusa, and Stephen Sawchuk
School officials: Get ready to figure out whether your students have a problem with chronic absenteeism. And while youre at it, see if youre getting them ready for college and the workplace.
Attendanceparticularily chronic absenteeismand college-and-career readiness are by far the most popular new areas of focus for accountability among the 40-plus states that have filed their plans to implement the Every Student Success Act, an Education Week review shows.
At least 33 states are looking at chronic absenteeism or attendance in some form to hold schools accountable under the new law. And some states chose factors that are related to attendance. California, for instance, is looking at suspensions and discipline rates.
At least 33 states are incorporating some kind of postsecondary-readiness measure, whether thats ACT scores, SAT scores, dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, career and technical education pathways, a mix of those factors, or something else. For instance New York is looking at whether students enroll and pass advanced courses, or earn college credit through dual enrollment. And Georgia is considering whether students earn credit through Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses, or a CTE certification.
Quick tutorial: ESSA, which goes into effect this school year, requires states to go beyond test scores and graduation rates and consider some sort of measure of school quality or student success in gauging school performance. States can pick almost any factor they want: school climate, student engagement, teacher engagement, access to and success in advanced coursework. Basically, states have all kinds of room to run.
However, states must make sure that whatever factor they pick show meaningful differencesevery school cant look the same. And they have to choose something that can be broken out for particular groups of students, including English-language learners, low-income students, students in special education, and racial minorities.
So are chronic absenteeism and college-and-career readiness the right things for states to be focusing on? Phillip Lovell, the vice president of policy development and government relations at the Alliance for Excellent Education says yes.
I see this as a good-news story, he said. He noted that when ESSA passed, some advocates were excited about the prospect of looking beyond test scores to gauge school performance. Others, not so much. Some saw it as a way to [better] appreciate what schools do, some saw it as a way to water down accountability, Lovell said.
As it turns out though, states overall took a good approach, in Lovells view. We found that the indicators that are being selected are, generally speaking, of high quality and they really arent watering down accountability, he said. Were seeing generally the best of worlds.
And, given all the focus on college-and-career readiness, hes hoping that, at some point, states might want to consider whether students need to take remedial coursework once they get to college. That, he said, is the ultimate test of whether students are prepared.
Whats generally not in the plans: So far, none of the states whose plans were reviewed by Education Week appear to use social and emotional factors, like grit and growth mindset. Thats something a cadre of districts in California were doing, under a waiver from the No Child Left Behind Act, the previous version of the law. But even fans of those factors worried that they were tough to measure and use for accountability.
Chronic absenteeism and college-and-career readiness, on the other hand, are a lot easier to calcuate, even though states are defining and measuring them in all sorts of different ways.
States are choosing measures that they have the ability to measure in the near term rather than adding things in without a clear plan to correct and report on those measures, said Terra Wallin, who worked on ESSA as a career staffer at the U.S. Department of Education and is now a consultant with Education First.
And she noted that some states, including New York, say they will be continuing to talk to their education communities and may incorporate additional factors into their systems down the line.
Chronic absenteeism and college-and career readiness may be the most popular school quality and student success factors, but they arent the only ones. For instance, states including Kentucky, Nebraska, Utah, Rhode Island, as well as Delaware and Louisiana, whose plans have already been approved, added science proficiency into the mix. And Illinois wants to create a new fine arts indicator.
Well be unpacking the latest round of ESSA plans over the next weeks and months, so stay tuned for more analysis. Tips? Email us at aklein@epe.org, aujifusa@epe.org, and ssawchuk@epe.org.
Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
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Friday night's "Harvey Can't Mess with Texas" benefit and televised broadcast at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin featured a star-studded lineup of Texas musicians and their famous friends, native celebrities, and two local Houston heroes.
The affair was for Rebuild Texas, the hurricane relief effort created by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation in collaboration with the OneStar Foundation.
RELATED: New maps show how contaminated Houston surface water was following Hurricane Harvey
KHOU-TV's Brandi Smith rubbed shoulders with actor Luke Wilson. Willie Nelson covered Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Texas Flood" with Bonnie Raitt, and Jimmie Vaughan, and Matthew McConaughey charmed the Austin crowd.
The night's four hours of music began with Nelson christening the event (naturally) with "Whiskey River" in grand style.
Houston police chief Art Acevedo returned to Austin where he previously presided as chief to remind those watching about the first responders that served so tirelessly during Hurricane Harvey's strike on the Bayou City.
Smith's live, televised heroics during Harvey, most notably saving a truck driver from possible death, were revisited and she received a hearty ovation from the audience.
Legendary acts Paul Simon and James Taylor chipped in with short sets of hits and covers, including Simon covering "Waltz Across Texas" (made famous Ernest Tubb) backed by house band Asleep at the Wheel.
Taylor, looking spry, ran through Eric Von Schmidt's "Wasn't That a Mighty Storm" which was originally written about the 1900 storm that ravaged Galveston. His "Sweet Baby James" with Asleep at the Wheel layering twang over the back end was a revelation.
RELATED: Texas Roadhouse to donate profits to Red Cross Harvey relief effort
Red dirty country outlaw Ryan Bingham reintroduced himself to the crowd, showing off his distinctive rasp that pushed him out in front of his contemporaries a decade ago. His huge white cowboy hat was only a little distracting.
Little Joe y La Familia brought some cheerful Tejano flavor to the proceedings, which did go through some somber stretches befitting the tragedies of Harvey.
McConaughey, Katy's Renee Zellweger, Wilson, Texas Longhorns royalty Vince Young, and Austin locals Andy Roddick and Brooklyn Decker made appearances on a smaller stage in the arena to remind viewers of how to donate to the cause.
The Dixie Chicks' Martie Maguire was nearly a constant onstage along with guitarist Charlie Sexton who acted as the local glue and musical director for the affairs on the main stage.
Lesser-known up-and-comers like Dallas' Leon Bridges, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Mexican pop act Ha*Ash checked in with solid sets. Rateliff and his band elevated the mood in the building with their bouncy hit "S.O.B." before bringing out Raitt for an on-point rendition of Leon Russell's "Delta Lady". Raitt and the rascally Rateliff appeared to have fallen in love musically as the night went on.
RELATED: Harris County could see budget cuts due to Hurricane Harvey's destruction
A highlight of Simon's set near the close of the night was he and wife Brickell doing a sweetly antagonistic cover of Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn's "You're the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly".
Simon gave the crowd "America"," The Boxer", and "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", sidestepping the obvious "Bridge over Troubled Water" thankfully.
Nelson's closing set, into the fourth hour of the evening, closed with the musical family reconvening onstage for his trademark "I'll Fly Away"/"Will the Circle Be Unbroken" grand finale, sending Texans off into the night on a high note.
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Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has said he wants a deal with the DUP
PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/09/2017 A commemoration in Ballymurphy to mark the centenary of the death of Tmas Ashe on hunger strike and to remember all of the hunger strikers of the last century. The commemoration march assembled at the junction of Ballymurphy Road and Whiterock Road and proceeded to the Ballymurphy Memorial Garden on Sunday. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press
PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/09/2017 A commemoration in Ballymurphy to mark the centenary of the death of Tmas Ashe on hunger strike and to remember all of the hunger strikers of the last century. The commemoration march assembled at the junction of Ballymurphy Road and Whiterock Road and proceeded to the Ballymurphy Memorial Garden on Sunday. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press
PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/09/2017 Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams addresses a commemoration in Ballymurphy to mark the centenary of the death of Tomas Ashe on hunger strike and to remember all of the hunger strikers of the last century. The commemoration march assembled at the junction of Ballymurphy Road and Whiterock Road and proceeded to the Ballymurphy Memorial Garden on Sunday. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press
PACEMAKER BELFAST 24/09/2017 Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams addresses a commemoration in Ballymurphy to mark the centenary of the death of Tomas Ashe on hunger strike and to remember all of the hunger strikers of the last century.
The DUP has welcomed a speech by Gerry Adams confirming Sinn Fein's commitment to reaching a powersharing deal.
Mr Adams told crowds at a commemoration ceremony for hunger strikers in Ballymurphy: "Sinn Fein is fully committed to the powersharing institutions and we're working to restore them.
"Our opponents, including elements in the DUP, the Fianna Fail leadership and others claim that Sinn Fein is no longer interested in the Assembly. That's a lie and they know it."
Responding to the Sinn Fein President's remarks, DUP MLA Simon Hamilton said: "Gerry Adams' change of tone is a step forward. The DUP has had no preconditions and stands ready to reestablish an Executive immediately.
"Whilst language and culture are important so too are decisions on health, education and infrastructure."
Mr Hamilton added: "We will be engaging with Sinn Fein this week. We want to see government restored. We want to see culture and language matters fairly addressed. We will not accept cultural supremacy for one section of our community. There is enough space in Northern Ireland for mutual respect and a shared future."
A series of talks between the main parties aimed at restoring the devolved institutions at Stormont have so far been unsuccessful.
Sinn Fein has said there can be no return to government without a stand-alone Irish Language Act and a commitment from the DUP to allow the introduction of same-sex marriage.
The DUP insisted their party has no red line conditions for a deal.
DUP leader Arlene Foster has suggested a "cross-community" language act including provisions for Ulster Scots as well as Irish could be introduced as a compromise.
However, Sinn Fein's northern leader Michelle O'Neill rejected the proposal.
Secretary of State James Brokenshire has previously indicated that if a resolution is not reached by mid-October, direct rule may be introduced.
Genres : Thriller, Exploitation
Starring : Sue Akers, Maria Lease, Marianne Provost, Peggy Steffans, Morris Kaplan
Director : Joseph W. Sarno
Plot Synopsis
Newly restored to High Definition from the original film elements, All the Sins of Sodom / Vibrations, directed by 'the Ingmar Bergman of 42nd St.,' Joseph W. Sarno, is the second entry in the definitive series celebrating one of the most gifted pioneers of the sexploitation genre. These two seminal films are now being released for the first time on Blu Ray.
Encouraged by his agent, struggling NYC photographer Henning begins a daring portfolio of his model, Leslie. But all too soon, jealousies erupt when another model vies for his camera and bed. A strikingly filmed, penetrating study of ambition, romance and lust set in the world of 1960s fashion photography, All the Sins of Sodom is sexploitation auteur Sarno at the top of his game.
Aspiring poet Barbara moves to Manhattan to jump-start her career and sex life, only to spend her evenings listening to the sounds of her neighbor s vibrator. When her extroverted sister Julie comes to town, Barbara is forced to confront her repressed sexual desires. An early classic by sexploitation director Sarno, Vibrations is classy and sophisticated, beautifully shot, a juicy script, filled with wonderful performances and sexy as hell.
The double feature includes rare bonus material, including an interview with Director, Joseph W. Sarno; All the Sins of Sodom film commentary by Peggy Steffans-Sarno; Vibrations film commentary by film historian Tim Lucas; Vibrations mini-commentary by Peggy Steffans-Sarno.
Package includes Collector's booklet featuring liner notes by Tim Lucas.
The Government will give the hurricane-ravaged island of Dominica 5 million in UK aid, the International Development Secretary has announced.
Priti Patel will visit the Caribbean on Sunday, during a whistle-stop tour, so she can survey the damage caused to a number of British overseas territories that were pummelled by two major storms in close succession.
Category five Hurricane Maria ravaged the island of Dominica after making landfall on Monday, leaving 98% of buildings damaged and thousands without power affecting almost the entire 70,000 population.
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Ms Patel announced the latest wave of UK Government support as she visited HMS Ocean, which on Friday delivered 60 tonnes of UK aid to the Caribbean, almost doubling the amount of aid in the region.
She said: The UK has pledged to give 5 million to the people of Dominica, the island worst hit by Hurricane Maria on top of the 57 million already promised to the region to strengthen recovery following these relentless disasters.
I have come to the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla to see first-hand UK aid in action, helping families whose lives have been ripped apart first by Hurricane Irma and then Maria.
The UK is leading the way in the relief effort, delivering emergency food, water and shelter to those who need it most.
We will continue to clear up after this devastation in the weeks, months and years to come.
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During her trip, Ms Patel will meet families in the British Virgin Islands whose lives were torn apart by Hurricane Irma, and she will visit Anguilla to see UK efforts to get schools and businesses up and running to speed up recovery.
The 5 million pledge brings the British Governments financial support for islands hit by Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Irma to 62 million, a sum which has gone to overseas territories including the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla and Turks and Caicos.
The Government is also doubling any UK public donations made to the British Red Cross Irma and Maria appeals, a pledge which has so far raised more than 2 million.
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More than 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid has already been distributed in the region, including more than four tonnes of food and water on the British Virgin Islands; 720 litres of water to the Turks and Caicos Islands; and more than two tonnes of building materials to Anguilla.
The pledge of UK aid comes after the prime minister of Dominica formally requested international support to address the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria.
It will go directly towards restoring health services and increasing access to healthcare in the most affected areas.
Britain was one of the first to arrive in Dominica following the storm, with Department for International Development (DfID) field teams immediately delivering urgent medical supplies such as insulin vaccinations and water purifiers.
The UK is working with the UN, Red Cross and other partners on the ground to distribute aid, including food, across Dominica.
A surgeon has been stabbed on his way to a mosque by attackers who shouted abusive comments, according to a Muslim community leader.
The victim, a 58-year-old man named locally as surgeon Dr Nasser Kurdy, was taken to hospital with a stab wound to his neck following the assault outside the Altrincham Islamic Centre, in Grove Lane, in the Greater Manchester market town on Sunday evening.
He has been discharged from hospital, according to his colleague Dr Khalid Anis, a spokesman for the Altrincham & Hale Muslim Association, who said he was very lucky.
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Greater Manchester Police said two man, aged 32 and 54, were arrested within an hour of the attack, which the force is treating as a hate crime but not terrorism related.
Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson said: This is a very nasty and unprovoked attack against a much-loved local man.
Police are not looking for any other suspects, he added.
Dr Anis, who was with his friend moments after the attack, said: It could have been very, very serious. He said he noticed someone cross the road and then somebody just attacked him from behind.
There were definitely abusive comments made obviously he was in shock at the time, he had just been stabbed so the detail of those comments I dont know but there were definitely abusive comments made by the attackers at the door of the mosque.
We understand it was a knife he is very lucky. Its obviously out of the blue, its shocked the whole community.
Its not just a criminal act against the Muslim community or one individual, its the people living in Altrincham, I think we all feel that.
The fact they attacked an orthopaedic consultant who devoted his life to helping others is really quite poignant.
Other Muslim leaders condemned the attack.
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Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, tweeted: I strongly condemn the stabbing of the Imam of the #Altrincham mosque earlier today. The Imam is recovering and an arrest has been made.
A video posted on Facebook following reports of the stabbing purportedly shows the victim immediately after the attack.
A man is filmed sitting on a bench clutching at his neck and appears to be in some pain as people attend to him. The footage shows them asking him about his attacker. At first he appears unable to answer and another person is overheard saying he was hit by something in a mans hand: I dont think it was that sharp.
Manchester Central Mosque said in a statement on Facebook the victim is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Wythenshawe Hospital, and occasionally does the sermon at Friday prayers.
German chancellor Angela Merkel is on course for a fourth term in office
Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc has won a lacklustre victory in Germany's national election while the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany party managed a triumphant entry into parliament, projections have shown.
Ms Merkel's main centre-left rivals the Social Democrats were set for their worst result since the Second World War.
The party, led by Ms Merkel's challenger Martin Schulz, vowed immediately to leave her coalition government and go into opposition.
The outcome puts Ms Merkel on course for a fourth term as chancellor - but means she has a tricky task in forming a new coalition government.
Projections for ARD and ZDF public television, based on exit polls and early counting, showed Ms Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and their Bavaria-only allies the Christian Social Union winning about 33% of the vote - down from 41.5% four years ago.
Mr Schulz's Social Democrats were seen trailing far behind, with 20% to 21%.
It would be the outright worst post-war result for the party, which has served since 2013 as the junior partner in a "grand coalition" of Germany's biggest parties under Ms Merkel.
Ms Merkel was greeted at her party's headquarters by supporters applauding and chanting "Angie!"
She said: "Of course, we would have preferred a better result, that is completely clear.
"But we mustn't forget that we have had an extremely challenging parliamentary term behind us.
"We have a mandate to form a new government and no government can be formed against us."
Smaller parties were the chief beneficiaries of the erosion in support for Germany's traditionally dominant parties - above all the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), which was set to win up to 13.5% of the vote.
AfD capitalised on discontent with established politicians but particularly targeted those angry over the influx of more than one million mostly Muslim migrants into Germany in the past two years under Ms Merkel.
AfD co-leader Alexander Gauland vowed "we will take our country back" and promised to "chase" Ms Merkel.
"This is a big day in our party's history. We have entered the Bundestag and we will change this country," Mr Gauland said.
Another big winner was the pro-business Free Democratic Party, which was set to return to parliament with 10.5% of the vote.
The party was Ms Merkel's coalition partner in her second term from 2009-2013 but lost all its seats at the last election.
"In a country that is big on schadenfreude, our comeback is an encouraging message - after failure, a new beginning is possible," party leader Christian Lindner told supporters.
The traditionally left-leaning Greens were seen winning around 9.5% of the vote and the Left Party some nine per cent, meaning both stay in parliament.
AP
Mrs Merkel said that she does not plan to try leading a minority government.
Her current coalition partners, the centre-left Social Democrats, said after Sunday's election that they will not join the next government.
Germany has no tradition of minority governments, so that would leave Mrs Merkel trying to thrash out an untried coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats and left-leaning Greens.
Asked on German public television whether a minority government of just her own conservative Union bloc is conceivable, Mrs Merkel replied: "I think that stable German governments are a value in itself, that our whole parliamentary system is different from those in countries that have a long tradition of minority governments."
She added: "I don't see it. I have the intention of achieving a stable government in Germany."
AP
Syria's foreign minister has told world leaders that his country is "marching steadily" toward the goal of rooting out terrorism and "victory is now within reach".
Walid al-Mouallem pointed to "the liberation of Aleppo and Palmyra", the end of the siege of Deir el-Zour by the Islamic State, "and the eradication of terrorism from many parts of Syria" by the Syrian army and its supporters and allies, including Russia and Iran.
Russia's military said about two weeks ago that Syrian troops have liberated about 85% of the war-torn country's territory from militants, a major turnaround two years after Moscow intervened to lend a hand to its embattled long-time ally.
While al-Mouallem was looking towards the end of Syria's more-than-six-year civil war, the leader of hurricane-hammered Dominica made an impassioned plea for help at the General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting for an island country on "the front line of the war on climate change".
"Let these extraordinary events elicit extraordinary efforts to rebuild nations sustainably," Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit told the UN five days after Hurricane Maria swept over his Caribbean country with 160 mph winds, killing 15 people, flattening homes and destroying roads.
The General Assembly was scheduled to hear later Saturday from North Korea's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, a highly anticipated speech following the escalating rhetoric between US President Donald Trump and his country's leader Kim Jong Un.
In his speech, Mr al-Mouallem heaped praise on the army and the country's allies and looked ahead to victory, though fighting still continues in many areas of the country.
"I am confident that when this unjust war on Syria is over, the Syrian army will go down in history as the army that heroically defeated, along with its supporting forces and its allies, the terrorists that came to Syria from many countries and received large support from the most powerful countries of the world," he said.
While the army and its supporting forces and allies "are making daily achievements, clearing out territories and uprooting terrorists," Mr al-Mouallem said, "the threat of this plague persists".
On the political front, he said local reconciliation agreements have allowed tens of thousands of internally displaced people and refugees to return home.
He said "Syria is determined to scale up reconciliation efforts, whenever possible".
The Syrian minister said Syria is encouraged by talks in Kazakhstan's capital Astana on local ceasefires and "de-escalation zones."
He expressed hope that these talks "will help us reach an actual cessation of hostilities and separate terrorist groups" like IS from groups that have agreed to join the Astana process.
Mr Al-Mouallem reaffirmed the Syrian government's commitment to further progress in Geneva talks, which are aimed at establishing a transitional government, drafting a new constitution and holding elections in Syria.
"This process has yet to bear fruit in the absence of a genuine national opposition that can be a partner in Syria's future," he said, "and as countries with influence over the other party continue to block any meaningful progress."
Talks among Syrian opposition groups are expected to take place in early October in hopes of producing a unified delegation in Geneva.
AP
The Met Office has issued a Yellow Weather Warning of Fog in certain parts of Northern Ireland.
Not everywhere will see fog, but where it does form, visibility could be less than 100 metres in places.
The fog will slowly thin through mid morning and should clear by late morning.
Areas most likely to be affected are County Armagh, County Fermanagh, County Tyrone, County Down, County Londonderry and County Antrim.
Genres : Concert, Music
Starring : David Gilmour
Director : Gavin Elder
Plot Synopsis
Live At Pompeii is the project from David Gilmour, and follows his critically acclaimed studio album Rattle That Lock from September of 2015. Live at Pompeii is available in multiple formats: a 2 CD live album, a standard DVD and Blu-Ray concert film, a Deluxe Boxset including the 2 CD live album and 1 Blu-Ray of the entire live concert and bonus content, and a special 4 LP Vinyl package. Live At Pompeii is also available digitally.
Following the release of Rattle That Lock in 2015, David Gilmour set out to play a series of concerts in historic venues across the world. On July 7th and 8th, 2016, David Gilmour performed two spectacular shows at the legendary Pompeii Amphitheatre in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, 45 years after he first played there for Adrian Maben's classic film Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii. The concerts were the first-ever rock performances played to an audience in the ancient Roman amphitheatre, which was built in 90 BC and entombed in ash when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. David Gilmour is the only performer to play to an audience in the arena since the time of the gladiators, almost 2,000 years ago.
Speaking about the Pompeii shows David Gilmour commented 'It's a magical place and coming back and seeing the stage and the arena was quite overwhelming. It's a place of ghosts...'.
The concert performance film, David Gilmour Live at Pompeii, was shot in 4k by director Gavin Elder and includes highlights from both shows. The concert is a spectacular audio-visual experience, featuring the famous huge circular cyclorama screen as well as lasers, pyrotechnics and stellar performances from an all-star band. The film includes songs from throughout David's career including the title tracks of his two most recent No. 1 solo albums: Rattle That Lock and On An Island. Also included are other solo and Pink Floyd classics such as 'Wish You Were Here,' 'Comfortably Numb' and 'One Of These Days,' the only song that was also performed by the band in 1971. Both concerts also saw extraordinary performances of 'The Great Gig In The Sky' from The Dark Side Of The Moon, which David rarely plays as a solo artist.
Pemba and Unguja are among pioneers in the successful implementation of a new technology that uses radiation to eradicate livestock killing vectors, tsetse flies.
International Atomic Energy Agency via Wikimedia Commons
A statement from the African Chapter for the State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) made available through its South-Africa based Press Secretary, Ryan Collyer, indicates that tsetse flies have been killing more than three million livestock in sub-Saharan Africa region, Tanzania included, but the Isles have already been declared 'tsetse fly free area.'
Tanzania with about 21.3 million cattle, 15.2 million goats and 6.4 million sheep, or about 43 million livestock, is third in Africa after Sudan and Ethiopia in having the highest number of kept animals on the continent.
All these are being threatened by tsetse flies. "For decades, African nations have suffered the devastating consequences caused by the tsetse fly. According to the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation, the bloodsucking insects kill more than three million head of livestock in sub-Saharan Africa every year, causing losses amounting to $4bn dollars annually," Collyer maintains.
Radiation technology an effective remedy
According to the ROSATOM report, however, during the last ten years, the situation has been drastically improved, because scientists have discovered an effective remedy through radiation.
"With the help of nuclear technologies, African countries are now winning the battle against the livestock menacing flies. The Tanzanian islands of Zanzibar were among pioneers to successfully use radiation against the tsetse fly," reads part of the report, adding that the Isles are now a proper area for breeding dairy cattle should anyone feel like making highly paying investments in the archipelagos.
That is done through the nuclear-based sterile insect technique (SIT) that played a fundamental role in achieving the total eradication of the tsetse fly population. SIT is a form of insect pest control that involves the mass-breeding and sterilisation of male tsetse flies using ionising radiation in special rearing facilities. The sterile males are released systematically from the ground or by air in tsetse infested areas, where they mate with wild females, which do not subsequently produce offspring.
Improved socioeconomic conditions
Scientists believe that the results of nuclear technique employment are incredibly effective and thus through the eradication of the tsetse fly, socioeconomic conditions have dramatically improved.
"Since 2014, socioeconomic studies have shown that the total number of all cattle breeds have increased by roughly 38 percent. These figures are truly impressive, as most rural households earn more than 20 percent of their total income from the livestock business."
According to the report, milk production has nearly doubled from 4.6 to 10 litres per cattle a day, after the introduction of nuclear-based techniques.
Radiation has proved to be an effective solution for the eradication of many infectious insects on almost every continent on earth. SIT has been applied to hundreds of species of fruit flies, moths, mosquitoes and screwworm flies. By implementing the same methods, Senegal has in four years declared some of its regions totally tsetse free.
Ethiopia has also chosen this option, which has already helped to bring down the fly population by 90 percent.
Bridget Mary's Books: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Bridget-Mary-Meehan/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ABrid A Promise of Presence
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The Healing Power of Prayer-New Edition Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP
News / National
by Staff reporter
AN inmate who is on the death row at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison recently graduated after the completion of a course in Voice of Prophecy Bible Study Guides.The inmate, Jack Sakala, was part of 450 others who last Thursday were presented with certificates following the completion of the course which was initiated by the Seventh-Day Adventist Harare City Centre Church.The inmates were taken through a course consisting of 26 Bible Study Guides, with examinations covered in six months.Fourteen others aso received their VOP certificates at an emotional occasion."If the judge knew that we were going to get this Bible truth before we die, he should have said, I am sentencing you to eternal life," said Jack Sakala, exuding some hope.The graduation ceremony and party was a rare occasion in which condemned inmates were allowed to mingle with the rest of the inmates.A prison officer who declined to be named confirmed that it was very rare to see condemned inmates openly participating at such events.Addressing people at the graduation ceremony, guest of honour and Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison Officer-in-Charge Assistant Commissioner Norbert Chomurenga thanked the SDA Church for promoting spirituality behind bars.He said such efforts will assist them in rehabilitating convicts and prepare them to be good people when they were released back into the community."At this place we have people who have committed serious crimes and if churches are coming we feel very much relieved because we know that our boys will be comforted and corrected by the word of God."If the gospel is preached it softens their hearts, we have people who are on death row and most of them are now at ease because of the word of God. That is why we value our relationships with Christian denominations," said Asst Comm Chomurenga.Asst Comm Chomurenga said the VOP programme comprises teachings that have power to rehabilitate people."What you have done is in line with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) theme for 2017 which says 'Correct, empower and develop'."The Government of Zimbabwe strongly encourages the formation of public-private-partnerships (PPPs) and the coming on board of SDA has made this possible."The SDA City Centre Church is playing a pivotal role in the preaching of the word of God to the inmates as well as giving material support in forms of donations of food and non-food items," he said.He added that in 2016, 250 inmates from his prison graduated after completing the VOP course and this year the number has increased to 450."Thank you SDA Church for the continued support in spiritual, social, economic and physiological rehabilitation of inmates."As ZPCS, and Chikurubi Maximum in particular, we are greatly humbled by this kind of support, without you we could be talking of a different story altogether."Continue to be our pillar and bring us more supporting programmes of this kind," said Asst Comm Chomurenga.He also encouraged the inmates to implement what they learnt from the 26 lessons.SDA retired pastor Million Booni also preached about the importance of earnestly studying the Bible. He said those who have studied it have been transformed.Regularly, several Christian denominations visit prisons around the country donating food and non-foodstuffs. These include the Roman Catholic, Celebration Church, Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (Zaoga), Universal Church, Anglican and Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, among many others.
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News / National
by Staff reporter
Government has secured US$153 million from China for the expansion of the Harare International Airport with reconstruction work set to start in November.The China Export Import Bank has extended the loan facility for the project to be undertaken by Chinese engineering firm, China Jiangsu.Recently, China Jiangsu successfully completed the expansion of Victoria Falls International Airport.The expansion of Harare International Airport, which will soon be renamed Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, will increase the facility's capacity from handling around 2,5 million travellers to over 6 million annually.The development comes amid increasing interest by major international airlines to fly to Zimbabwe.Already, Ethiopian Airlines has introduced flights to Victoria Falls, while Lufthansa and Rwanda Air are engaging the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe in pursuit of operating permits.Further, Air Zimbabwe will soon take delivery of six aircraft next month as part of Government's efforts to revive the national flag carrier.The extensive upgrade work will include modernisation of facilities at the airport, with the car park set to be transformed into a multi-storey facility that can handle hundreds of vehicles. Modern airport bridges will also be installed at new gates while the runway will also be expanded further to allow for multiple landings at the same time.Currently, only one airplane can land at any given time.Technology will also be upgraded with a new radar system being deployed.Moving walkways, a slow-moving conveyor mechanism that transports passengers across a horizontal or inclined plane over a short to medium distance, will also be installed.All designs for the upgrade have already been completed and approved.Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo told The Sunday Mail last week that funding for the project has finally been secured.He said: "We were being slowed down by the funding constraints but now we have secured the money and are ready to hit the ground running."The China Export Import Bank has loaned us the US$153 million required for the upgrade."China Jiangsu did the expansion of Victoria Falls (International Airport) and will be handling the project. They will begin work on the Harare International Airport by November."We already have the designs, we will have a new car park which will be in the form of a parkade."We will also upgrade the radar system while the runways will be expanded to allow for more than just one plane to land at a time."We are looking at having a facility that is at the same level as the OR Tambo International Airport in South Africa."After the work is done, the airport will have the capacity to handle more than six million travellers a year."The upgrade of the Victoria Falls International Airport has seen an increase in the number of direct flights to the resort town.Zimbabwe expects to attract an increasing number of tourists, especially from non-traditional markets.The rehabilitation of the transit facilities is intended to facilitate the movement of tourists.
News / National
by Staff reporter
ZANU-PF Secretary for Administration Dr Ignatius Chombo has ordered the Registrar's Office to issue national identity cards and birth certificates for free.Despite recent announcements that these were being issued for free in preparation for the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) process, the RG's Office has been charging US$5 for new IDs and US$10 as replacement fee for lost ones.This made it difficult for rural people and the underprivileged to register to vote during the ongoing mobile registration process.In the Midlands, such cases were rampant in Mberengwa, Chirumhanzu, Gokwe and Shurugwi.Speaking during a Zanu-PF Midlands provincial commissariat workshop on voter education and registration campaign, Dr Chombo said the RG's Office should avoid frustrating rural people seeking IDs to allow a flawless BVR process.Dr Chombo said: "There are reports that some of the officials from the RG's Office deployed to rural districts have been frustrating people, this should not happen."We have heard that some make them pay so that they get these particulars. It's free during the BVR period. We want the process to be flawless and no one should be turned away," he said.Dr Chombo also encouraged Zanu-PF members to take advantage of the ongoing BVR exercise to ensure a landslide victory come 2018.He warned party members against abusing the revolutionary party paraphernalia and new electronic cards to intimidate police at roadblocks."All members of the party should have the new electronic membership cards by the end of the month ahead of the 2018 harmonised elections," said Dr Chombo.The electronic membership card, which contains personal details including a mug shot and electronic chips, will also be linked to the holders' bank accounts to enable automated subscriptions.The People's Own Savings Bank (POSB), which partnered with Zanu-PF, will be monitoring and authorising the financial transactions performed using the cards."We have introduced new membership cards. We are urging all members in this province to acquire such by end of this month. However, do not abuse the cards, some of the party members use them to intimidate the police. There was a report that some members of the party from Chitungwiza were using membership cards to evade paying at tollgates," said Dr Chombo.
Young people are coming together in Mountjoy Square in Dublin this afternoon to share ideas for ending poverty.
Community workers and local people have organised an event between 1-5pm which includes games and workshops to raise awareness of how people can make a difference in the world.
Sinn Fein has said that the Government is failing to acknowledge the scale of the homeless and housing emergency.
Yesterday, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy gave assurances that his Department will invest over 100m this year to address the problem.
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has highlighted Ireland's contribution to conflict prevention and commitment to securing peace in the Middle East.
In his address to the UN General Assembly, in New York, Simon Coveney emphasised the importance of countries working together to fight problems.
He said Ireland is committed to assisting in humanitarian crises such as Iraq, Syria and Yemen and confirmed.
"The conflicts in Syria and Yemen have caused untold suffering," he said.
"Ireland has responded generously to these crises with almost 100m in humanitarian aid but what the people of Syria and Yemen need most now is peace, to enable them to rebuild their lives.
"I urge all sides to the two conflicts to work for an end to violence, to engage in the search for peaceful political solutions under UN auspices and for accountability for crimes committed."
"Since 1958, not a single day has passed without Irish participation in UN Peace Support operations" #Pride pic.twitter.com/c6gSscPS7X Irish Foreign Ministry (@dfatirl) September 23, 2017
The Minister also confirmed that Ireland will apply for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in 2020.
"Ireland is proud to be a candidate for a seat on the UN Security Council in the elections to be held in 2020" Minister Coveney at #UNGA pic.twitter.com/2hxnDVdgAO Irish Foreign Ministry (@dfatirl) September 23, 2017
"Ireland is proud to be a candidate for a seat on the UN Security Council at the elections to be held in 2020," he said.
"We have presented our candidature because we believe deeply that we should step forward and play our part in support of multilateralism at this time of significant global instability and realignment of geopolitical influence.
"We have something to say and we will listen to you when you speak. We will be courageous on behalf of the UN and our fellow peoples.
"With Ireland, you know what you get a small State with big thinking, a country that listens, and a strong independent voice that promotes the values that inspire this organisation."
A Methodist church leader who helped oversee the peace process in the North has said political powersharing should be restored to "disarm" the dissident republican threat.
The Rev Harold Good was an independent witness as the IRA destroyed its guns in 2005. It was a crucial milestone on a road which ended decades of conflict and enabled inclusive government at Stormont.
He said the community was "weary" of the consequences of the political uncertainty after devolved government collapsed early this year and appealed to politicians to listen to the frustrated and angry voices of a community pressing for politicians to return to power.
"Not only in the interests of economic stability, or to 'disarm' the arguments or activities of those who as yet pose a threat to our fragile peace .... but because what we ask of you is morally as well as politically the right thing to do."
The Rev Good joined forces with Catholic priest Fr Alec Reid, a long-time confidant of Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams who arranged ground-breaking talks between Mr Adams and then SDLP leader John Hume, to witness paramilitary arms decommissioning.
Canadian General John de Chastelain led an international independent commission on decommissioning, which oversaw the destruction of weapons.
It was a pivotal moment in the peace process, coming after a 30-year conflict during which the IRA killed nearly 2,000 people, and was followed by Sinn Fein accepting policing, the rule of law and the restoration of devolution.
Since then, dissident renegades opposed to peace have targeted police, soldiers and prison officers.
The former Methodist president in Ireland added: "Within and between the churches of this land we are deeply conscious of the many ways in which we have failed to live up to what we have been called to preach.
"Slow learners though we may appear to have been, we are trying to catch up."
He joined a group of other civic figures appealing for progress in the talks between Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionists because it would help those with health problems and other challenges receive support from a locally elected administration.
"The list goes on, with extremely vulnerable young people struggling with suicidal thoughts, as well as the death of a friend or sibling.
"It is on their behalf, not our own, that we plead for a return to a compassionate, stable and effective Assembly and Executive."
News / National
by Staff reporter
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has Ndebele ancestry as his grandfather served King Lobengula, historian and Higher Education Minister Stan Mudenge claims.Speaking at the Lupane State University's inaugural graduation ceremony in 2010, Minister Mudenge said the President had fascinating roots in Matabeleland that are not always known to the general public."His grandfather, a strong powerful figure, was in the service of King Lobengula in the 19th Century, during which he acquired and absorbed the Ndebele culture and language," said Mudenge.He said when the President's grandfather returned to Zvimba, Mashonaland West, the colonial native commissioners -- noting his Ndebele cultural traits -- began calling him "Matibili," the colonialists' pronunciation of Matebele."In time, Matibili was Shonalised to 'Matibiri' because Shonas substitute 'l' with 'r'," he said.Tracing the President's lineage, Mudenge said the President's father was the son of Constantine Karigamombe, alias "Matibiri.""Therefore, the President belongs to the Matibiri Karigamombe house in Zvimba," Dr Mudenge said.He said President Mugabe's father, Gabriel Mugabe Matibiri, went to work in Bulawayo, where he married his second wife, a Ndebele girl, mother to some of the President's siblings, who had both Shona and Ndebele blood."As a young teacher, the President taught at Empandeni Mission and Hope Fountain Mission. It is at the latter institution that he taught, among others, Governor Angeline Masuku and Mrs Thenjiwe Lesabe, then the head girl," he said.Mugabe is reviled in Matabeleland where rights groups say 20,000 people were killed on his orders after Zimbabwe's independence from colonial rule in 1980.
Jeremy Corbyn has avoided a potentially divisive clash over Brexit at the British Labour party's annual conference after delegates agreed not to push the issue to a vote.
Mr Corbyn is resisting pressure from europhiles in the party, who want him to commit Labour to keeping the UK permanently in the European single market and customs union after Brexit.
In a TV interview as the conference opened in Brighton, he made clear he has deep reservations about the restrictions which single market membership could place on a future Labour government's ability to intervene to support UK industry.
Meanwhile, close Corbyn ally Andrew Gwynne, Labour's campaigns chief, acknowledged that the issue had the potential to inflict grave damage on the party.
Asked whether wrangling between Remain and Leave supporters could tear Labour apart, he told a fringe meeting hosted by the Huffington Post: "It could, if we're not careful."
Delegates will debate Brexit on the conference floor on Monday, but there will be no vote.
As activists gathered in Brighton for the start of Labour's annual conference, 30 senior figures wrote an open letter calling for the party to do whatever it takes to keep Britain in the single market and the customs union.
Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer has previously said that under a Labour government Britain would remain in both for a transitional period of two to four years after the official Brexit date in 2019.
But signatories to the letter published in the Observer, including former shadow cabinet members Chuka Umunna and Heidi Alexander, as well as one of Mr Corbyn's closest allies in his early days as leader, Clive Lewis, said the party should go further to protect jobs and workers' rights.
"At our conference this week, Labour should commit to staying in the single market and customs union - ruling out no options for how to achieve this - and to working with sister parties and others across Europe to improve workers' rights, boost trade union membership and put an end to the exploitation of workers, not freedom of movement," they said.
Speaking to BBC1's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Corbyn said he wanted to ensure "tariff-free access to the European market".
But he added: "I would also say that we need to look very carefully at the terms of our trade relationship, because at the moment we are a part of the single market and that has within it restrictions on state aid and state spending and pressures on it, through the European Union, to privatise rail and other services.
"I think we need to be careful about the powers we need as a national government."
He suggested that EU rules could have prevented him as prime minister from intervening to prop up Britain's steel industry during its recent crisis, and would block a future Labour government from investing in key industries.
Pressed on whether free movement should continue from the EU after Brexit, Mr Corbyn said abuses of the system by rogue employers had to stop but there would still be "a lot" of movement.
"We have to recognise that in the future we are going to need people to work in Europe and people from Europe are going to need to work here," he said.
Conservative chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin said Mr Corbyn would "backtrack on Brexit" and ordinary working people would pay the price.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable said: "The idealistic, pro-EU young people who have rallied behind Corbyn will be mortified to discover that he is working hand in glove with the Conservative Party to promote a 'hard' Brexit."
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said there should be "an element of flexibility" to extend any Brexit transition period beyond the two years suggested by Theresa May in her speech in Florence on Friday.
Asked if the transition could last as long as four years under Labour's plans, Mr McDonnell told ITV1's Peston on Sunday: "I can't see it being that long, but we will see."
Mr Corbyn said a transitional period should last "as long as necessary", but asked whether it could last as long as a decade he said "no, I don't think so".
Mr McDonnell said it was "difficult to see" how the UK could stay in the single market so long as the EU insisted on maintaining its current rules on freedom of movement, which he said allowed employers to undercut wages and conditions by bringing in cheap foreign labour.
But he suggested that it might be possible to persuade other EU countries to accept changes to freedom of movement that would enable membership of a reformed single market.
"In that way, we think we can achieve all the benefits of the single market, overcome some of the disbenefits that were perceived in the referendum and in that way achieve a close and collaborative relationship with Europe in all our interests," he said.
Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir refused to be drawn on the specifics of the future permanent relationship with the EU Labour hoped to achieve but said it must retain "the benefits" of the single market and customs union.
"I am open to whether that's achieved by some sort of changed relationship with the single market or a bespoke trade deal, it doesn't matter," he told a Labour Movement for Europe fringe event. "And I'm open to leaving on the table the UK being in a customs union with the EU so that we can retain the benefits."
Backbencher Alison McGovern told the meeting Labour should keep open the option of reversing Brexit.
"I don't think we should take that off the table, people are perfectly entitled to vote one way in a referendum and then change their minds as part of a general election or referendum," she said.
Update 8.08pm: One person has died and eight others, including the shooter, have been injured in a church shooting in Tennessee, USA.
It is reported that the gunman shot a woman dead in the parking lot of the church before entering the building.
It is further reported that the gunman, aged in his mid-20s and wearing a ski mask, shot three men and three women inside the church.
He was confronted by a man who was violently pistol whipped, according to police.
The injured man went to his own car to retrieve a pistol before re-entering the church when the shooter then shot himself, according to several local sources.
All victims, including the shooter, were rushed to hospital.
According to reports, the identity of the shooter is known to police but his name has not been released.
Megan Barry, the Mayor of Metropoliton Nashville and Davidson County, said her "heart aches for the family and friends of the deceased as well as for the wounded victims and loved ones."
The shooting today at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ is a terrible tragedy for our city. Full statement: https://t.co/vk6DOxuMPc pic.twitter.com/x3UsUPDmA9 Megan Barry (@MeganCBarry) September 24, 2017
Update 7.02pm: Police have confirmed the death of one woman in a mass casualty shooting in a church in Tennessee, America.
According to police, the woman was found dead in the parking lot while six others were shot.
The gunman was also injured.
Gunman opens fire at Church of Christ Burnette Chapel on Pin Hook Road. 1 woman dead in parking lot...6 other innocents shot... pic.twitter.com/yuwjfGPjXs Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) September 24, 2017
Update 6.44pm: Eight people, including the shooter, were injured in an American church shooting, according to Nashville Fire Department.
Those not injured in the "mass casualty situation" and are now in a safe location, while the area has been closed for investigation.
All of the wounded except for one are more than 60-years-old, according to officials.
Medical personnel are treating 8 wounded church goers shot at Burnetts Chapel Church of Christ. Shooter among wounded. Nashville Fire Dept (@NashvilleFD) September 24, 2017
According to police, one victim was "pistol whipped".
Gunman wounded and at hospital. 1 other victim pistol whipped and at hospital. Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) September 24, 2017
Earlier: At least six people are reported to have been injured in a church shooting in Antioch, Tennessee, according to local reports.
It is reported that police are at the scene of the shooting in Burnette Chapel Church of Christ.
Tennessean.com are reporting that police received calls describing multiple shots fired at around 11.15am local time.
The same website claimed Joseph Pleasant, a spokesman for Nashville Fire Department, said six to eight people were injured and are being transported to a local medical centre.
The severity of the injuries is not known.
Eagles can tie franchise record, but first they have to fix one issue
How international students in South Jersey celebrate the holidays
South Jersey's international students share how they cope when they can't make it home for the holidays by finding new ways to celebrate the season.
plans to vacate unused hangar space at some airports and sell the scrap lying there to cut costs, CMD Rajiv Bansal has said.
After taking over the reins of the disinvestment-bound airline last month, Bansal has been working on ways to improve On Time Performance (OTP) of the flights, customer service and reduce costs on various fronts.
Bansal said he is planning to vacate any extra space at airports that the airline might be holding up due to scrap.
"I am finding that there is a lot of unused material lying in hangars and unnecessarily we are holding on. So we can get some money by selling the scrap and also save rentals by leaving the space," Bansal told PTI in an interview.
He noted that there is more such space occupied by the airline at Delhi and Mumbai airports.
"I noticed that in Delhi itself one aircraft which has been auctioned is lying in the hangar. Similarly in Mumbai, steel scrap is lying and we are trying to dispose that of so that hangar space can be cleared," Bansal said.
Hangar is a space within the airport complex where maintenance work of aircraft is carried out.
The national carrier has around ten hangars in different airports across the country.
group operates to 42 international destinations and over 70 domestic stations. It has an operating fleet of 142 aircraft.
"My priorities are OTP and customer experience. These are the two things from the passenger side and on the internal side we should make enough money. So must make money and spend less," Bansal said.
Among other cost saving initiatives, the airline is looking to rationalise some routes operated by the airline and its subsidiaries, including in the Gulf region.
Rajiv Bansal, CMD, Air India
"We are having a huge debt and there was a turnaround plan approved by the government. There are accumulated losses and the losses are being added due to huge debt. We are having debt service obligations," Bansal said.
The carrier is surviving on a little over Rs 30,000 crore bailout package extended by the previous UPA regime.
The government has decided to go for strategic disinvestment of and its five subsidiaries. A group of ministers is working on the modalities of the process.
The $103-billion Tata group has selected Rajiv Sabharwal to be the chief executive officer of Tata Capital and head the groups retail financial services foray, said sources in the Tata group. Sabharwal, currently a partner with PE firm True North Managers, has over 26 years experience in the financial sector and was executive director on ICICI Banks board till January 2017.
DLF promoters' decision to sell their entire stake in its rental arm for Rs 11,900 crore will remove existing conflicts of interest and help the realty firm in the growth of commercial real estate business in partnership with Singapore's GIC, investment advisory firm ISS said.
Last month, DLF promoters sold their 40 per cent stake in DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL) for Rs 11,900 crore. The promoters will infuse net proceeds into DLF Ltd for debt repayment.
This deal, the biggest in the country's realty space, included sale of 33.34 per cent stake to GIC for Rs 8,900 crore and a buyback of remaining shares worth Rs 3,000 crore by DCCDL.
DLF has sought shareholders' nod for this deal at the annual general meeting to be held on September 29.
In a report, ISS said that there are two key developments arising from this transaction.
Firstly, it said "the promoters of the company will exit DCCDL, thereby removing existing conflicts of interest in the ownership of DCCDL".
Further, it said DLF would have "a long term strategic partner (GIC) to pursue the growth and development of the group's rental business."
ISS concluded that this "resolution warrants shareholder support" based on strategic rationale of the transaction and in the absence of any known issues concerning the proposal.
Promoters are expected to raise about Rs 12,000 crore and will invest bulk of the net proceeds in DLF through subscription of shares and/or convertible securities, ISS said, adding that a separate shareholder meeting would be held to consider the manner of such private equity placement.
The research report included a recommendation against the election of G S Talwar as director, saying that "he attended less than 75 percent of board and committee meetings over the most recent fiscal year, without a satisfactory explanation".
Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC will have to seek approval of fair trade regulator CCI for this deal. Post conclusion of this deal, DLF's stake will increase to 66.66 per cent from the current 60 per cent.
DLF had earlier said that it expects an infusion of Rs 13,000 crore into the company, a better part from promoters, by December and the amount will be utilised for reducing its debt substantially.
The company expects over Rs 10,000 crore from promoters and another Rs 3,000 crore from institutional investors.
DLF had a net debt of nearly Rs 26,000 crore at the end of the June quarter, out of which Rs 5,500 crore pertained to its rental arm DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL).
ISS research team provides comprehensive proxy analysis and complete vote recommendations for approximately 40,000 meetings annually in around 117 markets worldwide.
(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.)
More businesses globally are shifting towards mobile-based services from the traditional model. This means the shift of processes and data on the cloud, often resulting in better customer experience. While the emergence of cloud-based storage service providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure or Google has 'disrupted' the market for IT companies, global storage firm believes not every business information will move to the cloud. In an interview with Ayan Pramanik, Mark Bregman, chief technology officer, NetApp, speaks about customers increasing demand for flexibility, how Indian talent and partners will add to global delivery, and new partners in the offing.
News / National
by Staff reporter
#CitizensAlert Pastor Evan has been arrested for live Broadcast last night. On route to Central Police with ZLHR H.Nkomo with him. pic.twitter.com/Zw8uk32LUi #ThisFlag (@ThisFlag1980) September 24, 2017
ARMED police on Sunday raided and arrested Pastor Evan Mawarire at his This Generation Church.According to the cleric's lawyer, Harrison Nkomo of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Mawarire was arrested Sunday morning while preaching.Nkomo said Mawarire was arrested for inciting the public to cause violence. #THISFLAG Pastor Evan Mawarire has urged young people to "to perform a 'David Goliath act' against President Robert Mugabe's oppressive rule", a report says.According to New Zimbabwe.com, speaking at Ibbo Madaza's SAPES trust policy dialogue meeting last week, Mawarire urged young people to emulate the veteran leader and other freedom fighters in challenging oppressive laws.The popular anti-Mugabe cleric, however, said that the young people in the southern African country could achieve their objective through peaceful means."David took Goliath head on, he was bold; the youth that is weak, that is afraid, that is timid and hides will not achieve anything in futureyou have the ability to face things that these people (ruling party politicians) can't face why because it is your future that is at stake," Mawarire was cited as saying.Mawarire's remarks came after Mugabe mocked US President Donald Trump, describing him as the "Giant Gold Goliath".The US-backed, Pastor Mawarire at the weekend posted a video encouraging Zimbabweans to stand up against the economic woes emanating from the depreciating bond notes.Last week, the US embassy in Harare said it was "monitoring" the trial of Mawarire and challenged government to end arbitrary arrests and intimidation on citizens.Mawarire is currently on trial for addressing the University of Zimbabwe students in July who were demonstrating against fee hikes. US said the arrest of Mawarire was an infringement of freedom of expression and the right of peaceful assembly.
Pakistan on Sunday accused India of adopting a posture of that of a "predator" and said if the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between the two neighbours, it must call on New Delhi to halt its provocations and aggressive actions.
Terming India as the "mother of terrorism" in South Asia, Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi accused it of sponsoring terrorism in various parts of her country.
Exercising her right to reply after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday hit out at Pakistan for creating terror groups like LeT, JeM, Hizbul Mujahideen and the Haqqani Network, Lodhi alleged that "in her vitriol she (Swaraj) deliberately ignored the core issue" of Kashmir.
Swaraj in her remarks did not mention Kashmir.
"If the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between India and Pakistan, it must call on India to halt its provocations and aggressive actions. It must end the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control. It must halt its sponsorship of terrorist groups against Pakistan," Lodhi said.
Given that such responses are normally given by a low level foreign service official, it was quite significant that the top Pakistani diplomat took up the floor to launch a verbal dual against India.
India did not immediately exercise its right to response to Lodhis remarks, in which Pakistan for the second time accused the Security Advisor Ajit K Doval of interfering in Balochistan.
Lodhi said if the parties fail to resolve a dispute, the UN and the international community has not only the right but the obligation to intervene and help to resolve the dispute.
"UN Security Council resolutions do not lapse with time. Or are'overtaken', as the Indian foreign minister put it. Law has no expiry date.Morality has no sell-by date. India's posture is that of the predator. It cannot escape its legal and moral obligation to abide by the resolutions of the Security Council," she said.
Referring to Swaraj's remarks on terrorism and her push for a definition, Lodhi said the UN should actually define terrorism.
"In that definition, we should include 'state terrorism'. The state terrorism which the Indian Security Adviser has boasted is being sponsored by India's spy agencies in Pakistan's Balochistan province in what he called a 'double squeeze' strategy," she alleged.
"India has sponsored and perpetrated terrorism and aggression against all its neighbours; creating terror groups; destabilising and blockading neighbours to do its strategic bidding and sponsoring subversion, sabotage and terrorism in various parts of Pakistan. All this establishes that India isthe mother of terrorism in South Asia," she alleged.
She said the 'largest democracy' is also "the world's largest hypocrisy" and it's ruled by the "fascist" ideology.
Lodhi alleged that Swaraj in her speech criticised Pakistan's founding father M A Jinnah.
She also said Pakistan remains open to resuming a comprehensive dialogue with India to address all outstanding issues, especially Jammu and Kashmir and discuss measures to maintain peace and security.
"But this dialogue must be accompanied by an end to Indias campaign of subversion and state-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan," she demanded.
In her speech, Swaraj had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered the hand of peace and friendship since he assumed office. "Pakistan's Prime Minister must answer why his nation spurned this offer," she had said.
Swaraj reminded Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi that in December 2015, when she was in Islamabad, a decision was made by then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that dialogue between India and Pakistan should be renewed and named it a "Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue".
"The word 'bilateral' was used consciously to remove any confusion or doubt about the fact that the proposed talks would be between our two nations and only between our two nations, without any third-party present. And he must answer why that proposal withered, because Pakistan is responsible for the aborting that peace process," Swaraj had said.
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday lathicharged the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) students, who were protesting since three days against alleged molestation of a varsity girl.
It has been reported that the protesting students tried to enter the residence of University Vice Chancellor and when the deployed security forces tried to stop them, students became violent and attacked the police after which the security forces also used force and lathi charge on the students to disperse them.
The students alleged that the police thrashed them and dragged them through hair, but DM Varanasi, who was present on the spot, denied all such claims.
The ongoing protesters outside the BHU campus triggered when a first-year female student of BHU alleged that she was molested by three bike-borne men outside the varsity campus on Thursday.
The victim in the matter has claimed that she went to the university administration for complaining about the incident but the administration in lieu of taking any action against the molesters, shamed the victim for her awkward hostel timings.
Angered over the laid back attitude of the administration and lack of action from the side, the varsity students staged protests outside the campus on Friday and blocked entry to the campus through the main gate.
The protests here coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to his Lok Sabha constituency.
Two reports point to significant changes in the market for beauty products, globally and in Asia. According to Euromonitors research, there is a shift towards premiumisation as consumers are becoming more selective about what goes into the making of their beauty products. And a report by global market research firm Mintel looks at Asian consumers and brand behaviour.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that he always tried to keep his monthly Mann ki Baat out of politics. He said that his monthly radio programme "Mann Ki Baat" has played an important role in the integration of every section of society and improving the governance by getting nationwide inputs. "I get so much feedback for 'Mann Ki Baat'. We have completed the programme's three years. Naturally, I am not able to refer to all of it but the inputs given help us in the governance. "It has helped in the integration of every section of ...
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As part of the humanitarian aid to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, India on Saturday loaded almost 700 tonnes of relief material on board the amphibious ship, INS Gharial, at Kakinada Deep Water Port for transportation to Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Relief material is packaged in customised family packets, which contain essential items including rations, clothes and mosquito nets and is likely to cater to approximately 62,000 families.
The government of India has taken this step as its contribution to assisting Bangladesh in tackling thelarge-scalee immigration of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar.
Fearing prosecution by Myanmar army, millions of Rohingya Muslims have fled the violence-ridden state of Rakhine, with many of them crossing the border to take refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh.
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in lathicharge by the police in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) which witnessed violence last night, in an ugly turn to a protest against an alleged eve-teasing incident.
In the wake of the violence, the university has announced "holidays" from tomorrow till October 2, advancing it from September 28.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today sought a report from Divisional Commissioner about the incident as various political parties, including Samajwadi Party, criticised the government and condemned the police action.
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in the lathicharge by the police.
Some policemen were also injured in the clashes during which students indulged in arson, police sources said.
Violence erupted after some students, protesting against the alleged eve-teasing incident of Thursday, wanted to meet the Vice Chancellor at his residence last night, according to police and university sources.
The security guards of the university stopped them and the police was informed, according to the University sources.
Varanasi: Heavy police personnel deployed at Banaras Hindu University where students were holding a protest in Varanasi, late Saturday night. Photo: PTI
BHU spokesperson said some students wanted to "forcibly" enter the VC's residence but they were stopped by the security guards of the university.
Subsequently, there was stone pelting by "outsiders" who had joined the students.
Police used lathicharge to control the situation.
"I have sought a report from the Divisional Commissioner, Varanasi, about the entire incident," Adityanath said in Lucknow.
The lathicharge on journalists led to protests in Lucknow with some journalists staging a sit-in near the CM's residence. They later gave a memorandum to the District Magistrate demanding action against the guilty.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav condemned the lathicharge of the students in BHU.
"The government should resolve the issue by talks, not by lathicharge. It is condemnable. Action should be taken againt the guilty," Akhilesh tweeted.
Last night, the BHU issued a statement, saying the 'dharna' by the students just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit was "politically motivated" to malign the image of the university.
The university also said that security guards were regularly patrolling the campus and assistance from the police is sought from time-to-time to maintain peace in the campus.
Senior officials including District Magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra and SP (city) Dinesh Singh reached the campus along with a large posse of police.
Nearly 1500 policemen includingPAC personnel have been deployed in and around the campus to maintain law and order in the campus.
The BHU students have been protesting near the university's main gate since Thursday against the rising eve- teasing incidents on the campus.
The trigger was an incident in which a woman student of Arts faculty alleged harassment by three men on a motorcycle inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel.
The three men abused her and fled when she resisted their attempts, according to the complainant.
The woman alleged that security guards, about 100 metres from where the incident happened, did nothing to stop the men.
She said her warden, instead of taking up the issue with her superiors, asked her why was she was returning late to the hostel.
The warden's response angered the student's colleagues, who sat on a 'dharna' at the main gate midnight Thursday. One of the students even got her head tonsured.
BHU students have alleged they have to face eve-teasers on the campus regularly and the varsity administration was not taking any action to stop the miscreants.
Police and BHU professors tried to pacify the students yesterday, but they refused to end their protest and sought assurance from the university vice chancellor.
A large number of police personnel have been deployed near the campus as a security precaution, said the police.
When US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis meets his Indian counterpart, Nirmala Sitharaman, in New Delhi on Tuesday, it will be a first handshake between an unusually powerful American incumbent and a greenhorn Indian one.
After mobile handsets, the government has set its sights on manufacturing of telecom equipment in India. It will figure in the new telecom policy to be issued in March.
The Tamil Nadu government is planning to introduce a business facilitation Bill next month that will be backed by a legislation to put the state on the investment map again. The state has slipped from the 12th to the 18th spot this year in rankings, released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) last week.
Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi inaugurates Hunar Haat" in Puducherry
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today said here that Ministry of Minority Affairs is working to establish Hunar Hub" across the country to provide a platform to master artisans and craftsmen to display as well sell their products.Shri Naqvi and Puducherry Chief Minister Shri V. Narayanasamy today inaugurated Hunar Haat", being organised by Ministry of Minority Affairs at Puducherry.Shri Naqvi said that the artisans and craftsmen will also be provided training according to the requirements of the current markets.Shri Naqvi said that encouragement to talent and skill development will be an essential part of the vision of New India".Hunar Haat" is being organised at Craft Bazaar, Gandhi Thidal Beach, Goubert Avenue in Puducherry, one of renowned centre of art & culture, till 30th September, 2017 to provide market and opportunity to master artisans from across the country. Puducherry Member of Parliament Shri R. Radhakrishnan, National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation Chairman Shri Shabaz Ali and officials from Puducherry Government and Minority Affairs Ministry were also present on the occasion.Shri Naqvi said that Ministry of Minority Affairs has prepared an E-Portal to provide national as well as international markers to artisans and craftsmen from across the country. A data bank of artisans and craftsmen will be prepared by this year end, thousands of artisans from various parts of the country have already been registered.Shri Naqvi said that Hunar Haat" of Minority Affairs Ministry have been very successful and encouraging for master artisans belonging to the poor sections of the Minorities.Master artisans from 16 states are showcasing their traditional talent in Hunar Haat" at Puducherry. Artisans have brought for display and sale, a wide variety of traditional and rare Handicraft and Handloom items which include Hyderabad Pearl, Wrought Iron & Wood Carving, wooden and sandalwood items, hand-made jewellery, Hand Embroidery, handmade painting, wooden-toys/gift Items, printed dresses and Maheshwari Saree etc are also available.Traditional stalls have been constructed in the Hunar Haat" where the visitors will also enjoy delicious foods from various parts of the country.
Culinary experts are participating from different States. Delicious food items like Rajasthani Food, Maharashtrian Food, Gujarati Thali, Punjabi Food, Malabar Food, Mughlai food, Mutton/Kakori Kabab, , food from Andhra Pradesh, M. P, Halwa, Ghewar, West Bengal Sweets, chokha-bati, traditional pickles from Kerala and other states are also available. The participating artisans belong to different parts of the country. Artisans from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Orissa, Puducherry and Uttarakhand etc are participating. The Ministry of Minority Affairs has organized Hunar Haat" earlier also at different places. Recently, Hunar Haat" had been organized at Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Cannaught Place in New Delhi which was a hit among the people as more than 26 lakh people, both domestic and foreign visitors, visited this Hunar Haat". The people purchased goods at large scale which helped and promoted traditional arts of these master artisans. In the coming days, Hunar Haat" will also be organised at Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangaluru, Lucknow, Allahabad, Ranchi, Guwahati, Jaipur, Bhopal etc to promote artisans and craftsmen.
News / National
by Staff reporter
Small scale mining companies are struggling to buy spare equipment in Bulawayo as the manufacturers and distributors are refusing to accept bond notes.This was revealed at the Matabeleland North provincial alternative indaba held at Inyathi Training Centre in Bubi distrct.Small scale mining companies are making efforts to improve production levels with statistics revealing that they have been producing more than the large scale miners in the last three months.However, the refusal to accept bond notes by companies selling spare parts is beginning to affect operations in small scale mining.The few companies accepting bond notes charge higher prices for the same equipment while those who use the hard currency pay less.Deputy president of the Chiefs' Council, Chief Mtshane said it is unfortunate that the small scale mining sector is facing a number of challenges which have been derailing its growth."There are too many barriers and this makes it difficult during the mining operations. This in turn affects the amount of gold that the players can get and it is obvious that the sector is producing less than what it used to," he said.The license fees to buy explosives was reduced from US$2 000 to US$1 000 per annum and is still considered too high by small scale miners.
Chancellor clinched a fourth term in Germany's election today, but her victory was clouded by the hard-right AfD party winning its first seats in parliament.
Merkel, who after 12 years in power held a double-digit lead for most of the campaign, scored around 33 per cent of the vote with her conservative Christian Union (CDU/CSU) bloc, according to exit polls.
Its nearest rivals, the Social Democrats and their candidate Martin Schulz, came in a distant second, with a post-war record low 20-21 per cent.
But in a bombshell for the German establishment, the anti-Islam, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) captured around 13 per cent, making it the country's third biggest political force.
While the likelihood of the AfD winning seats was clear for months, commentators called its strong showing a "watershed moment" in the history of the German republic.
Supporters gathered at the party headquarters in Berlin cried out with joy as public television reported the outcome, many joining in a chorus of the German national anthem.
The four-year-old nationalist party with links to the far-right French National Front and Britain's UKIP has been shunned by Germany's mainstream.
It is now headed for the opposition benches of the Bundestag lower house, dramatically boosting its visibility and state financing.
Alarmed by the prospect of what Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded "real Nazis" entering the Bundestag for the first time since World War II, the candidates had used their final days of campaigning to implore voters to reject the populists.
Germans elected a splintered parliament reflecting an electorate torn between a high degree of satisfaction with Merkel and a desire for change after more than a decade of her leadership.
Another three parties cleared the five-per cent hurdle to be represented in parliament: the liberal Free Democrats at around 10 per cent and the anti-capitalist Left and ecologist Greens, both at about nine per cent.
As Merkel failed to secure a ruling majority on her own and with the dejected SPD ruling out another right-left "grand coalition" with her, the process of coalition building was shaping up to be a thorny, potentially months-long process.
Merkel, 63, whose campaign events were regularly disrupted by jeering AfD supporters, said in her final stump speech in the southern city of Munich that "the future of Germany will definitely not be built with whistles and hollers".
Merkel, often called the most powerful woman on the global stage, ran on her record as a steady pair of hands in a turbulent world, warning voters not to indulge in "experiments".
Pundits said Merkel's reassuring message of stability and prosperity resonated in greying Germany, where more than half of the 61 million voters are aged 52 or older.
Her popularity had largely recovered from the influx since 2015 of more than one million mostly Muslim migrants and refugees, half of them from war-torn Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
But the AfD was able to capitalise on a wellspring of anger over the asylum issue during what was criticised as a largely lacklustre campaign bereft of real clashes among the main contenders.
US President Donald Trump dialled up the rhetoric against North Korea again at the weekend, warning the countrys foreign minister that he and leader Kim Jong Un wont be around much longer, as Pyongyang staged a major anti-US rally. None other than Trump himself is on a suicide mission, North Koreas foreign minister Ri Yong Ho said through the UNs simultaneous translation. In case innocent lives of the US are lost because of this suicide attack, Trump will be held totally responsible.
Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they wont be around much longer! Trump said on Twitter late on Saturday.
"For the sake of the sacrifices and blood of the martyrs, let's all say yes for Kurdistan independence," reads a large billboard in the centre of Kalak, a small town in Iraq's northern Kurdish region.
"Independence is not given, it's taken!" reads another banner hanging below a cluster of red, green, yellow and white Kurdish flags.
Iraq's Kurds are set to vote tomorrow in a referendum on support for independence that has stirred fears of instability across the region as the war against the Islamic State group winds down.
The Kurds are likely to approve the referendum, but the non-binding vote is not expected to result in any formal declaration of independence.
The United Sates and the United Nations have condemned the referendum. Turkey, which is battling its own Kurdish insurgency, has threatened to use military force to prevent the emergence of an independent Kurdish state, and Baghdad has warned it will respond militarily to any violence resulting from the vote.
Initial results from the poll are expected on Tuesday, with the official results announced later in the week.
Denied independence when colonial powers drew the map of the Middle East after World War I, the Kurds form a sizable minority in Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Iraq. They have long been at odds with the Baghdad government over the sharing of oil revenues and the fate of disputed territories like the city of Kirkuk, which are expected to take part in the vote.
"There are pressures on us to postpone, to engage in dialogue with Baghdad, but we will not go back to a failed experiment," Masoud Barzani, the Kurdish regional president, said to roars of applause at a rally of tens of thousands in Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish region, on Friday evening.
But beneath the sea of flag-waving, the Kurdish region continues to be plagued by endemic corruption and economic decline.
Among the portraits on Kalak's main street is that of Amen Jadr Mahmoud's 18-year-old son, Gaylan, one of the more than 1,500 Kurdish fighters, known as the peshmerga, killed in the fight against the Islamic State group.
"His death was noble, he died fighting for Kurdistan," Mahmoud said.
But even Mahmoud, a die-hard nationalist who lost four other relatives to fighting with Iraqi government forces decades earlier, has misgivings about the Kurdish region's political leadership.
"If we have a state then we will build institutions that will let us change the faces of the main parties," he said.
"Once we have a state we can get rid of them or at least prevent them from stealing so much."
The Kurds have been a close American ally for decades, and the first US airstrikes in the campaign against IS were launched to protect Irbil. Kurdish forces later regrouped and played a major role in driving the extremists from much of northern Iraq, including Mosul, the country's second largest city.
"The Kurdish contribution to the ISIS fight, it can't be overstated," said US Army Col Charles Costanza, a commander at a coalition base just outside Irbil, using another acronym for the extremist group. "We couldn't have done Mosul without the Kurds."
But the US has long been opposed to Kurdish moves toward independence, fearing it could lead to the breakup of Iraq and bring even more instability to an already volatile Middle East.
Mahmoud and other Kurds who support independence view the opposition as a betrayal.
"My son was fighting Daesh on behalf of the entire world," said Mahmoud, using an Arabic acronym for IS. "And now the community is ignoring us."
The Kurds' sense of sacrifice and betrayal is rooted in decades of war and oppression, in which they repeatedly rose up against the Baghdad government and were often brutally repressed.
During the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, the Kurds sided with Iran against Saddam Hussein, who punished them with a scorched-earth campaign involving chemical weapons that killed an estimated 50,000 people.
A no-fly zone imposed by the US in the early 1990s largely halted the killings, and allowed the Kurds to develop de facto autonomy, which was formalised after the 2003 US-led invasion.
(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.)
North Korea's foreign minister assailed US President Donald Trump at the United Nations on Sunday, deriding him as a "mentally deranged" leader whose threats had increased the chances of military confrontation.
More than 35,000 people have fled a menacing volcano on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali, fearing it will erupt for the first time in more than half a century as increasing tremors rattle the region.
A semi-vanquished enemy is rising zombielike from the crypt of Americas dimly remembered wars. North Korea is gleefully shooting missiles over Japan and splashing them into the Pacific Ocean. With astounding technical felicity, it is building a weapons system that may soon be able to hoist hydrogen bombs into Los Angeles, Chicago or even Manhattan. Meanwhile, two neophyte leaders with strange hair and thin skins are insulting each other in bizarre ways. President Trump called Kim Jong-un Rocket Man and threatens to totally destroy North Korea. Mr. Kim called Mr. Trump a mentally deranged U.S. dotard and threatens to definitely tame him with fire.
The Indian Army on Sunday busted a terrorist hideout in Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara District and seized a large cache of explosive material and ammunition, including an anti-aircraft gun.
The hideout was busted by 47 Rashtriya Rifles in the forest area of Chak Kigam Handwara, 95 km from Srinagar, the search of the hideout led to the recovery of one anti aircraft gun, one RPG, one LMG, one Ak 47 with 3 magazines, two pistols with 4 magazines,1 IED, one RS Kenwood and one dagger.
However, no arrest have been made during the operation.
Yesterday, the police has claimed to have seized around 60 litres of illegal diesel in Nowgam area of Handwara.
Officials said that on a specific information a police party from Qalamabad police station raided the house of one Mohammad Shafi Mir son of Mukta Mir Bagidangi Nowgam and recorved 60 liters of illegal diesel from his house.
Meanwhile, two jawans were injured in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Bhimber Gali (BG) sector of Jammu and Kashmir' Rajouri district.
Earlier in the day, one terrorist was gunned down by the security forces in Kashmir's Uri area in Baramulla sector.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hindus in Australia staged protests in the major cities on Sunday to express their anguish about objectionable portrayal of Lord Ganesha in advertisement by a livestock farmers' lobbying organisation in the country.
People in huge numbers took to streets to express their angst against an advertisement that the Indian community described as "highly insulting" in its depiction of the Hindu deity Lord Ganesha.
Protesters formed human chain in Sydney and in four other cities.
Children were seen wearing Ganesha masks, as their parents used placards reading "Stop insulting Hindu Gods".
Organised by the India Forum Australia community, the demonstration "Stand for Ganesha" was staged in five cities -- Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth cities to register a strong objection over the desecration and generate public awareness about the Hindu deity revered by millions of people in India and foreign shores.
Earlier, the Indian High Commission in Canberra had issued a 'demarche' to three departments of Australian government- Foreign Affairs, Communications and Agriculture of Australia- over the controversial Meat and Livestock Australia advertisement that hurts the religious sentiments of the Indian community.
Taking note of the protests of the Indian community in Australia, the Indian High Commission stated that the advertisement by Meat and Livestock Australia was "offensive" and "hurt the religious sentiments of the Indian community".
"In a video advertisement released by Meat and Livestock Australia recently, Lord Ganesha along with other religious figures is found to be 'toasting lamb', which the Indian community consider to be offensive and hurting their religious sentiments", the statement added.
"The consulate general of India in Sydney has taken up the matter directly with Meat and Livestock Australia and urged them to withdraw the advertisement," the high commission said.
"A number of community associations have also registered their protest with the government of Australia and Meat and Livestock Australia."
An official diplomatic complaint was lodged after the controversial advertisement by Meat and Livestock Australia, featuring the Hindu deity Ganesha eating lamb, sparked protests by the Indian community in Australia.
However, Australia's advertising watchdog dismissed the complaints filed by Hindu groups.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China on Saturday announced that it will implement UN sanctions on North Korea, by cutting off oil exports to Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile developments.
North Korea's major diplomatic ally and trading partner announced curtailing the exports of refined petroleum to two million barrels per year.
The Commerce Ministry in Beijing said that starting on October 1, China would limit supplies of refined petroleum products, local media reports.
The implementation of sanctions on Kim Jong Un regime is based on the UN Security Council's (UNSC) unanimous approval to the new sanctions on North Korea to ban all oil imports and freeze international assets of the government and its defiant leader, in response to Pyongyang's sixth and strongest nuclear test explosion on September 3.
It also bans all textile exports and prohibits any country from authorising new work permits for North Korean workers - two key sources of hard currency for the northeast Asian nation.
Russia has condemned North Korea's latest missile test over mainland Japan, but said it is in favour of political and diplomatic settlement 'on the basis of the Russian-Chinese road map'.
"Moscow is in favour political and diplomatic settlement and the launch of the negotiating process on the basis of the Russian-Chinese roadmap. Settling the Korean Peninsula problem exclusively by peaceful means is in the interests of the entire community. We are inviting all interested countries to pool efforts and to do their best to reach our common goal as soon as possibl,"Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
On September 15, North Korea launched a medium-range ballistic missile over Japanese territory - several days after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2375.
Terming North Korea's latest violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions as a source of deep regret,the spokeswoman said, "We are convinced that now it is more important than ever before for all parties involved to stop escalating tensions that are accompanying every new round of reactions and counter reactions.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress Party on Sunday said that Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi used the picture of Palestine girl for mischievous purpose.
"I can only be amused at Maleeha Lodhi and their inability. They were using the picture of Palestine girl for mischievous purpose," Congress leader Salman Khurshid told ANI.
He further said that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has put India's position at international level on terrorism.
"I am very glad that Foreign Minister has minced no words and strongly put India's position at international level on terrorism. We already have suffered as far as terrorism is concerned. The world did turning around because terrorist are hurting them," he added.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said that the US visited India for talent hunt and US visited Pakistan for terrorist hunt.
"The reply and representation of Pakistan's representative are false and ridiculous, exactly in tune with image of Pakistan. Not only are they putting false fact, which are now known to the world. But the truth fact is Osama bin laden the biggest terrorist of his time was found in Pakistan. Multinational companies from all over the world including US visited India for talent hunt and US visited Pakistan for terrorist hunt. Reaction of Maleeha Lodhi was baseless," BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said.
Earlier in the day, Maleeha Lodhi in her right to reply to Sushma Swaraj's speech at the UN showed pictures of Palestinian victims and tried to pass them off as 'evidence' of atrocities on Kashmiris.
Maleeha Lodhi resorted to waving dramatic pictures of a girl with pellet injuries on her face and added, "this was the face of Indian democracy", while suggesting that Kashmiris had been injured by pellet guns.
However, upon closer inspection of the picture, Maleeha Lodhi's claim seemed to have boomeranged on her.
The picture used by Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN was reported by a number of media outlets as that of Rawia Abu Joma'a, a 17-year-old girl injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza city in 2014. Rawia's picture was taken by award winning photographer Heidi Levine.
Earlier on Saturday, Swaraj had said India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan's nefarious export of terrorism.
"India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan's nefarious export of terrorism. There have been many governments under many parties during 70 years of Indian freedom, for we have been a sustained democracy. Every government has done its bit for India's development. We have marched ahead consistently without pause, in education, health and across the range of human welfare. We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world," Swaraj said while addressing the 72nd UNGA session in New York.
She also questioned as to what has Pakistan offered to the world and to its own people apart from terrorism.
In a stinging response to Pakistan at the UNGA, she said that India is completely engaged in fighting poverty, whereas Islamabad seems engaged in fighting New Delhi.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Minister of Culture of China Luo Shugang attends the foundation ceremony of the China-CEEC Music Academies Union, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Sept 23, 2017. [Photo/zjcm.edu.cn]
As music can be the bridge between different societies, China and the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) have found a new way to enhance cultural exchanges by establishing a music schools union.
To that end, a foundation ceremony for the China-CEEC Music Academies Union was held at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on Saturday.
Chaired by Jin Xingsheng, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, the ceremony was attended by officials and representatives of teachers from the college.
Chu Ziyu, Party committee secretary for the conservatory, addressed the ceremony. He said Zhejiang Conservatory of Music has visited a series of CEE countries, such as the Czech Republic, Hungary and Latvia. Both sides have seen a bright beginning to their relationship in the form of academic communications.
At the ceremony, Zhang Jianguo, deputy president of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and presidents of CEEC music colleges signed a Declaration of the Establishment of China-CEEC Music Academies Union. An art creation and research center for China and CEEC was also established.
According to the declaration, Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and a group of CEEC universities and music schools will have more opportunities for teamwork on cultural research, performance and student exchange based on the principles of mutual respect and development. More platforms for communications will be established to promote the culture and art of China and CEEC.
Under the guidance of the cooperation mechanism between China and CEEC, also known as the "16+1 cooperation mechanism", more high quality, multi-level collaboration on creativity, the promotion of talent and performance will be carried forward. New mutually beneficial formulas of support and development for people from different cultures will be established.
The secretary of the union will be based in Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, and the president of the college serves as the chairman.
Union activities will come soon, including a China-CEEC music summer camp and a jazz summer camp.
The ceremony featured a photo exhibition on the China-CEEC dance summer camp and a jazz concert. Cradle, a fruitful product of the China and CEEC Dance Culture Union, was performed at the concert. Guests also viewed dance and Shaoxing opera training for students from Zhejiang Conservatory of Music.
News / National
by Staf reporter
Opposition leader and former vice president Joice Mujuru is not pinning her hopes on the Coroner's Office Bill to finally bring closure to the mysterious death of her husband, Solomon, who died in an inferno at their Beatrice farm in 2011.If anything, the former ruling Zanu-PF stalwart - unceremoniously fired by President Robert Mugabe in 2014 who now heads the National People's Party, believes the Coroner's Office will be manipulated by the regime.This comes as Mugabe announced at the opening of the fifth session of the eighth Parliament last Tuesday that a Coroner's Bill will be tabled.The Bill seeks to overhaul Zimbabwe's current inquest system, which is failing to meet the current trends in investigations of untimely, suspicious and unexplained deaths.A coroner is a public official who investigates, by inquest, any death not due to natural causes.The Coroner's Bill is one of several pieces of legislation that will be brought before the fifth session of the august House for alignment to the Constitution.But Mujuru is convinced that even if it passes through the National Assembly and Senate, the Bill will do little to heal the wounds of her husband's death.Solomon died on August 11, 2011 in an inferno at his Alamein Farm house.Following his death, his elder brother Joel announced that 12 private investigators had been hired to probe the late army general's death after the State had ruled out foul play.Mujuru said the Zanu-PF-led government's reputation of interfering with the law is well documented and the Coroner's Office will not be spared.Through her spokesperson Gift Nyandoro, she said: "The question of a Coroner's Bill is a matter of over expenditure of time and effort in circumstances wherein the whole exercise smacks of hypocrisy and deceit.""What is required is not a multitude of Bills. Rather, it is the will power to observe and respect existing pieces of legislation," Nyandoro told the Daily News."The law needs to be applied fairly without discrimination and failure to do the same will without doubt fail to bring closure to unexplained and mysterious deaths circumstances," he said."The ulterior motive is there and clear. It's aimed at cleansing satanic actors by making them look like Christians since we are into 2018 elections," Nyandoro said.Mujuru has not hidden her suspicions that Mugabe could have had a hand in her husband's gory death, claiming in various interviews that the nonagenarian is aware of the circumstances leading to Solomon's demise.She, however, could not be drawn to comment on whom she thinks killed her husband or the efforts she is making to find justice."The questions of circumstances regarding the unusual death of the late general remain a family issue.but we believe that the truth shall never be conquered by evil."The Coroner's Bill is part of 30 outstanding Acts out of the 206 pieces of legislation identified as requiring alignment to the Constitution.The rest have been aligned through the enactment of legislation, such as the National Prosecuting Authority Act, the Public Debt Management Act, and the promulgation of the General Laws Amendment Act.The Bill comes as Zimbabwe has been battling to get to the bottom of unexplained deaths, while many witnesses who have appeared in court to give evidence in mysterious death cases have claimed that they have been intimidated.Speaking during a Coroner's Office Bill consultation workshop in Bulawayo early this year, Health ministry pathology director, Maxwell Hove, emphasised the need for an independent investigator, especially in cases where police are accused.He said Zimbabwe must review its agreement with Cuba after a pathologist seconded to it by the country was harassed following the inquest of Mujuru's death.Hove added: "In 2002, we had the case of Cain Nkala who was abducted and found in a shallow grave just outside Bulawayo. A Tanzanian specialist was called in and he went there and did his job as Nkala was exhumed. He was a key witness in court.""However, when he (Tanzanian pathologist) went to court, he was put under a lot of pressure (and was) thoroughly challenged. He left the police force and fled Zimbabwe through Botswana. He later came back and tried to re-join the police force but the police refused to take him back," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed his happiness over the widespread support for 'Swachhata Hi Seva' movement and thanked media for furthering the message of cleanliness.
Addressing his 36th edition of monthly radio programme, 'Mann Ki Baat,' Prime Minister Modi said that in just first four days of the cleanliness drive, seventy lakh people joined with more than 40,000 initiatives.
"We have organised a number of programmes, competitions, art events and a number of other things for the 'Swachhata Hi Seva' campaign. We must make 'Swachhata' a way of life. The media has to play a very important role in the 'Swachhata' campaign," Prime Minister Modi said.
Prime Minister Modi congratulated Jammu and Kashmir's 18-year-old cleanliness crusader Bilal Dar, who created a living by picking up waste from the Wular Lake in Bandipora district of north Kashmir.
He also lauded the Kashmiri youth's efforts to clean an entire lake on his own and asked the Kashmir administration to take inspiration from him.
"I congratulate 18-yr-old Bilal Dar, who has been made brand ambassador for cleanliness by Srinagar Municipal Corporation," he said.
Remembering Chandrakant Kulkarni from Maharashtra, who donated for cleanliness drive, Prime Minister Modi said that he inspired many others to contribute in Swacch Bharat Mission.
"I am delighted to see the support towards Swachhata Hi Seva movement. People are actively contributing to a Swachh Bharat.. In last month's Mann Ki Baat we undertook a pledge, decided to celebrate Swachhta Utsav for 15days ahead of Gandhi Jayanti. Children, senior citizens, men, women, cities and villages all have become a part of it," he added.
On Saturday, addressing the public meeting in Varanasi, the Prime Minister also pitched for a clean and new India and said that 'Swachhata' is their collective responsibility.
"'Swachhata' has to become 'Swabhav'. It is our collective responsibility. A cleaner India will also be a healthier India Swachhata is a difficult task to undertake. But if Modi doesn't take up the difficult tasks, then who will," the Prime Minister said.
Terming 'Swachhata' as "Puja," the Prime Minister said that cleanliness is a way to serve the poor of India, adding that no one should live in dirt and an unclean environment.
"Swachhata should be our ultimate goal. Swachhata is the responsibility of every individual and every family. The diseases that spread at a rapid rate are caused due to lack of cleanliness," he added.
He shared his thoughts with the people in the country and abroad in All India Radio's 'Mann Ki Baat' programme, which is an apolitical and interactive broadcast focusing on welfare and well-being of the people, at 11 AM today.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delivering the 36th edition of his monthly radio broadcast programme 'Mann ki Baat', Prime Minister Modi said, "The Khadi Ashram has remained non-functional for so many years. Now as we have revived the Khadi industry, now the poor Khadi workers can look forward to a livelihood from this indigenous industry. We should take the Khadi revolution forward. This Gandhi Jayanti, let us buy a Khadi product and light the lamp of prosperity in the lives of the poor."
He further termed Khadi as a philosophy.
"Had once talked about Khadi in Mann Ki Baat, it's not just a cloth, but a philosophy. Now, there is a growing interest in Khadi. Let us support the movement for the growth of the Khadi sector," he added.
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), is a statutory organization engaged in promoting and developing Khadi and Village Industries created by the Act of Parliament .
Khadi refers to a hand-spun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, or wool, which are spun into threads on a charkha, a traditional spinning implement. Khadi was launched in 1920 as a political weapon in the Swadeshi movement of Mahatma Gandhi.
Khadi is sourced from different parts of India, depending upon its raw materials - While the silk variety is sourced from West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and North Eastern states, the cotton variety comes from Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. Khadi poly is spun in Gujarat and Rajasthan while Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir karnataka are known for the woolen variety.
Any Industry that is located within a rural area, where the fixed capital investment per artisan (weaver) does not exceed Rs. one lakh is designated a village industry. The fixed capital investment can be changed by the Centre as and when required.
The relevance of Khadi and Village Industries is that they are both labour intensive in nature. In the wake of industrialization, and the mechanization of almost all processes, Khadi and Village industries are suited like no other to a labour surplus country like India.
Another advantage of Khadi and Village Industries is that they require little or no capital to set up, thereby making them an economically viable option for the rural poor. This is an important point with reference to India in view of its stark income, regional and rural/urban inequalities.
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission has a social objective of providing employment in rural areas; an economic objective of providing saleable articles and a wider objective of creating self-reliance amongst people and building up a strong rural community spirit through various schemes and programs.
Mann Ki Baat is an apolitical and interactive broadcast focusing on welfare and well-being of the people.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A recent study has linked dogs' social skills to genetic variations in sensitivity for the hormone oxytocin.
The study from Linkoping University, Sweden contributes to our knowledge of how dogs have changed during their development from wolf to household pet.
During their domestication from their wild ancestor the wolf to the pets we have today, dogs have developed a unique ability to work together with humans. One aspect of this is their willingness to "ask for help" when faced with a problem that seems to be too difficult. There are, however, large differences between breeds, and between dogs of the same breed.
The team, led by Per Jensen, discovered a possible explanation of why dogs differ in their willingness to collaborate with humans.
The researchers suspected that the hormone oxytocin was involved. It is well-known that oxytocin plays a role in social relationships between individuals, in both humans and animals. The effect of oxytocin depends on the function of the structure that it binds to, the receptor, in the cell. The researchers in the present study examined 60 golden retrievers as they attempted to solve an insoluble problem.
"The first step was to teach the dogs to open a lid, and in this way get hold of a treat. After this, they were given the same task with the lid firmly fixed in place, and thus impossible to open. We timed the dogs to see how long they attempted on their own, before turning to their owner and asking for help," said principal author Persson.
Before the behavioural test, the researchers increased the levels of oxytocin in the dogs' blood by spraying the hormone into their nose. As a control, the dogs carried out the same test after having received a spray of neutral salt water in the same way. The researchers also collected DNA using a cotton swab inside the dogs' cheek, and determined which variant of the gene for the oxytocin receptor that each dog had.
The results showed that dogs with a particular genetic variant of the receptor reacted more strongly to the oxytocin spray than other dogs. The tendency to approach their owner for help increased when they received oxytocin in their nose, compared with when they received the neutral salt water solution. The researchers suggest that these results help us understand how dogs have changed during the process of domestication. They analysed DNA also from 21 wolves, and found the same genetic variation among them. This suggests that the genetic variation was already present when domestication of the dogs started, 15,000 years ago.
"The results lead us to surmise that people selected for domestication wolves with a particularly well-developed ability to collaborate, and then bred subsequent generations from these," noted Mia Persson.
The study is published in the scientific journal Hormones and Behavior.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Sunday described the inauguration of an All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur as a "very big gift in the field of health" given by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The inauguration ceremony of the AIIMS hospital is to be held on October 3.
Speaking to ANI here, Nadda said, "Prime Minister Modi on October 3 will lay the foundation stone of AIIMS. This is a very big gift in field of health given by the Prime Minister.
He further thanked Prime Minister Modi on behalf of the state's people.
"I want to thank PM on behalf of all people. This is not just a big gift only for Himachal people but also for people living in far mountainous regions and nearby regions close to Himachal," he added.
Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, who will also be present during the inauguration, confirmed this news through his Twitter handle.
He also said that AIIMS will prove to be a big boon for the residents of the state.
Earlier, Nadda said that AIIMS being opened in various parts of the country will ensure the same standard and quality of treatment, for which people travel to Delhi from far away.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kazis here have denounced the practice of marriages of minor girls to Sheikhs.
Original Kazis never support child bride rackets, said a renowned Kazi on Sunday.
His comments came after Hyderabad Police busted a major 'sheikh' marriage racket wherein men from Arab nations were marrying minor girls in Hyderabad and later pushed them into human trafficking.
Twenty people, including five Omani nationals, three Qatar nationals and 13 Indians have been taken into custody. The arrested Indians include three Kazis, brokers, and lodge owners.
The police made the arrests in an investigation of the incident where a 16-year old girl who was married to an Omani sheikh in May.
Speaking to ANI, Kazi Md Khader Ali, said, "The incidents which are happening are illegal and anti to the Shariya, the Kazis, who are arrested, are not original Kazis; the original Kazi would never support the child bride rackets"
He further blamed the provisions of the contract marriage for spoiling the lives of poor women
"The contract marriages have started after the government passed an order in 1990's, and because of the contract marriages, lives of many poor women's are being spoiled and we are getting blamed. This should be stopped, the Government should organise a meeting with all Kazis and should make a law and it shouldn't be anti-Sharia," he said.
Kazis are appointed under the Kazis Act 1880. The Government of Andhra Pradesh through its orders in G.O.Ms.No.757, dated 18.8.1990, has permitted Kazis to perform the marriages of Arabs also.
Moulana Ali Pasha Quadri, speaking to ANI said, "The Kazis who are caught red handed and arrested should be suspended from the services and they should not be allowed to perform marriages again. Because of these kinds of people, Islam community is getting bad name, I request government and police to suspend them from their services.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Afghanistan envoy in Pakistan Dr. Abdul Waheed Poyan rejecting Islamabad's perception said India is not responsible for the deteriorating relations between Kabul and Islamabad.
Speaking during a gathering in the city, Dr. Poyan said such perceptions by Islamabad that India is harboring terrorist groups to destabilise Pakistan, are not true, the Khaama Press reported.
He asserted that Kabul wants cordial relations with all its neighbours.
However, he also mentioned that Afghanistan would respect Pakistan's advice on the foreign relations not the directions.
This statement by Afghan envoy came as Islamabad has long been opposing the role of India in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan remains persistent due to the terrorist networks, mainly the Taliban and Haqqani network leadership councils and the circumstances surrounding the fight against terror.
Despite Pakistan's major offensives against the terror groups, the leadership councils and sanctuaries of two groups have remained intact, according to Afghan officials.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday stated that while elements like the ISIS are not too prominent in India as compared to other countries, a portion of their ideology is now converging with certain extreme-left ideas, and also cautioned that Sufism is being replaced by 'Wahabism' in the Kashmir Valley.
"The demand of political autonomy is rising as an Islamist movement. You can see the signs throughout India. I feel India is fortunate that elements like ISIS are few as compared to other countries. However, the opinions arising from them and ultra-left opinions are converging in some sectors," said Jaitley while addressing a Seminar on Integral Humanism-Indian Way of Attaining Sustainable Development Program here.
"The incident that recently took place in Jawaharlal Nehru University is a testament to this convergence. Those who took the forefront in supporting this are cheerleaders of this convergence," he added.
While the effect of communism had a strong influence in states like West Bengal and Kerala in particular, the recent past, Jaitley said it has seen the effect drowning out, even in these states.
"The ideology of these was to flag the problems of the common man, which later turned into a necessity among others. Traditional political brands like the left and right are gradually fading out. Electoral relevance is also declining, as we have seen post the breakup of the Soviet Union and abandonment of state-controlled economy by China. Even in states like West Bengal and Kerala, the presence of the ideology is being washed away, and slowly the support for us (BJP) is going up in numbers," said Jaitley.
While the Congress was seen as a central position earlier, Jaitley observed that this position is being abandoned by them, which has given the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) an opportunity to capitalize on the Centre stage.
However, assuming such a role, Jaitley stated, involves more responsibility to be shouldered by the Ministers at the Centre, since any statements made by them need to be delivered bearing their political position in mind.
Two jawans were injured in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan on Sunday in Bhimber Gali (BG) sector of Jammu and Kashmir' Rajouri district.
The injured jawans have been admitted to the hospital for medical treatment.
Earlier in the day, one terrorist was gunned down by the security forces in Kashmir's Uri area in Baramulla sector.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
General officer commanding 15 Corps Lieutenant General J.S. Sandhu on Sunday asserted that Operation All-Out, aimed at uprooting militants from the valley was a major success.
General Sandhu while addressing the media, here urged militants holed up in valley to come out and surrender.
"Our operation all-out is very successful. We have neutralized many leaders (terrorist/militants) in north and south Kashmir," he said.
Operation All-Out, also known as Operation Clean Up, was launched by the Indian Army earlier this year with an aim to normalize the situation in the valley.
"We have appealed to them to surrender. Recently, a militant surrendered to the army and the army handed him over to the police," General Sandhu said.
General Sandhu further said that army is leaving no stone unturned in restoring peace in the valley and making it the place it was.
"Kashmir was very famous for tourism and even today, it is very popular its natural beauty. But many and international tourists are hesitant to visit this place because of fear in their mind," he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated the newly commissioned Lieutenants Swati Mahadik and Nidhi Dubey, wives of Late Colonel Santosh Mahadik and Late Naik Mukesh Dubey for showing grit, determination and patriotism despite difficulties.
Addressing his 36th edition of monthly radio programme, 'Mann Ki Baat,' Prime Minister Modi said, "I congratulate Swati Mahadik and Nidhi Dubey, wives of soldiers who died on duty for their determination to serve country and for being an inspiration to all."
He also described them as a shining example of patriotism and women power.
A graduate from the University of Pune, Swati, who cleared the Service Selection Board (SSB) examination in 2016 and was undergoing further training at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, was commissioned as Army Officer on September 9.
"When you lose someone who is close to you it hurts. His (Colonel Mahadik) first love was his uniform and his unit, so I just had to wear this. It just happened and I did not even work harder for this. Even my family was with me, so I know I will be able to do it. After wearing this uniform, I want to know what work has to be done and I will learn it," Lieutenant Swati told ANI.
Colonel Mahadik, the commanding officer of 41 Rashtriya Rifles, was killed in a counter-infiltration operation in the Manigah forest of Kupwara district.
On the other hand, Nidhi was pregnant when her husband died of a cardiac arrest. Her husband was a Naik in the Mahar regiment.
She began training in 2014, seeing an advertisement inviting military widows to join the Army.
She appeared for the entrance exam 5 times, finally succeeding in the last attempt.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
News / National
by Staff reporter
In 1787 in Britain, news reporters were first officially welcomed into the proceedings of Parliament.And on the first occasion, Edmond Burke (1729 1797), an Irish statesman, writer and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party, is reported to have remarked: "There were three estates in Parliament, but in the reporters' gallery yonder, there sat a fourth estate more important far than they all."Burke was referring to the governance system of Britain which comprised the three estates namely the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature.The same is applicable in Zimbabwe.The three estates play complimentary roles and are established in such a manner that they keep checks and balances, one towards the other.For example, Parliament, which is the legislature, makes laws that are accented to by the Executive which includes the president and Cabinet, while the Judiciary implements them.But from the time reporters found their way into Parliament, they made their own checks and balances, earning themselves the popular nickname of being the "fourth estate."In our own National Assembly, Wednesdays are devoted to questions for ministers to answer; while the Senate holds its question time on Thursdays. On the set days, there is a session for questions with notice and another for questions without notice. In the questions without notice session, MPs have the opportunity to pose impromptu questions to Cabinet ministers on issues affecting the nation with each question directed at a particular minister depending on their portfolio.In the questions with notice session, written questions are forwarded to the ministers prior to the sitting and they are read in the august House for responses. Yet, in a worrying trend, some Cabinet ministers have decided to leave the entire job to their deputies who have a difficult time when hit by a barrage of questions from the legislators.Up the gallery, newspaper reporters would be observing and taking notes to inform the world about what would have transpired.The spotlight is back on the ministers once more with President Robert Mugabe last week officially opening the fifth and last session of the eighth Parliament by encouraging them to take Parliament business more seriously."Much more is expected from Cabinet ministers who should lead by example," Mugabe said as he concluded his speech in the National Assembly on Tuesday last week, earning himself plaudits from opposition MDC legislators who have for long grieved against the absenteeism of Zanu-PF ministers.This week, Parliament agreed to set up a committee to make tabs of those ministers who would continue absconding the august House without excuse.Yet, it should be noted that this is not the first time that ministers are skipping Parliament as they have been notorious for it for a long time. And Parliament itself had not been able to do anything at all despite a clear constitutional provision stating that by so doing, they would be in breach of the Constitution and therefore liable to sanction.The absenteeism has made it difficult for the legislative assembly to exercise its oversight function, especially during the important Wednesday question time.But there is another dimension to it which makes it very difficult for that committee which would monitor ministers to operate effectively.The trend has been that it is tough to get ministers when the Zanu-PF politburo is in session.The politburo, in which the majority of ministers are members, normally meets on Wednesdays and they would prefer to exhibit loyalty more to the party than the national cause, as the trend has shown.At its last congress in 2014, Zanu-PF resolved that the government should report to its central committee, of which the politburo is the secretariat.This has raised queries as to whether these ministers take the august House seriously.In the worst case scenario, both the minister and the deputy abscond and this stretches for months until some questions become irrelevant after not being answered for a long time.The situation is not helped by the fact that Zanu-PF normally holds its politburo or central committee meetings on Wednesdays and Thursdays, the very days ministers are constitutionally required for question time.In both the Senate and the National Assembly, you know the politburo is in session when front row seats that are reserved for ministers are unoccupied. Sometimes, even the Speaker of the National Assembly, Jacob Mudenda, vacates his high seat for temporary speakers.In the absence of a responsible minister, legislators direct questions to the leader of the house, who is the minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, which is currently occupied by Vice President, Emmerson Mnangagwa.To his credit, Mnangagwa has been regularly attending the question time, although he too vanishes when the politburo meets, unable to leave the task of defending himself in the high stakes political game in the ruling party to others.Some watchers have even suggested that the ministers have found it too difficult to forego the $1 000 allowance given for attending each politburo member at each meeting, especially given how Parliament has been failing to pay them sitting allowances.For political analyst, Rashweat Mukundu, this was tantamount to national sabotage."Normally one expects a balanced approach to government and party business but in our case it is unfortunate that party business takes precedence. The priority of the Zanu-PF government is not about accountability and development but about power hence the prioritisation of party business," said Mukundu.Parliamentary Monitoring Trust director, Sibanengi Ncube, said: "In any other country, Parliament business is taken much more seriously but it is different here, which is very unfortunate. It is for this reason that we are lagging behind as a nation in developmental issues.""What should be understood is that Parliament is a deliberative assembly of one nation with one interest, not a collection of emissaries from hostile interests," he added.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday met people of the valley to address their grievances.
Mufti met with residents of Kupwara district of the state, and assured them help.
On September 22, Chief Minister Mufti chaired a review meeting over security, and law and order situation in the valley.
All top brass of Jammu and Kashmir police including Director General of Police (DGP), Inspector General of Police (IGP), all the Deputy Inspector General's (DIG) from Jammu and all Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) were also present in the meeting.
Mufti earlier appealed to end hostility between India and Pakistan on the borders, saying that one can change friends, but not neighbours.
"We can change our friend, but we cannot change our neighbours. I appeal both India and Pakistan to stop firing at borders. We should stop this war," Mufti said while addressing a public meeting here.
She added that the there is no other options than being friends with each other and hoped that someday the situation will be peaceful.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
More minor boys than girls have been trafficked across Indo-Nepal Border since 2015.
Data shows that since 2015, 1137 boys, have fallen prey to human trafficking, which has been at large in the two countries.
According to Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) data; nearly 1192 people, a large number of whom are minors, have been traded across borders since 2015. Out of the 1192 people, a large proportion, 893, are Indians while 299 are of Nepalese origin.
Of the 893 Indians who were trafficked across borders, the most number of people belong to the East Champaran district in Bihar with 321, with 49 people being trafficked in 2015, 184 in 2016 and 88 till the August of 2017.
The other affected areas have been Sitamarhi with 291 victims since 2015, West Champaran with 140 and Shivhar 30.
Out of the 299 Nepalese trafficked across the countries, the most (138) have emerged out of Rauthat. Other regions include Bara with 24 victims.
Of the number of traffickers who have been involved in trafficking, 97 traffickers have been arrested in 2017 till August 31, while total 289 have been arrested since 2015.
Of the 289 arrested, 199 are Indians while the remaining are Nepalese. The most number of traffickers have been arrested from Sitamarhi (98), while a large number have been apprehended from Champaran and Darbhanga.
Out of the 90 traffickers arrested from Nepal, the most (43) have been arrested from Rautahat.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's third largest political party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), staged a protest in New York on the sidelines of the 72nd UN General Assembly session, calling on Islamabad to reopen its sealed offices in Islamabad and in other parts of the country.
It also called on the global community to intervene to save the Mohajir community from persecution by the Pakistan military.
Carrying placards, the protesters said that the "Global community should take notice of the actions and atrocities of Pakistan's paramilitary Rangers and other law enforcement agencies (LEAs) against Mohajir women."
"Urdu-speaking Mohajirs, who are heavily settled in Karachi and dominate its politics, moved to Pakistan from India in 1947,which was our biggest mistake. We demand an international ban on Pakistan Army , Rangers and the government as well for the atrocities done on our community ," Kehkashan Khan, an MQM activist, said.
"Inspite of the fact that Karachi contributes 60-70 per cent of the revenue to national exchequer which is Pakistan's biggest revenue-generating city, we are protesting here to seek intervention of the United Nations, NATO, United States, and even India, over human rights violation and extra judicial killings of the party workers," she said.
"Muttahida Qaumi Movement is the second largest party in Sindh and overall the third-largest party in the National Assembly of Pakistan with 25 MPs and 50 MLAs.The banning of MQM offices reflects how freedom is curtailed in Pakistan and the banning of the political party is unconstitutional, another protester Juman said.
" We are being tortured, about 20000 people belomging to our community have ben killed, We seek military intervention by America, Israel or India to destroy Pakistan and liberate us like the Bengalis wee liberated with the creation of Bangladesh," another protester.
"The Pakistan Government is giving shelter to Talibans, extremists and we are peace loving and modern people and demand that global community should take notice of the cruelaities being undertaken by Pakistan and its army on the religious minorities and ethnic communities," Khan said.
Recently on September 2,Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had communicated to the MQM-P leadership that its unit offices - sealed off or razed last year could not be reopened.
More than 150 unit offices had been sealed off and dozens others dismantled last year after the controversial speech by MQM's London-based leader Altaf Hussain on August 22.
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A Russian Lieutenant-General was killed in a shelling launched by the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists near the city of Deir al-Zour in northeastern Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday.
"As a result of a sudden mortar shelling by IS militants, Lieutenant-General Valery Asapov was fatally wounded by an exploding shell," reported Xinhua, quoting the MoD.
Asapov has been described as one of the senior Russian military advisers in Syria. In recognition of his services, the late Lieutenant-General will be honoured with a posthumous state decoration.
The Defence officials in August stated that 34 Russian servicemen were killed in Syria since the start of the Russian military campaign there in 2015, said the reports.
Earlier in September, the Defence Ministry announced death of two more Russian servicemen in ISIS shelling in Syria.
After Asapov's demise, overall death toll of Russian servicemen in Syria rises to 37, added the reports.
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India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres here at the sidelines of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and discussed issues of mutual interest.
She also discusses bilateral cooperation issues with Foreign Minister of Chile, Heraldo Munoz.
Consolidating relations with the Arab countries, Sushma also held talks with Ahmad Abdul Gheit, Secretary General of the Arab League and also met Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel, Algerian.
The Indian Foreign Minister arrived in New York on September 17 for seven days during which she held back-to-back engagements, centering around the U.N. General Assembly.
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The Congress Party has welcomed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's address at the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and praised her for replying to "those who ask what happened in the last 70 years".
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala thanked Swaraj "for stating hard facts about India and Pakistan at UN".
"Befitting reply to those who ask what happened in last 70 years. Sushma Swaraj mirrored the yeoman's progress made by India under Congress rule, making 'inclusive growth & progress' as India's mantra," said Surjewala in a series of tweets.
The Congress leader further said it was "time to move words into action as Pakistan still receives 743 million dollar annual US aid, collaborates with China on CPEC and buys arms from Russia."
Earlier, Sushma ripped apart Pakistan at UNGA in New York stating that "India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan's nefarious export of terrorism.
"There have been many governments under many parties during 70 years of Indian freedom, for we have been a sustained democracy. Every government has done its bit for India's development. We have marched ahead consistently without pause, in education, health and across the range of human welfare. We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world," Swaraj said.
She also questioned as to what has Pakistan offered to the world and to its own people apart from terrorism?
In a stinging response to Pakistan at the UNGA, she said India is completely engaged in fighting poverty whereas as Islamabad seems engaged in fighting New Delhi.
Swaraj also hit out at Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khakan Abbasi, saying that that the latter wasted too much of his speech in making accusations against India.
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The Indonesian authorities have raised the alert level to IV for a Bali volcano Mount Agung amid fears that it could erupt at any time as the tremors recorded has increased due to continued volcanic and seismic activity in and around the mountain.
MEA has issued a travel advisory for Indian nationals travelling to Bali to "keep abreast with the latest situation through their airlines and tour operators before finalizing their plans. Non-essential travel should be deferred till the alert level is lowered."
"For those already in Bali, it would be safer to avoid travelling to north and east Bali. Please keep in touch with your Hotel and tour operators," Consulate General of India, Bali, said in a statement.
"In case of emergency and distress, please contact the Consulate General of India, Bali at +628113976388 or +628113867270 or tweet @cgibali", the statement added.
There are fears that that Mount Agung could erupt at any moment.
Bali's Ngurah Rai airport (Denpasar International Airport) has been prepared for an emergency operations centre, in the event of an eruption closing the busy airport.
As many as 28,000 villagers living near Mt Agung volcano have now been evacuated to shelters and some 300 tremors were recorded between midnight and 6am on Sunday, with authorities declaring a radius of nine kilometres around the mountain dangerous, local media reports.
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US President Donald Trump criticized Iran over its recent ballistic missile test on Saturday and said that the Washington doesn't have "much of an agreement" after Tehran test-fired a missile.
"Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea (sic)," he tweeted. "Not much of an agreement we have!" he added.
Earlier this week, Trump had urged the international community not to let the Iranian regime to continue destabilizing activities as it builds "dangerous missiles.
"And we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program," he said in his address at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Security forces killed three terrorists on Sunday in a clash in northwest Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, the Pakistan Army said.
The clash started after the terrorists riding motorcycles refused to stop at a check post near the Dera Ismail Khan city and fired at the forces, an army statement said.
"Security Forces carried out search operation in Gara Madda near Dera Ismail Khan. During search operation suspected persons on motor cycle riders started firing at troops once signalled to stop," a statement from the army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said.
One of the terrorists was wanted by the authorities for his involvement in terrorist activities and the government had announced 1 million rupees ($9,500) reward money for him. Security forces also recovered suicide jackets from the slain militants.
The operation was part of the intelligence-based operation code-named "Radd-ul-Fasaad" in English, which started in February this year after a series of terrorist attacks that killed over 100 people in the country.
--IANS
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At least 470,000 Rohingyas are in need of shelter in refugee camps in Bangladesh, the UN office in the south Asian country said on Sunday.
According to a report by the UN's Inter Sector Coordination Group, the total number of refugees who have arrived since August 25 has climbed to 436,000, although it said that movement across the border had reportedly slowed down in the last two days.
"An estimated 470,000 people are in need of shelter assistance. This includes people who arrived prior to and after 25 August," the UN report was cited by Efe news agency.
On Thursday, the UN put the number of refugees at around 429,000.
The report also said that only small groups of refugees have been seen arriving in Cox's Bazar, the southeastern district of Bangladesh to which most of the Rohingyas have fled.
According to the document, the refugees living in makeshift settlements number around 200,000, while around 148,000 have taken shelter in pre-existing refugee camps and 88,000 are living with host communities.
The UN said that the settlements have been stretched to the limit by the massive number of refugees who have arrived in less than a month and the refugees are living in extremely difficult conditions, in addition to carrying severe trauma after escaping the violence in Myanmar.
"In some of the sites that have spontaneously emerged, there is no access to water and sanitation facilities, raising the risks of an outbreak of disease," the UN said in the report.
Bangladesh's government has deployed the army to distribute aid in the camps and build roads to the settlements.
The exodus of the Muslim minority Rohingyas began on August 25, when the Myanmar army launched an offensive in the region, following an attack by Rohingya rebels on multiple government posts.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has said that ethnic cleansing of the Rohingyas could be taking place in Myanmar.
Nonprofits have denounced human rights violations and the international community has increased pressure on the Myanmar government over the military operation.
--IANS
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Opinion / Columnist
Greetings to you all my Comrades and friends in the name of Mthwakazi struggle for Self-determination. I have not been politically active since I lost my wife some two months ago. Well I have accepted the will of God and life has to go on so that I am able to fulfill my mandate in life too. This is my first statement in two months, thanks to those who have been constantly checking on me and even praying for me. I am ok God is good all the time and he has been good to me as well.While on leave I have been following our local politics as well as international politics as things unfold a lot has been happening, from the false start to King Stanley Raphael Khumalo's coronation, to the disagreements over the Cartalonian Refurundum. The much talked about King Bulelani Khumalo's Kingship, I have also been following on the National parties' inconsistences in as far as their donor funded and influenced coalitions are concerned. The grand coalition has since collapsed, the NERA collapsed, CODE also collapsed, now the MDC Alliance has since been cracking, judging by the ZAPU, PDP and NPP's Matabeleland pact that has since been introduced. ZANU PF has also not been left out in terms of political drama. The electric cord and the ice cream drama was just too much to resist it has been a heat even of social media, thanks to Dr stop it's political drama.My intention was to entirely devot at some days to God through prayer and less politics, but I couldn't avoid politics as I have been getting calls daily from Comrades in Bulawayo from different political parties. Surprisingly most calls came from the Khuphe faction of the MDC-T asking to work with MRP of which you already know MRP's position to that effect.Today's installment is focussing on the political path Mthwakazi people should take, I have said it before and I repeat Scotland politics is the way for Matabeleland no other option. We have told you a million times as MRP that Mthwakazi problems are political problems that needs a political solution, and that solution is MRP.We have argued that the King in the twenty first century cannot hold the power that King Mzilikazi or King Lobhengula had then, in the twenty first century a King can only be a stakeholder and not the almate authority. The issue of King will not free Mthwakazi good people it's high time everyone in Matabeleland understand that. Thus why we have remained neutral in the whole saga.The Kingship issue has further been weakened by the bickering within and amongst the Khumalos. Which effectively means that the throne can no longer be important, since it has succeeded in dividing our people while giving some high hopes about something that simple won't happen. Personally I believe that the Zwide faction must stay away from the Kingship issue and stop wasting our time, while I wish to encourage the Bulelani faction to reach out to SRK negotiate and find common ground.I must put it catigorically clear that SRK's advisors must stop misleading him, he will remain illegitimate for donkey years as long as he continues to behave like a pressure group leader without any iota of legitimacy, the mere fact that he does not have even a single known legitimate Chief on his side, as well as his constant unfulfilled threats and deadlines to Zimbabwean gorvenment makes him and his crew more of a joke than real, we don't want that. The mere recognition by Chief Khayisa Ndiweni that Mthwakazi Restoration is not an event but a process is a good starting point and I believe that Chief Khayisa Ndiweni understands the task ahead.It doesn't impress me to see people setting up targets they won't be able to fulfill. So I believe its high time Chief Khayisa Ndiweni and SRK need to meet and iron out any differences between them, because we need them both in this struggle as they all need MRP.There is only one way to Mthwakazi Restoration that is following the Scotland National Party's way of doing things. At this juncture we all need as Matabeleland people to agree that our first port of call is to contest the 2018 elections as Mthwakazi, make sure we win council, senate and paliamentery seats available in our territory, be in charge of our territory as a starting point as we get rid of Obert Mpofu and his ZANU party, MDC as well as all other funny schemes disgised as political parties from Mashonaland.I don't find pleasure in targeting hundred percent of a rabbit and loose it all, when there is an option of targeting ten percent off an elephant and win. We all know hundred percent of a rabbit can never be equal to ten percent of an elephant.What am I saying? I am simple saying we need to be strategic in our planning, it is not in our interest to realise powerful statement which we won't fulfill. We rather follow the basics step by step going up untill we reach the Scotland and Cartalonia stage which is all possible and feasible. Basically our Target should be to be incharge of our own affairs as a starting point, govern ourselves through local government.Our Matabeleland people should forget about the ZAPU PDP and NPP's election pact it's all a fallacy which will not help anyone in Mthwakazi forget anything from Harare. It's high time we need to understand the real meaning of Self-determination, Self-determination means that we have to be in charge of our own affairs, and in this case Mthwakazi self-determination, NOT PDP, MDCs or anything Zimbabwe.Finally Mthwakazi Omuhle we need to understand that there is no short cut to our Independence, we need to be constistant, resilient and focused, be ready to work on our own set targets. It's high time our business community stops taking their wait and see stance, Team MRP has proven that it has the formula others have come and have gone, while we remain standing and focused.May I also state that it does not make sense for all of us to be singing Mthwakazi Restoration while we are being dominated by MDC and ZANU in Matabeleland, which is a more reason why everyone of us should help MRP wrestle all Mthwakazi seats from these parties influenced by the 1979 Shona Grand plan.We encourage "uMthwakazi wonke jikelele" who is 18 and above to register and vote Team MRP. "Ayikho eyinye indlela Mthwakazi Omuhle". May I take this opportunity to encourage you not to use imotions in this matter this is a national issue "akelehlise uMoya phansi" and think, so that you won't be carried away by anything that comes up. You need to interrogate these people who comes to Matabeleland with their funny schemes disgised as the Messiahs of Matabeleland.Contesting and winning the 2018 elections as Mthwakazi people remains the best option available let's all focus on that. That is a sure way of showing our anger, protecting our natural resources and employment opportunities. We are aware of ZANU PF rigging mechanitions thus why we say United we stand divided we fall.*Mbonisi Gumbo is Mthwakazi Republic Party Bulawayo East's Paliamentery candidate, and the party's Secretary for Information and publicity writing in his personal capacity. He can be contacted on email: mbokagumbo@gmail.com or App on: +263 784 272 301.*
Information Technology (IT) Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday said 95 mobile manufacturing companies have set up their plants in the country.
"Today 95 mobile manufacturing factories have come up in India and India is becoming a big hub of electronics and mobile manufacturing. Of these, 32 units have come up in Noida and Greater Noida," Prasad said at the Capital Foundation Annual Lecture here.
"Every day we are adding 3-4 start-ups. They are IITians, they left their jobs in America and have come back to India," he said.
"In Silicon Valley (US), 51 per cent of new inventions are IT-based and 14 per cent of those are created by Indian minds there. That is how India is emerging," he added.
The minister also said the government plans to make 6 crore families in the country digital-literate as part of the Digital India plan.
Prasad, who is also Law Minister, also lauded the Supreme Court for leveraging digital technology in expediting judicial processes.
"We have created digital data grid. Today we have got about six crore orders of judgements on the digital data grid and about 4 crore of pending cases are also there. At a click of the button, you can monitor it, how many of them have been disposed," he said.
--IANS
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West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi on Sunday greeted the people of the state ahead of Durga Puja festivity and wished that people of all communities would "wholeheartedly participate" in the celebrations.
"Durga Puja is the symbol of victory of good over the evil. The festival generates an atmosphere of joy and promotes the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of different walks of life irrespective of caste, creed or religion," Tripathi said in a statement.
"I am sure that the people of the state will wholeheartedly participate in the Puja celebrations. I pray for for their well-being and happiness during the festive season. I also pray for the prosperity of the nation," he added.
Durga Puja, the biggest festival in Bengal starts on September 26 this year. The celebration would continue for the next five days followed by the idol immersion ceremony on Dasami (Dussehra)
--IANS
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Bodies of three newborns were found stuffed in a bag thrown in a garbage dump in this Madhya Pradesh district on Sunday, police said.
According to police, the bodies were discovered in an area under the Gopalganj police station by some child rag pickers who alerted locals. A police team reached the spot and found the bag contained three bodies - of one boy and two girls.
Gopalganj Station House Officer Prashant Mishra told IANS that all three bodies have been sent for post mortem and investigations are. He said the bodies seemed to be of infants one or two days old.
--IANS
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British actor Colin Firth has been granted Italian citizen.
The Italian Interior Ministry confirmed this, reports telegraph.co.uk. A representative for the "Bridget Jones's Dairy" actor cited family reasons behind his decision to get an Italian passport.
"I will always be extremely British (you only have to look at or listen to me). Britain is our home and we love it here," Firth said in an interview.
Firth, 57, has been married to Italian movie producer Livia Giuggio for 20 years. Their two children were born in Rome.
"Anyone will tell you when you marry an Italian you don't just marry one person; you marry a family and perhaps an entire country," he added.
His wife and their two sons Luca and Matteo have dual British-Italian citizenship as well.
"Like almost everybody, I have a passionate love of Italy and joining my wife and kids in being dual citizens will be a huge privilege," the Oscar-winning actor said.
"We never really thought much about our different passports," said Firth.
The "Kingsman: The Secret Service" star, who strongly opposed Brexit, added: "But now, with some of the uncertainty around, we thought it sensible that we should all get the same."
On the work front, Colin Firth has reprised his "Kingsman" role in Matthew Vaughn's action comedy "Kingsman: The Golden Circle".
His other new projects include "The Happy Prince", "The Mercy", "Benjamin's Crossing", "Mamma Mia!" sequel and "Mary Poppins Returns".
--IANS
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An alert Special Police Officer (SPO) on Sunday threw back a grenade hurled by militants from inside a security force vehicle in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore town, averting casualties to over 15 colleagues.
But the grenade exploded in the return throw, two policemen and four civilians suffered minor injuries, a police officer said.
The militant attack took place near a State Bank of India branch.
--IANS
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The Congress on Sunday slammed the Narendra Modi government over the visit of absconding don Dawood Ibrahim's wife to Mumbai last year, terming it a "failure of intelligence" and a "serious threat to national security".
"This came to light few days back that Dawood Ibrahim's wife Mehajabin Shaikh had visited Mumbai in 2016, for over 15 days and returned to Pakistan. The government which talks about bringing back Dawood, they did not have information that she had visited Thane and Mumbai and went back," said Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar.
"Isn't it failure of intelligence and a serious threat to national security. Recently, their (BJP) minister in Maharashtra Eknath Khadse had to resign for alleged links with Dawood," he added.
"BJP leaders also attended marriage of Dawood's relatives," Kumar alleged.
Congress had on Saturday said the Narendra Modi government should explain how Dawood Ibrahim's wife managed to visit Mumbai last year undetected and added that it raises questions about the credibility of the Central and the Maharashtra government as well as the state and central security agencies.
--IANS
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The slowdown in economic growth, the lack of jobs, a stimulus package to kickstart the economy and the next round of Assembly polls are expected to dominate the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Executive meeting here on Monday which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party President Amit Shah with the political and economic resolutions to be its highlights.
The meeting will also focus on the role of the party ideologue, the late Deen Dayal Upadhyay, during his birth centenary and how best to commemorate the occasion.
The government is concerned over the latest figures for the gross domestic product (GDP), which has shown a growth rate of 5.7 per cent, and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been talking about a package to revive economic growth after the November 8 demonetisation slowed it down. An economic resolution is also likely to be passed keeping the focus on demonetisation and the rollout of GST.
Sources said the economic resolution is likely to mention demonetisation as a "bold decision to curb the menace of corruption" and the passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as another feather in the Modi government's cap.
Shah will deliver the inaugural address on Monday while Prime Minister Modi will address the concluding session.
Modi is likely to address concerns over the Indian economy and is all set to list his government's achievements in the past three years.
Usually, the Executive members alone attend the meeting but this time, the BJP is holding an extended meeting, with invites going to all elected representatives of the party. Besides, state presidents, state general secretaries, and several other party functionaries will also attend.
The first day of the two-day meet, which began here on Sunday with the office bearers meeting, was dominated by Amit Shah' countrywide journey being hailed as "very successful" in view of his attempts to create a "conducive environment" for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP office bearers, who along with state BJP presidents and general secretaries (Organisation) met here at the NDMC Convention Centre to finalise the agenda of the Executive meet, reviewed the organisational work and said that the party workers' morale was quite high after Shah's nationwide tours and meetings.
During his nationwide tour, Amit Shah travelled more than 50,000 km, held 309 organisational meetings and 176 programmes, and interacted with 18,000 intellectuals across the country, BJP General Secretary Bhupendra Yadav told reporters after a meeting of party office-bearers during the ongoing National Executive meet.
Besides, he said, Shah had 800 interactions with the regional media.
"Sangathan me utsah ka mahol bana hai (An atmosphere of enthusiasm has been built in the party)," Yadav said, adding that 400,000 'vistaraks' or volunteers who pledge to work full-time for the party for 15 days have joined and worked in 4,100 Assembly constituencies.
He said party offices in around 85 per cent of the districts across the country have been set up, apart from library-cum-study centres in 26 states.
Yadav said that the "New India" and "Swachhta" resolves would also be taken forward.
BJP Vice-President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe gave a presentation on Shah's countrywide tour and said that his yatras have rejuvenated the party workers.
"BJP is a party of cadres and interaction with them has been party's speciality. Amitji's countrywide tour has prepared a base for 2019 Lok Sabh polls," a BJP leader who was present at the meeting told IANS on the condition of anonymity.
Earlier, Shah inaugurated the party office-bearers meeting and also addressed it. Sources said that he spoke at length about Upadhyay's vision and the programmes taken by party to celebrate his birth centenary.
To mark the birth centenary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue, the BJP had asked all its state units to hold programmes. Shah will also take stock of the campaign.
The main meeting will be held on Monday at the Talkatora Stadium.
According to party leaders, 15 BJP Chief Ministers, six Deputy Chief Ministers, 1,400 MLAs, 85 members of legislative councils, 280 ministers and 336 MPs would attend.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday hinted that automobile industry could continue exports of petrol and diesel cars even as government will go ahead with its plan to transition India to all-electric mobility by 2030.
He told reporters on the sidelines of Indian School of Business Leadership Summit here that the government is not against automobile industry.
"We are not against any automobile industry. We export about Rs 1.5 lakh crore. It has got highest employment potential. I told them to continue exports," he said.
"But pollution is big concern. You give priority to indigenous technology. Now India is coal and power surplus country. It is very cheap. People will also be benefited. Give priority to this," he added.
The minister had last week urged the industry to give up making petrol and diesel cars for vehicles that run on electricity and alternative energy.
He had also made it clear that the government will stick to its plan whether the industry likes it or not.
The ministry has also cleared the electric vehicle policy for 100 per cent manufacturing of electric vehicles.
--IANS
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India will on Monday dispatch around 900 tonnes of relief material for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh which is being loaded on to Indian Naval Ship Gharial at Kakinada port in Andhra Pradesh.
Naval officials said the relief material -- sufficient for around 62,000 displaced families -- will on September 28 reach Chittagong in Bangladesh, where thousands of Rohinya refugees have fled from Myanmar.
The material is packaged in customised family packets, containing essential items like ration, clothes, and mosquito nets. By Sunday afternoon, approximately 21,000 units had been loaded.
India sent relief material earlier this month also to Bangladesh by an Indian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft to address the humanitarian crisis emanating from large-scale migration of Rohingya Muslims.
According to the UN, almost 430,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar and crossed to Bangladesh since August 25.
--IANS
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US President Donald Trump has warned that the new ballistic missile "successfully" tested by Iran may be able to reach Israel.
"Iran just test-fired a ballistic missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea." Trump tweeted on Saturday.
"Not much of an agreement we have!" the President added in his tweet, apparently alluding to the agreement signed in 2015 between Tehran and six international powers, including the US, on Iran's nuclear programme.
The president's remarks came after Iran tested its new ballistic missile, called Khorramshahr, with a range of 2,000 km, which was unveiled on Friday for the first time during a military parade in Tehran.
The missile was launched from an unknown location in Iran and a few hours after it was shown during the parade, the Iranian television channel Press TV released a video of the launch, on Saturday.
The Khorramshahr missile was paraded, despite warnings from the US against Iran's weapons program, in the presence of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and senior military leaders.
The nuclear agreement, signed in July 2015 by Iran and six major powers (US, Russia, China, France, UKm and Germany), ended 12 years of conflict over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
--IANS
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Opinion / Columnist
Opposition MDT-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai's urgent admission into a South African medical centre has thrown Zimbabwe's political landscape wide open.Tsvangirai has colon cancer, and has been undergoing chemotherapy in South Africa. His party is putting up a brave face that all is well and he will return home soon to continue the challenge against President Robert Mugabe's long reign, which enters its 38th year in 2018, when the country goes to the polls.But amid doubts whether Tsvangirai will last the distance given his ill health, People's Democratic Party (PDP) spokesperson Jacob Mafume maintains for the opposition Tsvangirai is the best foot forward."He is still the face of the opposition. We do not have any information that points to the contrary; we in the alliance will not speculate. He will continue to be so until the elections," said Mafume.Political analyst Maxwell Saungweme said the opposition suffers the same curse of politics of personalities and cultish system."As Mugabe is to the governing party, Tsvangirai is to the opposition. Without Tsvangirai, in the immediate term the opposition can't stand against Mugabe."He said the MDC is the only meaningful and strong opposition party that commands a reasonable following while Tsvangirai is both the MDC and opposition brand."All other opposition parties are too small. No one in the opposition at present has enough clout to stand against Mugabe. Unfortunate as it is, it's the truth."Political analyst McDonald Lewanika said the MDC had three deputy presidents, all capable of steering the ship. "Speculation about the impact of Tsvangirai's illness on next year's elections is unwarranted."Tsvangirai leads a party with structures. (Thokozani) Khupe, (Nelson) Chamisa and (Elias) Mudzuri can handle party business while Tsvangirai receives treatment."The impact of this on coalition talks and elections can only be ascertained once the actual condition, its cause and possibilities of recurrence are known."In the recently signed Political Co-operation Agreement (PCA) there is a clause that looks beyond the increasingly frail opposition leader.According to the PCA - which is the basis of the MDC Alliance - no one outside the Tsvangirai-led MDC can take over in the event he dies or gets incapacitated before next year's polls. Crucially, the deal secures the MDC's leadership of the MDC Alliance in the event a vacancy occurs at the top before or after the elections."In the event of a vacancy occurring for the presidency for whatever reasons before the election, the Alliance partners shall select another candidate and if such vacancy occurs after election the provisions of the national constitution shall apply," reads part of the PCA.Analysts say the multi-party alliance would lack cutting edge without its 2018 presidential candidate. Tsvangirai's spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka was quick to play down media reports he was battling for his life.Since he went public months ago, Tsvangirai is a pale shadow of the tough opposition firebrand that emerged from trade unionism to keep Zanu-PF on its toes since 2000.But in spite of his apparent frailties, his giant profile within opposition politics has been a source of hope for those keen to see the end of Mugabe's rule.Analysts contend the fragile new opposition coalition is thin on politicians with the same charisma Tsvangirai has. He has resolutely kept the nucleus of the country's biggest opposition despite two crippling splits in its 18-year life.Should the worst happen to Tsvangirai, it is further felt, none of the current crop of Movement for Democratic Change Zimbabwe-Tsvangirai politicians can emerge with the little time left to hold the party together, let alone galvanise enough support among other coalition partners. Tsvangirai's elimination through illness should naturally place former Zanu-PF and state vice-president Joice Mujuru closer to his position.Mujuru has earned the respect of most of the current military commanders as she once worked with them as one of the Zanla forces commanders during the liberation struggle. She also sits on the shoulders of her husband, the late Solomon Mujuru, thereby cementing her relationship with most commanders in Zimbabwe's security establishment.She, therefore, enjoys the support of most of the commanders within Zimbabwe's security apparatus. But the thought of a Zanu-PF descendant ascending to an opposition alliance dominated by MDC-T could be a bitter pill to swallow for opposition die-hards."Her history is questionable; her breaking from Zanu-PF was not on the basis of disagreeing with Zanu-PF but it came after being expelled," said Saungweme.The next mainstream politicians with profiles that could fit are Movement for Democratic Change president Welshman Ncube and PDP leader Tendai Biti.Mujuru and Tsvangirai have made the effort to work together come 2018. But they have disagreed over the presidential candidate, a post both want.Mujuru has thrown in her lot with another political alliance, the Coalition of Democrats, which initially was supposed to be the big tent for all opposition forces.But it still remains that Mujuru, as the presidential candidate of the Grand Alliance, with an ill Tsvangirai as the deputy, would be a game changer in Zimbabwean politics as this would present the opposition with the best opportunity to dislodge Mugabe's Zanu-PF from power.
Kolkata might be the cynosure of Durga Puja celebrations, but not far behind is the national capital, which plays host to more than 350 pandals (marquees). And the Kashmere Gate Durga Puja has been continuing this yearly ritual for the past 108 years, making it Delhi's oldest Puja.
Its theme has always been traditional. From maintaining the quintessential "sabeki ek-chala-thakur" (traditional one platform) goddess Durga to carrying the idol in a bullock cart for the "visarjan" (immersion), this Puja stands out against the rest.
"The bullock cart visarjan is organised only by us. No other pandals organise such a procession in the national capital," Samarendra Bose, a committee member of the Delhi Durga Puja Samiti, told IANS.
"And the Bhog! It is also a highlight of our celebration. Every year we feed the afternoon meal to around five to six thousand people. And on Ashtami (the eighth day), the turnout crosses more than 10,000. It's a big responsibility on our shoulders and we make sure that everything goes smoothly during the Puja," he said.
There's quite a history attached to this Puja. Due to the efforts of an unnamed railway employee, the first Puja was organised in 1909 at the Roshanpura Kali Mandir near Nai Sarak. From 1913 to 1946, the Puja used to be organised in a dharamshala (community hall) near Fatehpuri Mosque. Later it was shifted to the Bengali Senior Secondary School at Alipur Road near Civil Lines but the nomenclature continued unchanged.
"In the initial years, the idol used to be brought from Benaras, but from 1926, the idol began to be made in the city itself. And now it's made within the school premises," Bose stated.
What hasn't changed are the customs associated with the Puja. No matter how popular theme pujas are becoming, the Kashmere Gate Puja continues to be a traditional one.
"Theme idols can never reflect the charm or the beauty of a traditional one. We don't bring the idol from CR Park or Kolkata; rather it is made inside the school premises, like the way it happens in home Pujas," Bose pointed out.
For the five days the Puja lasts, the atmoshphere within the pandal turns into a mini Bengal. From people clad in their traditional attire to cultural programmes and, of course, Bengali's favourite cuisine -- biryani -- turns it into a major draw.
"We organise cultural programmes but only the local residents participate. We don't invite artists (like most pandals do). Also, we make sure that at least during the five days, all the functions are conducted in Bengali," Bose said.
The charm of this Durga Puja couldn't even be ignored by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who visited the pandal in 1969. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is also believed to have attended the celebrations in 1935.
"The priest and the dhakis (drummers) have been brought from Kolkata. We make sure that there is no dearth of bhog. After all it's a major attraction of Kashmere Gate Durga Puja," Bose said.
So, make sure that Kashmere Gate Puja is on the must-visit pandals list this year!
(Somrita Ghosh can be contacted at somrita.g@ians.in)
--IANS
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India skipper Virat Kohli equalled his previous incumbent Mahendra Singh Dhoni's run of nine consecutive wins after the series clinching five-wicket win over Australia in the third One-Day International (ODI) here on Sunday.
India rode on a superb batting performance to register an unassailable 3-0 lead in the ongoing five-match series against the reigning world champions.
After Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane gave the hosts a steady start, in-form all-rounder Hardik Pandya regaled the packed stands at the Holkar Stadium with some power-packed batting lower down the order.
The previous winning run under Dhoni stretched from February 2008 to January 2009.
India's current victory run started on July 6 this year with an eight-wicket win over West Indies in the fifth and last match of that series at Sabina Park.
They took their fine form to Sri Lanka later that month where they humiliated the hosts with a 5-0 whitewash.
The men in blue had started that tour with a massive nine-wicket win at Dambulla. They won the second and third matches at Pallekele by three and six wickets respectively to rack up an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.
The last two matches of the series were held in Colombo with the visitors winning by 168 runs and six wickets respectively.
Kohli has been prolific with the bat during this period with two centuries and an equal number of half-centuries.
The Delhi right-hander has had a highest score of 131 and missed out on a century in the last match at Kolkata when he was dismissed on 92.
Shikhar Dhawan has also been in fine form and got the highest score among Indian batsmen during this period with a 132-run knock in the first ODI against Sri Lanka.
--IANS
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said Lt. Nidhi Dubey and Lt. Swati Mahadik were two "extraordinary brave" women officers who evoked a new inspiration among millions of our countrymen.
In his monthly Mann Ki Baat programme, Modi congratulated the two officers for joining the Army earlier this month after completion of their training. The two women joined Army after their husbands died in service.
"You (citizens) might have noticed one recent incident, a unique example of grit, determination and patriotism that was witnessed by all countrymen. The Indian Army has got two extraordinary brave women officers: they are Lieutenants Swati and Nidhi. Their husbands laid down their lives in the service of Mother India."
Lt. Swati Mahadik, the widow of Col. Santosh Mahadik, and Nidhi Dubey, widow of Naik Mukesh Dubey, joined the Indian Army as Lieutenants at the passing out parade of the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai.
The Prime Minister said it was very natural for every countryman to have a deep sense of respect for these two bravehearts, "our Matri Shakti".
"I convey my heartiest congratulations to both of them. They have evoked a new inspiration and a new awakening among millions of our countrymen," said Modi.
--IANS
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In an attempt to take on India at the UN General Assembly, Pakistan's Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi goofed up while displaying a picture taken from Gaza and labelled it as the "face of Indian democracy".
Lodhi was responding to Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's description of Pakistan as a "pre-eminent export factory for terror".
However, the photo Lodhi displayed at the UN to show Indian "atrocities" in Jammu and Kashmir was of 17-year-old Rawya Abu Jom, who was injured when two Israeli airstrikes hit her family's apartment in Gaza during the 2014 war.
Exercising the Right of Reply, Lodhi accused India of "crimes against humanity" and of carrying out a "campaign of brutality" in the Kashmir Valley. To prove her point, she held the photo of the girl whose face was riddled with wounds.
The photo had been featured in many photo galleries online, including by the New York Times and the Guardian.
--IANS
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Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh will meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to discuss the mysterious death of a Manipuri youth whose body was cremated by Noida police without informing the family.
"I will discuss the demand for a probe into the death of Pravish Chanam and his cremation with Yogi Adityanathji on Monday," Singh said after meeting the victim's family and members of the Manipur Students Union Delhi here on Saturday.
Chanam went missing on September 8 from the India Exposition Mart in Greater Noida where he had gone to attend a concert with three friends. Police found his body and cremated it without informing the family members.
Stating that he was aware of the entire issue, Singh called the incident unfortunate and said that it raised many questions that needed to be answered.
The family members have also met Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who assured them all help in a bid to know how Chanam died.
--IANS
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In a new test, a research team has found that combining the effects of over two dozen genetic variants help in predicting which cognitively normal older adults will go on to develop Alzheimer's dementia.
The advantage of the test, known as Polygenic Hazard Score (PHS), is relative to testing only for the well-known genetic variant APOE E4, which has been considered the strongest genetic predictor of whether someone is likely to develop Alzheimer's -- a chronic neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and worsens over time.
However, APOE E4 is only carried by 10 to 15 per cent of the population and recent research suggests that its effects have been overstated, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.
Publishing their findings this week in Annals of Neurology, the team, led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and the University of California, San Diego, believes that the PHS test could provide risk estimates for the remaining 85 to 90 per cent of people who do not carry at least one copy of APOE E4.
"Beyond APOE E4 by itself, our polygenic hazard score can identify cognitively normal and mildly impaired older folks who are at greatest risk for developing Alzheimer's associated clinical decline over time," Chin Hong Tan from UCSF and the paper's first author was quoted as saying.
Researchers found that PHS test could predict how long it would take for them to progress to Alzheimer's dementia and how steep their cognitive decline would be.
The test enables the researchers to calculate an age-specific risk of developing Alzheimer's based upon each person's share of 31 genetic variants plus APOE E4.
--IANS
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Researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have developed a new tool to assess an individual's level of wisdom.
Called the San Diego Wisdom Scale (SD-WISE), the scale is based upon a conceptualisation of wisdom as a trait with a neurobiological as well as psychosocial basis.
"There is evidence to suggest that the level of wisdom is dictated to a large degree by neurobiology, and that distinct regions and systems in the brain govern the identified components of wisdom," said Dilip Jeste, Director of UC San Diego Centre for Healthy Aging.
"There are measures now that assess a person's level of wisdom, but they do not incorporate these emerging neurobiological models of the trait.
"SD-WISE reflects the latest thinking. We believe it may be a useful tool in clinical practice, in addition to its value in bio-psycho-social research, especially investigations into the neurobiology of wisdom and possible interventions to enhance it," Jeste added.
For the study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, the researchers randomly recruited 524 residents of San Diego county, ages 25 to 104, from an on-going longitudinal investigation called the Successful Aging Evaluation (SAGE) study, focusing on physical, cognitive, and psychosocial aspects of successful ageing across the adult lifespan.
Participants were administered the SD-WISE along with two existing measures: the 12-item Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale and the 40-item Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale.
"Both scales are well-established and well-respected," said Michael Thomas, assistant professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
"They have demonstrated reliability and validity as scientific tools and were good measures against which to compare SD-WISE."
Studies suggest that wisdom may be defined by six specific domains and that these domains are linked to distinct regions of the brain, based upon neuroimaging and other scientific evidence.
For example, the domain of prosocial attitudes and behaviors, such as empathy, altruism and social cooperation, is facilitated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC), located in the front part of the brain and responsible to complex executive functions.
The other domains are social decision-making/pragmatic knowledge of life, emotional regulation, reflection/self-understanding, tolerance of diverse values, and ability to effectively deal with uncertainty and ambiguity in life.
All of these domains are associated with specific brain regions, including different parts of the PFC, the limbic system and amygdala, and specific neurotransmitters, especially monoamines.
The researchers found that SD-WISE successfully measured five of the six targeted domains, and made effective distinctions between individuals' differing degrees of wisdom.
The sixth domain -- social decision-making -- was partially covered as "social advising".
The results showed that SD-WISE is a reliable and valid scale, said Jeste.
Wisdom, as measured with SD-WISE, correlated with measures of psychological well-being. Importantly, the overall results supported the notion that wisdom is a specific entity with different components.
--IANS
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September 23 marked the 87th anniversary of the National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This auspicious occasion not just celebrates the historic unification of the Kingdom but also invokes within every Saudi citizen a sense of immense pride in its historical and cultural legacy.
Our journey on the path of progress has continued over the last nine decades, making great strides in every domain. Our country is amongst the 20 largest economies in the world and we aim to improve our ranking by 2030. Currently, Saudi Arabia ranks an impressive 38 on the United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) Human Development Index (HDI). We are further strengthening our investments efficiently to make our health, education, transportation and social services infrastructures even more robust and foster more progress and growth. To enable this growth and to build a thriving country, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chalked out Vision 2030 around three fundamental themes -- a vibrant society, a thriving economy and an ambitious nation. We are in relentless pursuit of the vision to make our country a pioneering and successful global model of excellence on all fronts.
We are transforming our education system to equip students with multi-faceted knowledge and values that help their individual characters emerge and flourish. To demonstrate our commitment to education, our country sanctioned 200 billion riyals in 2016 for the development and expansion of education -- the highest annual allocation after healthcare. By 2030, we aim to have at least five Saudi universities among the top 200 universities in international rankings.
We are diversifying and unleashing the capabilities of promising sectors to create the new pillars of the Saudi economy. Our National Renewable Energy Program is all set to increase the share of renewables in the power mix from almost 0 to 4 per cent by generating 9.5 GW by 2023. Our endeavor includes privatising some state-owned assets and government services; developing tourism by creating attractions of the highest international standards; investing in a digital economy; incentivising the exploration of the Kingdom's mineral resources; and doubling our gas production.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud views the citizens of the Kingdom as its most important asset. Vision 2030 strives to create a prosperous society wherein people enjoy a good life in a beautiful environment. The Red Sea luxury resorts project will be a milestone in this direction. Spread across 50 natural islands along 200 km of western coastline of Saudi Arabia, the project will place the Kingdom on the international tourism map. Apart from historical and cultural excursions, both on land and in the sea, it will offer opportunities for diving, parachuting, rock climbing, etc. The project is estimated to host one million visitors per annum by 2035, adding SAR 15 billion (Rs 25,905 crore) per annum to the Kingdom's GDP. The newly mapped area will be run at par with international standards, including ecological best practices.
As the cradle of Islam, the Kingdom takes great pride in serving the Two Holy Mosques. This year more than two million pilgrims performed Haj. The number of Umrah visitors tripled to eight million over the last decade. We are working with the strategic objective of providing the opportunity for the largest number of Muslims possible to perform Haj and Umrah. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud launched in 2015 the third phase of expansion of the Grand Mosque which will cover 1.47 million square meters, including 78 new gates, six new floors for praying, 680 new escalators, 24 elevators for people with special needs.
Several transit projects have been sanctioned to elevate the existing facilities. The airports are being modernised and their capacities are being augmented. The Makkah Metro project, has been conceived to complement the rail services to transport visitors safely to the Holy Sites. Saudi Railways Commission recently completed the maiden test run of the Haramain high-speed rail line from Jeddah to Madinah. The 450-km network connecting the two holy cities is slated to attain speeds of up to 360 kmph, reducing the travel time between the two to less than two hours.
Political and economic stability in the Middle East and around the world is one of Saudi Arabia's greatest priorities. My country has been recognised for its efforts over the years to maintain peace and stability in the region. From the King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud plan of 1981 and King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud initiative of 2002, the Taif agreement of 1989 that ended the Lebanese civil war, to the 2007 Makkah agreement of reconciliation between the factions of Fatah and Hamas -- we have primarily worked on mediation and conciliation to resolve issues and work towards the peace, stability, non-interference and prosperity of the region.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has demonstrated its abiding belief in spreading goodwill and compassion beyond its borders by being at the forefront of the international community in terms of share of gross domestic product (GDP) earmarked for humanitarian aid. The King Salman Centre for Humanitarian Aid and Relief (KSRelief), since it was established in 2015, has provided humanitarian and development aid to more than 37 countries in four continents, implementing 218 projects in areas of food security, housing and shelter, preventative health care and education. Just recently and through the Center, the Kingdom donated $33.7 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to combat cholera in Yemen, followed by a donation of $33 million to United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) at the end of July 2017.
It has been a great honour for me to serve as the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the Republic of India. India is a strategic partner in our journey of progress. We share deep-rooted bilateral ties that have been nourished through growing economic partnership, multi-faceted cooperation and vibrant people to people connection. The historical ties of friendship between the two countries will continue to grow and thrive through partnership and cooperation.
(The author is Saudi Ambassador to India)
--IANS
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The idea of holding simultaneous polls to Parliament and the state assemblies for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others have been strongly pitching -- is good but has very low practicality in the real world, former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi has said.
He also slammed the government's move to introduce electoral bonds, which would only make political funding more opaque and end public scrutiny.
"The idea (of simultaneous polls) is good, and the two major reasons cited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi are also valid, but it is fraught with huge practical problems. Its practicality is low," Quraishi told IANS in an interview.
"To begin with, you need a constitutional amendment. Then you will have to reduce the terms of certain state assemblies and extend those of certain others. You will need political consensus for that, which will not be easy as many would not agree to reduce their terms," he said.
Quraishi has also touched upon the issue in his latest book "Loktantra Ke Utsav Ki Ankahi Kahani", that was released recently by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi.
While unveiling the book, Naidu, too, pitched for simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, and even went ahead to say that elections to the local bodies and village panchayats can also be clubbed with these.
He reiterated -- as said by Modi earlier -- that perpetual elections cost the exchequer a bomb and also hamper development due to the model code of conduct that kicks in when the poll dates are announced.
However, Quraishi, who as the Chief Election Commissioner has seen the process of elections very closely, is not very enthusiastic about the idea.
Asked about the Centre's power to dismiss elected state governments, and if this should be curtailed, Quraishi had another poser: "Alternately, what if the central government falls much before its term? We saw the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government fall in just 13 days. And we have had central governments that just lasted around a year."
"Will you again stoke the entire country, all the states and UTs, which might be having stable governments, into election? So, again I would say this idea is fraught with practical problems."
He said that there has been a parallel view that perpetual elections are good.
"I heard a senior parliamentarian saying that the public likes continuous elections. The media also likes it for their TRPs. Then I heard someone saying in Pune 'Jab jab chunav aata hai, ghareeb ke pet me pulav aata hai' (The poor get to eat well during elections)," he said.
On electoral bonds, Quraishi said that vis-a-vis transparency in political funding, the Modi government said one thing and did the opposite.
"The Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley) in his Budget speech said that in the last 70 years we have not been able to achieve transparency in political funding, and that fair and free elections are not possible without transparent funding. Very good. But what he did was totally the opposite.
"Electoral bonds se bada nuksan hoga (electoral bonds would cause much harm). Earlier, parties had to submit details of donations above Rs 20,000 to the Election Commission. The idea was that the public must know how much a corporate house gives to a political party.
"So if a certain corporate house received a big contract, licence, etc, from the government, the public would know that it is quid pro quo, a return of favour for their donations. However, now the parties are not bound to disclose their donations received through electoral bonds. Only the government would know who donated what or who got what. This has ended transparency," Quraishi maintained.
He termed as ridiculous Jaitley's contention that the donors want anonymity.
"What does it mean? Naturally, the donor would want anonymity so that the public does not know why they got favours from the government," he said.
He said that another damaging move from the government was removing the cap on corporate funding.
"Earlier no corporate house could donate more than 7.5 per cent of their profits to political parties. That cap has been removed now. Does it mean that now companies will only work for running political parties? This is farcical," the former CEC said.
He said the move to cap cash donations from Rs 20,000 to Rs 2,000 is not likely to have any impact either, as parties would break the donations in smaller amounts.
"At best, it would just increase their clerical work," he said.
(Asim Khan can be contacted at mohd.a@ians.in)
--IANS
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The state of the economy, including the slowing growth, and the next round of assembly polls will top the agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Executive meet to be held on Sunday-Monday.
The government is concerned over Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been talking about a package to revive economic growth after demonetisation slowed it down.
The two-day meet will begin with the BJP office-bearers meeting on Sunday to finalise the agenda of the Executive. BJP President Amit Shah will deliver the inaugural address while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the concluding session.
Modi is likely to address the concerns over the state of the economy and is all set to list the achievements of his government.
Bhupendra Yadav, the party's General Secretary, said all the office-bearers would meet on Sunday to decide the agenda
The main meeting will be held on Monday in Talkatora Stadium. According to party leaders, 15 Chief MInisters, six Deputy Chief Ministers, 1,400 MLAs, 85 MLCs, 280 ministers and 336 MPs of the party would attend.
Besides, the state presidents, state general secretaries and several party functionaries would also attend.
Usually, the Executive members attend the meeting but this time the BJP is holding an extended-National Executive meet.
A political and an economic resolution is set to be passed by the National Executive. Sources in the BJP said General Secretaries Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and Ram Madhav have been assigned to prepare the resolutions.
The sources said the economic resolution was likely to mention demonetisation as a bold decision to curb the menace of corruption and the passing of GST as another feather in the cap of Modi.
Opinion / Columnist
Issue 1 - Your Health Is a National Matter
Issue 2 - the Alliance Is Still at Its Weakest Point
Issue 3 - Voter Registration Is in Shambles
Issue 4 - Resource Mobilization
Issue 5 - Potential Successor
Issue 6 - Offering Balance and Checks
Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo writes in his personal capacity as the Head of SIPAR TRUST (Southern Institute of Policy Analysis and Research) a local Think Tank that is responsible for Research Policy and Analysis. He is also an academic, researcher and political analyst based in Zambia and Zimbabwe. He can be contacted at southerninstitutepar@gmail.com.
First of all I would like to set the record straight that indeed Tsvangirai is the father of democracy and credit must be given to him for creating a democratic environment in this country. I remember around 1997, when it was tough even mention the name of Mugabe in the streets of Harare, I remember he fought so hard to bring a democratic dispensation in this country. However my worry is his legacy and political lifeline. What MDC T and other like-minded opposition needs to know is that for you to be strategic you need to take people's opinions and analysis seriously and be accommodative so that you can build a strong force against your perceived enemy. My worry is the moment you give an honest opinion and analysis, you are labelled a state agent or an infiltrator, which I still feel we need to accept constructive criticism.Opposition is slowly sliding into political dustbin given the recent events in the opposition ranks. Tsvangirai has tried his best, no one is perfect though he has some short falls as a human being everyone is bound for mistakes but the truth is all is not well. Tamborinyoka is trying by means to make some cover ups but alas 2018 is crucial election which individuals should never play games with, given the strong credentials MDC had in the past. There are some people who perished in the party, and majority were displaced and Tsvangirai should go back to the drawing board and re- align their strategies.The recent down playing by Tamborinyoka and Gutu downplaying their boss is health is a blow to the party. Tsvangirai is not a small figure and such cover ups concerning your health is not doing any good to you, but rather creating fissures and internal frictions within and outside the party. You must give an honest report concerning your health. You have done your part and everyone can understand that this is a struggle, and at any given context we are all human beings with aspirations but due to human nature there are things that are beyond our control. The truth is Tsvangirai you are not well and it is high time you must hand over power to any of your deputies through a democratic elected congress. It would even be good if you administer such an event, and you will gain a lot of respect. Your alliance may risk losing popularity there by failing to achieve its own objectives there by putting blame on you. You risk destroying the legacy you built in a milestone. Why don't you consider retiring from active politics and give this role to a younger person in your party so that the struggle can be carried forward? Given the hectic campaign that will be ahead of us in 2018, I find it very difficult for you to meet people's demands given the status of your healthy. In any given election scenario one can go for more than 60 rallies and honestly are you able to pull along?There is need for you to do some feasibility studies and come up with a substantive report to your council or national executive, you need to gather some input from all stakeholders, business community, academics, researchers and your internal advisors on how best you can come up with a strong alliance. From the onset, the numbers of your supporters are going down maybe probably because of infighting, internal rifts from your lieutenants and at the same time, people have apparently lost faith in the struggle. There is need for programmes that will energize the support base. Come up with initiatives, ideas and events that can shake of the dust in your party. The Khupe fiasco was not good for the party, whilst there could be some allegations that Khupe was given some substantial amount from undisclosed people, it is also certain to prove her wrong by accommodating her so that she can expose herself to the fullest.There is need to address the issue of voter's registration urgently. There is a deliberate ploy by ZEC officials to frustrate the urban potential voters by turning them away. It is very important to take note of that. My question is then how do you engange ZEC in your state? There is leadership crisis in your party, given the time frame you have been frequenting South Africa because of chemotherapy sessions, and I find it very difficult for you to accommodate these issues. The time frame for registration is too short. Can 90 days be enough to accommodate 15 million potential voters? That is very impossible. This is a deliberate ploy by ZEC working with a certain party to deny people's rights to vote especially in urban areas. My question with then be who is addressing these issues in your party?I find it very difficult for your alliance to perform very well in 2018, given the context that your party has serious financial problems emanating from GNU period. There is donor fatigue in the opposition considering that there was a lot of abuse of funds towards 2013 which didn't go well with potential funders. I think you need to address the issue of funding urgently and also give an assurance that funds for the alliance will be well protected so that potential donors can move in to fund your party ahead of watershed 2018 elections.You did a good thing to appoint two additional Vice Presidents of your party namely Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri for growth and team work purposes. This could be a good and calculative matrix, in the event that anything happens, amongst the three there could be one potential successor amongst them. I find this to be a more and broader idea, so that people can choose for themselves. However there is need to insert a clause in your constitution guided by the national council and the national executive on how people can choose a successor in the event that you have been incapacitated. However I find Chamisa and Mudzuri to be more diplomatic people who can handle national matters in a mature way, and then Khupe can do the additional work by deputising them. No matter what people can write about Chamisa, he is a very good young leader who has leadership qualities.The truth of the matter is we have an insignificant opposition which is supposed to be offering checks and balances. The reason why Zanu PF internal fissures are at its peak it is because there is no more opposition to talk about. If there was a strong opposition as of the 2008, I tell you Zanu PF could have regrouped long back. There is need for to have a look at this one and address it. I lasted hearing you making a press conference addressing issues affecting the nation, and alternatives for 2018 if you form a Government after winning elections. People will then be questioning the sincerity in all this, several questions are coming up such as:- Is Tsvangirai still capable of running the affairs of the opposition?- Is he still in the opposition or he has been bought?- Is the struggle fade or what?- What has gone wrong with the opposition?- Any need to support or vote in 2018?- Who is in charge of opposition or alliance ahead of 2018?
Tension prevailed at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus here on Sunday after an agitation by woman students, protesting molestation of a student, turned violent late on Saturday when police used force to disperse the protesters.
Additional police force has been deployed at the campus as a precautionary measure after police carried out a baton-charge and fired in the air on Saturday night and the students threw stones in retaliation.
The University has been shut till October 2 and there were reports that protesting women students had been told to vacate their hostel rooms.
On Sunday morning, the students took out a silent rally in protest of Saturday night's violence. As the students reached Lakshman Das Guest House, some policemen signalled them to stay back. This infuriated the women who started the protest again.
However, when some University workers took out a silent march in support of the administration, police provided security to them. Now thousands of students want to take out a silent rally but have been denied permission.
The students are asking if the workers can be provided with security, why can't they.
With the University being shut, hundreds of students have left for home. The university campus has become a police encampment with a large contingent of Provincial Armed Constabulary deployed there.
The students of BHU's Triveni hostel have been protesting at a university gate since Friday against the university administration's inaction after a student alleged she was molested on the campus on Thursday.
The students have been demanding to meet Vice Chancellor G.C. Tripathi. The VC's office agreed that he could meet four-five of the women but the protesters wanted everyone to meet him, leading to no dialogue.
On Saturday evening, the VC, instead of visiting the protest site, went to meet another group of women, who have left the agitation, in Triveni hostel. As soon as the word got out, the protesters shifted their agitation to the VC's office and started shouting slogans.
The security personnel tried to stop the them but the women got into a heated argument with them till around 1 a.m. on Sunday. As the news spread, male students from other hostels came out to support the women students and in some time the agitation turned violent.
The over 1,500 police personnel in the area carried out a baton-charge on the students and even fired some rounds in the air. In response, students threw stones and burnt a police motorcycle.
On getting the information about the clashes, Inspector General of Police Prem Prakash and Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Ramesh Gokarn and some other officials reached the campus with a large police contingent to make an assessment of the situation.
At the incident spot, Chief Proctor O.N. Singh said efforts to convince the students are on and action would be taken against the guily men students.
Gokarn said that a report of the incident would be submitted to the state government.
--IANS
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A major terror attack was averted after three Pakistani 'fidayeen' were shot dead in a gunfight in a forested area near the border town of Uri in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said.
"All three Pakistani fidayeen terrorists were killed in Uri area of Baramulla district," said a police officer said.
Director General of Police S.P. Vaid told reporters here that the slain militants had planned a major suicide strike and their elimination has averted a major attack.
Security forces had launched an operation in Kaghi forest area of Uri tehsil on Sunday morning following specific information about a group of heavily-armed militants hiding there.
As the security forces tightened cordon around the area, the hiding militants opened fire at the security forces triggering a gunfight.
Police, however, have not confirmed whether the slain militants had recently infiltrated into the Valley from Pakistan-administered or had been operating here for some time.
--IANS
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US President Donald Trump has warned the new missile successfully tested by Iran on Friday may be able to reach Israel.
"Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea," Donald Trump wrote on his personal Twitter account on Saturday, Efe news reported.
"Not much of an agreement we have!" the President added in his tweet, apparently alluding to the agreement signed in 2015 between Tehran and six international powers, including the US, on the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme.
The President tweeted the brief message after Iranian media reported that Iran successfully tested its new ballistic missile, called Khorramshahr, with a range of 2,000 km, which was unveiled on Friday for the first time during a military parade in Tehran.
The missile was launched from an unknown location in Iran and a few hours after it was shown during the parade, the Iranian television channel Press TV released a video of the launch, on Saturday.
The Khorramshahr missile was paraded Friday, despite warnings from the US against Iran's weapons program, in the presence of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and senior military leaders.
This new arms build-up is taking place despite the fact that Washington has imposed several rounds of sanctions against Iranian entities and individuals linked to the Tehran missile program in recent months.
This week, Trump left his allies in the lurch by announcing that he has made a decision on his country's participation in the nuclear agreement signed with Iran in 2015, a pact that, according to his government, has clearly not met their expectations.
"I have already decided," he told reporters about his stance on the Iran agreement during one of his meetings in New York, where he was at the UN General Assembly, without divulging his decision.
In his address to the UN General Assembly on September 19, Trump declared that the nuclear agreement is "a disgrace" that his government could abandon, "if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program."
The nuclear agreement, signed in July 2015 by Iran and six major powers (US, Russia, China, France, UK and Germany), ended 12 years of conflict over the Islamic Republic's controversial nuclear programme.
--IANS
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The US military, in a show of force, flew bombers in airspace over waters east of North Korea, the Pentagon announced.
The Pentagon said Saturday that B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam and F-15C Eagle fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan, flew in airspace over waters east of North Korea, reports CNN.
It was the farthest north of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that US fighters or bomber aircraft have ever flown this century.
The flight underscored "the seriousness with which we take North Korea's reckless behaviour," the Pentagon said.
"This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat.
"North Korea's weapons programme is a grave threat to the Asia-Pacific region and the entire community. We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement.
There has been name-calling and heightened tensions between Washington and Pyongyang this week as the UN met in New York, CNN reported.
At the UN, North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said US President Donald Trump was on a "suicide mission".
Ri's comments to the General Assembly mimicked Trump's remarks at the UN on Tuesday, when he called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a "rocket man on a suicide mission".
Earlier this week, Ri had also said that his country could test a powerful nuclear weapon over the Pacific Ocean in response to Trump's threats of military action.
The minister's remarks came shortly after Kim made an unprecedented televised statement, accusing Trump of being "mentally deranged".
Meanwhile, a shallow 3.4-magnitude tremor was detected near North Korea's nuclear test site on Saturday morning, but experts believe it was a natural earthquake.
The US on Sunday warned its citizens resident in Iraq about possible unrest in the Arab country resulting from an independence referendum scheduled to take place in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan.
In a brief statement, the US embassy in Iraq explained that it will temporarily limit the movement of personnel as a precautionary measure, Efe news reported.
"US Embassy Baghdad cautions US citizens in Iraq that there may be unrest if the Kurdistan Regional government carries out an independence referendum on September 25," the statement said.
"In particular, US citizens should avoid travel into and within territories disputed between the Kurdish Regional Government and the Government of Iraq," it reiterated with reference to areas beyond the administrative borders of the Kurdish region that are controlled by the Kurdish forces Peshmerga.
Washington is opposed to the independence referendum.
On September 20, the US government urged leaders of Iraqi Kurdistan to suspend the ballot and to negotiate with Baghdad.
Iraqi Kurdistan has enjoyed regional autonomy since the early 1990s, a status bolstered in the 2005 constitution that defined Iraq as a federal state.
--IANS
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Actor Rajkummar Rao lost his mother while he was in the midst of shooting "Newton", a political black comedy which has been locked as India's official entry for the foreign language film category at Oscars. He says the blessings of his "guiding star" are taking him places.
"Whatever good is happening with 'Newton' is because of my mom's blessings. I really believe in that," Rajkummar told IANS.
The Drishyam Films movie, produced by Manish Mundra and directed by Amit V Masurkar, features the National Award-winning actor as Nutan Kumar aka Newton, a rookie but sincere government clerk who is sent on election duty to a Naxal-controlled town in the conflict-ridden jungles of Chhattisgarh state in India.
"Newton" had a world premiere at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Art Cinema award in the Forum segment. It also bagged a jury prize for Best Film at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
Rajkummar said: "Winning in Berlinale, in Hong Kong and then to get such an amazing response, reviews and now to be India's official entry for Oscars... My mother is right up there and keeping a check on me. Her blessings are always going to be with me, I know."
"I absolutely believe she's my guiding star," added the actor, who was shooting for "Newton" when he received the news of his mother's death in March last year.
Hoping that "Newton" goes further in the Oscar race, and eventually wins, Rajkummar said it stands out because it's a very "Indian film".
"I'm happy people saw that Indianness in 'Newton'. It has a global appeal and it's so universal in nature, but still so rooted and grounded (in India)," said the actor, who debuted in Hindi filmdom with "Love Sex Aur Dhokha", and has since won critical acclaim for movies like "Shahid", "Citylights", "Aligarh" and "Trapped".
His last release before "Newton" was "Bareilly Ki Barfi", which gave the audiences and critics a chance to realise Rajkummar's range as an actor as they got to see him in a completely different avatar than his previous outings.
"My process of choosing scripts remains the same. Of whatever I read and whatever excites me is what I will continue to take up," said Rajkummar, who was born and raised in Gurugram, and studied acting at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune.
Some critics have gone to the extent of hailing him as the Naseeruddin Shah of current times.
Laughing out at the comparison, the actor humbly said: "Naseer sir is one of the finest actors of our country. We have only one Naseeruddin Shah and we are very proud of him."
--IANS
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The central government is preparing a data bank of artisans and will also provide them with relevant training to facilitate their access to national and international markets, Union Minority Affairs Ministry Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said here on Sunday.
A web portal has been prepared to provide national and international markets to artisans and craftsmen from across the country, he said while inaugurating 'Hunar Haat' organised by his Ministry with the aim to encourage master artisans from poor sections of the minority communities.
He said that a data bank of artisans will be prepared by year end and thousands from across the country have already registered.
Besides, he said, the Ministry is working to establish 'Hunar Hubs' across the country to provide a platform to artisans to display as well as sell their products.
"Encouragement to talent and skill development will be an essential part of the vision of 'New India'," Naqvi said.
The 'Hunar Haat' is being organised at Craft Bazaar, Gandhi Thidal Beach, Goubert Avenue here and will continue till September 30.
Artisans from 16 states are showcasing their wares including Hyderabad pearl, wrought iron and wood carving, wooden and sandalwood items, handmade jewellery, hand embroidery items, handmade paintings, wooden toys and mementos, printed dresses, sarees and other handicraft and handloom items at the event.
Visitors can also enjoy regional food as culinary experts from various states are also participating.
Recently, the Ministry had organised a similar event in New Delhi and plans to replicate it in other cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Allahabad, Ranchi, Guwahati, Jaipur and Bhopal among others.
Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy and Puducherry MP R. Radhakrishnan were also present at the inauguration.
--IANS
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The Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated economic think tank, has been leading a vocal campaign against goods in recent months. Its argument has been that China helps Pakistan, which exports terrorism to India, so goods manufactured in that country should be boycotted. It has also listed three dozen mobile phone manufacturing companies, which, it says, are . It has asked people to look at the bar codes carefully and not buy goods with the bar code series that begin from 690 to 695. Now it plans to go a step further. The Manch has given a call for a protest march to the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on October 29.
Friends from afar?
US Defence Secretary will visit India and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman this week. This is the first visit by a Cabinet-level official to India under the (Donald) Trump administration.
A major fire broke out today in a house where illegal fire crackers were stored in a village at Ghatsila in Jharkhand, killing at least one person and severely injuring two others, police said.
The fire caused a wall of the house located at Kumardubi village, about 85-km from here, to collapse and some people are feared trapped under it, the officer-in-charge of Barsole police station said.
The fire, which caught at around 4 pm, caused a LPG cylinder stored in the three-storied house to burst and the flames have spread to the adjacent houses, the police said.
East Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar said one person was killed and two others were severely injured in the inferno.
Fire cracker blasts are still taking place but the fire has been "limited", he said.
"Two fire engines are at the spot, and two others have been rushed from Jamshedpur and one from Ghatsila," Kumar said.
Local BJP MP Bidyut Baran Mahato, Ghatsila sub-divisional police officer Rajendra Dubey have rushed to the spot.
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Opinion / Interviews
Comrade Kenny Constantine Mabuya, whose Chimurenga name was Kenny Ridzai (born 1952), was deployed to the war front in Rhodesia in 1972. He fought many battles and was at one time mistaken for a sellout by Frelimo comrades who went on to torture him. Despite the torture, after he was released, Kenny refused to be sent to the rear in Zambia.In this interview with our team comprising Munyaradzi Huni and Tendai Manzvanzvike, Kenny narrates his several battles at the war front around Centenary area. He narrates how he was later shot and sent to the rear. A few weeks after his arrival at the Zanu farm near Lusaka, the Nhari-Badza rebellion started. Kenny says he was not surprised at all because he had worked under Nhari and Badza at the war front. While at the war front, he had seen enough such that when the rebellion started, he knew it was always coming.Read on . . .SM: Last week you indicated that after you met some of your comrades, you refused to go to the rear to rest and was deployed around the Centenary area. Tell us of your operations there.Kenny: Like I told you when it was suggested that I should go to the rear to rest, I said I was not injured and handisati ndanyatsorova hondo. Of course I had been tortured by the Frelimo comrades and I was skinny but I wanted to go back and fight the struggle. So on deployment, we were put in sections. A section would have seven comrades. Our commander at this time was James Bond. There was also Mabhonzo, Kid Marong'orong'o and others. We were instructed to go and open the war front around Karuyana. This area borders with Centenary, where there were some commercial farms. We were deployed in three sections, I was leading one of the sections, the other two were being led by Tamai and Christopher. Our mission was to mobilise povho. We were supposed to educate povho about the war. However, if we met Rhodesian soldiers, we were supposed to ambush them and plant landmines along roads that the Rhodesians were using. So around that area, we had only two ambushes one at Karuyana bridge where all the three sections converged for this offensive. We planted a landmine close to the bridge. We had been told that every Monday, Rhodesian soldiers would drive past the bridge. So we planted a landmine, an anti-tank mine and waited. Around 9:15 am, the Rhodesian soldiers came. They had a mine detector vehicle at the front, but for some reason they failed to detect this landmine. I think there were about five Bedford trucks. The first truck yakabva yatsika landmine and exploded. We then started firing.SM: Did the Rhodesian fire back?Kenny: Yes, they tried to fire back, but they were just too confused to know what was happening. They quickly retreated but takavarova kwete mbichana. But this was guerilla warfare so immediately after this ambush we escaped. We knew that in no time the Rhodesians would call for airpower. So we escaped. We planted quite a number of landmines around this area. We would tell povho that such and such an area is now a no-go area. Some didn't heed our call and chikochikari chairohwa nelandmine chichi simuka mudenga. Even some buses aiputikirwa but we would warn people against using roads where we would have planted the landmines. This was around 1973.The other battle happened when Rhodesian soldiers spotted us at our base. We were actually having tea when suddenly we saw mujiba achisvika achimhanya. He told us that varungu vari kuuya and we quickly took positions. Someone had sold us out and so the Rhodesians wanted to take us by surprise but we quickly took positions and got ready for them. We actually moved a bit away from the position we were. Takaswedera in the direction that they were coming from so we would take them by surprise. And indeed we took them by surprise. Takarovana kusvika vatiza.SM: How many did you manage to kill?Kenny: I am not sure because like I told you, after the attack, we had to escape quickly because we feared their airpower. After about two/three months, we would retreat to Mavhuradonha mountain to give our commanders progress reports. We then moved to Bakasa area where we had a battle with Rhodesia soldiers and we downed one helicopter.SM: Can you briefly describe the Rhodesian soldiers, what kind of soldiers were they?Kenny: Hondo vakanga vasingainzwisisi. Hondo inoda experience. These soldiers had received military training just like us but the difference was that they were fighting for money and we were not being paid. Inini ndakanga ndakashinga kuti pasina mari ndoda kufira Zimbabwe. Ivo they were not prepared for that. The other thing is that we were young so the bravery was just something.Because we were young, we didn't have families to worry about. These Rhodesian soldiers would be thinking about money and their families, so they were not really committed to the war. Some of them after a battle vaitiza netsoka kutosvika pakupondwa nepovho. Slowly we started having semi-liberated zones, areas were Rhodesian soldiers could not come.After a while, James Bond was moved to another area and our new commander was Thomas Nhari, that one wekuzopanduka. His deputy was Cephas Tichatonga. Badza was also there. So from Karuyana, we moved to Centenary. Our task was kuvhura front. Kuvhura front meant mobilising povho about the war.SM: During mobilisation what would you tell the povho?Kenny: There were so many restrictions that were against black people. We would tell them kuti kana nyika yava yenyu munoita zvamunoda. We told them that they would have opportunities to open their businesses and even own farms. We also told them that kana nyika yava yedu, we will have the freedom kutaura zvatinoda. We told them that the people will be the government and so they will be free to say what they wanted. Smith was forcing people to do certain things and we were saying all that would stop. We said ours will be the people's government and so inofanirwa kuita zvido zvevanhu. We were fighting for the people, fighting to free the people. But first we had to remove Smith and his soldiers. Remove his system.SM: Were you as freedom fighters inspired by other African countries that had attained their independence?Kenny: For me not quite. Remember I was now living in Zambia. Yes, Zambia had fought some war but it was totally different from our war. In Zambia it was mainly talks between vana Harry Kumbula, Welensky, Du Pont, Kaunda and others. Of course living in a free Zambia was different from living in a colonised Rhodesia but in terms of the war, ours was completely different.So we went to Centenary which was mainly a commercial farming area. There were many tobacco farms. These white commercial farmers are the ones that were giving Smith lots of support. So we knew that in Centenary, Smith akanga akabata. Our first mission here was to destroy the tobacco and kuita maambush. Of course, later we had to mobilise povho in these farming areas. So we did this in Centenary. By this time, I was now the commander of the three sections. The other task we had to carry was to burn makomboni.While in Centenary, one day we had problems with a spotter plane which kept on flying over us. On the ground, we could see Rhodesians on horses moving all over the place. We really couldn't move on this day. We then sat down in the evening and said mabhiza aya and that plane zvinorara kupi? We then planned to go and hit the camp where these horses and the spotter plane were kept during the night.We discovered that this spotter plane yaigara about 500 metres from the homestead yeumwe murungu. There was a small airstrip at this farm. In the evening, my group went to hit that spotter plane. We were told that at that homestead there were Rhodesian soldiers so we used a mortar, which we used to call kaduri kambuya Nehanda to throw bombs onto the homestead. Before all this we captured the soldier who was guarding this spotter plane. This soldier then showed us around and we went for the attack. We destroyed the spotter plane while the other comrades attacked the homestead. Everything was timed to make sure that the Rhodesian soldiers would not have a chance to fire back. The surprise element was important.So we destroyed the spotter plane, killed the Rhodesian soldiers and killed all the horses during this night. We then escaped into the mountains. This was our way of sabotaging and weakening Smith. When we went back to give reports to our commanders, Nhari and Badza, they complained that we had not burnt makomboni. I then said, it was not advisable to burn makomboni because this is where we were getting information and food. I told them that the farm workers were assisting us to destroy the infrastructure at the farms.SM: But you were putting the farms workers in trouble?Kenny: Yes, but we devised a plan where we would leave the farm workers nemakasha emabara so that they could show the white farmers that magandanga anga ane pfuti so they forced us to destroy fodya. This trick worked to a greater extent. The farm workers would show the white farmers makasha emabara to indeed confirm that we were in the area.So when I told Nhari and Badza that it was not necessary to destroy makomboni, they accused me of not following orders. They then said I was no longer a platoon commander. They demoted me and they actually wanted kuti ndirare pasi vandirove. This was common punishment during the war but some of my comrades vakaramba kuti aiwa hamungamurove. They supported me. So I was demoted from platoon commander to section commander. They also said hauchadzokeri kuCentenary. I was deployed around the Guruve area.SM: So much have been said and written about Badza and Nhari. What kind of people were these comrades?Kenny: I first met Nhari and Badza at Intumbi in Tanzania. I don't know how they had joined the liberation struggle. We were however told that vakanga vatiza kuZipra. I think they had committed some crime kuZipra and they came to join Zanla. Both of them vakanga vari vanhu vane hasha nehumbimbindoga. Zviya zvekuti zvandataura ndizvozvo.So I was deployed in Guruve and continued with our usual operations of mobilising the masses and ambushing the Rhodesian soldiers. This was now around 1974. Then kwakazouya maScuzapo, these were black Rhodesian soldiers who would pretend to be freedom fighters. Some of them were fellow comrades who had joined the Smith regime, vapanduka. These comrades knew our operations and our bases. They were hired by the Smith regime to pretend to be freedom fighters.One day while at our base, mujibha came saying kune macomrades akabva kuMozambique. I asked this mujibha kuti how did you know these are freedom fighters and he said vane pfuti maAK and so on. He said these "comrades" had pamphlets written "Pamberi nehondo" signed by Tongogara.I suspected that there was something wrong. We sent one of our comrades to pretend to be povho to establish who these people were. It was not possible for reinforcements to come from Mozambique without any communication so I suspected there was something wrong. This comrade went in the evening and came back saying these comrades looked suspicious. He said uuuum handifungi kuti macomrades. He showed us the pamphlets and my suspicion even grew. I then said let's see what will happen tomorrow. During the evening, these fake comrades went pamba pasabhuku saying show us where the comrades are. Sabhuku akaramba for a while. He then got into his house pretending to be changing his clothes. He then sent one of his sons to quickly come and alert us what was going on. As this boy was trying to sneak out of the homestead, kakabva kabatwa kakabvunzwa kuti uri kuenda kupi?Around 4am, I woke up to go and relieve myself. I saw something that was looking suspicious. As I was trying to establish what was going on, pfuti dzikati dzarira. We were under attack. That battle was intense. We later learnt that as they were advancing towards us, these mascuzapo vakanga vakaisa sabhuku pamberi. Before getting to our base sabhuku actually called saying "pamberi nehondo." I actually heard him from where I was trying to relieve myself. Immediately after this, that's when the battle started. This sabhuku was shot and killed ipapo. I was shot in the leg. We lost two comrades but I managed to escape. Others got injured. After running for a while, I saw a helicopter coming. This is when it really dawned on me that these mascuzapo were under the Rhodesian forces. These were fellow comrades who had been captured and were now working for Smith.This was my third time to be shot and injured, but this injury was troubling me. That is when I was ordered to go to the rear for treatment. This was 1974 around October, I went to Chifombo. I didn't stay at Chifombo for long. I then went kuZanu farm that was near Lusaka. I was the security aide waChigohwe. In no time after my arrival at the farm, we were told that there were disturbances at Chifombo. We were told that Nhari and Badza were behind the disturbances. These comrades had arrested all the commanders who were at Chifombo. They were now saying they had taken over as commanders. This was sort of a coup.SM: As someone who had worked with Nhari and Badza, were you surprised to hear this?Kenny: I wasn't surprised at all. You know I am convinced that the death of Chitepo later, the problems started at the war front. When Nhari and Badza ordered me to move from Centenary to Guruve, there were so many suspicious things that were going on.SM: What suspicious things were happening?Kenny: Kungorova macomrades zvimwe zvisina tsarukano. Also nyaya dzevakadzi. You could see kuti vanhu havasisina shungu nehondo.SM: What do you mean nyaya dzevakadzi?Kenny: Ahh, Nhari had a wife, Badza wake and Cephas wake. They were going around with these girls. This was not allowed but they were doing it openly. We would recruit female comrades, ivo votora vovaita vakadzi vavo. When I got to Chifombo, I actually told the commanders there kuti zvakuitwa nemacommanders enyu kufront hazviiti.I wasn't surprised at all when they tried to take over the struggle. Vakanga vatopanduka kudhara. So when we were told of these disturbances at Chifombo, we said hazviiti. We waited for them to come kufarm. We were ready to fight them but they never came. They actually went to Lusaka hoping to capture mashef vana Tongogara, Chitepo, Hamadziripi, Gumbo and others. These rebels were heavily armed. They were about 33 and if I am not mistaken there were three female comrades in this group.
Filipino military officials say two Vietnamese fishermen were killed and five others were taken into custody after they were spotted fishing off the northwestern Philippines and a night chase ensued with a Vietnamese boat hitting a Philippine navy ship and gunshots being fired.
Philippine navy information officer Lt Jose Covvarubias says the five Vietnamese, along with their two dead fellow fishermen, have been turned over to Filipino police authorities after the early yesterday incident off Bolinao town in northwestern Pangasinan province.
Covvarubias said today that details remained sketchy and that an investigation was underway.
Covvarubias said the incident happened within the 200- nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines, a stretch of ocean where a coastal state has been granted exclusive rights to fish and exploit other sea resources.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three ultras of the People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) were killed, while its chief Dinesh Gope was injured in an encounter with the police at Kullatuttu jungle in Simdega district of Jharkhand today.
Acting on a tip-off that Gope along with his squad members had assembled in Tonia Kullatuttu jungle to commit a crime, a police team reached the spot, police said.
The ultras started firing on the police team, forcing the police to retaliate, Superintendent of Police, Rajiv Ranjan Singh said, adding three PLFI activists were killed in the encounter while Gope suffered injuries and managed to escape.
The bodies of the three ultras have been recovered, he said.
The security personnel have recovered an AK47, Light Machine Gun (LMG), carbine and daily core items, Singh said.
Police fired around 300 rounds in response to the firing by the ultras during the encounter that lasted for one and a half hour, the SP said.
Security personnel comprising the CRPF and district police have launched a massive search operation in the area.
Singh, who inspected the area after the incident, said more ultras might still be hiding in the area, but expressed confidence that they would be nabbed soon.
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Six siblings were today charred to death after a fire gutted their house in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.
The fire erupted due to an electric short-circuit, police officials said, citing initial investigations.
Five sisters and a brother were burnt to death while they were asleep, officials were quoted as saying by Dawn .
The deceased were aged between three to 12, police said, adding that the house was completely destroyed in the fire.
Hamish Gul, the father of the deceased and a resident of Dogdara, told police that his two other family members sustained burn injuries.
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The Supreme Court has said that a Mumbai-based real estate firm, entangled in a property dispute with thespian Dilip Kumar, could raise the issue of alleged breach of contract by the actor before the apex court- appointed arbitrator.
The top court, which had on August 30 asked the actor to deposit Rs 20 crore with its registry as part payment to the builder with whom the agreement to develop his prime Pali Hill property ran into rough weather a decade ago, was informed that Kumar had deposited the money as directed by the court.
The actor had entered into an agreement with Prajita Developers Pvt Ltd for developing his property, measuring 2412 square yards, and the dispute arose later as no construction was raised and Kumar wanted back the plot whose possession was with the firm.
The top court, in its August 30 order, had appointed former apex court judge Justice P Venkatarama Reddy as the arbitrator to decide whether Prajita was entitled for more as damages apart from Rs 20 crore.
A bench comprising Justices J Chelameswar and S Abdul Nazeer was informed that as per the Mumbai Police's report, possession of the property had been handed over to the actor.
"Therefore, the first respondent (Prajita) is permitted to withdraw the said amount of Rs 20 crore deposited in the registry of this court," the bench noted in its order.
The bench was dealing with an application seeking certain clarifications including that the developer was entitled to demonstrate before the court-appointed arbitrator that there was breach of the agreement between the parties allegedly on part of Kumar.
"We accordingly clarify that it would be open to Prajita Developers to plead and establish before the arbitrator that there is a breach of contract on the part of the appellant (Kumar) entitling Prajita Developers for a decree of specific performance only for the limited purpose of examining the further questions whether Prajita Developers is entitled to damages and, if entitled, what would be the quantum of damages," the court said.
"We also make it clear that all the parties to the agreement are entitled to raise such claims and defences, as the case may be, with regard to the respective claims of damages (if any)," the bench said.
In March 2016, the apex court had granted relief to Kumar by rejecting a plea to restrain him from creating third party rights over the Pali Hill property till the arbitration of the dispute with a private developer.
According to the original agreement, the owner as well as the developers had to share 50 per cent each of the residential flats to be built on the land.
Prajita developers had thus obtained the leasehold rights in the property together with the bungalow standing thereon by virtue of lease of September 25, 1953. But the developers had failed to raise any construction.
The Bombay High Court had last year rejected the plea of the realty firm.
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Air India chief Rajiv Bansal has said the airline has requested DGCA to take a "lenient view" on more than 400 pilots and cabin crew who have come under the scanner for skipping breath analyser test, maintaining that they never intended to violate norms.
As many as 132 pilots and 434 cabin crew of the national carrier have been found by the DGCA to have allegedly skipped the compulsory pre-and post-flight alcohol tests this year. They face the prospect of being grounded and a final decision would be taken after discussions with the civil aviation ministry.
Air India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have discussed the issue. While apologising for the lapses, the airline has told the regulator that their actions were based on the interpretation of the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR).
"There was no violation of breath analyser test at the last point for all the flights. We have sincerely apologised and assured the DGCA that we will carry out breath analyser tests as per their requirements and as per the clarity given on the CAR," Bansal told PTI.
Emphasising that it was never and will never be their intention to violate the rules, the Chairman and Managing Director said the airline would ensure full compliance with all the requirements.
Seeking to illustrate the possible sequence of events, Bansal said for instance, with respect to a flight that originated in Dubai, landed at Mumbai and then went on to Kolkata, the breath analyser test was conducted at Kolkata.
"...DGCA says we should do it at the first point. We are in full agreement to what they are saying and when it was known to us, we have started testing it like that," he noted.
"We have requested that they should take a lenient view on this matter," he said, expressing hope that the regulator would take a "considered view".
An official source said the issue has also been brought to the notice of the civil aviation ministry by the DGCA and a final decision would be taken after detailed discussions.
As part of the DGCA's safety regulations, all pilots and cabin crew must undergo the breath analyser test before and after flights.
Any crew member who tests positive in the pre-flight medical check or refuses to take a breath analyser test is required to be taken off flying duty for at least four weeks and the airline is required to initiate disciplinary proceedings, according to civil aviation rules.
Airstrikes have targeted rural Aleppo in northern Syria today for the first time in months since a cease-fire took hold in the province, killing one, activists and a war monitoring group said.
Also today, the Central Military Media, affiliated with the Syrian government, reported that Iranian drones successfully struck vehicles of the Islamic State group along the Syria-Iraq border in the south.
The report didn't say when the strike occurred, but showed purported footage of it.
Previously, the US-led coalition had downed Iranian drones in the area, considering them hostile because they dropped ammunition near a base where US troops operated alongside allied Syrian opposition fighters.
Since the two strikes in June, one of two US bases in the area has shut down after Syrian and allied forces essentially cut off access to it, foiling plans to use the area as a launch pad for operations in eastern Syria.
Meanwhile, Syrian media reported that government and allied troops have seized Maadan, a town north of Deir el-Zour city and south of Raqqa, which has been scene to intense fighting with Islamic State militants.
State TV al-Ikhbariya filmed from inside the town, showing plumes of black smoke rising into the sky. The TV reporter said the town, which links the militant group's two strongholds now under attack, served as a key station for IS oil transport and distribution.
The report hailed the capture of the town a day earlier as a major victory for the pro-government troops, saying they have now rid the western bank of the Euphrates river of the militant group and secured the road from Deir el-Zour to Aleppo.
Seizing Maadan comes amid a government offensive advancing on Deir el-Zour city. The capture of Maadan, 70 km west of Deir el-Zour, also brings the pro-Syrian forces closer to Raqqa city, where the US-led coalition is backing a campaign against IS.
Elsewhere, warplanes continued today to pound Syria's rural Idlib and Hama, where insurgents led by an al-Qaida- linked group began an offensive against government troops in the area.
The Syrian Civil Defense said one person was killed in Aleppo bombing, which it said targeted a cow farm.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 40 insurgents were killed in airstrikes yesterday on a village in northern Idlib.
Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Observatory, said the airstrikes targeted a base in Mardkih that belongs to Faylaq al-Sham, a fighting group that had agreed to the cease-fire.
The group posted a video a day before the airstrike showing its fighters preparing a mortar attack on government areas north of Hirbnafsah in Hama.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
E-commerce major Amazon today said its ongoing festive sales have been the "biggest till date", driven by strong growth in segments like smartphones, large appliances and fashion.
Amazon's four-day festive sale, which commenced on September 21, clashed with those by rivals Flipkart and Paytm.
"We have seen 2.5X growth in smartphone sales, 4X increase in large appliances and 7X in fashion sales. This is our biggest ever sale," Amazon India vice president-category management Manish Tiwary told PTI.
He added that there was a secular growth across categories.
"More than 85 per cent of the new customers who came to our platform for the first time were from tier-II and -III towns," he said.
Tiwary said Amazon received orders from locations like Leh and Lakshadweep, which are difficult terrains to service.
"Our focus has been on getting people to shop online. They shop online not just for better value but also better selection and convenience," he said.
Amazon, which is locked in an intense battle for leadership in the Indian market, has made significant investments over the last few years in strengthening its logistics and infrastructure operations in the country. It has been expanding the products available on its platform as well.
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The Bangladesh government today dismissed as "baseless" media reports that some of the bodyguards of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were plotting to assassinate her last month.
"This is to inform all that the report of the attack on the honourable Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina) on August 24, 2017 is completely baseless, misleading and motivated, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement.
It said "some media outlets on September 23 published and broadcast a report about a failed attempt on the life of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina using as the source a foreign TV channel and an international online agency".
It said a number of TV channels also aired the and held talk shows on the "so-called" failed attack on the premier by involving some members of a special force.
"It is not expected at all from any responsible person or conscious media to publish or broadcast such a confusing report which goes against the overall interest of the country's security," the statement read.
According to the reports the foiled attack was plotted by rogue members of the Special Security Force or SSF in coordination with banned terrorist outfit Jama'tul Mujahideen Bangladesh or JMB, bdnews24 reported.
The reports said six to seven SSF personnel were preparing to attack Hasina on August 24.
The reports said JMB members were supposed to trigger explosions around the office to create a diversion and provide an escape route for the assassins.
Hasina is now in the US, where she had gone to attend the 72nd UN General Assembly.
Hasina was targeted by an Islamist extremist group in 2004.
Islamist militants allegedly backed by a quarters of the then ruling BNP of ex-premier Khaleda Zia hurled grenades in a political rally of the then opposition of her Awami League.
Hasina narrowly escaped the attempt sustaining permanent hearing impairment but 24 people including Awami League's women front chief and former Bangladesh president Zillur Rahmans wife Ivy Rahman were killed.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The office of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikha Hasina today denied as "completely baseless" some media reports of a plot by her bodyguards to kill her last month.
However a senior minister said separately there had been an assassination conspiracy, without giving details.
The prime minister's office issued a statement condemning the allegations carried in some outlets as "completely baseless, misleading and motivated".
Deputy press secretary Mohammad Ashraful Alam said the rumours of an assassination attempt on August 24 by officers of Hasina's special security force were fabricated and damaging to the country.
Bangladesh's state-run agency issued an advisory Saturday asking subscribers not to use an earlier story apparently referring to the reports. Some other outlets published details of an alleged plot involving the bodyguards and an Islamist group.
Obaidul Quader, an influential minister and deputy leader of the ruling Awami League party, told reporters Sunday there had been a conspiracy between local and foreign groups to assassinate the prime minister but offered no details.
Hasina, seen as a moderate in religious affairs in the mainly Muslim nation, was targeted by an Islamist extremist group in 2004 when leader of the opposition. She survived a grenade attack at a political rally which killed 22 people.
Since coming to power, she has cracked down on religious extremists.
Rumours of another assassination attempt come as Hasina rallies international support at the United Nations in New York over the Rohingya refugee crisis unfolding on Bangladesh's border.
The UN said Sunday that 436,000 Rohingya fleeing ethnic violence in Myanmar had arrived in Bangladesh in the past month.
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Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today slammed the BJP for the lathicharge by police on girl students of the Benaras Hindu University, saying it was the saffron party's version of "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao".
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in the baton charge in the university which witnessed violence last night, in an ugly turn to a protest against an alleged eve-teasing incident.
Attaching a link to a video of the students who alleged that they were beaten up by male policemen at the campus, Gandhi tweeted "BJP version of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao in BHU."
The trigger for the protest was an incident in which a woman student of the Arts faculty alleged harassment by three men on a motorcycle inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel.
The three men abused her and fled when she resisted their attempts, according to the complainant.
The woman alleged that security guards, about 100 metres from where the incident happened, did nothing to stop the men.
She said her warden, instead of taking up the issue with her superiors, asked her why was she was returning late to the hostel.
The warden's response angered fellow students, who sat on a 'dharna' at the main gate midnight Thursday. One of the students even got her head tonsured.
BHU students have alleged they have to face eve-teasers on the campus regularly and the varsity administration was not taking any action to stop the miscreants.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for recognising Congress' "legacy" of IITs in her speech at the UN General Assembly yesterday.
"Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs," he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. JOSEPH TYRELL DEVRIES, Defendant - Appellant. No. 16-8113 Decided: September 22, 2017
Before LUCERO, O'BRIEN, and PHILLIPS, Circuit Judges.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT*
Joseph Devries appeals his sentence, arguing that his Wyoming conviction for threatening to use a drawn deadly weapon does not qualify as a crime of violence under U.S.S.G. 4B1.1. Exercising jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. 1291 and 18 U.S.C. 3742(a), we affirm his sentence.
I
Devries pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1). A Presentence Investigation Report (PSR) recommended that Devries' 2014 conviction in Wyoming state court for threatening to use a drawn deadly weapon be treated as a crime of violence under U.S.S.G. 4B1.2. Combined with a prior controlled substance conviction, Devries was subject to a base offense level of 24. With a total offense level of 25 and a criminal history category of VI, Devries' advisory Guidelines range was 110-120 months. The district court adopted the PSR and imposed a sentence of 110 months. Devries timely appealed.
II
We review de novo whether a state crime qualifies as a crime of violence under 4B1.2. United States v. Rooks, 556 F.3d 1145, 1146-47 (10th Cir. 2009). A crime of violence includes any offense punishable by a term of imprisonment of more than one year that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another. U.S.S.G. 4B1.2(a)(1). In conducting our analysis, we apply the modified categorical approach to determine which alternative element in a divisible statute formed the basis of the defendant's conviction. United States v. Titties, 852 F.3d 1257, 1266 (10th Cir. 2017) (quotation omitted). With the elements (not the facts) identified, courts can then do what the categorical approach demands and compare those elements to the [Guidelines] definition. Id. (quotation omitted). Courts must focus on the minimum conduct criminalized by the state statute without applying legal imagination to consider hypothetical situations that technically violate the law but have no realistic probability of falling within its application. Id. at 1274 (quotations omitted).
Devries was convicted under a subsection of Wyoming's aggravated assault and battery statute that applies to any individual who [t]hreatens to use a drawn deadly weapon on another unless reasonably necessary in defense of his person, property or abode or to prevent serious bodily injury to another. Wyo. Stat. 6-2-502(a)(iii). A deadly weapon is a firearm, explosive or incendiary material, motorized vehicle, an animal or other device, instrument, material or substance, which in the manner it is used or is intended to be used is reasonably capable of producing death or serious bodily injury. Wyo. Stat. 6-1-104(a)(iv).
Because the term deadly weapon includes animals and substances, Devries argues that the statute could be violated by a defendant who threatens to poison a victim while holding a vial of poison, or who warns he will release bees or poisonous snakes. He relies on United States v. Rodriguez-Enriquez, 518 F.3d 1191 (10th Cir. 2008), a case in which we held that a Colorado conviction for drugging a victim does not constitute a crime of violence. Id. at 1191. We concluded that the Guidelines' use of the modifier physical in physical force must refer to the mechanism by which the force is imparted to the person of another. Id. at 1194 (quotation omitted). [I]t is the presence of [a] mechanical impact that defines when force is physical. In contrast, the effect of poison on the body is achieved by chemical action, not by mechanical impact. Id. Accordingly, injury effected by chemical action on the body (as in poisoning or exposure to hazardous chemicals) should not be described as caused by physical force. Id. at 1195; see also United States v. Perez-Vargas, 414 F.3d 1282, 1286 (10th Cir. 2005) (stating that intentionally exposing someone to hazardous chemicals would not constitute the use of physical force).
However, we limited the application of this rule in Armijo. In that case we considered a Colorado felony menacing statute that applied when an individual placed another in fear of imminent serious bodily injury through the use or threatened use of a deadly weapon. Armijo, 651 F.3d at 1230 (quoting Colo. Rev. Stat. 18-3-206). Like the Wyoming statute at issue in this case, the term deadly weapon was defined to include a material[ ] or substance. Id. (quoting Colo. Rev. Stat. 18-1-901(e)). Relying on Rodriguez-Enriquez, the defendant argued that because the offense could be committed by poisoning, it did not qualify as a crime of violence. We held that Rodriguez-Enriquez stands for the limited proposition that a Colorado provision criminalizing the surreptitious drugging of a victim does not involve the use of physical force. Id. at 1233. Even in light of that rule, we held that the Colorado offense qualified as a crime of violence despite the inclusion of poisons and pathogens in Colorado's definition of deadly weapon. Id. at 1231-32.
We conclude the Wyoming offense at issue is closer to that considered in Armijo than in Rodriguez-Enriquez. The Wyoming statute requires that a weapon be drawn, which the Wyoming Supreme Court has interpreted to mean in a position for use when [defendant] made the threat. Ewing v. State, 157 P.3d 943, 947 (Wyo. 2007). Although we are not directed to Wyoming case law directly on point, it would seem that a defendant who threatens a victim with poison or venom would have to threaten to force it on the victim rather than surreptitiously apply it. And we ruled in Armijo that unlike surreptitious poisoning, a threat to force the poison on the victim is sufficient to qualify as a threat of physical force. 651 F.3d at 1232 (quotation omitted).
Devries notes that the Wyoming statute lacks an explicit imminence element, and thus one could threaten to surreptitiously poison a victim at a later date while holding a vial. But the requirement that a defendant threaten to use a deadly weapon that is in a position for use, Ewing, 157 P.3d at 947, strongly suggests that the defendant must threaten to use it at the time it is drawn. We thus think that the scenarios proposed by Devries are hypothetical situations that technically violate the law but have no realistic probability of falling within its application. Titties, 852 F.3d at 1274 (quotations omitted).
III
AFFIRMED.
Entered for the Court
FOOTNOTES
. There appears to be no dispute that the statute at issue is divisible; both parties confine their analyses to the particular subsection under which Devries was convicted. See id. (noting that a divisible statute sets out one or more elements of the offense in the alternative (quotation omitted)).
. These cases considered whether an offense qualified as a crime of violence under U.S.S.G. 2L1.2 rather than 4B1.2. But the two provisions contain identical elements clauses, and we have construed them in the same fashion. See United Statesv. Armijo, 651 F.3d 1226, 1233 n.4 (10th Cir. 2011).
Carlos F. Lucero Circuit Judge
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to dispel concerns over the state of economy and lay down his government's economic and political agenda as a two- day BJP national executive meeting begins here today.
The party's national office bearers, including its president Amit Shah, state chiefs and other key organisational leaders will finalise agenda items, including resolutions, which the national executive is expected to discuss on September 25, the birth anniversary of Hindutva icon Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.
A key highlight of the meeting will be the presence of the party's all elected lawmakers, including close to 1,400 MLAs, 337 MPs and all MLCs besides its core group leaders from states among others tomorrow.
More than 2,000 delegates will attend what has been described by senior party leaders as an "extended national executive" to mark the end of a year-long exercise to commemorate Upadhyaya's 100th birth anniversary.
Modi, who will deliver the valedictory address tomorrow, may use the opportunity to highlight his government's pro-poor measures and other policy decisions.
With the opposition parties attacking government's handling of the economy by citing the fall in GDP rate and demonetisation figures, Modi is expected to take them on and highlight his dispensation's "successes" in boosting transparency and curbing black money, party sources said.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has consistently attacked the government over economy during his visit to the US.
BJP sources said the party's resolution is likely to assert that the economy has been doing better under the NDA than it did under the previous UPA government.
The roll out of the GST has been described by the party as a major success of the government which, it has asserted, will integrate the country economy.
The prime minister's agenda of development will also be a key feature.
A senior party leader said the issue of Rohingya immigrants, whom the government has termed a threat to security, may also find a mention.
With the government and the party embracing Upadhyaya's plank of 'antyodaya' (upliftment of the last man), the executive is expected to cite a number of measures taken by the Union and the BJP-ruled states for the poor's welfare.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The BJP is set to launch the second phase of a drive to train its elected representatives at all levels, a senior party leader said today, amid its attempts to expand base in the northeast and the southern India.
BJP's national general-secretary P Muralidhar Rao said a blueprint for the exercise was being prepared, overseen by party president Amit Shah.
"The party has trained nearly 10 lakh workers during the first phase of the programme in the past two years. This time it will be on a larger scale," Rao told PTI.
He said the programme's focus will be good governance and development. Party representatives from village panchayats, municipal bodies, MLAs and MPs would be part of the exercise.
"This is the first time that the elected representatives from the party at all levels will be taking part in any such exercise," he added.
BJP's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), would contribute to the curriculum of the programme.
According to Rao, the curriculum was being prepared keeping in mind the government's various programmes and objectives to fulfil the aspirations of the general public.
The move comes at a time when the BJP is attempting to make inroads in the northeastern and the southern states.
Rao said several party members have visited foreign countries to understand the functioning of the political parties there and syllabus was being designed based on their experiences.
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A teacher, accused of sodomising two of his 11-year-old students at a blind school here, has been acquitted by a Delhi court after the children denied the incident.
Special Judge Prem Kumar Barthwal absolved the man, an Assistant Teacher at a blind school in south Delhi, of the offence of sodomy under the IPC and sexual assault under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
"The material witnesses of the prosecution are PW1 and PW4 (alleged victims) and both of them have not supported the prosecution case during their depositions," the judge said.
The court noted that the kids denied the incident and said they were called by the man who only asked them if they were studying well and that they should get a good score.
One of the children further deposed that nothing wrong happened and it was only magnified by one Deepak Sharma.
"There is no medical evidence brought on record to substantiate or corroborate the charges of aggravated penetrative assault by the accused upon the children," the court said.
According to the complaint, the students had informed the police that November 14, 2013 their teacher had called them and asked them to commit unnatural sex with each other.
When they refused, the accused himself committed the offence with them, it said. The complaint was lodged at Amar Colony Police Station here.
Another student of the blind school had recorded his statement before a magistrate, saying he had heard from other boys of the hostel that some sexual act had taken place.
During his cross-examination, he said he does not have any personal knowledge about the case and that he had not seen anything, the court noted.
"In view of the discussion, the prosecution has failed to prove the charge under section 377 (unnatural sex) of the IPC and section 6 (sexual assault) of POCSO Act against the accused," it said.
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Want to know more about secrets of people? Just analyse their Internet searches, says a book by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, who has used Google data to measure racism, self-induced abortion, depression, child abuse and hateful mobs.
Internet searches also have lots of information that is missed by the polls that can be helpful in understanding, among many other subjects, an election, he says.
"Everybody Lies: What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are", published by Bloomsbury, explores the secrets embedded in Internet searches.
Everybody lies, to friends, lovers, doctors, pollsters - and to themselves. In Internet searches, however, people confess their secrets - about sexless marriages, mental health problems, even racist views.
Seth, an economist and a former Google data scientist, shows that this could just be the most important dataset ever collected.
He explains how we can use information to change our culture, and the questions we're afraid to ask that might be essential to our health - both emotional and physical.
On polling and voting, he writes, "There is information on who will actually turn out to vote. More than half of citizens who don't vote tell surveys immediately before an election that they intend to, skewing our estimation of turnout, whereas Google searches for 'how to vote' or 'where to vote' weeks before an election can accurately predict which parts of the country are going to have a big showing at the polls."
Seth says there might even be information on who they will vote for.
"Can we really predict which candidate people will vote for just based on what they search? Clearly, we can't just study which candidates are searched for most frequently. Many people search for a candidate because they love him. A similar number of people search for a candidate because they hate him," he says.
A large percentage of election-related searches contain queries with both candidates' names, he says.
"During the 2016 US election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, some people searched for 'Trump Clinton polls'. Others looked for highlights from the 'Clinton Trump debate'. In fact, 12 per cent of search queries with 'Trump' also included the word 'Clinton'. More than one-quarter of search queries with 'Clinton' also included the word 'Trump'," he writes.
Seth says he also found that these seemingly neutral searches may actually give some clues to which candidate a person supports.
How?
"The order in which the candidates appear. Our research suggests that a person is significantly more likely to put the candidate they support first in a search that includes both candidates' names.
"In the previous three elections, the candidate who appeared first in more searches received the most votes. More interesting, the order the candidates were searched was predictive of which way a particular state would go. The order in which candidates are searched also seems to contain information that the polls can miss," he writes.
So did Google predict Trump?
"Well, we still have a lot of work to do - and I'll have to be joined by lots more researchers - before we know how best to use Google data to predict election results. This is a new science, and we only have a few elections for which this data exists," Seth says.
"I am certainly not saying we are at the point - or ever will be at the point - where we can throw out public opinion polls completely as a tool for helping us predict elections. But there were definitely portents, at many points, on the Internet that Trump might do better than the polls were predicting," he adds.
During the general election, there were clues that the electorate might be a favourable one for Trump, he says.
"Black Americans told polls they would turn out in large numbers to oppose Trump. But Google searches for information on voting in heavily black areas were way down. On election day, Clinton would be hurt by low black turnout. There were even signs that supposedly undecided voters were going Trump's way," he writes.
Seth says he has spent just about every day of the past four years analysing Google data. This included a stint as a data scientist at Google, which hired him after learning about his racism research. And he continues to explore this data.
"The revelations have kept coming. Mental illness; human sexuality; child abuse; abortion; advertising; religion; health. Not exactly small topics, and this dataset, which didn't exist a couple of decades ago, offered surprising new perspectives on all of them," he says.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has directed Health Minister Satyendar Jain to come up with a "concrete action plan" within a week on providing life support system for critical patients in city government hospitals.
According to a statement released by the government today, the decision comes in the wake of a media report, according to which, "the life of a newborn child could not be saved since four government hospitals (in Delhi) refused to admit the child citing lack of critical care beds with ventilator facilities".
"Kejriwal has directed the health minister to submit a concrete action plan within a week to ensure that critical patients requiring life support do not have to run around hospital in times of crises," the statement said.
The primary objective of this concrete action plan will be to ensure that the "live data" of functional critical care facilities in all Delhi government hospitals is readily and easily available in the first place.
It has been noticed in a number of cases that family members or relatives or friends of patients in critical condition, who rush them to hospitals, are turned away, citing the common excuses of either lack of facilities or non- availability of beds, it said.
"It is an unacceptable scenario, since helpless family members keep running from pillar to post in critical time, in which the life of a serious patient could have been saved," the statement by the city government said.
The chief minister has also asked the health minister to include in the plan, the standard operating procedure (SoP) that the hospital where a critical patient is first brought for admission, should follow to ensure critical care to the patient.
Kejriwal has further directed that from now on, if for some justified reason, like any hospital lacking life saving facilities or non availability of beds, it will be the "mandatory emergency duty" of that hospital to find out in which other hospital such a facility is available, it said.
"It should be made part of a clearly laid down SoP so that the patient is sent to the other hospital without any delay," the statement said.
The hospital will have to ensure shifting of the patient, it said.
"He (Kejriwal) has made it clear that loss of lives due to lack of facilities in the hospitals of Delhi is unacceptable since the government is committed to provide best health care for the residents of the national capital.
"And it has allocated nearly Rs 6,000 crore in the current financial year for the health sector," it said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court is scrutinising whether a magisterial court can question a police officer's discretionary power on arrest of an accused at the time of taking note of the charge sheet in a case.
The high court will also examine whether the metropolitan magistrate (MM) can return the charge sheet for further probe if it is found that the investigating officer (IO) has not exercised his discretion lawfully on the point of arrest.
A bench of justices Siddharth Mridul and Najmi Waziri said that the issue assumes importance as it has been seen that in serious cases where charge sheet has been filed, the accused is not arrested and in less serious ones where even charge sheet has not been filed, the accused has been arrested.
"Whether a MM can examine the discretion exercised by an IO for arresting or non-arresting the accused persons, while considering the charge sheet at the stage of taking cognisance and if it is found the IO has not exercised his discretion lawfully, whether the court of MM can return the charge sheet for further investigation on the point of arrest of accused persons," was the question raised by the bench.
It appointed an amicus curiae, advocate P K Dubey, to assist it in the matter and listed the case for hearing on October 27.
Rahul Mehra, the standing counsel for Delhi Police, sought time to examine the law before addressing the court on the issue.
The issue was referred to the high court by the chief metropolitan magistrate of Karkardooma court in east Delhi.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Chinese consulate here is partnering with a NGO to send some of the winning organisers of Durga puja pandals on a trip to China this year.
"We are working with an NGO, which works to encourage safety, security, beautification, eco-friendliness of the pandals. The NGO will also promote the visit to China.
"The organisers of pandals which will emerge as winners will be sent to China for a trip. We would sponsor a group of 10 people to visit China," Chinese consul general in Kolkata Ma Zhanwu said.
According to Ma Zhanwu, the pandals will be judged by a large group of people including ministers and other eminent citizens.
"The criteria will be painting, artistic elements, safety, security and environment friendly aspects that are used in Puja pandals," Zhanwu said.
While noting that it is part of cultural exchanges between the two countries, Zhanwu said last year too such initiative was taken and 13 people from six pandals were taken to China.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Colin Firth has been granted Italian dual citizenship.
The 57-year-old actor is a British national, who had applied for the citizenship after Brexit last year, reported FemaleFirst.
Firth is married to Italian film producer Livia Giuggioli since 1997 and the couple have two sons, Luca, 16, and Matteo, 14.
Expressing his happiness about his request being granted, the Oscar-winning actor said, "A connection with Italy has existed in my family for more than two decades now. I was married there and had two children born in Rome. My wife and I are both extremely proud of our own countries. We feel that we've made a gift of that to each other.
"Our children have been dual citizens since the beginning. We never really thought much about our different passports. But now, with some of the uncertainty around, we thought it sensible that we should all get the same."
Firth said that his wife is applying for a British passport. He said it will be "a huge privilege" for him to join Livia and his children in being dual citizens.
The "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" star however, added that he "will always be extremely British (you only have to look at or listen to me). Britain is our home and we love it here."
A statement from the Italian Interior Ministry read, "The very famous actor, who won an Oscar for the film 'The King's Speech', is married to a citizen from our country and has often declared his love for our land."
In 2016, Firth had described the UK's vote to leave the European Union as "a disaster".
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The opposition AIADMK today voiced concern over the continuing confrontation between Lt Governor Kiran Bedi and the Congress government in the Union Territory, saying it was "derailing development work."
The confrontation between Bedi and the government was continuing for more than a year now and this "is hitting and derailing development works in Puducherry," leader of the AIADMK (Amma) Legislature wing A Anbalagan told reporters here.
He appealed to the Lt Governor and Chief Minister V Narayanasamy to abstain from making mutual accusations.
The AIADMK leader said the CBI filing an FIR recently against senior officers and officials of Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC) for alleged irregularities in admission of students to PG courses in medical colleges here "had tarnished and insulted the image of the government."
He also took strong exception to the LtGovernor coming out with comments on the admission issue when the probe by CBI was on.
Anbalagan wanted the Union Health Ministry to intervene immediately and disband the CENTAC.
A new panel with the representatives from Medical Council of India should be set up for hassle-free selection of students from next academic year, he said.
Bedi has been at loggerheads with the Congress government on several issues, including one relating to admission of students under government quota to post graduate medical courses in deemed universities and private medical colleges.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress is set to lose chairmanship of a key parliamentary panel, which is finalising a report on political funding, owing to a fall in its numbers in the Rajya Sabha.
According to sources in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, Congress MP Anand Sharma, who is heading the standing committee on personnel, law and justice, is likely to be replaced by BJP's Bhupender Yadav.
Out of the total eight Rajya Sabha standing committees, the Congress is heading three panels -- home affairs, science and technology and a third combined committee on personnel, public grievances, law and justice.
Top BJP leaders are believed to have conveyed to the Congress leadership that since the Opposition party's strength has declined to 57, equivalent to the ruling side's in the Rajya Sabha, it cannot chair three panels in the Upper House.
At present, the panel on law and justice besides finalising a report on political funding, is also evaluating recommendations given to replace the first-past-the-post electoral system with proportionate representation.
The Congress alleged that the move is being made "as per the whims" of the ruling BJP.
Stating that sanctity of parliamentary democracy is at stake, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that whims of a political party seem to be taking precedence over established democratic parliamentary procedure.
"And that is what Congress is objecting to and we shall fight it out," he told PTI.
Besides the Congress, the BJP is heading two panels, while one committee each is chaired by the SP, the JD(U) and the TMC.
All 24 department-related standing committees are due for restructuring for their new term.
United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. WILLIAM BERNARD FREEMAN, Defendant - Appellant. No. 17-6068 Decided: September 22, 2017
Before LUCERO, O'BRIEN, and MORITZ, Circuit Judges.
ORDER DENYING CERTIFICATE OF APPEALABILITY *
William Freeman seeks a certificate of appealability (COA) to appeal the denial of his 28 U.S.C. 2255 motion. His counsel moves for leave to withdraw in a brief filed pursuant to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967). We deny Freeman's request for a COA, grant counsel's motion to withdraw, and dismiss the appeal.
I
In 2011, Freeman was convicted of bank robbery in federal court. The district court concluded his total offense level was 32 and his criminal history category was VI because Freeman qualified as a career offender under U.S.S.G. 4B1.1. Freeman's advisory Guidelines range was 210 to 240 months' imprisonment. The district court imposed a sentence of 210 months. We affirmed on direct appeal. United States v. Freeman, 451 F. App'x 783, 785 (10th Cir. 2011) (unpublished). Freeman's initial 2255 motion was denied.
Following the Supreme Court's decision in Johnson v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 2551, 2563 (2015), we granted Freeman permission to file a second habeas motion. The district court abated proceedings pending the Supreme Court's decision in Beckles v. United States, 137 S. Ct. 886 (2017). After the Court decided Beckles, which held that the Guidelines are not subject to vagueness challenges, id. at 890, the district court denied Freeman's motion. Freeman filed a timely notice of appeal.
II
A prisoner may not appeal the denial of habeas relief under 2255 without a COA. 2253(c)(1)(B). We will issue a COA only if the applicant has made a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right. 2253(c)(2). This standard requires Freeman to show that reasonable jurists could debate whether (or, for that matter, agree that) the petition should have been resolved in a different manner or that the issues presented were adequate to deserve encouragement to proceed further. Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000) (quotations omitted).
Freeman's counsel has submitted an Anders brief. Under Anders, if an attorney concludes after conscientiously examining a case that any appeal would be frivolous, he may so advise the court and request permission to withdraw. 386 U.S. at 744. In conjunction with such a request, counsel must submit a brief highlighting any potentially appealable issues and provide a copy to the defendant. Id. The defendant may then submit a pro se brief. Id. If the court determines that the appeal is frivolous upon careful examination of the record, it may grant the request to withdraw and dismiss the appeal. Id.
We agree with counsel that any appeal of the district court's order would be frivolous. This court authorized Freeman to file a claim under Johnson. But a Johnson claim challenging a sentence imposed under U.S.S.G. 4B1.2, including Freeman's sentence, is squarely foreclosed by Beckles. See 137 S. Ct. at 892 ([T]he Guidelines are not subject to a vagueness challenge under the Due Process Clause. The residual clause in 4B1.2(a)(2) therefore is not void for vagueness.).
In his pro se brief, Freeman challenges the district court's decision to abate his motion pending a ruling in Beckles. We review a district court's decision to grant or deny a motion to stay proceedings for abuse of discretion. Creative Consumer Concepts, Inc. v. Kreisler, 563 F.3d 1070, 1080 (10th Cir. 2009). The district court noted in its abatement order that it anticipated the Supreme Court would issue an opinion in Beckles before the expiration of any reduced sentence it might impose. That prediction proved correct. Had Freeman not been classified as a career offender, his total offense level would have been 27 and his criminal history category would have been IV, yielding an advisory Guidelines range of 100 to 125 months. U.S.S.G. Ch. 5 Pt. A (Sentencing Table) (2010). A sentence at the bottom of that range would not have been completed prior to issuance of the Beckles opinion. Under these circumstances, reasonable jurists could not debate the propriety of the abatement order.
Finally, our independent review of the record has not uncovered any other potentially meritorious issues.
III
For the foregoing reasons, we DENY Freeman's request for a COA, GRANT counsel's motion to withdraw, and DISMISS the appeal.
Entered for the Court
FOOTNOTES
. In Welch v. United States, 136 S. Ct. 1257, 1265 (2016), the Court held that Johnson announced a substantive rule that applied retroactively on collateral review.
. Freeman has also filed a motion to amend his pro se response to add arguments regarding the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. Because we did not authorize Freeman to pursue such claims in his second habeas motion, any such amendment would be futile. We accordingly DENY his motion to amend.
Carlos F. Lucero Circuit Judge
A court in Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh has ordered registration of a criminal case against four BJP leaders, including former state minister Harishanker Khatik, for allegedly facilitating the marriage of a minor tribal girl under a government scheme.
Congress leader Yadvendra Singh had filed a complaint in the matter.
Judicial Magistrate Amar Singh Sisodia yesterday ordered registration of a case against Khatik, a former minister of state, former chairman of the Bundelkhand Development Authority Surendra Pratap Singh, former Tikamgarh Municipality chairman Rakesh Giri and former Tikamgarh district BJP chief Nandkisore Napit under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.
The judge summoned them to the court on October 12.
Advocate Anil Tripathi, Yadvendra Singh's lawyer, said the accused facilitated the marriage of the tribal girl with a married man from her community when she was only 15 years and 11 months old under the Mukhya Mantri Kanyadan Yojana on April 25, 2012.
The girl hailed from Baisa Tiparian village panchayat.
Khatik even performed the girl's 'kanya-daan' (a ritual where the girl's father or guardian offers her hand in marriage to the bridegroom) and took part in other wedding rituals, according to the complaint.
The Congress leader first complained to the district administration and the state government about the unlawful marriage and moved the court when there was no action, the lawyer said.
Under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, marriage of a boy below 21 years of age and a girl below 18 is an offence punishable with a two-year imprisonment or Rs one lakh fine or both.
Under the Mukhya Mantri Kanyadan Yojana, the state government provides financial aid at the time of marriage to couples from weaker sections of the society.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Cow vigilantes pose a threat to Kerala's plans to achieve self-sufficiency in milk production, the state's Animal Husbandry Minister said.
The southern state had put on hold its ambitious project to bring 200 Gir cows, a high-yielding species, from Gujarat following apprehensions about transporting it by road because of the reported presence of 'gau rakshaks'.
State Minister for Forests, Animal Husbandry and Zoos K Raju said Kerala had planned to procure the Gir breed as part of its efforts to boost milk production.
Not just from Gujarat, but procurement of cows from other states has also been hit hard by the possible threat of mob violence in the name of protecting cows, he said.
"We have not abandoned our plan to procure Gir cows from Gujarat. It is under active consideration. But, we have put it on hold due to the risk of transporting the cows," Raju told PTI.
Known for their yield, Gir cows belong to the Gir forest region and surrounding districts of Saurashtra region of Gujarat. The ability to withstand hot climates make the high- quality breed a favourite of farmers.
Kerala was planning to procure as many as 200 cows by paying over Rs one lakh for each bovine.
Raju said he had recently visited Gujarat and met the minister concerned to discuss the plan.
"The authorities in the state had responded positively. The availability of cows was also not an issue. Our plan was to go to the villages there and procure cows directly from farmers," the minister said.
The Gujarat authorities had ensured safe transportation of the cows within the state borders, he said.
"But, we have to travel through other states, including Maharashtra, before reaching Kerala. It will be very risky to transport the cows through this distance in the wake of reports about the presence of cow vigilantes," he said.
He said despite the threats, the state wished to go ahead with the project and necessary steps would be taken in this regard soon.
Stating that cow vigilantism had hit Kerala's prospects in milk production, the minister said it should be stopped at the earliest.
"Lakhs of people are earning a living rearing cattle in the country. The threat from gau rakshaks has badly affected their livelihood. It has also hit the state's plan to achieve self-sufficiency in milk production," he said.
The procurement of high breed cows from other parts of the country is essential to achieve the target and depending solely on local breeds would not help do so, the minister added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Upstream regulator DGH and Joint Secretary (Exploration) in the Oil Ministry will be the government nominees on oversight committees that will monitor the 30 small discovered oil and gas fields awarded in the first round of auction.
The so-called Management Committees will also have representatives of the companies or consortiums that won the rights to produce from the fields, the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) said in a notice.
"The Management Committee will monitor different technical and contractual aspects of the Revenue Sharing Contract," it said.
Discovered Small Fields (DSF) Bid Round 2016 was launched on May 25, 2016, with the objective to bring idle discovered small fields of state-owned ONGC and OIL to production at the earliest.
Of the 46 fields offered for bidding in the round, contracts for 30 fields (23 onshore and 7 offshore) were signed on March 27, 2017.
"In accordance with the provision of the contract, the process for granting Petroleum Mining Lease (PML) has started and till now 11 mining lease in onshore and 7 in offshore have been granted and remaining are in advanced stage of approval," the DGH said in the notice.
The Effective Date of the 18 Contract Areas (7 Offshore and 11 Onshore) has commenced from the date of PML grant/ transfer.
The ministry, it said, has nominated "Director General (DGH) as the Chairman and first Government nominee and Joint Secretary (Exploration), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas as Deputy Chairman and 2nd Government nominee for the constitution of Management Committee."
In all, 46 idle fields, which were taken away from state- owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and Oil India Ltd (OIL), were put on bidding in DSF-I, the first bid round in more than six years. A total of 34 of them received bids.
Of these, 31 bids were approved but one of the awardees did not take up the offer and so contracts for only 30 fields were signed.
Touted as an auction round that would replicate the shale gas revolution of the US, half of the fields went to new and lesser known entrants like engineering company Megha Engineering and Infrastructure, KEI-RSOS Petroleum, Enquest Drilling and Nippon Power.
These fields, which hold in-place reserves of 62 million tonnes of oil and oil equivalent gas, can cumulatively produce a peak of around 15,000 barrels of oil per day and 2 million standard cubic metres per day of gas, according to DGH.
The peak oil and gas output envisaged is about 2 per cent of India's current oil and gas production.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court has directed its information officer to disclose under the RTI, the marks awarded by an interview panel to candidates of Delhi Higher Judicial Service (DHJS) examination held in 2013.
The court said when the results of the examination have been placed in public domain, there was no question of claiming any exemption under the Right To Information (RTI) Act.
The court passed the order while disposing of a plea of one of the candidates who had appeared in the 2013 DHJS exam and had sought information on viva voce (interview) marks awarded by the interview committee to other candidates.
He approached the high court challenging the Central Information Commission's order rejecting his appeal under the RTI Act, which was preferred against an order of the first appellate authority.
"The present petition is disposed of by directing the respondent to disclose a tabulated statement of the marks awarded to all candidates by the interview panel as available on record," Justice Vibhu Bakhru said.
The court noted that the controversy essentially remained with regard to the viva voce marks awarded by the interview committee to other candidates.
It said that in this case, the issue is not regarding any confidential gradings, but results of a public examination for selecting candidates for appointment to the DHJS examination.
"The results of the examination have been placed in public domain and, there is no question of claiming any exemption under Section 8(1)(e) of the Act," the court said.
The Public Information Officer (PIO) of the high court had submitted before the CIC that although the information regarding the marks awarded by the interview committee was not traceable earlier, it had been traced and was now available with the PIO.
This was also informed to petitioner Mukesh Kumar, who was represented by advocate Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, in another proceeding which was instituted by him before the high court.
Regarding the petitioner's request for the break-up of the interview marks, the court said it does not find any reason why such information ought to be withheld from him.
"Clearly, the names of the members of the interview panel are required to be redacted, ... which member of the interview board awarded what marks to the candidates is not required to be disclosed," it said.
The court said as the handwritten marks awarded by the panel was concerned, they were part of the working papers of the interview panel and cannot be disclosed.
It said disclosure of such handwritten record would also inevitably disclose the identity of the panel's members which cannot be disclosed to the petitioner.
The petitioner has said the interviews were conducted from May 18 to May 21, 2015 and the final result was declared on July 20, 2015. He filed an application before the PIO of the high court on July 28, 2015 seeking certain information.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, who has quit the Congress, is scheduled to meet BJP president in Delhi on Monday.
Rane quit the Congress earlier this week amid speculation that he was keen on joining the BJP.
"The venue and time of the meeting are not known yet, but Rane will be meeting Shah in Delhi tomorrow," a source close to the Maratha leader told PTI.
"He (Rane) will be inviting Shah to inaugurate a hospital at Padwe in Kudal in the Sindhudurg district," he added.
There has been no word from the BJP yet on whether Rane will be joining the party.
Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, when asked about the possibility of Rane joining the saffron party, had said that a decision in that regard would be taken by Shah as Rane was a former chief minister.
Announcing his decision to quit the Congress at his home turf of Sindhudurg district in the coastal Konkan region, Rane had accused the party of reneging on the promise of making him the chief minister of Maharashtra when he joined it 12 years ago after leaving the Shiv Sena.
The Maratha leader, who was the chief minister of Maharashtra in 1999 while he was in the Shiv Sena, said he had also resigned as a member of the state Legislative Council.
"I have not yet decided where to go," he had said, referring to the speculations about his joining the BJP, and added that he would make an announcement before Dussehra, which will be observed on September 30 this year.
The former firebrand Sena leader had joined the Congress in 2005.
Speculations about Rane joining the BJP were triggered by reports suggesting he had met Shah in Ahmedabad a few months ago. During the recent Ganesh festival, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, also from the BJP, had paid a visit to Rane at the latter's residence.
Rane, who enjoys pockets of influence in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, was expelled from the Sena by then party supremo Bal Thackeray for voicing displeasure over the latter's son, Uddhav, gaining prominence in the party.
A tough-talking leader, Rane, who was handpicked by Thackeray as the chief minister when he decided to remove Manohar Joshi ahead of the 1999 Maharashtra Assembly polls, had recently claimed that he had received an offer from the Sena to return to its fold.
The recent threat by the Sena to pull out of the BJP-led coalition governments in the state and at the Centre is being seen in the political circles as an attempt to thwart Rane's entry into the saffron party.
The BJP-led government in Maharashtra will survive even if the Shiv Sena were to withdraw support, Union minister Ramdas Athawale said today.
"I can't say what will happen during Sena's Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park. I feel Sena shouldn't withdraw support to the BJP-led government. But even if Uddhav Thackeray were to pull out, it won't impact the Devendra Fadnavis government," Athawale said.
He was speaking to reporters here after participating in a cleanliness campaign at the Dadar Chowpatty.
"NCP had earlier announced that it will support the BJP government and accordingly, Sharad Pawar is likely to extend support," Athawale said.
"Even if Pawar doesn't offer support to the BJP government, we need only 15 legislators (for proving majority in the Assembly). No legislator wants fresh polls just in three years, so many of them will help us directly or indirectly," he said.
Athawale also offered former CM Narayan Rane, who has quit the Congress, a berth in his party. "If Rane is not able to join BJP due to some reasons, I request him to join RPI," he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A preliminary investigation has found that faulty ammunition was the reason behind the explosion on the Army's new long-range ultra-light (ULH) howitzer M-777 during a field trial in Pokhran earlier this month, official sources said.
The barrel of the US-manufactured gun had exploded when it was firing Indian ammunition on September 2.
A preliminary inquiry has found that the explosion took place due to faulty ammunition supplied by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and further probe into the matter was on, the sources said.
Asked about the findings of the probe, OFB spokesperson Uddipan Mukherjee said, "Any such failure is attributable to a complex phenomena pertaining to internal ballistics as the shell moves at a very high speed inside the barrel."
He said these kind of failures can have multiple causes and "the quality of the shell is not the only reason".
Without specifically commenting on the findings of the probe, Mukherjee said ammunition used in the M-777 gun had undergone the required quality tests.
India had received two M-777 ultra-light howitzers in May, each worth around Rs 35 crore, after a gap of 30 years since the Bofors scandal broke out, and the accident took place in one of them.
The field trials of the 155 mm, 39-calibre guns manufactured by BAE systems were being carried out at Pokhran in Rajasthan with an aim to collate various critical data like trajectory, speed and frequency.
Army sources had said the barrel of the gun was damaged in the explosion.
The Army had received the howitzers as part of an order for 145 guns. Three more guns are to be supplied to the Army in September 2018 for training.
Thereafter, induction will commence from March 2019 onwards with five guns per month till the complete consignment is received by mid-2021.
India had last procured howitzers in the mid-1980s from Swedish defence major Bofors. The alleged pay-offs in the deal and its subsequent political ramifications had severely crippled the Indian Army's procurement of artillery guns.
The defence ministry had struck a government-to- government deal with the US last November for supply of the 145 howitzers at a cost of nearly Rs 5,000 crore.
While 25 guns will come in a fly-away condition, the rest will be assembled in India by the BAE Systems in partnership with Mahindra Defence.
The Army has been pressing the government to speed up its modernisation programme.
Former censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani believes he was removed from the top post because of lobbying not in favour of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) but against him.
To bolster his argument, Nihalani said no objections were raised now when the board asked directors to make cuts in their films.
"Even after my exit, the functioning of the CBFC is still the same; films are still getting cuts as the guidelines are the same even today. But there is no noise about the number of cuts and no one is calling the CBFC 'sanskari' today," he said, referring to allegations of moral policing that he faced while he held the office.
"The lobbying was against me and not the CBFC," Nihalani told PTI.
The government last month replaced Nihalani with songwriter-adman Prasoon Joshi.
According to the reports, under the chairmanship of Joshi, the makers of "Love Sonia" were asked to make 45 cuts in the film starring Freida Pinto and Richa Chadha. The board reportedly ordered five cuts in Varun Dhawan-starrer "Judwaa 2". Kangana Ranaut's recently-released film, "Simran" got 10 cuts.
"There were a few people who wanted me out of this position and I am happy I am no longer the chief of CBFC. I don't think I have lost anything on being removed from the post. I have come back to films. It is an honourable post," he added.
The producer-distributor said a Hindi film faced more trouble while getting clearance in international markets than in India.
"When a film goes to Dubai, Malaysia or Pakistan, they (the makers) have to cut a lot of things but they don't make noise or talk about it," he said.
"In India, 'Kaabil' got a U/A certificate, he said, but in international markets, it got a 15 plus rating. In London, 'Baahubali' got a 15 plus rating and in India, it had a U/A certificate. I think India is the most liberal country when it comes to censorship," he added.
Nihalani said during his tenure as the CBFC chief, he recommended a rating system according to age brackets, which the government did not consider.
"I had suggested a six-rating system but they did not consider it and because of all the controversies they appointed the Shyam Benegal committee.
"I don't agree with the recommendations made by the Benegal committee. I feel the 1952 Act was better, it's just that we need a rating system in place," he said.
Nihalani added that before he joined the board, there were charges of corruption, delay in certification and problems in clearing English and dubbed films but he worked towards resolving such issues.
"We made it a broker-free environment. I tried to bring in transparency, I tried my best to make things better. The officers used to work till late at night on Saturday and Sunday as well so that there was no delay in certification," he said.
But that was then. Nihalani is now busy promoting "Julie 2", which he is distributing. The film, directed by Deepak Shivdasani and featuring Raai Laxmi in the lead, is slated to be released on October 6.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Shiv Sena today said if India is forced to provide shelter to Rohingya immigrants under pressure from "vote-hungry" politicians, it would not bode well for Muslims in the country.
The Sena, an ally of the BJP, also questioned the patriotism of those advocating refuge to the community which is fleeing Myanmar.
"Having sympathy for these people for votes is the height of anti-nationalism. Already, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are living here in lakhs.
"If Rohingyas also get added now due to these vote- hungry politicians, it will not be long before what happened in Myanmar happens here as well. And in the process, Indian Muslims will be crushed," the Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
Violent attacks allegedly by Myanmarese armymen have led to an exodus of Rohingyas from the western Rakhine state in that country to India and Bangladesh.
"At present, around 40,000 Rohingyas are living in the country. The Centre has told the Supreme Court that Rohingya Muslims have entered India illegally and are a threat to the nation's security.
"The Centre also believes some of them have links with Pakistan's (spy agency) ISI," the Sena organ said.
"If somebody wants these people to stay and prosper here, do they have any patriotism in their blood? It is because of some selfish Muslim clerics that a common Muslim man is always under suspicion," the Marathi daily added.
The Sena said those backing Rohingya Muslims should explain why they had to flee the neighbouring country.
Two days ago, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the Rohingyas are illegal immigrants and not refugees who have applied for asylum in India.
The Centre told Parliament on August 9 that more than 14,000 Rohingyas, registered with the UNHCR, are at present staying in India. However, aid agencies estimate there are about 40,000 Rohingya Muslims in the country.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Focus is back on Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya resigned as MPs from the parliamentary constituencies on their election to the Legislative Council.
While a confident BJP is claiming that it would not only "retain" but improve its "victory margin" in both the seats, political rivals are eyeing it as an opportunity to upset its apple cart in the state ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The saffron party and its allies had romped home in the 2017 Assembly elections bagging an overwhelming 325 out 403 seats.
According to party insiders, both seats are equally important for the BJP. Gorakhpur has been a party bastion since 1991 while the party made its debut in the Phulpur parliamentary seat--once considered as the pocket borough of the Congress--only in 2014 when Maurya won the seat.
"The party will not only retain both Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats, but also improve its victory margin in the bye-elections which will be held for both the parliamentary constituencies," UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said.
He said through various programmes organised by the party, there was a direct communication with the public.
"People of the state are being informed about the achievements of the central government in past three years, and also about the work done in a short span of six months by the Uttar Pradesh government," Tripathi said.
On the opposition and other rival parties eyeing the bypolls to upset BJP's calculations, he said, "The entire opposition is clueless and scattered. We will win both the parliamentary seats banking on the achievements of the party and the hardwork of our party workers."
Yesterday, while addressing the Samajwadi Party's state convention held here, its national president Akhilesh Yadav said, "Lok Sabha bypolls will be held in Gorakhpur and Phulpur. If results of the elections are in our favour, it will give a message not only for 2019 (Lok Sabha polls), but also for 2022 (assembly polls)."
On the BJP's claims, UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh said, "The wave of change will begin from Gorakhpur itself (in the bypolls). The people have seen the three years' performance of the Centre and six months of the UP government. They want change. We are confident of snatching victory in the Lok Sabha bypolls."
The parliamentary constituency of Phulpur has been represented by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Congress leader Vijay Lakshmi Pandit.
In 2014, Maurya bagged 5,03,564 votes (52.43 per cent of votes polled) to give the BJP its maiden victory in the parliamentary constituency, which was earlier also represented by the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.
Adityanath had started his winning streak in Gorakhpur seat from 1998 and he emerged victorious again in the 2014 elections by securing 5,39,127 votes (51.80 per cent of the votes polled).
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. GENE ANTHONY HARRY ALLEN, Petitioner - Appellant, v. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO; ADAM PAUL LAXALT, The Attorney General for the State of Nevada, Respondents - Appellees. No. 17-1211 Decided: September 22, 2017
Before HOLMES, EBEL, and MORITZ, Circuit Judges.
ORDER DENYING CERTIFICATE OF APPEALABILITY*
Gene Anthony Harry Allen, pro se, seeks a certificate of appealability (COA) to appeal the district court's determination that his 28 U.S.C. 2254 habeas application is an unauthorized second or successive petition over which it lacked jurisdiction. The court denied a COA. It also certified that any appeal would not be taken in good faith and denied Allen permission to proceed in forma pauperis (IFP) on appeal. We deny a COA and dismiss this matter. We also deny the motion to proceed IFP on appeal.
In 1994, Allen was convicted in Colorado state court of third-degree sexual assault. Since that time, he has filed numerous unsuccessful collateral attacks on his conviction in the federal courts. Most recently, he filed the 2254 petition at issue.
The district court concluded that the petition was an unauthorized second or successive 2254 petition over which it lacked jurisdiction. See In re Cline, 531 F.3d 1249, 1251 (10th Cir. 2008) (per curiam) (A district court does not have jurisdiction to address the merits of a second or successive 2254 claim until this court has granted the required authorization.); see also 28 U.S.C. 2244(b)(3)(A) (Before a second or successive [ 2254] application is filed in the district court, the applicant shall move in the appropriate court of appeals for an order authorizing the district court to consider the application.).
To appeal, Allen must obtain a COA. See 28 U.S.C. 2253(c)(1)(A). Where, as here, a district court has dismissed the filing on procedural groundsAllen's failure to obtain authorization from this court to file a second or successive habeas petitionto obtain a COA he must show both that jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the petition states a valid claim of the denial of a constitutional right and that jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the district court was correct in its procedural ruling. Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000). We bypass the constitutional question because we can easily dispose of this matter based on the procedural one. See id. at 485.
Allen's application does not mention, let alone explain any procedural error. Nor does it allege any constitutional violation. As such, we affirm the district court's determination that Allen's petition was an unauthorized second or successive 2254 petition.
Even a party who has been certified as not appealing in good faith under 28 U.S.C. 1915(a)(3), may nonetheless move this court for leave to proceed on appeal in forma pauperis pursuant to the mechanism set forth in [Fed. R. App. P.] 24(a)(5). Rolland v. Primesource Staffing, L.L.C., 497 F.3d 1077, 1079 (10th Cir. 2007). Still, to prevail on his renewed motion, Allen must demonstrate not only a financial inability to pay the required filing fees, but also the existence of a reasoned, nonfrivolous argument on the law and facts in support of the issues raised on appeal. DeBardeleben v. Quinlan, 937 F.2d 502, 505 (10th Cir. 1991); see also Rolland at 1079. Because Allen has failed to meet this test, we deny his motion to proceed IFP on appeal.
We deny a COA and Allen's motion to proceed IFP and dismiss this matter. We deny Allen's second motion for appointment of counsel.
Entered for the Court
ELISABETH A. SHUMAKER, Clerk
Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao today directed the vice chancellor of the University of Mumbai to declare 'expeditiously and on top priority' the results of the 11,981 candidates which were reserved.
Rao, who is chancellor of all public universities in the state, also directed that the revaluation of answer papers in respect of 46,806 requests received by the university be carried out in a timely manner, a spokesperson of the Raj Bhavan said.
"The governor lauded acting Vice Chancellor Prof Devanand Shinde, Pro Vice Chancellor Prof Dhiren Patel and Director, Board of Examination and Evaluation Arjun Ghatule for completing the task of declaration of the results of all 477 examinations," he said.
The governor, accompanied by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Minister of Higher and Technical Education Vinod Tawde, reviewed the progress of declaration of results of the various examinations conducted by the University of Mumbai in summer 2017, at Raj Bhavan today.
During the meeting, they reviewed the preparations made by the university for the conduct of winter examinations, scheduled to be conducted between November 8 and December 20, the spokesperson said.
Rao directed that results of the winter examination should be preferably declared within 30 days and in any case within 45 days, as mandated by the Public Universities Act, he said.
The governor and the chief minister also reviewed the road map for reforms in the exam process, evaluation of answer papers and declaration of results. The academic audit and financial health of the university were also discussed, he said.
Fadnavis said the mistakes in declaration of results of the summer examinations should not be repeated and the invigilators be trained. The Mumbai university is a very prestigious university and every effort should be made to enhance its reputation, he said.
The governor directed the higher and technical education department and the Mumbai university to set up a task force for conducting academic audit of all the affiliated colleges of the university.
Rao asked them to ensure that all affiliated colleges comply with the standards of academic excellence.
While granting any affiliation to a college, an information technology-based frame work shall be used wherein the processes of constituting the local inspection team, conducting the inspection process and recording of the evidence shall be carried out in a fool proof and transparent manner, he said.
The governor took note of the financial condition of the university and directed that a proper appraisal should be carried out by appointing competent agencies and taking necessary corrective steps.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
GST Network (GSTN) has tweaked some of the features on its portal over the past month to make the system more robust and allow glitch-free tax payment facility to nearly 35 lakh assessees, its CEO Prakash Kumar said today.
Of the total 87.33 lakh registered businesses on the GSTN, which manages the IT infrastructure of the new tax regime, 68 lakh were eligible to pay taxes in August.
Of the total registered taxpayers, 24.56 lakh are new registrations, while 62.77 lakh have migrated from the earlier excise, service tax and VAT regime.
Kumar said the portal has handled a humongous load of filing of 1.3 lakh tax returns filing and payment per hour on September 20 -- the last day of filing of August tax returns.
"Nearly 35 lakh people had filed returns till Saturday. We have done some tweaking in our portal and it is evident from the load handled at the time of August return filing," he told PTI.
Kumar said a significant number of returns were filed even after the due date of September 20 for August month.
Till September 20, over 30 lakh returns were filed, and the tally went up to nearly 35 lakh till September 23.
"A lot of businesses file returns even after the end of due date as the (GST) Council has done away with late payment fee. This delayed filing of returns used to happen at the time of VAT payment as well in states," Kumar said.
The ministerial panel under Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi to look into glitches in GST Network will meet on October 4 to assess improvement in functioning of the portal.
The group of ministers will meet just two days before the full GST Council meeting on October 6 and would update the Council on its findings.
GST Network (GSTN) had faced glitches during the GSTR-3B filing for July, which had forced the government to extend the due date for filing of returns.
As many as 49.68 lakh returns in GSTR-3B were filed for July. This compares to 59.6 lakh businesses who are required to file returns. Taxes of over Rs 95,000 crore were collected in the maiden month of roll-out.
The GST Council had earlier this month constituted the group of ministers under Modi, to sort out the issues faced by businesses while filing returns and paying taxes on portal.
After the first meeting of the GoM on September 16, Modi had said that 25 key issues have been identified and there would be visible change on the GSTN portal in next 7-10 days.
(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.)
"Newton" may be his sixth movie to be selected as India's official entry to the Oscars, but veteran theatre-film actor Raghubir Yadav says awards are not his priority and doing good cinema has always been his focus.
In a career spanning over three decades, Yadav has been a part of six films that were sent for the Oscars, including Deepa Mehta's Indo-Canadian film "Water", Kalpana Lajmi- directed "Rudaali", Shekar Kapur's "Bandit Queen" and his latest film "Newton".
Two of his films, Mira Nair's "Salaam Bombay" and Aamir Khan-starrer "Lagaan", made it to the final Oscars nominations.
In an interview with PTI, Yadav says, "I have never thought about or calculated these things as my entire focus is on giving my best as an actor. I don't pay attention on a film going for Oscars, I feel if the film is good then it will get the love and recognition it deserves.
"I do my work with utmost honesty and even the films that I did - 'Salaam Bombay', 'Water', 'Lagaan' and 'Newton' - were made with honesty."
The actor says he is particular about his choice of characters and prefers doing films that he believes will leave an impact on the audience.
"If the film is good then it will go anywhere, be it the Oscars or any other award. When the script is good, one gets an idea that it will do well in every which way, be it commercially or in terms of awards and international recognition. The sensibility of a director matters the most."
The actor says he disagrees with a notion that commercial films are low on content and indie films are always good.
"It is a wrong perception that commercial films cannot be good. They can be good if made with good intent. The films that I acted in and got nominated for Oscars were never made with the intention of making them commercial.
"But at the same time, there are big-budget films that have not done well because the story was not good. For independent cinema too, it is not easy as these films also need to have good story to become a hit."
Directed by Amit Masurkar, "Newton" features Rajkummar Rao in the lead. It also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil and Sanjay Mishra.
The film released on September 22.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In future, if a central ministry plans to bring in a new law, it may have to declare whether its enactment will lead to a spurt in court cases.
The ministries will also have to ensure that the new law or an amendment to an existing Act does not lead to a increase in litigations, a senior government functionary has said quoting a document.
The note has been written by Minister of State for Law P P Chaudhary to his senior minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and the Cabinet Secretariat.
The functionary said proposed bills should also focus on alternative dispute resolution to ensure that disputes arising out of laws are settled out-of-court.
If the government accepts the suggestion, then all future bills placed in Parliament would carry a 'litigation assessment' clause and the ministry concern will have to explain whether it expects litigations once the legislation becomes a law.
"The focus is to ensure that laws do not attract court cases," the functionary explained.
In the last week of July, the department of justice in the law ministry had held a meeting on ways to reduce litigation where government is a party. Chaudhary's note is an outcome of that meeting.
According to the law ministry, out of more than three crore cases pending in various courts of the country, 46 per cent involve government departments or government bodies.
Last October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had termed the government as the "biggest litigant", saying there was a need to lessen the load on the judiciary which spent its maximum time in tackling cases where the government was a party.
Addressing the golden jubilee celebrations of the Delhi High Court, the prime minister had said the load on the judiciary could be reduced if cases were filed after taking a considered view.
He had said if a teacher approached a court over a service matter and won, then the judgement should be used as a yardstick to extend the benefit to thousands of others to reduce litigation at a later stage.
India today launched a campaign to woo Egyptian travellers and make them aware of magnificent holiday options in the country.
The month-long "Incredible India!" campaign has been organised by the Embassy of India in Cairo, in coordination with the India Tourism Office in Dubai, the Cairo Governorate, and the Cairo Public Transport Authority.
It was flagged off jointly by India's Ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya, Governor of Cairo Governorate Eng Atef Abdel Hamid and officials from Cairo Transport Authority.
As a part of the campaign, 12 buses of transport authority will showcase various tourist destinations in India, including culture, festivals, monuments, landscape, wildlife, people and food.
Each bus is uniquely exhibiting two tourist themes of India. The campaign will run on five routes in East, Middle, North, South and Giza parts of Cairo Metropolitan area.
"We invite more and more Egyptian tourists to visit India, even as we support the growth in Indian tourists to Egypt.
"India has variety of experiences ranging from historical sites to natural beauty, beaches to mountains, adventure to cultural events, yoga to medical tourism, wedding destinations to Bollywood tours, and many more," Bhattacharyya said while inaugurated the event at Cairo citadel.
This campaign also aims to connect tour operators of both the countries.
"We have launched this campaign so that people around the city can see different part of India and its tourist's delight. We are very keen to have greater tourism exchanges between India and Egypt," Bhattacharyya told PTI.
Tomorrow, the Indian Embassy, in association with India Tourism Office in Dubai, will organise "Incredible India Road Show" at Hotel Semiramis Intercontinental.
Tour operators from Indian and Egypt, officials from Egyptian Tourism department will attend the event.
The Embassy of India had previously launched "Incredible India" and "Make in India" campaigns at the metro in April where posters showing glimpses of India culture were displayed on the metro.
Earlier in April, a two-month-long campaign was launched in Cairo metro.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After days of relative peace, fresh incidents of violence today rocked Darjeeling hills, where the ongoing shutdown by the GJM for a separate state of Gorkhaland entered its 102nd day.
A vehicle on way to Lebong area was set ablaze by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) activists and the driver was brutally beaten up for violating the shutdown in the hills.
"The driver was going to Darjeeling town from Lebong, he was stopped by masked GJM activists. He was brutally beaten up and his car was set on fire," a senior police officer said.
Police and security personnel have made special security arrangements in the hills and are maintaining a tight vigil to avoid any untoward incident.
Several shops and markets in the hills today remained open braving threats and intimidation by the GJM activists.
However, several shops, which opened yesterday in Mirik and Kurseong, remained closed fearing backlash from the GJM supporters.
For the 13th day in a row, police along with the administration, appealed to the locals over public address systems to open shops and restore normalcy in the hills.
Peace rallies were taken out by residents at Kurseong, Darjeeling and Mirik, while the GJM supporters took out rallies in support of a separate Gorkhaland state and the ongoing shutdown in sections of Darjeeling, Sonada and Kalimpong, the police said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had urged the agitators in Darjeeling to withdraw their strike and restore normalcy.
Internet services remained suspended in the hills since June 18.
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A 59-year-old Indian woman and a Bolivian national were arrested today for their alleged involvement in drug smuggling, the police said.
Acting on a tip off, the police arrested Indian national, Qamar Jahan when Bolivian national, Adhemar Anezlopez was handing over her a suitcase with 2.7 kg of cocaine in a hotel room in Thamel, according to the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Circle.
Jahan had arrived at Kathmandu on a flight from New Delhi.
The police has started further investigation into the case.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After a 14-month ordeal in Saudi Arabia, where she was forced to work as a "slave" in a household, 42-year-old Jacintha Mendonca has returned home.
Jacintha, a victim of human trafficking, was duped by a Mumbai-based recruiting agency which had promised to get her a well-paying job in Qatar.
She was first taken to Dubai from where she was flown to Saudi Arabia without her knowledge and made to work in a household at Yanbu, where she had been virtually "enslaved" for the last 14 months.
Talking to reporters at A V Baliga hospital at Udupi yesterday, Jacintha narrated her harrowing experience.
"I had a hellish experience in Yanbu...I was made to work day in and day out at three mansions belonging to the employer's mother, his three wives and their children...I was tortured like an animal," she alleged, adding the children called her 'gaddama' (slave).
Jacintha further alleged that she was confined to the house and not allowed to venture outside.
She tried to escape in November last year, but was caught by the police who sent her back to the employer.
The escape bid brought more hardship as she was badly beaten up and her head banged against the wall. Her employers did not even give her water when she pleaded with them.
Jacintha is finally back home now, thanks to the efforts of Human Rights Protection Foundation of Udupi, who contacted the head of the NRI Forum Rodrigues in Saudi Arabia in April this year.
She could reunite with her family in Mundrangady in Udupi district, on September 22.
Jacintha now wants the authorities to take action against those who cheated her and vows that she would never go back to the Gulf again.
Ravindra Shanbagh of Udupi Human Rights Foundation said they could locate the employer in Saudi Arabia only after a series of attempts.
The efforts of the NRI Forum in Saudi Arabia succeeded in getting Jacintha back home on September 22 through lawful measures, he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. MICHAEL ALEXANDER RIVERA, Plaintiff - Appellant, v. INFERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, County of Los Angeles, Alhambra Courthouse et al, Defendant - Appellee. No. 17-6343 Decided: September 22, 2017
Before SHEDD, DIAZ, and THACKER, Circuit Judges. Michael Alexander Rivera, Appellant Pro Se.
Michael Alexander Rivera appeals the district court's order dismissing his complaint. The district court referred this case to a magistrate judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 636(b)(1)(B) (2012). The magistrate judge recommended that the district court dismiss Rivera's complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and advised Rivera that failure to file timely, specific objections to this recommendation could waive appellate review of a district court order based upon the recommendation.
The timely filing of specific objections to a magistrate judge's recommendation is necessary to preserve appellate review of the substance of that recommendation when the parties have been warned of the consequences of noncompliance. Wright v. Collins, 766 F.2d 841, 84546 (4th Cir. 1985); see also Thomas v. Arn, 474 U.S. 140 (1985). Rivera failed to file objections after receiving proper notice.* Accordingly, we affirm the district court's order and deny Rivera's motions for transcript at government expense and for appointment of a process server. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.
AFFIRMED
FOOTNOTES
. Although Rivera submitted two filings within the designated time period, none of the pleadings challenged the basis for the magistrate judge's recommendation. See United States v. Midgette, 478 F.3d 616, 622 (4th Cir. 2007) ([T]o preserve for appeal an issue in a magistrate judge's report, a party must object to the finding or recommendation on that issue with sufficient specificity so as reasonably to alert the district court of the true ground for the objection.).
PER CURIAM:
Pakistani authorities were left embarrassed today when a flag similar to the one used by Islamic State militants and with a message in support of Caliphate was put up on a busy road here.
Authorities took action after a citizen informed police on its emergency number that a black flag used by the dreaded militant outfit was waving on a pedestrian bridge on the Islamabad Express road.
Police later removed the trademark flag with inscribed message - 'Khilafat is coming'.
Interior minister Ahsan Iqbal took notice and asked Islamabad's Inspector General of Police to probe the matter and file a report.
However, Sattar Shah, Station House Officer of Khanna police station, said the police have not found any clue about who was responsible for putting up the flag.
Pakistan has repeatedly denied any organised presence of Islamic State (ISIS) in the country, but acknowledge that there might be some sympathisers in the country.
Army has already launched Operation Raddul Fassad to eliminate the supporters of the militants.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With eye on the 2019 general elections, the JD(U) will be taking several measures to strengthen its organisational structure including appointment of booth-level agents in all the 40 Lok Sabha seats of Bihar, a top leader of the party said today.
"We will be holding meetings in blocks, districts and state levels besides holding meetings/conferences in all the districts...Elections (Lok Sabha) will be held after the next year (2019) and naturally, any political party will work hard to strengthen its organisational structure right up to the booth-level," leader in Rajya Sabha and JD(U) national general secretary R C P Singh told reporters here.
"We will strengthen our organisation on all the 40 Lok Sabha seats (in Bihar)," Singh said adding, the party intends to appoint booth-level agents within two months in all the Lok Sabha seats.
Singh, who was accompanied by Bihar JD(U) chief Bashishtha Narayan Singh and minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, among others, was briefing mediapersons after the meeting of state executive committee which was held on CM's official residence at 1, Anne Marg here.
Singh said that the party has been constantly holding its meetings right from block to district to state levels in the past one year and it will continue to do so in the coming months in a more disciplined manner.
The state executive committee meeting was attended by the party's national president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Ministers of JD(U) quota in Bihar government, MPs, MLAs and other prominent leaders of the state.
It may be noted that the BJP, which recently re-aligned with JD(U) after the latter snapped ties with RJD, is also leaving no stone unturned in preparing to manage all the booths of the Lok Sabha seats.
Bihar BJP's core committee members met party chief Amit Shah, who is scheduled to visit Bihar in November, on September 14 in Delhi where the party leaders were told to have members on all the booths of the Lok Sabha seats.
The BJP-led NDA, comprising LJP, RLSP and HAM(S)- had won 31 of the 40 seats in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
On the RJD's campaign on NGO Srijan scam, Singh said that it was unfortunate and riduculous to see that a person, who has been convicted in a corruption case, is talking on corruption. He (Lalu) should rather prepare himself for appearance in the court, Singh added.
State unit chief Bashishtha Narayan Singh said that the party workers would, apart from development activities, take CM Nitish Kumar's message on abolition of child marriage and dowry to panchayat and village level and help in creating awareness on the abolition of social evils.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) today staged a protest here demanding adequate compensation for the families displaced by the frequent shelling and firing by Pakistani forces.
JKNPPP chairman Harsh Dev Singh accused the Centre and the state government for "failing to fulfil" promises made to the families living in villages surrounding the border.
"Several of our teams visited border villages to take stock of the situation following unabated ceasefire violations by Pakistan and found the displaced people living in miserable conditions.
"Both the governments are watching their plight as mute spectators and doing nothing on the ground to mitigate their sufferings," Singh told reporters.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Margot Robbie said she wants a fiery end to the quirky relationship between Joker and her "Suicide Squad" character Harley Quinn in the forthcoming spin-off.
The 27-year-old actor, who will reprise her role along with on-screen lover Jared Leto in a movie soon, said the love story of the two villains deserves nothing less than an explosive climax, reported BANG Showbiz.
"Their love story has to end in flames! It has to, it just wouldn't be right," Robbie said.
The actor had previously said that she hopes the spin-off would be a "love story" and suggested it would be interesting to watch Joker and Quinn die for each other.
"I'm personally a sucker for a love story. In any iteration. I think people enjoy seeing two characters who, in Harley and Joker's case, would die for one another. It's kind of romantic in a messed up way," she said.
The film will be directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Reality TV star Kylie Jenner's mother Kris Jenner is being tight-lipped about her youngest daughter's pregnancy.
A source close to the People magazine had confirmed that the 20-year-old business mogul is due in February with her first child with rapper Travis Scott.
But speaking at Milan Fashion Week's The Cut, Kris, 61, neither confirmed nor denied the .
"She's not confirmed anything. I think it's kind of wild that everyone is just assuming that that's just happening," she said.
The insider had said that the family has known about Jenner's pregnancy for some time.
Another source told the magazine said that Kris was "shocked" about the but she wants what is best for her daughter.
Jenner has been dating Scott since earlier this year after splitting from her on-again, off-again boyfriend Tyga in April.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ahead of Gandhi Jayanti, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has handed over a 'wooden charkha' to India's High Commission in Kampala in Uganda as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi's significant work in Africa.
This would be first 'charkha' (spinning wheel) to be installed on foreign soil under the aegis of KVIC.
KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena and Chief Executive Officer B H Anil Kumar handed over the 'charkha' to the high commission representative.
The 'charkha', which weighs around 25 kilograms with the acrylic box packing, is made of high-quality teak wood and 3.6 feet long, 1 foot 11 inch tall and 1.5 feet wide.
The KVIC chairman said that it was a proud moment for the commission and the country as it would not only cement a long-lasting relationship with a continent that had shaped Gandhiji's career but also immortalise and spread his legacy in Africa and beyond.
"By putting up this 'charkha' in Uganda, we will commemorate a great man, who worked hard to spread a message of peace, non-violence and self-reliance in the world," he said.
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Giriraj Singh also hailed the KVIC's decision to provide this 'charkha' for Gandhi Jayanti celebrations in Uganda on October 2.
The KVIC had recently installed a high-quality stainless- steel climate-resistant 'charkha' at Connaught Place in New Delhi.
Earlier, the KVIC had installed a four-ton world's largest Charkha (30 feet long, 17 feet tall and 9 feet wide), made of high-quality Burma teak wood at Terminal 3 of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The prospect of rabi (winter) crops in Karnataka has brightened because of late south-west monsoon, which will help the state recover likely foodgrain output losses in the kharif season, a state official said.
Kharif (summer) crops, which will be harvested from the next month onwards, have been hit badly in the southern state due to poor rains during crucial sowing months of June-July. This is expected to bring down overall kharif output by 25 per cent.
"The kharif season has not been that good, but rabi prospects are bright. Late rains in the last last few days have improved soil moisture and will encourage sowing of rabi (winter) crops," Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre Director G S Srinivasa Reddy told PTI.
Sowing of rabi crops will begin from the end of this month and the state has kept a target of covering 37 lakh hectares, he said.
Reddy further said: "We are expecting good rains during the withdrawal phase of the south-west monsoon. We will be able to achieve the target."
The shortfall in the kharif output, especially in paddy, will be recovered during the rabi season, he claimed.
During the rabi season in the state, maximum of Bengal gram is sown in around 10-12 lakh hectares, followed by jowar, wheat and sunflower seeds.
Water levels in most reservoirs have improved, thanks to the last leg of the south-west monsoon, which is nearing its withdrawal.
As per state official data, foodgrain ouput during the kharif season of 2017-18 is estimated to decline by 25 per cent to 75 lakh tonnes, from 98.27 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period. Much of the estimated decline is in paddy and pulses.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today that the US would not carry out a strike on North Korea because it knows Pyongyang has nuclear bombs.
"The Americans won't carry out a strike on (North) Korea because it's not that they suspect, they know for sure that it has nuclear bombs," Lavrov said in an interview with Russia's NTV television aired today.
"I'm not defending North Korea, I'm just saying that almost everyone agrees with such an analysis," the Russian diplomat said.
North Korea this month carried out an underground test on a hydrogen bomb estimated to be 16 times the size of the US bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945. It was its sixth and largest nuclear test.
Lavrov said the crisis can only be resolved with a softer approach.
"Only with caresses, suggestion and persuasion," Lavrov said, when asked how.
He warned that if US did not take the same approach, "we could drop into a very unpredictable nosedive and tens if not hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens of South Korea but also North Korea, of course, and Japan will suffer -- and Russia and China are nearby."
The interview aired after President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was "deeply concerned" at the escalation of tensions.
Peskov also criticised what he called "an exchange of rather rude statements replete with threats."
Lavrov at the United Nations on Friday described the rhetoric between leaders of the US and North Korea as a "kindergarten fight between children" and urged calm.
In his first address to the world gathering on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump threatened to "totally destroy North Korea."
North Korean leader Kim Yong-un shot back at Trump, warning he would "pay dearly" for his threat.
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Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Agarwal today directed officials of the district education department to make arrangements for providing education to the children of labourers who come to work in grain markets during paddy procurement season.
Labourers, along with their family, come to grain markets here from various states and nearby districts during this season. During their stay here their children's studies get affected, he said.
Agarwal said the district administration would try to ensure that their studies do not suffer.
"Education officials have been told to depute volunteer teachers to teach the children. They will look for safe places nearby to teach them," he said, adding more emphasis would be given on teaching English and Maths.
Paddy procurement in Punjab will start from next month.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thousands of madrassas in Pakistan preaching Saudi brand of Islam produce "ruthless militants in hundreds", the Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP) has said.
In a message to the two-day South Asian Regional Seminar of Communist and Left parties held here, the Central Committee of the CPP said that long-term tactics were designed by the military in Pakistan to tear the social fabric of the society.
M A Baby, a member the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), circulated a copy of the CPP's message at a press conference on the concluding day of the seminar today.
The CPP, founded in Calcutta in 1948, has a marginal presence in Pakistan.
Baby said CPP representatives could not attend the conference as they were denied visa by the Indian authorities.
The CPI(M) organised the seminar to mark the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution in Russia.
The CPP said that during periods of military rule in Pakistan, the party was banned and hundreds of its leaders activists were jailed. Many of them disappeared, it said.
Even under these circumstances, the CPP continued its struggle for the basic rights of the masses.
It said the Pakistani military, soon after imposing martial law in the country in 1980, established some 60,000 madrassas which started preaching the Saudi brand of Islam.
"To glamourise jihadi culture, special recruitments were made in universities, schools and colleges. Areas adjacent to the Afghan border were surrendered to jihadi outfits," it said.
"Textbooks were revised and fanatic sectarian articles were included in the curriculum. Democracy and secularism were synonyms for curse," it said.
The party alleged that the same pattern was being followed by the "establishment" in Pakistan even today.
"Madrassas are producing ruthless militants in hundreds. ...Students from public educational institutions are encouraged to join the ranks of militants," it said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delegates to the Second Belt and Road International Expo acknowledged that culture is a bridge to people-to-people exchanges.[Photo/people.cn]
The Second Silk Road International Cultural Expo opened on September 20, 2017 in Dunhuang, Gansu province in northwestern China on the theme, "Promoting cultural exchange and cooperation, creating a better future."
Some 124 delegates from 51 countries and three international and regional organizations took part in the one-day fair, showcasing their outstanding cultural achievements and discussing exchange and cooperation plans.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Chinese Minister of Culture, Luo Shugang, said the first edition last September recorded a number of achievements. These include coming out with the Dunhuang Declaration, reaching consensus on cultural exchanges and cooperation, signing cooperation framework agreements, while economic and trade activities were carried out.
"Two thousand years ago, our ancestors blazed the trails, sailed across the ocean and finally opened up the Silk Road spanning Asia and Europe connecting land and sea. Its profound historical and cultural connotations not only provide nourishment for the Chinese civilization, but also inject vitality into rich and diverse world civilizations," Luo Shugang recalled.
"In today's world where peace, cooperation and development remain the theme, . the Silk Road shows us that we can learn from each other and seek mutual improvements through dialogue and communication of different civilizations and development patterns," he added.
Without the encouragement of your father the world is a dismal place. It is difficult to be a courageous person unless you have your father behind you in body and spirit. It is very demoralizing. If your father rejects you, or doesnt form a relationship with you, its as if the spirit of civilization has left you outside the walls as of little worth. It is very difficult for people to recover from that.
Query: What becomes of a society that mocks and despises fatherhood? A society that creates cohorts of tens of millions of people over several generations without fathers? These generations have been cut off from their history, from any continuity. Of course they hate America. Of course they hate Western civilization. They have been left outside the walls. They are not part of it. They want to destroy the thing that has excluded them.
It all makes sense.
A Maoist leader allegedly involved in spreading naxal activities in south Gujarat was arrested by the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) from Hyderabad in Telangana, said officials.
Sriramula Srinivas alias Sudarshan, aged around 60 year, was absconding after he was booked by the Surat district police in 2010 for allegedly inciting tribals and religious minorities of Surat, southern Gujarat and northern Maharashtra to wage war against the government, said a release by the ATS.
Based on a specific tip off, a team of Gujarat ATS nabbed Srinivas from Hyderabad yesterday and brought him here today. He will be handed over to Surat-Rural police for further action, said the release.
Srinivas, a native of Nalgonda, is facing charges under IPC section 121 (waging war against the government), 124 (sedition), 153-A (promoting enmity between different communities) under various other sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act(UAPA), said the release.
According to ATS, Srinivas once served as the underground operative of banned naxalite outfit CPI-Maoist to build an armed naxal cadre in Surat and adjoined areas by floating various fronts, such as Navjavan Bharat Sabha and Majdoor Vikas Manch.
Srinivas was arrested by Andhra Pradesh police in 2007 in connection with his alleged involvement in the assassination bid on then chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in 2003 at Alipiri in Andhra Pradesh.
However, Srinivas was released from jail in exchange of the release of an abducted district collector from Odisha in 2011.
He was also accused of collecting funds for Maoist operations through extortion, said the release.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Defence Secretary James Mattis will seek to take the India-US defence ties to the next level during his visit to India this week, with discussion on F-16s and the security situation in the region likely to dominate the agenda.
Firmly of the view that a stronger India both in terms of military and economy is in America's national interest, Mattis would meet his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman, National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval and also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This is the first Cabinet-level visit to India under the Trump administration.
Informed sources familiar with the preparations of the visit told PTI that the trip would be used to develop new institutional mechanisms to elevate the status of India-US defense relationship, showcase enhanced strategic co-operation in Afghanistan and strengthen maritime security and rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region.
While no specific defence trade deal is likely to be announced during Mattis India visit on September 26-27, sources said there would be discussions on two specific proposals of F-16 and F-18A under Modi's Make in India campaign, along with efforts to identify new projects under the ambitious Defence Technology and Trade Initiatives (DTTI).
The Trump administration wants to sell F-18 and F-16 fighter planes to India, built by American companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin respectively. Both companies have offered to assemble these planes in India.
Ahead of his visit, Mattis met Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna at the Pentagon.
And in a rarest of the rare gesture, Mattis came down to the River side entrance of the Pentagon to receive Sarna.
The Indian envoy said meeting was "very positive and cordial."
And after the meeting, the Defense Secretary came down to see him off.
This is also the first follow up visit by a US cabinet official after Modi's June trip to the US. During the visit, the two countries are expected to review the defence and strategic decisions taken by Modi and US President Donald Trump in June.
During his India visit, Mattis is likely to talk with Sitharaman and other Indian leaders on the new Afghan strategy and the Indo-Pacific region.
Trump while announcing his new Afghan policy had asked India to do more to help Afghanistan with its developmental needs.
According to officials, Mattis is interested in accelerating the pace of India-US defence co-operation and making it an effective tool in achieving the goal of peace and stability in the entire region ranging from South Asia to Indo-Pacific region.
Mattis, it is learnt, is taking along with him some of his own ideas in this regard, which he would like to discuss with the Indian leadership and get their feedback.
And to take the relationship to the next level, including more exercise and sale of high-tech defence equipment, the Pentagon instead of the foundational agreements is now looking for some India specific documentation that would provide institutional mechanisms, address India's concerns and meet the Congressional-mandated legislative requirements in this regard.
This could be seen as a major climbdown, as India had been resisting from signing any foundational agreements for the past several years because of sovereignty concerns.
In his interaction with the Indian leaders, Mattis is also expected to discuss how to advance and Major Defense Partnership, a designation given to India by the previous Obama Administration which has been continued by the Trump Administration.
Mattis' India visit comes in less than a week after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had her first bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
Muhajirs from Pakistan held a peaceful demonstration in front of the UN headquarters here against the alleged human rights violations in the country.
Displaying placards and banners calling the Pakistan Army generals "war criminals", the protesters shouted anti-Pakistan slogans.
The protest was organised by the US wing of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). The protestors claimed that thousands of innocent people of their community have been killed in Pakistan over the last three decades and several thousands have been held under illegal captivity without a trial.
Joining the protestors from London over phone, MQM leader Altaf Hussain urged the UN secretary general to come forward and help Muhajirs and Balochs who are suffering in Pakistan.
MQM mainly represents Urdu speaking ethnic Muhajirs, who migrated to Pakistan from India during 1947's partition.
The MQM emerged as a largely ethnic party in the 1980s. It has political dominance in the southern Sindh province's urban areas - notably in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur where a large number of urdu-speaking people reside.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today hoped that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's address at the UN will spur the world body to agree on the definition of terrorism.
In her address to the 72nd UN General Assembly session, Swaraj had said, "If we cannot agree to define our enemy, how can we fight together? If we continue to differentiate between good terrorists and bad terrorists, how can we fight together?If even the United Nations Security Council cannot agree on the listing of terrorists, how can we fight together?"
Naidu congratulated Swaraj for presenting India's stand well at the UN General Assembly.
"Hope her speech will spur UN to agree upon a definition of terrorism at the earliest," he tweeted.
Naidu said the minister effectively presented India's "vision and mission for peace and progress at UNGA vis-a-vis Mission Terror.
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Industry body Nasscom is expecting the $150-billion Indian to deliver a strong performance next fiscal on revival in tech spends of the financial sector and demand growth from the US clients.
"There are reasons to be optimistic about the year ahead (2018-19). We continue to see that there are green shoots... The demand side prognosis looks positive," Nasscom President R Chandrasekhar told PTI.
Elaborating on the positive cues, Chandrasekhar said he expects a revival of financial sector investments (into technology) and a greater hardening of demand in the US.
"There is also a lot of re-strategising by the Indian companies as well," Chandrasekhar pointed out.
He added that companies are also focusing on re-skilling employees on new digital technologies to drive growth.
"All of this should take full shape in the next few months... All of this would translate into more positive outcome in 2019," he said.
He also exuded confidence that the industry would be able to meet this year's growth target.
Outlining the industry's annual guidance in June this year, Nasscom had said the Indian IT export would grow by 7-8 per cent this fiscal, the same as the previous year, while the domestic infotech industry would expand at 10-11 per cent during the period.
A number of issues like stricter work visa regulations in key markets like the US and the UK and an uncertain business environment have been main concerns for the industry.
Chandrasekhar said the industry should not be worried about protectionism as the number of visas issued has not changed.
"The cap of 65,000 remains, there is no change in that. The dependence on visas (for Indian companies) has, however, come down. It is the tech and business trends that are far more important (to focus on)...automation for example," he said.
Chandrasekhar said that member companies are making investments in skilling their workforce in new areas like artificial intelligence and machine learning to ensure that revenues grow along with increase in efficiency.
The industry body is working with its member companies and the central and state governments to also set up centres of excellence (COEs).
"These CoEs are a platform to connect companies in these emerging areas, especially in terms of finding mentors. They are also zones of collaboration where teams can work together," he said.
Nasscom has already set up a centre focusing on Internet of Things or IoT in Bengaluru. The government has now approved an extension of that to three more centres in Gurugram, Ahmedabad and Visakhapatnam, he said.
"That extension is underway...and we are trying to systematically look at various applications of IoT in different areas, be in manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, energy amongst others. Each of these centres will focus on certain domains," he added.
Put simply, the Internet of things (IoT) refers to a network of connected devices, automobiles, consumer appliances and various gadgets with sensors that allow these machines to collect and exchange information.
Iran's test launch of new medium-range missile calls into question a landmark nuclear deal with the United States and other world powers, President Donald Trump has said, while also accusing the Islamic Republic of colluding with North Korea.
President Trump accusing Iran of having ties with North Korea, tweeted yesterday:
Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel.They are also working with North Korea.Not much of an agreement we have! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
The nose cone of the missile has a range of 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometres) and can carry multiple warheads.
The test comes at the end of a heated week of diplomacy at the UN General Assembly in New York, where Trump again accused Iran of destabilizing the West Asia, calling it a "rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos."
Previous Iranian missile launches have triggered US sanctions and accusations that they violate the spirit of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.
The US president has threatened to declare Iran to be in breach of the 2015 deal unless it is expanded to punish Iran for pursuing a ballistic missile program and for sponsoring foreign militant groups.
On October 15, Trump is due to tell the US Congress whether he is ready to recertify Iran's compliance with the 2015 deal. If he refuses to do so, it could open the door to renewed US sanctions and the collapse of the deal.
Opposition parties led by the DMK today pressed for a CBI probe into the death of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, citing a state minister's recent remarks that AIADMK leaders "lied" about Jayalalithaa's health during her hospitalisation last year.
The opposition called for "unravelling the mystery" behind the death of the AIADMK supremo, who passed away on December 5 last after 75 days of hospitalisation.
Forest Minister Dindigul C Srinivasan, whose comments about the "lies" have drawn flak from the opposition, sought to make light of Stalin's demand by stating "it was not new for him to seek such a probe".
Addressing a public meeting in Madurai on September 22, Srinivasan had claimed that party leaders had "lied" about Jayalalithaa's health, fearing her aide V K Sasikala, and sought the pardon of the public.
"No one was allowed to meet the late chief minister. Whoever came, would be briefed by Sasikala's relatives that she was all right," he had said.
"We were afraid of Sasikala at that time and lied about Jayalalithaa's health condition," he had claimed.
As the opposition latched onto his statement, the Tamil Nadu minister said they (AIADMK leaders) conveyed to the outside world whatever was told to them by Sasikala.
"Sasikala and her family would tell us she (Jayalalithaa) ate idly, had coffee, was given sweets, did that and this... we told what she (Sasikala) said," he said.
Speaking to reporters at his native Dindigul, Srinivasan said, "I do not care even if a CBI inquiry is ordered".
The minister also urged sidelined AIADMK leader and Sasikala's nephew T T V Dhinakaran to release "video proof" of the treatment given to Jayalalithaa as being claimed by him.
The enquiry commission ordered by Chief Minister K Palaniswami in the matter would soon start its probe, and Dhinakaran would have to submit whatever proof he had in his possession on the matter before the commission, he said.
DMK working president M K Stalin stated that it was also the "responsibility of the Centre" to get to the bottom of the "mystery".
"Since the central government had assisted in the treatment of Jayalalithaa, it has a responsibility to unravel the mystery surrounding her death. Therefore, using its authority, it should immediately order a CBI probe into the matter," he said.
The DMK leader said he was making the plea in his capacity as the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly.
He also questioned the veracity of Jayalalithaa's signature on a statement made in her name during her hospitalisation seeking support for AIADMK candidates in the bypolls to three state Assembly seats last year.
He said her thumb impression was found in a set of poll-related documents of AIADMK candidates for the elections to Aravakurichi, Thanjavur and Thiruparankundram Assembly constituencies.
Referring to Srinivasan's admission, Stalin said a "question arises" on how an advice was given by Jayalalithaa to re-allocate the portfolios held by her to then finance minister O Panneerselvam in October last.
Stalin recalled that the ruling AIADMK leaders had criticised his father and DMK president M Karunanidhi when he had demanded the release of pictures of Jayalalithaa undergoing treatment and related details since she was the chief minister.
"The AIADMK party members are now demanding the release of not just photographs, but also videos," he said referring to the face-off between Dhinakaran and the unified AIADMK over the matter.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Su Thirunavukkarasar demanded to know who took care of Jayalalithaa when she was in hospital.
"Who really took care of the chief minister? Is it just the hospital management.... did the prime minister enquire about her health? Why did not he visit her?" he asked.
A host of personalities including BJP president Amit Shah, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had visited the Apollo Hospitals, where Jayalalithaa was admitted on September 22, 2016.
BJP state unit president Tamilisai Soundarrajan said the people "always had a doubt" over the leader's death and demanded an "honest probe".
CPI(M) state secretary G Ramakrishnan asked what steps did the central and state intelligence agencies take for the late chief minister's security while being hospitalised.
"On whose instructions was the security cover provided to her removed during hospitalisation?" he asked.
Ramakrishnan called for a court-monitored probe into the treatment and subsequent death of Jayalalithaa.
The PMK also demanded a probe into her death, especially in the light of Srinivasan's remarks.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Over one lakh pilgrims visited the famous shrine of Vaishno Devi during the first three days of nine-day Navratra festival in the Katra town of Reasi district.
Located 42 kilometres from the winter capital, Jammu, along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, Katra--base camp for the pilgrims--was decked up to welcome devotees from across the country and abroad.
"During the past three days, over one lakh pilgrims have visited the shrine after trekking 12 km from the base camp.
"Over 41,000 devotees offered their prayers on the first very first day of Navratra," In-charge yatra registration centre, Mahesh Singh Jamwal told PTI.
The footfall had dipped to only 27,500 on Friday, a day after a grenade attack in Tral township of south Kashmir that left two civilians dead and 30 others injured, he said.
However, the count picked up on Saturday.
"Saturday again witnessed a heavy rush of pilgrims with over 40,000 making it to the cave shrine," Jamwal added.
According to Minister of State (MoS)for Finance Ajay Nanda, terror strikes and natural disasters have made a dent in the number of pilgrims visiting the holy shrine in the past couple of years.
"There is a decline of 15 to 20 per cent in the numbers over the past couple of years. Frequent terror strikes and 2014 disaster (floods) are among the many factors," senior BJP leader and MoS Finance Ajay Nanda said.
And though the locals agreed on the low footfall, they beg to differ with the minster on the reason as they blamed "demonetisation" and "GST", and not terrorism.
"Initially the demonetisation preoccupied the public and later GST.
"Terror attacks had no impact on the arrival of the devotees as the people are fully aware that it is safe to visit the shrine, which is located in a militancy-free zone," Kamal Sharma, a businessman, said.
He said that terror attacks had occurred earlier as well but the number of pilgrims were always increasing.
Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department along with local administration, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), Non-governmental organisations and other private players including hoteliers have joined hands to make the festival a memorable one for the visitors.
To woo more visitors, an All India Devotional Song Competition and cultural programmes with varied themes based on local lifestyles and traditions are also organised during the auspicious festival.
"The tourism department has introduced 'Mata ki Kahani' (Mata's story) and a special package of 'Sampoorna Manokamna' yatra facilitating visits to nine deities," MoS for tourism Priya Sethi said.
Also, performance of Ram Leela, which was ended 25 years ago, was restarted to a positive response this time.
The festival is scheduled to end on September 29.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Union rural development ministry has provided skill training to over five lakh rural youths under its flagship skilling and placement initiative -- Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana, according to an official statement.
The ministry organised an event, 'Bharat ke Kaushalzaade, to honour beneficiaries of the scheme today.
It was inaugurated by Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
"If India had adopted the skilling mission soon after it got Independence, the problem of unemployment would not have acquired such a dimension as it is today," the statement quoted Tomar as saying.
The event was organised to mark the third anniversary of the scheme, which focusses on building capacity of rural youths to address the needs of domestic and global skills requirements.
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana offers industry relevant skill training to candidates. The ministry also works closely with industry and leading corporates to strengthen the post-training employment scenario for its trainees.
The ministry has been conducting skilling for self- employment through Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETI) with a total of 14.09 lakh candidates skilled and 9.70 lakh candidates settled till date, the statement added.
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In a major goof-up, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi on Sunday flashed a picture of an injured Gaza girl with no connection to India while alleging she was a victim of pellet guns in Kashmir.
Exercising her right to reply hours after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj blasted Pakistan for its support to terrorism, Lodhi, on the floor of the UN General Assembly, held up a photograph of a woman whose face was peppered with alleged pellet gun wounds.
"This is the face of Indian democracy," Lodhi claimed.
The picture of 17-year-old Rawya abu Joma'a of Gaza, an alleged victim of an Israeli attack was actually taken by award-winning American photo journalist Heidi Levine in July, 2014.
The picture is available on multiple news websites.
"Rawya abu Joma'a, 17, at the Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Rawya was wounded when two Israeli air strikes hit her family's apartment. Three of her cousins and her sister were killed in the strike," says the caption of the photo on the website of the UK's Guardian newspaper.
Quite evidently, the picture has no connection with Kashmir.
Lodhi, who is quite active on social media, including on Twitter, was silent after it emerged that she posed a fake picture during her right of reply at the UN General Assembly.
The Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN also did not immediately respond to a PTI query on Lodhi's apparent use of such a picture.
The Jammu and Kashmir government today assured the displaced people along the international border of all necessary help and asked the administration and police to immediately respond at times of border shelling.
The assurance was given to the border residents by Industries and Commerce minister Chander Prakash Ganga who visited the villages shelled by Pakistani forces along the international border in Samba district, an official spokesman said.
While interacting with the affected families, the minister assured them all necessary help from the government and directed the civil administration and police to be vigilant in the vulnerable areas and immediately respond at times of border shelling.
A high-level team of district administration led by Deputy Commissioner, Shetal Nanda accompanied the minister.
The minister took a detailed review of the situation and preparedness of the administration to deal with the emergency situation including arrangements for rescue, relief and providing prompt healthcare in case of injury, the spokesman said.
He said Ganga visited the border villages of Mahal Shahan, Ramloo and Ramgarh of Vijaypur constituency to take stock of the situation in the backdrop of repeated ceasefire violations and shelling from across the border.
He also interacted with displaced border residents putting up at a reliefcamp established in Radha Swami Sat Sang ghar Thandi Khui, the spokesman said.
The minister also directed concerned officers to remain present in their respective jurisdictions to deal with any emergency situation.
He directed the local administration to remain prepared for prompt action in case of any exigency, the spokesman said.
Ganga also advised the villagers to stay indoors and shift to safer places during cross border shelling.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan today summoned India's acting Deputy High Commissioner here over alleged "ceasefire violations" by Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC).
Pakistan claimed that a 22-year-old girl was killed due to the alleged firing by the Indian troops and two others were injured.
Pakistan Foreign Office alleged that India committed "unprovoked ceasefire violations" in Kotli and Nikial Sub- Sector on September 22.
"The deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws," the Foreign Office said.
Pakistan urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, and instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace along the LoC.
He also called on the Indian side to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.
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A panel weighing 4.3-kg fell from a plane shortly after take-off from a Japanese airport and smashed the window of a car being driven below, reports and the airline said today.
No one was injured but aviation authorities will send safety inspectors to the western city of Osaka to investigate, said national broadcaster NHK.
The piece fell on the vehicle shortly after the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 777 with 321 passengers on board took off from Kansai International Airport bound for Amsterdam yesterday.
The panel damaged the car's roof and broke its rear window, NHK said.
The panel, 0.6 metres (two feet) long and one metre wide, is made of composite materials and fell from the base of the right wing, Kyodo said.
It is believed to have fallen at an altitude of 2,400 metres or higher.
KLM said the aircraft landed safely at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport yesterday afternoon.
"KLM regrets this incident and has immediately launched an investigation into the causes," it said in a statement, adding that it is in close contact with Japanese aviation authorities and Boeing.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the upcoming AIIMS hospital at Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh on October 3, an official statement said.
Health Minister J P Nadda said the All India Institute of Medical Sciences would provide much-needed tertiary medical services to Himachal Pradesh and its neighbouring states.
Nadda also expressed gratitude to the prime minister for sanctioning the premier medical institute in the hilly state, the statement said.
He said the establishment of the institute in Bilaspur is a milestone in the list of achievements of the NDA government in the health sector,
"Under the guidance and visionary leadership of the Prime Minister, the (health) ministry is fast moving in strengthening the tertiary care network in the country," Nadda said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will tomorrow formally inaugurate ONGC's new corporate office that was renamed Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Urja Bhawan, from Rajiv Gandhi Urja Bhawan.
The swanky but green-building built at a cost of Rs 600 crore was completed a year ago and now houses corporate office of India's largest oil and gas producer and its overseas subsidiary ONGC Videsh Ltd.
Company sources said Modi will unveil a statue of Hindutva icon Upadhyaya and address ONGCians at a function tomorrow evening. September 25 marks the end of the government's year-long birth centenary celebrations of Upadhyaya.
Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) had moved into the new office at Vasant Kunj last year and the statue was installed in the compound last week.
ONGC had in February stated that the then prime minister "Dr Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone of Rajiv Gandhi Urja Bhawan on August 20, 2007... the birth anniversary of late Shri Rajiv Gandhi, ex Prime Minister of India" but the name of the complex was changed in October 2016.
"The decision to change the name of the building was taken after it was made Registered Office of the company and the offices situated in Delhi besides company secretariat were shifted to it including that of ONGC Videsh Ltd," it had said.
ONGC had stated that the decision was taken to "honour the memory of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya jee who was a great philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and political scientist (who) tirelessly worked for upliftment of poor people of India".
Further, ONGC had stated that its Executive Committee headed by chairman and managing director Dinesh K Sarraf felt that "this year being the birth centenary year of Pandit Deendayal Upadhaya, it will be befitting tribute to the great visionary" and changed the name of the building.
"This decision arose out of common consensus amongst Executive Committee of ONGC and the change in address was duly communicated to BSE and NSE on October 14, 2016 with approval of ONGC board," it said.
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President Ram Nath Kovind today offered prayers at the famous Himalayan shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath in Uttarakhand.
Accompanied by Governor K K Paul and Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the president, his wife Savita and other family members arrived at Kedarnath in IAF choppers at around 8 AM.
They spent about half an hour at the shrine worshipping lord Shiva and performing a Rudrabhishek in its sanctum sanctorum, deputy chief executive officer of the temple committee Anil Sharma said.
The president then left for Gauchar where he, his family and the dignitaries rested for a while at the ITBP guest house before setting out for Badrinath.
Kovind spent only around twenty minutes at Badrinath to offer prayers before leaving for the Jollygrant airport from where he was scheduled to fly back to Delhi by an IAF plane.
Before embarking on his journey to the Himalayan shrines, the president and his wife planted sandalwood saplings at the Raj Bhawan.
The president and his family began their two-day visit to the state yesterday with a worship of the Ganga at Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar.
It was the president's first visit to Uttarakhand after assuming office.
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President Ramnath Kovind along with family paid obeisance at the famous Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines in Uttarakhand today and prayed for the country's prosperity and well being.
Accompanied by Governor K K Paul and Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the president along with his wife Savita and other family members arrived at Kedarnath in a MI- 17 at around 8 AM.
After getting down at the helipad located behind the high altitude temple amid overcast conditions, the president and his family members took a round of the newly built Kedarpuri in all terrain vehicles to have a look at the reconstruction work.
The shrine had witnessed massive devastation in the June 2013 flash floods.
After taking a round of Kedarpuri, Kovind and his family worshipped Baba Kedarnath, one of the 12 'jyotirlingas' in the country. He spent around 20 minutes inside the sanctum sanctorum of the famed temple performing 'rudrabhishek' of Lord Shiva.
Traditional delicacies of Uttarakhand were offered to the president as 'prasad', deputy chief executive officer of the temple committee Anil Sharma said.
The president then left for Gauchar where he and his family took rest for a while at the ITBP guest house before setting out for Badrinath.
Kovind spent around twenty minutes at Badrinath to offer prayers before leaving for the Jollygrant airport.
The president's visit was smooth even as many parts of Uttarakhand received rain today.
Before embarking on his journey to the Himalayan shrines, the president and his wife planted sandalwood saplings at the Raj Bhawan here.
The president and his family began their two-day visit to the state yesterday with a visit to the 'Har Ki Pairi' in Haridwar.
It was the Kovind's first visit to Uttarakhand after assuming office. Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat later thanked the President for visiting the famous Himalayan shrines despite bad weather saying it will go a long way in sending the message of a safe 'Chardham Yatra' to the outside world.
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Home Minister Rajnath Singh will this week visit a Sino-Indian border area in Uttarakhand which has witnessed transgression by China's People's Liberation Army in the recent past, officials said.
During the tour to Barahoti, the home minister will interact with the personnel of the Indo Tibetan Border Police which guards the border outpost located at an altitude of 14,311 feet.
This is the first visit by a senior minister in the Narendra Modi government to China border after the resolution of the stand-off in Dokalam.
Singh will also visit ITBP border outposts at Rimkhim (altitude 12,500 feet), Mana (10,500 feet) and Auli (10,200 feet) during the four-day trip beginning September 28, a home ministry official said.
There were reports that on July 25, Chinese soldiers had entered 800 meters into the Indian territory in Barahoti, located in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, and stayed for sometime before returning to the Chinese territory.
The home minister will also address the probationers of the IAS, IPS and other services at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, besides interacting with central government's additional secretary rank officials there on the first day of the visit.
The home minister is expected to review the situation on the border, address a 'Sainik Sammelan' and assess the progress in various infrastructure projects, another home ministry official said.
The 3,488 km-long India-China border stretches through Jammu and Kashmir (1,597 km), Himachal Pradesh (200 km), Uttarakhand (345 km), Sikkim (220 km) and Arunachal Pradesh (1,126 km).
The Chinese and Indian troops were in a face-off situation for more than two months in Dokalam in Sikkim sector after Indians stopped the construction of a road by China's army.
The Sino-Indian border is not fully demarcated and the process of clarifying and confirming the Line of Actual Control is in progress.
The area is characterised by high-altitude terrain and thick habitation which have resulted in inadequate development of infrastructure in these regions.
To redress the situation arising out of lack of infrastructure along border with China, the government has decided to undertake construction of 73 roads of operational significance.
Of these, 27 roads involving 804.93 km are being constructed by the home ministry in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh at an estimated cost of Rs 1,937 crore.
The Kerala Women's Commission today said it would seek the Supreme Court's nod to file a fact- finding report on allegations of rights violations of a Hindu woman here, who married a Muslim man after converting to Islam, in the custody of her parents.
The decision to move the apex court was taken in view of complaints from various quarters that the rights of the 24- year-old woman were allegedly being violated, commission chairperson M C Josephine told reporters here.
The woman was sent back to her parents' house after the Kerala High Court recently annulled her marriage with the Muslim man, terming it as an instance of "love jihad".
The Supreme Court had, on August 16, ordered the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to look into the conversion and marriage of the woman as the agency claimed it was not an isolated case but there was a "pattern" emerging behind these incidents in Kerala.
Josephine said the commission had received representations from various organisations, seeking its intervention following allegations of violation of the woman's rights.
Since the matter was under the Supreme Court's consideration, the commission required its permission to meet the woman and her parents and file a fact-finding report before it, she added.
Josephine said the commission had received a legal opinion from an expert yesterday and based on it, it had decided to approach the top court.
Slamming a social media campaign being run by various groups in connection with the matter, she alleged that it was not being done to protect the rights of the woman.
"The commission is not interested in going after such a campaign. Such campaigns are not good. Such matters should be dealt strictly within the purview of law. All should cooperate to protect the democratic rights of the woman," Josephine said.
Directing the NIA to carry out an investigation into the incident under the supervision of a retired judge, the Supreme Court had said it wanted the probe to be fair.
The NIA, being an independent agency based outside Kerala, could carry out such an impartial investigation, it had added.
The apex court had directed the NIA to submit its final investigation report before it.
Challenging the high court order, Shafin Jahan, who had married the woman in December 2016, had moved the Supreme Court.
It had been alleged that the woman was recruited by the Islamic State's mission in Syria and Jahan was only a stooge.
Ashokan K M, the woman's father, had alleged that there was a "well-oiled, systematic mechanism" for conversion and Islamic radicalisation in Kerala.
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Sultan bin Muhammad Al- Qasimi, the sovereign ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, today arrived in Kerala on a five-day visit.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who had invited Al- Qasimi to the state during his visit to the emirate last year, received him at the airport here.
Welcoming the ruler of Sharjah to Kerala and expressing happiness over Al-Qasimi accepting his invitation, Vijayan, in a Facebook post, said the visit would strengthen the relations between Kerala and Sharjah.
"Kerala welcomes HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. Still fondly remember his warm hospitality and the good words he expressed about Malayalees & Kerala during my visit to Sharjah last year (sic)," he wrote on the social networking website.
According to official sources, Al-Qasimi would call on Governor P Sathasivam at the Raj Bhavan here tomorrow.
He would also meet the chief minister and some of the other state ministers at the Raj Bhavan.
Vijayan is scheduled to host a dinner in Al-Qasimi's honour at Kovalam, the famed beach resort near here.
On Tuesday, the ruler of Sharjah would take part in a convocation ceremony organised by the Calicut University at the Raj Bhavan, where the governor would confer an honorary D.Litt. degree on him.
Al-Qasimi is scheduled to leave Kerala on September 28, the sources said.
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Russian air strikes have killed 45 members of a rebel group in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said today.
It was unclear why the strikes, which took place yesterday, targeted members of the Faylaq al-Sham rebel group, which has taken part in peace talks supervised by Moscow in the Kazakh capital Astana.
The strikes hit the group in the province of Idlib, which is part of a so-called "de-confliction" zone agreed in a deal between Syrian regime allies Russia and Iran, and rebel backer Turkey.
The Observatory initially reported a lower toll, but said the figure had risen as bodies were recovered after the strike on one of the rebel group's headquarters on the outskirts of the village of Tal Mardikh.
Faylaq al-Sham is an Islamist rebel group considered close to the Muslim Brotherhood movement.
It has fought against the former Al-Qaeda affiliate that now effectively controls nearly all of Idlib after chasing its former rebel allies from their positions in fighting this summer.
A spokesman for Faylaq al-Sham confirmed the group's headquarters had been targeted, despite their participation in the last round of talks in Astana.
"Our participation in Astana does not in any way mean that Russia is a friendly or neutral country," Idriss al-Raed told AFP.
"The Russian bombing is not surprising, since its policy since its intervention in Syria is based on criminality and killing," he added.
Russia began an intervention in Syria in support of ally President Bashar al-Assad in 2015, and has helped the regime win back large parts of the country.
Moscow also helped broker a deal for four truce zones, one of which includes Idlib province, in an agreement with Iran and Turkey inked in May.
The deal excludes jihadists, but is intended to otherwise halt fighting in the agreed areas.
The three other zones are around the capital Damascus, in southern Syria and in the centre of the country.
More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
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History has many instances of whole communities moving and settling down in distant social milieus different from their traditional moorings.
Most such communities have not only flourished in their new homes by adjusting themselves to the social environs they have come to stay but have zealously guarded their culture and values without giving in to the assault of time.
The story of the migration of the Tamil Brahmin community to Kerala from 'Tamizhakam', the present-day Tamil Nadu, over the centuries, is a classic case of this phenomenon.
This exactly is what "Saga of Kalpathy -- The Story of Palghat Iyers", written by veteran journalist and columnist M K Das with illustrations by noted cartoonist E P Unny, narrates.
Kalpathy is a village in Palakkad district - earlier referred to as Palghat in records in English -- which has a cluster of Tamil Brahmin settlements, called 'agraharams.'
Though there are Tamil Brahmin concentrations in several other places in Kerala, including the capital Thiruvananthapuram, Kalpathy is considered the quintessential home-away-from-home of the community with all the cultural props associated with it.
"....Palghat remained, and still remains, the hub of the Tamil Brahmins. The place gave Tamil Brahmins and itself an unmatched identity", the author notes.
It is obvious the author has carried out painstaking research, drew upon a large body of works on political, social and cultural history of Kerala and the adjoining areas, talked to people familiar with the subject and even gathered anecdotal evidences in writing the book.
Apart from narrating the story of the community, many of whose members have left a deep impression in diverse walks of life like Carnatic music, business, judiciary, media and bureaucracy, it broadly traces the history of Kerala over the centuries.
Though geographical, historical and economic factors have lured many communities to Kerala, the two factors, according to the author, that set Tamil Brahmins apart from other migrants are their "sheer resilience and adaptability."
Co-published by Ahalia Publications, Palakkad, and Darpan, Bengaluru, the book is to be launched at a function in Kerala soon.
Its central theme is Tamil Brahmins of Palakkad, their settlement pattern, integration with local population, challenges and crises they met with and overcame and the eventual transformation into a progressive community.
It also has brief but vivid accounts of how some other communities, including the Jews and Goud Saraswat Brahmins, came and settled in certain pockets of Kerala, either as part of their mercantile pursuits or displaced by the upheavals in their homelands.
Appealing to the scholars and lay readers equally, on the whole it is a journey through a long, often tumultuous, period that saw the rise and fall of royal powers, political churnings and social transformations that Kerala in particular and South India in general had undergone.
What gives a graphic dimension to the work is the drawings by Unny, whose brush strokes have vividly captured the images of not only Kalpathy but also many other landmarks like the Jewish synagogue in Mattanchery near Kochi.
Equally insightful is the foreword to the book by eminent historian M G S Narayanan, which sets the narration in its true context.
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A Yemen rebel missile heading towards Saudi Arabia has been was intercepted, the Arab military coalition said, in the midst of nationwide celebrations to mark the founding of the kingdom.
The ballistic missile targeted Khamis Mushait, which houses the Saudi-led coalition's main airbase for its operations in Yemen, the official Saudi Press Agency quoted the coalition as saying yesterday.
It added that the missile was intercepted without casualties or damage.
"The Saudi Royal Air Force discovered the launch of a ballistic missile from within Yemeni territory," SPA said.
"The coalition forces then targeted the launch site."
The attack came as Saudi Arabia celebrated its national day across the kingdom with a raucous display of concerts, folk dance and fireworks.
Occasional ballistic missile attacks, as well as more frequent short-range rocket fire over the southern border, have in the past been conducted after coalition air strikes against the rebels in Yemen.
Last week, the head of the rebels threatened to fire missiles at the United Arab Emirates and to attack Saudi tankers in the Red Sea.
The Huthi rebels and their allies, former members of Yemen's security forces linked to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, began retaliatory attacks against the kingdom two years ago.
The coalition intervened in the country in March 2015 to support President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who says the rebels are supported by Saudi's regional arch-rival Iran.
The war has killed more than 8,500 people and wounded nearly 49,000 others, according to the World Health Organization.
More than 17 million Yemenis are now facing dire food shortages, and a nationwide cholera epidemic has killed more than 2,100 people since April.
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The Supreme Court has opened the doors for colour-blind students to pursue MBBS course by ordering the admission of two such candidates, who have scored high marks in the entrance examination, for the next academic year.
Terming its action as "transcendental importance of justice", the apex court said that peculiar facts and circumstances of the case required it to invoke special powers under Article 142 of the Constitution.
The two students had secured high marks in the entrance examination conducted by the Tripura government in 2015 during the pre-NEET period.
Without any statutory provision barring students from pursuing MBBS course, various colleges and Medical Council of India (MCI) were arbitrarily denying admissions to candidates suffering from Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD), popularly called colour blindness.
Both MCI and the Tripura Medical College had initially objected to their admission into MBBS course as the two students suffered from CVD despite having qualified in the entrance examination.
"Keeping in view the transcendental importance of justice which is writ large in this case, we direct that the appellants shall be admitted in the MBBS course in the respondent No.2-College for the academic year 2018-2019 and the quota from the said year shall be reduced by two seats," a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said.
The bench, also comprising Justices Amitava Roy and A M Khanwilkar said, "we may hasten to add that we have used the words 'transcendental importance of justice', as it conveys that we are invoking our jurisdiction under Article 142 of the Constitution in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case".
The apex court had on March 23 constituted an experts committee to ascertain whether colour blindness affected the prospects of students aspiring to become doctors.
The expert committee constituted by the court comprised doctors from AIIMS and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh and views of amicus curiae senior advocate K V Vishwanathan assisted by advocate Shoeb Alam were also taken.
"The expert committee shall review the situation and take note of the prevalent conditions of the study and practice and suggest changes for adoption in the medical course keeping in view the international practices," the bench had said while directing the constitution of the committee.
In its report, the committee had opined that "Colour Vision Deficiency does not have any embargo of any type whatsoever" and suggested the incorporation of a suitable provision in the Graduate Medical Education to the effect that a person with visual disability of category I and above shall not be eligible to pursue Graduate Medical Education.
It had also recommended that "testing of Colour Vision Deficiency by Ishihara test be compulsorily incorporated in the format of General Physical Examination of the Student, so that all medical students with suspect colour vision should be aware of severity of their deficiency before entering the medical course, and the kind of problems it may pose in the career they have opted".
The committee had also said that as per current global practices, there was no policy of regulating entry of medical aspirants to study and practice of the medical profession based on colour vision deficiency.
It has said that CVD nowadays was a common problem and does not significantly impact a person's ability to become a doctor.
The MCI had objected to the admission of students with CVD in MBBS course, in the wake of report of the expert committee.
It had said that certain guidelines are required to be framed in accordance with the report of the Committee for controlling speciality and super-speciality courses as far as the CVD category is concerned.
The bench had on July 31 asked the MCI to apprise it whether the students can be admitted to MBBS course.
Both the students had initially challenged the denial of admission by the college during counselling in 2015 before Tripura High Court, but had failed to get any relief.
The students then moved apex court challenging the high court order saying the MCI had not framed any regulation debarring them from seeking admission and contending that denial of admission to them constituted violation of the constitutional guarantee of equality.
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Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan tomorrow to face corruption and money laundering cases against him in the accountability court.
Sharif had gone to London to see his ailing wife who underwent three throat cancer surgeries.
Sharif, 67, was disqualified by the Supreme Court on July 28 in the Panama Papers case. His wife Begum Kulsoom is contesting on Lahore's NA-120 seat that fell vacant in the wake of his disqualification.
The of Sharif's return came amid rumours that he may not come back as he is facing corruption and money laundering cases.
"Nawaz Sharif is traveling back home tomorrow (Monday) on a PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) flight and will face National Accountability Bureau (NAB) references in the accountability court Islamabad on Tuesday," PML-N Senator Mashidullah Khan said.
He said Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is also returning tomorrow and he too will face a NAB reference against him.
The former premier had taken the decision to return to the country reportedly after consulting his younger brother Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in London.
Sharif's flight PK-786 is scheduled to land in Islamabad at 8 am tomorrow.
On September 22, Pakistan's anti-graft body (NAB) froze the bank accounts and seized properties of Sharif and his family members.
The Accountability Court in Islamabad has summoned Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar Awan on Tuesday.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) today displayed the summons and property attachment notices on Sharif's Lahore Jati Umra Raiwind residence.
The NAB has written to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and commercial banks requesting them that since Mr Sharif and his children and son-in-law Safdar are facing the NAB references their bank accounts be frozen.
The NAB has also written to the commissioner Islamabad, deputy commissioner Lahore, federal board of revenue, excise and tax department and the chairman security exchange commission of Pakistan regarding attaching (seizing) of the properties of the Sharif family.
The NAB has already frozen the properties of Finance Minister Ishaq in income beyond his known sources case and the accountability court has issued his bailable arrest warrants. Dar is also in London at present.
NAB has filed three references of corruption and money laundering against Nawaz Sharif and his children Hassan, Hussain and Maryam son-i-law Capt (R) Safdar and one against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the accountability court Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.
The references are filed in connection with the investigation of offshore properties of the Sharif family members.
Mr Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court on July 28 in the Panama Papers case. His wife Begum Kulsoom contested on Lahores NA-120 seat that fell vacant in the wake of his disqualification and won on Sept 17.
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American footwear major Skechers is looking at opening up to 400 more exclusive outlets in India within 5 years as it expands operations as well as launches apparel and accessories collection in the country.
It operates 100 exclusive outlets in the country that are company-owned as well as franchises.
"In the next five years, we should have 400-500 outlets in India. That's the journey we want to embark on. We should be adding anywhere between 25-35 more outlets by end of this year," Skechers South Asia Pvt Ltd CEO Rahul Vira told PTI.
Skechers, which entered India in 2012 through a joint venture with Kishore Biyani-led Future Group, is also looking at launching apparel and accessories collection by the middle of next year.
As a pilot project, the company had tested the market for its apparel line with a small range.
"We plan to launch apparel and accessories by mid of next calender year. It will be full range in apparel and accessories such as bags, socks and caps," Vira said.
"Launch, however, depends on lot of things...such as our supply chain, structural changes at the stores -- which are primarily designed for selling shoes," he added.
The company, which follows calender year as its financial year, is looking at closing the current year with sales of over Rs 500 crore.
"We are growing at the rate of 100 per cent year-on-year. In the first half of this year, we have already done sales of Rs 300 crore. We are looking at closing the year with sales of Rs 500 odd crore," Vira said.
Skechers had reported sales of over Rs 220 crore in India in the previous year.
At present, the company fully imports products sold in the country.
When asked if the company is looking at manufacturing locally in the near future he said: "Once we reach a certain scale and size, the company would look at options of manufacturing locally.
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Sri Sri Ayurveda, the FMCG brand of spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, plans to launch its products in 30 new countries with a focus on Latin America, including Brazil and Argentina, a top company official said.
This expansion will take the number of countries where the brand is present to 60 from 30 currently.
"We will launch Sri Sri Tattva brand of products in 30 new countries with a focus on Latin America, including Brazil and Argentina. We are already present in countries in Middle East, Far East, and Russia, where we will further expand our range," Arvind Varchaswi, MD of the FMCG firm, told PTI here.
The company also plans to launch 1,000 new stores in the next few years, through a partnership with Franchise India, Varchaswi added.
He indicated that 600 stores will be opened this year.
"We are also expanding our personal care range, and home care and Pooja ranges," he added.
The brand intends to launch about 20-25 products in the next one month in these various categories. It has also launched an apparel range with Indian ethnic wear, which will sell online and through the app, he said.
Unveiling range of healthy cookies in collaboration with Bangalore-based biscuit maker Unibic Foods India.
The company has set up two more factories in Bengaluru for its personal care range.
(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.)
Seeking greater economic cooperation with South Korea, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu today said a joint panel has been set up to identify areas of high-end technological components to boost trade and investments between the two countries.
The minister was in Korea for Asia-Europe (ASEM) Economic Ministers meeting. He also participated in the third Joint Ministerial Review of the India-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
In a series of tweets, Prabhu said huge untapped potential exists in both the countries to strengthen strategic partnership.
"Let us set ourselves quantitative targets for bilateral trade to drive the negotiations more purposefully. I invite full business delegation from S Korea to India," he said.
The bilateral trade in 2016-17 increased to $16.82 billion from $16.57 billion in the previous fiscal.
Both the countries are negotiating to review the existing free trade agreement, officially dubbed CEPA, to enhance trade and investments.
"Unless businesses across both countries partner, full benefit of any bilateral agreement is not materialised. Let us build partnership on 'leapfrog' technologies," he added.
Prabhu said a "joint strategy group with a mission to identify areas of high end technological components has been set up".
He added that India would be a $5 trillion economy in next 7-10 years and it would happen on strength of the country's relationships with countries like South Korea.
(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.)
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a lathicharge by the police in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent.
The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the varsity's vice-chancellor at his residence on Saturday night, according to the police and BHU sources.
Security guards of the university stopped the students and informed the police, according to university sources.
A BHU spokesperson said some students wanted to "forcibly" enter the VC's residence but they were stopped by the BHU security guards.
Subsequently, there was stone pelting by "outsiders" who had joined the students, he said.
The police baton charged the students in a bid to disperse them.
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in the lathicharge, the varsity sources said.
The police sources said some of its personnel were injured in the clashes during which the students allegedly indulged in arson.
Rajiv Singh, the station officer of the Lanka police station here, said that 16 students, who had been detained after the incident, were released this evening.
Following the violence, the district administration declared holidays from tomorrow till October 2 in all colleges and universities in Varanasi. The BHU had earlier announced that the holidays would start from September 28.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday sought a report from the divisional commissioner about the incident as various political parties, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), criticised the government and condemned the police action.
"I have sought a report from the divisional commissioner, Varanasi, about the entire incident," Adityanath said in Lucknow.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted, "Only a barbaric govt unleashes male police with lathis on women students. Why is BJP-RSS so scared of students?"
The baton charge on journalists led to protests in Lucknow with some scribes staging a sit-in near the chief minister's residence. They later submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate demanding action against the guilty.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav tweeted, "The government should resolve the issue by talks, not by lathicharge. It is condemnable. Action should be taken against the guilty."
Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) September 24, 2017
Congress leaders Raj Babbar and P L Punia, along with scores of party activists, were detained on Sunday when they tried to visit the BHU. They were later released.
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi also slammed the BJP over the alleged lathicharge on female students.
BJP version of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao in BHU https://t.co/2XWIG5CG2q Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 24, 2017 Attaching a link to a video of the students who alleged that they were beaten up by male policemen on the campus, Gandhi tweeted, "BJP version of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao in BHU."
The BHU issued a statement last night saying that the 'dharna' by the students just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit was "politically motivated" to malign the image of the university.
The alleged eve-teasing incident had occurred on Thursday night after which the students started the protest.
The university also said that security guards were regularly patrolling the campus and assistance from the police had been sought to maintain peace in the campus.
Senior officials, including District Magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra and Superintendent of Police (City) Dinesh Singh, have visited the campus and police presence outside it beefed up.
Nearly 1,500 police personnel, including contingents of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), have been deployed to maintain law and order on the campus.
BHU students said that they undertook the protest near the university's main gate against rising incidents of alleged eve-teasing on the campus.
A woman student of the Arts Faculty was allegedly harassed by three motorcycle-borne men inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel, triggering the dharna.
According to the complainant, the men abused her and fled when she resisted their attempts.
The woman alleged that security guards, about 100 metres from where the incident happened, did nothing to stop them.
She said her warden, instead of taking up the issue with her superiors, asked her why was she was returning late to the hostel.
The warden's response angered the students who sat on a 'dharna' at the main gate midnight Thursday.
BHU students have alleged they have to face eve-teasers on the campus regularly and the varsity administration was not taking any action to stop the miscreants.
The police and BHU professors tried to pacify the students yesterday, but they refused to end their protest and sought assurance from the university vice-chancellor.
A press release issued by the information department of Varanasi said that a case has been registered against a Facebook page under the cyber law for allegedly posting provocative photos and videos relating to the violence.
A group of students of PMV Polytechnic, Mathura, staged a protest outside the Govind Nagar police station, seeking immediate arrest of those involved in an attack on three students.
They alleged that local students attacked the three belonging to eastern Uttar Pradesh yesterday.
"So far no arrest has been made in the case. The culprits will be nabbed soon. Hooliganism will not be tolerated," deputy superintendent of police Rakesh Vashistha said.
The protesting students alleged that the college administration did not act on their complaints earlier.
The protest was withdrawn after an FIR was lodged against around 24 local students.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Realty firm Supertech has raised Rs 350 crore from L&T Finance to fund an ongoing housing project in Greater Noida.
The Noida-based firm also plans to launch next month a sports-centric Extension (Greater Noida - West) where it would develop over 4,500 flats/villas at a cost of Rs 1,100 crore.
"We have raised Rs 350 crore from L&T Finance for our Eco Village-I project at Noida Extension," Supertech Managing Director Mohit Arora told PTI.
The company is developing 7,500 flats in this project, he added.
Supertech Chairman R K Arora said the money raised is in the form of debt.
The company has already delivered 2,000 flats in the Eco Village-I project and the funds will be utilised towards completing the remaining 5,500 apartments, he added.
In view of the slowdown in the property market, real estate developers are raising funds from private equity players and other financial institutions to complete their projects.
Supertech has two more projects in Noida Extension -- Eco Village II and Eco Village III comprising 7,500 and 5,000 apartments, respectively. In these three projects, the company is developing around 20,000 flats, of which 16,000 units have been already sold.
Managing Director Mohit Arora said the company is focusing on delivery of existing projects and has targeted to complete 10,000 flats annually for the next 4-5 years.
He said the company has delivered 20,000 units in the last three financial years.
On sales, he said the company expects bookings to bounce back this year on the back of increased demand for affordable homes in the Delhi-NCR market after many incentives announced by the government for low-cost homes.
Its sales had fallen to about Rs 1,500 crore last fiscal from around Rs 3,000 crore in the previous year.
Supertech has projects in Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Meerut, Muradabad, Dehradun, Haridwar, Rudrapur and Bengaluru.
L&T Finance is the financial services arm of engineering major L&T.
A suspected acid attack after an altercation between two groups left six people injured in a shopping centre in London, with police arresting a 15-year-old boy in connection with the case.
Scotland Yard said its officers had responded to an altercation between two groups of men inside Stratford Shopping Centre in east London last evening during which a "noxious substance" was thrown.
When the liquid was thrown, both groups ran from the scene and were later treated for "non-life threatening and non-life changing injuries".
As the injuries were in a number of different locations, there were initial fears that people had been sprayed at random.
Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Ade Adelekan, the Borough Commander for the local Newham area,said: "I would like to be very clear concerning this incident. What initially may have been perceived as a number of random attacks has, on closer inspection, been found to be one incident involving two groups of males."
"I recognise the lasting impact on victims of corrosive substance attacks. Our response to such attacks is continually improving through training and joint working with partners and we are working with the Home Office to explore possible restrictions around the sale of corrosive substances in conjunction with retailers and manufacturers."
Witnesses at the scene said an argument had broken out among a group of people.
An assistant manager at Burger King in the area said one of the victims had run into the fast food chain to "wash acid off his face".
Paul Gibson, Assistant Director of Operations at London Ambulance Service, said: We sent a number of resources including ambulance crews, paramedics in cars and members of our hazardous area response team.
"The first of our medics arrived within 10 minutes of the first emergency call and worked closely with our colleagues from the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police and London Fire Brigade making sure patients received the medical help they needed as quickly as possible.
"We treated a total of six patients, three of whom were taken to London hospitals.
The Hazardous Area Response Team is a group of specially trained ambulance crews who provide life-saving medical care in hostile environments.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri today appealed to Delhiites to swing into "collective action" to overcome the problem of garbage collection which he said had reached a "crisis proportion".
He said the country could not be made clean without fixing the garbage problem in Delhi, stressing the need for residents of the national capital to swing into collective action for effective solid waste management.
The housing and urban affairs minister was addressing a gathering after participating in a 'Swachhat Hi Sewa' (Cleanliness is Service) event in Bhikaji Cama Place in South Delhi.
Noting that being a citizen and resident of Delhi is a "matter of pride", he said this pride would, however, be "punctured" if Delhi was not made clean and the garbage issue was not addressed properly.
Observing that the central government has accorded high priority to the issue of sanitation, he said about five crore toilets have been constructed across the country including over 38 lakh in urban areas in a short span of three years.
Noting that solid waste management in cities is the major challenges in urban areas over the next two years of the cleanliness mission, he laid stress on "collective action" to ensure the success of the solid waste management.
The minister also unveiled 'My Home-My Neighbourhood - Ghar Bi Saaf-Pados Bhi Saaf' campaign, focussing on motivating the residents of neighbourhood against throwing garbage in open spaces, adopting a near by park or open place for collection and waste segregation, compost making from wet waste within the premises, among others.
He said the neighbourhood action plan would be launched in all the cities and towns across the country on the occasion of the third anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Telangana government is currently weighing the incentive options as it plans to woo players in the electric vehicles (EV) segment.
The government has come up with the final draft of a comprehensive EV policy, which is expected to be unveiled in the next one-and-a-half to two months, a senior official said.
According to Telangana's Principal Secretary (IT and Industry) Jayesh Ranjan, all components to go in the e-vehicle policy have been decided.
"In the e-vehicle policy, all the components which will go in the policy have been decided. Based on that we have prepared the first draft. Now we will have an internal meeting in the next few days to finalise the numbers. For example, if we are providing some incentives, how much should that incentive be," Ranjan told PTI.
"Our team has made some assessment on what incentives will be useful and what incentives will work. We have to sit and take that decision," he said.
"Once that is done then the policy will be circulated to other departments for their comments and finally to the chief secretary, the industry minister and the chief minister," the official said.
This process will go on and take about a month-and-a-half to two months, he said.
"We are working out on the incentives," he said replying to a query.
Ranjan said they are also in touch with battery manufactures and auto companies to set up units in the state for manufacturing.
"There's lot of interest in India from battery manufacturers. Companies are going around various states and obviously we are also in talks (with the companies)," he said.
To provide the last mile connectivity to commuters through electric vehicles along the Hyderabad Metro Rail stretches, plans are also afoot to have EVs at all stations once the Metro rail project gets commissioned.
T-Hub, a startup incubator by the Telangana government which recently launched the Smart Mobility and Transportation Cluster, will work towards enhancing mobility while reducing congestion, air pollution and road traffic incidents, an official had recently said.
With India fast emerging as a global leader in clean energy, the Centre has put forth its vision to transition to 100 per cent electric vehicles by 2030.
The Telangana government is putting together policy and incentives for all stakeholders in this industry, automobile manufacturers, aggregators, and end users, he said.
"This will help encourage innovation in the space of EV, autonomous vehicles and other cutting-edge technologies," Ranjan had earlier said.
As a part of this cluster, the state plans to put out a policy document on EV very shortly, he had said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Director Hansal Mehta, who is writing the film adaptation of "The Accidental Prime Minister", says the movie will have a balanced account of Dr Manmohan Singh's stint as the prime minister.
The movie is based on the book of the same name written by Singh's former media adviser Sanjaya Baru.
Filmmakers often face trouble from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and political outfits if a movie has a political background. Mehta, however, says he does not get bothered by such pressure.
In an interview with PTI, Mehta says, "I am never bothered about it. 'The Accidental Prime Minister' is in early stages of development. It is an important film and the idea is to make it in a very balanced manner."
Actor Anupam Kher will play the role of the former prime minister in the movie.
The 2014 memoir gives a detailed account of Singh's tenure (2004-2014) and an insight into the Indian political scenario during those years.
The film, slated to release later next year, will be directed by debutant Vijay Ratnakar Gutte.
Mehta is excited about his upcoming directorial venture "Omerta". The film chronicles the story of the British-born terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who kidnapped and murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002.
"'Omerta' is a political thriller and it had its world premier in Toronto. It is explosive and can be controversial. But I am not shying away from it," says the director.
Mehta adds that be it "Shahid" or now "Omerta", he has never struggled to find like-minded people, who support a true story and not shy away from taking risks.
"I have never struggled to find like-minded people, who would support your vision wholeheartedly and give the film as much love as you would give it. Money is the by-product. You need people to invest in your ideas."
The makers are planning to release "Omerta" later this year or early next year.
British Prime Minister faced a plot from her senior cabinet ministers to oust her in the immediate aftermath of the June general election that saw the Conservative party lose its overall majority in Parliament, a new book has claimed.
The four most senior figures in her Cabinet Chancellor Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Brexit secretary David Davis and Home Secretary Amber Rudd plotted to remove her following an election seen as a failed gamble by the British prime minister, according to 'Fall Out, A Year Of Political Mayhem'.
Written by 'The Sunday Times' political editor Tim Shipman, with extracts published in the newspaper today, the book claims that Hammond texted Johnson in the early hours of the morning following the election on June 8 to say he would support him as the next leader.
It claims that a "triumvirate" plan was hatched under which Johnson would lead the UK as the new prime minister, Brexit Secretary Davis would handle EU withdrawal and Hammond would run the countrys finances.
According to the latest political book, the plan failed once it became clear that May had no plans to step down and Davis indicated he could not work under Johnson.
Meanwhile, moderates with the Tory party, including former prime ministers David Cameron and John Major, and leading figures like George Osborne and Ruth Davidson are said to have gathered behind Rudd, with the home secretary reported to have said she was keen to run.
The revelations of the book came as the divisions within the top tier of the government are at their most pronounced.
Pro-Brexit Johnson has reportedly demanded a series of assurances over May's recently proposed two-year transition period after Britain leaves the European Union (EU).
The foreign minister wants Britain not to adopt any new EU rules and regulations after it formally leaves in March 2019, according to 'The Sunday Telegraph'.
The stance puts him on a collision course with the UK Treasury department headed by Hammond, who wants a "status quo" transition.
Johnson also wants Britain to be able to sign trade deals during the transition period and opposes paying billions of pounds for access to the EU single market after 2021.
There are fears that Hammond is still pursuing a longer transition, with Johnson insisting two years is an absolute limit as announced by May in a key speech in Florence, Italy, last week.
WhileJohnson has publicly backed May's speech and has accepted the need for free movement and EU payments to continue during the transition period, the truce within the Cabinet is believed to be very precarious with a lack of consensus on the contours of the negotiations for Britain to leave the EU.
(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.)
Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk likes to be a perfectionist, a trait that can be attested by the fact that he thought for 30 years the subject of his latest offering - a riveting story set in mid-1980s Turkey about a well-digger father-son duo.
"The Red-Haired Woman" has just hit the book stores.
In 1988, Pamuk says he observed an old man and his teenage disciple in Istanbul digging a well in the land next to his summer house.
"The elderly well digger was at times teaching and shouting at the boy and at other times was very tender and understanding to him. This triggered my sentiments about my father who was not much around in my life," he says.
"We know about the father as a repressive figure, but we think less about what happens when we don't have this power in our lives," the writer told PTI in an email interview.
Pamuk, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006, says he thought of this subject for 30 years.
"And three years ago, I decided to associate with old stories and myths," he says.
"The well-diggers in this book are real people in the sense that it is based on interviews I did with street vendors," he adds.
Pamuk believes in perfection and says he works a lot in this regard.
"But overwriting is also a problem. One should write certain pages only once," he says.
According to Pamuk, "The Red-Haired Woman", published by Penguin, is about lower class immigrants from poor Anatolian towns and making of new Istanbul by these people especially during 1970-80.
He touches upon subjects like street food, boza (a popular fermented beverage) and religion in the book.
"Shanty towns, lower middle classes, street life and street sellers and their lives and dreams in Istanbul. This is what I wanted to write about... It is not too much about boza (a popular fermented beverage). I could have also have a character who sells rice and chicken, or yogurt, or meat balls, or fried liver, or stuffed mussels - food that is still being sold in Istanbul by street vendors," he says.
Pamuk ate a lot of these delicacies while writing the novel.
"In fact I have characters that sell these things too... But boza is interesting because it is slightly fermented... The alcohol content of three glasses of boza is equal to a glass of beer. And traditional Ottomans did not think boza had alcohol and enjoyed it. It was very popular in Ottoman Empire and still popular in Balkans and North Africa...," he says.
Boza, according to him, legitimised joy of alcohol to Ottomans.
"Some pious Ottoman rulers and Sultans knew this and closed the boza shops along with wine houses. Some did not care and enjoyed it like Kemal Ataturk who legitimised alcohol in Turkey. But even after Ataturk's secular republic, people enjoyed boza. This time, not for the alcohol but for its ritual. For the fact that it reminded of middle classes of Istanbul of good old Ottoman times," he says.
So the characters in the novel argue: What is identity... Is it based on religion - Islam?
"Then alcoholic boza should not be included. Or is it about old things, history and old stories. Then boza is a part of our identity...I play around these subjects," Pamuk says.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three militants were killed today in an encounter by the security forces in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said.
During a search operation in Gara Madda area of Dera Ismail Khan, the motorcycle-bound militants started shooting at the officials when they were asked to stop, the Inter Services Public Relations said in a statement.
The militants were shot dead during the retaliatory fire by the forces.
The army personnel recovered suicide jackets from the possession of the three terrorists, the army said.
The militants have been identified as Iqbal, Waheed and Majid. Iqbal was reportedly been carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head.
The operation was carried out as part of 'Operation Raddul Fasaad', launched by the army to eliminate terrorists.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Shanghai wants to build an industrial cluster for producers of unmanned vehicles.
Hu Weiguo, head of the Jinshan District Government in Shanghai, said on Saturday at the opening of the 2017 World Unmanned System Conference, that the district government had planned to push for the building of such a production base.
He said the government would encourage the research, production, testing and system integration of drones, self-driving vehicles and vessels, as well as intelligence robots in the industrial base.
China's unmanned system industry is still in an early stage of development, said Sun Baiyuan, secretary general of the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems of China.
He said the industry needed strategic development, network safety protection and research on market application.
During the meeting, there were drone shows for fire fighting and automated delivery, unmanned vehicles for digging and demolition, as well as self-driving boats for testing water quality.
Industry representatives from the United States, Britain and Germany among others attended the meeting.
Three more persons succumbed to swine flu in Indore in last 24-hours taking the toll in the district due to the H1N1 virus infection to 24 this year.
Asha Pandit, district in-charge of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), said, patients who succumbed to swine flu included a woman aged 39-year-old and two men respectively aged 25-years and 59-years.
All hailed from Indore district, she said.
Pandit said as many as 90 patients of city hospitals have tested positive since January this year and 24 out of them have died.
Of the deceased, 10 had come from other districts for treatment here while 14 hailed from Indore district, she added.
Earlier, on September 20-21, four persons had succumbed to swine flu in Indore in a period of 24 hours.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three security personnel were injured today in a grenade attack by militants in a north Kashmir town, police said.
The grenade lobbed by the militants inside a security forces' vehicle in Sopore town of Baramulla district could have led to more casualties but an alert special police officer saved many lives by throwing away the explosive.
Three security personnel -- two SPOs and one CRPF jawan -- suffered minor injuries in the grenade blast, a police spokesman said.
"The alert SPO threw away the grenade to a safer place, thus saving the lives of his colleagues and civilians. The grenade was hurled by militants inside the security forces' vehicle," the spokesman said.
Director General of Police S P Vaid told reporters that the increase in grenade attacks by militants was due to fresh supply of grenades to the ultras.
"There has been some supply of grenades leading to these incidents. We are careful. Today a tragedy was averted by an alert SPO by throwing out the grenade from the vehicle," Vaid told reporters on the sidelines of a function.
Meanwhile, former chief minister Omar Abdullah lauded the presence of mind shown by the SPO and demanded his services be regularised immediately.
"This brave SPO should be rewarded for his presence of mind by immediately regularising him in @JmuKmrPolice," Omar tweeted.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Top stories from southern region at 2100 hrs today.
MDS5 TN-IT RAIDS
Karur (TN): The Income Tax raids against friends and family of former Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji in connection with a fraud case concludes.
MDS6 KL-WOMAN-COMMISSION
Kochi: The Kerala Women's Commission says it would seek the Supreme Court's nod to file a fact-finding report on allegations of rights violations of a Hindu woman here, who married a Muslim man after converting to Islam, in the custody of her parents.
MDS7 ROHINGYA-LEFT SEMINAR
Kochi: Left parties from South Asian countries urge the international community, including the governments of India, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal, to adopt a roadmap to resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis.
MES8 PD-AIADMK
Puducherry: The opposition AIADMK voices concern over the continuing confrontation between Lt Governor Kiran Bedi and the Congress government in the Union Territory, saying it was "derailing development work."
BES23 TL-BRIBE-YOUTH DEATH
Karimnagar: One of the youths, who had set himself ablaze in front of the office of Manakondur legislator to protest against the alleged corruption in land distribution scheme, dies of burn injuries, say police.
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Two clerical staff members of a private school in Gohana in the Sonepat district were booked today after an anonymous letter purportedly by a girl student alleged that she was raped on campus, police said.
The police took note of a letter that was circulating on WhatsApp, officials said, even as the alleged victim remained unidentified.
Not ruling out the possibility of mischief, officials said that a case was registered due to the sensitive nature of the allegation. The issue of safety of school children is in focus especially after the recent killing of a 7-year-old in a Gurgaon school.
The girl or her family members have not come forward so far to lodge a formal complaint, Sonepat SP Satender Kumar Gupta told PTI over the phone.
"We immediately took cognisance of the anonymous letter and registered an FIR under section 376 D (gang rape) of the IPC. Further investigations are being conducted," Gupta said.
SHO, Police Station (City), Gohana, Sub-Inspector Kuldeep said the alleged victim had in the letter mentioned herself as a student and added that she had forwarded copies of the complaint to the Prime Minister's Office, Haryana Chief Minister, state DGP, Sonipat SP, Gohana police and two newspapers.
"We found the letter being circulated over WhatsApp and immediately took cognisance," the SHO said. We got in touch with the school authorities and questioned two members of the clerical staff, he added.
The two staff members named in the letter were booked under the FIR registered in connection with the case, the SHO said.
While the letter names the two staff members as accused, it does not reveal who the victim is, which class she studies in or her age, the police said.
The school authorities also do not have any clue about any such incident, SHO Kuldeep said.
"However, given sensitivity of the matter, we immediately took cognisance. The victim claims that she was sexually assaulted by the accused in the office room, but no date of the assault is mentioned. We found that a CCTV camera was installed not just outside the office of the two staff members, but inside their room as well. The school has got several CCTV cameras installed in its complex including outside the bathrooms," he said.
The two accused have not been arrested because investigations are still underway, the SHO said. They have been told to cooperate in the investigations and also asked not to leave the town, he added.
Responding to a question, the SHO said that whether anyone has tried to create mischief by posting this anonymous letter will become clear only after the investigations.
"At this stage, we are not ruling out any possibility. We are trying to verify from where the letter originated as till now we have information that only one newspaper had got it. The police has not got its copy so far even though we were also mentioned as one of the recipients," he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two special police officers (SPOs) of Jammu and Kashmir Police were today injured in a grenade attack by militants in Sopore town of Baramulla district.
Militants hurled a grenade towards security forces at Main Chowk Sopore at around 9.35 am, resulting in minor injuries to two policemen, a police official said.
He said the injured policemen were taken to local hospital.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US-based taxi-hailing company Uber has indicated that it is open to discuss concessions with transport authorities to continue operating in London, days after it lost its license to ply on the streets of the UK's capital.
Transport for London (TfL) had announced last week that it would not be renewing Uber's licence after it expires on September 30 over safety concerns.
More than 625,000 people have since signed a "Save Your Uber in London" petition calling on the mayor of London Sadiq Khan to reverse the decision as the company prepares to appeal against the decision.
"We'd like to know what we can do to get this right. But that required a dialogue we haven't been able to have," Tom Elvidge, Uber's general manager in London, told 'The Sunday Times' as part of the company's conciliatory stance against TfL's verdict that it is not "fit and proper" to operate on the streets of London.
The report quoted a source close to TfL as saying that the statement could lead the way for talks with Uber on a possible solution.
It claimed that Uber's concessions were likely to involve passenger safety and employment benefits for drivers, including possible holiday pay and limits on work hours.
"By wanting to ban our app from the capital Transport for London and the mayor have caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice. This ban would show the world that, far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies who bring choice to consumers," Elvidge had said in a statement soon after the TfL decision on Friday.
Uber is London's biggest and increasingly most popular taxi operator with more than 3 million customers and 40,000 drivers now facing an uncertain future.
Meanwhile, the London mayor urged the thousands of people who had signed a petition against the ban to "direct their anger" at the firm.
"I have every sympathy with Uber drivers and customers affected by this decision but their anger really should be directed at Uber. They have let down their drivers and customers by failing, in the view of TfL, to act as a fit and proper operator," Khan said in his latest statement.
"I suspect it will take some time before this situation with Uber fully plays out," Khan said.
Uber's licence expires on September 30 from which date the firm will have 21 days to appeal.
According to UK media reports, the firm plans to launch legal proceedings against TfL on Thursday.
In its ruling, TfL had raised concerns over Uber's approach to reporting serious criminal offences and how it obtained enhanced criminal records checks for drivers.
It flagged up Uber's approach to how medical certificates were obtained for example drivers using an online GP service via video rather than having a check in person as the regulations insist.
The transport body also queried Uber's use of Greyball software, which could be used to block regulators' access to the app.
The company has already been forced to leave several countries, including Denmark and Hungary, and has faced regulatory battles in multiple US states and countries around the world.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As EU nationals leave Britain in ever greater numbers ahead of Brexit, restaurants like pizzeria chain Franco Manca are reporting shortages that could spell trouble for a sector that relies on immigrant labour.
The number of EU nationals leaving Britain, most of them from central Europe, rose by 33,000 to 122,000 people during the 12 months to March, according to the latest data following last year's Brexit referendum.
Franco Manca's parent company, Fulham Shore, said the prospect of new controls on immigration when Britain leaves the bloc was "already affecting the availability of skilled European restaurant staff".
The company, where only 20 per cent of the staff are British, said it was implementing "a number of incentive schemes" to persuade Europeans to stay.
Owners worry that British workers may not be able or willing to fill the gap left by departing Europeans.
The hospitality industry currently has the highest proportion of unfilled jobs in Britain, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
And the situation is worsening, with 4.3 per cent of hospitality jobs vacant in June to August 2017, compared with 3.5 per cent a year earlier.
Alex Wrethman, the head of Charlotte's group of bistros in west London, said EU nationals were being put off by the sharp fall in the value of the pound against the euro since the Brexit vote.
The currency devaluation was "effectively a pay cut for them" as it decreased the value of remittances.
Wrethman said he struggled to find Britons who were as committed to the job as their European colleagues.
"It's difficult to find a British person to get out of bed to wash dishes," said Wrethman, who started working in the restaurants he now owns as a teenager.
"It's tied up with something historic. It's a class thing," Wrethman said.
On a break from chopping avocados and smoked salmon for brunches, the head chef of Charlotte's newest restaurant complained of a "bleak time for the industry", where he thinks his British background and willingness to work long hours make him a rarity.
"We're very reliant on Eastern Europeans... There's very few British chefs," Mike Carter said.
"I genuinely believe the industry is two or three years away from imploding."
Leaked government proposals for restricting the stay of low-skilled EU workers to just two years, would be "catastrophic" for the industry, according to trade body, the British Hospitality Association.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Bangladeshi-origin businessman from Wales has been arrested in Spain over his alleged involvement in a worldwide Islamic State weapons programme unearthed by the UK media.
Ataul Haque is believed to be linked to a network of front companies, run from an office in Cardiff, which are accused of financing attacks in the US and shipping military- grade equipment for ISIS around the world, the Sunday Times reported.
Spanish police allege that the 34-year-old was involved in "one of the most secretive and sophisticated" branches of the terrorist organisation and that it aimed to create weaponised drones.
Balaclava-clad police with assault rifles raided Haque's home in Merida, southwest Spain, on Friday morning.
He later appeared before an investigating judge at the national criminal court in Madrid.
The arrest follows a Sunday Times investigation last month into a network of companies in south Wales set up by Haque's brother, Siful Sujan, who later travelled to Syria to become a senior figure in the ISIS weapons development programme and was killed, aged 31, by an American drone strike in 2015.
Sujan and Haque were directors of Ibacstel Electronics, which operated from a business park in Cardiff.
In 2015, the company was used to send USD 7,700 in cash to an ISIS supporter in the US state of Maryland for "causing destruction or conducting a terrorist attack in the United States," according to US court papers, based on FBI evidence.
Haque, who once lived in Pontypridd, moved to Spain in August 2015 with his Spanish-born wife, Ana Gonzalez, 34, a Muslim convert.
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US forces carried out six "precision air strikes" against an Islamic State camp in Libya, killing 17 people, the US Africa Command said today.
The command said the air strikes were conducted on Friday, in coordination with Libya's Government of National Accord, hitting a desert camp 240 kilometers southeast of the city of Sirte.
"The camp was used by ISIS to move fighters in and out of the country; stockpile weapons and equipment; and to plot and conduct attacks," it said in a statement using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group.
The air strikes were believed to be the first in Libya by US forces since US President Donald Trump took office in January.
The last known US air strikes were carried out in early January under then-president Barack Obama, targeting two IS camps where militants were suspected of actively planning operations in Europe.
The US statement said 17 IS militants were killed and three vehicles were destroyed in Friday's strikes. It provided few other details.
"The United States will track and hunt these terrorists, degrade their capabilities and disrupt their planning and operations by all appropriate, lawful, and proportional means, including precision strikes against their forces, terror training camps and lines of communication, as well as partnering with Libyan forces to deny safe havens for terrorists in Libya," the command said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Suspected Naxals killed a 57-year- old revenue official of a village on suspicion of him being a "police informer"in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, police said today.
The rebels attacked the 'kotwar', identified as Sukku Nareti, last night in Sureli village under Antagarh police station area, Kanker's Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jaipraksh Badhai told PTI.
A group of armed ultras stormed into Nareti's house and dragged him out on the street. They then strangled him with a rope and threw the body on a road near the village, the police official said quoting eyewitnesses.
The ultras then fled the spot raising slogans in support of the outlawed Naxal movement, he said.
A police team visited the spot this morning and sent the body for postmortem, the ASP said.
Some Maoists' pamphlets were recovered from the spot in which Nareti was branded as a "police informer", he said.
A search has been launched to nab the assailants, the police official added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
About 84 percent of the Chinese people can accept going out without any cash, according to a report of mobile payment usage in China released by Chinese mobile payment solution Wechat Pay.
A passenger uses his phone to pay for bus fare in Qingdao, Shandong Province on July 2, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]
The report 2017 Mobile Payment Usage in China was released Friday during the 3rd Asia-Pacific Regional Forums on Smart Cities and e-Government which was held in the north suburb of Bangkok.
Based on statistics collected from 6,596 users around 324 Chinese cities, the report said 40 percent of Chinese go out with less than 100 Chinese yuan (15.2 U.S. dollars) of cash, even 14 percent of Chinese have already began their cashless life.
Asked whether they can go out of their home without cash, 84 percent said they are "calm" with it while only 4 percent cannot and 12 percent feels concerned.
The report, conducted by Tencent, that developed the famous Chinese social media Wechat and Wechat Pay, said China is a good example in terms of mobile payment development.
"Tech companies in China today have built a holistic eco-system covering financial services including third-party payments, monetary funds, insurance, online banking, credit rating, and consumer loans," the report said, adding that these tools and services would offer a better and more convenient payment experience to consumers, and offer more inclusive financial services, thereby creating a more productive society.
"We are beginning to see both Chinese solutions and models for digitalized financial services increasingly adopted worldwide. Beginning with mobile payments, Chinese FinTech companies will contribute to the global development of financial technologies, and bring digital inclusive finance to all those who are in need," the report put forward.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif branded Washington "unreliable" today in response to threats over the future of a nuclear deal with Iran.
"What the United States is doing, in addition to being unpredictable -- which might sometimes work -- is proving that it is unreliable," Zarif told CNN.
The deal, agreed in 2015 between Iran and six world powers -- the United States, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany -- lifts economic sanctions put in place in 2005 in exchange for curbs to Tehran's nuclear program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is responsible for verifying that Iran meets the terms of the agreement.
But since arriving in the White House, Donald Trump has attacked the deal on numerous occasions, vowing to tear it up.
"Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it," he told the UN General Assembly Tuesday.
The president cast further doubt over the deal after the Islamic republic tested a new medium-range Khoramshahr missile yesterday.
"Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!" Trump tweeted.
But Zarif brushed off the threat, saying Washington cannot act alone to end the agreement.
"This is not a bilateral agreement," he told CNN's Fareed Zakaria.
"It's not even a multilateral treaty. It's a Security Council agreement and the United States is a member of the Security Council."
The foreign minister added that Donald Trump's certification of whether Iran is abiding by the deal -- due mid-October -- is an "internal procedure" that in itself does not endanger the agreement.
"The only authority that has been recognized in the nuclear deal to verify is the IAEA," he said.
But according to diplomats, "non-certification" by Trump would lead to re-imposition of sanctions and the "political death" of the agreement.
Zarif said Iran will "consider its options" if Trump tells Congress on October 15 he believes it is not complying with the deal and it is not in US interests to stick by it.
"Iran has a number of options, which include walking away from the deal and going back with greater speed with its nuclear program, which will remain peaceful -- but which will not address and accept the limitations that we voluntarily accepted over our nuclear program," he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
If Singapore was already not happening enough, it gets its additional dose of energy from the Grand Prix, which has established its rightful place on the ever-crowded Formula 1 calendar in less than a decade.
The night-race in the city-state has been the shining light in a decade in which a number of races did not see the light of the day despite promising a lot, most recently India and Korea.
There are tangible reasons why the event has gone on to become arguably the most popular of the five races held in Asia.
A street race taking place on an otherwise busy public roads of the city, makes the event almost impossible for the locals and the tourists to ignore.
From the taxi driver to the average office-goer, they all can't help talking about the race, also known as the 'Monaco of the East'. Some love to discuss its positives, some find a few negatives.
"I don't think the race does anything substantial for Singapore. We live in a world-class city anyway, it is popular and will remain so irrespective of the race.
"In fact, the roads are shut during the week, causing inconvenience to the locals," said a cabbie ahead of the 10th Singapore Grand Prix that took place last week.
However, taxi drivers like him are very much in the minority with the entire city celebrating the "festival of speed".
And it is not just about cars careening around the street circuit in the backdrop of the island's spectacular skyline, a host of musical concerts and lifestyle events contribute significantly to the overall success of the Grand Prix.
International artists like The Chainsmokers, Ariana Grande, Duran Duran were the headline acts this time, enthralling the large crowd as the drivers battled out in the rain-hit race.
The hospitality area at the Marina Bay Street Circuit also adds to the uniqueness of the event. The organisers have created a high-end hospitality space for the rich and famous, who get to enjoy the race weekend with Michelin Star chefs and restaurants at their service.
"The F1 Paddock Club in Singapore is entirely different to what you see in other venues. We wanted to do something unique and every year, we try to do something different," said Michael Roche, executive director at Singapore GP.
While the Singaporean residents may have a diverse opinion, the government certainly thinks that the race has boosted the global image of the city.
Therefore, it was not a surprise when the race contract with Formula 1 was extended for another fours years after due deliberation and lengthy negotiations.
"Formula 1 has proved to be a game-changer for Singapore. It was always a safe city, tourist friendly for the visitors but was mainly seen as a family destination. That has changed in the last 10 years," G B Srithar, regional director (SAMEA) at Singapore Tourism Board, told PTI.
"Now Singapore has a lot more to offer all demographics. You can come here, have a good time with family, friends. You can even come and explore the city on your own. And you can also do serious business," he added.
The government sees substantial gains from the race and that is why it will continue to fund 60 percent of the event cost with the remaining coming from a private promoter.
Besides the fans, the Formula 1 fraternity too likes to come here.
"It feels nice that you are racing in the heart of the city, much like Monaco. Most conventional circuits around the worlds are in the outskirts and you don't feel the pulse of the city there.
"But here you can feel the entire city is involved in the race. It is probably my favourite race in Asia, even more than Japan though the track is one of the best besides the rich motorsport tradition there," said a team official.
It is difficult to draw a parallel between Singapore and India, considering the race from 2011-2013 was fully funded by Jaypee Group and the government had little role to play in it.
The promoters, despite their limitations, did a commendable job until they landed into serious financial problems and the race was taken off the Formula 1 roster.
Though the race is unlikely to return in the near future, the government's interest in the global sport will go a long way in sending the right feelers to the F1 fraternity, which remains as apprehensive as ever about India.
Taking a cue from Singapore, one hopes that the Indian government would wake up to the benefits of hosting a Grand Prix.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Reese Witherspoon says she was not mature enough when she got married to Ryan Phillippe.
Witherspoon was just 23 when she tied the knot with her "Cruel Intentions" co-star, the father of her eldest two children, Ava, 18, and 13-year-old Deacon.
The 41-year-old actor says her latest movie, "Home Again", struck a chord with her as it explored how to rebuild life as a mother after a divorce, according to Hello! magazine.
"I got married when I was 23-years-old and you're not a grown-up at 23. You think you are, but you're not.
"Then your life suddenly changes and I love that this movie explores that, as well as the next chapter and how you have to decide whether the track you are on is where you want to be for the rest of your life," she says.
Witherspoon and Phillippe parted ways eight years after their marriage and she went on to wed Jim Toth in 2011. The actor says she is in the happiest phase of her life now.
"I feel great. It feels like a time when you know who you are, what you want to accomplish in life, and you have all this knowledge and experience to share with people," she says.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The police have arrested a woman Naxal, who was carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on her head, in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, an official said.
A team of police personnel yesterday apprehended the cadre, identified as Santila Salaam (28), near Marda village under Koyalibeda police station area, he said.
Based on specific inputs, the team was out on a search operation in the forest of Koyalibeda, located around 200 kms from here, the police official told PTI.
While the police personnel were cordoning off a forested patch near Marda, they nabbed the Naxalite and recovered a muzzle loading gun from her, he said.
Salaam was active as a member of the Panidobir LOS (local organisation squad) which operates under Rowghat area committee of the Maoists, he said.
She was wanted in 22 Naxal-related incidents, including attacks on police parties and triggering blasts, in Koyalibeda area, the official said.
She was allegedly involved in the attack on a team of the Border Security Force (BSF) at Koyalibeda in June 2011 when two of its personnel were killed, and also in the killing of a villager in Jiramtarai in 2010, he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Karin Strohecker
LONDON (Reuters) - Two decades after Yusuf Karodia launched Mancosa, a distance learning school to teach South Africans business skills, he sold up to UK private equity firm Actis.
From nurseries to exam tutoring and adult education, teaching businesses are booming as populations rise and cash-strapped governments fail to keep up with demand.
With 263 million children out of school worldwide, according to 2014 data from the United Nations, investors are keen to access a growing sector with few publicly-listed companies.
Karodia said Actis was one of a stream of interested private investors.
"We had about an overture a week to partner with someone," he told .
Mancosa is now part of Actis's expanding higher education portfolio in Africa. It has spent $275 million since 2014, investing in education institutes across the continent which it groups under the brand name Honoris Universities and plans to list on a stock market in the next two to three years.
Karodia, who will also get a stake in Honoris, says there is huge demand for education in Africa.
"Quality education - especially coming from the private sector - is going to play an ever increasingly important role," he said.
The International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity estimates that international financing for education in low- and middle-income countries will need to increase from today's estimated $16 billion per year to $89 billion by 2030.
Jetilde Carlos is a 22-year old final year finance student at the Varsity College in Cape Town, owned by Johannesburg-listed ADvTECH Group. Carlos missed out on a place at a state university.
"Its not that my parents had the money but they really wanted a better life for me. They didn't want me to sit at home looking for job when I might not even find one," she said.
"The degree is worth it in the end"
Investors are keen for a slice of the market because the fee-paying structure guarantees a regular income stream. The sector is also relatively resilient to economic ups and downs as parents increasingly prioritise their children's education.
"It goes with the whole consumer spending (trend) in emerging markets, and as income levels rise and there is more disposable income available what you're seeing is the population is looking to spend in areas such as education," said Patricia Ribeiro, an equity portfolio manager at American Century Investments.
Carlos paid a deposit of 25,000 rand ($1,876.38). If you pay up front the total is 70,500 rand but the monthly payments that she has chosen bring the total to about 90,000 rand for one year's tuition.
EXPLOSIVE GROWTH
The sector is dominated by private equity players. MSCI's emerging equity index contains only three education stocks - New York-listed Chinese firms TAL and New Oriental Education and Brazil's Kroton.
Morgan Stanley describes shares in Chinese education operators as "attractive".
China's education market catering for children from nursery to end of secondary school will grow 8 percent annually to become a 3 trillion yuan ($460 billion) market in 2020, the bank told clients.
Recent regulatory changes are set to benefit private tutoring firms, many of which prepare high-school pupils for university.
TAL said in July that student enrolment was up more than 60 percent year-on-year, with a matching rise in revenue. Its stock has soared 180 percent since January.
New Oriental Education projects revenue growth of as much as 24 percent in the three months to end-August. Its shares are up 114 percent since the start of 2017.
"China is very exam-driven from kindergarten on and they are competing more and more with U.S. schools," said Sandra Ackermann-Schaufler, senior portfolio manager for emerging markets at SEI.
"If anyone thinks it's tough to get into U.S. universities they should look at the top Chinese universities....the growth you could see is explosive growth."
Valuations are soaring, possibly because fund managers are chasing too few companies. TAL's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is nearly 130, while New Oriental Education hovers around 50. In contrast, MSCI's emerging equity index trades at a P/E of around 12.
"If you look at PE historically or if you look at PE this year, they look very expensive," Julian Mayo, portfolio manager at Charlemagne Capital.
QUALITY CONTROL
Brazil became another destination for those seeking exposure to education stocks after 2009 when the government boosted loan programmes for students attending for-profit colleges.
One of the main beneficiaries was Brazil's largest for-profit college operator Kroton Educacional.
While the recent recession in Latin America's biggest economy led to a fall in student loans, the biggest companies are already well-established, fund managers said.
Results published last month showed revenue growing near double-digits on the quarter, with gross margins well above 70 percent. Kroton's stock has risen more than 50 percent since the start of the year.
The Gulf region also offers opportunities. Kuwait-based HumanSoft, which establishes and manages private universities and colleges listed in 2005.
United Arab Emirates-based GEMS Education, which operates more than 250 schools across 14 countries and counts Blackstone among its stakeholders, has indicated plans to list.
In Africa, many governments want more private investors in education but they are approaching it cautiously. They want regulations in place to ensure the quality is high.
Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation in Botswana said some young people had left private universities with certificates that "opened no doors".
She said it was difficult to make sure "the people who are investing in education are not fraudsters, what we are finding is that some people are not there to deliver quality education."
"We learned this very badly ourselves... but now people come in and invest, and this is taking a huge load off the government," she said.
($1 = 13.3235 rand)
(Additional reporting by Mfuneko Toyana in Johannesburg, Sujata Rao in London and Dion Rabouin in New York; Editing by Anna Willard)
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi took the opportunity provided by his regular visit to the U.N. General Assembly session in New York to visit Central America. China now has such an active global diplomatic role that such opportunities to keep in touch with her more far-flung partners are not to be missed.
Chinese Foreign Miniter Wang Yi (C, front) speaks during a UN Security Council meeting on the reform of UN peacekeeping at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 20, 2017. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that politics must be prioritized in the reform of UN peacekeeping operations. [Photo/Xinhua]
There were two elements to Wang's pre-U.N. visits to Costa Rica and Panama. The first was that Central America contains some of the end-nodes of the wide-ranging global commercial and economic networks being formed by the Belt and Road program.
The second was to set the seal on recent favorable diplomatic shifts in the region. Wang's program in Panama included the opening of the newly-established Chinese Embassy, following Panama's decision on June 12 to institute diplomatic relations and accept the one-China principle.
In Costa Rica, Wang celebrated the 10th anniversary of his host country's taking the same step. He also referred to the successful development of the relations since the signing of a strategic partnership agreement in 2015.
This serves as a framework through which specific projects can be integrated. During Wang's visit, agreements were signed covering economic and technical cooperation, including green technology involving renewable energy. He also promised to fund the construction of a police academy.
Prior to the visit, the Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis gave an interview to Xinhua, in which he pointed out that links between China and Costa Rica go back much further than the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2007.
Costa Rica's constitution explicitly declares the country is multicultural and multi-ethnic, and there have been Chinese living and working there since 1855. There is a large Chinese presence in most Central American states, and the latest Chinese diplomatic initiative may help to harness their energies in support of bilateral cooperation.
In Panama, the foreign minister and his delegation held talks on tourism, trade, and the maritime environment; Panama, of course, is a crucial element of the Belt and Road strategy, due to its famous canal. China is already the second largest user, after the U.S. Thus, it is of great advantage to have Panama on-side diplomatically as well as in terms of maritime trade. China will no doubt be keen to push forward by developing a solidly-grounded partnership as quickly as possible.
The other key aspect of the foreign minister's visit was to make progress towards complete diplomatic coverage of the Latin American/Caribbean region. In Costa Rica, Wang called on that country to play a leading role in helping develop China's relations in the neighborhood.
This was in reference to the fact that the majority of the 20 countries still retaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan and holding out against acceptance of the one-China principle are smaller Latin American nations and island countries in the Caribbean, who have perhaps not yet received very much Chinese attention.
But now the Belt and Road Initiative has greatly increased China's reach, accompanied by a willingness to put money behind it. Not only that, but despite the great distances involved China is prepared to put some effort to arrange visits and receive trading and technical delegations.
The implications of China's comprehensive global trade, development and infrastructural project are that efforts have to be directed not only towards direct neighbors or major trading partners, but also towards the smaller links in the chain, especially those situated at vital nodes in the network.
The links between this commercial diplomacy and China's more conventional diplomatic effort are clear. China's intention is to persuade all countries in the world to set up full diplomatic relations, as an accompaniment to involvement in China's international commercial networks.
It is hoped that the benefits China's friends in the region derive from full participation in mutually beneficial trade diplomacy will encourage those countries yet to establish full relations to rethink their position.
In previous generations, it would have been thought superfluous for China to cultivate small nations quite so far away from her own territory. This initiative points towards an entirely different approach in the 21st century; no country is so small as to be ignored and left outside the network.
It has happened often enough in history that small countries have provided the spark which has led to catastrophe, as happened with the First World War. And China's contention, with which it is difficult to argue, is that international security is best underpinned by solidly based mutual economic interests.
Tim Collard is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:
http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/timcollard.htm
"There's been a long track record and well documented experiences both on the Gold Coast construction of light rail and the ongoing construction of the Sydney light rail project and adverse impacts on the Sydney businesses and it's only fair that thought be in the mind of government as this project continues should there be a material detrimental effect on existing businesses," Mr Wall said.
After they ignited, he had walked to the hospital. The man said he was "not a huge fan" of the lobby or religion due to their views on sexuality, but said his decision to drive to the building was "spontaneous" as he couldn't find a suitable spot.
Welcome to another working week (well most of it). We were teased with some summer weather on Saturday, but don't put your jackets away just yet. Today will be a fair bit cooler with a predicted top of 18 degrees and a minimum of five.
She said the RSPCA shelter was yet to see the influx or decrease in puppies and kittens she would expect to see if the law was working.
"We are getting much higher prices for most properties that come onto the market and the buyer demand appears to be greater at the moment," she said.
Yet, if the tempo of what has passed for debate is any guide, the "yes" campaign looks as if it is has been rather more successful in making its cause a campaign, and a matter upon which one should take a stand on principle. The "no" campaign has been largely predictable, with little evidence of having aroused great enthusiasm among constituencies where it needs to win. Heightened efforts by "no" organisers to arouse their own side may primarily serve to get lazy "yes" voters to go and post already-filled-in ballots left lying around.
Last year, China's economy grew by 6.7 per cent and its coal consumption fell by 4.7 per cent. That's the third year in a row that China's coal consumption fell. In 2015, China introduced a moratorium on new coal mines. The existing coal fleet runs at about half capacity and, in 2016, China stopped 30 large coal-power plants already under construction. This year, it stopped a further 103 power stations that were planned or midway through their build. It's true that China is still building some coal-fired power stations, but it is also true that it is investing far more in renewables than it is in coal.
THIS WEEK IN CAPE BRETON: Raising the peace flag, reviewing future plans for Centre 200 and more
SYDNEY During a time of conflict around the world and with racial tensions on the rise in many parts, its clear there are those who want to find a bright, positive light wherever they can. Over the next several days, the YMCA of Cape Breton will ...
Volvos cars have been some of the safest in their segments, so naturally, the new XC40 has to live up to its heritage.
As a result, the brands engineers conducted a bunch of internal crash tests, destroying several prototypes of the premium compact SUV, for a noble cause.
And now that the new Volvo XC40 is finally out, theyre showing us a glimpse of the crash tests. In this case, were seeing a side barrier impact, performed at 50km/h (31mph), which is identical Euro NCAPs analysis.
Volvos third member of their SUV family after the XC60 and XC900 will likely score top marks with safety specialists around the world, but until it does, we also get to see it in its first official promo. As expected, the XC40 demonstrates its practicality in the busy urban environment, where it will mostly be driven once the company starts shipping the first units to customers early next year.
The third video is kind of a bonus it shows the companys challenger to the likes of the BMW X1, Audi Q3, and Mercedes-Benz GLA at the Volvo Studio in Milan, Italy, where it celebrated its premiere earlier this week.
VIDEO
Photo: Dave Ogilvie
Construction on a new bridge across McDougall Creek on Shannon Lake Road is on schedule.
City officials in West Kelowna say construction is expected to be complete and the road reopened by Oct. 1, barring any unforeseen weather or construction delays.
The bridge was at the end of its useful life and needed to be replaced.
The new bridge will increase the load-bearing capability to ensure all emergency vehicles can use that section of Shannon Lake Road.
The bridge also took a beating when McDougall Creek flooded during the spring.
The pedestrian walkway, which was closed briefly late last month, is now open again. However, pedestrians are asked to use caution because the area is still an active construction zone.
The 17th Mid-Autumn Food Expo kicked off in Chengdu, southwestern China's Sichuan province, on Sept 19. Major moon cake producers gathered at the event, trying to expand their market share. [Photo/scol.com.cn]
Many time-honored and famous brands upgraded their ingredients with innovation on the basis of being loyal to the tradition.
Apart from moon cakes, various folk activities are also presented in the exhibition hall, bringing the joy of the festival to the people.
Photo: Colton Davies Crews working to repair a street lamp on Lakeshore Drive that was knocked over on Saturday.
A trailer slipped off a semi-truck and knocked down a street lamp on Lakeshore Drive, between Main Street and Martin Street.
Penticton RCMP were called to the incident just before 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.
An eye witness says the driver was pulling out of a parking lot and when he turned, the king pin holding the trailer slipped, causing the trailer to fall off.
No one was hurt, but the witness said that the incident could've been much worse on a busier roadway.
"If this happened on the highway, lives could have been taken," the witness said.
The truck has been cleared, but crews continue to repair the downed street lamp.
If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,...
Wisconsin, which has 39,000 home care workers, will need nearly 20,000 more by 2024 because of the states aging population, according to a new national report.
But finding the workers will be a challenge because low wages and difficult work conditions already make it hard to fill open positions, said the report, issued last week by PHI, a national research firm in New York.
Without improvements to the quality of home care jobs, the state faces serious gaps in the workforce and risks leaving older adults without the supports they need, the report said.
The findings echo the State Journals series this month, Workers Wanted: Wisconsins Looming Crisis, as well as concerns that personal-care and assisted-living groups have expressed about workforce problems.
The challenge to find home care workers who assist older adults and people with disabilities with bathing, dressing, eating, toileting and other daily tasks is becoming especially acute in rural communities, the PHI report said.
The population of women ages 20 to 64, who comprise most of the home care workforce, will drop by 9 percent in rural parts of the state by 2040. The starting hourly wage for home care workers is $8.60 in rural areas, compared to $9.61 in urban areas.
The median wage for the job statewide is $10.47 an hour. With three-fourths of the workers working part-time, the median annual income is $12,600, and nearly a quarter of the workers are living below the federal poverty level.
With inadequate training, poor supervision and few advancement opportunities, the annual turnover rate is more than 50 percent, the PHI report said.
Wisconsin is also experiencing a workforce crisis at assisted- living facilities and nursing homes, according to a report last year from the states four associations that represent providers of both kinds of care.
One in seven caregiver positions is unfilled, often because there are no qualified applicants for the jobs, the report said. Workers can get similar or better pay at retail or fast-food outlets.
The Wisconsin Personal Services Association, which includes home care, asked for a 15 percent increase in Medicaid reimbursement for personal care workers in the 2017-19 state budget, saying the last increase was in 2008 and costs have continued to increase.
Gov. Scott Walker and the Legislature approved a 4 percent increase, from $16.08 an hour to $16.72 an hour.
After billing, scheduling, health insurance, workers compensation insurance and other expenses are factored in, personal-care workers make about $10.75 an hour, the personal services association says.
Darci Knapp, president of the association, renewed her plea for higher reimbursement last month, after the state ended a $16 million contract meant to curb Medicaid personal care fraud two months after the oversight began. The state, which had spent nearly $4 million, said the risk of fraud had been reduced.
Knapp said the state should use the remaining $12 million to boost worker wages. Walker and the Legislature maintained the 4 percent raise.
Wisconsin must take action now to address the direct care workforce crisis so that it can continue to keep its community promise, Knapp said.
Wisconsin has long been a national leader in supporting people with disabilities and older adults in the community instead of institutions, but the workforce crisis threatens to undo this progress.
HES animal protection manager Jason Nelson, above, and other HES officials werent sure Jupiter would live when the starved dog was brought to the shelter in August Doc, an elderly dog from North Georgia, was facing euthanasia at a high-kill shelter in North Georgia until HES agreed to take him in this summer Jupiter now looks nothing like the starving bag of bones he was when he was carried into HES in August -- he's gorgeous. Amazing what a little food can accomplish, isn't it? Previous Next
When Jupiter arrived at the Humane Educational Society in Chattanooga in August, he was nothing but skin and bones and a fierce will to live.
Early this summer, Jupiters owner disabled and in need of care was institutionalized.
When he was finally carried into the HES shelter, animal protection manager Jason Nelson said, Jupiter weighed just 21.6 pounds and was so weak he couldnt stand up, let alone walk.
Hes supposed to be around 60 (pounds), he said. We didnt know if he would make it.
Six weeks later thanks to frequent small feedings, IV fluids and lots of TLC Jupiters weight has more than doubled, up to 50 pounds, and the vet has given him a clean bill of health.
What he needs now is a home, Mr. Nelson said.
HES officials inundated with dozens of animals rescued from shelters in the paths of hurricanes Harvey and Irma on top of those, such as Jupiter, brought in from Hamilton County and the surrounding area are trying to help.
From now until the end of September, the cost of the adoptions at HESChattanooga will be picked up by Free the Shelters, a nationwide campaign funded by corporate sponsor PRAI Beauty.
About 2.4 million healthy, adoptable cats and dogs about one every 13 seconds
are put down in U.S. shelters each year, according to PRAIs website. Research has shown that removing adoption fees increases the number and speed of pet adoptions and reduces euthanasia. Furthermore, there are no significant differences in outcome between pets adopted with or without a fee.
At HES, PRAIs donation means adopters will pay no fees for the cats and dogs they take home to be part of their families.
The free adoptions increase the chances that cats and dogs dozens and dozens brought here from shelters in the paths of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, as well as the hundreds already in the shelter that were here to greet them will find homes this month.
Its also good news for senior animals that are often overlooked by potential adopters looking for puppies and kittens.
Take Doc, a friendly, dignified nine-year-old dog that like Jupiter came close to death this summer.
In July, Doc was turned in to a high-kill North Georgia shelter where cats and dogs are kept only a few days before being killed to make space for new animals. Doc had outstayed his welcome; he was due for euthanasia.
Thats when somebody contacted HES and the shelter agreed to make room for him. Hes been there since July 18 , greeting visitors with dignity and a sedately wagging tail.
Google late Wednesday announced that it would pay $1.1 billion for employees from HTC's smartphone unit, prompting waves upon waves of speculation about what might come next from this hookup.
But I have one hope: that Google's clout and HTC's design can give us something to challenge Apple and Samsung.
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Now, let me be clear. I'm not against either Apple or Samsung they both make nice phones. I'm also not saying there aren't other smartphone companies out there, because there obviously are. But while there are firms doing interesting things Essential, LG, even Google's former acquisition Motorola it definitely feels like this is Apple and Samsung's market and we're all just living in it.
Having more players is also good for innovation. "Two is better than one. But three is better than two," said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights.
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Yes, it's true that both Apple and Samsung face pressure globally from smartphone makers, particularly in China, where cheaper smartphones from companies such as Huawei are getting better. But it's still hard not to say Apple and Samsung are at the top when, combined, they make up 74 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, according to comScore, as well as 94 percent of the global industry's profits, according to Strategy Analytics.
Many have tried and failed to at least become a viable third player for the smartphone world. Microsoft and Nokia hooked up and, for a time, put out interesting phones that ultimately didn't capture consumers' hearts. Google's acquisition of Motorola was a clear attempt to take on the iPhone and Samsung. And even HTC looked like it had a shot at becoming a viable third player, with unique phone designs and high quality that actually made its phones stand out from a fairly boring pack of black (or silver) slabs.
But, of course, it was not meant to be. HTC was just not big enough, and after trying to shore up sales by moving into the growing market of low-end smartphones, it lost some of its sheen on the high-end.
Google has also failed to make a major dent in the market for hardware in general. It does well enough with its own phones first the Nexus, now the Pixel but they aren't a main focus for the company and haven't broken beyond a more limited market of Android enthusiasts. Google's move into hardware with its Nest acquisition has been successful in some ways, but also fraught with insider drama. There have been more recent successes, such as the Chromecast and the Google Home, but they are still more the exception than the rule.
An optimist could look at this partnership, which puts thousands of HTC's engineers under the supervision of Google's hardware heavyweight Rick Osterloh, and say that bringing these firms together will allow them to focus on a product and iterate quickly. With Google's checkbook and the keys to the Android operating system, there is potential for an Apple-like unification of hardware and software design.
A pessimist could say that there's no reason to think that these companies, which have already been working together on Pixel, will be able to pull off a goal neither have accomplished individually.
To succeed at cracking Apple and Samsung's grip would require a shift in Google's priorities as a company and we've had some signs of this, but we've also been down this road before. As Richard Windsor of Edison Investment Research said in a Thursday note to investors, Google's "hardware acquisitions feel like unwanted orphans that have no business being part of Google. Google has yet to show any sign that it has learned from the mistakes, but better late than never."
Wines made from nerello mascalese, as the MunJebel, left, and nero d'Avola, as the Morgante, are great with the fare of the home, Sicily. (E. Jason Wambsgans, Chicago Tribune)
If Sicily were a free-standing nation (which, on occasion, it seems to believe that it is), it would rank seventh in worldwide wine production, at around 160 million gallons a year. Though it is only one of 20 Italian winemaking regions, it produces 15 percent of all Italian wine.
Long a supplier of bulk blending wines to Italy's mainland (and other European countries), the island of Sicily has taken on fully the mid-20th century risorgimento (resurgence) in Italian winemaking and, since the 1980s, has shifted from making heavy, rustic wines to those that are lighter and more suited to contemporary tastes. It's also become a solid exporter of its wines to the world.
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While Sicily is surprisingly well respected for its white wines, for so warm a growing region, two of its red grapes garner more attention: one, nero d'Avola, because it is the mainstay or engine of Sicilian red winemaking and the other, nerello mascalese, because it is turning heads.
"I really love (nerello mascalese)," says Rachel Driver Speckan, wine education and beverage director at City Winery Chicago, "and the producers who are taking the time to make it and bring it to market are really exceptional."
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Nerello mascalese "is difficult to make," Speckan says. "It takes patience and conscientiousness both to grow and to make." But, she adds, "It is simply amazing."
A tasting of just under two dozen nero d'Avola and nerello mascalese wines showed this. The nero d'Avola wines were, by and large, solid and well-made, if a bit monochromatic. But it was at the table of nerello mascalese wines that people lingered and repeatedly tasted.
Avola is a small town south of Syracuse (Siracusa) along Sicily's eastern shore and, although few grapes grow around it now, it lent its name to its indigenous "black" (nero) grape. Nero d'Avola spread throughout the island, and you can safely guess that nearly any red wine coming from Sicily that has no other grape name on the label is made of all or mostly nero d'Avola.
Nerello ("the little black one") mascalese gets the second half of its name from the Mascali plain east of Mount Etna, Sicily's famed and still active volcano. Whereas nearly 50,000 acres of nero d'Avola grow on Sicily, only 9,000 acres of nerello mascalese thrive (although that is increasing by the year).
Nerello mascalese "is a mountain wine," says Speckan almost all of it grows on Etna's slopes, sometimes as high as 1,000 meters "and so it's cool-climate, with high acidity and a dark skin tone."
"Even though it may reach high ripeness," she says, "it can still be very tart. There's this nice balance between ripeness and acidity; it's very vivacious, like a (red) Burgundy but more fun."
Nerello's dark red fruit is marked by a characteristic "smoldering, cindery quality," Speckan says. "You cannot separate it from its terroir (Etna's lava), and that is its giveaway when you taste it."
Food pairings for nerello mascalese are, according to Speckan, right down the Sicilian buffet. "Olives, pickled or brined vegetables, cured meats," Speckan lists. "It's one of the few red wines to go with fish, especially tuna, raw or cooked. I love it with roasted mushrooms and all that earthy funkiness that's the same in the wine. Or with duck or goose or richer, earthy fowl. And with (cured) ham, like jamon Iberico, it's perfect."
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Here are a few recommended nero d'Avola and nerello mascalese wines, listed by ascending price. All are appellation Sicily, Italy or Terre Siciliane Rosso.
2012 Cantina Cellaro Nero d'Avola Luma: Nothing serious here, just pure ease and deliciousness; fantastic price for roundly, charmingly delivered red fruit. $12-$14
2012 Benanti Nerello Mascalese Rosso di Verzella: Lots of dark cherry-like fruit accented with eucalyptus and cocoa; just gulpable and refreshing. $16-$22
2009 Valle dell'Acate Cerasuolo di Vittoria: A vibrantly fruity and light red wine unique to Sicily, a blend of 60 percent nero d'Avola and 40 percent indigenous frappato; gorgeous strawberry come-hithers. $20-$24
2010 Benanti Nerello Mascalese Rovittello: The more serious and earthy of the winery's nerello wines, aged in barrel. $35
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2011 Morgante Nero d'Avola Don Antonio: Ups the ante on nero d'Avola's regularly plain-spoken dark red fruit, adding hints of licorice and cocoa, abundant yet plush tannins and a nice, chewy texture. $42
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2010 Tascante Nerello Mascalese Terza Vendemmia: It's steep on the price, but you do get abundant fruit, juice-inducing texture and a whiff of earth. $44-$48
2013 Frank Cornelissen Nerello Mascalese "MunJebel": One of the new voices of nerello, a naturalist, leaving the wine close to making itself; gets the head shaking after a sip because you feel as if you've just drunk from the earth itself; fruit, yes, but truly liquid terroir. $48
2013 Frank Cornelissen Nerello Mascalese "MunJebel VA": From his highest (Vigne Alte) vineyards on Etna; smoke, cinders, black earth, graphite and black pepper lace dark red fruit, leathery tannins and whip-snap acidity on the finish. $75
Footnote: I was sent some samples of nero d'Avola and nerello mascalese wines by the Barone Montalto winery in Sicily. The wines are marvelous but, sad to say, less than 0.5 percent of Montalto's production is sold in the U.S., according to its own informational materials, so I cannot recommend its wines. However, if and when it makes its way here, be sure to snap up a bottle of either or both Barone Montalto Nero d'Avola Appassimento (in the mode of a ripasso wine from Veneto) or the blend of nero d'Avola, nerello mascalese, cabernet sauvignon and merlot called Barone Montalto Ammasso.
If your wine store does not carry these wines, ask for one similar in style and price.
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Bill St John has been writing and teaching about wine for more than 40 years.
bsjtrib@gmail.com
Shortly after an Arby's employee fatally stabbed his manager in front of at least two others including a customer at the drive-thru window the employee walked home and told his mother, "I did something bad," Cook County prosecutors told a judge Saturday.
The employee, Irvin Thomas, 26, said nothing as prosecutors laid first-degree murder allegations against him at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. Judge John F. Lyke Jr. ordered Thomas held without bail.
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In court, prosecutors offered no details on what led to the attack that began just after 10 p.m. Wednesday in Hickory Hills. Authorities said Thomas retrieved a kitchen knife from the rear of the business and began stabbing manager John Price, 35, at the front counter.
Price fell to the floor during the attack, but managed to get to his feet and was seen by witnesses staggering in a Jewel-Osco parking lot next to the restaurant, screaming for help, Assistant State's Attorney Jason Fisher said.
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The attack was captured on surveillance video and also witnessed by at least one other person inside the business and a customer at the drive-thru window, according to Fisher. That customer drove off and immediately dialed 911, Fisher said.
After the stabbing, surveillance also captured Thomas wiping the bloody blade on his work uniform and then dumping the knife and his work clothing in a garbage bin behind the business, authorities said. The knife was later recovered by investigators.
Thomas then walked to his home in the 9400 block of South 79th Avenue and made the admission to his mother, Fisher said. Authorities arrested Thomas at the home without incident.
A Friday autopsy determined Price died of multiple sharp force injuries and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
If convicted, Thomas faces life in prison. He is expected to appear in court in Bridgeview next week.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy
Volunteers Nicole Costello, left, and Alex Ripley talk with dinner guests Chantee Evans and Sidney Wright during a Dinners for Humanity meal at Caravan on Sept. 12, 2017, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune )
At a trendy restaurant in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood, diners sat at a table near the front window and chatted casually over drinks.
To someone looking in from the busy stretch of Broadway, the dinner party looked like any other group of friends grabbing a bite after work.
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But these unlikely dinner companions a homeless man, a woman getting by with the support of a LINK card and a housing subsidy, and working professionals from Lincoln Park, the Gold Coast and the West Loop neighborhoods were trying to do something they say doesn't happen enough.
The group is part of a new initiative called Dinners for Humanity, which pairs Chicago residents with homeless and other people down on their luck for a sit-down dinner at a restaurant.
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With almost no overhead costs and a simple strategy setting up the monthly dinners, where volunteers agree to spend about $30 on dinner for themselves and their guest the nonprofit that started through a social media post aims to address the Chicago area's ongoing homeless problem in a small but meaningful way.
"We live in a world that's so incredibly divided for no good reason," said Alex Ripley, 40, who volunteered recently as part of the group's second gathering. "It's just an opportunity to reconnect."
The dinner came one week before construction began on a project that displaced dozens of homeless residents living in tents just a few blocks away under the Lake Shore Drive viaducts at Wilson and Lawrence avenues. Advocates for the homeless had tried to block the city from starting construction, arguing that the city's plans for bike paths and sidewalks intentionally kept the homeless from returning. But a judge ruled that the city could move forward with the project.
Given the emotional debate that has gone on for weeks, advocates for the homeless say Dinners for Humanity could offer a way to help Chicago residents to get to know their community including some of the 82,000 people living in shelters, doubled-up with other families or on the streets.
From front to back, dinner guests Renee Martin and Rodney Dawkins talk with volunteers Emily Holland and Ted Steinemann during a "Dinners for Humanity" meal at Dib Sushi Bar and Thai Cuisine on Sept. 12, 2017 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
"There are different ways to help people better understand what people living in extreme poverty and with low income and no options," said Anne Bowhay, director of foundation relations and media for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. "One-on-one experiences have a real impact."
Dinners for Humanity was developed by a young professional named Mehdi Lazrak, who moved to Chicago last year. A Morroccan immigrant who came to the U.S. to get a degree at Yale University, Lazrak said he was surprised to see the way people in America seemed to look down on the homeless population and walk by people living on the streets without concern.
While working his first job out of college in Seattle, Lazrak offered to take a homeless man he saw each day at a bus stop out to dinner. He was surprised by the way the gesture gave him a deeper understanding of the man's challenges, he said.
"It really changed my perspective," said Lazrak, 26. "I always felt compassion for homeless people, but I just had no idea about circumstances about what lead them to be homeless."
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When Lazrak was transferred by his company, Expedia, to Chicago in 2016, he decided to start a community project that made more of those dinners possible. He put a message on Facebook and Meetup.com to gauge interest and was grateful when volunteers eagerly came forward.
After several months of planning, the most enthusiastic and involved volunteers became the nonprofit's board members. To keep costs low and make easy connections, they partnered with a well-established group, Inspiration Corporation, a nonprofit that already was offering meals, job training and other services in Uptown.
Volunteers knowingly accept that some of the dinner guests may have criminal histories or mental illness, but the organizers have made it their mission not to discriminate unless there is a real safety risk.
"It's a simple activity that brings people together," said Xochitl Guerrero, a Dinners for Humanity board member who spends her days working with mentally ill inmates in Cook County. "You get reacquainted with humanity."
The volunteers and dinner guest meet briefly at the Inspiration Corporation's North Broadway office before being dispatched into small groups who walk to nearby restaurants, which are not alerted ahead of time. The planning of the events is the biggest challenge, since many dinner guests are hard to reach and drop out at the last minute.
But once they're on the way to the restaurants, the conversations are unscripted and uncensored, Lazrak said.
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At this month's dinner, eight dinner guests joined nine volunteers at four restaurants around Uptown.
Over potstickers, spring rolls and chicken satay at Dib Sushi Bar, Renee Martin, 31, told her dinner companions that while she is glad to no longer be homeless, the cost of living in Chicago makes it sometimes feel impossible for her to imagine a day when her paychecks will be enough to cover rent, food and other expenses. In addition to her LINK card and a rent subsidy, she donates plasma regularly to make ends meet, she said.
"I've really been fighting for my independence," Martin said. "You've got to be responsible, even when it's hard."
Emily Holland, 30, a freelance writer living in the Gold Coast, said she was nervous when she stepped off the train for the volunteer opportunity, but headed home feeling inspired and fulfilled.
"I ended up feeling more comfortable at that table and more connected with people than I have in other social settings," Holland said. "I was pleasantly surprised with how much we had to talk about."
Lazrak and other organizers hope that as the nonprofit continues, it will grow its volunteer base and encourage ongoing relationships between the dinner participants. Organizers believe that the small interactions have the potential to grow into community-wide conversations that humanize the homeless and raise the public's awareness about how to help.
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Until then, they're just glad to be introducing people and filling stomachs.
While digging into a steak dinner with dill rice and charbroiled vegetables at Caravan, Sidney Wright described how even though he works regularly selling concessions at White Sox games and other odd jobs, he can't afford a security deposit and regular rent for an apartment and bounces between shelters.
As he finished the last sips of his Coke, he thanked his dinner dates for a great evening.
"I fell but I didn't fall out," said Wright, acknowledging past struggles.
"I'm down, but I'm not out," he told his dinner companions. "It's good to be treated well."
vortiz@chicagotribune.com
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The owner and chef of a recently opened Bucktown barbecue restaurant was ordered held on $250,000 bail Saturday after he was accused of fatally stabbing his younger brother following a night of drinking in the western suburbs.
But attorneys for Whistle Pig owner Nestor Soto successfully fought off an effort by prosecutors to have him held without bail, arguing that there was little evidence that Soto was the one who fatally stabbed his brother, Ivens, despite both being alone in the home together.
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Soto whose Texas-style barbecue and Cajun food eatery Whistle Pig quickly became known for hearty dishes, such as pork poutine, a catfish po' boy and a half beer-can chicken was charged with first degree murder.
Forest Park police and paramedics arrived to a bloody scene at Ivens Soto's home in the 7700 block of Adams Street in Forest Park early Wednesday afternoon. Inside the home, first responders found Soto, 25, in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds and later found a large kitchen knife underneath him.
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Police and firefighters spoke with Nestor Soto, 38, at the home, noticing he was almost completely covered in blood and "hysterical," but showed no tears, Assistant State's Attorney Jason Fisher told the court.
Prosecutors said there were signs of a struggle inside the home, but noted the elder Soto had no physical injuries. Surveillance videos at a local tavern captured the brothers drinking together earlier in the evening, Fisher said.
But Soto's defense attorney, Todd Pugh, said there was no obvious motive for the slaying, no eyewitnesses to the slaying and that the blood on his client was consistent with a man checking his injured brother after discovering his body. Soto was understandably "emotional and traumatized" after finding his younger brother dead after both men went to separate bedrooms and went to bed, Pugh added.
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Pugh said Nestor Soto has been a chef for more than 20 years.
Both sides also mentioned a lockup box with house keys in the front of the home because it was up for sale and allowed a real estate agent to get access inside. "That lockbox cuts both ways," Judge John F. Lyke Jr. said, noting it could provide access to someone else.
Nestor Soto also had numerous supporters who believed his innocence, including his mother, Pugh told the court.
Noting the lack of witnesses and physical evidence, the judge rejected prosecutors' no-bail petition and ordered Soto held, but required the full cash deposit before releasing him from custody. He would also be required to have electronic home monitoring.
Soto's attorneys did not comment after the hearing. Soto is expected to return to court next week.
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wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy
Police are asking for the public's help in finding a 27-year-old Rockford man suspected of shooting a Winnebago County sheriff's deputy near Rockford early Saturday, authorities said.
The fugitive, Jordan D. Spates, 27, was charged in a no-bond warrant with aggravated battery to a police officer with a firearm, a Class X felony, according to a statement from Illinois State Police.
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Spates should be considered "armed and dangerous,'' police said.
The incident happened about 1:35 a.m. when the sheriff's deputy was trying to stop a fleeing vehicle on Springfield Avenue when it halted near Prairie Road.
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Its driver exited and sprinted away, but while fleeing he pulled a gun and fired several times at the deputy, "striking him with gunfire and incapacitating the deputy,'' the statement said.
As the suspect fled into the heavily wooded area in Klehm Arboretum, responding officers took the injured sheriff's deputy to a hospital where he had surgery for non-life-threatening injuries.
Jarrion J. Moore of Rockford (Winnebago County Sheriff's Office)
Authorities conducted a "massive manhunt'' using K9 units and air support but could not find the suspect. Winnebago County detectives were called in and were later able to identify the suspected shooter after finding narcotics in the vehicle and executing a search warrant in the 1000 block of South Court in Rockford, where they found more evidence and arrested Jarrion J. Moore, state police said.
Moore, 21, was charged with possession with intent to deliver cocaine and resisting arrest, police said. He was also wanted on two outstanding warrants.
The sheriffs' office is asking for the public's help in finding Spates. Anyone with information should call sheriff's police, 815-282-2600, or Crime Stoppers, 815-963-7867.
Tension between the United States and North Korea remained high Sunday as Pyongyang released propaganda videos showing U.S. planes and an aircraft carrier under attack.
The violent videos came after President Donald Trump derided North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, by calling him "little rocketman" and vowing at the United Nations to "totally destroy" North Korea if it threatens the United States or its allies.
U.S. officials were more restrained in their words Sunday. Treasury Secretary Seth Mnuchin repeated the insistence that all options, including military force, remain on the table. But he lingered more on discussing how he has greater authority to punish countries, companies and individuals who trade with North Korea under an executive order signed by Trump last week. And he downplayed the likelihood of nuclear war.
"The president doesn't want to be in a nuclear war," he said on the ABC show This Week. "And we will do everything we can to make sure that doesn't occur."
And Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., who has pushed stronger sanctions against North Korea and those who trade with it, said there is still room for diplomacy and tougher sanctions that aim to bring North Korea to the negotiating table.
"We have a long ways to go to continue to ratchet up the economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea and the enablers of North Korea," he said on CBS' "Face the Nation."
"Our No. 1 goal with North Korea as it relates to North Korea must and always will be peaceful denuclearization of the North Korean regime," he said. "But we have a lot of work to do on the diplomatic and economic side before we think of any other option."
In Pyongyang, however, the rhetoric and the images evoked the possibility of war on the horizon.
Photoshopped pictures from a state-owned propaganda website, DPRK Today, purported to show a North Korean missile making a direct hit on B-1B Lancer bombers and an F-35 fighter jet. In the doctored shots, the planes were engulfed in flames.
Another falsified video on the website showed a missile launched from a North Korean submarine strike the USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered supercarrier. Like the planes, the ship explodes in a firestorm.
The fake news targets were apparently chosen because B-1B bombers escorted by Air Force fighter jets flew in international airspace off the coast of North Korea on Saturday in a clear demonstration of force. And the Carl Vinson led one of two carrier strike groups that conducted joint exercises with South Korea and Japan earlier this year.
As the war of words escalates, North Koreans are being bombarded with militaristic and tit-for-tat messages. Kim himself went on TV to declare Trump is "mentally deranged" and a "dotard" and vowed to make him "pay dearly" for his insults. Kim said he was considering ordering the "highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history." On Saturday, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said Trump's remarks made it an inevitability that his country's rockets would hit the U.S. mainland.
And in a government-orchestrated display of North Korean anger, what appeared to be tens of thousands of people attended a huge rally Saturday in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square, a large public plaza named after Kim's grandfather and founder of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Demonstrators chanted "total destruction," and "decisive revenge," according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, which pegged the crowd size at 100,000. It said some people carried signs with the slogan "Death to the Amerian Imperialists."
"We are waiting for the right time to have a final battle with the U.S., the evil empire, and to remove the U.S. from the world," said Ri Il-bae, a commanding officer of the Red Guards, KCNA reported. "Once respected Supreme Commander Kim Jong Un gives an order, we will annihilate the group of aggressors."
Other countries have watched with alarm as tensions have escalated.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a televised interview Sunday that he doubts the United States will militarily strike North Korea because of its nuclear weapons.
"The Americans won't strike because they know for sure rather than suspect that it has atomic bombs," Lavrov told Russia's NTV television. "I'm not defending North Korea right now, I'm just saying that almost everyone agrees with this analysis."
Early this month, North Korea conducted an underground test on what it said was a hydrogen bomb much larger than the one that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.
Asked how the confrontation could be defused, Lavrov replied, "Only with caresses, suggestion and persuasion."
Lavrov warned that without a diplomatic approach, "we could drop into a very unpredictable nosedive and tens if not hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens of South Korea but also North Korea, of course, and Japan will suffer and Russia and China are nearby."
The U.S.military launched six drone strikes against Islamic State positions in Libya on Friday, months after militants were driven from safe havens there.
Officials announced the operation Sunday, saying 17 militants were killed and three vehicles were destroyed when unmanned aircraft targeted a desert camp about 150 miles southeast of Sirte, a coastal city where ISIS fighters were defeated by U.S.-backed Libyan forces last September.
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Sirte served as an important logistics and planning hub for ISIS leaders, and it was considered a potential fallback if the terror group were to lose its de facto capital in Syria.
Friday's attack comes as President Donald Trump seeks to further relax restrictions on attacking terrorists outside active war zones. Since assuming office in January, his administration has sought to roll back Obama-era regulations restricting strikes that put civilians at risk or where there is no "continued and imminent threat" to U.S. personnel, The Washington Post reported in March.
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Friday's operation was the first reported U.S. strike inside Libya since late January, when an estimated 80 ISIS militants were killed 30 miles from the Mediterranean coast.
In a statement, U.S. Africa Command said ISIS militants strategically capture ungoverned territory to recruit and plot attacks, including in Europe. Army Maj. Audricia M. Harris, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told The Post the strikes were carried out by unmanned aircraft but would not say which model. MQ-9 Reaper drones have been used for similar strikes in Libya.
The Pentagon maintains a small presence in Libya, mostly special operations troops and joint terminal attack controllers who can direct airstrikes from the ground. The U.S. often relies on Libyan government troops to pass on coordinates.
Libya has been engulfed in conflict since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. U.S forces began targeting ISIS there since early 2016, when the militant group had upwards of 6,000 fighters spread throughout Sirte and surrounding areas. By this spring, officials estimated only 200 or so remained in Libya.
In the January attack, one of the last conducted during the Obama administration, two B-2 bombers and an unspecified number of Reaper aircraft unleashed nearly 100 weapons on ISIS training camps southwest of Sirte. At the time, U.S. officials declared the operation a potent blow to the Islamic State's dwindling presence in the region.
"Was it a death knell for ISIS in Libya?" then-Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in January. "We'll have to wait and see."
Claudia Gazzini, senior Libya analyst for the International Crisis Group, told The Post on Sunday that the recent strikes do not indicate ISIS militants have regained strength, but it does confirm assessments that scattered militants are capable of massing to strike forces in a 100- to 150-mile bubble to Sirte's south and east.
Though the location of the camps was not released, Gazzini said it is in the rough geographic area of Al Fuqaha, where ISIS militants attacked a Libyan National Army checkpoint and beaded nine soldiers and two civilians in August, Newsweek reported. ISIS militants attacked a town east of Sirte this month and conducted services at a mosque there, she said.
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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in London on Sept. 14 to discuss simmering conflicts, including Libya, though Gazzini said it appears the U.S. will continue to deal with violence in the country from the air.
"This strike seems to indicate Libya is mainly an anti-terrorism file and only subsequently a political file" for the U.S. government, she said.
The Republican senators at the forefront of the latest effort to undo the Affordable Care Act plan to release a revised version of their bill Monday sending more health-care dollars to the states of key holdouts, as hardening resistance from several GOP senators left their proposal on the verge of collapse.
According to a summary obtained by The Washington Post, Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., will propose giving Alaska and Maine get more funding than initially offered. Those states are represented by Republican senators Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, and Susan Collins, Maine, who have expressed concerns about the bill but have yet to say how they would vote.
The Cassidy-Graham legislation would overhaul the ACA by lumping together the current law's spending on insurance subsidies and expanded Medicaid and redistributing it to states in the form of block grants. Alaska would get 3 percent more funding between 2020 and 2026 than under current law, and Maine would get 43 percent more funding during that time period, according to a summary obtained by The Post.
The plan was distributed among Republicans late Sunday, with party leaders just one "no" vote away from defeat and as Republican senators from across the political spectrum were distancing themselves from the prior draft.
Aides to Murkowski and Collins did not immediately respond to requests for comment late Sunday. Republicans close to the process have long counted Collins as an eventual "no," with some predicting that little could be done to the bill to change her mind.
The fresh discord over a signature Republican promise added turbulence to the start of a critical week for President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. In addition to health care, both are watching Tuesday's special-election primary runoff in Alabama, a high-stakes intraparty fight between establishment Republicans and conservatives that could set the tone for the midterm elections next year. GOP leaders also are expected to unveil their most detailed blueprint yet of tax cuts they hope to pass by the end of the year.
"Eventually we'll win, whether it's now or later," Trump said of the health-care effort Sunday as he prepared to board Air Force One to return to Washington after spending the weekend at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Collins, a moderate Republican who has opposed previous efforts that cut Medicaid and eased coverage requirements, said in a TV interview earlier Sunday that it was "very difficult" to envision herself voting for the health-care bill.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a conservative who has advocated a more far-reaching repeal of the ACA, commonly called Obamacare, said he and at least one other conservative colleague do not back the measure "right now."
And Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has stated definitively that he opposes the current measure, showed no signs of backing down without dramatic changes to the bill's core approach that probably would come at the cost of other Republican votes.
Graham and Cassidy pledged to keep trying to pass their bill - but the White House and McConnell gave differing accounts of the path ahead. White House legislative affairs director Marc Short predicted a Wednesday vote, while a McConnell spokesman declined to publicly embrace that timeline.
Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Collins cited concerns about how the Cassidy-Graham legislation would affect Medicaid recipients and people with preexisting medical conditions, among other things.
"It is very difficult for me to envision a scenario where I would end up voting for this bill," Collins said. "I have a number of serious reservations about it."
Collins voted against a repeal bill in July, and she is a key vote in the current dynamic. She said she chatted at length with Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday, but it wasn't enough to sway her. She said she wants to see the limited analysis due out this week from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office before making a final decision.
Two Republican senators - Paul and John McCai, Ariz. - have already said they will vote against Cassidy-Graham. A third would be enough to defeat the bill, since no Democrats are expected to support it. Republicans hold a 52-48 advantage in the Senate and can lose only two votes from their own party and still pass legislation with the help of a tiebreaking vote from Pence.
Trump said Sunday that the senators opposed to or leaning against voting for the bill, including McCain and Collins, would benefit from the block grants included in the proposal.
"Every state you're talking about, it happens to be particularly good for," Trump said.
The bill has been roundly rejected by influential national groups representing physicians, hospitals and insurers. Over the weekend, six such organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association, issued a joint statement urging the Senate to reject the measure.
While the CBO plans to release a "preliminary assessment" early this week, officials there have said they will not be able to provide estimates of how Cassidy-Graham would affect insurance premiums or the number of people with coverage "for at least several weeks." Trump and McConnell are trying to bring the bill to a vote by the end of this week to take advantage of a procedural rule allowing the plan to pass with just 51 votes.
It remained far from clear Sunday that they could get even close to that number.
Addressing Cassidy-Graham at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Cruz said: "Right now, they don't have my vote. And I don't think they have Mike Lee's either," referring to one of Utah's senators.
Cruz said that he and Lee met with Graham and Cassidy last week to propose changes to the measure that would get them to yes. Their changes were not included in the latest draft.
Conn Carroll, a Lee spokesman, said Sunday: "We want some technical changes. We are working with Cassidy, but we haven't committed to anything yet."
Graham and Cassidy appeared on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," where they defended their plan and vowed to keep up their efforts to shepherd it to passage.
"We're moving forward. And we'll see what happens next week. I'm very excited about it," Graham said.
The South Carolina Republican mentioned Collins and Paul as he made his pitch. "Rand Paul objects to the taxes," he said. "But when you look at the bill, Rand, we save a lot of money over time for Medicaid. We put a cap on Obamacare growth."
Paul said in a Sunday interview that he broadly opposes a keystone of the Cassidy-Graham plan: turning funding for the ACA into block grants for states.
"The problem I have with block grants is that looks like I've affirmatively said I'm okay with 90 percent of Obamacare as long as we reshuffle it and give it to Republican states," he said. "That's a horrible message."
Paul said he is willing to listen to suggestions about how that element of the bill could be constricted. "Would I talk to them if they said they wanted to make the block grants half as much? I might," he said.
Paul presents another challenge as well: Winning him over would probably alienate Republican senators who oppose a more aggressive repeal. That left GOP leaders no better off in their quest to secure enough Republican votes to pass Cassidy-Graham.
The proposal, which would also dramatically cut Medicaid spending over time, has drawn concerns from Republicans from states that have expanded Medicaid under the ACA. In an interview on CBS' "Face The Nation," Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., whose state expanded Medicaid, said he needs more information before he will take a position.
"I think the CBO will have a role to play in this," Gardner said. "I believe there's information that will be coming through a committee hearing on Monday and additional text changes that will add additional information."
McConnell is also keeping a close eye this week on the Senate race in Alabama, where Republican Sen. Luther Strange is trying to get past insurgent primary challenger Roy Moore, a controversial but popular former judge. Trump and McConnell both back Strange, but supporters and associates of Trump, including former chief White House strategist Stephen Bannon and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, have praised Moore.
A Moore victory would be a blow to both McConnell and Trump, who have put their powerful political operations behind Strange. Some Republicans also say that outcome would embolden conservative insurgents to challenge other Republican senators in 2018.
Also this week, the "Big Six" negotiators from the White House, the Senate and the House are expected to unveil more details of their tax overhaul plan, which, like the health-care talks, could spark messy disagreements among Republicans.
Some of the elements of the plan have already started to take shape. Republicans are targeting a corporate rate of 20 percent in their overhaul, according to three people familiar with the emerging blueprint - a number that represents a substantial cut from the current 35 percent rate but falls short of the 15 percent Trump has advocated.
But for Senate Republicans, the first order of business this week is resolving the health-care push, one way or the other. Even the bill's champions have started pondering the prospect of failure.
Asked on "This Week" what he will tell people if he comes up short, Graham responded: "That I did everything I could to get money and power out of Washington to give you better health care closer to where you live, and I'm not going to stop fighting."
He also held up the possibility of using health care as a negotiating tactic in future legislative talks.
"I'm on the Budget Committee," Graham said, adding, "we're not going to vote for a budget resolution that doesn't allow the health-care debate to continue."
The Washington Post's Robert Costa and Carol Morello contributed to this report.
The 9th-Annual Elgin Short Film Festival welcomed directors and screenwriters to Saturdays screening, complete with a red carpet, entertainment and a crowd of fans. Conlon Taaffe, who directed Too Evil, was among the directors honored at the festival. (Gloria Casas/The Courier-News )
A movie about a concert pianist dealing with a traumatic brain injury, and the story of a local chef whose life was marked by injustice and a life of crime before discovering a passion for culinary arts, were among the top films honored at the ninth annual Elgin Short Film Festival.
"Ten More," directed by Brad Riddell and starring David Pasquesi of HBO's "Veep," captured first place.
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Riddell began his screenwriting career in 2005 and is a professor at DePaul University in Chicago.
His film is about a concert pianist, who "receives a startling omen as he struggles to recover from a traumatic brain injury," according to the festival's website.
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Second place went to an animated film directed by Robert Hemlich. The film is about an inflatable tube man who courts his lady love through the art of erotic dancing, according to the festival.
Third place and the People's Choice winner was "Seared" directed by Ben Gustafson. "Seared" is about a local chef.
Films by six finalists were screened Saturday at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin including "Watermelon Eyes," "Too Evil" and "The Puppy Trials."
The evening included performances by Integrity School of Dance members and local high school students, along with a red carpet interviews.
Conlon Taaffe was a natural on the red carpet.
"I'm very excited about this," the DePaul University graduate said of the premiere of his animated film "Too Evil" at the festival. "I am a little overwhelmed. They pull out all the stops. It's impressive."
The Lombard resident has known he wanted to make animated films since he was a child.
The idea for his film came from a dream. The premise is a demon king realizes his daughter may be too evil for her own group, according to the festival's website.
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"I wanted to take a family and make them a little insane," said Taafee, who brought his parents to the festival. His mom is WGN News anchor Judy Pielach.
"Watermelon Eyes" director Jeremy Silva was interviewed on the red carpet by Elgin Today host Jeff Myers before being escorted inside the center.
According to the festival's webpage, in the film, "an overdue letter opens a window to the past for a broken alcoholic, who blind to his addiction, must weigh his poison against the love of his life."
"It's a very dear project to me because people struggling with addiction deserve to be seen," said Silva of Elgin.
Mike Toomey, comedian and integral part of the WGN-TV morning show, returned as emcee.
New this year was a pre-show performance by Chamber Music on the Fox. The Chamber Music on the Fox performed a new score accompanying the screening of Charlie Chaplin's classic silent film, "The Tramp."
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The Elgin Short Film Festival's success is due in part to the wide variety of submitted films, said Joe Vassallo, co-chair of the Film Festival Committee.
"They get better every year," he said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Rosa and Enrique DeLeon watched Sones de Mexico Ensemble play guitars, marimbas, a button box accordion and handmade wooden drums, while singing and dancing during a pre-concert demonstration Friday night in Grayslake.
"It took us back home. It's the music you listen to when Grandpa comes over," said Rosa DeLeon, who was born in Mexico and now lives in Waukegan with her husband, who is also Hispanic.
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It is also the music of a nation that has recently suffered two devastating earthquakes.
Rosa DeLeon, along with some of the 40 audience members who came to hear Sones de Mexico at the James Lumber Center have family and friends in Mexico, as do members of the ensemble.
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Juan Dies, co-founder of Sones de Mexico Ensemble, shows Heidi Keller of Gurnee a handmade flute from a region in Mexico. Sones de Mexico presented a pre-concert demonstration and lecture Friday before performing at the James Lumber Center in Grayslake. (Sheryl DeVore/Lake County News-Sun )
No one at the event lost loved ones due to the earthquakes, but on this day during Hispanic Heritage Month before the demonstration began, they talked about the devastation suffered in Mexico as well as the hurricane in Puerto Rico.
Loved ones safe
Juan Dies, co-founder of the ensemble, said his family is safe in Mexico. "But they're really scared," he said.
Dies said he feels sorrow about the children who died after an earthquake struck Central Mexico on Sept. 19.
That quake came just 12 days after another earthquake struck the southern coast of Mexico.
Dies said Victor Pichardo, one of the co-founders of Sones de Mexico, who now lives in the state of Morelos in Mexico, told him about how the belfries of 10 Catholic churches "crumbled to the ground" during the Sept. 19 earthquake. Dies said a fundraiser for earthquake victims in Mexico is being planned in Chicago in the next few weeks.
Rosa DeLeon said her parents are helping with relief efforts in Mexico.
"My parents live on the outskirts of Mexico City," she said. "My dad was there when it happened. Buildings all around him were tumbling down. He was entering a building when it started and knew to get out of there right away. It took him 11 hours to get back home."
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Rene Cardoza, dressed in ceremonial attire, dances during a demonstration of Mexican regional music by Sones de Mexico Ensemble at the James Lumber Center in Grayslake. (Sheryl DeVore/Lake County News-Sun )
She said she would send her father videos and pictures of the demonstration she attended Friday.
She had her camera ready as Dies led the audience on a tour of some Mexican regions.
Regional traditions
"Mexico is not a monolithic culture," he told the audience.
"The styles of music we perform are confined to small geographic areas, and those styles are known as 'son,' or 'song.'"
Throughout Mexico, you can go to villages and hear, for example, "son Veracruz" in one place or "son San Luis Potosi" where Dies was born, in another.
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Dies came to the U.S. when he was 18 years old and learned that Hispanics living in Chicago weren't familiar with all the regional variances of music, so in 1994 he started Sones de Mexico with Pichardo, Gonzalo Cordova and Rene Cardoza. The group performed at Carnegie Hall in 2010.
The ensemble demonstration Friday began with Danzas y Alabanzas de Concherios, performed in the Tiaxcala region as a traditional dance ceremony.
A drum made of hardwood and painted to look like a grasshopper is one of more than 40 instruments played by the Sones de Mexico Ensemble, which includes six performers. (Sheryl DeVore/Lake County News-Sun )
A solo drummer played slow steady beats, a flute joined in, and then Cardoza walked onto the stage, adorned with long feathers gathered around his head and shakers containing seeds bound around his ankles. He danced and called for the playing of the conch shells, which various members played singly and in harmony. The drum made of hardwood and painted to look like a grasshopper, has been used since pre-Colombian time, Dies told the audience, which clapped enthusiastically at the end of the "danza."
Other regions the ensemble explored included Norte, where drums and button box accordions are played and Guerrero where dances imitate the movements of animals. Cardoza stood on a wooden box performing a type of tap dance, while another member tossed out a red scarf, then crawled on the ground like a lizard.
Marimbas and mariachi
Next it was off to Chiapas, where three band members played marimbas, which Dies said originated in Africa and were adopted by the Mayans.
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The group also performed mariachi, which Dies said has changed a great deal since poor peasants performed it in a small region in Mexico, without trumpets or fancy costumes.
Dies said although females did not play this music, the only female in the ensemble, Erendira Izguerra, not only plays mariachi with Sones de Mexico Ensemble, but also leads a female mariachi band in Chicago.
She also plays a mean fiddle as well as the marimbas, the clarinet and a percussion instrument made of donkey horns and deer antlers.
"It was wonderful," said Heidi Keller of Gurnee who came to the event. "They are so talented, and it was all so interesting. They play multiple instruments and as a musician, I know how hard that is. They also had a little comedy, some acting and dancing, and gave us some historical background."
She came with her friend, Odette Calderon, of Niles, who is from the Dominican Republic. "I like supporting small local ensembles these people are making their living doing this. Often it's traditional music you wouldn't hear on the radio. They're keeping tradition alive," said Calderon.
The DeLeons said they try to attend Hispanic cultural events whenever possible. "We are Americanized and we have lost part of our culture," said Rosa DeLeon. They speak Spanish at home to keep the language alive, she said.
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Norma Suchomel of Wadsworth and Yvonne Hustak of Gurnee saw the Mariachi Divas last year at the Lumber Center, and were glad to learn about Sones de Mexico performing this year. "I love the beat, the stories they tell, the costumes," Suchomel said.
For Hustak it is a way to celebrate her culture. "I am Hispanic, but I was never raised around the culture. This is history for me."
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
Pueblo Union Depot to host seminar series on Italian American history
'Topics in Italian American Studies' is a two-part seminar hosted by Marianna Gatto, executive director of the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles.
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Honored guests initiate the opening ceremony of the 15th Asia Arts Festival in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, Sept. 23, 2017. The Festival kicked off on Saturday. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)
The 15th Asia Arts Festival opened on Saturday night in Ningbo City, east China's Zhejiang Province.
In addition to art performances and exhibitions, the festival will include a Lancang-Mekong cultural forum, in which culture ministers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China will gather to discuss exchanges and cooperation.
The Asia Arts Festival was first held in 1998 in Beijing, and the previous festival was held in Quanzhou in east China's Fujian Province in 2015.
Statistics shows that over 300 art groups from more than 30 countries and regions in Asia have attended the festival over the past years.
This year's event, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Culture and the provincial government of Zhejiang, will last until Oct. 23.
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China should push for the integrative development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural regions to modernize agriculture and increase the income of farmers, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang said Friday.
China should extend rural industrial chains, encouraging rural businesses in fields including tourism, culture and health care, Wang said at a meeting on the integrated development of rural industries in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
China should establish mechanisms that benefit the farmers, such as rural cooperatives, and let the market play a bigger role to give full play to the creativity of business entities, he said.
A C929 aircraft model is displayed at an aviation exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, in November 2016.[Photo/China Daily]
China will design and make the fuselage of the C929, while Russia will design the wings of the wide-body passenger aircraft, which is currently under development, said Commercial Aircraft Corp of China on Friday.
Better known as COMAC, the Chinese plane maker, which will build the new aircraft with Russia's United Aircraft Corp, disclosed several fresh details about the bilateral project at the Aviation Expo China 2017 in Beijing.
Although the main design center is in Russia, Shanghai will also have its own design office.
COMAC said the C929 is being developed by China-Russia Commercial Aircraft International Co Ltd, a joint venture.
The jet, with a range of up to 12,000 kilometers, is expected to be delivered in 10 years.
China and Russia will each take half of the work, and send design staff for exchange visits on a non-scheduled basis, according to COMAC.
Some 51 percent of the aircraft will be made of composite materials, which is expected to make the C929 economical and efficient.
The jet could have four possible seating layouts: 280 seats in three classes; 291 seats in two classes; 310 seats in tight three classes; or 416 seats in an all-economy class, said Chen Yingchun, general designer of the C929.
Chen said the new aircraft will mainly target China, Russia and other Asia-Pacific markets.
"Its competing models include the A330 and the A350 of (European aircraft manufacturer) Airbus Group and the B787 of (US manufacturer) Boeing. Currently, we are selecting suppliers worldwide," he said.
"By the end of the year, we are likely to open tenders for the aero engine, and Rolls-Royce and General Electric are expected to join the bid. We are also trying to develop engines ourselves together with Russia."
Every three years, China and Russia will take turns to name the chairman of the joint venture, which was launched on May 22 in Shanghai.
Each country will hold four seats on the eight-member board of the company.
The C929 is a project that aims to break the duopoly of Boeing and Airbus in the wide-body passenger aircraft market.
Lin Zhijie, an aviation industry analyst and columnist at Carnoc.com, one of China's largest civil aviation web portals, said China's booming growth in international flights, especially long-haul routes, requires widebody aircraft.
"The aviation industry is a sector with marginal profits. China spends a lot of money buying wide-body aircraft from Boeing and Airbus every year," Lin said.
"If the country has its own products, it will help significantly reduce the cost of aircraft purchases, and airlines will be able to raise their profitability and offer cheaper tickets to customers."
U.S. President Donald Trump [Xinhua]
Remarks made at the U.N. reveal the American presidents profound ignorance of Chinese history and the tangible successes of socialist countries.
Many noticed that Trump's Sept. 19 address to the United Nations General Assembly took direct aim at Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea. Yet, other than a vague reference to Ukraine and a passing mention of the "South China Sea," he avoided directly criticizing the two Eurasian superpowers, Russia and China.
While Trump did not lash out at Russia and China directly, he attempted to revise the past with a broad ideological and historical statement that denies the reality of both countries. Trump said:
"From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure. Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems."
As the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China approaches, the rapid industrialization and rising standard of living on Chinas mainland stands in stark contradiction to Trumps words.
"Socialism with Chinese characteristics has transformed China from a deeply impoverished country into the second largest economy on earth. About 700 million people have been lifted from poverty. China had no steel mills in 1949, but today produces half of the steel in the entire world. It leads the world in cutting-edge technology such as artificial intelligence and supercomputers. To describe socialism as a failure in China, where the economy is directed by Five Year Plans and the nation is led by the Communist Party, is an almost laughable mischaracterization.
Perhaps Trump did not list China alongside other socialist countries because he does not consider it to have "true socialism." With no training in political science or economic theory, he is clearly not qualified to make such a determination. Trump is almost certainly ignorant of Marxist-Leninist ideology, Mao Zedong Thought, and Deng Xiaoping Theory.
Anyone familiar with these theories will understand that the policies of Pol Pot, the Gang of Four, and similar figures are not consistent with genuine socialist politics. Material abundance and high living standards -- not redistributed poverty -- have been understood as the true goals of socialism and communism since the time of Karl Marx. China's centrally planned economy, utilizing market mechanisms, is a clear example of socialism as success.
Trumps statements prove false even beyond China. The socialist economy of the Soviet Union raised Russia from an agrarian, peasant nation to the industrial powerhouse it is today. The USSR launched the worlds first spacecraft. Cubas healthcare system is widely praised by international bodies. Venezuelas recent hardships are not representative of the entire history of Bolivarianism, which the country formally adopted in 1999.
Trumps speech notably hailed the victory over fascism in the Second World War. Does he not recognize that the Soviet Unions military victories against the Nazi invaders astounded the world? Does he not realize that the communist Eighth Route Army captured the imagination of people across the planet with its bravery in the face of Japanese aggression?
The Soviet Unions political and economic system certainly proved to have serious problems which ultimately contributed to its downfall. But to assess the entire history of socialism and communism as merely "anguish and devastation and failure" is obviously false. It should be no surprise that Trumps pause for expected applause was met with hesitation and confusion by the audience in the U.N. chamber. Such blatant oversimplifications, denying the history and achievements of the most populous country on earth, will not be universally admired.
Caleb Maupin is a journalist and political analyst who resides in New York City focusing on U.S. foreign policy and the global system of monopoly capitalism and imperialism.
Flash
A worker changes the window display of Thomas Cook in Loughborough, central England.(Photo provided to China Daily)
Leading travel operator Thomas Cook forecasts that its business in China will grow tenfold in the next year.
Thomas Cook China, a joint venture formed in 2016 between UK-based travel company and Chinese conglomerate Fosun International, is on track to serve 20,000 customers in its first year of operations.
"Over the next 12 months, we plan to grow this number by more than ten times," said Alessandro Dassi, managing director of Thomas Cook China.
Speaking at the 2017 FVW Congress in Cologne, Germany, Dassi said the unit has the full commitment of Fosun and Thomas Cook to support the future growth of the business.
"The ambition is to make China a sizeable market for Thomas Cook Group, comparable, over time, with our more mature source markets in Europe," he said.
The two-day tourism conference covered a variety of topics impacting the future of tourism, including the growth of China as the emerging power in the global travel market.
"Thomas Cook has looked at China for many years," Dassi said. "But it was not until we partnered with Fosun that we had the confidence to bring our brand and resources in to China."
The 176-year-old Thomas Cook is a recognized name for both European travel consumers and distributors in Western markets, but is less well known among Chinese consumers.
The company's Chinese arm has developed into a one-stop full service travel company. With offices in Shanghai and Beijing, it offers inbound travel to and within China, as well as holidays and tours for Chinese customers.
Thomas Cook China said that while the Chinese travel market is large, growing fast and represents the world's largest number of outbound visitors, it is also very competitive and fragmented.
Dassi said: "There is already huge choice in the market for the Chinese leisure travelers, and a great focus on price."
One of the biggest opportunities for the company comes from the rapid change in the behavior of Chinese travelers, with traditional group tours becoming less popular in favor of more independent and higher quality type of travel.
According to a survey by booking site Hotels.com and Ipsos, shopping is no longer the major reason for international travel among Chinese tourists.
Instead, dining, sightseeing and exploring the local culture have all become increasingly appealing.
"The industry is not yet keeping up with the pace of change in the behavior of Chinese consumers," said Dassi. "To exploit this gap we have focused on developing products that are truly unique and differentiated, leveraging Thomas Cook's resources across key tourist destinations."
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Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem addresses the General Debate of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 23, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
Syria's foreign minister said Saturday that complete victory was within reach in the country and Damascus hopes de-escalation zones will help Syria reach a cessation of hostilities, state news agency SANA reported.
"The liberation of Aleppo and Palmyra, the lifting of the siege of Deir al-Zour and the eradication of terrorism from many parts of Syria prove that victory is now within reach," Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
U.S.-backed Syrian fighters captured Saturday the country's largest gas field from the Islamic State group in an eastern province that borders Iraq as they race with government forces to capture the energy-rich region, a senior official with the group said.
Nasser Haj Mansour of the Syrian Democratic Forces said the Conoco gas field and plant came under full control of the group on Saturday morning after days of fighting with the extremists.
Deir al-Zour is a province rich in oil and gas and both sides have been racing to reach the fields.
The next main target will be al-Omar oil field which is Syria's largest oil field and is also on the east bank of the Euphrates. Syrian government forces are also speeding to capture it.
Russia has warned against targeting its special forces in Deir al-Zour, raising concerns over direct clashes between rival forces backed by Moscow and Washington fighting for the energy-wealthy region. Russia has been a main backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and joined the war two years ago tipping the balance of power in his favor.
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The third round of North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiations started here on Saturday with attendance of chief negotiators from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
Canada's chief negotiator Steve Verhuel said he didn't expect this round to see any new U.S. proposal to increase American content requirements for autos.
Rules of origin of autos will be "a subject for discussion but we're not expecting to see anything radically new at this point," said Verheul.
Under NAFTA's current rules of origin, vehicles must have at least 62.5 percent North American content to qualify for duty-free movement between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
Concern has been mounting among trade experts that the year-end deadline for the NAFTA will be impossible to meet if negotiators don't start during this round to confront some of the most contentious issues, including the rules of origin of autos.
At the first round of negotiations in Washington last month, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer pronounced that the North American content requirement must be raised and a specific American content requirement must be added, along with a way to verify that content.
Last Thursday, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross published a column in which he blasted NAFTA for allowing outside countries to provide parts for vehicles that aren't covered by the content requirement.
Canada reportedly believes that resolving American concerns about the exodus of automotive jobs to low-wage Mexico is the key to staving off U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to rip up NAFTA.
A total of seven rounds of discussions are planned for the NAFTA renegotiations, with the first two rounds being held in Washington and Mexico City separately.
Flash
U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers and F-15C Eagle fighter escorts on Saturday flew in international airspace over waters east of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), according to the Pentagon.
"This is the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft have flown" off the DPRK's coast in the 21st century, said the Pentagon in a statement, adding that the move underscored "the seriousness with which we take DPRK's reckless behavior."
"This mission is a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat," the statement added.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly that the United States "will have no choice but to totally destroy" DPRK if forced to defend itself or its allies.
After the threat, the DPRK said it might test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean.
China on Friday urged all relevant parties to avoid any action that may increase tension on the Korean Peninsula.
"The current situation on the peninsula is severe and complicated," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing. "Only if all sides bear their due responsibilities, can the peninsula nuclear issue be truly resolved and peace and stability restored to the region."
The DPRK knows well that China opposes its development of nuclear weapons and nuclear tests, Lu said. "What parties concerned should do now is to strictly and comprehensively implement UN Security Council resolutions and make positive efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue."
"China opposes unilateral sanctions imposed by any country outside the framework of the UN Security Council," Lu said.
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A man casts his ballot at a polling station in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 24, 2017. Germany's general elections kicked off on Sunday morning. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)
More than 61 million German voters were called to cast ballots on Sunday to pick their Bundestag, or federal parliament, on which a new government will be formed.
About 73,500 polling stations across the country opened at 8:00 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) and will be closed at 6:00 p.m. (1600 GMT).
Polling institutions will interview voters anonymously at the exit of selected polling stations, and will publish the initial results exactly after the election ends.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU conservative alliance is expected to win most votes. It is also expected to see the far-right anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) enter the parliament for the first time since World War II.
German election rule sets a five-percent-vote hurdle for parties to be elected in the Bundestag.
China has suggested reducing control over fluctuations of the yuan's exchange rate, stepping up efforts to allow the yuan to float freely against other currencies, according to a report by a leading think tank on Saturday.
The central bank should let the market play a greater role and does not need to intervene unless the currency witnesses sharp depreciation or appreciation going beyond the benchmark, which is 7.5 percent on average each year on either side, according to the Jingshan report by China Finance Forum 40.
The report said the government does not need to keep a close eye on the currency on a daily basis.
Choosing 7.5 percent as a reference is random; widening the fluctuation range represents a step forward moving to a more market-based onshore foreign exchange regime, the report said.
China currently allows the yuan to move a maximum 2 percent on either side of the daily reference rate set by the central bank each day before the market opens.
The range was last widened in March 2014 from 1 percent, and before that doubled from 0.5 percent in April 2012.
The government suggests intervening as little as possible and should not try to intervene through using, say, the newly introduced countercyclical factor, the report said.
The central bank added a new factor to the currency's pricing model in May, providing more room for the government to maintain stability, some experts say.
China has come to the right and appropriate time to move a step forward, mainly supported by relative stable economic fundamentals and better market expectations for the currency, according to Zhang Bin, one of authors of the report.
"We should not miss the opportunity," he said. "Reform comes at minimal costs when all signs are in favor of reform."
The Sanya-based Nanhai Buddhism Academy started its first-ever semester Saturday with 227 students, including 154 monks, from all around the country.
Students attend the opening ceremony. [Photo by Liu Xiaoli/chinadaily.com.cn]
With five departments and eight majors all relating to Buddhist culture, management, art and architecture, the academy will be run as a four-year school system with Master Monk Yin Shun, vice director of the China Buddhism Association, as its president. It was approved by the National Administration of Religious Affairs in 2014 and construction began in 2016,
Located at the edge of the South China Sea in Hainan province, and surrounded by tropical forest, the academy has wonderful campus views and fresh air. The most famous nearby attraction is the 108meter high Guanyin Buddha statue, a visual treasure that faces the sea.
"The academy eyes building itself into a world-class institution to attract more international Buddhism scholars and students, improve international exchanges and cooperation and find out solutions to tackle challenges and problems the world is facing through Buddhist wisdom," Yin said at a press conference on Saturday.
About 100 international students will attend the academy later this year.
The Academy will also jointly develop a Digital Museum of Global Buddhist Cultural Heritage on the basis of scholarship initiated in partnership with research institutions in Cambridge, UK, and overseas according to an agreement signed on the opening day.
The Cambridge Research Institute for Silk Road Studies will be established in the UK through joint efforts according to the signed agreement.
US Ambassador Terry Branstad, Hebei Party chief Zhao Kezhi, second from left, and Qu Dongyu, third from left, vice-minister of agriculture, are among officials at the launch ceremony of a demonstration farm in Luanping county, North China's Hebei province on Saturday. ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY
Expertise from Iowa will be put to use in Hebei, officials explain
Agriculture is especially important to the people of China and the United States, and agricultural cooperation contributes to stronger ties between the two countries, the US ambassador to China said at a launch ceremony of a demonstration farm on Saturday.
The China-US Friendship Demonstration Farm, in Luanping county, Hebei province, covers an area of about 1,330 hectares. It's modeled after a farm near Maxwell, Iowa, owned by Rick and Martha Kimberley and their son Grant.
"The farm stands as an example of how we can exchange information and ideas, and maintain a growing and improving trade relationship," said Ambassador Terry Branstad, a former governor of the US state of Iowa.
In his speech, Branstad recalled his interactions with President Xi Jinping dating to 1985, when Xi led an agricultural delegation from Hebei province to Iowa when Branstad was governor.
In 2012, invited by Branstad, Xi visited Iowa a second time. He visited the Kimberleys' farm, which he said Chinese farms should be modeled after, according to documents provided by the Luanping government.
The Kimberley farm has an area of about 1,600 hectares, similar to the demonstration farm being built in Hebei. Yet the farm only employs three people due to its use of technology and management, Rick Kimberley said.
"We have monitors that can make records of what we are planning. The records decide the planting rates and when we harvest we know the yields all through the field. We use GPS to make sure that we don't over plant, overuse chemicals or over-fertilize," Kimberley said, adding that every step is monitored and standardized in the farm operation.
Emergency services at Stratford Centre in east London, following a suspected noxious substance attack where six people have been reported injured, on Saturday. One man has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm. [Photo/VCG]
At least six people have been injured in a attack with noxious substance involved near a popular shopping center in Stratford, east London, on Saturday night.
Police and emergency services rushed to the scene near the Stratford Centre following reports of a group of males spraying people with what was believed to be noxious substance.
The metropolitan police have confirmed one male has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. The police are not treating the incident as terror related.
London Ambulance Service, British Transport Police and the London Fire Brigade are all in attendance in the area.
As many as six people have been reported injured at different locations close to the shopping center.
Officers remain on the scene and a cordon is in place.
The UK has seen a significant increase in chemical-related attacks this year. Public uproar and media questioning has prompted authorities to tighten restriction on the sale of corrosive substances in recent months.
Almost 400 of the approximately 1,500 chemical attacks reported to London police over the last five years have occurred in the borough of Newham, where Stratford is located.
angus@mail.chinadailyuk.com
A "comfort women" monument is seen at St. Mary Square in San Francisco, the United States, on Sept 22, 2017. Comfort Women Justice Coalition, a local grassroots advocacy group devoted to bring justice for the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery during the World War II, unveiled a monument dedicated to the "comfort women" in San Francisco on Friday. [Photo/Xinhua]
SAN FRANCISCO - "I hate the crime, not the people," an emotional Yong-Soo Lee, a Korean woman who survived the sexual slavery by the Imperial Army of Japan during World War II, told a packed audience at a corner of a public square.
It was not the first time for Lee, aged 89, to make such a statement. She had spoken before in front of local and national legislative bodies as well as national and international human rights committees, and to reporters, about presumably the largest-scale crime specifically targeting women in human history.
At St. Mary's Square Annex in the city on the US West Coast, Lee witnessed the unveiling of a memorial called the "Comfort Women" Column of Strength on Friday. The face of the sculpture depicted Kim Haksoon, a Korean woman forcefully taken at the age of 17 by Japanese soldiers and confined to a "comfort station".
Kim died in December 1997 at the age of 73.
Kim was the first among the surviving "comfort women", a euphemism for the hundreds of thousands of girls and women in 13 Asia-Pacific countries or regions who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army from 1930 to 1954, to go public in front of television cameras about her story in August 1991.
Lee followed in June 1992, telling about her sufferings which started at the age of 16.
It was not the first time for Lee, now an activist, to travel around the world to tell people what it means for her to seek justice, especially for those who did not survive to hear a formal apology from the Japanese government.
Historians believe that as many as 200,000 women, mostly from the Korean Peninsula as well as from China and Southeast Asian nations, were forced into sex enslavement for Japanese soldiers during the devastating war. However, those who deny history in Japan denigrate them as "paid prostitutes" or "willing volunteers."
The unveiling of the "comfort women" memorial, the first in a major city in the United States, which also includes a sculpture of three girls -- Korean, Chinese and Filipino -- took place on the second anniversary of a resolution passed by San Francisco city and the county's legislative Board of Supervisors. Besides calling for putting up the memorial, the resolution aimed at raising public awareness against sex trafficking and all forms of sexual violence.
At the unveiling ceremony, Eric Mar, a former board member who initiated the process, choked back tears when he said that he has a 17-year-old daughter and that Lee's courage to stand up against sexual violence and historical crimes is an inspiration for people fighting for justice.
Mike Honda, a former member of the US House of Representatives, who as the chief sponsor of a July 2007 House resolution urged Japan to acknowledge and accept responsibility for the sexual exploitation of "comfort women," joined elected officials at the event to greet Lee and denounce those who deny history.
The memorial is a gift from the "Comfort Women" Justice Coalition, or CWJC, a local grassroots advocacy group consisting of more than 30 multi-ethnic community organizations.
In a statement released on the occasion, the CWJC said that "through our memorial, we remember all our grandmothers who are alive, and all those who have passed on but are still with us in both spirit and memory."
Julie Tang and Lillian Sing, both judges of the Superior Court of San Francisco County who retired two years ago and co-chair the CWJC, vowed to erect more memorials around the United States.
Tang told Xinhua that during 26 years as a judge, she had to "make sure in each case that if somebody committed a crime, the person would be held accountable." However, in the instance of "comfort women," the criminals "went away and got free, there was no justice for the comfort women."
Asked what the memorial means for her, Sing pointed at herself and at reporters at a press briefing, saying that it reflects the soul of everybody with a conscience.
"It is my soul, it is your soul, and it should be the soul of everybody," she said.
Actor-producer Li Chen runs while others walk toward a pollution-free world
During preparations for the third meeting of the UN Environment Assembly to be held at the end of this year, the United Nations Environment Programme is carrying out more measures to promote awareness.
"We must empower people like the politicians, who can create policies to cut pollution and protect our oceans and landscapes," says Erik Solheim, executive director of UN Environment. People like the company bosses who can help us change the way the world produces and consumes. And people like the students, youth leaders and individual citizens who can inspire important lifestyle changes in their communities."
Erik Solheim, executive director of UN Environment, awards Chinese movie star and producer Li Chen the honor as the national goodwill ambassador. Yan Dongjie / China Daily
UN Environment nominated Chinese movie star and producer Li Chen on Sept 13 as the national goodwill ambassador to China, calling for public participation and commitment on "BeatPollution" and actions for moving together toward a pollution-free planet.
The third meeting of the UN Environment Assembly, the world's highest-level decision-making body on the environment, will gather in Nairobi, Kenya, from Dec 4 to 6 to discuss pollution.
This year's assembly will focus on sustainability and climate neutrality, aiming to deliver a number of tangible commitments to end the pollution of air, land, waterways and oceans, and to safely manage chemicals and waste.
The commitments include a political declaration on pollution, linked to the UN's sustainable development goals, to signal that humanity can work together to eliminate the threat of pollution and the destruction of our planet; resolutions and decisions adopted by member states to address specific dimensions of pollution; voluntary commitments by governments, private sector entities and civil society organizations to clean up the planet; and the "Beat-Pollution" pledge, a collection of individual commitments to clean up the planet.
As the new envoy, Li will help promote campaigns initiated by UN Environment, such as "BreatheLife" and "CleanSeas", raising awareness of environmental and conservation issues in China and calling for public participation to beat pollution and moving together toward a pollution-free planet.
Li has been active and vocal on environmental issues in China. The posts focused on the environment and public issues on his Weibo account, which has more than 40 million followers, received more than 1 billion views in 2015.
Li was named "ambassador for environmental protection" of Beijing in March last year, and attended the second meeting of the UN Environment Assembly last year in Nairobi.
Li called for people to learn about the third meeting of the assembly and to commit to clean up the planet at the nomination ceremony.
"I grew up in Beijing and have witnessed how the environment changed in the past years. ... I feel sad, as well as pressured, and I realize the importance of protecting the environment, especially the air," Li said in his speech after the nomination ceremony in Beijing.
Li said that according to World Health Statistics 2016, nine in every 10 people in the world breathes polluted air.
Air pollution is now the world's largest single environmental health risk, responsible for about 7 million deaths annually, which are premature and preventable, according to the latest data from the World Health Organization.
The WHO report Preventing Non-Communicable Diseases by Reducing Environmental Risk Factors links air pollution to higher rates of noncommunicable diseases like heart disease, cancer and stroke. It says that globally 23 percent of all deaths could be prevented through healthier environments.
Only 12 percent of cities achieve WHO guideline levels for air quality - and many suffer from air pollution levels that are double, triple or even more above WHO limits.
BreatheLife is a global campaign led by UN Environment and the WHO. Currently, 42 cities around the world have joined the campaign, including major cities in Mexico, Chile, and the United Kingdom. The cities promise to carry out more than 60 regulations and controlling measures to improve air quality, expecting to benefit more than 20 million people in the future, according to Naysan Sabha, director of UN Environment's communication division.
"When some influencers - people like Li Chen - do this, they are heard and inspire hearts in a way that I can never imagine to do it. They amplify our voices, they amplify the actions that each one of us need to take," Sabha says.
Sabha praises Li's commitment to work with the UN Environment not only in his artistic endeavors, but also in his business endeavors and charitable activities.
"He is recognized as one of the most influential Chinese voices for charity," Sabha says. "This is a man who has a fundamental, deep commitment to these environmental causes and particularly the cause of air pollution. And while some of us are walking toward a pollution-free planet, he has been running toward a pollution-free planet."
Solheim points to the importance of citizen participation in environmental protection and explains the three dimensions of how UN Environment cooperates with China to promote awareness.
"The governments need to regulate the market, to put pressure on business and also set standards for pollution - how much pollution is acceptable in Beijing today," Solheim says. He also expects companies to find new technologies that benefit the environment.
Beijing has carried out continuous air pollution control work since 1998 and launched the Five-Year Clean Air Action Plan (2013-17) in 2013, according to Li Xiaohua, deputy director-general of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau.
Li Xiaohua says that the average PM2.5 density level in Beijing had dropped by 23.7 percent as of the end of 2016.
"This year is the last year of this five-year plan, and air quality in Beijing has improved during this period," Li Xiaohua says, adding that from January to August this year, PM2.5 density in Beijing was at its lowest level in nearly five years.
Solheim recognizes and praises China's efforts on environmental protection.
"There has been enormous improvement in China's environmental management," Solheim says. "I know the government is dedicated to reducing pollution. I'm very optimistic."
yandongjie@chinadaily.com.cn
A voter casts for Germany's general election at a polling station in Berlin, Sunday, Sept 24, 2017. [Photo/IC]
BERLIN - More than 61 million German voters were called to cast ballots on Sunday to pick their Bundestag, or federal parliament, on which a new government will be formed.
About 73,500 polling stations across the country opened at 8:00 am local time (0600 GMT) and will be closed at 6:00 pm (1600 GMT).
Polling institutions will interview voters anonymously at the exit of selected polling stations, and will publish the initial results exactly after the election ends.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU conservative alliance is expected to win most votes, which is set to hand Merkel a fourth four-year term as chancellor.
It is also expected to see the far-right anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) enter the parliament for the first time since World War II.
German election rule sets a five-percent-vote hurdle for parties to be elected in the Bundestag.
According to opinion polls in the run up to Sunday's election, six parties -- counting Merkel's CDU and its Bavarian CSU sister party as one -- are expected to win seats in the new parliament.
The other four parties are center-left Social Democrats (SPD), business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP), far-left party Die Linke, and Green party (Gruene).
In a chilly morning with drizzle at a polling in Wedding Borough, one of the poorest and most ethnically diverse localities in Berlin, people coming to vote were mainly senior citizens, most of who were concerned about refugee issues and pension, but refused to elaborate their opinions.
"We work too long. We have to retire at 67 years old to get our pensions," a voter said anonymously to Xinhua.
At a bustling polling station in Mitte, center of Berlin, two civil servants working at the station said they cared about the foreign policy of Germany's new government, hoping that the country can play more actively in addressing the root causes of terrorism.
Volunteers at polling stations were also busy calculating ballots which had been cast by many voters via post.
SPD leader and former European Parliament president Martin Schulz cast his ballot in his hometown Wurselen Sunday morning. He published on Facebook a video clip, saying, "SPD received my votes, but it's not enough. Now it's up to you, no you must go to vote."
Merkel will cast her ballot Sunday afternoon at a polling station near Humboldt University Berlin. Her conservative Union was polling at around 36 percent before the election, enjoying a 13-percentage-point comfortable lead over its major rival SPD.
Across Germany's 16 regional states, more than 600,000 volunteers signed up to help count votes. Campaign posters are not allowed by polling stations and no campaigning is allowed nearby. Selfie-taking or any other photography while voting is also strictly prohibited.
AUCKLAND - New Zealand's parliamentary elections on Saturday yield no clear winner as tally ended in the wee hours of Sunday, leaving the third largest party with 7.5 percent of the votes the kingmaker.
The ruling National Party has secured 46 percent of the party votes, which transfer to 58 seats in the 120 member Congress in an Mixed-Member Proportional voting system, with the opposition Labor Party lagging behind at 35.8 percent, or 45 seats.
The New Zealand First Party has garnered nine seats, making it the indispensable coalition partner for both the National Party and the Labor Party to form the government.
The Labor Party with its ally Green Party of 5.8 percent votes or seven seats in the congress would just make enough seats to form a government if they can successfully get the New Zealand First Party on board.
Winston Peters, the party chief of the New Zealand First Party, however, refused to say which party he would side with. The negotiations may take days or weeks before a deal is struck between the future governing partners.
Chinese scientists say the 3.4 magnitude earthquake recorded on Saturday near the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's most recent nuclear test site was "natural".
"The incident was not a nuclear explosion, but had the characteristics of a natural quake," the China Earthquake Networks Center said late on Saturday in a statement released online.
Seismologists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of California Santa Cruz also published a joint report on Saturday that said tests had shown the quake "clearly falls in the natural phenomena category" and was similar to the last natural earthquake in the region, which was recorded in December 2004.
A 3.4 magnitude quake would be much smaller than the quakes caused by previous DPRK nuclear tests, the report said. The weakest generated a 4.3 magnitude quake, while the strongest, coming this month, resulted in a 6.3 magnitude quake.
Saturday's earthquake is likely a "lagged, imploded earthquake", the joint report said without elaborating on the exact cause.
The earthquake rattled the area of Kilju in northeastern DPRK, about 6 kilometers from the Punggye-ri facility where the country held its last nuclear test.
The Republic of Korea's weather agency also assessed the quake as natural, The Associated Press reported on Sunday.
The report said the analysis of seismic waves and the lack of sound waves clearly showed the quake was not caused by an artificial explosion, citing an unnamed weather agency official from the ROK.
The 19th Communist Party of China National Congress will convene in Beijing on Oct 18. The Congress will review the Party's work over the past five years, discuss and set the future direction for the Party and the nation, as well as elect a new central leadership.
As all eyes are on the upcoming Congress, let's take a look at what international media said about the developments and achievements of China.
A photo taken on June 14, 2017 shows a poverty alleviation relocation site in Leibo county, Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, Southwest China's Sichuan province. [Photo/Xinhua]
Poverty relief
An ambitious poverty reduction campaign is seeking to change this, ensuring by 2020 that no one is living in poverty - defined by the government as less than 2,300 yuan ($349) a year.
China has lifted hundreds of millions of its citizens out of poverty over the past few decades, but doing the same for groups like the Yi poses a different set of challenges.
From road building to subsidies, the central government has spent large amounts of money on poverty relief in places like Liangshan.
-- Reuters: "China's ethnic Yi struggle against poverty" (Aug 10, 2017)
China lifted 13.91 million people out of poverty each year from 2012 to 2016, according to a report from the State Council on Tuesday. Similarly, the annual per capita income in impoverished rural areas has grown to 10.7 percent every year.
About 775,000 officials have been sent to impoverished areas for poverty relief work, said the report.
China has set 2020 as the target year to complete the building of a "moderately prosperous society," which requires the eradication of poverty. To achieve the target, China needs to bring more than 10 million people out of poverty every year, meaning nearly one million people per month or 20 people per minute.
Italian Senate Speaker Pietro Grasso (1st L) addresses the launch ceremony of the Italian version of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China in Rome, Italy, Sept 20, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]
Italian government officials hailed President Xi Jinping's view that development must be conducted in a "peaceful, civilized and harmonious way", calling it the foundation for global development, as the Italian edition of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China was presented at the Italian Senate recently.
The book now has been translated into 23 languages, with its Italian and Albanian editions launched, respectively, in Rome and Tirana. According to the publisher, the Chinese Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, the book has sold more than 6.5 million copies in 160 countries and regions since it was first published in Sept 2014.
President of the Italian Senate Pietro Grasso praised Xi's vision based on "reforms, sustainable development, fighting corruption, diplomatic relations and so on."
According to Li Ruiyu, the Chinese ambassador to Italy, Sino-Italian relations are at their best time in history, making it perfect timing to release the book, which is expected to help Italians get to know China better.
In the launch ceremony for the Albanian edition held on Friday in Tirana, Albanian President Illir Meta attended the ceremony and said that the book can help Albanian scholars, diplomats and other professionals, as well as general readers, to better understand China
"Sino-Albania relations are becoming increasingly close and with mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields", said Meta, emphasizing that Albania and China attach great importance to strengthening cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
"The publication of the Albanian edition of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China will promote Albanians' understanding of China and enhance the cooperation between China and Albania under the Belt and Road Initiative," Chinese ambassador to Albania Jiang Yu agreed.
The 566-page book outlines the political ideas of China's top leadership, contains 79 speeches, talks, interviews, notes and letters of the top Chinese leader between November 2012 and June 2014.
The launch ceremonies in Rome and Tirana were hosted by the Chinese State Council Information Office, Chinese Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, the Italian Senate and the Chinese embassies in Italy and Albania.
Hundreds gathered Friday at N. Main Baptist Church in Liberty to say goodbye to the 'Fireman Cowboy' Brian Sumrall, who was killed Sept. 17 in a tragic accident near his home in Batson.
Sumrall was a 15-year veteran firefighter with Houston Fire Department and senior captain of Batson Volunteer Fire Department. He was 39.
According to reports from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Sumrall was riding a tractor along FM 770 about two miles south of Batson and had veered off the road and back on again when he was struck by a pickup truck, ejected from the tractor and killed.
Chief Fred Yust of Batson VFD said Sumrall had been attempting to help a Hurricane Harvey victim who needed hay for his horses and cows.
"Brian would have done anything for anybody. It didn't matter who it was," Yust said. "He would give you the shirt off his back. He was just that kind of guy."
During Harvey, Yust said Sumrall helped pull people from their flooded homes in the Batson area and assisted drivers who were cut off by water and stranded in Batson.
The funeral Friday was attended by dozens of firefighters representing Houston Fire Department, Batson VFD and other surrounding agencies, his cowboy friends and people whose lives had been impacted by the Fireman Cowboy.
During eulogies, his friends described him as a person who exemplified the best of humanity -- always willing to help a friend or stranger, respectful to others, a loving husband and father, and a good steward of the American way of life, particularly the old cowboy traditions.
With his dark, thick moustache, black cowboy hat, boots and chaps, Sumrall often had the appearance of an Old West cowboy, characteristics he shared with one of his dear friends, Dr. Joe Gotti, agriculture professor for Stephen F. Austin, who delivered one of a half-dozen eulogies at the funeral.
"What a great show of love and support for my very good friend," Gotti said, looking out at the packed sanctuary. "Brian was a wonderful man but he had two chinks in his armor. We all know the first - Copenhagen. He tried to quit dipping a number of times but never could."
"The second chink is only known to a few of us. Brian had moustache envy," Gott said, drawing laughs.
Gotti then read a couple of cowboy poems -- "Take Care of Your Friends" by Baxter Black and "Cowboy Way" by Catherine Devine.
Friend and fellow firefighter, T. J. Graf, said that Sumrall was such a blend of cowboy and fireman that it was "often hard to tell which was which."
"Brian was a true friend and mentor," he said. "He was always willing to listen and offer advice. At the fire department or on our days off, you never knew when the School of Sumrall was going to be held. There was always a life lesson to be learned and coming from somewhere behind that Sumrall 'stache."
Looking down at the casket, Graf said, "Rest easy, my friend. We'll take it from here."
After the funeral, Sumrall's casket was loaded into the back of a Houston fire truck, accompanied by members of the Houston Fire Department's Honor Guard, and carried the 20-mile journey to Guedry Cemetery in Batson for internment.
Ladder trucks from Cleveland and Livingston fire departments, assisted by Hardin VFD, draped an American flag across SH 146 to greet the funeral procession as it passed through Hardin. At Hardin High School, a group of students stopped their homecoming festivities to stand next to the road and show respect. Along the way, other people stepped out of their vehicles to pay tribute, some holding American flags and some holding their right hands over their hearts.
Several of Sumrall's friends were waiting on horseback for the procession as it arrived at the cemetery. Sumrall's horse was saddled and a boot was placed backward in the stirrup, symbolizing a lost rider. As the graveside ceremony began, each of the cowboys stepped forward to honor Sumrall by relinquishing one of their most cherished possessions -- a branding iron -- some family heirlooms. These irons were placed alongside Sumrall's casket to be buried with him. Holding his grandfather's branding iron, Gotti explained that his grandfather came to the United States when he was 9 and died when Gotti was just 2.
"I sent my best horse to heaven just seven years ago. I am going to put this branding iron with Brian so he can get my horse legged up and ready. I'll be along soon enough," Gotti said.
Sumrall leaves behind a wife, Rana, and son, Gavin, of Batson; parents, Joe and Carla Jannise, of Raywood; parents-in-law, Myrtle and Raymond Fregia, of Hull; and numerous other relatives and friends.
A simple dinner with family and friends turned in a fiasco for Virginia woman, Rachel Myrick after she was bitten by a venomous snake.
Myrick told Chron.com that she was walking into a Fredericksburg, Va., Longhorn Steakhouse on Sept. 12 when she felt a sharp pain in her left foot.
She initially thought she'd been stung by a bee or wasp, but when she tried to walk the pain was too much.
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"When I wrapped my hands around my foot, I felt something wiggle underneath my fingers. I freaked out," Myrick told Chron.com. "I let go of my foot, shook my hands off, and realized then that it was a snake, and it was stuck to my foot still. I kicked my foot, while yelling to Mike and my son, that I had been bit."
Myrick's boyfriend Michael Clem who according to Myrick used to breed and handle reptiles about 15 years ago immediately leapt into action, called 9-1-1 and identified the culprit as an 8-inch-long Copperhead snake.
"I am thankful to have had someone there that knew what it was," Myrick said. "I don't know one snake from the next and wouldn't have known how urgent the need for help was, and how to handle the situation."
She was taken to a nearby hospital where her the swelling on her foot has to be marked each time it progressed in order to determine when it was safe to give Myrick the antivenin.
"The side effects of it are pretty severe, so poison control only advises the hospital to administer it if swelling gets to a certain point," said Myrick. "In my case, the bite was around 8 p.m., and at the hospital poison control stated if the swelling was past my ankle by 2 a.m., it would be indicated."
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Myrick told Chron.com that the swelling passed her ankle much earlier, so the antivenin was administered when scheduled. In the end, the effects of the bite reached up to her hip.
The process of administering the antivenin took about an hour and Myrick had to be monitored closely since the side effects of the medicine could send her into anaphylactic shock.
Myrick was in the hospital for five and a half days taking IV nausea medication, Benadryl and pain medications before she was finally released to go home on Sunday, Sept. 17.
While she is getting better and the recovery process is still a long road ahead, Myrick still keeps a positive attitude.
"They [doctors] assured me all will be well in the end, and that in three months or so I should be back on my feet and returning to a more normal life," said Myrick. "I am forever grateful for the love and support I am surrounded by. My boyfriend, children, parents, and friends have been amazing and I would be lost without them."
Take a look through the gallery above to see photos of Myrick's encounter with a Copperhead, and keep going to see tips on how to identify common snakes seen in Houston.
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HONOLULU - As North Korean missiles soar over the Pacific and seismographs keep vigil for tremors in the vicinity of Pyongyang, officials in Hawaii are doing what they must: preparing for the possibility of a nuclear attack.
But it's a delicate task, especially when word gets out, as it did this week, about a "secret meeting" in which officials and legislators looked at slides on the likely impact of a nuclear blast "at various altitudes above" Pearl Harbor, as Honolulu Civil Beat reported.
After all, it's one thing to be sitting in New York or Washington and looking at those maps showing the range of North Korea's ICBMs, and another entirely to be sitting in Honolulu and seeing "Hawaii" in small type just a smidge beyond the outer circle of destruction.
The only reason the meeting on Tuesday was closed said one of the attendees, Republican State Rep. Gene Ward, was to avoid worrying the public. On the other hand, he told The Washington Post, talk of nuclear preparedness is "probably more surreal to younger generations" who don't remember a time when people had fallout shelters in their backyards.
"Now it's time to take it seriously," he said, "not to be an alarmist but to be informing people."
What's going on in Hawaii does have a whiff of the 1950s when school children drilled for nuclear attack by ducking under their desks, a useless refuge in the event of a thermonuclear bomb. Americans didn't panic in the streets then and Hawaii residents aren't panicking now. Indeed, it's not even a subject of daily conversation.
Still, Democratic State Senate President Ronald Kouchi, who also attended the meeting, said: "It's very unsettling. There are people who are concerned. . . . The best way to deal with it is to be prepared for any scenario."
If nothing else, education on preparedness - reminding them to keep a 14-day food and water supply - will come in handy when Hawaii gets socked with one of its famous hurricanes.
A public briefing scheduled for Thursday will indeed encourage the public to consider preparation for nuclear attack as a hazard just like hurricanes and tsunamis.
But a nuclear attack is no hurricane.
For anyone who confuses the two, the document passed around at the meeting, called "Summary of Major Preparedness Response Initiatives," which was obtained by Hawaii Civil Beat, makes that terrifyingly clear.
"Nuclear Detonation Phase I" is the first line of the planning document, which details the tasks completed and those ahead for state officials. That's followed by: "Enhance missile launch notification process between U.S. Pacific Command and the State Warning Point."
Then comes the truly petrifying, "Prepare a planning scenario focused on a 100-kiloton nuclear weapon detonated 1,000 feet above the city of Honolulu (completed)" and "Publish a new 'Ballistic Missile Threat Annex' to the State Emergency Operations Plan (underway)."
Here's a few samples from the document's list of "FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS with ANSWERS:"
Q: I have heard that planning for a nuclear attack from North Korea is futile given most of the population will be killed or critically injured. Is that true?
A. No. Current estimates of human casualties based on the size (yield) of North Korean nuclear weapon technology suggests an explosion less than 8 miles in diameter. More than 90 percent of the population would survive the direct effects of such an explosion. Planning and preparedness are essential to protect those survivors from delayed residual radiation (fallout) and other effects of the attack such as the loss of utilities and communication systems, structural fires, etc.
Q. Are there public shelters (blast or fallout) designated in our communities?
A. No. There are currently no designated shelters in the State of Hawaii at this time. The short warning time (12 to 15 minutes) would not allow for residents or visitors to locate such a shelter in advance of the missile impact.
Q. Are the neighbor islands safe?
A. We do not know. Although most analysts believe the desired target will be Oahu given the concentration of military and government facilities, a missile may stray and impact the open ocean or even a neighbor island. All areas of the State of Hawaii must consider the possibility of missile impact.
And everyone knows that an atomic blast is not just a terrible storm, but a potential holocaust.
"It seems to me that primal instincts are just going to overwhelm nearly everybody," Democratic State Sen. Gil Riviere told Civil Beat. He noted that the state emergency management agency had already adopted the mantra "get inside, stay inside, stay tuned."
But, he added, "people are just going to be fleeing, they're not going to stay in."
---
Teague, who reported from Honolulu, writes for Honolulu Civil Beat and did a story on this subject for its news site.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo has shown no fear in getting in front of television cameras and stirring things up on the politics front.
But during a session at a three-day political conference in Austin, Acevedo quickly dismissed a question that he could be aiming to run for higher office, maybe even governor in 2018.
AUSTIN -- A month to the day after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, the reality of the storm was beginning to sink in on the minds of politicians, policy makers and advocates bracing for a long recovery.
In short, any political plans people had pre-Harvey are now moot.
"Whatever any of us thought or hoped that the agenda for the next session would be, it is going to be overtaken by mother nature," House Speaker Joe Straus told a full auditorium at the University of Texas Saturday. "It's going to the biggest challenge that we face."
And even tax increases, typically a taboo topic around the Capitol, could be on the agenda. Two Houston city officials and several state lawmakers said despite the Legislature's reluctance to allow tax increases, Harvey has changed everything and should at least open the discussion to using state sales taxes to pay for schools funding or badly needed flood control projects and systems, like the coastal spine, or Ike Dike.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said it shouldn't just be left to the city of Houston and Mayor Sylvester Turner to find sources of revenue to better protect the state's largest city and such a key economic region that benefits all of Texas.
"The Legislature needs to step up," Acevedo said.
The comments came during The Texas Tribune Festival, an annual three-day event in Austin featuring politics and government leaders from around the nation.
Houston Chief Resilience Officer Stephen Costello, known as the flood czar, said during one session that a temporary increase in the state sales tax just for Houston would go a long way toward finally building the coastal spine system that would protect the region from storm surges.
While in years past, State Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, said the tax conversation may have been a non-starter in the Legislature, that should change given the destruction Harvey has brought to the state.
Politicians said it's still too soon to know exactly what the state needs to do to help the areas slammed by the storm cover, such as how much money it will cost to fix schools and roads and invest in such infrastructure to guard against future storms.
What policy experts and politicians across the board do know is it could take years for the state to recover.
The storm may provide an opportunity for a special legislative session for lawmakers to rethink the state's school funding formula given property taxes, which schools depend on for funding, are expected to tank in storm-ravaged areas, said state Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Humble.
"I don't believe 1 million children are going anywhere, but their homes have been destroyed," he said, noting his home sustained $50,000 in damage from Harvey. "I just don't see any path to victory for the schools if we don't take this very seriously going forward."
Huberty wants lawmakers to return to Austin for a special legislative session focused on storm relief. In that conversation, they could rehab the state's school funding formula to level out funding for districts that stand to lose property tax revenue from the storm.
While Harvey damaged hundreds of schools across southeast Texas, it's also upended expectations for this year's round of standardized testing, known as the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness.
The focus on the STAAR bothers HD Chambers, the superintendent of Alief Independent School District. Whether the state will move or delay the test is the second question people ask after how his schools are doing.
"Our state has programmed our public education system so much that the thing we worry about most, or second most in this case, seemed to be about STAAR," Chambers said during a panel discussion on testing and accountability.
Teachers and other people responsible for educating children lost everything and went through their own traumas before returning to the classroom.
"Before we start expecting them to deliver instruction with profession and craft at a very high level, we have to do everything we can do to help them be a person," he said, and allow them to adjust to the "right mindset to being able to educate kids."
Education Commissioner Mike Morath said he's still undecided about whether to cancel, delay or ease how the state grades schools based on the tests. However, his tone changed from last week when he told the State Board of Education it was unlikely Texas would tinker with the STAAR.
The political conference waded into other politics of the storm, including the controversial decision of whether Houston officials should have ordered an evacuation.
Acevedo, Houston's police chief who had only been on the job nine months when Harvey hit, gave a stern defense of Mayor Sylvester Turner's handling of preparation. He pushed back at questions about whether Turner should have ordered an evacuation after Gov. Greg Abbott suggested people should leave Houston.
Acevedo said it would have been impractical to evacuate such a large city, saying "Where would they have gone?" He said sending people to other parts of Texas that were hit just as hard or worse would have been a disaster.
PLEASE NOTE!
Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!
All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!
(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
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Copiii cu nevoi speciale din Stefan Voda au conditii de reabilitare mai bune, datorita UE si Fundatiei Soros Moldova
AKRON, Ohio -- A 35-year-old man faces charges after a high-speed chase, crash and one-hour standoff, police say.
A police officer fired a shot into the man's car during the standoff.
The incident started shortly after 11 p.m. Friday on East Market Street near Seiberling Road, according to a news release from Akron police.
Marcus Coker is charged with failure to comply with an order of police officer and fleeing and eluding, the release says.
He suffered a minor head injury and was taken to Akron City Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, the release says. Akron police Lt. Rick Edwards said the head injury could be from the crash and is unsure if the shot struck him.
Officers saw a white 2013 Volkswagen Jetta driving recklessly and tried to stop it, but Coker led them on a chase through the Goodyear Heights neighborhood, the release says.
Coker struck a parked car in front of 1310 Arnold Avenue near Eastland Avenue after several minutes of leading police on the chase, the release says.
They approached the car and ordered him to get out of the car. He refused to get out and moved around inside of the car, the release says.
An officer fired a single shot inside the car, the release says. Coker continued to move around in the car and officers backed away. The SWAT team was called in and tried to negotiate, but Coker still refused. He moved around from the front to the back seat of the car, the release says.
After the hour stand-off, he was removed from the car and taken to the hospital.
Police say Coker is also wanted for aggravated burglary, disrupting public service, domestic violence and theft from an incident that happened two days earlier involving an ex-girlfriend.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation will assist with the investigation.
The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to department policy. The officer has been with the department for 2 and a half years.
If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Titled "Things Fall Apart," the sixth episode of filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's 10-part, 18-hour PBS documentary series "The Vietnam War" covers the time period from January to July 1968. Just two months after Gen. William Westmoreland assures the press that the North Vietnamese are "unable to mount a major offensive," American forces are surprised by the scale and scope of a coordinated series of attacks.
On the eve of the Tet holiday in late January 1968, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces respond to the message sent from Hanoi: "Crack the sky, shake the earth." They launch surprise attacks on cities and military bases throughout the south, suffering devastating losses but casting grave doubt on President Lyndon Johnson's promise that there is "light at the end of the tunnel."
The brutality of the Tet Offensive unfolds on television, increasing opposition to the war. Although it fails from a military standpoint, Tet has a devastating effect on American opinion about Vietnam involvement. CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite, known as "the most trusted man in America," goes on the air in February to express his opinion that the war is hopelessly deadlock. "If I've lost Cronkite," Johnson reportedly says, "I've lost middle America."
The next month, Johnson stuns the nation by announcing, "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president." A reeling nation is further staggered by unrest and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.
When: 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24
Where: PBS (WVIZ Channel 25 and WEAO Channel 49)
Series schedule: (Upcoming episodes air at 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, Sept. 25-28)
Links: PBS site
(Read directors Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's thoughts about their efforts to get all sides represented in "The Vietnam War" and Plain Dealer television critic Mark Dawidziak's review of the series.)
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A Caribbean butchers with a jerk food takeaway next door is now open in Croydon.
The Black Butchers in Church Street is not your average butchers as well as typical meats it also sells Caribbean-style seasoned meats all prepared and ready to cook at home, with instructions provided on how to make the best meal.
You can get jerk chicken, stew chicken, curry chicken, curry goat, oxtail and pepper steak, all ready to cook.
Owner Zachary Rodney, who opened his shop on Friday (September 22), explained: "Read the instructions on the back, throw it into your pot and your have an authentic Caribbean meal."
The food is prepared by trained chefs and butchers who are experienced in Caribbean cooking.
Buying your meat at The Black Butchers means people can cook up a Caribbean meal after work without the time-consuming preparation.
Mr Rodney said: "People say they are tired and haven't got time to go home and cook. With Caribbean food, the longer you season it the better taste you get. If you've had a long day at work and then prepare the meat when you get home it is not going to be as good as if you had prepared it prior."
But it isn't just people with Caribbean heritage who the butchers are aiming for their customer base the ready prepared food means anyone not experienced in cooking Caribbean food can whip it up at home and discover more foods other than just jerk chicken.
"We are selling to people in general who would like to cook this sort of thing," said Mr Rodney.
Next door to the butchers is The Black Butchers Jerk Hut, serving jerk food to takeaway.
Not only will it sell jerk chicken, but the likes of jerk lamb, beef, and fish.
It will even have a daily special, featuring one of the dishes prepared at the butchers.
The butchers is in the building which was formally Taste of Jamaica takeaway, originally opened by Mr Rodney and which was on the site for 12 years, before closing two years ago.
Mr Rodney, whose parents came from the Caribbean, has 21 years' experience in business and the food industry.
He also owns The Granaries Nightclub in Overtons Yard, Croydon, and Ezekiel night club in Peckham, as well as several business.
This weekend The Black Butchers will be offering free tasters in the Jerk Hut for customers to try.
People were already getting excited before the shop opened when they spotted Mr Rodney's post on Facebook.
"The feedback we have had on social media and the phone calls we have had, [people] are saying it's a long time coming.
"We have had great feedback from ethnic and English white people.
"It is something they are saying they always want to do.
Page Content
The exhibition Different Wars reveals the variation in the narration and perception of the history of the Second World War in modern high school textbooks of the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland and Russia. The choice of the subject was motivated by the fact that WWII remains one of the most painful and conflicting episodes of the European nations memories. The modern high school textbooks were chosen as they communicate the spirit of their time and express the culture they are written in.
The exhibition was initiated by the Working Group Historical Memory and Education of the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum in close cooperation with historians, civil society activists, history teachers, and enthusiasts from all the countries involved. The exhibition was prepared, among others, by Karta Centre (Warsaw), Anitkomplex, z.s. (Prague), EU-Russia Civil Society Forum e.V. (Berlin) and the Memorial International, (Moscow), which was given the Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament in 2009. It was hosted by the European Parliament in Strasbourg in June 2016.
The EU-Russia Civil Society Forum was established in 2011 by non-governmental organisations as a permanent common platform. At the moment, 156 NGOs from Russia and the European Union are members of the Forum. It aims at developing cooperation of civil society organisations from Russia and EU and greater participation of NGOs in the EU-Russia dialogue. The Forum has been actively involved, inter alia, in the questions of facilitation of visa regime, development of civic participation, protection of the environment and human rights, dealing with history, and civic education. The Secretariat is based at DRA / German-Russian Exchange (Berlin, Germany).
LIMITED ACCESS: Please note that access to the CoR exhibitions is limited to persons who already have a badge granting them permanent access to the CoR, or who carry a special badge as a participant to an event on the CoR premises.
Four days after MGM Resorts International unveiled a proposal to build a $675 million casino in Connecticuts largest city, a fact emerged to may help explain how the debate over gaming will play out. That fact is this: Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim didnt know about it until a week before its was announced.
That fact suggests two things. One, that MGMs plans were well underway. That part is obvious. And two, that MGM is playing a very long game. Dont be surprised if in the coming weeks and months you hear news of the Fortune 500 company renewing a legal challenge to a Connecticut law that gives the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan nations the right to operate a monopoly.
MGM failed last time. Next time might be different.
Heres why.
Last week, newspapers and newscasts were filled with very impressive images of a sparkling new MGM Bridgeport: a 100,000-foot casino with 2,000 slot machines, plus a 300-room hotel and 30,000-square-foot retail space. It would create 2,000 permanent jobs and nearly 6,000 ancillary jobs. It would generate $316 million in tax revenues. MGM would also cut the state a check for $50 million for licensing and an $8 million check to Bridgeport for hosting. Best of all, the entire project would be privately financed, costing taxpayers not one cent.
As Hearst Connecticut Media reported, the project would create more than 10 times as many jobs as were lost after the Carpenter Technology plant on the site closed three decades ago.
But critics correctly pointed out that state legislators had not approved the proposal. Why was Ganim grinning and glad-handing MGM CEO Jim Murren if nothing had yet been rubber-stamped? A spokesman for the tribes called Mondays press briefing a bit of public-relations legerdemain.
The idea that MGM is having a groundbreaking for a project that hasnt come close to receiving legislative approval continues a pattern of dishonesty that we saw time and again, said Andrew Doba. Simply put, authorization of this facility would violate existing compacts between the two tribes and the state.
Doba is correct. In exchange for a percentage of slot machine revenue, amounting to millions of dollars a year to the states treasury, Connecticut gave the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan nations exclusive rights to run two casinos. If the state General Assembly were to green-light MGMs proposal, the measure would almost certainly violate that agreement.
But I suspect MGM is not banking on a political process to yield results. Instead, its probably going to return to the courts to challenge that compact on antitrust grounds. And given that monopoly is baked into the compact, MGM has a strong case.
It didnt the last time. In June, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected MGMs claim that the law put the firm at a competitive disadvantage. Its lawsuit claimed the compact created a special registration pathway for the tribes.
While MGM is now building a new casino in Springfield, Mass., it did not at the time have plans or projects underway in Connecticut. Thats why the appeals court ruled the suit was purely abstract. It was based on MGMs expression of interest without any concrete steps toward a bid for a Connecticut casino.
The ruling did, however, make room for future developments. Our conclusion does not rule out the possibility that MGMs alleged harm may at some future point become sufficiently imminent, the opinion read. That possibility, though, is at this time only hypothetical and we therefore need not address it.
Well, its not abstract anymore. Its not hypothetical.
In providing news reporters dollars signs and job numbers to splash all over their front pages and TV screens, MGM was demonstrating not only the kind of harm it may suffer from the states compact with the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan nations, it was demonstrating the kind of harm thousands of people in Bridgeport and around the state will suffer.
If MGM gets a decision it desires, it wont have to worry about lobbying lawmakers discomfited by the idea of another casino in Connecticut or placating those worried about traffic on I-95 or with an unpopular governor caught in the middle. MGM will have to deal only with Ganim, who is happy to put a multimillion-dollar development on his own resume for governor.
Mondays press briefing might have looked like smoke and mirrors, but sometimes smoke and mirrors become reality.
John Stoehr is a fellow of the Yale Journalism Initiative.
We had time to kill before school Wednesday and The Kid wanted to put it to good use.
He asked for paper. Hed come to the right place. A pen. Ditto.
He scrawled six large characters on the sheet and scrambled outside to launch his newest career as a promoter.
For the next mile, he held GREEK over his head while barking Greek Festival, come this week to the Greek Festival.
Every pedestrian got a personal invitation. As he closes in on his sixth birthday, the neighborhood fair has become a tradition as reliable for him as Santa Claus, as he has attended it the last four years.
Hes not Greek, so I wonder if despite his annual turns on the dance floor at the Greek Orthodox Church festival in Stamford he believes the cultural traditions are shooting water into a clowns mouth and trying to convince mom and dad to buy cotton candy.
Most of us fail to appreciate the diversity among us. Greenwichs is stealth. Stamfords is more apparent, but The Kid reminded me at summers end that hes far better at embracing the kaleidoscope of cultures around us than I am.
He didnt need to hold a sign in my face as he offered other examples, but they were nearly as palpable. As I traced his scooter ride around Scalzi Park last Sunday, I tried to anticipate when he would crash a family party. Finally, my steps brought me to his abandoned vehicle 30 yards from the gazebo. I mentally braced for the inevitable encounter, typically with kind parents welcoming him to participate in a birthday party.
Then I finally raised my gaze from my sneakers. Uh oh.
An Indian ceremony was taking place, with all in attendance sitting barefoot on the floor with their legs crossed.
It wasnt exactly a Wheres Waldo, The Genius Challenge to find The Kid. Id purchased the neon banana yellow bike helmet so hed be easy to spot. He was. Assuming his crisscross apple sauce position, he sat in the middle of the rows of participants as though waiting for his first-grade teacher to arrive. I was spared unceremoniously yanking him from the ceremony because he obediently responded to the direction of the woman on his left and retreated to remove his sneakers.
Why I cant stay here? he demanded of me.
I still cant summon an appropriate answer.
That evening, neighbors across the street pulled up to unload groceries. The Kid waved, drawing the attention of the oldest member of the clan.
The woman slowly walked toward him and handed over a plastic bag. She looked me in the eye hoping to communicate what neither of us could translate.
Chinese food, she said, looking to younger family members for confirmation. Steam. No water. Steam.
For good measure, she handed him three tangerines. I thanked her and took him inside. I had not anticipated ever being challenged to prepare Dim Sum.
As the sun rose on the first day of autumn Friday, The Kid decided to sneak in some bonus summer at the beach. He quickly bonded with a couple who spoke little English. We parted and headed in opposite directions on the path, the unspoken promise of a reunion.
They met 30 minutes later and The Kid silently emulated the man as he exercised along the waterfront. No words were spoken until the man rose, placed his palm atop The Kids head and offered a gentle prayer in Spanish that he be fuerte. They hugged and returned to their sun salutations.
When the festival arrived, we insisted our son try some Greek food before hitting the rides. He sized up the offerings and grabbed a salad, a minor miracle for a 6-year-old. After I thrust a wedge of spanakopita in his mouth, he grabbed the rest of the pie like a cheeseburger and finished it.
I want more.
So, he ate half of another serving.
With a belly filled with spinach pie and arms filled with a stuffed prize, he finally relented to walking home. A block from our house, he scrambled toward the silhouettes of two women as I begged him to leave the strangers alone.
The older woman spun around and they embraced like long-lost family. She tapped his nose, pinched his cheeks, rubbed his head and murmured Russian endearments (Boychik!).
She had never seen the three of us together.
What is he to you? she inquired.
It wasnt a common query, but it reminded me to consider the view from the other side of the glass. A petite Latina mom. A tall oh-so-white dad. Our adopted brown sparkplug of a son. She didnt want to make assumptions.
I filled in the blanks so no walls remained. The Kid tapped her nose, pinched her cheeks and headed into the autumn night in search of his next opportunity to discover, to taste, to engage the richness of the world.
Stephanie Hale-Lopez
WITI
September 22, 2017
Boise - More children die due to faith-based medical neglect in Idaho than in any other state. Today, advocates for children discussed ways to develop legislation to change that.
Rita Swan, national expert and founder of the group "Children's Healthcare is a Legal Duty," also known as "CHILD," was in Boise Friday, Sept. 22. She discussed the Gem State's ranking as the worst in the nation in terms of faith healing deaths.
"Before Idaho had even become a state, the territory enacted a law requiring parents to provide necessary food, clothing, shelter and medical attendance to their child," Swan said.
But religious exemptions were added to the law in 1972.
Swan hopes Idaho legislators will stop talking about the issue and make some real changes to the law in the upcoming session.
http://www.kivitv.com/news/idaho-ranks-worst-in-nation-for-faith-healing-deaths
An extraordinary, inflammatory briefing from Foreign Secretary Boris Johnsons camp threatens to destroy the fragile peace so recently achieved by the Prime Minister.
It was directed against the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, whose response has so far been steely but restrained, but inevitably it was also bound to damage Downing Street.
Do those involved and it is reasonable to assume that Mr Johnson is not understand the dangers they are courting? Do they place their ambitions so high that they would put Jeremy Corbyn in office rather than exercise self-restraint?
Boris Johnson's inflammatory briefing is threatening the unity of Theresa May's cabinet
Mrs May, with some skill and thought, had found a formula to reassure leavers and remainers. Until last night, her speech in Florence had been counted a modest but definite success. She is now doing what this newspaper has long urged, seeking to respect both sides in the referendum vote, while democratically implementing the will of the majority.
Brexit is still on course, but the likelihood of a damaging cliff-edge departure has been much reduced thanks to a two-year delay. Mr Johnson had sought and failed to sink this frail but necessary craft before it was launched. Now he is rocking the Government boat so violently that it could go under after all. Of course Mrs May should seek to stop this, but in these unique circumstances, she cannot be expected to do so alone.
The rest of her Cabinet, regardless of which side they take in the Brexit controversy, need to rally behind her. The reason for this is devastatingly simple. If the Government on the eve of a crucial Tory conference descends into brawling and sniping, it cannot long survive.
The people of this country want and need reassurance. The global money markets, which are already looking askance at our economy and lowering our credit rating, will punish us severely if we descend into instability.
And then there will be a real prospect of a Corbyn Government, ushered into power by a split and warring Tory Party unable to inspire confidence or hold to a set course.
This simply cannot be allowed to happen. Mr Johnson himself must grasp that his selfish tactics are not the path to power, but the path to impotent and irrelevant Opposition, for which he will not readily be forgiven.
Money from murder
The IRA has, since its beginnings, preferred to get its way by killing, when other routes for change were open. Its fanatical hatred for Britain was such that in 1940 its former chief of staff, Sean Russell, offered his services to Hitler.
In the Northern Irish Troubles the IRA is thought to have murdered roughly 1,800 men and women.
Google seems quite happy to sell tee-shirts glorifying the Irish Republican Army
Yet Google has no objections to selling IRA T-shirts on its shopping website. It argues feebly that the IRA is not currently on the US Governments list of terror organisations.
So what? It is certainly on the British list of banned groups. And thousands of people still living bear the emotional and physical scars of its ruthless cruelty.
It is grotesque that anyone should seek to profit by selling merchandise branded with the symbols of this hateful criminal gang.
The timing could not have been more telling. As Labour members were making their way to Brighton for their annual conference starting today, one of the partys most senior elected politicians was taking to the airwaves.
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, was defending Transport for Londons (TfL) decision to ban Uber from operating on the capitals streets because of a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to public safety.
Telling indeed. This week Labour will present itself as a party ready to take on the challenges of the modern world. The reality as the decision to ban Uber shows is that its outlook comes straight out of the 1970s.
The decision to ban Uber from London shows the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn has an outlook which comes directly from the 1970s, composite image
Sadiq Khan defended Transport For London's decision to ban Uber from the city's streets
Get one thing straight from the start. If London did not have a Labour mayor, Uber would not have been banned. Flexible, loose, and entrepreneurial, the taxi-hailing app service is everything Labour hates.
Instead of conforming to the rigid rules and regulations the Corbynites support, the firm is one of the most popular examples of so-called disruptive technology. It enters an existing market in this case, minicabs and turns it on its head.
But to a Labour Party in hock to the unions and looking back several decades for economic inspiration, Uber and what it represents is the devil itself.
For those cheering supporters of Jeremy Corbyn at Glastonbury, who have no concept of what life would be like under his Premiership, this is a glimpse into the future. At its most basic, if you want to get a cab in London, youll henceforth have to make do with whatever the state allows.
That is the ideology that underpins so much of what todays Labour party believes: in all aspects of life, the state is supreme, the unions all-powerful and the individual not be trusted to make their own decisions.
Next week, Labour will present itself at Brighton as a united party with a coherent programme for Britain. Both claims seem credible until you think for a moment.
Labour is indeed now united around an outlook so very different from anything we have had from it since the 1980s.
But coherent is the very last word one could apply. At a time when technology is changing the world and we have the knowledge and skills to embrace that change, the party has disappeared down a 1970s wormhole. Nothing could better guarantee we will be beaten by technology than the pretence we can ignore it.
At a time when we should be adapting to our new globalised future outside the EU entrepreneurial, flexible and competitive the Luddite forces that once shaped so many areas of our lives are gaining, rather than diminishing, in strength.
If TfL has its way Uber is appealing against the decision when its operating licence in London expires on Saturday, that will be that.
But its not consumers who want to see the back of the firm. Quite the opposite. More than half a million people have now signed a petition to overturn the Uber ban. Although the company has certainly not helped itself with some of its working practices, its users have benefited from its example of dynamic capitalism lowering costs all round.
Which is why the real lesson from the ban is nothing to do with the guff put out on Friday by TfL about safety and compliance. The bureaucrats are merely the useful idiots in this affair, doing the bidding of their political master, Sadiq Khan.
Jeremy Corbyn's young supporters, pictured, have no idea about what he is planning
The Mayor is widely hailed for his direct personal mandate even larger than Mr Corbyns. After the leaderships initial refusal to allow him a speaking slot at the party conference, Mr Khan will now be paraded as the very model of Labour in power.
Indeed, even among opponents of the leadership he is touted as the moderate face of Labour which is why his Uber ban is so significant.
And his ban it most definitely is. It is a pay-off to his union funders, the GMB, who represent many black cab drivers.
As the Corbynite writer Paul Mason tweeted after the ban: Brilliant victory for unions, labour movement and Londons cabbies. Uber destroys the fabric of cities and evades social responsibility.
For the Union barons, Uber is an enemy that has to be extinguished.
No matter that black cabbies are an anachronism based on the rules of their monopoly past with years spent learning The Knoweldge made redundant by the arrival of satnav systems that most of us now have in our own vehicles.
From the moment he took office, Mr Khan delivered for his union backers, drawing up a 27-point action plan that has been described as almost identical to the 28 measures in the manifesto produced by the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association. But although there is base politics involved in the Uber ban, the real point is that it required no ideological shift from Mr Khan. As a Tory MP texted me after the decision: Why is anyone surprised? If they dont want Lefties banning things they shouldnt have voted for a Lefty as Mayor.
Whatever your views about the rights and wrongs of Uber, this weeks news should serve as a wake-up call to the reality of Corbynite economics. Remember, Mr Khan is regarded as the moderate face of Labour.
It shows how far the party has regressed under Mr Corbyn that even its moderate wing now believes its purpose in power is to throttle competition, restrict choice and kill innovation.
Yet this is the party that came within a whisker of winning power.
In June, Labour won 40 per cent of the vote. At the Brighton conference it will have every right to consider itself as the likely next Government. Which is worrying, to put it mildly.
It's easy to look at a party leadership that sees Venezuela and Cuba not as the corrupt, chaotic and dysfunctional regimes they are but as models for Britain and sneer assuming that by doing so they rule themselves out of ever winning office. But we knew that about Labour at the Election.
So why would the partys emergence as a force dedicated to turning Britain backwards away from innovation and competition, and indeed from the modern world altogether be any more of a block on support?
In a rational world, Corbyn would have to curb his hard-Left beliefs to appease the Blairite elements in his party.
But Labours moderates have given up on most policy battles.Momentum, set up to buttress the Labour leader and ensure the hard-Left has permanent control, is viewed by moderates as akin to Chairman Maos Cultural Army, enforcing ideological discipline across the ranks.
So the Labour conference will be a strange affair. With the Conservatives in semi- permanent crisis, a strong Opposition ought to be something worth having.
Instead, it is clearly the worse of two evils. Think of this and the attempted destruction of Uber when the Momentum mob is on the march in Brighton this week.
It took nearly 80 years, but a book borrowed during the Great Depression has been returned to a Massachusetts public library.
The Attleboro Public Library shared on Facebook last week that a copy of The Young Lady at Home by T.S. Arthur was returned to them last week.
The library, though, probably didn't even know it was missing since it was supposed to be returned on Nov. 21, 1938.
Someone returned a book to the The Attleboro Public Library in Massachusetts that was due in 1938
The library took to Facebook this week to share images of the inside of book that had been returned to them almost 79 years past the due date.
The photos show the library card with its decades-old return date stamp, as well as an inscription with the name of the book.
Oddly, T.S. Arthur does not appear to have published a book called The Young Lady at Home; he did, however, published novels called The Lady at Home (one in 1844 and one in 1850).
He also published The Young Lady who had Finished her Education in 1844 and The Young Lady Who Was Not Punctual in 1845.
'A gentleman was cleaning out a friend's basement and saw that the book had our markings and a due-date card, and he thought we would want it back,' library deputy director Amy Rhilinger told WPRI-TV.
The person found it while cleaning and was not charged a late fee, which would be nearly $3,000
Though she said the condition of the book that it was beyond disrepair and could not go back into circulation, the library staff all got a laugh out of the incident.
'It was definitely not a book that we would be able to ever circulate again, or even put on a shelf near other books. But what we thought was awesome was, here's this guy who totally respects the fact that the library collects items for everyone to share, and in order to make it the democracy that it is, you bring things back.'
'I've been here 15 years,' she added. 'We've never had anything returned the length of time that this item was. We were hysterical. I mean, really? 1938?'
Luckily for the man who returned the book, the library will not collect late fees, which would total almost $2,800 at their 10-cent daily fine rate.
'There's no fine attached,. We have no way of finding who had it out. Obviously, we didn't have computerized checkout systems back in the day. So that information is long gone,' she said.
There are many fashion horrors from the 1980s that should be consigned to the dustbin of history: Im talking perms, leotards worn over neon leggings and giant shoulder pads, to name just a few.
But there is one accessory from the era for which I would happily make an exception. The bum bag.
Half belt, half clutch bag, bum bags were once sported only by tourists and the Jane Fondas of the world who needed a place to store their Walkman while rollerskating.
(from left) Kendall Jenner wearing a 775 Louis Vuitton, Fearne Cotton wearing an Accessorise bum bag, Rachel Johnson in a black leather Burberry number, Rihanna in a 75 bag and Lottie Moss in a 20 bag
Now the humble bum bag is back and, secretly, Im thrilled.
For once Ive been ahead of the trend. Five years ago, I bought a heavy tooled black leather bum bag from Burberry, but every time I wore it, I could count the seconds until someone would ask What on earth have you got on?, sounding like Lady Bracknell. Is that what they call a BUM BAG?
But now they are totally a thing again. The new designer ones Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci are all doing a version are fatly super-sized, covered with studs and dollar signs and dripping with zips and chains. Theyre officially cool. Which is great.
Celebrities of all ages have been papped with them, which means that I can bring mine out from its secret place in the deep wardrobe where Id hidden it.
In fact, I wore it out all last week, and nobody laughed and pointed at me once, apart from when I bumped into restaurateur Jeremy King, owner of The Wolseley.
Take Thursday night, for example. Over canapes at a Mayfair book launch, model Catherine Bailey actually said Loving your fanny pack! in front of David Bailey, her photographer husband. I am not making this up.
Granted, they fall firmly into the category of garment known in the trade as man-repellers (see also boiler suits, Birkenstocks, culottes, furry backless loafers), but the return of this derided and discarded accessory after decades of abuse is good news, as the item is the perfect receptacle for all the necessities for a night out: phone, keys, credit card, lipstick and reading glasses (in my case anyway) and above all, its completely hands-free.
Of course, theyre hideous, but like socks with sandals, they are making a comeback.
This season theyre all over the catwalk as well as the sidewalk see Bella Hadid in her gym sweats, wearing hers like a papoose, see Helen Mirren on the red carpet with black pantsuit, or see even Fearne Cotton, who recently rocked a technicolour tasselled one like an outsize, Pocahontas-style sporran at a festival.
Their hideousness is the point, even their USP. Like a backpack, ugliness merely accentuates their utility (along with the gorgeousness of the young model/actress wearer, of course). They say: I may be in an old T-shirt and Daisy Dukes but I still look hot even with my bulky carry-on hand luggage belted to my torso (I refer you to Lottie Moss with her lavishly sequined number).
So celebs from the Jenners to Rihanna and even the bountifully bootied Kim Kardashian the last woman in the world, frankly, who needs a bottom accessory of any description are marching around NY-LON (Thats New York-London) with them as if required to by law, and fashion police be damned.
Just dont tell me perms are next up for a comeback.
Do you wish you were friends with a lovely young bride and groom from Rotherham called Clare and Ben? They are the couple who caused a furore this week after their plans to charge guests 150 each to attend their nuptials went viral.
The fee includes a three-night stay in the Peak District, with food, so no one has to bring sandwiches, while for children its a discount rate of 50 (Id pay parents 50 to keep them at home).
The groom denies hes being tight but filling the holiday complex means he gets a free venue for the ceremony and says the idea has gone down well with friends and family.
Ben Farina and Clare Moran, who asked guests for 150 each to attend their wedding
I suppose at least this is one couple being honest about the fact that, if they decide to tie the knot, any woman who ever vaguely sat next to them in school will have to take out an overdraft to buy a new dress, coat, bag, shoes, hat and hairdo and stump up for a hotel and travel costs, not to mention a gift. And thats before you even start on the hell of hen dos. In fact, I think young Ben has got his guests a really good deal: three nights including food for 150! Is it a hostel?
Ive just booked three nights in Edinburgh in an Airbnb apartment for my nieces wedding in October, and it cost 900! With no food! I think I even have to pack my own pink Himalayan sea salt.
It used to be that the brides parents paid for the whole shebang. Problem is, women are getting married later and later, which means our parents are either doolally or dead.
When I got married, aged 46, to a much younger man who only had a Post Office savings account and that was empty I paid for the whole thing.
Hire of every room in Babington House in Somerset: 20,000. Flowers: 5,000, which didnt include clearing them away the next day. Dinner: 10,000. An organic chocolate cake from Notting Hill I was too stressed to eat: 700. Hair, make-up artist and manicurist who made me bleed on my cream Robinson Valentine tuxedo (I really was the man in the relationship): 1,400.
I hadnt budgeted for anyone having breakfast, which was extra, so the next day I was to be found wrestling forks from mouths. Something else I didnt reckon on (what with the free bar following on from the champagne reception) was people cracking open whatever they could find in the mini-bars in their rooms.
I wish Gwyneth Paltrows new LA lifestyle store had been open in 2003, so I could have placed her Chill Child kid calming mist in every room: an extra cost, but at least I would have been able to hear the registrar above the screaming, instead of saying loudly: AY? Do I what? Who?
I didnt even have a wedding gift list as, by your 40s, you pretty much have all you need bar a pension and a job for life.
I spent my entire honeymoon in Seville staring at my mobile, worried NatWest was calling to say theyd bounced my cheques.
I later got an extra bill from the hotel for dragging drunk guest from lake before he drowned and placing in rainforest shower. It was the final ignominy, especially as the marriage lasted barely three years.
Of course, getting hitched is ridiculously expensive, however you choose to cut the cake.
But although a part of me admired the sheer chutzpah of asking guests to buy a ticket, Im of the mind that unless the couple are prepared to invest in a really good do (the last wedding I went to stated BYO on the invite!), why should we bother to walk on grass in heels, or spend two hours sitting next to the brides mothers cleaner?
That was a wedding in Claridges; I was so bored that I went shopping on South Molton Street.
For richer, for poorer, indeed.
With her leather jacket slung over her shoulders, Meghan Markle looked effortlessly cool as she joined Prince Harry at a royal engagement for the first time last night.
The American actress, 36, paired the studded burgundy piece with a plunging V-neck dress as she joined her royal beau, 33, for the opening ceremony of the third Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada.
While Miss Markle was not seated alongside Harry, the event still marks a significant milestone in their relationship and will no doubt intensify speculation that an engagement announcement is imminent.
Miss Markle's edgy yet elegant look, which was finished with smoky eye make-up and loose, wavy hair, is worlds apart from the demure ensembles the Duchess of Cambridge sported for her early public engagements with Prince William.
Laid back: Meghan Markle wore a burgundy leather jacket and matching dress as she attended the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada, on Saturday night, her first royal engagement with boyfriend Prince Harry
Early days: In contrast, Kate Middleton favoured demure looks for her first few outings with then boyfriend Prince William. Pictured, Kate wears an off-white coat, black tights and black heeled pumps as she attends William's graduation ceremony from RAF Cranwell in 2008
William and Kate met as students at St Andrews University and dated for seven years before announcing their engagement in 2010.
In the years leading up to the announcement, Kate joined William at a handful of events and on each occasion showcased her modest taste in clothes.
In June 2008, for example, Kate, then 26, looked chic in a black polka dot peplum jacket and a matching knee-length skirt as she attended the Garter Day Service, when her then boyfriend William was invested into the Order of the Garter.
Kate looked every inch the royal insider as she chatted with Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cornwall at the event.
Meghan finished her look last night with smoky eye make-up and left her hair in loose waves
Instead of his girlfriend, Harry was seated next to First Lady Melania Trump in a VIP box. They sat behind Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (bottom left), his wife Maryna, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau (bottom right, second from right)
Prince Harry is seen above in the far left corner of the image in his seat in the VIP box. His girlfriend was 18 seats to his left and three rows in front of him
Her appearance at the service, with its historic pomp and pageantry, was the first time she has ever accompanied the prince to an official Royal event.
In April that year she and William posed for photographers together at RAF Cranwell, when the prince was awarded his RAF wings.
On that occasion Kate wore an off-white coat, black tights and black heeled pumps
Also in June 2008 the second-in-line-to-the-throne allowed himself to be seen with his then girlfriend at a charity ball.
In 2006 Kate Middleton looked elegant in vibrant red as she arrived at Sandhurst to watch graduates, including Prince William, march in the Sovereign's Parade. The couple were not pictured together on this occasion
Kate Middleton wore a polka dot blazer and matching knee length skirt when she attended the Garter Day Service in June 2008 alongside Prince Harry, left, and the Duchess of Cornwall
However it was not until February 2011, after their engagement was announced and two months before the royal wedding, that Kate and William marked their first official public engagement together.
While the dress code for those early engagements were more formal than what was required of Miss Markle last night, the Duchess of Cambridge has never made a public appearance in a leather jacket and still tends to favour gentler fabrics and feminine cuts.
Unless attending an evening event, the Duchess, who is expecting her third child with William, also keeps her make-up to a minimum, contrasting with Miss Markle's more made-up look for last night.
Mary Berry swapped her spatula for a shepherd's crook to lead 20 sheep across London Bridge this morning.
The TV chef, 82, kicked off the annual Great Sheep Drive, which sees some 600 of London's Freemen of the City exercise their ancient right to drive the animals over the bridge.
Mary, who was herself made a Freeman of the City in 2014, was joined by family members for the event, which aims to raise thousands of pounds for the Lord Mayor's Appeal.
Looking glamorous in a pink jacket and printed scarf, the former Great British Bake Off queen said it went 'like clockwork'.
Mary Berry, 82, led a herd of 20 sheep across London Bridge to open the Wool Fair
She said: 'They were exceedingly well-behaved,' she said. 'I think they've done it before.'
The bizarre sight of Berry on the bridge surrounded by the animals caused quite a commotion, with hordes of tourists taking photos and some left scratching their heads in bemusement.
'A lot of people are here who will never have seen sheep other than a roast lamb on a Sunday,' she added.
'I think it's great. There's a lot of children here and it's going to bring a lot of pleasure on a lovely Sunday morning.'
Mary was made a Freeman of the City in 2014 and has the right to take sheep over London Bridge
The TV chef said the sheep were 'exceedingly well behaved' during the walk
The ancient re-enactment is organised by the Worshipful Company of Woolmen as part of the annual Wool Fair.
London Bridge was once the city's only river crossing and trading route, and the fair aims to promote the British wool industry.
Bill Clark, past master of the Worshipful Company of Woolmen, said: 'Driving sheep over London Bridge by Freemen of the City is a tradition rooted in more than 800 years of the history of the Woolmen.
'Re-energising this old tradition provides a fun day-out for Londoners but it is also a reminder of the City of London's important trading history.'
Posing in a pink jacket and patterned scarf, the star looked like she was having great fun on the excursion
The tradition of walking sheep over London Bridg by Freemen of the City is over 800 years old
Despite looking picture perfect at her fun day out, the mother-of-three recently opened up about having 'loads of wrinkles'.
She said: 'I'm quite happy with my face; I've got loads of wrinkles!'
Speaking to Woman and Home magazine, she added: 'I have no wish to have any Botox, or a facelift. Our surgeons are busy enough. Let them do proper jobs.'
'I just use one foundation, one powder, one lipstick and that's it. I don't use any face creams at all,' Mary added.
Mary left the Great British Bake Off after it moved to Channel 4, but says she is pleased with her replacement Prue Leith
Crowds gathered to watch the former Bake Off judge take part in the traditional walk
Mary is best known to many for judging the Great British Bake Off, which she left when it moved to Channel 4.
She was replaced by Prue Leith while her fellow judge Paul Hollywood remained on the series.
Presenters Mel and Sue were replaced by comedians Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig.
Mary recently praised the new line-up, saying she's pleased that Prue had taken over her old role.
Mary chose not to go to Channel 4 with her co-judge Paul Hollywood out of loyalty to the BBC
She said she would chosen Prue as her replacement because she 'knows her stuff'
Speaking on Good Morning Britain recently, Mary said: 'If somebody had asked who would you like to be the new judge, I would have chosen Prue because she knows her stuff.'
Explaining her choice to stay with the BBC, Mary said at the time: 'My decision to stay with the BBC is out of loyalty to them, as they have nurtured me, and the show, that was a unique and brilliant format from day one.
'I am just sad for the audience who may not be ready for change, I hope they understand my decision.'
Prince William accompanied his grandmother the Queen to church near Balmoral Castle today.
The prince, 35, smiled as he joined Her Majesty in her Burgundy Daimler for the short journey from the Scottish residence to nearby Crathie Kirk for the Sunday service.
They were joined by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, who travelled separately in Charles' green Audi.
However notably absent was William's wife the Duchess of Cambridge, who is expecting the couple's third child and has had to miss a number of recent royal engagements due to severe morning sickness.
Prince William accompanied the Queen to Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral Castle, this morning
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall also attended the service today
The Duke of Edinburgh, who joined the Queen for their annual summer holiday at the Aberdeenshire estate, has already left to return to England.
The Queen is expected to follow suit and return on October 10.
Prince William joined his father at Balmoral for the annual Ghillies Ball, which is thrown for the staff of the royal residence.
Held by successive monarchs since the days of Queen Victoria, the dance is one of the highlights of the royal calendar.
The party is held in the Ballroom of Balmoral Castle, the largest room in Queens private and most beloved residence, which is decorated with Highland scenes by Landseer and Carl Haag as well as silver statues by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm.
Prince William was in Balmoral to mark the Ghillies Ball, which is held each year for staff at Balmoral Castle. Pictured, the 35-year-old royal with his grandmother today
Invitations to the Ghillies Ball are hugely sought after sent to estate staff, a handful of the Queens closest neighbours on Royal Deeside and notable members of the local community.
Unlike other royal functions, the sovereign and members of her family mingle and dance Scottish reels arm-in-arm with their guests.
A Royal source said: 'Prince William came up to stay with the Queen at the castle to go to the Ghillies Ball on Thursday night. Everyone had a great night. The Queen will be here until the second week in October'.
The Duchess of Cambridge has been forced to miss a number of recent engagements due to severe morning sickness. Her last public appearance was on August 30, pictured
Growing family: William and Kate, pictured with Prince George, four, and two-year-old Princess Charlotte in Warsaw in June, are expecting their third child
Meanwhile the Duchess of Cambridge, 35, has kept a low profile since announcing her pregnancy earlier this month.
The couple were forced to announce the good news earlier than anticipated because the duchess has again been suffering again with severe morning sickness.
She has been struck down with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), which affects just one per cent of pregnancies and is a complication that causes excessive nausea and vomiting. The Duchess sadly had to miss Prince George's first day of school because of the condition.
However there are signs the royal's health is improving as last week Kensington Palace announced that she would be co-hosting a Buckingham Palace reception with Prince Harry and Prince William next month.
Princess Diana's niece looked sensational as she walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana this morning.
Lady Kitty Spencer, 26, wore a tight black dress for her strut down the catwalk at Milan Fashion Week.
The daughter of Charles Spencer made an impact during the show in the fashion capital and appeared to be flaunting her royal connections with a gold crown balanced on her golden locks.
Kitty has made sure she's right in the middle of the action during the fashion week events, previously attending shows at London Fashion Week.
Lady Kitty Spencer, 26, walked in the Dolce & Gabbana show at Milan Fashion Week on Sunday
Flaunting her hourglass curves, Kitty's black dress was nipped in at the waist with a huge decorative bow.
The gown had chiffon sleeves and sat off the shoulder in a trendy bardot style, allowing the blonde to flaunt her toned arms.
Kitty appeared to be flashing a bra strap as the dress was held up by a daring sweetheart neckline.
Her accessories made a nod to a royal connections as the model wore a gold crown on her golden locks.
Princess Diana's niece appeared to be making light of her royal connections by wearing a crown on the runway
Earlier on in the day Kitty had been seen wearing a quirky dress by the upmarket label
Kitty wore a lot of jewelry, with large golden earrings matching her eye-catching crown.
She wore a gold chain on her left wrist and a simple black bracelet on her right arm.
The socialite carried a simple black box clutch bag in one hand as she strutted down the runway.
Kitty had initally posed outside the venue in a kooky red D&G dress adorned with slogans made to look like handwritten notes.
Kitty's D&G dress was adorned with slogans like 'All I need is love and wifi' and 'I will stay with you forever'
Kitty wasn't the only model in a crown but wore heavy jewelry to match with the glittering headwear
One note written in thick red ink said 'I will stay with you forever!' while another said 'All I need is love and wifi'.
Kitty's quirky dress was match with an equally kooky clutch bag that read 'This is a D&G handbag' and was adorned with sequinned flowers.
She wore her blonde locks in a simple ponytail and slathered her full lips in bright red lipstick.
Kitty recently opened up about her cousin Prince Harry's omission that he'd sought counselling to deal with his grief over his mother's death.
The socialite's earlier look consisted of very heavy make up, including red lipstick on her full lips
She told The Times: 'It's so healthy to talk about it. It's the only way. It's great that anyone with a platform in the press does talk.'
Kitty split with 45-year-old boyfriend Niccolo in July after three years together, amid reports that they had fallen out over her hopes to marry and have children.
But the daughter of Earl Spencer and his first wife Victoria Lockwood has been taking her mind off the break-up, jetting off for a sun-filled break in Montenegro last month.
Kitty has been in attendance of all the fashion calendar events, including London Fashion Week earlier this month
The dramatic make-up made the most of Lady Kitty's English rose palour
The model was in the country for the wedding of marketing manager Vesna Vasiljevic and oil trader Luka Obradovic, where she was acting as bridesmaid.
Sharing a snap of herself and the bride and groom, she gushed: 'Mr & Mrs Obradovic' alongside a loveheart emoji.
The society wedding was held at the Savina Monastery, and Kitty was spotted leaving the ceremony holding a bouquet of flowers, arm-in-arm with her brother, Louis, as temperatures soared to 40 degrees.
Kate Middleton was still a middle-class lass when she caught Prince William's eye while modelling in a fashion show at St Andrews University.
Now, it's the aristocrats who hope to seize attention on the catwalk.
First to hit the runway at Dolce & Gabbana's show in Milan at the weekend was Lady Kitty Spencer, 26, Princess Diana's niece. Fittingly, she wore a tiara with her tight black frock.
Next up was Lady Amelia Windsor, 22, the Duke of Kent's granddaughter, who sported a ruffled, polka-dot gown.
Looking wizard was Sabrina Percy, 27, kinswoman of the Duke of Northumberland whose ancestral home, Alnwick Castle, doubled as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films.
She was followed by Frankie Herbert, 21, niece of the Earl of Carnarvon. She's so grand Downton Abbey was filmed at her uncle's family seat, Highclere Castle.
Fashion royalty! Princess Diana's niece Lady Kitty Spencer dons a gold crown as she struts down the catwalk
By Molly Rose Pike for MailOnline
Lady Spencer wore a tight black dress for her strut down the catwalk and appeared to be flaunting her royal connections with a gold crown balanced on her golden locks.
Flaunting her hourglass curves, Kitty's black dress was nipped in at the waist with a huge decorative bow.
The gown had chiffon sleeves and sat off the shoulder in a trendy bardot style, allowing the blonde to flaunt her toned arms.
Lady Kitty Spencer, 26, walked in the Dolce & Gabbana show at Milan Fashion Week on Sunday
Princess Diana's niece appeared to be making light of her royal connections by wearing a crown on the runway
Kitty appeared to be flashing a bra strap as the dress was held up by a daring sweetheart neckline.
Her accessories made a nod to a royal connections as the model wore a gold crown on her golden locks.
Kitty wore a lot of jewelry, with large golden earrings matching her eye-catching crown.
Kitty wasn't the only model in a crown but wore heavy jewelry to match with the glittering headwear
The dramatic make-up made the most of Lady Kitty's English rose palour
Kitty has been in attendance of all the fashion calendar events, including London Fashion Week earlier this month
She wore a gold chain on her left wrist and a simple black bracelet on her right arm.
The socialite carried a simple black box clutch bag in one hand as she strutted down the runway.
Lady Amelia Windsor dazzles in a polka dot gown after being snapped up for the Italian fashion house's campaign
By Rebecca Lawrence for MailOnline
Clad in a ruffled polka dot gown, 22-year-old Lady Amelia Windsor commanded attention as she stormed the runway at the exclusive show.
Shrouding her lithe frame, the glamorous ball gown featured layers of eye-catching ruffles that culminated in a floor-skimming hemline.
With billowing blouson sleeves and a square neckline, the dramatic dress ensured all eyes would be firmly on her for the evening.
Model moment: It came as no surprise to see Lady Amelia Windsor on the runway for the Italian fashion house's secret show during Milan Fashion Week at Bar Martini on Saturday
Going dotty for the catwalk: Clad in a ruffled polka dot gown, the 22-year-old model commanded attention as she stormed the runway at the exclusive show
Sweeping her golden tresses back into a bun, the blonde beauty finished off the look with a slick of red lipstick.
Having already walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana - and been hailed as the 'most beautiful' member of the royal family - Lady Amelia has become a firm fixture in fashion circles.
Ruffling feathers! Shrouding her lithe frame, the glamorous ball gown featured layers of eye-catching ruffles that culminated in a floor-skimming hemline
Turning heads: With billowing blouson sleeves and a square neckline, the dramatic dress ensured all eyes would be firmly on her for the evening
She already took up a prime seat in the front row at the Tommy Hilfiger show and also attended the Love Magazine x Miu Miu party at Mayfair nightclub Loulou's.
The young royal, who is 36th in line to the throne, was picked to star in Dolce & Gabbana's fashion campaign last year, where she fittingly donned a crown.
Sabrina Percy stuns the crowds in sequinned glam as she flaunts her enviable curves on the catwalk
By Alice Evans for MailOnline
Sabrina Percy flaunted her enviable curves in a striped bodycon maxi dress with rose petal detailing.
She wore an intricate floral headband that brought out the dazzling colours in the rest of the glam sequinned outfit.
The 27-year-old artist and illustrator is a relative of the Duke of Northumberland and was once Tatler's Babe of the Month.
Sabrina Percy wore an intricate floral headband that brought out the dazzling colours in the rest of the glam sequinned outfit
However, in her younger years she could be found pulling pints behind the bar of a Chelsea pub.
She said at the time: 'I've got a job at the Imperial Arms because I need the cash to get me through college.
She Lady lfaunted her enviable curves in a striped bodycon maxi dress with rose petal detailing
The 27-year-old artist and illustrator is a relative of the Duke of Northumberland and was once Tatler's Babe of the Month
'It's expensive living in London, so I'm doing shifts at the pub. It's hard work standing on your feet for hours, but I've had to knuckle down and earn money.
'I've already had two gap years just doing my own thing and now I'm determined to complete my degree in fashion illustration at the London College of Fashion.'
Downton's model niece! Frankie Herbert rocks a vampy semi-sheer gown finishing her look off with a slick of crimson lipstick
By Alice Evans for MailOnline
Frankie Herbert, the niece of the Earl of Carnarvon, had a real Downton Abbey start in life it was filmed at her uncle's Highclere Castle.
But as she traversed the catwalk the 21-year-old couldn't have looked further from country estate life.
Frankie wowed the crowds as she rocked a vampy semi-sheer gown complete with tiered frills and a bodice-like central structure.
Frankie wowed the crowds as she rocked a vampy semi-sheer gown complete with tiered frills and a bodice-like central structure
She carried a simple yet stylish black and silver clutch and injected some colour into her look with a slick of crimson lipstick
Her 6ft 1in frame and good looks landed her a contract with Select Models, though she worries her height might make her dreams of becoming an actress unlikely
She carried a simple yet stylish black and silver clutch and injected some colour into her look with a slick of crimson lipstick.
Frankie real name Francesca prefers Brixton to Hampshire, where she lives with two friends, and runs round town in long, flowing gowns as part of her work for Debonnaire Von Bismarck who has a clothing company.
Her 6ft 1in frame and good looks landed her a contract with Select Models, though she worries her height might make her dreams of becoming an actress unlikely. Her father runs a racing syndicate.
The Duchess of Cambridge must have plenty on her mind . . . not least the news that her favourite High Street store and designer label have teamed up in an exciting fashion collaboration.
Retailer L.K.Bennett is launching its first ready-to-wear collaboration, a 15-piece collection created with Preen. Having celebrated 20 years in the business last year, Preens husband and wife design team Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi have built up a loyal fan base of famous women.
Preen is the label that the likes of Michelle Obama, Gwyneth Paltrow, Christy Turlington, Scarlett Johansson trust to make them look serious but beautiful. The Duchess of Cambridge's favourite high street store is L.K.Bennett
The Duchess of Cambridge's favourite high street store L.K.Bennett is partnering with luxury brand Preen for a new collection. Pictured: Devoto dress, 475, Shoes, 195, lkbennett. com
Luxury brand Preen usually retails dresses in excess of 1,000, the new collection with L.K.Bennett has styles for as little as 250
Remember that diamond-patterned dress Samantha Cameron wore when David Cameron resigned as Prime Minister? Preen. Michelle Obama arriving in the UK with her daughters? Preen. Kate Middleton in Canada? You guessed it.
What Preen isnt, however, is cheap. For a classic floral, button-down, long-sleeved dress from their autumn collection, youre talking more than 1,000.
Head to L.K.Bennett from October 5, however, and you can pick up a stunning dress for 250. Still not cheap, certainly, but youre getting a design classic for about half the price. And because Preen is all about sophistication rather than trends, youll be able to wear it again and again.
What we particularly love about the Preen for L.K.Bennett collection is that is encapsulates Preens high-end glamour with a dash of the working-wardrobe smartness that L.K.Bennett customers demand.
Sequin dress, 550, Court shoes, 175, lkbennett. com
The investment piece collection launches on October 5th
Alongside the dresses, there are smart separates including a lovely peacock-blue sweater with embellished shoulder detail for 195. Again, the separates arent cheap but this collaboration certainly puts the label within the grasp of women who could never previously have afforded it.
Once youve chosen your investment piece, the only question to ask yourself is how best to accessorise it. Wed say keep it very simple. A pair of this seasons boots, maybe a velvet heel, and, hey presto, youre preened to perfection.
L.K.Bennett x Preen collaboration launches on October 5.
Styling: Emily Monckton
Fashion assistant: Isabella Olex
Hair and Make-up: Ami Penfold
Photographer: L+R
Model: Claudia Raba at Models 1
The brand beloved by the Duchess of Cambridge and Michelle Obama is soon to be within the grasp of us all thanks to a collaboration with LK Bennett. Its husband-and-wife design duo talk shop
Remember when designer collaborations with high-street stores were something of a novelty? When Designers at Debenhams first appeared on the scene, meaning anyone could suddenly afford Betty Jackson and Jasper Conran, or when Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney were among the first to launch cut-price collections at H&M?
Nowadays it can seem as though theres a collaboration with somebody somewhere every week of the year. But next months unveiling of the Preen by Thornton Bregazzi range for LK Bennett is the one that the YOU fashion team are most excited about if theres a chance for us to pick up a silk dress for less than 300, were in.
Preen's Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi at London Fashion Week in September 2014
Created by husband-and-wife team Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi, both of whom hail from the Isle of Man, Preen has been around for 21 years. It is stocked by all the right outlets Selfridges, Net-a-Porter, you name it and worn by all the right women: the Duchess of Cambridge, Michelle Obama, Samantha Cameron and Hollywood stars ad infinitum.
The Preen runway show is one of London Fashion Weeks hottest tickets: this time last year Justin and Thea memorably employed florist Flora Starkey and make-up artist Val Garland to adorn models with dried petals and ferns, as though their signature floral prints had escaped from fabric to skin: You have to be a bit theatrical when it comes to shows, Justin says. The looks are not how your average customer is going to wear something. On the catwalk things can be styled to the nines; in real life, the effect of the same garment is often far more simple.
The Preen x LK Bennett offering includes pieces not dissimilar to, and certainly very much inspired by, previous Preen collections dresses with asymmetric hemlines in graphic prints, a jewel-emblazoned knit in royal blue and a sensational sequined number that will look a million dollars come Christmas but all appear a whole lot more doable when hung on an LK Bennett hanger.
Jumper, 195, and skirt, 295, both LK Bennett x Preen by Thornton Bregazzi
And, of course, thats the trick: LK Bennetts customer gets introduced to Preen in a more wearable light and Preen fans get a slice of the brand for a lower price, perhaps picking up a pair of LK courts in the process.
At least thats the plan one that Justin and Thea know well: Preen already has a popular range at Debenhams, Studio by Preen, a more mass-market offering than the limited-edition LK Bennett collection. It is interesting to get our name out to a wider audience, says Justin. These are women who already love design and quality, but what we offer is perhaps something a little more experimental. I think retailers can make the mistake of thinking pieces are too edgy, but most people have a great appreciation for design, for something a little different.
Justin and Thea started running Preen from a tiny boutique on Londons Portobello Road in the mid-90s, making clothes in the back and selling them out front. The pair have erred on the acceptable side of edgy, keeping their eye very much on the commercial ball. They are credited, for instance, with inventing the modern skinny jean, making batches during the week, then promptly selling out every Saturday.
Kate Moss was among many fans at the time. Girls wanted to look like the skinny boys in bands; the problem was those boys didnt have hips, says Thea. But we managed to find a style that worked, even if sometimes they were so hipster they were impossible to sit down in! They avoid denim now. You can get skinny jeans for 25 on any high street, so whats the point in doing a designer version? says Justin.
Preen has always attracted high-profile fans a la Ms Moss, but the endorsement of a first lady, the wife of a prime minister and a future queen has somewhat elevated things in recent years. We dont know how the Duchess came across us, but she wore the same design twice that was quite amazing, says Justin of the Finella dress Kate wore in both red and black last year.
The Duchess of Cambridge wearing a Preen dress last year
The style is from their Ted (The Event Dress) collection, rather than from the runway, and I gush that it is far and away my favourite DoC look. So many people have said that! It cant be easy dressing for all those events, but she does such a good job of it, Justin says. That dress was already one of our bestsellers but after Kate wore it, it sold out worldwide in a matter of days. Preen is continuing the style: it is currently available in teal from Net-a-Porter.
Samantha Cameron in a Preen design with husband David
Samantha Cameron chose Preen when her husband won the 2015 election and again when he resigned the following year after the Brexit referendum. She is such a lovely lady and she always comes in person for fittings at the studio, says Thea. It went down very well with our mums that a dress of ours might have had an audience with the Queen!
What went down even better was treating their mothers to a trip to the White House, where Thea and Justin had been invited to a party hosted by Michelle Obama, a loyal client ever since spotting a Preen outfit worn by a friend of hers. That was a career highlight.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama is a Preen fan
I stood there thinking, goodness, its amazing how far frocks can take you! says Justin. Thea adds: Michelle said to my mum, I bet you are one proud Mama. That was brilliant, says Thea. She gave a very inspiring speech, too, about how important it is to empower young people day-to-day, how we should all say well done more. It was simple, powerful stuff.
Would they dress Melania Trump if the call came in? I think politically it could be a bit risky, Justin offers. I mean, she is a beautiful woman, but its all a little bit uncomfortable, isnt it?
Justin and Thea only formally tied the knot this year, but they have known each other since meeting at art college on the Isle of Man and started dating a few years later, having both moved to London. The Isle of Man is a very small place. We had to get off the rock! Justin says. He claims the fact they are partners in every aspect of life including as parents to daughters Fauve, nine, and Blythe, five makes them better equipped to deal with the pressure placed on designers to keep up with the fashion treadmill while retaining integrity, not to mention the bottom line.
You cant avoid talking shop at home at least we cant, says Justin
We share the load and that makes a huge difference, he says. Until we had children we would do everything and make every decision together. Since the girls came along we have adapted things so that Thea can spend more time at home and less time crunching numbers, but there is still a great strength in being a twosome.
There are no on/off work switches in the Preen household, however. You cant avoid talking shop at home at least we cant, says Justin. Some people would think that was a nightmare, but it works for us. We argue, but when we do its mostly about work it could be about a colour or a fabric. Maybe thats a good thing; better that than letting it out on things that are deeply emotional!
The only time they manage to avoid work is during occasional weekends at their arts and crafts cottage by the sea in Walberswick, Suffolk, where they are free from the temptations of the London studio, which is only minutes from their home in West London. (Not that this means they escape inspiration: the artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who once lived in Walberswick, was a key source of ideas for the LK Bennett collection.)
The children can go crabbing and ride their bikes wherever they want; we can potter down to the pub for lunch. Its idyllic, says Thea. Fauve wanted to paint the house pink and, because its Suffolk where houses are traditionally pink, we could get away with it though ours is Nancys Blushes by Farrow & Ball. The traditional lime wash and oxblood mix would have been less appealing to a seven-year-old!
Family life is a relatively new chapter in the Preen story. Thea was turning 40 when she had Fauve. I remember watching a news story about how your fertility starts to go downhill when you hit 30 and I thought, Oh blimey, well Ill be 40 next year, Id better get on with it! We agreed we would try and it happened straight away. I think I have the Irish fertility gene: both times it happened very quickly, so we were lucky.
Flower-adorned models on Preens S/S 17 catwalk
Fauve spent her first year nestled in the corner of the Preen studio and coming along to meetings in her moses basket. Obviously, we were in total denial about the whole thing, says Justin. We thought life was just going to carry on exactly as normal. We would turn up to important meetings with department stores with our baby in tow and people would think we were mad.
The girls keep them grounded: the couple have been approached by larger fashion houses on the lookout for fresh creative direction but have so far resisted moving from their British base. Weve had talks with different people but you have to consider those moves carefully if you have children. In most cases youd need to move abroad and give up your own business, too, says Justin. For us its never felt the right thing to do.
Homeware is next on the agenda, in Preens signature prints. A beauty range might be on the cards, plus a perfume, which would be the thing well want to snap up once the LK Bennett collection has been and gone and, I warn you, it will do very quickly. Dont expect that sparkly number to hang around until party season.
LK Bennett x Preen by Thornton Bregazzi will be available from 5 October, prices from 195-550, lkbennett.com
Vicky Gill in her studio: 'Im the one who wants every series to have more showstoppers than the one before. If audiences arent gasping in amazement then I havent done my job right
As Strictly Come Dancing shimmies into its 15th season, Judith Woods meets the woman behind the sequins, tassels and plunging necklines, costume designer VICKY GILL
Sequins and glitz! Ruffles and splits! Cleavage, he-vage and rhinestones galore! The most glamorous show on television is back on our screens and promises to be bigger and more dazzling than ever. Yes, Strictly Come Dancing, now in its 15th series, has returned to light up the autumn schedules. Every year the BBCs costume department presents a spectacle that leaves viewers in awe. Yet somehow with each new series the previous years ritzy frocks are topped. They have to be the nation expects. No pressure, then?
Oh, theres lots of pressure! cries Vicky Gill, Strictlys long-standing costume designer. But it comes from me. Im the one who wants every series to have more showstoppers than the one before. If audiences arent gasping in amazement then I havent done my job right. Theres no danger of that. Vicky a modest, softly spoken 44-year-old with the sing-song accent of her home turf, the former colliery town of Stanley in County Durham was born for this role.
Last years winner Ore Oduba with professional dancer Karen Clifton
Her mother Emily is a retired seamstress, so Vicky, a mother of three, has sewing in her blood. Admittedly, her father Alan was a butcher, but perhaps he gave her the nous to never dress up mutton as lamb. Either way, Vicky learned her craft first-hand when she studied fashion at Newcastle College of Art. Her lucky break came when a friend of my husband introduced me to Girls Alouds stylist and I went on to make costumes for several of their tours, the Brit Awards and lots for Cheryl when she went solo, Vicky says.
Following Girls Aloud, Kylies 2011 Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour beckoned. Given that the Australian superstars other go-to designers that year were Dolce & Gabbana, it gives some indication of Vickys stellar reputation in the business.
Painstakingly applying crystals to a costume
Indeed, when we meet at Vickys workshop in Surrey, one of Kylies barely there costumes a tiny, shimmering, smoky grey corset is gracing a mannequin. Kylie tends to wear this one for private gigs when shes performing for mega-wealthy clients, says Vicky. But, you know, I like to think that when shes finished she pops down to the shops wearing it before she has to get changed.
Vicky gives me a gorgeous grin; she smiles a lot for someone under the cosh to help the show beat last years viewing figures, which saw a record peak of 13 million tune in to watch TV presenter Ore Oduba win the final.
After so many years of doing Strictly, I have a system, Vicky says. When I first meet a celeb I take along some magazines to look through together; its a great way of getting an idea of what their likes and dislikes are, and it is easier for them to refer to an actual garment rather than a sketch, she says. I am on the lookout all the time for colour combinations, shapes, trends. It can be anything, anywhere, so I always have a sketchbook in my bag. My mind never switches off not even on the school run!
Vicky at her sewing machine
Vicky is married to graphic designer Mark, 47, and they have a son, Ollie, 14, and daughters Izzy, eight, and Evie, five. The girls enjoy visiting their mums studio, stuffed as it is with spangles and treasure. But its not just for little girls: my eye is drawn to myriad boxes of sequins and colour charts of gems in shades of dark orchid, ripe peach and peridot.
On her moodboard are midnight blues and snippets of dark lace, but also crazy pops of zingy lime and orange. What you see here is the jumping-off point, so Im not giving anything away, she assures me. The original idea goes through many incarnations before it ends up on Strictly. We make around 200 dresses per series and each has to be different.
As soon as a celebrity is announced, Vicky gets to work, researching their body type and colouring, so that by the time they meet she has already gathered a few ideas about styles that might suit them.
'We make around 200 dresses per series and each has to be different, says Vicky
I am one of the first members of the Strictly team they will meet and usually they are scared of what Im going to do to them, says Vicky. My task is to reassure them that we will work as a team and to get them to trust me to design dresses that will not only look fabulous but provide all the support and the right amount of give during the dance. The celebrities tend to focus on a static image, but the dress needs to deliver when put through its paces.
Vicky likes to have three or four dresses made for each contestant by the time the series begins, even though I wont know the concept for each week until the producers tell me. Then Ill adapt the design if I need to its easier to tweak something than make it from scratch. An elaborate dress should take four days to make but we have been able to do it in two. All-nighters are part and parcel of Strictly.
One of Vicky's designs in progress
When there is an offbeat theme the stakes are higher. The Halloween episode is a joy to watch but difficult to make happen, says Vicky. But when we have a challenge it does keep the blood pumping. Only professional dancer Aljaz Skorjanec could rock a mummy costume as he did, and his partner, actress Helen George, looked fantastic in her white catsuit for their samba in 2015.
Interestingly and reassuringly Vicky prefers the challenges of dressing fuller figures. I love making a larger lady feel beautiful and graceful, she says. Its all about accentuating the things she likes about her body and building the dress from there. Whenever I see a celebrity shedding her self-consciousness for a new poise and confidence, I get real job satisfaction.
Curvy Lisa Riley setting the floor alight in fiery orange fringes in 2012 springs to mind, and while Ann Widdecombe [2010] was never a natural dancer, her costumes gold lame, white ostrich feathers, imperial purple transformed her into an entirely unexpected glamour puss.
Every dress is built round a leotard-style body. Celebrities often decrease at least one dress size as they tone up during the series, so this base is gradually taken in as required. Skirts, sleeves and spangles are sewn on top. Believe it or not, Im all about simplicity, says Vicky. I love a less-is-more, elegant silhouette where all the impact is in the cut of the fabric rather than in a kitchen sinks worth of spangles, but Strictly is a kitchen-sink-spangle sort of show, so more often than not, more is more!
Usually the celebrities are scared of what Im going to do to them. My task is to reassure them
Vicky is drawn to dramatic dances in which there is a sense of theatre and emotion, such as the paso doble and the Argentine tango. If the set is dark, the dress has to match the mood yet still stand out, says Vicky, remembering Georgia May Foote dancing the Argentine tango in a deceptively simple dress covered in jet crystals to give a liquid effect.
Vickys enthusiasm is so infectious its easy to understand why she puts the celebrities at their ease sometimes rather more than she bargained for. When Ed Balls was on the show he loved being in wardrobe and having a chat so much that we would have to turf him out so we could get on with the job, laughs Vicky. Hes a lovely man; he even invited us to his 50th birthday party.
Above left: costume sketches in Vickys studio; right: beads and tassels
As for the class of 2017, the new contestants are a fun bunch and weve all had a giggle, says Vicky. Ruth [Langsford] is bubbly and game for anything and Susan [Calman] is well out of her comfort zone in a sparkly frock, but is so up for it I think we might reward her enthusiasm by letting her wear a trouser suit one week. Chizzy [Akodulo] oozes personality and loves bright shades, but its always an adjustment for the women to swap everyday clothing for bodycon shapes.
Ed Balls loved being in wardrobe so much we had to turf him out
Vicky shies away from commenting on the more abrasive celebrities she may have encountered. I always warm to people, she says firmly. Some personalities need a little more attention than others but we find a solution most of the time. Only once (so far) has a celebrity ever point-blank refused to wear a frock that was Jerry Hall, who was voted off early in the 2012 series. But Vicky is a model of diplomacy about the divergence of opinion. It was just one of those things; Jerry had a very clear idea about the dress she wanted and the one we had made was a different colour. I dont remember the details but we changed it for her.
Usually last-minute nip and tucks are to facilitate greater movement or to prevent a wardrobe malfunction. Waterloo Road actress Chelsee Healey was mortified back in 2011 when her dress slipped perilously far down her cleavage during the tango. I was at home watching it on television, recalls Vicky. I was willing the dress to stay in place and was so relieved when it did.
A feathered headpiece
Often its as simple as finding the right shoes. Three and a half inches is the very highest heel the dancers can wear; any higher and they can no longer flex their feet properly. Nude shoes give the leg a longer line, says Vicky. Theres a lot to think about and so many heel shapes to consider.
'Nancy DellOlio [who competed in 2011] went to the max every time and always begged to go higher, although we couldnt let her. Its a brave woman who says no to Nancy, but Vicky is a consummate diplomat; on a show where egos and insecurities do battle and everyone is striving to be their best, she has to be.
Although Vicky wont disclose her budget, she is at pains to point out that despite its success, Strictly does not enjoy a blank cheque. When costumes are sold on, profits go back into the programmes coffers.
Vicky sketching at the studio
The female contestants tend to buy at least one dress as a memento of their time on the show, says Vicky. Fern Britton, for example, chose the jewelled dress she wore for her American smooth, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor the gown from her Viennese waltz. Frankie Bridges husband Wayne bought her the apricot, feather-trimmed dress she wore for her showdance as a birthday present.
Parts of costumes are often recycled and between seasons Vicky has a much smaller team of seamstresses who design dresses and mens outfits for the international ballroom dance circuit.
And as if that wasnt enough to be getting on with, all this happens alongside her other primetime projects, which sees Vicky put together designer and high-end high street looks for shows such as The Voice and the latest new kid on the talent-show block, Pitch Battle. But she always comes back to Strictly.
'I love it when a celebrity sheds their self-consciousness for a new poise and confidence'
I feel so lucky to have this job where I feel quite emotional when everything comes together, she says. When everyones dancing really well and the costumes are being shown off by the lighting and the music is filling the air, its impossible not to get a little glassy-eyed. But thats the unique magic of Strictly. It certainly is. And its no exaggeration to say were on tenterhooks to see just what tricks Vicky has up her sleeve this year.
Author Jim Nye signs his poems and prose about Vietnam War.
ALBUQUERQUE VIETNAM VET SHARES POETRY 3:00 PM SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, AT PAGE ONE
Albuquerque author Jim Nye, a Vietnam veteran, will be at Page One Books 3:00 pm Sunday, September 24, to talk about and sign his newest collection of poetry, "Eating the Ashes."
The book is described as such: "Poems and prose from the Vietnam War published by Las Cruces-based Grandma Moses Press. Jim Nye has said of his war poems, 'Some of these things happened, some did not. But that does not matter, because all are true. This is my attempt to realize and communicate that truth.'"
Nye published his first collection of poetry, "After Shock: Poems and Prose from the Vietnam War" in 1991, based on his two tours of duty in Vietnam. The first tour was with the 101st Airborne and the second with the 5th Special Forces Group. He went through Officer Candidate School before serving in the army. After leaving the service, he graduated from the University of Tampa, and then went to the Dickinson School of Law. He is married, and has one daughter and two grandchildren. He lives in Albuquerque.
Page One Books is located at 5850 Eubank Blvd NE, Suite B-41, in Albuquerque's Mountain Run Shopping Center (southeast corner of Eubank and Juan Tabo). The Nye event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 294-2026 or visitwww.page1book.com.
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Grandma Moses page on Jim Nye: https://grandmamosespress.com/authors
Jim Nye interview (Watermelon Isotope): https://watermelonisotope.com/2017/01/06/jim-nye-interview/
Jo and Sarah answer real questions from readers: to put your query, go to beautybible.com
Q Im scheduled to have a cataract operation shortly and understand there will be some discoloration around the eye area (not certain if this will be a full-blown black eye). Is there anything that will reduce the bruising as quickly as possible, also something to conceal it?
A As you say, there will be discoloration from the bruising associated with surgery and it seems very likely that you will have a black eye. Dr Peter Fisher, Director of Research at the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine, recommends these homeopathic remedies. (We have used homeopathy for many years and found it effective, including for surgery.)
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Dr Fisher says: I advise homeopathic Arnica montana 30c, 4.95 for 100 pills and Ledum palustre 30c, 4.95 for 100 ml, 1 pill of each four times daily for 1 day before and 5 days after the surgery. Both Ainsworths (ainsworths.com) and Helios (helios.co.uk) homeopathic pharmacies have an efficient online ordering system.
You may also wish to try a cold compress for the first 24 hours (eg a bag of frozen peas or a chilled metal spoon) and then warm (not hot) compresses after that. Simply ring out a soft flannel in warm water, or infuse a chamomile teabag, squeeze it gently and apply when warm but still damp.
Tapping the area around the bruising may help activate the lymphatic area near the bruise and speed up healing, also snacking on pineapple, which contains enzymes that reduce inflammation and speed healing. Purple and red fruits are full of antioxidant vitamins that may also help.
We recommend Dermablend SOS Concealer Stick, 15 from Boots nationwide and boots.com, also feelunique.com, to camouflage the bruising. This has just re-launched with a creamier texture thats easier to blend.
Dermablend make up artist Claire Ray offers these tips for concealing your black eye.
Remove any eye cream, gel or serum and pat dry with a tissue to make sure the area is free from oil or moisture, which will make the concealer patchy.
Using your fingertip, gentle pat the concealer over the bruise the heat from your fingertip helps blend the product into the skin then blend outwards. If the bruise is very dark, repeat until covered.
Set the concealer with translucent Dermablend Setting Powder, 18, to give you up to 14 hours of coverage. Use a small blusher brush so you don't apply too much powder.
Beauty Bible loves Soap Co, 12 each for 300ml (7 for soap bars). This will warm the cockles of your heart and that glow might just spread throughout your whole body, we think.
Soap Co. is a wonderful social enterprise that employs people who are blind, or disabled or disadvantaged in other ways. Based in East London (and with a workshop in the Lake District), they're not out to make a profit; everything goes back into the business to help create more jobs.
Soap Co, 12 each for 300ml (7 for soap bars). This will warm the cockles of your heart and that glow might just spread throughout your whole body, we think
However, noble ideas are only as good as what they produce because while we all like the idea of shopping philanthropically, we won't return for a repeat purchase unless that product is as good as or better than what we're used to.
So: the really good news is that Soap Co.'s products are fab. There are three scents to choose from: fresh and airy White Tea (we're torn between this and the zesty Citrus fragrance), along with the slightly more exotic Black Poppy & Wild Fig. There are lovely, non-drying Soaps and an intriguing Soap Pebble, which is wrapped in Lake District sheep's wool, for exfoliation along with Hand Washes and Hand Lotions.
Better still, they've the very stylish packaging is made from old milk bottles part of their efforts to make everything as low-impact as possible. (Refills are available for the hand and body products, too.
Most definitely beauty with an extra feel-good factor.
For more information follow Beauty Bible online here or on Facebook and Twitter
The Supreme Court's ban on triple talaq has seemingly come as a shot in the arm for Muslim women in India and many of them, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, have started raising their voices against the practice.
A Supreme Court bench last month ruled with a three-two majority that the practice of instant divorce in Islam was unconstitutional.
The decision marked a historic victory for Muslim women who have spent decades arguing that the custom violated their right to equality.
Muslim women celebrate after the Supreme Court verdict banning 'triple talaq'. The landmark court decision came in response to petitions filed by five Muslim women who had been divorced in this way and two rights groups challenging the so-called triple talaq custom
The court banned instant triple talaq for six months and asked the government to frame new legislation to replace the abolished practice.
The Sharia law custom allowed men to end a marriage simply by saying 'talaq' or divorce to their wives, three times in succession.
The first signs of 'rebellion' were visible in Meerut district barely 24 hours after the verdict as 23-year-old Arshi Nida came forward to say that her husband, Siraj Khan, who owns a school, had been 'harassing' her for dowry since the first day of marriage and had given her instant talaq.
The husband was arrested. Now, two fresh cases have been reported from western UP
BASTI DISTRICT
The matter was put under the media spotlight on Monday, when a woman named Asma Khatoon narrated her woes to the police.
Khatoon was married to Mohammad Naseen, a native of Barahpur, and they had 10 children.
Khatoon reached the office of deputy superintendent of police Satish Chandra Shukla and gave him a written complaint.
The court banned instant triple talaq for six months and asked the government to frame new legislation to replace the abolished practice
'We had 10 children, of whom seven have died. We had four bighas of land, out of which Naseem has already sold two bighas. He was insisting on selling the remaining land and was also harassing me physically.
'On August 27, he sent a piece of paper mentioning triple talaq through my daughter's hand,' Khatoon said.
Police officers were in a dilemma about how to fix the problem.
Other Islamic countries have banned triple talaq long before India
'The SC verdict has come as a relief to Muslim women but constitutional arrangements are yet to be made.
According to Section 125 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), a married woman has the right to get maintenance from her husband,' Shukla explained.
All possible help would be provided, he added.
Legal expert Awadhesh Pratap Singh said: 'Such matters should be taken to the family court and a capable court should arrange for a hearing. If both the parties disagree an appeal could be made in the upper court.'
Most Islamic countries, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, banned triple talaq long before India.
Women power has risen after the talaq verdict
Activists say over the years thousands of Muslim women, especially those from disadvantaged sections, have been thrown out by their husbands using the controversial custom.
Many were rendered destitute, with nowhere to go, or forced to return to their parental homes or fend for themselves.
ALIGARH DISTRICT
The second incident came to light in Aligarh district when a father of 10 children gave triple talaq to his wife.
The incident was reported from the Atrauli city where a woman named Sagina Begam was the victim.
She married a man identified as Dilshad a few years ago and they had 10 children, of whom eight are minors.
According to Section 125 of Criminal Procedure Code, a married woman has the right to get maintenance from her husband
A few months ago, Dilshad landed in jail and met a man whose name is reportedly Yusuf.
While Dilshad got bail a few days ago, Yusuf was still in jail. Dilshad kept meeting him and kept pursuing his case, while he also kept meeting Yusuf's wife and they grew close.
Sagina objected to this but an understanding was reached after discussions between members of the two families.
'Dilshad has agreed to pay maintenance of `20,000 per month and has also given the house to her in which she lives. The agreement was reached on a notary of `100 stamp paper in presence of the lawyers of both the parties in the local court,' station house officer of Atrauli, UC Patel, explained.
No police case was registered, he added.
A police investigation has been launched following the deaths of a journalist and his mother.
Senior journalist KJ Singh was found with his throat slit, while his mother Gurcharan Kaur, was strangled. Their bodies were found at their residence in Mohali, Punjab, on Saturday.
Singh was the former news editor of The Indian Express and he had also worked with The Times of India and The Tribune.
Senior journalist KJ Singh
The senior superintendent of Mohali Police, and other Punjab police officers, have visited the crime scene and an investigation has been initiated.
Singh's car, a television and a few other items were found to be missing from the home.
Sources said it is believed that there was more than one perpetrator of the crime.
The SSP said police have ruled out theft as the intention behind the double murder.
Singh was aged in his late 60s, while his mother was reportedly 92 years old.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed shock at the senior journalist's murder.
He commented on Twitter: 'I condemn ghastly murder of senior journalist KJ Singh and his mother at Mohali. Urge police to nab perpetrators imm.'
Punjab Police have set up a SIT under the IG (crime) to probe the deaths.
Gauri Lankesh
This is the second murder involving a journalist in less than a fortnight.
Last week, a Tripura-based journalist, Shantanu Bhowmick, was killed while he was reporting a clash between Indigenous People's Front of Tripura and the Rajaer Upajati Ganamukti Parishad.
Singh's murder comes over a fortnight after the gruesome murder of Karnataka-based journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh.
Lankesh's murder triggered a nationwide outrage as people took to streets and protested online, demanding a thorough police probe.
If a nickname were given to Vincent McEntegart, manager of Kames Diversified Monthly Income, it would be steady Eddie. For steady McEntegart, who is in his 50s, is not your typical testosterone-fuelled manager in search of returns that will stand his fund apart from the madding crowd.
No way. He is far more comfortable eking out single digit annual returns for his investors rather than trying to shoot out the proverbial investment lights.
McEntegart says: I run the fund for those who need a regular income from their capital and a modest total return. It is a fund where the price volatility is low.
So far steady Eddie has been true to his word. Since the funds launch in early 2014, it has delivered a total return of just over 34 per cent, better than what an investor would have received if they had invested through a vehicle tracking the performance of the FTSE All-Share Index.
Impressively, the funds performance has been consistent. In the past year, it has registered a total return of just under 10 per cent. In the previous 12 months, it was 11 per cent, while in the year ending mid-September 2015 it was a more modest 5.6 per cent.
With regards specifically to income, the target is 5 per cent a year currently McEntegart is generating 5.5 per cent. So far, monthly income distributions have ranged from 0.34p per share in September 2014 to 0.74p in July 2017.
The share price is currently 134p. Steady income.
'Steady Eddie': Vincent McEntegart, manager of Kames Diversified Monthly Income
The key to McEntegarts consistency is to maintain a diverse portfolio across a broad church of assets from bonds to shares in firms tapping a rich vein of income in infrastructure projects. But the biggest holding is bonds because of the greater certainty of income.
The fund has more than 200 positions with no one stake representing more than two per cent of the portfolio. The biggest holding is in Greencoat UK Wind, a FTSE 250-listed firm that invests in UK wind farms.
A final layer of diversification is provided by the funds reach, with holdings scattered across the globe from Turkish and Australian government bonds to Japanese equities.
It makes for an interesting portfolio with familiar names such as Direct Line and Legal & General sitting alongside the unfamiliar, such as listed South African firm Growthpoint Properties and Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial. McEntegart says:
Though most people know Ferrovial as the owner of Heathrow Airport, 80 per cent of its assets are toll roads, which it operates in North America.
It owns the toll road that circles Toronto and does not require motorists to stop at booths to pay. Instead, users are identified and charged by electronic vehicle detection devices.
Such infrastructure projects throw off an attractive income, which is ideal for the fund I run.
He draws upon all of the investment expertise within Edinburgh-based Kames to come up with stakes that will help him deliver a steady return and an attractive monthly income.
He says: My main task is to deliver outcomes for investors. I could not find 200 ideas to populate the fund on my own. They come from a team of professionals within Kames.
Kames is the former asset management arm of Scottish Equitable, which was bought by Dutch giant Aegon and renamed Kames six years ago. It runs funds totalling 45 billion.
Although the portfolio is global, McEntegart does not expose investors to currency risk. He removes this by hedging.
As freshers are introduced to the joys of being a student, the biggest fear hanging over them is unlikely to be academic under performance, making friends, overindulging or even learning how to do their own washing.
Instead, students are increasingly worrying about how to makes ends meet.
Even though most of this autumns students will graduate with huge amounts of debt the average is likely to be nearly 51,000 research suggests many will also struggle to get by on a daily basis.
Lego sensation: Ed Cook is earning money from his favourite hobby
The National Union of Students said recently that most students finances are in a desperate state, with more than 70 per cent stressed and anxious about money.
Finding a part-time job is a solution for many students, but some are going further, turning to entrepreneurship to top up their loans.
Using YouTube channels, getting involved in ticket-selling schemes and starting up successful businesses are becoming profitable sidelines for many young people at university.
In some cases, they are making many thousands of pounds without any adverse impact on their studies.
These students below have all found innovative ways to increase their disposable income in their spare time.
The ice cream entrepreneur
Rob Huysinga graduated from Bath University this summer, having set up an ice cream business, Pan-n-ice, while studying.
He says: I was backpacking around Thailand with a fellow student at the end of my second year and we saw ice cream made in a completely different way with frozen pans.
Rob Huysinga now has Pan-n-ice concessions at Selfridges
We came back and set up Pan-n-ice, but it was difficult because I was still studying.
While his business partner did not finish his studies, Rob battled on.
I would often go to the university library at 7 oclock in the morning and then go off and sell my ice cream. It was literally a gazebo and some ice pans to begin with.
Pan-n-ice now has concessions in Selfridges in both London and Manchester, as well as Westfield Stratford in East London.
He says: I did not draw a salary from Pan-n-ice while I was studying but it has given me a career. I am glad I got a degree, but I would not say university is vital for everyone, and it does cost a lot of money.
The online publishing king: I started a blog now its my full-time job!
Write stuff: : Taylan Gul has left university to run his website
Taytlan Gul, 22, started The Uni Bubble in his second year at Loughborough University, where he was studying politics.
He says: It was a blog to begin with, offering advice to students.
Now his website offers graduate jobs, news and student offers. It has 80,000 likes on its Facebook page and it has proved lucrative.
Last year, I made 1,000 during freshers week, he explains. The money has definitely helped me when studying, especially given I ended up in expensive student accommodation.
Taylan, from Chingford in Essex, has dropped out of university for now, as he says that running the website has become a full-time job.
He says: I am still not sure if I will go back. If you know early on that you want to be an entrepreneur then university can be a good place to meet people, but it is also expensive.
Girl who is paid to party
Kirsty Williams started making money at university handing out flyers for club nights at local discotheques. But this has now turned into a lucrative business as she manages a team selling tickets for events.
Kirsty, who is studying philosophy and sociology at Leeds University, says: I started because I was so into the party culture. I realised I could go to events for free and get a cab home if I did flyering. Then I realised I could make even more by selling tickets to events for the same company, and by getting my friends to sell them too.
Party Girl: Kirsty manages a team selling tickets
Kirsty, 22, from Reading, was able to give her friends 1 for every ticket they sold as well as making money herself.
She adds: During the big end-of-year parties I was making 350 a time from selling tickets. I often make around 200 a week. This really helps pay for university.
The Youtube Lego sensation
Ed Cook, from Guildford in Surrey, is earning money from his favourite hobby making stop-motion Lego animation videos and posting them on YouTube.
It is a really long, drawn-out process, the Durham University student says. I might spend two or three hours on it every other day in the summer, and then an hour every week while I am at university.
Ed, who is 19, is just about to start the second year of his philosophy and Spanish degree, and has been making stop-motion videos since he was 15.
Recently, he hooked up with a specialist company that puts advertisements on his videos. As a result, he now receives an income every time they are watched.
Films such as Lego Batman: A Death In The Family and Eds remake of the Marvel Age of Ultron teaser trailer using Lego figures sometimes clock up hundreds of thousands of views.
Ed estimates he receives around 3,000 a year from his hobby.
He adds: Durham is such an expensive place to live and my loan does not cover these costs. The money from the films really helps me, although I do not make them for the cash. Even if I got a proper job, I would still keep up my hobby because I love it.
Microchip maker Imagine Technologies has agreed a sale to China-backed private equity firm Canyon Bridge for 550 million.
Imagination employs 1,700 staff in Hertfordshire and put itself up for sale in June after its biggest customer, Apple, said it would no longer use the firms technology in its mobile phones. Apple retains an 8 per cent stake in the company.
Imagination makes graphics processors crucial for gaming, virtual reality and artificial intelligence. It has warned Apple, which has opened an office nearby, not to infringe its patents.
Apple said it will no longer use the firms technology in its mobile phones
Imaginations shares plunged more than 60 per cent in April after Apples announcement. The 182p per share offer is a premium of 42p to its price the day before the offer was announced.
Canyon Bridge is backed by state-owned Chinese fund Yitai Capital. It said it has no plans to cut UK jobs and promised to help Imagination enter the Chinese and Asian markets.
The companys technology is suited to the internet of things where everyday items like home heating systems connect to the internet.
Ray Bingham, partner at Canyon Bridge, said the fund is buying staff brainpower and most employees want to stay where they are.
This is not like investing in a factory where you can box up the equipment and take it some place else, he said.
The deal comes a week after Canyon Bridges attempt to acquire US firm Lattice Semiconductor was blocked by President Trump over national security issues.
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Eerie images show a sanatorium in ruins that's said to be haunted by the those who died after being treated there in the early 1900s.
Located in a secluded area on top of a hill, The Eastern Oklahoma Tuberculosis Sanatorium was built in 1921 to care for adults and children suffering from Tuberculosis.
When advanced treatments for the condition were discovered, the declining need for the sanatorium closed the facility in 1975. It has remained unoccupied since, falling into ruins.
Now, the hospital that appears in tact from the outside is broken and dilapidated from the inside. Brick and rubble line the abandoned hallways and plants have begun to grow in what once were children's bedrooms.
American photographer Dax Ward, who is now based in Bangkok, captured the withering historic building as he travels around the world searching for the beauty in decaying structures.
Eerie images show a sanatorium in ruins that's said to be haunted by the those who died after being treated there in the early 1900s
The Eastern Oklahoma Tuberculosis Sanatorium was built in 1921 to care for adults and children suffering from Tuberculosis
American photographer Dax Ward captured the withering historic building as he travels around the world searching for the beauty in decaying structures
Advanced treatment and a declining need for the sanatorium closed the facility in 1975
Now, the hospital that appears in tact from the outside is broken and dilapidated from the inside
Ward said that he was in the US visiting family for a month and looking for sites to shoot and explore when he came across this building.
'I've been wanting to document an old TB sanatorium for a long time & jumped at the chance to shoot this one, even though I wasn't sure if it still existed,' he said.
Since all the windows and doors are barred shut, Ward and his father were lucky to find a window whose rusty iron gates had been removed. They moved the gate to the side and entered through the basement area which seemed to be the only entrance point at the time.
He said it was certainly eerie inside but the sun and clear blue skies outside offset any uneasy feelings.
'The location of the building is very serene, sitting on a grassy hillside and overlooking a small lake and wooded area. I can only hope that the location brought the patients some sort of aesthetic relief for all of the pain that they surely suffered there,' the photographer added.
Brick and rubble line the abandoned hallways and bathrooms of the building
The photographer said he'd been wanting to document an old TB sanatorium for a long time and jumped at the chance to shoot this one
Plants have begun to grow in what once were children's bedrooms
The photographer said the floor was covered with brick and debris making for treacherous stair climbing
Ward snuck in through an open window with his father. All the other windows and doors were barred shut
The Harper building was the children's section of the hospital where it's rumored many died and their spirits still haunt the facility.
Those rumors are partly due to the testing that was done on Native American children to find cures for the disease.
Oklahoma author Cheryl Pierson, whose dad had Tuberculosis, met a Native American who had been admitted to the sanatorium.
She said the woman had been admitted as a teenager and lost many of her friends to the bacterial infection.
The woman remembered one creepy encounter where the janitor, who also helped dig graves, pointed at her and said: 'When will I be coming to you?'
Cheryl researched the sanatorium and found that experiments were done on the Native children.
She said there was a white Tuberculosis hospital in the area, of which Cheryl's dad was a patient, and experiments were done on the Native children to find advances in treating the white hospital patients. It's believed many of the spirits which haunt the facility are of those children.
In the early 20th century, nurses lived at the hospital and the head nurse lived in the children's quarters.
The central portion of the children's Harper building had a large reception area for visitors, a treatment room and a kitchen and dining hall.
The second floor housed isolation wards, a solarium and a school room.
Other sections of the building were used as sleeping porches on the south and dressing rooms on the opposite to the north.
Much of the building photographed by Dax is now structurally unsound and leaks from the roof making it almost impossible to renovate.
Ward said the unstable bricks around the staircase were their main concern.
'I was walking around the place with my dad and we had to be careful where we stepped as the floor is covered with debris and the loose bricks make for some treacherous stair climbing,' he said.
And though the facility seems less-eerie during the day, Ward said he wouldn't want to go there at night 'due to a combination of the creepy atmosphere and the danger of low visibility in an unsafe structure.'
The building is still owned by the Oklahoma Government and the Harper building where the children lived is in danger of being demolished.
Ward is now planning to explore more historical sites in Thailand and South Africa.
The Harper building was the children's section of the hospital where it's rumored many died and their spirits still haunt the facility
The building is still owned by the Oklahoma Government and the Harper building where the children lived is in danger of being demolished
A Queensland father has created a 'code of conduct' for his sons to live their lives by, in a 'drive to create better men from ground roots'.
Adam Johnson, from Queensland's Sunshine Coast, created the list for his two sons Jack, 16 and Oscar, eight.
The detailed list went viral this week after the Queensland father-of-two posted it online in April.
The Code of Conduct started with what Mr Johnson described as the most important rule of all: 'Under no circumstances is it acceptable to raise a hand or mentally abuse a woman'.
Adam Johnson pictured together with his family, including two sons, Jack and Oscar
The 'Johnson Boys Code of Conduct' went on to say 'manners, they are the definitive difference between a man and a gentleman'.
While it imparted lessons on manners and respect, it also went on to detail some more unique guidelines.
'Never point a gun at someone, unless you are prepared to shoot', and 'buy a plunger before you need a plunger'.
After the list went viral, the Queensland father revealed to Daily Mail Australia the tragic reason he was inspired to sit down and write the list.
Mr Johnson said he found himself struggling with a 'lack of guidance' when he was young.
'I remember burying my father at age 13 and then looking after my mother for some years while she was dying of cancer, which took her a week following me finishing school,' he said on Sunday.
'I was quite scared and somewhat lonely and found myself with no guidance other than accepting it from whoever I could.
'It turned out that some of these were not particularly pleasant people.
The Queensland father told Daily Mail Australia he was inspired to write the list because he found himself struggling with lack of guidance when he was young
'I was also guided by some extremely beautiful people. But young, angry and without light at the end of any tunnel, I just wasn't being the best possible person I could be.'
Mr Johnson said a cancer scare of his own was the final push he needed.
'It prompted me to write it and hand the original draft to Jack on his 16th birthday,' he said.
'It's not necessarily "right", it's not requesting anyone else to be part of it, and I'm not expecting this of anyone else.
'This is me doing the best I can to deliver society men that can lead by example with whatever code they choose to live by.'
'This is me doing the best I can to deliver society men that can lead by example with whatever code they choose to live by,' Mr Johnson said
While his most important rule laid out the importance of never hitting a woman, Mr Johnson said his favourite rule was: 'If you see someone with a medal you buy them a beer even if you can't afford one for yourself'.
The list was full of positive and empowering words of wisdom for his young sons, but also imparted a few lessons in love.
'Always go out in public like you are about to meet the love of your life,' it reads.
While another encouraged Mr Johnson's sons to 'go after women that you perceive to be 'out of your league'.
Mr Johnson's list was full of positive and empowering words of wisdom for his young sons, but also imparted a few lessons in love
Many of the 'rules' in what the family called the 'Johnson Boys Code of Conduct' were simple, such as respecting women, the elderly and possessions.
Being fun, honest and enthusiastic was hailed as 'infectious' and the boys were also encouraged to be a voice for those who did not have one, if the 'matter was worthy and for the good of all'.
Mr Johnson said the list was so important in the household, it was the first thing the boys saw when they walked out of their bedrooms.
He said the list was flexible, and designed to change over time.
'It's allowed to change, things are allowed to drop out and more things are allowed to come in,' he said.
Outrage was sparked after learning that a tree had been placed in front of a portrait of former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen.
Portraits of recent former governors are traditionally hung in the reception area of the New Hampshire Statehouse, but only in front of the portrait of Shaheen, a Democrat and the state's first female-elected governor in 1996, rests a potted tree.
Judy Reardon, Shaheen's former legal counsel, said she thought a friend was exaggerating about the tree-blocking when she heard about it last month so she checked it out in person on September 15
A photo she posted to Facebook on Friday shows nearly the entire portrait obscured by greenery, with just bits of Shaheen's red suit visible through the leaves.
Outrage was sparked after learning that a potted tree had been placed in front of a portrait of former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen in the reception area of the New Hampshire Statehouse (pictured)
The photo was reportedly hung there due to 'chronological order'. However, the portrait closest to Shaheen's (pictured) depicts Governor Hugh Gallen - a Democrat elected in 1978 who was followed by three Republicans before Shaheen took office
Reardon said Republican Governor Chris Sununu's chief of staff told her the tree had to be in that specific spot, as did Shaheen's portrait, because 'they're hung in chronological order'.
However, that logic doesn't track as the portrait closest to Shaheen's depicts Governor Hugh Gallen - a Democrat elected in 1978 who was followed by three Republicans before Shaheen took office.
Shaheen, 70, went on to become the first American woman elected as both governor and US senator when she defeated Republican Senator John E Sununu, who is the brother of the current governor.
'I don't know if the motivation for this pettiness was the fact Jeanne Shaheen defeated John E Sununu in the 2008 Senate election or if Chris Sununu is planning on challenging her in 2020 or if they simply don't like portraits of women,' Reardon wrote on Facebook. 'But it's petty and childish.'
Shaheen (pictured, July 2016 at the Democratic National Convention) went on to become the first American woman elected as both governor and US senator when she defeated Republican Senator John E Sununu, who is the brother of the current governor
The post on Facebook depicting the act has gone viral with more than 1,700 reactions and more than 1,100 shares.
Ben Vihstadt, a spokesman for the governor, said the corner of the reception area where Shaheen's portrait is hung is where gifts and items of state significance are put on display.
'The White Birch tree, New Hampshire's state tree, currently on temporary display, will be moved,' he said, not responding to further questions about when the tree would be relocated.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Shaheen's office for a request for comment.
Actor Colin Firth, pictured, was reportedly 'horrified' by Brexit and believes that it 'does not have a single positive aspect'
British actor Colin Firth has become an Italian citizen after reportedly being left 'horrified' by Brexit.
Firth, who is married to environmentalist Livia Giuggioli, says he has become a dual citizen and that his wife is applying for British nationality. His children are both dual citizens.
The couple live with their two sons Luca, 16, and Matteo, 13 in Chiswick, West London, but also have a holiday home in the Umbria region of Italy.
In a statement, the 57-year-old said: 'With some of the uncertainty around, we thought it sensible that we should all get the same.'
A source previously revealed to the Daily Mail: 'Colin was horrified by Brexit and is worried about the consequences.'
Firth began to learn Italian after he started courting Livia and speaks the language fluently.
In an interview with an Austrian newspaper last autumn, he said of Brexit: 'For me this is a disaster of unexpected proportions. Brexit does not have a single positive aspect.
'Many colleagues, including Emma Thompson, are, like me, enthusiastic Europeans, and we still cannot believe it.'
Despite growing up in the picture-postcard village of Grayshott, said to have inspired sets for the BBC's Lark Rise To Candleford, Firth has said he does not consider himself rooted in Britain.
'I don't feel planted here,' he said in 2010. 'I feel very connected to America. My mother grew up there and I spent a year in high school in the U.S. Growing up, I felt almost American in lots of ways.'
Firth, who is married to environmentalist Livia Giuggioli, says he has become a dual citizen and that his wife is applying for British nationality. The couple are pictured together above
The actor was a supporter of the EU-fanatic Liberal Democrats and appeared in a 2010 party political broadcast opposite Nick Clegg.
But he reportedly later withdrew his backing for the Lib Dems after their U-turn on student tuition fees, which he described as 'profoundly disillusioning'.
Firth will be allowed to retain his British passport because this country as well as Italy permits dual citizenship.
Other EU states, such as Germany and Spain, require people to give up their foreign nationality before they can become citizens.
Tucked away in the back roads of Ste. Genevieve County is Baetje Farms, a French-inspired artisan goat cheese dairy and creamery.
Veronica and Steve Baetje, along with a couple of employees and a handful of part-time helpers produce award-winning artisan goat cheeses in a barn built in 1912.
Baetje Farms offers several varieties of their goat cheese. Their signature cheese is the Bloomsdale, a Super Gold winner of the World Cheese Awards, 2012-2014. The Miette has a buttery/creamery consistency and has the flavor of a sweet very yeasty bread dough. The Fleur de la Vallee is a mix of goat and sheep milk which melts in your mouth with full bodied flavor notes reminiscent of toasted bread with butter, meaty bacon and eggs, and faint notes of toasted onion. Coeur du Clos smells of mushrooms. Amoureux is a newer cheese to the farm made from a goat and sheep milk blend, smooth and satiny with buttery grassy notes.
An award winning Coeur de la Creme is also sold in garlic and chive, cranberry and orange, plain, herb de provence, three pepper, dark chocolate raspberry (seasonal), pumpkin walnut, and cranberry and cinnamon. These are made in a heart shape to symbolize the love of cheese making. Marinated Aged Feta is available steeped in herbs, peppercorns, and garlic blended in Greek grape seed and extra virgin olive oil.
The farm is currently working with Schnucks on an experimental cheese that is still in development. They are now getting feedback and are hoping to have it in all 86 stores by the holidays.
There are many misconceptions of goat cheese including that it is one type of cheese. Anything that can be made from cow milk can be made from goat, sheep, or buffalo milk as well. Goat cheese is thought of as a fancier cheese but Veronica started her journey making cheddar from her first goat named Cookie.
Veronica said that she does not make cheddar goat cheese because it is such a common cheese. She likes the French influences and due to her heritage and the French culture around the area it made sense for her to choose to make French-style cheeses.
I didnt want to make something like cheddar cheese of goat milk or Colby, Veronica said. I really fell in love with French cheeses.
When Veronica studied at the Vermont Institute of Artisan Cheese she took their advanced-cheese making course. While she was there they brought instructors in from different parts of France. She would go to bed with a French cheese book. As she'd flip through it she would pick out which cheeses she would want to make when she opened up her cheese farm.
Back then it was a dream but now her reality is flying to London to judge the World Cheese Awards in November and traveling to the South East Corner by Geneva Switzerland to interview interns for the next year. Baetje Farms has the honor of hosting interns from France each summer.
Veronica said that it has been really great to have the interns, they are excited and have their own knowledge so they try different things when they come.
Baetje Farms recently took first and second place at the American Cheese Society Awards. This is just one of more than 60 awards they have won since adding their first cheese plant in 2006. However, this award was particularly exciting for the business and for one specific employee.
This was significant because Kelly (Junge) made that cheese without anybodys assistance from beginning to end, Veronica said. They dont give those things away, they are earned.
Veronica said that Kelly is the best employee she has ever had. Saying that she is very hard working, thorough, and doesnt leave anything undone.
Junge has been working at the farm for two and a half years. She started out pumping milk in the mornings and worked her way up to being Veronicas protege. The life of a cheese maker and goat farmer makes for some long days. Starting at 4 a.m. with the first milking Junge has been known to put in 12 to 14 hour days.
It is a lot of work and I am still learning a lot, Junge said. Sometimes my body aches by the end of the day.
Although the work is hard and the days are long it is easy to see that everyone working there loves what they do including the 100 workers who do very little throughout the day but the process would be nothing without them. Baetje Farms has 100 Saanen dairy goats including the kids who cant produce yet and four bucks, who only contribute once a year when it is time to kid, or give birth to offspring and freshen up the females milk production.
They are barn queens out there, Veronica said. You have to push them to go out and enjoy the nice day or else they will lounge in front of the fan until the next feeding.
Veronica said that happy goats are more productive and are easier to work with so they make sure they are well taken care of. This includes having free range of inside the barn as well as a large pasture area outside. Goats at Baetje Farms enjoy a natural antibiotic-free whole grain ration twice a day, organic mineral supplements, local hay, and an endless supply of filtered spring water. They also on occasion will get a tea supplement.
In the winter or when they (goats) are having problems I will give them a tea supplement, Veronica said.
It is almost breeding season on the farm sparked by a combination of daylight shortening and temperatures beginning to drop. The goats could be seen having a lot of discussions and tail wagging from across the fences.
Veronica said they have about 80 babies per year and that they are a small production, adding that some farms have a couple thousand babies a year. The workers try to let the goats have natural births but are always close by in case they are having a hard time.
If a goat needs medical attention proper processes are taken afterward to make sure the milk isnt contaminated by any of the medicines given. Baetje Farms takes the same precautions when they purchase milk from other farms.
One of the companies the farm purchased goat milk from in the past was feeding their goats silage. Veronica explained that this is usually an acceptable form of feed and does not harm the goats but when making cheese it adds a bacteria which makes the harder cheeses expand and blow up.
Veronica said she had to throw out some of their cheese because they were exploding due to the goats being fed the silage. This is why they visit the farms and make sure they are up to the high standards of their own company before purchasing outside products.
It all started out wanting to produce our own food, Veronica said. I would prefer to keep it small and to let someone who is focusing on milk and not on cheese-making to produce the extra goat milk.
Having a smaller operation allows Baetje Farms to give their goats more individualized care and keep them healthier. They never anticipated that the business would have an international connection but once they connected with the dairy school in France everything took an interesting leap.
Veronica said that traveling and experiencing the different cultures has been a highlight for her.
Baetje Farms cheeses can be purchased at stores across the United States including some Whole Foods, Schnucks, and farmers market locations. For a full list of locations visit www.baetjefarms.com
Authorities say two police officers have been shot in Connecticut by a man they suspect shot his wife first.
Officers Eric Pessino and Scott Shumway were responding to a domestic shooting at a multifamily home Saturday morning in New Haven, Connecticut.
When the officers arrived, the 51-year-old victim had fled the home after being shot by a relative who authorities believe is her husband.
Officers Eric Pessino and Scott Shumway were responding to a domestic shooting at a multifamily home Saturday morning in New Haven, Connecticut
She had been shot in the hand, arms, back and chest.
The woman, a former Corrections Department officer, was taken to a hospital and was last listed in critical condition.
Police say the two officers were shot after they tried to find the suspect, John Douglas Monroe, as they passed through the front door.
Police say the two officers were shot after they tried to find the suspect, John Douglas Monroe, as they passed through the front door
They are expected to be OK as both were shot in the arm and sustained non-life threatening injuries.
A SWAT team moved in and evacuated other residents of the home.
Police say the Monroe, 51-years-old, pointed a gun at SWAT officers who then shot Monroe in the basement. He is hospitalized with serious injuries.
The woman is still in critical condition at Yale New Haven hospital.
Officer Pessino was released from the hospital while Shumway remains hospitalized.
Richard Huckle, who was given 22 life sentences after pleading guilty to abusing babies and young children, boasted about kissing a girl in a newly revealed diary
Britain's worst paedophile, who backpacked around the world preying on youngsters in Asia, has admitted that he kissed a 'little girl' while he was working as a Sunday school teacher in Britain.
Sex tourist Richard Huckle, who was given 22 life sentences after pleading guilty to abusing babies and young children, boasted about the assault in his diary.
'I've been given my own Sunday School class,' he wrote. 'The kids have really taken to me as their giant playmate. I got a kiss from a little girl.
'I went to stay with the pastor and got to know his boys.'
Huckle's admission was uncovered by BBC journalist Bronagh Munro, who has made a documentary about the former poster boy for the British Council in Malaysia.
She obtained the diary for BBC Three's Gap Year Paedophile during a year-long investigation into the 31-year-old former grammar school boy from Kent.
Retired police officer James Gamble, who resigned as head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre after it was merged with the Serious Organised Crime Agency, called for a new investigation into Huckle.
'He was absolutely prolific,' he told the programme. 'I would be shocked if there were no victims of his in this country.
Huckle's(left) admission was uncovered by BBC journalist Bronagh Munro,(right) who has made a documentary about the former poster boy for the British Council in Malaysia
'If you were to really focus on him and had the resources to focus in depth on him for a significant period of time there would be more.
'I would say that within the next ten to 15 years, other young people, who are young now and who were abused by Huckle, will come forward.'
Huckle was a 19-year-old gap year student when he arrived in Malaysia in 2005.
But, instead of returning to Britain at the end of his gap year, to go to university, he remained in the Far East for nearly a decade.
During that time, he worked as an English teacher, infiltrating impoverished communities, targeting care homes and orphanages, filming himself raping babies and children and awarding himself 'Pedo Points' for his depravity.
Huckle was a 19-year-old gap year student when he arrived in Malaysia in 2005
But, according to Ann Jones, who worked for World Challenge, the organisation which arranged his gap year, first in a local school and later as a Sunday school teacher, his reign of terror could have been stopped.
She revealed that she had informed the vicar that parents had been complaining about his behaviour and insisted they fired him and sent him back to England.
But a week later they re-employed him, making him feel untouchable.
'I didn't like him,' she said. 'There was something about him that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
'I couldn't put a finger on it. He always looked dishevelled. He always looked dirty.
'He just had a really bad attitude. I actually felt he was going to be trouble from the beginning and he was.'
According to Jones, Huckle wanted to work at an orphanage but mercifully they were unable to take him. Instead she placed him in a local school, where he began posting 'disrespectful' remarks about a fellow challenger.
Gap Year Paedophile goes live on BBC Three at 10am Monday. Pictured: Reporter Bronagh Munro
Finally, after he told her that he was a committed Christian, she found him a new placement at a church.
By October he was working as a Sunday school teacher but soon began causing concern.
'Very soon after Huckle was placed there we had a complaint from a parent about Huckle smacking their child,' Jones revealed.
'I believe 'he was smacking children' was the phrase that was used and that he was manhandling them out of the classroom, physically removing them. He also was, I guess, a little violent towards some of them.
Huckle worked as an English teacher, infiltrating impoverished communities, targeting care homes and orphanages
'There was no way Huckle could continue. I met with one of the elders, the pastor and his wife.
'Their request was that he be removed. We set up a meeting and Huckle was called into the meeting.
'I asked him to leave the Gap Challenge programme, to pack his bags and to remove himself from the area and to organise an immediate flight home to the UK.'
However, a week later, unbeknown to Jones, Huckle was reinstated. 'I'm incredibly angry,' she said. 'Very upset. In many ways I feel responsible for those children.'
A young woman has been killed in a hit and run incident in Sydney's south-west.
Police are appealing for witnesses after the driver of a white utility vehicle failed to stop at the incident in Milperra on Sunday morning.
Emergency services were called to the site on Henry Lawson Drive around 4.30am, but despite paramedics and the woman's friends' efforts, she was unable to be revived.
A young woman has been killed in a hit and run incident in Milperra in Sydney's south-west Sunday morning
Police believe the woman was struck by an older model white Toyota ute, which reportedly lost a side mirror during the collision.
The vehicle was seen leaving the crash scene and travelling south on Henry Lawson Drive.
The area was closed while police established a crime scene, with motorists urged to avoid the area.
Officers from the Crash Investigation Unit are investigating and have asked for anyone with information about the vehicle involved to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Police will prepare a report for the Coroner outlining the full circumstances surrounding the woman's death.
Police are appealing for witnesses after the driver of a white Toyota utility vehicle failed to stop at the scene on Henry Lawson Drive
Sydneysiders are set to swelter through the rest of the weekend, with overnight temperatures on Saturday reaching a record 25.7 degrees.
Temperatures are expected to hit 33 degrees on Sunday in Sydney and Darwin, with Brisbane not far behind at 32 degrees.
Saturday in NSW was the hottest September day on record since 2004, with Wilcannia in the state's west hitting 40.5 degrees.
Andrew Haigh, senior forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology, told Daily Mail Australia several records were broken throughout the state yesterday.
Locals and tourists flocked to the water to enjoy the sun and the surf on Saturday (pictured), with warm weather expected to continue through the weekend
There is a severe weather warning for wind over the ranges for Sunday, and a fire-weather warning for north-eastern NSW
Multiple maximum temperature records for September were broken throughout NSW on Saturday
Beachgoers flocked to the iconic Bondi Beach to soak up the sun on Saturday and are expected to crowd the tourist hot-spot again on Sunday
An 'eye-popping' 39.7 degree maximum temperature was recorded in one part of Central NSW, breaking the previous record by 4.5 degrees.
Though the overnight minimum temperature record for NSW was smashed on Saturday night, the reading will not be official due to what Mr Haigh calls 'a quirk of the system'.
Because overnight temperatures are recorded from 9am-9am, the lowest temperature in that period is counted as the overnight minimum.
At 9am on Saturday, it was below the record, meaning the 25.7 degree heat throughout the night was not the minimum temperature.
It wasn't just people who were delighted at the sunny Saturday, with one playful whale seen soaking up the sunshine too
An 'eye-popping' 39.7 degree maximum temperature was recorded in one part of Central NSW on Saturday, breaking the previous record by 4.5 degrees.
Saturday in NSW was the hottest September day on record since 2004, with Wilcannia in the state's west hitting 40.5 degrees.
Sydney and Brisbane will enjoy a warm end to their weekend and into the beginning of their week
FORECAST: WEATHER AROUND AUSTRALIA SYDNEY Sunday: Min 21. Max 33. Mostly sunny Monday: Min 15. Max 26. Sunny Tuesday: Min 13. Max 23.Sunny. Wednesday: Min 13. Max 23. Partly cloudy. CANBERRA Sunday: Min 9. Max 21. Partly Cloudy Monday: Min 5. Max 17. Shower Tuesday: Min 2. Max 19. Sunny. Wednesday: Min 3. Max 22. Shower or two developing. ADELAIDE Sunday: Min 11. Max 17. Showers Monday: Min 10. Max 18. Partly Cloudy Tuesday: Min 9. Max 22. Partly cloudy. Wednesday: Min 13. Max 21. Partly cloudy. PERTH Sunday: Min 9. Max 18. Rain Monday: Min 8. Max 17. Showers Tuesday: Min 7. Max 19. Shower or two. Wednesday: Min 7. Max 18. Possible shower. MELBOURNE Sunday: Min 12. Max 18. Showers Monday: Min 10. max 12. Showers Tuesday: Min 7. Max 17. Partly cloudy. Wednesday: Min 9. Max 22. Possible shower. BRISBANE Sunday: Min 19. Max 34. Sunny Monday: Min 21. Max 35. Cloudy Tuesday: Min 21. Max 33. Partly cloudy. Wednesday: Min 19. Max 30. Partly cloudy. HOBART Sunday: Min 9. Max 17. Showers Monday: Min 8. Max 14. Showers Tuesday: Min 4. Max 13. Cloudy. Wednesday: Min 3. Max 14. Shower or two developing. DARWIN Sunday: Min 23. Max 33. Sunny Monday: Min 23. Max 33. Sunny Tuesday: Min 23. Max 33. Mostly sunny. Wednesday: Min 23. Max 33. Sunny. Source: Bureau of Meteorology Advertisement
As the unseasonably warm and dry weekend continues, total fire bans remain in place across NSW and in parts of Queensland.
The warm weather is set to continue well into the week for Sydneysiders, with skies expected to stay clear until Wednesday and temperatures expected to stay in the comfortable mid-20s.
It may not be a sign of warm things to come though, with Mr Haigh warning: 'It's pretty hot for this time of year, but it doesn't necessarily follow that spring or summer will be unusually warm'.
There is a severe weather warning for wind over the ranges for Sunday, and a fire-weather warning for north-eastern NSW.
Clouds will start forming over Brisbane on Tuesday, but maximum temperatures will stay in the 30s until at least Wednesday.
Melbourne and Perth will miss out on the excess of sunshine, with rain expected in the southern captial city today and tomorrow, and Perth to be soaked well into the week.
Tourist hot-spot Bondi Beach was packed on Saturday with locals and visitors making the most of the sunshine.
Pictures showed crowds relaxing and splashing in the waves with friends and loved ones - as even Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull stepped out to catch some rays.
Total fire bans remain in place across some parts of NSW and Queensland as a result of the dry heat
Early Saturday morning saw surfers and swimmers take to the waters at Bondi Beach, as temperatures edged passed 24C and kept climbing.
Dean Sgarbossa, a Senior Meteorologist from the Bureau of Meterology's extreme weather desk told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday temperatures across the east coast were expected to hit the high 30s or low 40s.
'The forecast temperatures today across that region are somewhat unusual, being around 12 to 16 degrees above average,' he said.
'There is the potential for some local records to be broken in New South Wales and southern Queensland.'
Melbourne and Perth will miss out on the excess of sunshine, with rain expected in the southern captial city today and tomorrow, and Perth to be soaked well into the week
Early Saturday morning saw surfers and swimmers take to the waters at Bondi Beach (pictured), as temperatures edged passed 24C and kept climbing
A meteorologist noted temperatures on Saturday were between 12-16 degrees above average (pictured are Bondi beachgoers)
Locals and tourists flocked to the water at the iconic Bondi Beach on Saturday to cool off from the dry heat
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) was seen among the revellers at Bondi Beach during Saturday's hot conditions, visiting a surf-lifesaving club
Sydney's CBD was forecast to reach 33C, while parts of Queensland was set to hit as high as 42C, potentially breaking records
Temperatures in Birdsville were tipped to reach around 42C, very close to the 42.4C that sits as the current Queensland record.
The heat brought out revellers in their droves but also came with fire warnings across 12 areas of New South Wales, with the danger level ranging from high to severe.
In Queensland, hot, dry conditions have resulted in severe to extreme fire dangers, with Maranoa, Warrego, Channel Country, Darling Downs and the Granite belt put on alert.
Temperature records fell as the mercury rose on Saturday (pictured: bathers at Bondi Beach)
The heat brough out revellers in their droves but also came with fire warnings across 12 areas of New South Wales, with the danger level ranging from high to severe
In Queensland, hot, dry conditions have resulted in severe to extreme fire dangers (pictured are people enjoying Bondi Beach on Saturday)
A Senior Meteorologist from the Bureau of Meterology told Daily Mail Australia temperatures across the east coast on Saturday were expected to hit the high 30s or low 40s
Andrew Haigh from the Bureau of Meteorology said though this weekend had been unseasonably warm, it was not necessarily a sign of a scorching spring
'The temperatures themselves are not overly unusual for this time of year, however the contrast in weather across Australia is,' Mr Sgarbossa said.
Perth and south-west Western Australia are in for a wet weekend, with temperatures four to six degrees lower than their September average.
Rain and gusty conditions are expected there Saturday with a chance of thunderstorms Sunday, as temperatures top out at 18C.
It comes as a series of cold fronts crossed the state bringing gusts of up to 100km/h, with wild weather also recorded in south-east Queensland on Friday.
Footage uploaded to the Lockyer Valley Weather Facebook page showed Gatton bypass being pelted with huge hail stones.
The weather is expected to cool slightly for the remainder of the weekend, with gusty conditions in Western New South Wales thanks to a cold-front.
Perth and south-west Western Australia are in for a wet weekend, with temperatures four to six degrees lower than their September average (pictured are Bondi beachgoers)
The temperature at Bondi Beach jumped t0 27 degrees early on Saturday morning as surf lifesavers looked on
Malcolm Turnbull was seen laughing and chatting with a local surf lifesaving team on Saturday
Beachgoers of all ages flocked to the cool water - a welcome escape from Saturday's dry heat
A woman is seen here staying sun-safe while at Bondi beach on Saturday
Several other beachgoers took a selfie while enjoying the crowded Bondi beach on Saturday
Those too small for the surf were seen cooling off in a nearby rock pool
The hot weather sent hundreds of people flocking towards the tourist hot-spot
Time for some romance? Beachgoers were seen cuddling up in the water while soaking in the sun
Many Sydneysiders flocked to Bondi beach to enjoy the hot weather on Saturday afternoon
Crowds were seen basking in the sun while enjoying the wonderful weather in Bondi beach
A selfie anyone? Beachgoers were seen showing off the spoils of their surroundings with photos taken on selfie sticks
Australians have been left annoyed and outraged as doorknockers encouraging people to 'Vote Yes' descended on homes this weekend.
The nationwide campaign saw voters taking to social media to express their frustration at the 'bullying' tactics, instead asking them to 'mind your own business'.
It came as mobile phones across Australia were bombarded with unsolicited text messages on Saturday from Marriage Equality.
Australians have been left annoyed and outraged as doorknockers encouraging people to 'Vote Yes' descended on homes this weekend
The nationwide campaign led voters to take to social media expressing their frustration and asking them to 'mind your own business' (pictured)
Alex Greenwich from the Equality Campaign said that 'thousands of Australians' had volunteered for the door-knock 'because they want everyone to have the same dignity and respect.'
'The campaign is using every resource available to make sure fairness and equality are achieved for all Australians,' he said.
'The campaign has a responsibility to encourage every Australian to post their survey and we have done this through door knocking, media, advertising, social media and SMS messaging.'
But many people took to Twitter and Facebook to express their anger at the weekend disturbance.
'I cannot believe that there were people knocking on doors today... our answer to them was mind your own business,' one person wrote.
Another added: 'Why is there a door knock campaign for the 'yes' vote on the weekend? Let people make up their own mind in peace. This won't end well.'
But many people took to Twitter and Facebook to express their anger at the weekend disturbance, stating everyone should be allowed to 'make up their own mind in peace'
Alex Greenwich for the Equality Campaign said that 'thousands of Australians' had volunteered for the door-knock 'because they want everyone to have the same dignity and respect'
However, others stated they received an 'overwhelmingly positive response' from the homes they visited
However, others said they received an 'overwhelmingly positive response' from the homes they visited.
'Doorknocking to check people had their postal survey today was wonderful. So many people were very supportive, saying yes they'd voted and they'd voted yes,' one campaigner wrote.
Another person added: 'Met some lovely 'yes' voters while doorknocking for #marriageequality today.'
The door-to-door campaign came as thousands of people across the country were sent a message asking them to 'vote YES for a fairer Australia'.
The move sparked outrage from people online, with many flocking to social media to express their concern about how the campaign had got their numbers.
A spokesperson for Australian Marriage Equality said the messages were sent out to random computer-generated numbers, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Mobile phones across Australia received texts from the equality campaign on Saturday encouraging them to 'Vote Yes' in the gay marriage postal survey
The unsolicited message (pictured) was sent out to 'randomly generated numbers' across the country, asking people to 'vote YES for a fairer Australia'
The messages were sent by 'YesEquality' and stated the survey forms had arrived and that people could 'help make history'.
But those who received the message did not take kindly to the campaign's effort, with Facebook and Twitter users stating they felt 'violated'.
'Excuse me but did anyone else get a 'vote yes for marriage equality' text message? How did they get my phone number? I feel violated,' one person wrote.
Another labelled the message 'spam,' while many users called it an 'invasion of privacy'.
The move sparked outrage from those online, with many flocking to social media to express their concern
Thousands of outraged people sent the message took to social media, asking how the organisation had received their numbers and calling it an 'invasion of privacy'
'Not sure how the voteyes.org.au got my mobile number to test me with a message to vote yes. Not sure if I'm cool with that...' one wrote.
Another angered person added: 'Wish the YES campaigners would back off!'
While one woman said: 'Just received a text message from the vote yes campaign... how dare they force their opinions on me.'
'I didn't give them my number or my permission to contact me. More bullying from the LGBTQI community,' she added.
Facebook and Twitter users stated they felt 'violated' their numbers had been used and asked whether the campaign is 'allowed to do this' (pictured)
Google is refusing to halt the sale of sickening T-shirts glorifying the IRA because it says that it does not accept it is a terrorist organisation.
A Mail on Sunday investigation can reveal that the technology giant profits from the trade on its shopping website, which also features clothes bearing the insignia of Lebanese militants Hezbollah.
But while Google removed the Hezbollah merchandise last night after being alerted by this newspaper, it said the IRA shirts would remain because the organisation does not appear on a US list of proscribed groups.
Google is refusing to halt the sale of sickening T-shirts glorifying the IRA because it says that it does not accept it is a terrorist organisation
The IRA is included on the British Governments banned list and last night, in a declaration causing disbelief and fury, Google insisted that it was not for the company to determine who is a terrorist organisation.
During 30 years of conflict, the IRA murdered around 1,800 civilians and members of the security services and injured thousands more.
Victims families said Googles bizarre insensitivity over the issue was an insult to the memory of those killed.
Colin Parry, whose 12-year-old son was fatally injured when two IRA bombs exploded in Warrington in 1993, said: I think the likes of Google seem to be above the reach of many governments.
As long as theres a commercial advantage for them, a pound to be made, they will pretty well do anything to sell things.
Facebook and Youtube still won't take down vile jihadi propaganda Despite Theresa May this week warning YouTube and Facebook to take down terrorist propaganda within two hours, there are still dozens of extremist videos on the sites. The Mail on Sunday was able to find a video on Facebook of an Islamic State firing squad shooting dead Syrians. It had more than a million views and had been online since March. A YouTube video of dead Isis fighters extolled the virtues of becoming a martyr in the name of Allah. The clip has been viewed nearly 3,000 times since it was uploaded in 2012. Another YouTube video shows a member of Isis throwing someone off a building for being gay. The video has been viewed 25,000 times since it was uploaded in 2015. The Mail on Sunday also found videos praising Hitler and attacking Jews and homosexuals. Advertisement
It is tasteless and it is offensive to victims of the IRA. Probably because theyre essentially an American company, they dont have much in the way of sympathy for victims whove suffered at the hands of the IRA.
Whoever makes these decisions at Google is either unaware of or doesnt care about the fact that the IRA were responsible for killing thousands of people.
The row comes just days after Prime Minister Theresa May warned Google and Facebook they face punishing fines unless they remove terrorist propaganda within a two-hour limit. Backed by other world leaders, she told a summit in New York that patience is running out over their failure to clamp down on jihadi groups.
Googles shopping website openly advertises the sale of T-shirts emblazoned with IRA insignia and slogans.
In return for providing online retailers with a shop window for prospective buyers, the company receives an undisclosed fee.
Despite Googles intransigence, some retailers contacted by The MoS decided themselves to remove IRA garments, though many were still available last night.
As well as profiting from IRA and Hezbollah merchandise, Google has also profited from the sale of T-shirts, iPhone cases and stickers bearing the logo of the Tamil Tigers, a terror group which fought a bloody insurgency campaign in Sri Lanka for 25 years.
Google promised to take action over the Tamil merchandise because that group is on the US list and last night it was removed.
Since the Provisional IRA announced a ceasefire in 1997, the dissident republican groups the Real IRA and the Continuity IRA have remained active in Northern Ireland. These groups do appear on the US Governments terror list.
Only eBay showed decency by removing t-shirt after pressure While Google was happy to keep profiting from the sale of IRA T-shirts, eBay took down similar garments that it was advertising after being alerted by The Mail on Sunday. The online auction site was selling several different IRA T-shirts with provocative republican imagery emblazoned on them, including one 9.58 T-shirt displaying a picture of a skull with two rifles crossed behind it with the words: IRA. Est 1913. Irish Republican Army. It also advertised at least nine different T-shirts displaying Hezbollah insignia, including a 15.03 T-shirt carrying the terror groups logo showing a raised fist clenching a rifle. The website receives a commission of up to ten per cent on items sold, as well as charging a listing fee in some cases. After being alerted by the MoS, it said it would remove the garments. A T-shirt promoting the IRA was freely available to buy on Ebay until the internet giant removed it Advertisement
The Mail on Sunday found several IRA T-shirts, including one for 16.50 carrying a picture of the Irish flag overlaid with a gun and the words Irish Republican Army.
Another selling on Google for 14.50 depicts a group of masked IRA gunmen walking through Belfast carrying rifles.
Online auction site eBay also profits from the sale of an array of T-shirts bearing IRA and Hezbollah insignia. The website receives a commission of up to ten per cent on items sold, as well as charging a listing fee in some cases. After being alerted by the MoS, it said it would remove the garments.
Under UK terror legislation, it is an offence for an individual to wear clothing as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation. Googles own guidelines warn about offensive or inappropriate content. It says: Google values diversity and respect for others, and we strive to avoid offending users, so we dont allow ads... that display shocking content or promote hatred, intolerance, discrimination or violence.
Victor Barker, whose 12-year-old son James was one of 29 killed in the the Real IRA Omagh bombing in 1998, described Googles actions as capitalism at its sickest.
He said: The Irish republican army is a terrorist organisation. Google should take the T-shirts down. Its an insult to the thousands of people who were killed as a result of their terrorist activity. Its just awful.
Mark Tipper, whose 19-year-old Trooper brother Simon was murdered in the Hyde Park IRA bombing in 1982, said: The IRA has killed British soldiers, theyve killed their own and theyve also mercilessly killed civilians and they have never cared. If thats what Google in America advocate, there is something drastically wrong. Its called greed; profiting from other peoples sorrow and loss. Nothing else.
How the search engine profits The shopping section of Google's site advertises the sale of t-shirts emblazoned with IRA insignia and slogans. In return for providing online retailers with a shop window for buyers, the company receives an undisclosed fee when people click on links on the garments. Advertisement
And their bizarre excuse for it Although Google removed Hezbollah and Tamil Tigers-related merchandise, the internet giant refused to take down the IRA shirts because the organisation does not appear on a US list of proscribed terrorist groups. However the IRA is included on the British Government's banned list. Advertisement
A Google spokesman said: While we want Google Shopping to help connect people with advertisers and products, there are certain products that we dont allow. We have strict advertising policies in place and when we find violations we work quickly to remove them.
An eBay spokesman said: eBay does not allow the sale of items promoting or commemorating hatred and violence. Items may not be permitted if they contravene this. We have processes and systems in place to find offensive materials and remove them as soon as they are identified. Anyone found to be selling items of this kind will be investigated and face action including account restrictions or suspension.
This is an insult to the memory of thousands of dead and injured
By Norman Tebbit
How very peculiar that Google refuses to acknowledge publicly that the IRA is a terrorist organisation. It cant seem to make or is not willing to make a simple judgment.
It cant declare what the whole world knows.
Effectively, the company is saying that just because the IRA does not appear on the official US list, it is not a terrorist group.
Maybe Google needs some help. The company could try talking to the widow of Ian Gow MP, who was murdered in July 1990 outside his home in East Sussex.
When he started his car that morning, it triggered an IRA Semtex bomb that had been planted under the drivers seat.
Perhaps Google should also try talking to the relatives of the five people killed when Brightons Grand Hotel was blown up during the 1984 Tory Party conference.
The bomb left my wife Margaret paralysed.
There are many, many more victims from other atrocities: men, women and children. I could go on and on. The truth is that in facilitating the sale of these T-shirts, Google is insulting the memory of thousands.
This is another example of how internet companies are profiting from encouraging and sympathising with terrorist groups. These companies dont have any morality; they are only interested in making money.
It underlines the fact that we have to act to ensure they clean up their sites.
It seems impossible to conceive that someone could walk down the street in this country wearing one of these T-shirts certainly not without risking a smack on the nose.
Perhaps its more likely in the US. Either way, it matters not, this trade must stop.
Prime Minister Theresa May has called on companies such as Google and Facebook to remove terrorist material within hours of it being posted online.
Her intervention was well-intentioned but she faces a struggle not least because Google has proved so difficult to rein in.
All we can do is keep up the pressure on them to act.
British Forces ships, planes and vehicles are going at bargain prices in the countrys biggest-ever sell-off of military equipment.
Experts fear the sale agreed by top brass will reduce Britains ability to conduct military operations, but the money is desperately needed to plug an estimated 20 billion black hole in defence finances.
The fire sale includes a 175 million fleet of armoured troop carriers, the Royal Navy flagship which is currently leading UK hurricane relief operations and a fleet of Special Forces helicopters.
SEA: At least 50 ships are up for sale, including HMS Ocean, pictured, and HMS Scott, which produces maps used by the UK's nuclear submarines. It was bought for 180m, on sale for 80m
The equipment, which is expected to be sold at a huge loss according to industry insiders, has been brought together in a Ministry of Defence sales catalogue distributed to representatives of armed forces from around the world at a recent arms fair in London.
The Warthog armoured troop carriers now on sale entered service in 2010 as an urgent operational upgrade and were immediately praised for saving the lives of UK troops in Afghanistan.
Some 17 Warthogs were blown up by Taliban roadside bombs, but not a single soldier travelling inside the vehicles was killed.
Yet just seven years later, and with no armoured troop carriers to replace them, 85 Warthogs have been made available to foreign buyers alongside thousands of British Army vehicles at an estimated cost of 500,000 per vehicle.
HOW CAN THEY OFFLOAD HMS OCEAN... THE HERO OF THE HURRICANES? Remarkably the Royal Navy is casting aside its versatile flagship just two years after the 22,000-ton helicopter carrier received a hugely expensive refit. Senior officers are incredulous about the move, which reduces the UKs ability to mount amphibious operations. The Brazilian navy is expected to buy HMS Ocean for a knockdown price when she completes her Hurricane Irma relief mission in the Caribbean. Advertisement
The Navys sell-off includes helicopter carrier HMS Ocean, which arrived in the Caribbean last week to lead the UKs relief effort following Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
The ships 650 crew brought with them 60 tons of aid, including construction equipment, hygiene kits and water purification tablets.
HMS Ocean, which cost 150 million when it entered service, is also equipped with Wildcat and Merlin Mk3 helicopters.
The ship, which underwent a 65 million refit in 2014, is expected to be sold for 80 million early next year.
The Royal Navy is also selling its only ocean survey vessel, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. HMS Scott was refitted in 2015 and is today equipped with the latest sonar and hydrographic equipment, which is used to map the sea bed.
Last night, former head of the Royal Navy Admiral Lord West said: I am appalled by the loss of HMS Ocean, which is bound to be sold for a knockdown price.
'Her departure means we cannot conduct any large-scale amphibious operations and she represents quite a coup for whoever buys her.
I am both surprised and concerned about HMS Scott because she does a lot of oceanographic work on behalf of Britains nuclear [submarine] deterrent and this is a capability we need to retain.
AIR: Lightweight and agile Gazelle helicopters, pictured, are up for grabs in the sale of up to 70 aircraft, which also includes the Queen's private jets. Bought for 5m, on sale for 110k
'Overall, this sale represents the hollowing-out of Britains Armed Forces and a significant loss of capability. These arent efficiencies, these are cuts.
'This is affecting us at the sharp end of what we can do on land, by sea and by air yet people still seem to be in denial about how bad the situation is.
The RAFs kit sell-off includes 50 Tucano T1 training aircraft, gliders used to train air cadets and executive-style jets flown by the RAFs Royal Squadron.
VIP passengers using the BAE 146 include the Queen and Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon.
The RAF is also selling six C-130J transport aircraft, but these are being replaced by Airbus A400Ms.
LAND: Up to 85 Warthog troop carriers, pictured, which cost 175 million - are among 1,100 vehicles being offered on the cheap to other armies. Bought: 1.8m, on sale for 500k
Vast quantities of ammunition are also on the sales list. This follows the scaling-back of military exercises and reduction in size of the Army, down to 79,407 fully trained soldiers, according to latest figures.
The slowdown in UK military activity has also convinced Army chiefs to sell 700 support trucks, 100 pick-up trucks, 100 Vector light protected patrol vehicles, 50 Snatch Land Rovers and as yet unconfirmed numbers of Spartan, Scimitar, Samson, Sultan and Samaritan combat reconnaissance vehicles, as well as Gazelle and Lynx helicopters, which were flown by the Army Air Corps and Royal Navy.
The MoD defended the sell-off, saying: The revenue generated can be reinvested to support cutting-edge technology for our Armed Forces.
'Sales do not compromise the capabilities of our Forces and are undertaken when equipment is surplus to UK requirements.
Jeremy Corbyn has defied a furious backlash to support moves to strip Uber of its licence in London.
The Labour leader said he believed Transport for London (TfL) was doing the 'right thing' by refusing to renew the taxi firm's permission to operate in the capital amid complaints it has failed to report crimes carried out by drivers.
Some 500,000 people have signed a petition urging the decision to be reconsidered over the past 36 hours.
Jeremy Corbyn, pictured on a visit before the Labour conference in Brighton today, backed the move to ban Uber from London
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been blasted by MPs as he tells furious passengers to 'direct your anger at Uber'
Tory minister for London Greg Hands said: 'At the flick of a pen Sadiq Khan is threatening to put 40,000 people out of work and leave 3.5 million users of Uber stranded'
But London Mayor Sadiq Khan today urged angry passengers to 'direct your anger at Uber.'
And Mr Corbyn, in Brighton for Labour's autumn conference, told Sky News: 'TfL are there to protect all of us and I think they are doing the right thing.
'Obviously people need to be able to travel, obviously they want to be able to access cabs.
'Those cabs must be safe, must be regulated and must be available for all.'
The firm, which employs more than 40,000 drivers in London and has 3.5 million customers in the capital, has slammed the decision and said it will appeal.
Jeremy Corbyn, pictured on a visit before the Labour conference in Brighton today, backed the move to ban Uber from London
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been blasted by MPs as he tells furious passengers to 'direct your anger at Uber'
Tory minister for London Greg Hands is among those who have condemned the decision by TfL - which is chaired by Mr Khan.
He said: 'At the flick of a pen Sadiq Khan is threatening to put 40,000 people out of work and leave 3.5 million users of Uber stranded.
'Uber must address safety concerns and it is important there is a level playing field across the private hire market.
'But a blanket ban will cause massive inconvenience to millions of Londoners, all the while showing that the Mayor of London is closed to business and innovation.'
Chris Philp, Tory MP for Croydon South, said: 'I accept Uber has some problems it has to fix, such as reporting every single criminal allegation they hear about.
Tory minister for London Greg Hands said: 'At the flick of a pen Sadiq Khan is threatening to put 40,000 people out of work and leave 3.5 million users of Uber stranded'
Uber's private hire licence will not be renewed after a bombshell decision by TfL yesterday
'But banning Uber in London is a terrible mistake. Sadiq Khan should reverse the decision immediately.'
Tom Tugendhat, the Tory MP for Tonbridge and Malling, claimed Mr Khan was a 'luddite' who wanted to 'switch off the internet'.
He said: 'By banning Uber, Sadiq Khan is showing socialism is about control when the internet is pushing for freedom of choice.
'True, Uber has problems but Sadiq Khan banning them is a vote against choice using last- century controls to order how we choose to live.'
However, Mr Khan who as mayor is chairman of the Transport for London board but did not take part in the licensing decision said Uber had brought the ban on itself.
He told BBC World At One: 'If drivers are angry, as they will be, if users of Uber are angry, as they will be, their anger should be turned towards Uber for knowing the rules and failing to play by them.'
Uber's private hire licence will not be renewed after a bombshell decision by TfL yesterday
A black cab driver celebrates outside Paddington station yesterday after the decision to strip Uber of its licence in London was announced
A black cab driver celebrates outside Paddington station yesterday after the decision to strip Uber of its licence in London was announced
More than 500,000 people have signed a petition calling for the decision to be reversed
The development came as it emerged Uber has been legally operating in a UK city without a licence and is 'exploring' how it could do so in London.
Officials in Coventry have said that Uber drivers in nearby Wolverhampton and Birmingham have been operating within their city, according to the Sun .
Customers can order a taxi on the app, and drivers licensed elsewhere are allowed to come into the city and pick up passengers.
Major cities including Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle have said they are monitoring the situation.
Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson said he 'remains convinced that deregulation of the taxi trade is hurting competition, preventing licensing authorities from doing their jobs'.
More than 500,000 people have signed a petition calling for the decision to be reversed
He added that Liverpool City Council will keep an eye on what happens in London and could take action.
Uber's licence to operate in Manchester is not up for renewal until 2021 but the council's executive member for neighbourhoods, Councillor Nigel Murphy, said they will be monitoring the situation.
This approach echoes what Bristol and Newcastle have said.
In Brighton, taxi drivers have urged the council not to renew Uber's licence. The city's MP, Caroline Lucas, welcomed TfL's decision.
She said: '#Uber business model irresponsible to the core. Hope @Uber ups game & shows more corporate responsibility #gigeconomy.'
A spokesman for Cardiff City Council said there was no evidence to suggest Uber was breaching the terms of their licence in the city.
Meanwhile, a petition calling for TfL to reverse their decision has been signed by more than 500,000 people in less than 24 hours.
The petition, started by Uber London, says: 'By wanting to ban our app from the capital, Transport for London and their chairman the Mayor have given in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice.
Transport for London announced the decision in this tweet, which is said to have been posted just one minute after it informed the firm
The decision is another setback for the firm, which has previously been banned by other cities including Barcelona and Vancouver
'If this decision stands, it will put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work and deprive millions of Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport.
'This decision is affecting the real lives of a huge number of honest and hard-working drivers in London.'
Critics of Uber - which boasts more than 5 billion passengers in over 630 cities worldwide - insist it has failed to properly vet its drivers and is an example of the so-called 'gig economy' that gives workers no employment rights.
Worried Uber drivers and angry passengers yesterday joined a growing chorus of criticism - with delighted cabbies rejoicing at the potential downfall of their fiercest competitor.
Father-of-three Bangalie, who has been driving for the company for almost a year, fears he could be forced to claim benefits if Uber's appeal is not successful.
He said: 'My family are worried about the future of my job, even if I go on benefits I will not get the same amount of money.
'I have bills and rent to pay and mouths to feed, if I cannot do that there is going to be a problem. I could be signing up for job seekers in less than two weeks time.'
Passenger Lucy Williams, 30, from London, said: 'It's terrible, I get Ubers like three times a week and they've saved me a lot of money from black cabs.'
But black cab driver Kenneth Stein, 54, said: 'I have nothing against Uber drivers but we as black cab drivers are regulated to the hilt while they have next to no regulation.'
Uber said in a statement that the decision would 'show the world that, far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies'. The firm's current licence expires on September 30.
As part of their fightback, they are emailing all of their members individually to urge them to sign the petition.
Transport for London announced the decision in this tweet, which is said to have been posted just one minute after it informed the firm
Many Londoners took to Twitter to complain about the TFL decision
Others welcomed the decision by the city's authorities, saying the company was dangerous
But the firm has faced a barrage of criticism in recent years over the safety of customers, working rights for drivers and opposition from black cab drivers.
TfL concluded that the minicab app is 'not fit and proper' to operate in the capital due to concerns which have 'public safety and security implications'.
Transport for London said: 'TfL considers that Uber's approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications.'
Mayor of Sadiq Khan, who was not involved in the decision but supports it, said: 'All companies in London must play by the rules and adhere to the high standards we expect - particularly when it comes to the safety of customers.
'Providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security.'
Confirming Uber would appeal against the decision in court, Tom Elvidge, the firm's general manager in London, said: '3.5 million Londoners who use our app, and more than 40,000 licensed drivers who rely on Uber to make a living, will be astounded by this decision.
'By wanting to ban our app from the capital Transport for London and the Mayor have caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice.
The decision is another setback for the firm, which has previously been banned by other cities including Barcelona and Vancouver
'If this decision stands, it will put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work and deprive Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport.
'To defend the livelihoods of all those drivers, and the consumer choice of millions of Londoners who use our app, we intend to immediately challenge this in the courts. '
He added: 'Uber operates in more than 600 cities around the world, including more than 40 towns and cities here in the UK. This ban would show the world that, far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies who bring choice to consumers.'
The firm's complaints were backed by London First, which campaigns for business in the capital.
The group's David Leam said: 'This will be seen as a Luddite decision by millions of Londoners and international visitors who use Uber, and will also hit London's reputation as a global tech hub. London needs to be open to new ideas, businesses and services.'
But Labour MP Wes Streeting, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Taxis, welcomed the decision, which he said would 'draw a line in the sand'.
The Ilford North MP added: 'Uber has not shown itself to be a fit and proper operator.
'It stands accused by the police of failing to properly handle serious allegations of rape and sexual assault of passengers.
'It had to be dragged through the courts to recognise its responsibility to provide even the most basic rights and protections to Uber drivers.'
The number of private hire drivers in London has almost doubled to more than 116,000 from 65,000 in 2013/14.
Drivers of traditional black London cabs held a protest this year against the minicab app. The app was seen as unfairly undercutting black cabs due to the lack of regulation of drivers
Uber driver James Farrar said: 'This is a devastating blow for 30,000 Londoners who now face losing their job and being saddled with unmanageable vehicle-related debt.
'To strip Uber of its licence after five years of laissez-faire regulation is a testament to a systemic failure at TfL.
'Rather than banish Uber, TfL should have strengthened its regulatory oversight, curbed runaway licensing and protected the worker rights of drivers.'
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US East Coast residents have been told to monitor Hurricane Maria as it barrels away from the Caribbean and Puerto Rico.
The National Weather Service warned on Saturday that the storm, which has already killed at least 10 people in Puerto Rico and 30 in total, now threatens to bring life-threatening swells and rip currents to part of the southeast coast.
All of the Mid-Atlantic states - New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia and West Virginia - and both the Carolinas were warned to look out for developments on Sunday and Monday.
Maria is still a Category 3 storm. It has moved away from Puerto Rico but is still wreaking havoc on the small island nation.
It is now thundering over the Atlantic and is around 250 miles from Great Abaco Island in The Bahamas.
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A National Weather Service forecast map shows Hurricane Maria's expected path from Saturday until Thursday afternoon
As the week goes on, the hurricane is expected to creep back towards the shore and come close to the Carolinas on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, bringing with it waves of up to 7ft and threatening beach erosion.
The hurricane is expected to weaken as it gets closer to land. On Saturday afternoon, maximum sustained winds at its center were 115mph.
On Friday, a dam at Lake Guajataca in Puerto Rico failed, sending gushes of water pouring down on the already vulnerable municipalities below.
70,000 people had been warned to evacuate suddenly on Friday in anticipation of the dam failure.
Maria now has The Bahamas and Bermuda in her sights. Both were included in The National Weather Service's advisory on Saturday afternoon.
'On the forecast track, Maria will move away from the Bahamas and offshore of the southeastern coast of the United States.
'Interests along the Carolina and Mid-Atlantic coasts should monitor the progress of Maria. Tropical storm or hurricane watches may be needed for a portion of the coast on Sunday,' the advisory said.
The warning on Saturday came after a terrifying torrent of water swept through Puerto Rico after a dam failed at Lake Guajataca in the northwest region.
Water was seen sweeping through the municipalities of Isabela and Quebradillas after the dam sustained structural damage from Hurricane Maria.
Nearly 16 inches of rain fell in the area, significantly raising water levels on the 90-year-old dam.
Earlier, Puerto Rican authorities had scrambled to evacuate as many as 70,000 people after the National Weather Service warned that failure of the dam was 'imminent' and could lead to 'life-threatening' flash flooding.
A terrifying torrent of water swept through Puerto Rico after a dam failed at Lake Guajataca in the northwest region on Saturday (pictured)
Water was seen sweeping through the municipalities of Isabela and Quebradillas after the dam sustained structural damage from Hurricane Maria. Nearly 16 inches of rain fell in the area, significantly raising water levels on the 90-year-old dam
Earlier, Puerto Rican authorities had scrambled to evacuate as many as 70,000 people after the National Weather Service warned that failure of the dam was 'imminent' and could lead to 'life-threatening' flash flooding
Water overpowers the Guatajaca dam in north west Puerto Rico on Saturday, causing more flash flooding in the region
Local residents look at the flooded houses close Lake Guajataca's dam after it burst, bringing a torrent of water through the northwester region of Puerto Rico on Saturday
Local residents use a boat to pass next to a flooded house close to the dam of Lake Guajataca on Saturday
Residents watch as water flows over the road at the dam of the Guajataca lake after it suffered structural damage on Saturday
A house submerged by flood waters is seen close to the dam of Lake Guajataca on Saturday
The National Weather Service first learned of a 'contained breach' during a Friday afternoon inspection and said a full breach would result in large peak flows that could reach the coast in under 12 hours.
The center is urging people living in the area of the flash flood warning in the northwest to seek higher ground immediately.
The 345-yard dam, which was built in 1929, is used for public water and irrigation water supply, and the reservoir has a water storage capacity of 11 billion gallons.
Hurricane Maria, the strongest storm to hit Puerto Rico since 1928, had maximum sustained winds of 155mph when it made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Thursday.
Governor Ricardo Rossello has said seven people have died as the result of the storm in Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria also claimed lives on the neighboring islands of Guadeloupe and Dominica, which suffered major destruction.
The monster storm ripped roofs off buildings and flooded homes, leading to power outages that could last for months.
Officials said 1,360 of the island's 1,600 cellphone towers had been downed, and 85 per cent of above-ground and underground phone and internet cables were knocked out.
The hurricane was expected to tally $45billion in damage and lost economic activity across the Caribbean, with at least $30billion of that in Puerto Rico, said Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler at Enki Research in Savannah, Georgia.
Debris lays around a house submerged in flood waters near the dam of Lake Guajataca on Saturday
The US Coast Guard personnel surveys the damage to an oil dock after Hurricane Maria passed through the area in San Juan on Saturday
Vehicles drive along a flooded road in San Juan after Hurricane Maria passed through the area on Saturday
A restaurant submerged by flood waters is seen close to the dam of Lake Guajataca on Saturday
The 345-yard dam, which was built in 1929, is used for public water and irrigation water supply (Pictured, a man surveys damage to his house close to Lake Guajataca's dam on Saturday)
Maria, the strongest storm to hit Puerto Rico since 1928, had maximum sustained winds of 155mph when it made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Thursday (Pictured, Maria Luz Navarro looks out on her neighborhood of Zapateria Pizarro surrounded by floodwater on Friday)
The storm has so far claimed the lives of seven in Puerto Rico (Pictured, men walk up near colorful damaged buildings in San Juan's 'La Perla' neighborhood on Friday)
Across Puerto Rico, more than 15,000 people are in shelters, including some 2,000 rescued from the north coastal town of Toa Baja.
Some of the island's 3.4million people planned to head to the US to temporarily escape the devastation. However, the storm is still expected to wreak further havoc with rain of up to six inches expected through Saturday.
Around 5am on Saturday, Maria was moving away from the Bahamas and into the open waters of the western Atlantic as a Category 3 storm.
As it moves north, its expected to cause surf swells that will increase along portions of the southeastern coast of the US and Bermuda.
The hurricane was expected to tally $30billion in damage and lost economic activity in Puerto Rico (Pictured, people rest outside a damaged house in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, on Friday)
Pictured, Elias Cepeda Boria, left, and his brother, Vincente Cepeda Boria, clean up their home in the Zapateria Pizarro area on Friday
Across Puerto Rico, more than 15,000 people are in shelters, including some 2,000 rescued from the north coastal town of Toa Baja (Pictured, Liz Maries Bultron looks at the damage at a home in the Zapateria Pizarro area on Friday)
Jose Diaz Pisano salvages parts of his roof so he can rebuild in the Zapateria Pizarro area on Friday
People sit on the roof of a damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, on Friday
People stop on a highway near a mobile phone antenna tower to check for mobile phone signal in Dorado, Puerto Rico, on Friday
Maria hit about two weeks after Hurricane Irma pounded the US Virgin Islands, hitting St Thomas and St John, particularly hard
The islands' governor, Kenneth Mapp, said it was possible that two islands - St Thomas and St Croix - might reopen to some cruise liner traffic in a month.
Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, killed more than 80 people in the Caribbean and the US.
It followed Harvey, which also killed more than 80 people when it struck Texas in late August and caused severe flooding in Houston.
Wismin Right carries her belongings out of her damaged home in Wesley Village in Dominica on Saturday as the small island community reels from Maria
Dr Daniel Ubani was struck off by the General Medical Council in 2010
The German-trained locum doctor who killed a British patient on his first NHS shift has been allowed to help teach doctors.
Dr Daniel Ubani was struck off by the General Medical Council in 2010 two years after he accidentally killed 70-year-old David Gray with a massive overdose of diamorphine but the German authorities said he could keep practising.
Now we can reveal that Ubani has lectured at an event accredited by the German Chamber of Doctors, called the Arztekammer.
He spoke at a one-day event called Patients With A Migrant Background, lecturing on cleanliness in hospitals.
Last night Mr Grays furious son Rory said: For Germany to allow someone such as Ubani to train students is repugnant.
'That Ubani would take up such a role speaks volumes about his lack of insight into what he did in the UK and his total lack of contrition.
The symposium, held in Munster, was organised by the Nigerian Medical Association in Germany. Ubani is Nigerian by birth.
Ubani spoke on Hygiene In Nigerian Hospitals, Medical Clinics And Health Centres. Mr Gray pointed out that Ubanis clinic in Witten, near Dortmund, was heavily criticised in 2010 after inspectors found dirty needles on the premises and opiate drugs not stored safely.
This was two years after he accidentally killed 70-year-old David Gray with a massive overdose of diamorphine but the German authorities said he could keep practising
A spokesman for the Arztekammer said it has always advocated that Dr Ubani undergo a test to gauge his medical skills, but this request has been denied twice in court.
Ubani was unavailable for comment last night.
Four people were injured in area crashes over the weekend.
One man was seriously injured after being ejected off his motorcycle Saturday at 11:55 a.m. in Washington County.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Timothy Waggoner, 48, of De Soto, was riding his 2006 Honda Rebel south on Highway 21 just south of Route M when he failed to negotiate a curve to the left.
His rear tire lost traction and slid onto its side, ejecting Waggoner off his bike. Waggoner was wearing safety gear at the time of the crash and was airlifted by Air Evac to Barnes Jewish Hospital with serious injuries.
A teen was moderately injured after he rolled his vehicle on U.S. 67 Saturday morning at 8:04 a.m. in St. Francois County.
According to the Patrol report, Isaiah Pierce, 16, of De Soto, was driving his 2007 Chevrolet HHR southbound on U.S. 67 when he went off the right side of the road, overcorrected, returned to the road, then skidded off the left side of the road, struck the median cable and overturned.
Pierce was wearing his seat belt and was taken to Mercy Hospital Jefferson by St. Francis County Ambulance with moderate injuries.
On Friday afternoon at 3:10 p.m. a young boy and a woman were injured in a one-car crash off Route T in St. Francois County.
According to the Patrol report, Meagan Byington, 23, of Desloge, was driving her 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier eastbound on Route T west of Martin Road when she failed to negotiate a curve to the right.
Byington went off the left side of the roadway, struck a tree and overturned. She was not wearing a seat belt and was taken to Parkland Health Center Farmington by St. Francois County Ambulance with moderate injuries.
Her passenger, Jude Batten, 4, of Desloge, was in a safety seat and was taken to Parkland Health Center Farmington with only minor injuries.
For generations, sending a postcard home has been a quintessential part of the great British seaside holiday.
But now that great tradition is coming to an end, with the closure of Britain's oldest postcard publishers as sales plummet in the social-media age.
Founded in 1880, J. Salmon of Sevenoaks in Kent is set to close its doors at the end of the year with its iconic 'Wish You Were Here' postcards consigned to history as today's generation choose to send selfie holiday snaps through Facebook and Instagram.
Wish you were here: A 1970s J. Salmon postcard of Brixham, Devon
A postcard showing the Aberdeen Express on the bank of the Firth of Forth
Just 25 years ago, more than 20 million postcards were sold each year, but that figure has slumped to just five or six million.
The firm's closure will also bring down the shutters on idyllic views of Britain. Promenades, harbours, moated castles, mountains and valleys from the Lake District to the South Coast have been chronicled by five generations of Salmons.
Charles Salmon, 61, and his brother Henry, 56, joint managing directors, have sent a letter to suppliers and newsagents and tourist shops announcing 'a proposal to withdraw from publishing'.
They wrote: 'Increasingly challenging trading conditions and changes to the nature and size of the market for its publications have resulted in uncertainty over the viability of its trade going forward.'
Charles Salmon further explained the reason behind the decision to The Mail on Sunday, citing 'mobile phones and new technologies, changing spending and holiday patterns'.
He added: 'People are going for shorter breaks, not for a fortnight, so you're back home before your postcards have arrived.'
Established by Joseph Salmon, a London bookseller when he bought a stationer's and printing shop in Sevenoaks, the family business expanded when his eldest son, also called Joseph, started printing picture postcards in 1900.
This postcard shows the Spa alongside the beach in Scarborough
The crests of the colleges of Oxford University
This postcard has a fun message from Bexhill in East Sussex
These postcards show London and North Western Railway and the changing of the guard
This postcard shows the high street in Sevenoaks, Kent
A WWI patriotic postcard
The first scenes were black-and-white views of Sevenoaks. Its first colour prints came three years later.
One of the firm's biggest coups was commissioning watercolour artist A. R. Quinton to paint 2,300 scenes around the country. His world of thatched cottages, spired churches, horse and carts, uniformed maids and rosy-cheeked children in Sunday best soon gained a huge following.
During the Second World War, with paper and ink in short supply, J. Salmon produced morale-boosting patriotic postcards.
The firm, which employs 50 staff, has until now fought off competition from the digital camera by producing larger, glossier photographs and updating its stunning photographic views of Britain.
It has also added postcards of Royal occasions and tourist attractions such as Changing the Guard. Anne Hathaway's cottage, York Minster, and scenes of the West Country, Oxford and Cambridge remain bestsellers. But with shrinking markets and no one in the family wishing to carry on the business, closure is planned.
Jeffrey Richards, Emeritus Professor of Cultural History at Lancaster University and an expert on postcards said: 'This is absolutely tragic. Postcards are the fingerprint of the lives of ordinary people. They give us insights into what really went on, not just where they went, but what they did, wore, the shops they went to.'
Money wasted: The share of Britain's foreign aid budget delivered by contractors tripled in two years
Foreign aid fat cats will have strict limits placed on their earnings in a Government crackdown prompted by a Mail on Sunday investigation.
Poverty baron consultants will have to come clean about how much money they are making from work meant to help the worlds poorest.
The sums handed to advisers will also be driven down, with less given to junior researchers than to experienced managers.
It comes after this newspaper exposed how some multinational firms have been creaming off millions of pounds of taxpayers cash from contracts intended to relieve poverty in developing nations.
We told how one company, Adam Smith International, tried to win new work with faked glowing testimonials and illegally used confidential Whitehall reports.
Many of its executives have quit in the wake of the scandal and the firm is no longer bidding for Department For International Development deals.
Last night, a spokesman for International Development Secretary Priti Patel said: The Secretary of State has been crystal clear that she expects all suppliers to deliver results for the worlds poorest and provide value for taxpayers money she will not tolerate anything less.
A submission by the DFID to the International Development Committee provides the first details of what the stricter and more transparent regime will look like, after MPs urged it to look into contractors fees and establish what profits they are making.
The department said that it is carrying out an extensive benchmarking exercise on contractors fee rates. The data will be used strategically across DFID to understand and drive down fees wherever possible, the report added.
It said details of the fees could be published for the first time, adding: We have also brought in Cabinet Office expertise to assess options for greater transparency around contractors fees, overheads and profits and measures to identify and challenge above-expected profit.
Until now, the DFID has published only the overall amounts paid to each private firm for large contracts, making it impossible for the public to know how much of the cash goes to the needy and how much is kept by the companys chiefs.
MPs also recommended that the DFID consider introducing strict guidelines for consultants fees, such as those that already exist in Australia.
The Australian scheme, introduced in 2011 in response to concerns about profiteering, ensures that all advisers are paid in accordance with the prescribed set of rates, allowances and support costs.
Pay scales are partly determined by the type of work being carried out, ranging from admin, travel and PR advice at the bottom of the scale, to banking and investment at the top. Consultants experience and skills are also taken into account, with different amounts payable to entry level researchers, senior scientists or engineers and senior executives who are responsible for entire projects.
Based on these categories, and how many years work the adviser has done in the field, there is then a rigid scale of daily pay rates from AUD$308 (182) to AUD$1,270 (750). It has been claimed that consultants have been charging the UK more than 1,000 a day for their services.
The DFID said: As part of the Supplier Review, DFID is examining a range of remuneration mechanisms from across the development sector, including those used by donors such as the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and international suppliers.
We will bring forward final recommendations on conclusion of the review.
Patronising aid policy that fuels corruption
by Ian Birrell, the Mail On Sunday reporter who led the campaign
The good news is that Westminster accepts there is a problem with fat-cat poverty barons even if it comes only after my repeated exposes.
Ministers promise to drive down swollen pay and profits in a procurement system that pours huge sums from taxpayers into the pockets of private firms.
Behind the tough talk, they indicate mild reforms, including greater transparency over spending. Time will tell if this makes much difference.
But the bad news is they fail to recognise the root cause of the problem, which has turned a benevolent idea of helping the worlds poor into a cesspit of greed, hypocrisy and corruption. For it starts with the absurd concept of fixing a target to give away a proportion of national income, regardless of need or the ability to deliver aid programmes.
This patronising policy has been roundly criticised, even by a Nobel Prize-winning expert on poverty, and is loathed by many in developing nations. Not least because it ends up assisting repression, fuelling corruption and fostering conflict.
As British donations have soared doubling this decade despite cuts at home civil servants have had to find ways to shovel the sums out the Whitehall door.
Self-serving charities and private contractors have swarmed around the cash. The consequence has been inevitable: soaring salaries, shocking waste and silly schemes.
Some hoped that Priti Patel might challenge the system after once calling for closure of her Department For International Development. Instead, she has been captured by mandarins, preferring to lash out at journalists exposing profligacy and spew out the usual platitudes about saving the world. Even after I exposed how Adam Smith International, Britains biggest specialist aid contractor, was engaging in dirty tricks to win contracts, it is handling huge sums of our cash. The shamed firm may not have been given any new contracts since our revelations, but it has its sticky fingers on 23 DFID contracts worth 197.8 million.
It has also pocketed another 12 million for six more contracts from the Foreign Office since April alone. Incredibly, some contracts have been extended.
The aid sector pleads ceaselessly for cash but covers up, crushes whistleblowers and treats taxpayers with contempt.
No wonder there is distrust for Westminster when it enriches self-serving Westerners instead of helping the poor.
Child sexual abuse claims made against Sir Edward Heath by seven of his alleged victims are serious enough that police would have questioned him under caution if he were still alive.
That is the astonishing verdict of a controversial two-year investigation into the former Tory Prime Minister, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The explosive findings of the Operation Conifer inquiry into Sir Edward, led by Wiltshire Chief Constable Mike Veale, will be made public on October 5. It is believed the findings will reveal that about 40 people made paedophile claims against Sir Edward, who died in 2005 aged 89, covering five decades.
Explosive findings of the Operation Conifer inquiry into Sir Edward, led by Wiltshire Chief Constable Mike Veale, will be made public on October 5. It is believed the findings will reveal that about 40 people made paedophile claims against Sir Edward, who died in 2005 aged 89, covering five decades
According to Whitehall sources, Mr Veales report will say seven of the alleged victims are credible and describe the same pattern of behaviour by their abuser.
A Government source said an interview under caution is, in effect, the strongest action that Mr Veale could recommend with regard to Sir Edward.
After an interview with caution police would send a file to the Crown Prosecution Service, which would decide whether to prosecute. It was never the task of Operation Conifer to decide whether Sir Edward was guilty, and clearly there was never any question of recommending prosecution in this case, a Government source said.
An interview under caution usually takes place at a police station with the consent of the accused. If they refuse to attend, they can be arrested.
Mr Veales report will say testimonies by around a dozen more victims cannot be relied on because they may have been damaged by their experiences; a further dozen involve so called third party allegations, where people have come forward to describe the alleged abuse of others.
A number of claims have been dismissed as bogus or fantasy.
Mr Veale has faced fierce criticism from senior Tories and mandarins who worked for Heath when he was in power in the 1970s.
They have accused police of wasting 2 million of public money on the inquiry, claiming the allegations are fantasy. Others said it would have been impossible for Sir Edward to commit such crimes when for much of his career he was accompanied by police protection. Only last week, former Director of Public Prosecutions Lord Macdonald said Mr Veales investigation was a tragi-comedy of incompetence.
According to Whitehall sources, Mr Veales report will say seven of the alleged victims are credible and describe the same pattern of behaviour by their abuser
But Mr Veale received a major boost yesterday as two fellow senior police chiefs, who are thought to have been briefed on progress by Operation Conifer, fired a warning shot at his powerful detractors.
Norfolk Chief Constable Simon Bailey, who supervises all UK historic child sex investigations, and Durham Chief Constable Mike Barton, who supervises national police operations, cautioned against attempts to undermine Mr Veale.
In a statement to the MoS they stressed police must be able to investigate without fear or favour, adding: They should be able to carry out investigations with complete independence without commentary which threatens to undermine the process.
While we await the findings of the Sir Edward Heath inquiry, it would be wrong to speculate on its content or the actions of individuals who have conducted the investigation.
It was vital that police were given the funds to conduct what can be complex and time-consuming inquiries, they added.
The Mail on Sunday can also disclose that earlier this year a review of Mr Veales inquiry was undertaken by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, which ruled it was reasonable and proportionate.
A Government source said an interview under caution is, in effect, the strongest action that Mr Veale could recommend with regard to Sir Edward
In another apparent vote of confidence in Mr Veale, Home Secretary Amber Rudd last week signed off a 1.1 million payment to help fund the investigation into Sir Edward a blow to Tory MPs who wanted her to refuse to pay. Significantly, she signed off the payment shortly after receiving a summary of Mr Veales findings.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse also said it would study Mr Veales findings after being briefed on his report.
Mr Veales view that allegations against Sir Edward would be serious enough to justify interrogation under caution were he alive is likely to spark a major row and calls for him to resign by some Tories convinced Sir Edward is innocent. A similar investigation into claims of a Westminster child sex ring involving 1980s Home Secretary Leon Brittan and others, by the Metropolitan Police Operation Midland collapsed last year after it was revealed the key claims were made by a fantasist. But there have also been allegations of an Establishment cover-up.
Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen, who has staunchly defended courageous and honest Mr Veale, said: Having set up the inquiry it would have been appalling if the Government had refused to pay for it.
Mr Veale must be allowed to present his findings free of abuse or intimidation, and that includes my fellow Conservative MPs. Just because Operation Midland was a failure does not mean Operation Conifer should be ignored.
There are powerful forces in the Establishment that always want to cover things up.
This newspaper revealed in February that Mr Veale believed some of the claims concerning Sir Edward were 120 per cent genuine.
Australia's Commonwealth Bank has scrapped its $2 ATM fee, making it free for people to withdraw money from its machines, regardless of which bank they are with.
The major bank rolled out the change across its 3400 ATMs Australia-wide on Sunday.
The Commonwealth Bank's axing of the $2 fee has put its competitors under pressure to follow suit.
The major bank rolled out the change across its 3400 ATMs Australia-wide on Sunday
The shock move is expected to cost Australia's big banks tens of millions of dollars each year.
The axed fee will save consumers $500 million annually.
Consumer group Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey said the bank's decision could mark the beginning of the end for the $2 ATM withdrawal fee.
'Accessing your money from a bank account is an essential service that should be free for everyone, rather than an inconvenience with a penalty attached,' he said.
Consumer group Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey (pictured) said the bank's decision could mark the beginning of the end for the $2 ATM withdrawal fee
'The move by the Commonwealth Bank to stop charging non-customers to withdraw money is a win for consumers and sends a clear message to other banks that it's time to axe these fees.'
Australians reportedly spent $500 million in ATM fees in the past year alone.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia's group executive of retail banking services Matt Comyn said the move to axe the fee was prompted by consumers' disapproval.
'It's very unpopular and I'm sure people will be happy that they no longer have to pay it and to have access to the largest ATM network in the country for free has to be a good thing,' he said in a statement on Sunday.
'As Australia's largest bank, with one of the largest branch and ATM networks, we think this change will benefit many Australians and hopefully demonstrate our willingness to listen and act on customer feedback.'
Commonwealth Bank of Australia's group executive of retail banking services Matt Comyn said the move to axe the fee was prompted by consumers' disapproval
The move follows a string of scandals for the bank, including its newly offloaded life insurance, which was revealed to put profit before sick and dying people.
The bank was revealed to be selling life insurance policies with outdated medical definitions, which made it difficult for its customers to make claims.
The bank also faced forgery and fraud accusations, sparking a senate inquiry and royal commission into the bank's planning division.
The Australian government accused the bank of widespread breaches of money-laundering and counter-terrorism financing rules, according to reports in August.
The move follows a string of scandals for the bank, including its newly offloaded life insurance, which was revealed to put profit before sick and dying people
Financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC said it had initiated civil penalty proceedings in the Federal Court against CommBank for 'serious and systemic non-compliance', in the biggest case of its kind in Australia and the first against a major bank.
'The effect of CommBank's conduct in this matter has exposed the Australian community to serious and ongoing financial crime', AUSTRAC said in a court filing.
Australia's biggest mortgage lender failed to report suspicious matters 'either on time or at all involving transactions totalling over A$77 million ($61 million)', AUSTRAC said.
The agency alleged 53,700 contraventions of the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing Act, particularly with regards to so-called intelligent deposit machines, or IDMs.
A new video surfaced Saturday that appears to show a man throwing punches at a California police officer during a scuffle before the man was fatally shot outside of a convenience store.
Dillan Tabares, 27, has been identified as the man who was fatally shot by a Huntington Beach police officer on Friday morning outside of a 7-Eleven in the beach city.
Tabares, who previously served in the Navy as an information systems technicians, had fallen on hard times in 2012 according to a Facebook post where he discussed how he lost his security clearance in the Navy due to testing positive for marijuana that he self-medicated for depression.
It's unclear what he was doing outside of the convenience store or why police were called, but a new video shared to social media and YouTube shows Tabares in a physical confrontation with a police officer.
Dillan Tabares (above), 27, has been identified as the man who was fatally shot by a Huntington Beach police officer on Friday morning outside of a 7-Eleven in the beach city. A new video surfaced Saturday that appears to show another angle of the shooting
The new clip appears to show Tabares (above) throwing punches at the police officer during a scuffle outside of the 7-Eleven. The footage was filmed from inside a car in the parking lot. The officer appears to get Tabares in a headlock and they wrestle to the ground
Once they are on the ground, the cop can be heard shouting, 'let go of my gun!' though he appears to retain full control of the weapon during the encounter. Moments later, Tabares stands up and the officer fires his weapon striking the 27-year-old several times (above)
The footage, which was filmed from inside a car in the parking lot, starts with the officer pointing a stun gun at Tabares and ordering him to sit down.
Tabares seems unaffected when the officer fires the stun gun and quickly rushes toward the officer before repeatedly punching him.
The officer appears to get Tabares in a headlock and they wrestle to the ground.
Once they are on the ground, the officer can be heard shouting, 'let go of my gun!' though he appears to retain full control of the weapon during the entire encounter.
Moments later, Tabares stands up and the officer fires his weapon striking the 27-year-old several times. He is seen stumbling backward before falling to the ground against a wall.
He stumbled on his feet and staggered backwards before the cop fired his seventh shot at Tabares
Tabares was rushed to a hospital where he later died of his injures. Police have not released the name of the officer involved in the shooting
A second video, which was posted on Twitter on Friday, showed Tabares grabbing an object from the officer's belt as they struggled next to a parked car.
The officer then pulls out his gun and backs away. Another video clip shows Tabares jumping to his feet and he's almost immediately shot. Six rounds are fired before the officer calls out, 'get on the ground.' After a short pause, a final, seventh gunshot is fired and Tabares stumbles backward and collapses against a wall.
Huntington Beach Police Chief Robert Handy said the officer had been forced to defend himself and had the right to fatally shoot the man if he felt his life was in danger.
'This is clearly an assault on an officer,' Handy told reporters Friday.
'I don't know what preceded that assault, we don't know that yet, but clearly this person attacked our police officer, and I don't think that there's any way an officer is expected to not defend them self and that includes a lethal force at times.'
Police said they are still investigating and released few details of what led to the confrontation.
None of the videos appear to show the suspect holding a gun. The name of the man, who was pronounced dead after Friday's shooting, was not immediately released.
On Saturday, a police officer in La Verne, about 43 miles away from Huntington Beach, shot and wounded a man who refused to drop what the officer thought could be a weapon and then also wounded a second officer who came to help.
Pictured is David Meade, a conspiracy theorist who calls himself a 'Christian numerologist' who has clarified that the world will not end on September 23
Saturday came and went without any apocalyptic events that threaten Planet Earth - this despite a theory put forward by a 'Christian numerologist' that September 23 was a doomsday date.
David Meade is a conspiracy theorist who alleged that the world would end on September 23, though he has now clarified that the apocalypse has in fact been delayed.
Speaking to the Washington Post, Meade - who claimed that a mysterious planet would collide with Earth - is now saying that Saturday only marks the beginning of the end of the end of times.
Indeed, Saturday should have seen the first of a series of cataclysmic events that will culminate in our demise.
However, nothing apocalyptic happened on Saturday.
Despite the lack of signs indicating our impending doom, Meade is sure that his now-revised prediction will still come to pass.
'The world is not ending, but the world as we know it is ending.'
Meade added: 'A major part of the world will not be the same the beginning of October.'
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Meade said that 'the world as we know it is ending' on September 23 due to the unproven planet 'Nibiru' colliding with Earth. Pictured is a stock image of two planets colliding
Meade previously said that the signs pointing to a September 23 event of cataclysmic proportions were written somewhere within the Pyramids of Ancient Egypt. Pictured is a stock photo of the pyramids in Giza
Meade used the 'biblically significant' number 33 and his interpretation of the Bible's Book of Revelation to suggest that the legendary - and widely debunked - planet Nibiru would strike Earth on September 23.
The impact would set in motion cataclysmic events, according to Meade.
Nibiru would strike 33 days after the total solar eclipse. In his analysis, Meade cited how Jesus allegedly lived for 33 years.
'Im talking astronomy. Im talking the Bible,' Meade told the Washington Post.
Another Christian fringe group, called Unsealed, claims that a Biblical image will appear on the sky on September 23.
So far, no such image has been reported.
Their video detailing this process, 'September 23, 2017: You Need to See This,' has accumulated nearly 4million views.
In late August, Meade said that 'Nibiru' would hit Earth between September 20 and 23.
He said the clues are written on the Pyramids of Ancient Egypt and in the Bible.
The conspirator said: 'It is very strange indeed that both the Great Sign of Revelation 12 and the Great Pyramid of Giza both point us to one precise moment in time September 20 to 23, 2017.
'Is this the end of the Church Age and the transition to the Day of the Lord?
'There couldn't be two greater witnesses.'
Meade said: 'A major part of the world will not be the same the beginning of October.' Pictured is a tock image of a planet in the foreground with Earth in the background
Earlier this year Mr Meade made a September prediction using verses from the Bible, but he now claims this date is backed up by marking on the pyramids.
Of the pyramid, he said: 'It faces true north with only 3/60th of a degree of error and is located at the centre of the land mass of the Earth.
'The east/west parallel that crosses the most land and the north/south meridian that crosses the most land intersect in two places on the Earth one in the ocean and the other at the Great Pyramid.'
Despite a lack of evidence for the hidden world, which Nasa has previously stated is an 'internet hoax', many people believe it is real. The scientific community does not agree Nibiru exists.
'Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an internet hoax,' Nasa has said previously. 'Obviously, it does not exist.'
Jasmine Harman, 46, is the latest broadcaster to speak out after Mr Irwin revealed his terminal diagnosis and admitted: 'I don't know how long I have left'. The 48-year-old says he hopes that by sharing the devastating news that his lung cancer had spread to his brain it will inspire others to 'make the most of every day'. Today Jasmine shared a smiling photo of them together on the show (inset), where they started working together in 2004 when the former estate agent was selected from hundreds of applicants to her co-presenter. She said: ' Sending lots of love and support to my great friend and original partner in crime Jonnie Irwin. I know it has taken bravery to share your story. As ever a true inspiration & always positive and up for a laugh no matter what the circumstances. Love to you and your beautiful family'. Today MailOnline unearthed footage of Jonnie smiling to camera while sipping Puglian olive oil in the summer sun on his last trip for A Place in the Sun before he discovered he had terminal cancer in his lungs and brain (left). The TV host, 48, had felt dizzy and his vision became blurred while driving on the trip to Italy in August 2020, just two months after the birth of his twin sons (right). The Leicestershire-born presenter, who had once hoped to play professional rugby, said: 'Within a week of flying back from filming, I was being given six months to live. I had to go home and tell my wife, who was looking after our babies, that she was on her own pretty much. That was devastating. All I could do was apologise to her. I felt so responsible.'
In 1503, Niccolo Machiavelli gazed into the Arno and contemplated the most fiendish and brilliant scheme of his infamous life. He would divert the course of the river, cutting off the water to neighbouring Pisa, with whom he was at war. If successful, it would have the same impact as an H-bomb. Sadly for Machiavelli, a storm swept in and destroyed his grand project. The war continued, the Medici returned, and the great conspirator was banished.
As Boris Johnson sat watching Theresa May delivering her Brexit speech in the annex of the basilica of Santa Maria Novella a stones-throw from that historic tributary he should have realised his own cunning plans and political fortunes were ebbing away. Had he possessed a scintilla of self-awareness, he would have looked up at the cherubs lining the aula magna and said: Forgive me, for I have sinned.
But introspection is not his style. And so rather than opt for contrition, he has chosen aggression. No sooner had he returned to London than allies were dispatched to plunge the knife into his colleagues. This time his target was the Chancellor. Philip Hammond had been pushing for a five-year transition period, they whispered. Britain was heading for a Norway model out in name only until their hero had intervened. It was Boris who saved the day.
Boris Johsnon, pictured, attempted to make a show of unity with Chancellor Philip Hammond after Prime Minister Theresa May had addressed an audience in Florence explaining Brexit
Of course, Boris being Boris, the blade was plunged in with a smile. Twenty-four hours earlier, I watched as he had attempted to feign pleasantries with the Chancellor. As May finished her speech, he leant across and whispered a cosy aside. Hammond either failed or pretended not to hear. But Boris persisted. The show of unity had to be maintained.
And now it has been shattered. Over the next few days, the accusations and counter-accusations will be hurled. But let us be clear: this is Boris Johnsons war. And it is a war not for Brexit, or for the future of the Government, but to salvage his faltering career.
May has taken a political battering. From the British people. From her colleagues. From her own realisation that the job of Prime Minister is beyond her. But no amount of revisionism from Boris Boosters can recast this simple fact: in the run-up to one of the most important speeches of her premiership, he tried to rally the hard-Brexiteers in rebellion against her. And she faced him down.
We were told Boris would not accept a penny more than 10 billion as the price of Brexit. We were told he would boycott her speech. We were told if May didnt concede to his demands, Boris would resign. The Prime Minister stood firm. And Boris capitulated.
May will never be Maidenheads answer to Martin Luther King, but there was more confidence in the delivery and substance of Fridays address. Its up to leaders to set the tone, she said. No room for back-seat drivers. In contrast, Boris arrived in the great hall looking sheepish, and exited rapidly.
Niccolo Machiavelli, who is buried in Santa Croce Square, pictured, plotted the downfall of Pisa by cutting off their water supply and forcing them to surrender to him
For all that May has been buffeted, on Brexit she has remained broadly consistent. There is a spine running through her stance from Lancaster House to Firenze. Britain will leave the single market, but seek to retain access to it. We will end freedom of movement, but in a way that minimises the impact on business and current EU residents. We will negotiate firmly but fairly, rejecting blackmail but honouring our obligations. A clear rebuttal to those clamouring for a kamikaze Brexit.
TOM EXPLORES HIS FEMININE SIDE As Labour gathers for its victory or plucky runner-up rally in Brighton, the expectation is of a smooth week for Jeremy Corbyn. But according to Labour insiders, not everyone will be infused with a spirit of brotherly, or sisterly, love. Watch out for Tom Watson and Emily Thornberry, one MP advised me. Shes on manoeuvres, and he knows it. Its an open secret in Westminster that Thornberry covets the role of deputy, and Watsons position is vulnerable because of perceived disloyalty to the glorious leader. Emily will use her conference speech to make a move, one source says. Shes going to try to frame herself as the new Harriet Harman. Allies of Watson say he knows calls for more women at the top of the party are gaining traction. Toms suddenly taking a keen interest in gender issues, a colleague observes. Dont be surprised if he walks on stage for his own speech wearing a dress. Advertisement
Spine is not a word you can associate with Boris. Last year as he struggled with his conscience over whether to back Brexit he wrote two articles setting out the pros and cons of the case. This is a market on our doorstep, ready for further exploitation by British firms. The membership fee seems rather small for all that access, he mused. This rather small cost of membership has joined Turkeys entry to the EU and progressive immigration as ideas casually tossed on the bonfire of his ambition.
It would be overstating things to say there is something tragic about his attempt to again anoint himself as the Eurosceptics champion. But not so long ago, Boris was the poster-boy for modern, progressive Conservatism. Now, in his lust for power and attention, he has recast himself as Jacob Rees-Mogg minus the principles.
But while Boris may have Florence carved on his heart, other reputations have been enhanced. Despite Boriss perfidy, Hammond is succeeding in his efforts to nudge Britain away from the Brexit cliff-edge. David Davis has become the fulcrum of the Cabinet, balancing the soft and hard Brexit factions. And May has managed to reassert a semblance of authority. Her hands remain on the wheel. And the destination remains a pragmatic, phased withdrawal from the EU.
After the PMs speech, I wandered down to the basilica of Santa Croce, where Machiavelli is buried.
Last week I wrote that Boriss bungled assassination attempts probably had the old intriguer spinning in his grave.
As I looked up at his tomb, I didnt hear any spinning. But I did hear the faint sound of mocking laughter.
Toothbrushes and toothpaste are to be handed to thousands of children across England in a Government bid to stop them ending up in hospital with 'catastrophic' decay.
Dentists and dental nurses will also go into 'tooth brushing clubs' in nurseries and schools to teach children why brushing is important and how to do it.
By the time children are five, a quarter have decay. Over the past two years, 18,000 under-fives were admitted to hospital for teeth extractions. Those with the worst teeth come disproportionately from poor areas.
Toothbrushes and toothpaste are to be handed to thousands of children (stock image)
As a result Ministers are launching a new programme, called Starting Well, in 13 of England's poorest areas.
Health Minister Steve Brine said it would 'encourage regular visits to the dentist and highlight the importance of prevention for good oral health'.
But the British Dental Association said last night the scheme, which will not receive dedicated additional funding, was too little, too late.
It urged the Government to go much further, copying a Scotland-wide programme called Childsmile which has improved children's dental health across the board.
Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, the BDA's chair of general dental practice, said: 'Targeting a handful of wards in just 13 local authorities means millions of children will miss out.'
Starting Well will operate in parts of Middlesbrough, Blackburn, Oldham, Blackpool, Rochdale, Bolton, Salford, Wakefield, Hull, Leicester, Luton, Slough and Ealing.
The number of patients languishing in A&Es for more than 12 hours has risen more than 10,000 per cent in just five years, shocking new figures reveal.
In January to March 2012, just 15 patients had to wait more than half a day in casualty departments in England before being admitted to a ward.
But that rocketed to 1,597 for the same three months in 2017, according to official statistics unearthed by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
Patients are kept in A&E for prolonged periods only if there is nowhere else to put them.
Last night, Dr Taj Hassan, president of the Royal College, warned that hospitals were grinding to a halt.
He said another 5,000 beds were needed to break the log-jam equivalent to ten typical district generals. But under controversial NHS plans, managers want to cut thousands more beds, diverting some of the money saved to care for patients at home. The theory is that this will cut hospital admissions.
Dr Hassan said: This huge rise in 12-hour waits is unacceptable and shows that despite planning for winter every year, we have consistently failed to do enough.
In January to March 2012, just 15 patients had to wait more than half a day in casualty departments in England before being admitted to a ward
Over the last five years there has been a continued reduction in bed numbers, but there has been an increase in patients needing to be admitted.
Bed occupancy is now at 92 per cent significantly higher than the safe level of 85 per cent. This had a knock-on effect on waiting times in A&E.
Along with more doctors, we desperately need more beds to stop the system from grinding to a halt, he said.
Last night, Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: The Governments underfunding of the NHS has been terrible for patients and it has created the worst waiting times on record.
It is astonishing that so many more people are now waiting in pain for so long in our hospitals.
Theresa May needs to say what action she is going to take so we dont see these unacceptable waiting lists again this winter.
The British Medical Association said the number of overnight hospital beds had been cut by a fifth over the past decade despite the countrys growing and ageing population leaving the UK with the second-lowest number of hospital beds per person in Europe.
A 12-year-old girl has told police she was sexually assaulted by a group of teenage boys in bushland, while an Islamic festival was in full swing across the road.
The girl was on her way to Progress Park in Auburn, Sydney's west, when she claims she was assaulted by up to five teenage boys in bushland adjacent to the park on September 9.
Eid festival, a religious celebration for Muslims, was being celebrated at Progress Park when the assault allegedly happened.
A 12-year-old girl has told police she was sexually assaulted by a group of teenage boys in bushland, while an Islamic festival was in full swing across the road (stock)
The Eid festival attracted hundreds of people to the western Sydney park on September 9.
Eid al-Adha commemorates Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son to God. It is also known as the Feast of Sacrifice or the Festival of Sacrifice.
The 12-year-old reported the alleged assault to a family member when she emerged from the bushland.
She was taken to hospital for an examination, afterwhich the police became involved.
A joint strike force was set up to investigate the girl's claims, led by the Child Abuse Response Team and the Sex Crimes Squad.
Detectives are investigating up to five boys who were allegedly involved in group sex with the girl.
The girl was on her way to Progress Park (pictured) in Auburn, Sydney's west, when she claims she was assaulted by up to five teenage boys in bushland adjacent to the park on September 9
The festival, which marks the end of Ramadan, attracted hundreds of people to the western Sydney park on September 9
The suspects range in age from their early to mid-teens, some of whom are related to 'well-known crime families' in Sydney's south-west, The Daily Telegraph reported.
New South Wales police media said the investigation was ongoing.
The police urged anyone with information that might assist officers with their investigation to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Despite jetting all the way to Italy to make her big Brexit speech, Theresa May and her Ministers still lack a laser-like focus on the issue.
Who says? Ex-Brexit Minister George Bridges, who is also not impressed with the PMs hopes that her Government wont be defined by Brexit.
Its like Winston Churchill saying in 1940 that he doesnt want his government defined by the war, he says.
Theresa May, pictured, claims she does not want her administration defined by Brexit
Fresh from unveiling himself with a straight face as Prime Minister-in-waiting at his annual conference, Vince Cable now plans to gatecrash the actual PMs get-together in Manchester.
The Liberal Democrat leader will be at the head of an anti-Brexit march which will descend on the Tory conference, with the 74-year-old rabble-rouser leading the chants of Exit from Brexit and Fromage not Farage.
Talking of Nigel, the former Ukip leaders ambitions to present his new radio show from inside this weeks Labour Party Conference in Brighton have been dashed.
His application for a conference pass went all the way up to Jeremy Corbyns office but still got rejected.
Dog hears he is also unlikely to be allowed into the Tory rally the week after. Well, hes always enjoyed being an outsider.
As shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry sets her cap at the Jeremy Corbyn succession, has she been immortalised on film?
In The Party, ice-queen actress Kristin Scott Thomas, portrays a politician celebrating her appointment to a key ministerial position in the Shadow Cabinet in what publicists describe as a comedy of tragic proportions.
Dog has rarely heard a better description of Corbyns Labour Party.
Corbyn is still fuming over how his Election manifesto was leaked during the campaign.
According to a new book on the Election, Betting The House, by Tim Ross and Tom McTague, when Tory guru Sir Lynton Crosby unveiled a copy at the campaign HQ, the room burst into uproarious laughter.
The laughter stopped when they realised how popular the socialist blueprint was with the voters.
Theresa May touched a raw nerve when she mocked union baron Len McCluskey in the Commons for reportedly comparing himself to Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.
Red Len, boss of giant union Unite, is so upset he has written personally to the Prime Minister to assure her, I would not be so arrogant or stupid as to compare myself with such great individuals.
Of course not!
Commons staff trying to withdraw money from a cash machine were surprised to see 200 in the dispenser.
Half an hour later, a flustered figure rushed up to retrieve his cash Environment Secretary Michael Gove.
So much for our money being safe in Tory hands.
Snakes and monkeys have reportedly begun fleeing the area around Mount Agung in their droves, in what locals claim is the strongest sign yet the Bali volcano will erupt.
Located on the east of Indonesia's main island, the volcano - which last erupted back in 1964 - has experienced a major increase in the rate of tremors over recent days.
Fearing an eruption is imminent, the nation's authority raised the alert level up to the highest rating, leaving the holiday hotspot bracing for travel chaos should it explode.
But while tourists continue to flock to the Indonesian capital, thousands of animals in the area have fled down the mountain and into nearby villages - one of the top signs a volcano is set to erupt.
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Snakes and monkeys have reportedly begun fleeing the area around Mount Agung (pictured), in Bali, in their droves in what locals say is a sign the volcano is set to erupt
If Mount Agung (pictured) in Bali erupts it could cause chaos for thousands of Australians who have travelled there for the school holiday season
Sogra Village elder and Balinese priest Wayan Sukra told local media Bali Tribun that the animals had been on the move for three days.
'Maybe because it's hot on Mt. Agung. So the animals are exiting and coming to settled areas,' he said.
'Maybe this is a sign that the mountain will erupt (because) this condition is not usual.'
Mr Sukra said a similar phenomenon took place during the 1963 eruption.
Among the other signs locals claim prove an eruption is imminent are ash rain which causes irritation on the skin.
Up to 30,000 villagers in the area around Mt Agung have left their homes after two fires broke out this week and smoke was seen rising from the summit.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has updated a travel warning for Australians heading to Bali, telling them to make contingency plans for an eruption.
Locals claim that the last time the volcano erupted in 1963 animals fled the mountain in similar fashion to recent days
Local residents living in the vicinity of the volcano are being evacuated with the help of rescuers (pictured)
Mt Agung (pictured) is located in east of Bali and tens of thousands of people live near the crater
Photographer Steven Wright captured two images of fires which broke out on the side of Mount Agung (pictured)
Australians travelling to the tourist mecca over the school holidays are being urged to keep away from the crater and be aware of local media reports.
'Contact your airline or tour operator to confirm travel plans,' said DFAT, with flights likely to be cancelled if the volcano erupts.
Travellers were reporting cancelled flights to Denpasar over the weekend as airlines reacted to the latest warning.
One Twitter user posted from Ubud, in the uplands of Bali, saying locals are 'spooked'.
Photographer Steven Wright took two photos eight hours apart of fires which had broken out on the side of the volcano.
The 3,031-metre Agung last erupted in 1963, killing about 1,100 people and hurling ash as high as 10 kilometres.
Indonesia raised the alert level for the Mount Agung volcano to the highest level, and Australians are being warned to monitor local media and follow the instructions of authorities (pictured are local evacuees on Friday)
Up to 30,000 villagers have left their homes around the mountain, officials said on Friday. Pictured, Indonesian evacuees sit at a temporary shelter in Bali
The country of thousands of islands is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire,' an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin
The mountain, to the northeast of the tourist hotspot of Kuta, is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia.
The country of thousands of islands is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire,' an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
More than 7,000 of the evacuees were in the 840 square kilometre Karangasem district, which is home to about 408,000 people.
An officer monitors seismic waves at the Mount Agung monitoring station in Bali on Wednesday
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It was her first solo foreign engagement representing the United States as First Lady.
So Melania Trump was unsurprisingly relieved to see a friendly face in Justin Trudeau as she arrived at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto ahead of the Invictus games opening ceremony on Saturday night.
As soon as she clapped eyes on the Canadian Prime Minister and his family, Melania lit up and offered herself for a warm embrace.
Her excitement was reciprocated by Trudeau who lept in for a hug and a kiss, delicately enveloping the First Lady and her Dior dogtooth suit.
His wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, was just as welcoming and gave Melania just as warm a greeting.
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Melania Trump greets Justin Trudeau at the Air Canada Center in Toronto on Saturday as his daughter Ella-Grace watches
The pair were excited to be in one another's company and wasted no time reaching in for a hug in front of Trudeau's family
Melania, still wearing the Dior dogtooth suit she had on throughout the day, was delighted to see a friendly face after a day of official solo engagements without her husband
Their rendezvous came less than a week after the two first ladies met in New York at a luncheon to coincide with the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
Melania was still dressed in the sharp suit she'd worn earlier in the day to meet Prince Harry.
She was decidedly more animated in her greeting of Trudeau than she was when she sat down with the British Royal.
The First Lady was also delighted by the sight of two of Trudeau's children, Ella Grace, eight, and Xavier, nine.
She politely shook hands with Ella-Grace after giving her parents a kiss hello.
Her body language told a very different story than that shown when she met Harry earlier in the day.
The First Lady extended just as warm a welcome to Trudeau's wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau
She shook hands with the couple's eight-year-old daughter Ella-Grace and also said hello to their nine-year-old son Xavier
The Trudeau family had been waiting inside for Melania at the Air Canada Center. They were joined by Canada's Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O'Regan
The Prime Minister joked along with his youngest child who was dressed sweetly for the occasion in a black and lace dress
Melania seemed much more relaxed than earlier in the day as she spoke in front of National Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan
Indeed according to body language expert Patti Wood, Melania appeared uptight and nervous during their 30-minute one-on-one.
Melania's closed-off posture and tense shoulders revealed she was nervous - a predictable observation for the First Lady's first solo foreign engagement.
'There's a lot of tension. It's polite but beyond that to a slight fear and tension like "Am I doing the right thing?"' she said.
Harry, who is usually laid back and welcoming, was subdued and restrained and did not want to appear to be too excited about his sit-down with the First Lady, she explained.
'He started with his hands clasped and he's gesturing very low to the body. It felt like he needed to protect himself during the interaction.'
By the time she took her seat in the VIP box next to him, the pair both appeared to have loosened up somewhat.
Melania and Trudeau later joined Prince Harry and the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in the VIP box inside the stadium
The First Lady proudly rose to her feet to applaud some of the 550 athletes taking place in the third Invictus games
Prince Harry's girlfriend, Suits actress Meghan Markle, sat in the stadium 18 seats away from him and Melania
Melania rose to her feet to cheer on athletes, smiling widely as they entered the stadium as part of the Parade of Nations.
Prince Harry indulged her in some small talk. The 33-year-old could be forgiven for being a little distracted given that his 36-year-old girlfriend, Suits starlet Meghan Markle, was placed 18 rows away with a friend.
It was Meghan's first appearance at an official event with Harry since their romance was confirmed by Kensington Palace last year.
Because they are not engaged, Royal protocol prohibits her from sitting next to him at official engagements.
She was joined instead by her friend Markus Anderson, a Soho House Group consultant who is credited with introducing the pair last year.
Markle clapped proudly as Harry wrapped up his speech on stage before making a swift exit with her friend before the ceremony officially drew to a close.
A conservative UC Berkeley student group working with right-wing instigator Milo Yiannopoulos to host a 'Free Speech Week' on campus has had to cancel the event.
The former Breibart News columnist promised to still have the four-day program in Berkeley, California, according to The Mercury News.
The assurance is causing university and law officials to have to still prepare for a potentially violent clash on Sunday.
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A conservative UC Berkeley student group working with right-wing instigator Milo Yiannopoulos to host a 'Free Speech Week' on campus has had to cancel
During a Facebook Live news conference Saturday morning, Yiannopoulos asserted that the event would move on without the Berkely Patriot student group.
'We are going to be hosting an event come hell or high water tomorrow,' he said, accompanied by anti-Islam writer Pamela Geller and conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich, only two of the handful of notables who said they would be in attendance.
Yiannopoulos, 33, who launched Milo Inc. earlier this year, offered little details but claimed to hold a rally on campus at Sproul Plaza at noon 'with or without' the group and that there would be a 'huge surprise.'
School officials claimed that they expected to spend about $1million on security and logistics for the week
However, he added: 'I can't promise you're going to be safe. It's not an official event.'
'Anti-facist' demonstrators and Joey Gibson of Patriot Prayer have both asserted that they will be in town for Free Speech Week. Patriot Prayer, a Portland, Oregon-based group has attracted 'alt-right' fans.
But all is still a toss up, with university officials uncertain about who all will show up to the demonstration.
An anonymous source told the Bay Area News Group Saturday that some speakers never intended to come to the event at all. They even went as far to say that Yiannopoulos was scrambling just to piece the pieces together
Speaker Lucian Wintrich, in an email chain obtained by the Bay Area News Group, told UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof on Saturday morning that the event was just an attention seeker from the start.
'It was known that they didn't intend to actually go through with it last week, and completely decided on Wednesday,' Wintrich, a writer for the right-wing blog The Gateway Pundit, said.
'Wait, whoah, hold on a second,' said a shocked Mogulof.
'What, exactly, are you saying? What were you told by MILO Inc? Was it a set-up from the get-go?'
'Yes,' Wintrich added.
On the phone, Saturday afternoon, Wintrich shared he was criticized for being scared of left wing 'antifa' protesters when he withdrew his name from the speaker list last week.
'No, no,' Wintrich said.
The Free Speech Week would have helped the left-leaning school, which has had to battle claims that it doesn't support conservative free speech
'What's the point of keeping your name on something that's set up to fail?'
In an email to news media on Saturday morning, Mogulof said: 'It is extremely unfortunate that this announcement (about the cancellation of Free Speech Week) was made at the last minute, even as the university was in the process of spending significant sums of money and preparing for substantial disruption of campus life in order to provide the needed security for these events.'
At a conference on Saturday afternoon interrupted by shouting protesters from Refuse Facism, Mogulof said that the university was ready for the provocateur's arrival.
School officials claimed that they expected to spend about $1million on security and logistics for the week.
The last time the controversial figure was on campus in February, the school was rocked by violent demonstrations.
Ben Shapiro's seemingly peaceful event on campus earlier this month only cost the university $600,000 in additional security from all across the University of California system. The annual 'demonstration fund' is $250,000.
Ben Shapiro's seemingly peaceful event on campus earlier this month only cost the university $600,000 in additional security from all across the University of California system. The annual 'demonstration fund' is $250,000
The Free Speech Week would have helped the left-leaning school, which has had to battle claims that it doesn't support conservative free speech. But it was never at full throttle.
University officials said that the group missed deadlines needed to secure indoor vendors.
Ann Coulter backed away from the event because of the commotion and other noticeable figures claimed they never had any intention of coming.
Yiannopoulos even claimed that he expected at least one speaker just to 'troll' him.
An anonymous source told the Bay Area News Group Saturday that some speakers never intended to come to the event at all. They even went as far to say that Yiannopoulos was scrambling just to piece the pieces together.
Some 300 protesters descended on Telegraph Avenue toward the southern edge of campus to peacefully demonstrate - and were followed by at least a half dozen police cars.
Former military intelligence analyst who spent years in prison for leaking classified informartion, Chelsea Manning, even made an appearance at the march.
Some 300 left-wing protesters descended on Telegraph Avenue toward the southern edge of campus to peacefully demonstrate. Chelsea Manning even made an appearance at the march
She shared her own testimony about her visit at Harvard University for a visiting fellowship was cancelled after receiving flack from CIA Director Mike Pompeo.
'Where were the free-speech people on that?' she asked.
Manning was allegedly told not to come to the event because it wasn't safe, but she asserted that she came to support the anti-hate movement.
Manning added: 'We need each other right now.'
'Hateful movements don't have a place, and they should not have a place on a publicly run university' campus, said Pablo Espinoza, another marcher.
Melo the attorney said, in a letter on Saturday, that the university was creating roadblocks for the student group and that they were 'contemplating initiating litigation against the responsible parties and the administration for violation of our clients' civil rights.'
'This has never been about free speech,' said American studies professor, Michael Cohen.
'This is the equivalent of a five-day flat earther conference in front of the physics department.'
Mogulof also added: 'Claims that this is somehow the outcome desired by the campus are without basis in fact. The university was prepared to do whatever was necessary to support the First Amendment rights of the student organization.'
Fears are rising that tensions could boil over into another riot in Sydney's south after a violent brawl erupted on North Cronulla beach.
Locals fear a toxic mix of warm weather and alcohol, combined with territorial tensions as crowds of people flock to Cronulla - the only beach in Sydney easily accessible by train - from other parts of the city mirror conditions that fueled the race riots of 12 years ago.
Cronulla's beaches, located about an hour south of Sydney city, are popular for people who live away from the coastline because of the easy access by train, unlike strips such as Bondi and Manly which are reachable almost exclusively by road.
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A large brawl involving nearly 50 'Middle Eastern' men broke out at North Cronulla beach because they were fighting over a girl
Seven News spoke to some of the onlookers who described it as 'alcohol-fueled violence' on what was supposed to be a friendly family day out in the sunshine
Cronulla is the only beach in Sydney on a direct train line, making it popular with those who live away from the coast line
Tensions flared on Saturday, when a brawl broke out at the northern end of the beach around 3pm between two groups of young men, reportedly over a girl.
Police were called, and they said on Sunday that three teenagers 'not from the area' were charged as a result of the fighting.
Locals taking to social media said the latest violence reminded them of the lead up to the 2005 Cronulla race riots, when gangs of young men from anglo-saxon backgrounds waged running skirmishes with young men of Middle Eastern backgrounds.
Then, residents said they began to feel they were losing control of their area - as large groups of mainly young men would increasingly come to the area via train and set up for the day.
They would drink, smoke, and yell out to passing girls.
Many locals claimed the ever-growing crowd were behind beach robberies, with phones, bags and wallets left on the beach while their owners swam going missing.
Others spoke of bikes and skateboards disappearing, and many were dissatisfied with the police response.
Then, in early December, two surf lifesavers were bashed by young men believed to be of Middle Eastern background.
In December 2005, thousands flocked to the Sutherland Shire after disputes with young men coming via train to the area
The large, violent, and partly intoxicated group easily outnumbered police despite their best efforts to control the situation
The next day a text message was sent around the area, encouraging people to come to Cronulla to 'support leb and wog bashing day' the following weekend.
That Sunday, an estimated 5000 people, many of them intoxicated young men, converged on Cronulla car park for a demonstration - but it quickly escalated into a riot.
Horrific pictures of the day showed people, mostly of middle-eastern appearance, being glassed and hit as crazed onlookers cheered on the attackers.
The next day text messages are sent around urging 'all Arabs to unite as one'.
Believing members of the Bra Boys were coming to attack them, about 2000 people gathered at Lakemba Mosque, some of them armed.
When nobody arrived, the infuriated group drove south towards Brighton, Maroubra and Cronulla, where shops, cars and homes were subject to attack.
Shocking images of people being glassed and beaten surfaced from the fights, which stretched over days
More than 100 people were charged, and 40 were injured in the riots, which appeared to focus mostly on divisions of race
By the end of the riots, more than 100 people were facing charges, and 40 people had been injured.
The streets of Cronulla were left silent and empty, with many too afraid to leave their homes for weeks.
In the years since, the area has recovered and become more of a dining destination, with a concentration placed on upscale restaurants and cafes in the area.
Recently, locals say large groups have begun returning to Cronulla beach to drink, smoke and yell out at passing girls.
Residents on local social media pages have been left furious, claiming the groups are anti-social, causing a nuisance, and leaving litter on the beaches.
People called on police to better manage large groups of people attending the beach and sometimes causing trouble
Since, the Cronulla area has been fairly peaceful, but tensions are beginning to rebuild
Many blamed the incident on the fact Cronulla is the only beach on a train line in Sydney
Following Saturday's brawl, many appear to feel the town is once again at breaking point.
A woman sitting nearby the two groups involved told Daily Mail Australia the men were drinking and smoking on the beach - an alcohol free zone - and that she had been the recipient of lewd comments.
She said the group next to her clearly had problems with another group of young men nearby, labelling the situation 'bizarre'.
'There were definitely two opposing groups we were sat between the two of them, was honestly super bizarre,' she said.
Comments on social media vary, from suggesting the train station be shut down to predicting another riot in the coming months.
Locals have called on police to do more about large groups of young men drinking on the beach and yelling obscenities at passing women
Many appear perturbed by the idea of such violence hitting the streets again, but others seem to be almost egging it on in their comments.
'So many blow ins being absolute f*** wits with no respect again,' one man wrote.
'Sort it out cops or it's just going to play out the same way!'
A woman who lives in the area described summer in Cronulla as a 'ticking time bomb'.
'Always always tourists come here and start shit because of what happened 12 years ago,' she said.
'If you don't like the surroundings stay in your area and go to the local pool.'
Another noted the issue is non-existent in winter, writing: 'Sun's out, trouble's about'.
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake that shook Mexico on Saturday was blamed for five deaths, spreading fear among a population reeling from multiple natural disasters and interrupting the search for survivors from a bigger tremor earlier this week.
South of Mexico City, the Popocatepetl volcano sent a column of ash into the sky, capping a period of seismic activity including two powerful tremors this month that have killed more than 400 people and caused damages of up to $8billion.
Mexicos capital was shattered by Tuesdays magnitude 7.1 quake that flattened dozens of buildings and killed at least 307 people.
The governments response to the disaster is under close scrutiny ahead of a presidential election next year.
The image above is a view of the Ixtlaltepec bridge collapsed by a 6.2-magnitude earthquake in Ixtlatepec, Oaxaca state
The latest earthquake spread fear among a population reeling from multiple natural disasters and interrupted the search for survivors from a bigger tremor earlier this week
A woman is seen below praying in Mexico City after tremors were felt in the capital on Saturday
Mexicos capital was shattered by Tuesdays magnitude 7.1 quake that flattened dozens of buildings and killed at least 307 people
Although the latest quake was not as destructive, fear is running high among the population.
Terrified residents crouched and prayed when the alarms went off and two women died of heart attacks as the ground shook, the city government said.
Concern that the quake could cause further collapses paralyzed rescue efforts at a housing complex in the Tlalpan neighborhood of Mexico City, frustrating first responders who earlier believed people were alive under the rubble.
By the evening, hard-hatted first responders were again digging for bodies or survivors.
People who are living in a shelter because their homes were damaged in an earthquake, are united in a prayer after a tremor was felt in Mexico City on Saturday
Rescue workers evacuate the place where they were working after a seismic alert sounded in Mexico City on September 23
In the capital, the quake four days ago toppled 39 buildings, mostly in a central area with older construction
A collapsed Church is seen in Totolapan four days after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake jolted central Mexico
People started a memorial with flowers at a park in front of one of the collapsed buildings in Mexico City
Elsewhere, the work barely skipped a beat when earthquake alarms twice rang out across the streets of the city.
The United States Geological Survey said the latest quake was relatively shallow with an epicenter near Juchitan, a tropical region of Oaxaca state hard hit by a massive 8.1 magnitude tremor that struck on Sept. 7.
Three people died during Saturdays tremor in Oaxaca, including a man who was attacked by a swarm of wild bees, authorities said.
Mexicos seismological authorities said Saturdays quake was an aftershock of that tremor, which was the strongest to hit the country in 85 years and killed at least 98 people.
The Popocatepetl volcano, which is visible on a clear day to the approximately 20 million people that live in the Mexico City metropolitan region, spewed vapor and ash-filled gas after two small eruptions on Saturday.
Saturday's quake was much weaker than the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that hit on Tuesday.
The earthquake was felt across Mexico, toppling houses, shaking buildings in the country's capital and leaving a million without power amid reports tremors were detected as a far away as Austin, Texas - more than 1,300 miles from the epicenter.
Rescue efforts were suspended in areas affected by Tuesday's quake to allow authorities to see if the new tremors would put workers at risk, according to Luis Felipe Puente, the head of Mexico's civil protection agency.
President Donald Trump has warned 'Little Rocket Man' Kim Jong-un that if he will not be around much longer if he strikes the U.S.
He posted the tweet on Saturday night after listening to the hermit kingdom's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho speak at the UN.
Ho called Trump 'a mentally deranged person full of megalomania,' and promised that a strike on the U.S. mainland was 'inevitable.'
In response, Trump wrote: 'Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!'
The post was part of a social media tirade, targeting the NFL and Iran.
President Donald Trump has warned 'Little Rocket Man' Kim Jong-un that if he will not be around much longer if he strikes the U.S
President Donald Trump was busy on Twitter once again Saturday, this time taking aim at Iran, North Korea and the NFL
Trump posted the tweet on Saturday night after listening to the hermit kingdom's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho speak at the UN. Ho called Trump 'a mentally deranged person full of megalomania,' and promised that a strike on the U.S. mainland was 'inevitable'
The president accused the Islamic Republic of plotting with his nemesis, North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un.
Trump also alluded to the Iran nuclear deal, signed by his predecessor, Barack Obama.
'Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!' Trump tweeted.
Iran said on Saturday that it had successfully tested a new medium-range missile in defiance of warnings from Washington that such activities were grounds for abandoning their landmark nuclear deal.
State television carried footage of the launch of the Khoramshahr missile, which was first displayed at a high-profile military parade in Tehran on Friday.
The president accused the Islamic Republic of plotting with his nemesis, North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un
Trump also alluded to the Iran nuclear deal, signed by his predecessor, Barack Obama
It also carried in-flight video from the nose cone of the missile, which has a range of 1,250 miles (2,000 km) and can carry multiple warheads.
'As long as some speak in the language of threats, the strengthening of the country's defense capabilities will continue and Iran will not seek permission from any country for producing various kinds of missile,' Defense Minister Amir Hatami said in a statement.
The test comes at the end of a heated week of diplomacy at the UN General Assembly in New York, where Trump again accused Iran of destabilizing the Middle East, calling it a 'rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos'.
Iran said on Saturday that it had successfully tested a new medium-range missile in defiance of warnings from Washington. Pictured, Iran displays a new multiple-warhead medium-range missile dubbed the Khoramshahr at a military parade in Tehran
Previous Iranian missile launches have triggered US sanctions and accusations that they violate the spirit of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.
Iran, which fought a brutal war with neighboring Iraq in the 1980s, sees missiles as a legitimate and vital part of its defense - particularly as regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel import huge amounts of military hardware from the West.
President Hassan Rouhani vows to boost Iran's missile capabilities in defiance of US warnings as he inspects a medium-range Zelzal missile at a military parade in Tehran on September 22
Trump has threatened to bin the nuclear agreement, saying Iran is developing missiles that may be used to deliver a nuclear warhead when the deal's restrictions are lifted in 2025.
He is due to report to Congress on October 15 on whether Iran is still complying with the deal and whether it remains in US interests to stick by it.
If he decides that it is not, that could open the way for US lawmakers to reimpose sanctions, leading to the potential collapse of the agreement.
Trump said on Wednesday he had made his decision but was not yet ready to reveal it.
The other signatories to the deal - Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the EU - have all pushed for it to continue.
Islamic Republic of Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks during the U.N. General Assembly at the United Nations
They point out that abandoning the agreement will remove restrictions on Iran immediately, rather than in eight years' time, and that the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly confirmed Tehran is meeting its commitments.
Iran says all of its missiles are designed to carry conventional warheads only and has limited their range to a maximum of 2,000 kilometers, although commanders say they have the technology to go further.
That makes them only medium-range but still sufficient to reach Israel or US bases in the Gulf.
At Friday's military parade, President Hassan Rouhani hit out at those who 'create problems for the peoples of our region every day and boast of selling arms to the bloodthirsty Zionist regime which has been attacking the peoples of our region for 70 years like a cancerous tumor.'
As well as carrying out missile tests, Iran has also launched a space satellite and fired missiles at Islamic State group targets in eastern Syria in recent months.
The hamburger chain owned by Mark Wahlberg and his two brothers, Donnie and Paul, is reportedly in financial trouble.
The Wahlburgers location in Coney Island, Brooklyn shuttered this month because the restaurant did not pay its bills on time, Page Six reported on Saturday.
They have not been paying their bills, the gossip site quoted a source as saying.
They were on the verge of being locked out of Coney Island because the restaurant did not pay its rent, the source said.
The brothers are also reportedly having trouble launching its Times Square location also because of issues with rent money.
The hamburger chain owned by Mark Wahlberg (far right) and his two brothers, Donnie (far left) and Paul (center), is reportedly in financial trouble
The Wahlburgers location in Coney Island, Brooklyn (above) shuttered this month reportedly because the restaurant did not pay its bills on time
According to Page Six, Wahlburgers owes rent money to Thor Equities, the property owner of the 8,300-square-foot location on 8th Avenue in Manhattan.
Theyre having trouble opening in Times Square. Theres some financial issue, a source told Page Six.
Wahlburgers released a statement to Page Six, saying: Wahlburgers required its Coney Island restaurant to close due to a number of factors.
The same franchise group was in the process of developing a space in Times Square.
In both cases the franchisee was not operating in compliance with Wahlburgers business practices and brand standards.
Ownership is in the process of restructuring their business and bringing in new management to ensure that Wahlburgers Coney Island maintains the brands values and high criteria as both a restaurant and a workplace.
We are committed to the revitalization of Coney Island and reopening there, in addition to bringing Wahlburgers to Times Square, when were confident the leadership, staff, and resources are in place to uphold Wahlburgers commitment to excellence in all regards.
The brothers are also reportedly having trouble launching its Times Square location also because of issues with rent money. Donnie Wahlberg (third from left) and Paul Wahlberg (four from left) attend the VIP Preview Party at Wahlburgers Coney Island in 2015
We have no further comment.
Wahlburgers has expanded to operate at least a dozen locations across the United States and Canada, with over two dozen more in the planning stages.
The company is run by the three brothers two of whom, Mark and Donnie, are actors, and a third, Paul, who is a classically trained chef who has worked in the restaurant industry for 30 years.
Its CEO, Rick Vanzura, told Business Insider last year that the company plans to open 118 total locations within the next seven years.
Wahlburgers is looking to attract customers in the highly competitive better-burger market, which features popular chains like Shake Shack, Five Guys, and Smashburger.
Shake Shack, which operates 136 restaurants in various locations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, is said to be worth an estimated $2.8billion, putting it in a league with established brand names like Wendys and Papa Johns.
The Wahlbergs have not been forthcoming about the restaurant's financial state.
The story of Wahlburgers is the subject of a reality television series on A&E that has aired for eight seasons.
Billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson has visited HMS Ocean to thank the military for their Caribbean relief efforts in the wake of two destructive hurricanes.
The helicopter and amphibious assault craft dropped anchor off the British Virgin Islands on Friday, after steaming across the Atlantic Ocean to join the Task Force operation.
Loaded with more than 60 tons of aid, a 650-strong ship's company, landing craft and nine helicopters, its cargo also includes building materials, vehicles and tools.
Nick Wood, executive officer of HMS Ocean, said Sir Richard toured the ship on Saturday taking a look at the engineering spaces, the bridge, the ops room, the hangar and the aid stores and 'had time for a word with everybody'.
Sir Richard Branson (right) visited HMS Ocean to thank the military for their Caribbean relief efforts in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. He's pictured above in discussion with Commanding Officer Lt Col Paul Maynard (left) on the island of Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands, after Hurricane Irma
Nick Wood, executive officer of HMS Ocean, said Sir Richard (right) toured the ship on Saturday taking a look at the engineering spaces, the bridge, the ops room, the hangar and the aid stores
Sir Richard's own home on Necker Island (pictured) was destroyed by Hurricane Irma earlier this month
'He was brilliant, I think he recognises how much the military has done for the islands in particular and what stuck me is how much ownership he feels towards the BVI,' he said.
'Today was him coming on board pressing the flesh with all the sailors and just saying thank you posing for 150 selfies the ship's company was absolutely made up, he loved it.
Chaplain Paul Andrew with donated toys which are en route to the British overseas territories in the Caribbean on board HMS Ocean, to be given out to children
'It's been a really really good few days for the ship, it's unfortunate that the circumstances are this, but actually it brings out the very best in the sailors that they have gone ashore and they are absolutely exhausted when they get back.
'They just want to have a few hours' sleep and go again. Richard Branson was a lovely thank you to them.'
Mr Wood said Sir Richard is a 'nice bloke', and that it was a 'private visit with no airs or graces'.
He added: 'We talked about how excited he is for his space travel, he thinks he will be in space by April next year he's looking forward to that.
'I challenged him on when I am going to see a Virgin moon-based hotel and he said 'watch this space'.'
As Hurricane Maria rolled through the region and up towards Turks and Caicos, it skirted past the overseas territories of the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla, which were left devastated by Irma.
At least 30 people died in storm, and dozens more remain missing more than a week after it made landfall.
The British Government announced that it will give the hurricane-ravaged island of Dominica 5 million in UK aid. The HMS Ocean (pictured) is one of several ships in the region helping with relief efforts
A Royal Air Force Chinook arrives on the island of Tortola with a BV all-terrain vehicle under-slung, British Virgin Islands
Undated Ministry of Defence handout photo of an assortment of children's toys which are en route to the British overseas territories in the Caribbean on board HMS Ocean, to be given out to children who have been affected by the recent hurricaine
The British Government announced that it will give the hurricane-ravaged island of Dominica 5 million in UK aid.
Priti Patel is visiting the Caribbean on Sunday, during a whistle-stop tour, so she can survey the damage caused to a number of British overseas territories that were pummelled by two major storms in close succession.
Category five Hurricane Maria ravaged the island of Dominica after making landfall on Monday, leaving 98 per cent of buildings damaged and thousands without power affecting almost the entire 70,000 population.
Ms Patel announced the latest wave of UK Government support as she visited HMS Ocean, which on Friday delivered 60 tonnes of UK aid to the Caribbean, almost doubling the amount of aid in the region.
She said: 'The UK has pledged to give 5 million to the people of Dominica, the island worst hit by Hurricane Maria on top of the 57 million already promised to the region to strengthen recovery following these relentless disasters.
'I have come to the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla to see first-hand UK aid in action, helping families whose lives have been ripped apart first by Hurricane Irma and then Maria.
'The UK is leading the way in the relief effort, delivering emergency food, water and shelter to those who need it most.
Sailors from Plymouth based HMS Ocean have arrived on Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands, the ship full of relief aid and the sailors ready to work
The ship arrived today with around 650 personnel and 60 tonnes of aid including construction equipment and other essential materials such as hygiene kits and water purification tablets
Ocean's arrival means there are now over 2,000 UK military personnel working on the relief effort, making it the largest deployment of UK personnel anywhere in the world
Within only a couple hours of dropping anchor, the relief teams arrived by air and sea, Utilising RAF Chinooks and Royal Navy Wildcat and Merlin Helicopters and Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP) from 1 Assault Group Royal Marines
'We will continue to clear up after this devastation in the weeks, months and years to come.'
During her trip, Ms Patel will meet families in the British Virgin Islands whose lives were torn apart by Hurricane Irma, and she will visit Anguilla to see UK efforts to get schools and businesses up and running to speed up recovery.
The 5 million pledge brings the British Governments financial support for islands hit by Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Irma to 62 million, a sum which has gone to overseas territories including the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla and Turks and Caicos.
The Government is also doubling any UK public donations made to the British Red Cross' Irma and Maria appeals, a pledge which has so far raised more than 2 million.
The pledge of UK aid comes after the prime minister of Dominica formally requested international support to address the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria.
It will go directly towards restoring health services and increasing access to healthcare in the most affected areas.
Britain was one of the first to arrive in Dominica following the storm, with Department for International Development (DfID) field teams immediately delivering urgent medical supplies such as insulin vaccinations and water purifiers.
The UK is working with the UN, Red Cross and other partners on the ground to distribute aid, including food, across Dominica.
Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) met separately and then jointly with the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian, and the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, on 22-23 September on the margins of the UN General Assembly. The Co-Chairs were joined by the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk. The main aim of the consultations was to discuss the current situation in the conflict zone, to explore ways to reinvigorate the negotiation process, and to prepare for the upcoming summit between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Co-Chairs expect the summit meeting to contribute to enhancing confidence and political will among the parties to find compromise solutions to the remaining key settlement issues. The Ministers expressed their commitment to work with the Co-Chairs to prepare for a successful summit in the near future. The Co-Chairs also met with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger and UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman to discuss the situation on the ground as well as the latest developments in the peace process and to inform them of preparations for the next high-level meetings. The Co-Chairs intend to travel to the region at the beginning of October.
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Motorcycle enthusiasts across Australia and around the world have donned their smartest suits and ties for the 2017 Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride.
Dressed to impress they took to the streets of Sydney, Manilla, Auckland, London and many other cities around the world aboard bikes and mopeds on Sunday.
The ride took place to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer research and suicide prevention.
The event - founded in Sydney by Australian Mark Hawwa - aims to connect riding communities while battling the negative stereotypes of men on motorcycles.
A very dapper gentleman captures an action shot of the Victorian riders taking part in the Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride
A congregation of bikes and dapper gentlemen form in Brisbane to take part in the annual Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride
Posing for a photo with his glossy bike, this young man gets ready to ride through Sydney for men's health awareness
A quick selfie before the ride took off in Sydney on Sunday shows a bunch of gentlemen on board their bikes
Motorcycle enthusiasts participate during the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride event in Manila, Philippines, on Sunday
Motorcycles of vintage styles took part, including: Cafe racer, Bobber, Classic, Tracker, Scrambler, Old School Chopper, Modern Classic, Sidecar, Classic Scooter, and Brat Styled.
Rides were held across Australia, with the ride in Sydney involving 750 riders, the event in Melbourne attracting 969 participants and Brisbane's notching up 510 eager motorcyclists.
Other cities that held rides included Adelaide, Ballarat, Busselton, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hobart, Karratha, Mackay, Newcastle, Perth, Townsville and Wollongong.
Thirty-three cities in Australia took part, with more than 5,800 riders working together to raise more than $960,580.
Crowds of Australian gentlemen gather in Sydney on Sunday, riding together for the annual Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride
The event - founded in Sydney by Australian Mark Hawwa - aims to connect riding communities while battling the negative stereotypes of men on motorcycles
Event creator Mark Hawwa wrote online that he would be taking part in the Sydney ride aboard a Triumph Thruxton R.
'I will don my finest attire with my fellow men and women across the globe to join the fight with The Distinguished Gentlemans Ride to raise awareness for prostate cancer and mens mental health,' he wrote.
'But before I press my tweed and polish my boots, I need you to donate what you can for this meaningful cause and help me reach my goal.
'For your uncles, your brothers, your fathers and friends. Donate what you can, for their lives need not end.'
The ride is a worldwide event where classic, vintage and custom motorcycle enthusiasts raise awareness and funds for men's health
Motorcycles of vintage styles took part, including: Cafe racer, Bobber, Classic, Tracker, Scrambler, Old School Chopper and Modern Classic
With his helmet and aviators on, one rider in Manila gets ready to take part in the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride on Sunday
Only vintage and unique styled bikes are allowed to participate in the ride, according to the official rules
The sunny weather in the Philippines made each bike shine as they made their way around the city
This bright red
According to the official Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride website, the United States have so far raised the most for the cause, with $1,583,440 donated.
Australia is following in second place, while England has raised $708,475.
Over 600 cities around the world, with over 70,000 participants, take part in the ride each year to raise funds for men's health.
Only vintage and unique styled bikes are allowed to participate in the ride, according to the official rules.
A very dapper gentleman poses with his bike in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride
A couple join forces to ride together in Marrickville, Sydney, raising funds for men's health
While the event raises money for men's health, women are invited to join the ride as well
An impressive line up of vintage bikes gather for the annual Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride
While the event raises money for men's health, women are invited to join the ride as well.
'The Distinguished Gentlemans Ride raises money for mens causes, yet in much the same way we support our fellow ladies upon womens based charity initiatives we would love as many gentle ladies on our ride as possible,' the organisation wrote.
Many women took part in the event dressed in pressed shirts with bow ties or suspenders to match their male companions.
Coming together to support men's health, this couple were all smiles as they took to the streets on their motorcycle
Donning a pink suit to match her brilliantly pink motorcycle, this English rider stood out at the Gentlemen's Ride
One rider took a moment to touch up her lipstick before riding through Brisbane for the Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride
Bringing a touch of old school glamour to the ride was this couple, matching his tie to her scarf
Premier League star Dejan Lovren reportedly fears burglars gassed him and his family as they slept during a raid on his holiday home.
The Liverpool and Croatia player, thought to earn 100,000-a-week, was staying at a rented flat in Zagreb when thieves struck.
Lovren lost cash and jewellery in the incident.
Premier League star Dejan Lovren (pictured) reportedly fears burglars gassed him and his family as they slept during a raid on his holiday home
The 28-year-old told the Sun on Sunday: 'Yes, I was robbed. They have stolen everything from me. I heard absolutely nothing. It is as if they had put something in my apartment for me to fall asleep.
'They could have kidnapped my kids, and I wouldn't have noticed at all.'
Last year it was reported a gangster had an affair with Lovren's wife.
The player was allegedly at the centre of a 3.5million extortion plot and has told of his fears his children could be kidnapped.
Last year it was reported Lovren's wife Anita (right) had an affair with a gangster
The latest drama came on his son's birthday and Lovren claims to have spent money trying to remove pictures of his children from the internet.
Police in Croatia have arrested four men, aged 25 to 33, in connection with the June burglary.
And two men, father and son Damir and Dario Torbic, are currently awaiting trial accused of kidnapping a women who allegedly tried to tell Lovren of the blackmail plot.
Boris Johnson, pictured at the PM's key speech in Florence last week, is risking a fresh Cabinet meltdown over Brexit
Boris Johnson is said to be risking a fresh Cabinet meltdown over Brexit by setting more red lines for the negotiations.
The Foreign Secretary is apparently demanding that Britain does not accept any new regulations from Brussels during a mooted two-year transition period.
The issue is likely to be a flashpoint within the government and with the EU as the negotiations intensify over the coming months.
Brexiteers want the UK to be able to set our own rules and strip out red tape as soon as possible in order to gain a competitive advantage.
But Eurocrats will try to insist that we must fully agree to all EU regulations while we have the benefits of our current membership terms.
The Cabinet struck an uneasy truce last week before Theresa May's crucial speech in Florence, where she made a series of concessions to the EU in a bid to unblock talks.
The PM said the UK was ready to cover the huge hole left in Brussels' finances for another two years after we formally leave in 2019 - contributing potentially another 20 billion euros - and meet other liabilities that could total tens of billions more.
She also said the European court could help enforce the rights of EU nationals - easing back a previous red line - and admitted that bringing in tougher immigration measures would take time, raising the possibility that free movement rules could essentially stay in place for longer.
But Mrs May said in return for the 'generous' offer the UK must have full access to the single market during a two-year 'transition' period.
Setting out her vision for a post-Brexit future, she also ruled out existing models for trade arrangements such as Norway's, saying: 'We can do better than that.'
She suggested the final deal should be 'bespoke', but could be a much looser affiliation similar to that sealed with Canada.
Mr Johnson praised the speech as 'positive, optimistic and dynamic'. But he had thrown the Cabinet into chaos the previous week with a bombshell article seen as an attempt to push the PM into a harder stance on Brexit.
He even made an apparent resignation threat to maximise his leverage, before backing off on the eve of the speech.
Mrs May, pictured going to church in her Maidenhead constituency with husband Philip today, is trying to manage the vying factions on Brexit within her Cabinet
Theresa May delivered her Brexit speech in Florence in Friday making a series of concessions to the EU but calling for a two-year transition deal
Boris Johnson hailed the speech in a tweet afterwards, saying it 'rightly' disposed of the 'Norway option' of staying in the EU single market
According to the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Johnson is now agitating on the issue of whether Britain should have to adopt EU rules and regulations after formally leaving the bloc in March 2019.
A Cabinet source told the newspaper: "Boris will be one of those Cabinet ministers pushing to make sure we don't have any new EU rules and regulations during the transition."
One ally of Mr Johnson said: "There should not be any new regulations during that period. We should uphold those we have already but not take any more."
Ministers are hoping they can skate over the topic of new regulation, even though we will not be able to vote on the substance of rules during the transition.
Many point out that due to the glacial speed of legislation in the EU, any new rules that come into force during the two years will in reality have been approved by the UK while it was still a member of the bloc.
Two years after she lost her leg in the horrifying Alton Towers roller coaster crash, Vicky Balch has found love with a Paralympian.
The 22-year-old has reportedly fallen for Countryfile presenter and athlete Steve Brown who she met on the BBC documentary, Without Limits.
The gruelling challenge saw the pair trek some 900 miles across Vietnam alongside five others with physical disabilities - and form a close bond along the way.
Vicky Balch (left) has reportedly fallen for Countryfile presenter and Paralympian Steve Brown (right) after they met on the BBC documentary, Without Limits
Steve (left) and Vicky (second from right) took part in the gruelling trek across Vietnam for the show
Ms Balch, from Preston, was so badly injured when The Smiler ride collided with a stationary carriage in 2015 (pictured) that she needed her right leg amputated below the knee
Ms Balch, pictured left outside court in 2016 and right walking in London Fashion Week this month
Friends of Ms Balch told The Mirror the pair were 'happy and positive about the future'.
Ms Balch, from Preston, was so badly injured when The Smiler ride collided with a stationary carriage in 2015 that she needed her right leg amputated below the knee.
But determined to overcome her disability, Ms Balch has gone on to forge a career as a successful model - even walking for a top label during London Fashion Week earlier this month.
Her latest endeavour saw her drive along the Ho Chi Minh trail with Mary Russell, who was born with the most common type of dwarfism, and Olympic wheelchair rugby captain Steve Brown, who was paralysed from the chest down 12 years ago.
Friends of Ms Balch said she and Steve Brown were 'happy and positive about the future'
Steve Brown, centre, became the GB Wheelchair Rugby Captain at the 2012 games
Steve Brown was left paralysed at the age of 24 when he broke his spine after tripping and falling over the balcony at a friend's house in Germany in 2005
On their first day of the Vietnam trip, the car began to struggle in the heat, and as they climbed a steep mountain it quickly lost power and veered dangerously towards the safety barriers that lined the verge.
Quick-thinking Ms Balch managed to bring the car to a stop.
But the instant she knew she was safe she broke down in tears as memories of the Smiler crash - in which four other people were seriously injured - rushed over her.
'It just brought a lot back,' she told cameras.
The pair are thought to have formed a close bond during their time spent trekking through Vietnam
Ms Balch was so badly injured when The Smiler ride collided with a stationary carriage in 2015 that she needed her right leg amputated below the knee
Ms Balch has said she took part in the journey in a bid to prove she can live a normal life, and be 'more than the girl from Alton Towers'.
Steve Brown was left paralysed at the age of 24 when he broke his spine after tripping and falling over the balcony at a friend's house in Germany in 2005.
But the keen sportsman turned his life around and went on the captain the Wheelchair Rugby Team at the 2012 Olympics.
The 36-year-old from Kent is now a wildlife presenter, and hosts Countryfile on BBC One.
Dozens of British nationals who were in the Caribbean when Hurricane Maria hit last week are still missing.
Victor Williams, 61, his wife Yvonne, and father Joseph are among the long list of British nationals who are still unaccounted for following the storm, which has killed at least 30 people.
The couple had just moved to the island of Dominica last month, and Victor's daughter, Candice Garrett, 38, from Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire, said she hasn't heard from them in a week.
British troops have airlifted ten UK passport holders from Dominica, where at least 30 others are believed to still be missing.
Hurricane Maria has added to the extensive damage on British overseas territories after the region was pummelled by a second major storm in two weeks on Monday.
Victor Williams, 61, and his wife Yvonne are among the long list of British nationals who are still unaccounted for following Hurricane Maria, which has killed at least 30 people in the Caribbean
The couple (left) had just moved to the island of Dominica last month, and Victor's daughter, Candice Garrett, 38, from Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire, said she hasn't heard from them in a week. Garrett said her Grandad, Joseph Williams (right), is also missing
Residents bathe and clean laundry in a river in Canefield in the Caribbean island of Dominica, four days after the passage of Hurricane Maria. Maria previously tore through several Caribbean islands, claiming the highest toll on Dominica, which has a population of around 72,000 and has been largely cut off from the outside world
Homes lay scattered after the passing of Hurricane Maria in Roseau, the capital of the island of Dominica on Saturday
A father and son search for fresh water on Sunday in Castle Comfort on the Caribbean island of Dominica following passage of Hurricane Maria
People await a boat to depart Roseau on the Caribbean island of Dominica following passage of Hurricane Maria on Sunday
A British man is among the dead following Maria, with his body yet to be recovered, after a boat capsized off Puerto Rico near Vieques, as Maria unleashed devastation.
The US Coast Guard in Miami said a British Royal Navy helicopter hoisted a woman and two children from the overturned vessel on Thursday, after a distress call was sent from the boat
Also among those unaccounted for following Maria are Stewart Andrews and his wife, Deb, who are originally from the North East.
Initial reports from Dominica suggest large-scale devastation, with 90 per cent of buildings damaged or destroyed by the storm which made landfall with the island on Monday.
The Government will give the hurricane-ravaged island of Dominica 5 million in UK aid, the International Development Secretary has announced.
Priti Patel will visit the Caribbean on Sunday, during a whistle-stop tour, so she can survey the damage caused to a number of British overseas territories.
Ms Patel announced the latest wave of UK Government support as she visited HMS Ocean, which on Friday delivered 60 tonnes of UK aid to the Caribbean, almost doubling the amount of aid in the region.
She said: 'The UK has pledged to give 5 million to the people of Dominica, the island worst hit by Hurricane Maria on top of the 57 million already promised to the region to strengthen recovery following these relentless disasters.
'I have come to the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla to see first-hand UK aid in action, helping families whose lives have been ripped apart first by Hurricane Irma and then Maria.
'The UK is leading the way in the relief effort, delivering emergency food, water and shelter to those who need it most.
'We will continue to clear up after this devastation in the weeks, months and years to come.'
Maria battered the overseas territory of Turks and Caicos (TCI) with winds of up to 125 mph on Friday, as the storm continued on its path to roll off the east coast of the United States.
The Foreign Office has advised: 'Hurricane Maria has now passed TCI, but it added to the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Irma.'
Other overseas territories including the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla heavily hit my Irma, have escaped much of the wrath of Maria, with Montserrat also faring better than expected.
Chris Austin, head of the UK Task Force, said the region has been 'relatively lucky so far' with the impact of Hurricane Maria, with the 'devastating exception of Dominica'.
Also hitting Puerto Rico, it was the strongest storm in more than 80 years to sweep across the country flattening homes and plunging the island into darkness after taking down power lines.
Speaking to the Press Association, the governor of the British Virgin Islands said despite suffering heavy damage and devastation as a result of Irma, they are 'open for business'.
A man walks in front of a damaged home in Wesley Village, Dominica, in the British Virgin Islands on Saturday
A small girl walks amongst a group of evacuees as they board a US Air Force C130 plane from Fort Dyess in Texas on Sunday at the Douglas Charles Airport in Dominica. Hurricane Maria inflicted catastrophic damages and at least 15 deaths in this Caribbean island
Gus Jaspert said they are 'now moving from relief to recovery', and that most of the British Virgin Islands are 'affected in slightly different ways'.
He said the island of Anegada is 'low lying community' who did not get as much wind damage, with Virgin Gorda 'heavily impacted' by Irma.
Mr Jaspert said that the small island of Jost Van Dyke, home to just 300 people, have 'very sadly been heavily devastated'.
After Maria he said there was a problem with the storm surge on the west end of Tortola which 'knocked the road out', and that 'quite a lot of houses got flooded' as a result of the heavy rain.
'A big priority for us is trying to get back to normal as soon as possible, progress is being made but there are huge, huge challenges when we've not got electricity and water everywhere,' he said.
'On financial services we took some early decisions, led by the Premier who runs that part of government, to secure the industry and keep that going, and work out how that can operate from different locations, but still have BVI as the hub for it,' he said.
Sailors from Plymouth based HMS Ocean have arrived on Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands, the ship full of relief aid and the sailors ready to work
The ship arrived Friday with around 650 personnel and 60 tonnes of aid including construction equipment and other essential materials such as hygiene kits and water purification tablets. Ocean's arrival means there are now over 2,000 UK military personnel working on the relief effort, making it the largest deployment of UK personnel anywhere in the world
Within only a couple hours of dropping anchor, the relief teams arrived by air and sea, Utilising RAF Chinooks and Royal Navy Wildcat and Merlin Helicopters and Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP) from 1 Assault Group Royal Marines. Pictured above, Royal Navy sailors at work clearing debris at Nanny Cay on the island of Tortola on Friday
'We have a very strong financial services commission here, which is leading the way on good regulation so all of that is in place and BVI is open for business, which is excellent.
'But then more widely, we prioritised trying to restore the functions of normal life in a way.
'We got the supermarkets open, we got the port open and getting supplies in, getting the banks opened and well stocked.
'So people can, while there are lots of challenges for everyone, start to feel as though life is getting back to normal again.'
He said bouncing back is 'going to be a challenge', but that he thinks the recovery will take months, with high hopes for getting a tourist season in soon.
Mr Jaspert said they are also discussing how they can 'build back better' and 'more green'.
'We are also looking at ways in which we can reduce our own environmental impact as a mega lesson from Irma,' he said.
'And build back with more resilience as well. We are in a hurricane belt of the world, so how we build so that infrastructure is in a better position.'
This is the church-going pensioner unmasked as the phantom mourner who gatecrashes strangers' funerals and raids the buffets.
Theresa Doyle, 65, is said to turn up at funerals before chatting to relatives of the deceased and pouncing on the spread laid on by the family.
Mrs Doyle, who lives alone in a council flat in Slough, Berkshire, spends her days going to funerals, church masses and Sikh temples where food is provided for the needy by volunteers.
She fills her Tupperware box with food before leaving on her purple bicycle.
Unmasked: Phantom mourner Theresa Doyle (pictured) is accused of turning up to strangers' funerals before raiding the buffets
Neighbours told how she was mildly eccentric but went to scores of funerals and wakes where she brazenly scooped up the food on offer into a Tesco bag or plastic box.
One neighbour said: 'She leaves the house in her bright, daily clothes but tucked into the basket on her bike is a black funeral outfit which she changes into at the church venue.
'When she arrives at the funeral she changes into the sombre clothes, goes to the wake and then helps herself to the food, bringing it back and putting it in her freezer.
'Theresa has been doing this for about 14 years now but the bizarre thing is she gatecrashes strangers' funeral and is completely brash about it.'
When challenged about her reasons for going to so many funerals, grey-haired Mrs Doyle said: 'That's my business. I have to go now, I've somewhere to be.'
She refused to say anything else about her mourner gatecrashing.
One of the latest victims of Mrs Doyle's gatecrashing was Margaret Whitehead who spotted her at the funeral of her daughter Catherine, who died aged 42 years from Addison's disease.
Three weeks after Catherine's death friends and family gathered for the funeral at the Holy Redeemer Church in Slough but Mrs Doyle appeared on a bicycle and later began chatting to guests at the wake.
Mrs Doyle, who lives alone in a council flat in Slough, Berkshire, is said to spend her days going to funerals, church masses and Sikh temples
Mrs Whitehead said: 'She got my son Kevin to give her a lift from the church to the Irish Centre for the wake.
'There were a lot of people at the funeral from Catherine's work so I just assumed she was a colleague. When I spoke to her though she told me she used to work with Catherine as a waitress. My daughter never worked as a waitress.'
After the service at the Holy Redeemer Church in Slough, Mrs Whitehead found out the woman is known locally for randomly appearing at strangers' funerals.
'She was eating from the buffet like there was no tomorrow,' said Mrs Whitehead, of Warfield, near Bracknell.
'At the end of the wake she took out a Tupperware box, filled it up with food and cycled off with it in the basket on her bicycle.'
Despite the woman's alleged sense of religious duty Mrs Whitehead said her attendance was intrusive and not acceptable.
'There's mass every morning, she doesn't need to go to funerals,' she said.
'She's only going when there's a cheap lunch. She intrudes on people when they are upset and sad.'
Father Noah Connolly, from Holy Redeemer, said Mrs Doyle told him she felt it her 'duty to attend as many church masses as possible'
Father Noah Connolly, of the Holy Redeemer Church, said the religious woman for some reason believed it was her duty to attend services.
He said: 'Every funeral we have she comes and if there is a reception afterwards she makes her way to it without invitation.
'She is a Catholic woman and she is convinced she needs to go to as many masses as possible. She has been coming and going since I have been here for the past 14 years. I can't exactly say 'you can't come here'.'
Mrs Doyle's neighbours said she moved to her current council-owned home after her house in Ragstone Road in the same town burned down. They said it was rebuilt and she sold it for 600,000.
They also told how the petite OAP was regularly seen exiting churches and Sikh centres carrying a Tesco or Boots bag filled with food.
Immediate neighours of Mrs Doyle at Myrtle Crescent, Slough, said it was the only food she would eat in a day, as she did not have a fridge or cooker in her small flat.
When they asked her why she did this, she told them simply: 'I have not done anything to you.'
One of Mrs Doyle's neighbours, a man who lives on the ground floor, said: 'We had a funeral here for one of the residents and the wife did not want her at the funeral, so she didn't advertise where the wake was going to be and the priest didn't announce it.
'Still, Mrs Doyle called somebody to give her a lift up there, and as per usual, filled up the boxes and brought them away. She has no shame at all. They went to great lengths to keep her away.
'I saw her coming down the venue's driveway on her bike, hide the bike around the back somewhere and, after a quick change she came out in a little black number. She went over to some bloke who was there but I don't think she had ever met him before in her life. She escorted him into the pew.'
He said that when he had invited his friends from a forum for pensioners in Slough, she had gatecrashed the common room in the flats briefly to 'stuff little cakes in her pockets.'
'Everybody did their best to help her initially, before she started to show her true colours. Now she just takes advantage of everything and everybody.. She has no respect for anybody.'
Mrs Doyle has been crashing services at the Holy Redeemer Church in Slough, Berkshire, and then tucking into the buffet food at the wakes
He added he had heard a young woman tell Mrs Doyle she was the 'least pious person she had met in her life' after catching her gatecrashing an acquaintance's wake.
A woman living on the same floor said: 'She will go to all these wakes, she tags onto somebody she doesn't know and gets them to take her into the wake - it can be anyone who is going to the wake.'
A third neighbour, a woman living on the first floor, said: 'I actually think she is a highly intelligent woman. It is the way she speaks, she has a nice Irish accent.
'She goes into funerals with a carrier bag and then comes out with food. You know the Tesco carrier bags? I would say that is three quarters full.'
Describing the same funeral that the male neighbour attended, she said: 'They didn't tell her to leave, nobody would do that at a funeral. What she does is disrespectful, but that would be equally so.
'The wife was really upset. She had just buried her husband and she wasn't going to walk up to her and have an argument saying: 'I don't want you here.' It just got left, but that is what she does.'
Sadiq Khan's Uber ban could breach race laws as more than 90 per cent of its drivers are from ethnic minority backgrounds, campaigners have said.
It comes as 20,000 of the company's workers emailed the mayor of London to protest the decision to strip Uber of its licence in the capital.
More than 700,000 people have also signed a petition urging Transport for London to reverse its decision.
TfL sensationally stripped the global taxi app of its licence to operate in London on Friday, claiming it was not 'fit and proper'.
Uber's private hire licence will not be renewed after a bombshell decision by TfL on Friday
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been blasted by some MPs as he tells furious passengers to 'direct your anger at Uber'
Iqbal Wahhab, former chairman of the Department of Work and Pensions Ethnic Minority Advisory Group, said the move could breach TfL's legal duty [under the 2010 Equality Act] to make sure minority groups were not discriminated against.
'I wonder what regard TfL gave to this legal duty as part of its decision making process,' he wrote in the IBT.
'There is a huge disparity in socioeconomic conditions of BME [black minority ethnic] citizens and their white British counterparts. And for many of them, Uber was a way to earn a living, however modest, and come off benefits.
'If they are able to win their appeal, Uber will have to rigorously clean up its conduct and be fit to serve London better. But by having put fear of economic uncertainty into 40,000 households, City Hall could more rigorously interrogate all its responsibilities.'
Women's charities have also warned the move could put passenger safety at risk.
Nimco Ali, co-founder of the anti-FGM charity Daughters of Eve, said: 'The mayor talks about public safety while knife crime is at a record high and women use Uber for safety. If the mayor thinks cancelling the licence is how to make women feel safe, it shows how much he knows and cares about [violence against women] in London.'
Others suggested it could lead to young people using unlicensed taxis again.
Dame Esther, who spent years spearheading safety campaigns, said: 'In the past, when young people were desperate late at night and somebody stopped for them, many were tempted to jump in unlicensed cabs which can be very dangerous. I'm extremely worried that may happen again.'
The decision is another setback for the firm, which has previously been banned by other cities including Barcelona and Vancouver
TfL took the decision not to renew Uber's licence following concerns about the tech giant's failure to report serious crimes by drivers and the firm's vetting process.
Unions and Labour MPs have welcomed the decision.
Wes Streeting, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on taxis, described it as a 'courageous' move.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he believed TfL was doing the 'right thing' by refusing to renew the taxi firm's permission to operate in the capital amid complaints it has failed to report crimes carried out by drivers.
However some MPs have accused Mr Khan of relenting to union pressure.
He had been given 30,000 for his mayoral campaign by the union that represents black cab drivers.
GMB, which has almost 640,000 members and campaigned for years against Uber's presence in London, has called the ban an 'historic victory'.
However, Mr Khan who as mayor is chairman of the Transport for London board but did not take part in the licensing decision said Uber had brought the ban on itself.
He told BBC World At One: 'If drivers are angry, as they will be, if users of Uber are angry, as they will be, their anger should be turned towards Uber for knowing the rules and failing to play by them.'
Drivers of traditional black London cabs held a protest this year against the minicab app. The app was seen as unfairly undercutting black cabs due to the lack of regulation of drivers
Uber has said it's willing to make a series of concessions as it seeks to reverse Friday's decision.
Uber said TfL gave it no notice of the issues it wished the firm to address and have only held one meeting this year.
Mr Khan had refused requests to meet anyone from the company since becoming mayor 16 months ago, Uber sources said.
Tom Elvidge, Uber's general manager in London, told the Sunday Times: 'While we haven't been asked to make any changes, we'd like to know what we can do.
'But that requires a dialogue we sadly haven't been able to have recently.'
Uber's concessions are likely to involve passenger safety and benefits for its drivers, possible limits on working hours to improve road safety and holiday pay.
The firm has said it will appeal the decision, during which time it will continue to operate as normal.
The process could see the dispute go on for up to a year.
Uber and out? Controversial company's chequered history The news that taxi-hailing app Uber will not be given a new operating licence in London is the latest in a long line of controversies in the firm's history. Here are some of the contentious moments in the life of the transport giant: In July, chief executive Travis Kalanick, who helped found the company in 2009, resigned following a series of scandals and criticism of his management style. A month earlier the company sacked 20 people including some managers after a law firm investigated specific complaints made to the company about sexual harassment, bullying, and retaliation for reporting problems. The app has drawn angry reactions from cabbies around the world. Pictured: Marseille In May, hundreds of taxi drivers in Poland's four largest cities drove at a crawl during rush-hour in protest against the rise of services such as Uber. In February, thousands of Italian taxi drivers clashed with riot police during a week-long strike and protest against Uber that crippled transportation in Rome, Milan and Turin. Uber ended in Denmark earlier this year following the introduction of new tougher taxi laws. At the start of 2017, the firm paid 16.2 million in the US to settle allegations it gave false promises to drivers over how much they would earn. In October 2016 Uber lost a landmark employment tribunal ruling that its drivers should be classed as workers rather than being self-employed. The firm had claimed its employment arrangements allowed its drivers across England and Wales to be their own boss and work flexibly, but the tribunal panel gave a scathing dismissal of Uber's arguments. Taxi drivers in Argentina protest at Uber presence in Buenos Aires last year A few months later Uber announced it would offer English courses, financial advice and introduce an appeals panel for its UK workers after facing criticism over lack of support and rights for its drivers. In 2015 the New Delhi government banned app-based taxi companies after an Uber driver raped a passenger in his vehicle. Uber lost its licence in the Indian capital for a time, having failed to carry out proper background checks on drivers. Uber stopped operating in Austin, Texas, when it was told drivers would have to have fingerprint background checks, but it reinstated its services after the requirement was ended. Advertisement
A huge fire is rampaging through a factory in Brisbane, sending plumes of toxic black smoke into the air.
The out-of-control blaze broke out in a car repair shop about 3.30pm in the city's north and spread to a plastics factory.
At least 20 fire crews were still trying to contain it to the one building on Pritchard Road in Virginia, but no one was believed to be injured.
A huge fire is rampaging through a factory in Brisbane, sending plumes of toxic black smoke into the air
The out-of-control blaze broke out in a car parts shop about 3.30pm in the city's north and spread to a plastics factory
At least 20 fire crews were still trying to contain it to the one building on Pritchard Road in Virginia, but no one was believed to be injured
The fire was fuelled by chemicals used to detail the cars and vehicles waiting to be serviced were burned up as they sat on the lot.
A massive fireball was visible from blocks away and the thick black smoke filled the air across the neighbourhood.
Businesses the area including an Officeworks, a pet store, and BP petrol station and other on Newton Street and Sandgate Road were evacuated.
Fire authorities warned nearby residents to stay inside and keep windows and doors closed as the smoke may be toxic.
A massive fireball was visible from blocks away and the thick black smoke filled the air across the neighbourhood
Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden's revealing outfit has received more complaints than any other television moment so far this year, according to Ofcom.
The June 1 episode - in which the 46-year-old ITV star wore a daring dress, slashed to the navel - attracted some 663 complaints, the watchdog said.
Holden wore the controversial 11,250 dress by Julien Macdonald, after admitting days earlier that she was seeking complaints once again this year, as she joked: 'Will people be complaining to Ofcom? I hope so, I really do.'
Revealing: The June 1 episode - in which the 46-year-old ITV star wore a daring dress, slashed to the navel - attracted some 663 complaints, the watchdog said
Last year's the Britain's Got Talent final saw 90 complaints regarding Alesha Dixon and Holden's dress choices sent to Ofcom and 200 sent to ITV, although the regulator deemed them both 'suitable' for the show that year.
Holden's latest wardrobe malfunction received almost twice as many complaints as Comic Relief, in second place.
The fundraising show, broadcast on BBC1 on March 24, attracted 340 complaints for 'crude language' and 'sexual references'.
Viewers branded Comic Relief 'cringeworthy' and 'an utter shambles' after a series of technical glitches, X-rated gaffes and 'unfunny' sketches.
Controversial: Holden's latest wardrobe malfunction received almost twice as many complaints as Comic Relief, in second place
Several moments on the show - including when Vic Reeves flashing a fake penis at Susanna Reid before the 9pm watershed and host Russell Brand shouting 'f***ing hell' live on air - sparked controversy.
The complaints come in the same year that Comic Relief launched a Swear Jar app - so people can donate money to Comic Relief every time that they use bad language.
Fans slammed Russell Brand for yelling 'F***** hell' after the broadcast cut off due to a technical fault and cringed at comedian Vic Reeves.
Meanwhile Graham Norton 'awkwardly' pressed a red-faced Cara Delevingne to explain how she had sex on a plane - despite her father sitting in the audience.
Fans slammed Russell Brand for yelling 'F***** hell' after the broadcast cut off due to a technical fault and cringed at comedian Vic Reeves
Several moments on the show - including when Vic Reeves flashing a fake penis at Susanna Reid before the 9pm watershed sparked controversy
Emmerdale's March 6 episode was in third place, with 275 complaints for violence and a storyline involving intimidation towards character Aaron Dingle in prison.
The controversial episode showed Aaron being taunted by fellow inmates about the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, Gordon, as a child.
Meanwhile, Good Morning Britain's interview with ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson, broadcast on June 20, attracted 181 complaints.
The far-right activist prompted fury after accusing the Finsbury Park Mosque of 'creating terrorists' just an hour after people were mown down nearby as they left evening prayers.
Emmerdale's March 6 episode was in third place, with 275 complaints for violence and a storyline involving intimidation towards character Aaron Dingle in prison
Benidorm also came under fire this year after receiving 137 for its May 3 episode due to 'perceived derogatory reference to a person with a cleft lip'.
The ITV series aired a joke on its series nine finale episode on May 9 which saw actress Sherrie Hewson's character refer to a man with a cleft lip and palate as having 'a voice like a thirteen-year-old girl and a face like a dropped pie.'
The Cleft Lip and Palate Association (CLAPA) has since published an open letter branding the comment 'highly offensive' and 'ignorant'.
Good Morning Britain's interview with ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson, broadcast on June 20, attracted 181 complaints
The far-right activist prompted fury after accusing the Finsbury Park Mosque of 'creating terrorists' just an hour after people were mown down nearby as they left evening prayers
The figures, up to and including August 10, were released under Freedom of Information laws.
The watchdog routinely publishes details of its complaints.
David Davis, pictured in Downing Street last week, dismissed reports that the EU could demand a 40bn Brexit divorce bill as 'made up'
David Davis has dismissed 'made up' claims about the Brexit divorce bill amid reports the EU will demand up to 50 billion.
Theresa May has tried to unblock the Brexit talks by pledging that the UK will pay 20 billion for a transitional period of two years after we quit the EU in March 2019.
Yet briefings from Europe have tried to hike expectations with diplomats and officials reportedly saying the final bill will be between 40bn and 50bn - which translates to up to 44bn.
But Brexit Secretary David Davis has dismissed the eye-watering figures as 'made up' and vowed to take on Eurocrats who try to thrust a bigger bill upon Britain.
In an interview to be aired on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show today, he said Britain will only pay for the pension pots and other liabilities we owe money to.
He said: 'Things like pensions and other things, these are debatable to say the least.
'The last time we went through line by line and challenged quite a lot of the legal basis of these things and we'll continue to do that.
'That doesn't mean that we want to see our allies and friends in Europe massively disadvantaged in the next few years and that's what we're aiming not to do.'
Asked about claims by 'Brussels sources', quoted in The Times, that the final settlement could be around 40 billion, Mr Davis said: 'They sort of made that up too.'
He added: 'I'm not going to do an actual number on air, it would be ridiculous to do that, but we have a fairly clear idea where we're going on this.'
Mrs May used a landmark address in Florence on Friday to set out her new offer to Europe, promising to pump billions of pounds into their budget for a transition deal.
Theresa May, pictured delivering her landmark Brexit speech in Florence on Friday, has offered top pay the EU 20 billion euros for a two year transition period
Brexit Secretary David Davis, pictured watching Mrs May's Florence speech with Philip Hammond and Boris Johnson in an orchestrated show of Cabinet unity, said Britain will thoroughly inspect and, if necessary challenge, the financial obligations the EU try to thrust upon the UK
And she vowed that no European Union state will be poorer by Britain's decision to quit the bloc.
The Prime Minister's speech was welcomed by the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier who said it was 'constructive' and paved the way for a 'step forward' in talks.
But despite the Prime Minister's overtures, diplomatic sources in Europe have swiftly briefed that they will demand yet more cash.
A report in the Telegraph today reported that once all the complicated financial obligations have been totted up the figure is expected to be 'about 40bn-50bn'.
The paper said that privately EU negotiators are still planning to take a tough line on the Brexit bill.
EU negotiators have repeatedly refused to move on to trade talks until 'sufficient progress' on the Brexit bill, along with the Irish border and the rights of EU citizens, is made.
Mr Davis also stressed the UK will finally free itself from EU judges when we leave the bloc, but they will still continue to rule during a transition period.
He said: 'We'll come out from under the jurisdiction and the lawmaking of the European Union, we'll have a couple of years which allows people to adapt.'
A Department for Exiting the EU source said: 'The framework for this period would be the existing structure of EU rules and regulations.'
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Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has warned Chancellor Angela Merkel that they will put a stop to what they call an 'invasion of foreigners', after becoming the third largest party in parliament last night.
The anti-immigration AfD won 12.6 per cent in an election which saw both Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and her coalition partners hemorrhaging millions of voters to the far-right.
However the AfD's celebrations came to an abrupt end on Monday morning when one of their leaders announced that she was refusing to join them in parliament.
Frauke Petry, co-leader of AfD, stormed out of a news conference after saying she would take up her seat but would not be part of AfD's parliamentary group.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel shakes hands with her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party's secretary general Peter Tauber as they arrive for a meeting in Berlin one day after general elections
You can't sit with us! AfD co-leader Frauke Petry storms out of a press conference after announcing that she will serve as an MP but not sit with her party in parliament
Anger: Opponents of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) protest against the result of the AfD after reaching a better-than-expected 13 per cent and third place finish in German federal elections
'I've decided I won't be part of the AfD's group in the German parliament but will initially be an individual member of parliament in the lower house,' Petry said.
Petry branded the AfD an 'anarchistic party' that could be successful in opposition but would not be able to offer voters a credible option as a government. For this reason, she had decided not to take up her seat as part of the AfD group.
She declined to answer further questions, including whether she would remain the AfD's co-leader, but said the public would hear from her in the coming days.
Alexander Gauland, one of the AfD's top candidates, said neither he, nor the other top candidate Alice Weidel nor co-leader Joerg Meuthen knew why Petry left.
Speaking during the conference, Mr Gauland said the one million refugees and migrants who have entered Germany since 2015 were 'taking a way a piece of this country'.
Alexander Gauland, one of the AfD's top candidates, said the one million refugees and migrants who have entered Germany since 2015 were 'taking a way a piece of this country'
The German Green party was among the first to react to the AfP's gains, accusing the country of failing to learn from its Nazi past. Jewish groups from around the world also expressed concern
Marchers in Berlin who had been gathered in a public square moved to surround the club where the AfD were holding their victory party after news of the election result spread
He said the reason why the party had won such a large part of the votes was due to the way they 'uncompromisingly addressed' the aftermath of the migrant crisis.
'One million people, foreigners, being brought into this country are taking away a piece of this country and we as AfD don't want that,' Mr Gauland was quotes as saying by the BBC.
'We say, I don't want to lose Germany to an invasion of foreigners from a different culture. Very simple.'
The news that the AfD had become the third largest party in parliament led to protests across Germany on Sunday evening.
Activists chanting anti-Nazi slogans and waving banners surrounded the Berlin nightclub being used by the AfD to celebrate their win on Sunday night.
More marchers were pictured in Frankfurt, holding a banner which read 'Frankfurt hates the AfD'.
And their success is the first time in 60 years that the far-Right has garnered enough votes to secure such a show of strength in the Bundestag. The Greens said the shock result meant that the Nazis were in parliament again.
One report said that in parts of the former East Germany, the AfD had polled 45 per cent of the vote.
The AfD's strong showing could see them taking as many as 90 seats.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) took 33 per cent of the vote, down 8.5 points from the last election, and its former coalition partners the Social Democratic Party (SPD) only nabbed 20 per cent - meaning both parties saw their worst results since since 1949.
Mrs Merkel will now likely have to forge a messy three-way arrangement with the liberal FDP and Greens.
However, Merkel's party is still the biggest parliamentary bloc and Europe's most powerful leader said her conservatives would set about building the next government, adding she was sure a coalition would be agreed by Christmas.
'There cannot be a coalition government built against us,' she said.
The anti-immigration party had waged a virulent campaign against Mrs Merkel's decision to let in some one million people by operating an 'open doors' policy to refugees during and after the 2015 migrant crisis.
Protesters took to the streets of Berlin angry that the far-right AfD won 13.5 per cent support during Germany's election, meaning they will get seats in parliament for the first time (pictured, a banner that reads 'Smash the AfD')
While Mrs Merkel's party came out of the election the largest, she did worse than most polls had projected as the far right gained a huge amount of support, causing alarm and protests across the country
Election hangover: German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for a meeting of her Christian Democratic Union party, CDU, at their headquarters in Berlin on Monday morning
Chancellor Angela Merkel won a fourth term as her party emerged as the largest, but now faces controlling a country that is deeply divided over her response to the refugee crisis
Merkel acknowledged the rise of the AfD as demonstrators took to the streets, saying she would try to win votes back by focusing on security and prosperity for Germans
Two activists carried a banner which reads: 'Germany is not full. Your identity crisis is nationalism. Your homeland is racism'
Mrs Merkel's coalition partner, the SPD, returned its smallest share of support post-war at 20 per cent, and announced it will not be rejoining Mrs Merkel in government.
Martin Schulz, leader of the SPD, said his party will go into opposition following the result, leaving Mrs Merkel to search elsewhere for support.
Having vowed not to work with the AfD, Mrs Merkel now faces the prospect of cobbling together a tricky three-way agreement involving the FDP and Greens.
Mr Schulz told despondent supporters: 'Today is a difficult and bitter day for social democracy in Germany.
'Particularly pressing for us tonight is the strength of the AfD party. For the first time, with them, there will be a far-right party in the German Bundestag.
'The acceptance of one million migrants it was almost guaranteed to divide our country and it has divided us too much.'
Mrs Merkel acknowledged as much in her own speech to party faithful, acknowledging that the last four years had been 'extremely challenging'.
She spoke of wanting to regain votes lost to the AfD and said 'prosperity and security' will be at the centre of her thinking once a new government is formed.
'We need to work for a just and free country, she said 'that of course means we need to bring together all of the European Union counties.
'That means we need to fight against the causes of migration and we need to find legal ways to fight against illegal migration.'
The AfD vowed to 'reclaim our country and our people' following the Sunday election result as protesters took to the streets
Marchers also gathered in Frankfurt waving a banner which reads 'Frankfurt hates the AfD'
Protesters with their middle fingers raised, in a sign of defiance against the AfP, march in Berlin on Sunday night
A young protester give a middle finger to the camera as she marches against the rise of the AfD in Germany
An anti-Merkel protester with a sign that reads 'not my mother', a reference to the Chancellor's nickname of Mutti Merkel
Commentators called the AfD's strong performance a 'watershed moment' in the history of the German republic. The top-selling Bild daily spoke of a 'political earthquake'.
Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, a Social Democrat, has warned that 'for the first time since the end of the second World War, real Nazis will sit in the German parliament'.
The AfD will be a pariah in parliament as all mainstream parties have ruled out working with it, but the populists could still be vocally disruptive from the opposition benches.
Thorsten Benner, head of the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin, said the AfD's rise shows that 'our population is no more virtuous than the French population,' and that 'even Le Pen pales in comparison'.
The presence of the AfD 'will very much change the tone of debate in parliament,' Benner warned.
The election has been closely watched by Brussels, and there is now fear that the result may have an effect on EU policies.
One casualty of Merkel's weakness may be a rapid move to deepen integration of the euro zone along lines that new French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to outline in a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris on Tuesday.
Macron ran for the French presidency on a pledge to 'relaunch' Europe, in tandem with Germany, after years of economic and financial crisis and the new shock dealt by Britain's vote last year to leave the bloc.
Macron has called for a finance minister and budget for the single currency bloc, ideas that Merkel has tentatively supported even though scepticism in her own party runs high.
Those plans, as with reform proposals floated this month by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, may run into increased scepticism in Berlin, where many are wary of what they see as more demands for German bailouts of states like Greece.
Resistance may come both from Merkel's Christian Democrats, spooked by the surge on their right flank, where Alternative for Germany (AfD) entered parliament as the third biggest party, and from the Free Democrats (FDP), whose leader Christian Lindner ruled out Germany contributing to a shared euro zone budget.
The liberal leader in the European Parliament, committed federalist and former Belgian premier Guy Verhofstadt, said he hoped for a 'pro-European' coalition to push EU integration.
The FDP leader in the EU legislature, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, said it was 'an open-minded, pro-European party'.
The European Greens' German co-chair Reinhard Butikofer said his party wanted to strengthen the European Union, 'making use of the window of opportunity that exists ... between Paris, Brussels and Berlin'. He was referring to a keynote speech by Juncker 10 days ago in which the EU chief executive said anti-EU populists were in retreat and called for deeper EU integration.
But Guntram Wolff, the German director of the Brussels think-tank Bruegel, questioned Juncker's thinking. He forecast a rightward shift in Germany due to the AfD and resistance from the FDP that would stymie Macron and Juncker's grand visions.
'Populism definitely not dead,' Wolff tweeted. 'Juncker speech completely miscalculated the situation.'
Merkel's CDU party won the largest share of votes at the German election, with exit polls reporting 32.5 per cent support
Mrs Merkel's first task will be to find a new coalition partner after the SPD, her former partner, announced it would go into opposition after polling just 20 per cent
Alexander Gauland (left) of the AfD vowed to 'go after Merkel' while Alice Weidel said the party will push for a committee to investigate 'legal breaches' by Mrs Merkel's government
Marine Le Pen was quick to congratulate the AfD on their historic poll result, saying it was 'a new symbol of the revival of the European peoples'
Meanwhile Alexander Gauland, a top candidate of the AfD, vowed to 'go after Merkel' saying his aim is to 'reclaim our country and our people.'
Who are the AfD? Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) was founded in 2013 as a eurosceptic party. It drew minimal support until Germany's refugee crisis, when it broadened its base with anti-Islamist and anti-immigrant rhetoric. In recent times it has gone further, with leader Alexander Gauland claiming Germany had much to be proud of during the Second World War and that the word 'volk' people should be 'rescued' from its Nazi connotations. In May 2016 it adopted an explicitly anti-Islam policy, saying that 'Islam does not belong to Germany'. It would ban the burka and the Muslim call to prayer, and wants to stop foreign funding of mosques in Germany. All imams should go through a state vetting procedure, it says. AfD chairman Frauke Petry once advocated border guards opening fire on unarmed refugees to protect Germany's frontiers. Last year one of its founders announced plans to forge links with the far-Right National Front in France. The party has capitalised on middle-class disenchantment with bailing out failing eurozone states such as Greece with taxpayer money. It harked back to the rhetoric of the Nazis with 'hearth and home' propaganda about paying for ordinary German families instead of foreigners. It also stands against same-sex marriage and same-sex couples adopting children, and has a platform of climate change denial. It also wants to bring in conscription into the army for all men when they reach 18 Advertisement
Alice Weide, another of the AfD's most prominent candidates, vowed that her part is 'here to stay' during a victory speech on Sunday night.
She told supporters that the party's first move will be to establish a committee to look into 'legal breaches' by Mrs Merkel's government.
Ms Weide also vowed to focus on content and political positions, and vowed to live up to the trust that voters have placed in the party.
Mrs Merkel said she had hoped for a 'better result' and pledged to listen to the 'concerns and anxieties' of AfD voters in order to win them back.
The result is also a blow for Theresa May, who had been banking on an emboldened Mrs Merkel helping her reach a good deal on Brexit.
Now it appears Mrs Merkel could be bogged down in coalition talks for weeks or even months meaning she will have little time to bolster her British counterpart.
A worst-case scenario is that Mrs Merkel may now have to take an even harder line against the UK.
The German election is just the latest shock result to stun political observers, following last year's vote for Brexit, the election of President Trump and Mrs May's general election disaster in June.
Beatrix van Storch, one of the AfD's leaders, told the BBC the result was 'a huge success ... it will change the political system in Germany, and it will give back a voice to the opposition'. She added: 'We will start debates on migration, we will start debates on Islam, we will start debates on ever closer [European] union.'
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was quick to congratulate the AfD after they made massive gains in the election.
Le Pen, who lost France's presidential election to Emmanuel Macron earlier this year, wrote on Twitter: 'Bravo to our allies from AfD for this historic score! It's a new symbol of the awakening of the peoples of Europe.'
Elswhere Jewish groups from around the world reacted to the news of the AfP's strong showing with dismay and concern.
German Central Council of Jews President Josef Schuster says the party, known by its German initials AfD, 'tolerates far-right thoughts and agitates against minorities.'
He said he expects Germany's other parties will 'reveal the true face of the AfD and unmask their empty, populist promises.'
The head of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, congratulated Chancellor Angela Merkel on securing a fourth term, calling her a 'true friend of Israel and the Jewish people.'
'It is abhorrent that the AfD party, a disgraceful reactionary movement which recalls the worst of Germany's past and should be outlawed, now has the ability within the German parliament to promote its vile platform,' Lauder said.
Mrs Merkel's CDU and the SPD, the two most established political parties in Germany, both took a hammering at the polls compared to the last election in 2013, as the public looked to fringe parties to provide answers
Mrs Merkel shakes hands with Martin Schulz, leader of the SPD party which served as her junior coalition partner in the last parliament, but will now leave and go into opposition
Supporters of the AfD cheer after receiving the news that their party will enter the German parliament for the first time
Martin Schulz, leader of the SPD, told supporters that 'the acceptance of one million migrants it was almost guaranteed to divide our country and it has divided us too much'
Support for Mrs Merkel's party fell by almost 9 per cent, and was lower than the 34 to 37 per cent that late polls had suggested she would get as she was punished over migration
The election was fought on the tense backdrop of surging support for far left and far right parties across Europe.
The German election: How does it work? On Sunday, 61million Germans voted to decide the future of their country using a mixture of first-past-the-post voting, as we have in this country, and proportional representation. Each voter gets two votes: The first cast for a local candidate, and the second cast for a national party. The German parliament will then be made up of a mixture of victorious local candidates, and other candidates selected by the party on a list system. The listed seats are allocated based on the proportion of the vote the party received - if they received 25 per cent of the vote, they must end up with 25 per cent of the seats. Because it is possible for a party to win more seats through local candidates than they are strictly entitled to, the parliament can expand to balance this advantage out. Officially the Bundestag has 598 seats, but can grow as large as 800 and currently has 631 members. Advertisement
Germany in particular is coping with the arrival of more than 1 million refugees and other new migrants, with tension with Russia since Moscow's incursions into Ukraine, and with doubt about Europe's future since Britain voted to quit the EU.
After shock election results last year, from the Brexit vote to the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, leaders of Europe's establishment have looked to Merkel to rally the liberal Western order.
But after acting as an anchor of stability in Europe and beyond, she now faces an unstable situation at home as she must now form a coalition, an arduous process that could take months.
Immediately after the release of exit polls, the deputy party leader of the Social Democrats (SPD), junior partners in a 'grand coalition' with Merkel's conservatives for the last four years, said her party would now go into opposition.
'For us, the grand coalition ends today,' Manuela Schwesig told ZDF broadcaster. 'For us it's clear that we'll go into opposition as demanded by the voter.'
Without the SPD, Merkel's only straightforward path to a majority in parliament would be a three-way tie-up with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the Greens, known as a 'Jamaica' coalition because the black, yellow and green colours of the three parties match the Jamaican flag.
Such an arrangement is untested at the national level in Germany and widely seen as inherently unstable. Both the FDP and the Greens have played down the prospect of a three-way coalition, but neither won enough seats on Sunday to give Merkel a majority on its own.
Whatever the make-up of her coalition, Merkel, 63, faces four years of government in a fragmented parliament after the return of the FDP - unrepresented at national level for the last four years - and the arrival of the AfD.
Founded in 2013 by an anti-euro group of academics, the AfD has surged as an anti-immigrant group in the wake of Merkel's 2015 decision to leave German borders open to over 1 million migrants, most of them fleeing war in the Middle East.
The party's entry into the national parliament heralds the beginning of a new era in German politics that will see more robust debate and a departure from the steady, consensus-based approach that has marked the post-war period.
The other parties elected to the Bundestag all refuse to work with the AfD, which says it will press for Merkel to be 'severely punished' for opening the door to refugees and migrants.
After the AfD hurt her conservatives in regional elections last year, Merkel, a pastor's daughter who grew up in Communist East Germany, wondered if she should run for re-election.
But with the migrant issue under control this year, she threw herself into a punishing campaign schedule.
Despite losing support, Merkel, Europe's longest serving leader, will join the late Helmut Kohl, her mentor who reunified Germany, and Konrad Adenauer, who led Germany's rebirth after World War Two, as the only post-war chancellors to win four national elections.
She has campaigned on her record as chancellor for 12 years, emphasizing the country's record-low unemployment, strong economic growth, balanced budget and growing international importance.
That's helped keep her conservative bloc well atop the polls ahead of Sunday's election over the center-left Social Democrats of challenger Martin Schulz.
Lisa Nandy urged Chuka Umunna to wrestle back control of the party from the hard left
A Labour MP has branded Jeremy Corbyn's leadership 'hell' and urged Chuka Umunna to wrestle back control of the party from the hard left.
Lisa Nandy, seen as on the soft left of Labour, said she felt like there was a battle going on for the 'soul' of the party - and the future of the country.
The Labour conference in Brighton over the coming days promises to be the most left-wing in decades - underlining the growing control of the faction in the party.
It is Mr Corbyn's third conference as leader, and the first where his position is not under serious threat.
The better than expected performance for Labour in the general election, which saw the Tories lose their overall majority, has ensured he will not face another challenge.
But there is still anxiety among many in the party about the direction in which it is heading especially as the polls are still showing the main parties neck and neck despite damaging Cabinet infighting as Theresa May pushes through Brexit.
Ms Nandy, who quit Mr Corbyn's team in protest last year, told the Sun on Sunday: 'This for me is a battle not just for the soul of the Labour Party but for the future of this country.'
Ms Nandy called Mr Corbyn's style of leadership 'closed, top down and undemocratic' and the years since he became leader 'hell'.
A series of rule changes are expected to be passed to limit the influence of more centrist MPs, while members of the Momentum campaign group are set to flood the hall and fringe events.
Only a handful of Mr Corbyn's close allies are due to give speeches from the main stage, including shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, shadow chancellor John McDonnell and shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry.
Even London Mayor Sadiq Khan was not initially granted a slot, although a time was finally agreed after protests.
The Labour leader underscored his revolutionary credentials at a rally in the city last night attended by hundreds of activists some bearing Socialist Worker Party placards.
Bizarrely coming on stage to the theme tune from 1980s American sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Mr Corbyn vowed to 'transfer the wealth'.
Mr Corbyn, pictured on a visit to a table tennis club in Brighton yesterday, underscored his revolutionary credentials at a rally in the city last night attended by hundreds of activists
Sally-Anne Huang (pictured) has stopped calling her female pupils 'girls' in a bid to be more inclusive to transgender students
The headmistress of one of the country's most prestigious girls' schools says she has stopped calling her pupils 'girls' in a bid not to alienate transgender pupils.
James Allen's Girls' School's head teacher Sally-Anne Huang says she now refers only to 'pupils' and not 'girls', as well as replacing the pronoun 'she' to 'they'.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, she said: 'I try not to say 'girls' [but] when you have been teaching for 20 years it is very hard not to say 'girls'.
James Allen's in Dulwich, south east London, is the oldest all girls' school in the capital, founded in the eighteenth century by visionary James Allen and teaches youngsters from four to 18 years.
Mrs Huang, who started at the school in September 2015, said she has changed her vocabulary to be sensitive towards those pupils considering changing their sex.
Headmistress of James Allen's Girls' School Sally-Anne Huang is pictured with some of her pupils in Dulwich, south east London, which is the oldest of its kind in the capital
Oxford-eduated Mrs Huang is pictured joining her Year 8 pupils in lessons for the day
The Oxford-educated head teacher is active on social media, with a regular blog discussing everything from her teenage crush on George Michael to why she does not wish to see private schools abolished.
Posting on Twitter she wrote today: 'Was talking about trans pupils specifically. Our G in JAGS always stands for girls! But glad to raise profile of the issue.'
At James Allen's students are allowed to wear trousers, cut their hair short and be called boys names if they wish.
The school's website reads: 'Perhaps we get our dynamic, all-embracing approach to education from our founder James Allen.
'Right up to the present day our approach to girls' education, music and the community has set new boundaries and we are proud of this continuing tradition of innovation.'
Children who identify as transgender have become a contentious issue for schools, with some refusing to call them by their chosen name.
Lewes school pupils Tilly and Paige (pictured) were banned from wearing skirts in favour of a gender netural uniform
After over 150 schools across the country adopted gender neutral uniforms in the hope of being more inclusive, The Good Schools Guide has recently decided to start rating them on how 'transgender friendly' they are.
Bernadette John, director of the Good School Guide's education consulting service, said this week: 'Families are coming to us when they feel they are left with no option but to pull their transgender child out of a school. Sometimes the child is being bullied and the school is not dealing with it appropriately.
'We also hear that schools are causing transgender children undue stress and anxiety by refusing to allow them to use the name or pronoun they prefer, or to wear the uniform and use facilities for the gender they identify with.'
Last year a row erupted over same-sex toilets introduced at Buxton School in Leytonstone, east London.
Some parents were outraged they had been built inside the 12 million and were free to use for children over the age of eight.
Jeremy Corbyn refused to rule out keeping free movement after Brexit today as he hinted that a transition period could go on indefinitely.
The Labour leader desperately dodged when pressed whether loose immigration rules should be maintained after we formally leave the EU.
And he said it was 'impossible' to put a timescale on how long the status quo should be maintained before ties are finally cut.
The desperate flannelling, in an interview to kick off the Labour conference in Brighton this morning, came as Labour faced a huge split on Brexit.
Some 30 MPs have signed a letter demanding that the UK stays in the single market and there is pressure for a vote to be held by delegates this week.
Pro-EU demonstrators also marched outside the conference venue today, calling for Labour to reverse the result of the historic referendum.
The Labour leader desperately dodged when pressed on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today over whether loose immigration rules should be maintained after we formally leave the EU
Pro-EU protesters gathered outside the Labour conference today urging Mr Corbyn to reverse the result of the historic referendum
Protesters (pictured) marched at Labour conference called for referendum to be reversed
Many of the demonstrators in Brighton today were waving EU flags and carrying placards
Theresa May, pictured at church in her constituency today, gave a crucial speech on Brexit last week. Boris Johnson, pictured in Florence on Friday, is said to be pushing for a harder Brexit
Mr Corbyn's performance today was so evasive that at one point a frustrated Andrew Marr asked the veteran left-winger: 'What's happened to you that you cannot answer my questions?'
Mr Corbyn said he agreed with the government that a transition deal was needed after March 2019 for the UK to adjust to life outside the EU.
But pressed on whether he thought the two-year timescale set out by Theresa May was right, he merely said: 'It is impossible for anyone to put an absolute timescale on that.'
The comments will alarm Brexiteers who are already concerned that the outcome of the historic referendum last year is being subverted.
Repeatedly grilled on whether free movement should stay after we leave the EU, Mr Corbyn again dodged.
Labour is deeply divided on the issue, with many MPs calling for Britain to stay in the EU and avoid any tougher restrictions on flows.
Despite Labour's election manifesto pledging to end free movement, Mr Corbyn said he 'understood' where those in his party supporting keeping the rules were coming from.
'A lot of people are going to come and work here,' he said. 'We have to recognise that in the future we are going to need people to work in Europe, and people from Europe are going to need to work here. There's going to be a lot of movement.'
But confusingly he also insisted Britain could not stay in the single market because it stopped the government pumping state aid into struggling industries - a touchstone left wing policy.
Mrs May used a crucial speech in Florence on Friday to make a series of concessions to the EU in a bid to unblock talks.
The small group of anti-Brexit campaigners waving pro EU flags, accused those who led the Leave campaign of being 'fascists'
The Europhile demonstrators waved European flags and chanted slogans calling for the UK to stay in the bloc
Mr Corbyn said he 'understood' where those in his party supporting free movement were coming from
The PM said the UK was ready to cover the huge hole left in Brussels' finances for another two years after we formally leave in 2019 - contributing potentially another 20 billion euros - and meet other liabilities that could total tens of billions more.
She also said the European court could help enforce the rights of EU nationals - easing back a previous red line - and admitted that bringing in tougher immigration measures would take time, raising the possibility that free movement rules could essentially stay in place for longer.
But Mrs May said in return for the 'generous' offer the UK must have full access to the single market during a two-year 'transition' period.
Setting out her vision for a post-Brexit future, she also ruled out existing models for trade arrangements such as Norway's, saying: 'We can do better than that.'
PROTESTORS DEMAND LABOUR REVERSES EU REFERENDUM RESULT Pro-EU demonstators marched at Labour conference today demanding the party reverses the result of the referendum. A small group of anti-Brexit campaigners waving pro EU flags, accused those who led the Leave campaign of being 'fascists'. They gathered across the street from the Labour Party conference hall and chanted into a microphone: 'Opposition do your job, don't appease the Fascist mob.' Leading the chants was Judith Weisener, an NHS worker from London. She told the the Mail Online: 'I don't think we are calling all people who voted Brexit fascists. 'We are calling those fascists who are leading Brexit and lying to people.' Challenged over who this was, she added: 'Farage, who is an outright racist xenophobe, the EDL, and the Tory Party to the extent they play into that xenophobic agenda. 'And to the extent they ignore parliamentary process and parliamentary democracy. 'That's what makes me the most angry, we have got a parliamentary democracy and they are trying to ignore that. 'Put those two things together and you are on the road to fascism.' Advertisement
She suggested the final deal should be 'bespoke', but could be a much looser affiliation similar to that sealed with Canada.
Mr Johnson praised the speech as 'positive, optimistic and dynamic'. But he had thrown the Cabinet into chaos the previous week with a bombshell article seen as an attempt to push the PM into a harder stance on Brexit.
He even made an apparent resignation threat to maximise his leverage, before backing off on the eve of the speech.
Today it was claimed Mr Johnson is drawing a red line on accepting any more regulations from Brussels during the transition period.
Mr Corbyn also vacillated when he was challenged over threats by his union allies to hold illegal strikes to force the government into awarding public sector workers big pay rises.
He refused to criticise the prospect, and criticised laws that insist strikes cannot only be called if there is a 50 per cent turnout in union ballots.
Asked if he would be on the picket lines with strikers, Mr Corbyn said: 'I will be supporting those workers in getting a decent pay rise.'
But he would not say whether he supported the across-the-board 5 per cent hikes being demanded by unions - which would cost the public purse around 10billion a year.
The government has already announced it is easing the 1 per cent cap on public sector pay rises, but says any increases must be balanced against the need to tackle the still-significant deficit.
A small group of anti-Brexit campaigners waving pro EU flags, accused those who led the Leave campaign of being 'fascists'.
They gathered across the street from the Labour Party conference hall and chanted into a microphone: 'Opposition do your job, don't appease the Fascist mob.'
Leading the chants was Judith Weisener, an NHS worker from London.
She told the the Mail Online: 'I don't think we are calling all people who voted Brexit fascists.
Mr Corbyn is kicking off the Labour conference in Brighton this morning
'We are calling those fascists who are leading Brexit and lying to people.'
Challenged over who this was, she added: 'Farage, who is an outright racist xenophobe, the EDL, and the Tory Party to the extent they play into that xenophobic agenda.
'And to the extent they ignore parliamentary process and parliamentary democracy.
'That's what makes me the most angry, we have got a parliamentary democracy and they are trying to ignore that.
'Put those two things together and you are on the road to fascism.'
Conservative party chairman Patrick McLoughlin said: 'Jeremy Corbyn seems unable to give a straight answer to a simple question. Today he refused to commit to controlling migration from the EU and he refused to condemn illegal strikes.
'Jeremy Corbyn is once again showing he is unfit to govern. He would backtrack on Brexit and fail to take the balanced approach on the economy that this country needs - and it would be ordinary working people that pay the price.'
David Davis has said Boris Johnson's Brexit tantrum had no impact on the Prime Minister's landmark Florence address.
The Foreign Secretary had threatened to quit the Cabinet unless Theresa May conceded to the Brexit demand, plunging the government into turmoil.
He finally signed up to the PM's Brexit offer at the eleventh hour with allies claiming his intervention was a victory as it ensured Mrs May ruled out paying into the EU budget after we fully quit the bloc.
But the Brexit Secretary said the policies laid out in the PM's speech in Italy were being drawn up months ago and Mr Johnson's flounce had no impact whatsoever.
He also mocked the Foreign Secretary's claims the European Union can 'go whistle' for money.
Brexit Secretary David David said Boris Johnson's tantrum over Brexit had no impact over the Prime Minister's Florence speech
Quizzed about Mr Johnson's tantrum on the BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Davis said: 'I have to say, the policy in the Prime Minister's speech had been coming for a long time.
'Some of the transition we were designing right at the beginning of the year. Some of it we have been designing months ago.
'I don't think there has been any change in the last few weeks.'
Mr Johnson plunged the government into crisis after he published an explosive 4,000-word Brexit article in the Daily Telegraph just days before the PM was die to give her flagship speech in Florence.
While allies of the Foreign Secretary briefed that he was ready to quit the Cabinet unless his demands were ceded to.
David Davis also mocked Boris Johnson over his claims the EU can 'go whistle' for more money. It has now emerged the government will pay another 20 billion euros into the EU budget in a two year transition deal
David Davis and Boris Jonson both travelled to Florence to watch the PM to deliver her Brexit speech in an orchestrated show of Cabinet unity
His intervention sparked a furious response from many of his Tory Party colleagues, with Home Secretary Amber Rudd accusing him of 'backseat driving'.
Asked if he thought Mr Johnson was backseat driving, Mr Davis laughed and said: 'My car has only got two seats.'
Pressed if he thought the article was a 'helpful intervention' said 'it was a good interview'.
And he mocked Mr Johnson for telling the House of Commons earlier this summer that the EU could 'go whistle' if it wants more money.
Asked about the comments, Mr Davis said: 'You'll have to ask Boris about that.'
It has now emerged that Britain will pay 20 billion euros into the EU budget for a two-year transition deal.
Mr Davis added: 'Boris signed up to this. Boris was there on Friday saying this is a good outcome.'
Uber claimed Sadiq Khan refused requests to meet anyone from the company since becoming mayor 16 months ago
Uber has pledged to clean up its act and make changes as it battles to regain its licence in London.
The company's concessions are likely to involve passenger safety and benefits for its drivers, possible limits on working hours to improve road safety and holiday pay.
The move came as more than 650,000 people signed a petition urging Transport for London to reverse its decision. A spokesman for Uber said around 20,000 of the firm's drivers had emailed Mr Khan directly to object to the decision.
TfL sensationally stripped the global taxi app of its licence to operate in London on Friday, claiming it was not 'fit and proper'.
Tom Elvidge, Uber's general manager in London, told The Sunday Times: 'We'd like to know what we can do...to sit down and work together to get this right.'
That represented a marked change of tone from Friday when he claimed he was 'astounded' by the decision. He also accused Sadiq Khan of 'caving in to a small number of people'.
The newpaper also quoted sources close to London's transport body as saying the move was encouraging and talks were a possibility.
However Uber said TfL gave it no notice of the issues it wished the firm to address and have only held one meeting this year.
Mr Elvidge said: 'While we haven't been asked to make any changes, we'd like to know what we can do.
'But that requires a dialogue we sadly haven't been able to have recently.'
Mr Khan had refused requests to meet anyone from the company since becoming mayor 16 months ago, Uber sources said.
MailOnline have contacted City Hall for a response. Transport for London (TfL) declined to comment.
Uber has said it will appeal the decision, during which time it will continue to operate as normal.
The process could see the dispute go on for up to a year.
Uber's private hire licence will not be renewed after a bombshell decision by TfL on Friday
TfL took the decision not to renew Uber's licence following concerns about the tech giant's failure to report serious crimes by drivers and the firm's vetting process.
Unions and Labour MPs have welcomed the decision.
Wes Streeting, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on taxis, described it as a 'courageous' move.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn backed the action taken by TfL, saying the body had looked at the firm and 'expressed very serious concerns'.
Ahead of his party's conference in Brighton, he said: 'TfL are there to protect all of us and I think they are doing the right thing.
'Obviously people need to be able to travel, obviously they want to be able to access cabs.
'Those cabs must be safe, must be regulated and must be available for all.'
Drivers of traditional black London cabs held a protest this year against the minicab app. The app was seen as unfairly undercutting black cabs due to the lack of regulation of drivers
However some MPs have accused Mr Khan of relenting to union pressure.
He had been given 30,000 for his mayoral campaign by the union that represents black cab drivers.
GMB, which has almost 640,000 members and campaigned for years against Uber's presence in London, has called the ban an 'historic victory'.
However, Mr Khan who as mayor is chairman of the Transport for London board but did not take part in the licensing decision said Uber had brought the ban on itself.
He said people angry about the decision should blame the company itself.
The London mayor said: 'I have every sympathy with Uber drivers and customers affected by this decision, but their anger really should be directed at Uber.'
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been blasted by MPs as he tells furious passengers to 'direct your anger at Uber'
Iqbal Wahhab, former chairman of the Department of Work and Pensions Ethnic Minority Advisory Group, said the move could breach TfL's legal duty [under the 2010 Equality Act] to make sure minority groups were not discriminated against.
'I wonder what regard TfL gave to this legal duty as part of its decision making process,' he wrote in the IBT.
'There is a huge disparity in socioeconomic conditions of BME [black minority ethnic] citizens and their white British counterparts. And for many of them, Uber was a way to earn a living, however modest, and come off benefits.'
Women's charities have also warned the move could put passenger safety at risk.
Nimco Ali, co-founder of the anti-FGM charity Daughters of Eve, said: 'The mayor talks about public safety while knife crime is at a record high and women use Uber for safety. If the mayor thinks cancelling the licence is how to make women feel safe, it shows how much he knows and cares about [violence against women] in London.'
Others suggested it could lead to young people using unlicensed taxis again.
Dame Esther, who spent years spearheading safety campaigns, said: 'In the past, when young people were desperate late at night and somebody stopped for them, many were tempted to jump in unlicensed cabs which can be very dangerous. I'm extremely worried that may happen again.'
A barber rescued a young boy from a hot car after his father allegedly left him inside so he could go to the pub across the road.
Issa Khadem was in his shop at Yagoona, in south-west Sydney, when he heard the distressed three-year-old toddler locked inside the Holden Astra hatchback on the Hume Highway shortly after 3.30pm on Saturday.
The boy's 42-year-old father was allegedly across the road at the Hume Hotel as temperatures in the area climbed above 35C.
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The three-year-old boy outside a shop after police smashed a car window to rescue him
Local area police smashed this driver's side window to free the boy left inside on a hot day
Mr Khadem was unsure if he could legally smash a window and called the local Bankstown police, who did the job of breaking glass on the driver's side to free the boy and treat him for dehydration.
'He was crying, he had wet himself in the car, poor thing,' he told Nine News on Sunday.
'This is what happens in Yagoona when a bloke goes to the pub and leaves his kid in the car.'
Nine News showed footage of the father knocked out on the pavement of the pub, after another patron had allegedly punched him.
A father, 42, has been charged with leaving his three-year-old son inside this Holden Astra
The man charged with locking one son in a hot car and leaving another at home was at this pub
Issa Khadem was inside his barber shop at Yagoona when he heard a boy's distressed cries
The TV report said police learned the father was supposed to have been caring for another son, aged two, when the boy's mother arrived on the scene.
The younger son was found by police inside a nearby home, Nine News said.
The boy's father was charged with leaving a child in a car causing distress, neglecting a child in his care and resisting arrest, police said.
He was refused bail on Sunday is due to appear at Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday.
Tourists are still being invited to visit Bali despite three hundred tremors being recorded around the site of Mount Agung on the resort island.
Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency has said the island remains safe for tourists, many of whom are Australians going on school holidays.
Between midnight and 6am on Sunday, three hundred tremors were felt and white smoke was seen 200 metres above the crater.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, National Disaster Management Agency spokesman, tweeted that as of Sunday morning the volcano had not erupted and there was no volcanic ash.
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Tourists are still being invited to visit Bali despite three hundred tremors recorded around the site of Mount Agung (pictured) on the resort island
Between midnight and 6am on Sunday, three hundred tremors were felt and white smoke was seen 200 metres above the crater
Located on the east of Indonesia's main island, the volcano - which last erupted back in 1964 - has experienced a major increase in the rate of tremors over recent days.
Fearing an eruption is imminent, the nation's authority raised the alert level up to the highest rating, leaving the holiday hotspot bracing for travel chaos should it explode.
While a radius of nine kilometres and 12 kilometres around the mountain was considered dangerous, the rest of the resort island was considered safe.
Between 50,000 to 60,000 travellers are still flying in and out of the island every day, Ngurah Rai airport general manager Yanus Suprayogi told The Sydney Morning Herald.
Mt Agung (pictured) is located in east of Bali and tens of thousands of people live near the crater
Director general of air transport, Agus Santoso, told the publicaiton flights in and out of the island will only be affected if volcanic ash is detected, even if the volcano erupted with lava.
If volcanic ash was detected, nine alternative airports outside of Bali have been prepared for diverted flights.
If flights do become affected, Mr Santoso said 300 buses would be available to transport affected travellers to ferry ports and bus stations so they could leave Bali.
'Bali tourism is safe. Do not spread misleading news that Bali is not safe because Mount Agung is on the highest alert status. Please come and visit Bali,' Mr Sutopo tweeted.
Locals claim that the last time the volcano erupted in 1963 animals fled the mountain in similar fashion to recent days
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has updated a travel warning for Australians heading to Bali
A photo circulating on social media, showing a mountain with lava streaming down, was of Soputan, a volcano in Sulawesi that erupted in 2015.
Mr Santoso said 'this is causing people to panic'.
The official figure of evacuees for in the area has risen to 34,834, after two fires broke out this week and smoke was seen rising from the summit.
The number is likely to be larger with many villagers staying with family and friends.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has updated a travel warning for Australians heading to Bali, telling them to make contingency plans for an eruption.
Over 30,000 villagers in the area around Mt Agung have left their homes after two fires broke out this week and smoke was seen rising from the summit
Australians travelling to the tourist mecca over the school holidays are being urged to keep away from the crater and be aware of local media reports.
'Contact your airline or tour operator to confirm travel plans,' said DFAT, with flights likely to be cancelled if the volcano erupts.
Travellers were reporting cancelled flights to Denpasar over the weekend as airlines reacted to the latest warning.
One Twitter user posted from Ubud, in the uplands of Bali, saying locals are 'spooked'.
Photographer Steven Wright captured two images of fires which broke out on the side of Mount Agung (pictured)
Photographer Steven Wright took two photos eight hours apart of fires which had broken out on the side of the volcano.
The 3,031-metre Agung last erupted in 1963, killing about 1,100 people and hurling ash as high as 10 kilometres.
But while tourists continue to arrive to the Indonesian capital, thousands of animals in the area have fled down the mountain and into nearby villages - one of the top signs a volcano is set to erupt.
The official figure of evacuees for in the area has risen to 34,834, with many more unaccounted for likely to be staying with family
Snakes and monkeys have reportedly begun fleeing the area around Mount Agung in their droves.
Sogra Village elder and Balinese priest Wayan Sukra told local media Bali Tribun that the animals had been on the move for three days.
'Maybe because it's hot on Mt. Agung. So the animals are exiting and coming to settled areas,' he said.
'Maybe this is a sign that the mountain will erupt (because) this condition is not usual.'
Mr Sukra said a similar phenomenon took place during the 1963 eruption.
The 'Ring of Fire' is where tectonic plates collide and move, causing almost 90 per cent of the world's earthquakes
Among the other signs locals claim prove an eruption is imminent are ash rain which causes irritation on the skin.
The mountain, to the northeast of the tourist hotspot of Kuta, is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia.
The country of thousands of islands is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire,' an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
More than 7,000 of the evacuees were in the 840 square kilometre Karangasem district, which is home to about 408,000 people.
An officer monitors seismic waves at the Mount Agung monitoring station in Bali on Wednesday
Norah O'Hare from Speke, Liverpool, died on the day she was discharged from hospital
A pensioner who died within hours of being discharged from hospital told her daughter in a heartbreaking phone call: 'They have finished me off.'
Norah O'Hare, 84, whose doctor feared she had pneumonia, died the same day she was allowed to leave Whiston Hospital in Merseyside.
The pensioner, from Speke, south Liverpool, spent two days in hospital and on the day of her discharge rang her daughter Patricia in despair.
But daughter Patricia said she knew 'she would never hear her mum's voice again' when she said goodbye.
Patricia, who lives in Florida, USA, said: 'Her [Norah's] final words to me were: "If your father was alive he would write a letter about what the hospital have done to me. They have finished me off."'
The hospital has apologised 'unreservedly' to the family after accepting there were 'shortfalls' in the care provided to Norah.
Patricia said her mum gave a detailed account of her time in hospital, over the phone and told her how she 'no longer trusted staff'.
Patricia claims Norah told her she had 'bruised and swollen ankles from kicking against the metal frame of the hospital bed for attention' and told nurses she 'didn't want excessive amounts of oxygen'.
Patricia said: 'I spoke to her for about 45 minutes before she died.
Patricia (right) said her mother (left) gave a detailed account of her time in hospital, over the phone and told her how she 'no longer trusted staff'
'I listened as she told me how she had been told by a doctor that she was now stable and could go home and could not understand why they had told her she was okay to go home but yet kept giving her oxygen in high amounts.
'She said she no longer trusted staff and she just wanted to go home and be with her children.
'As we said goodbye and hung up the phone I knew I would never hear her voice again.'
Norah was admitted to the emergency department at Whiston Hospital after feeling unwell for a week, with a cough and shortness of breath.
The following day, on January 1, 2016, her family claim she was seen by a consultant, who diagnosed exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Her family claim she was told she could return home with a review from the early support discharge team and she was discharged the following day.
But just hours after her discharge Norah was found dead, with the cause recorded as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Following her death, Patricia began a claim against St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust regarding its level of care towards her mum.
Patricia said: 'Whiston Trust doctors said my mum was fit for discharge yet she was over-oxygenated and semi-comatosed and died within hours of being discharged.'
Whiston Hospital in Merseyside (pictured) has apologised 'unreservedly' to the family after accepting there were 'shortfalls' in the care provided to Norah
Norah's family asked Williamsons Solicitors of Hull, East Yorkshire, for help and their case was taken on by clinical negligence solicitor Wayne Walker.
In a letter sent to the family from Ann Marr, chief executive of St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the Trust admitted its care had 'fallen below the standard Mrs O'Hare was entitled to expect'.
The letter read: 'It is acknowledged that consideration should have been given to non-invasive ventilation based on blood gas results and that there was poor adherence to the Trust oxygen therapy guidelines.
'In addition, information should have been provided about your mother's on-going oxygen requirements when she was discharged.'
The Trust added that it had 'identified lessons to be learned to improve care and avoid such incidents in the future.'
A spokesman for the Trust said: 'The Trust strives to provide the best possible care to all of our patients.
'However, we are committed to being completely open and transparent whenever shortfalls in care are identified.
'We have apologised unreservedly to Mrs O'Hare's family and have worked hard to ensure that lessons have been learned.
'We offer our sincere condolences to the family.'
Patricia said: 'I brought the claim with the hope that it may prevent future deaths and neglect of our elderly within NHS hospitals.
'Everyone in Speke knew mum. She was loved and respected and her door was always open to the neighbours.
'She was a kind and gentle woman who was full of stories of the 'old days'.
'Widowed at 49, mum never gave up, she was a strong woman and would always be the first to reach out and consider others before herself.
'Even when she became older and frail she was the same. Mum's death has been recorded as COPD which may have been her condition but it was certainly not the cause of her death.'
An inquest into Norah's death is set to be held by a coroner in October.
The family has recently been awarded 3,500 in damages.
Accused cocaine smuggler Cassie Sainsbury has extraordinarily claimed she cannot supply evidence proving her innocence because she has forgotten her phone password.
Sainsbury, who was arrested after 5.9kg of cocaine was found inside her suitcase at an airport in Bogota, Colombia, in April, made the astonishing claim during a tell-all interview from behind bars.
A fragile and exhausted Sainsbury, 22, told 60 Minutes she was ordered to traffick cocaine by the Colombian mafia after they threatened her family.
She claimed the drug ring sent her WhatsApp images and texts of her family and fiance - saying her loved ones would be killed if she failed to obey their orders.
But in a sensational twist, Sainsbury said she cannot show the evidence - that could potentially clear her name - to prosecutors because she has forgotten the password to her own phone.
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A drained and emotional Cassie Sainsbury has spoken of her excruciating ordeal for the first time behind the bars of her Colombian prison
Sainsbury explained she changed her story because 'Angelo', the man she alleges is the mastermind behind the drug-smuggling operation, threatened to kill her family
'I received a nasty phone call saying "what are you doing?" I was told my mum, my sister and my partner would be killed,' Sainsbury told 60 Minutes.
Sainsbury says she initially believed she was being paid $10,000 to work as an international courier, and didn't consider the situation to be suspicious until her itinerary changed from flying to Colombia instead of London.
She says she does not know the person who organised her travel, or if the name on her ticket belongs to a real person. She claims she never knew of the drug-smuggling operation, instead thought she was 'transporting documents'.
Upon her arrival in the South American country, Sainsbury says she met a man known only to her as 'Angelo', who she did not spend much time with because she 'didn't feel comfortable' in his presence.
'I found myself in a bad situation and I couldn't find a way out. I just went with what I was told to do,' she said.
After 'Angelo' learned she was trying to flee the country, Sainsbury alleges he showed her surveillance images of her mother, sister and partner in Adelaide, and said he would kill them if she did not follow his orders.
'That hit home quite hard. He said he had people working for him everywhere.'
Upon her arrival in the country, Sainsbury says she met a man known only to her as 'Angelo', who she did not spend much time with because she 'didn't feel comfortable' in his presence
'I found myself in a bad situation and I couldn't find a way out. I just went with what I was told to do,' she said
After 'Angelo' learned she was trying to flee the country, Sainsbury alleges he showed her surveillance images of her mother, sister and partner (pictured left) in Adelaide, and said he would kill them if she did not follow his orders
Sainsbury astonishingly claims the key to her escaping a minimum 21 years and four months in jail lies on her mobile phone - a device to which she has forgotten her passcode.
The threatening images, text messages and emails that will see her avoid spending more than two decades in her Bogota prison are inaccessible because the unique symbol that unlocks the phone has left her mind.
'I haven't used the pattern. I'm not going to remember. I'm sure if you were in prison you'd forget,' she said.
She denied reports that she worked as a prostitute at a brothel in Sydney, instead claiming she was a fly-in fly-out receptionist.
'I'm not a prostitute. There was some work but it wasn't prostitution. I know it's a brothel but that doesn't necessarily make me a prostitute,' Sainsbury said.
Instead she says the establishment, Club 220 in Penrith, were 'struggling' to find people to work behind the desk and were happy to have her fly in and out of the state.
She did, however, suggest there are 'links' between the brothel and her arrest, claiming an associate maybe have been the reason for her involvement in the crime syndicate.
Sainsbury denied reports that she worked as a prostitute at a brothel in Sydney, instead claiming she was a fly-in fly-out receptionist
Instead she says the establishment, Club 220 in Penrith, were 'struggling' to find people to work behind the desk and were happy to have her fly in and out of the state
A new preview from the 'tell-all interview' with 60 Minutes has shown Sainsbury defending herself for the first time
Images of Sainsbury smiling and appearing calm as she is arrested by customs staff at Bogota Airport led people to believe she did not understand the gravity of her situation, something she denies.
'I was extremely worried. When I was first arrested it didn't hit me. It hit me when I got back to the police station, it was like hitting a brick wall,' she said.
Her story, her family's explanation and her partner's reasoning for her presence in the foreign country and involvement in the drug-smuggling operation constantly have changed, many of which she has admitted were lies.
'I didn't know if I could talk about what happened. If I spoke about what happened I'd be in a lot of trouble.'
Sainsbury was arrested in April when narcotics police found 5.9 kilograms of cocaine in her luggage, hidden in headphone packets
The 22-year-old was dubbed 'Cocaine Cassie' after narcotics police alleged they had found 5.9 kilograms of the drug in her luggage in April this year.
Her story so far has only been told in media snippets, with her parents painting a picture of the kind-hearted 'girl next door', former colleagues claiming her past was as a sex worker, her fiance Scott Broadbridge sharing their relationship woes and her Uncle Neil damning her as guilty on national television.
Sainsbury was moments away from a sentence reduction to six years last month when she claimed she carried the drugs because her family had been threatened by an anonymous drug cartel, The Australian reported at the time.
The explosive claim, previously unheard by Colombian prosecutors, saw her bargain thrown out the window as they were at odds with her initial statement.
She now faces a maximum of 30 years behind bars, and her indictment hearing has been scheduled for September 26.
Chunks of plastic have been found on remote frozen ice floes just 1,000 miles from the North Pole (stock picture)
Chunks of plastic have been found on remote frozen ice floes just 1,000 miles from the North Pole, the first such find in an area previously inaccessible because of sea ice.
Scientists say it is one of the most northerly sightings of plastic in the world's waters and fear the material is flowing into the Arctic as ice melts as a result of Climate Change.
Exeter University's Tim Gordon led a team containing members from the UK, US, Norway and Hong Kong on explorer Pen Hadow's exhibition to the North Pole and was shocked to find the blocks of polystyrene, reports the Observer.
The plastic was found on ice floes between 77 and 80 north in the Arctic Ocean.
Mr Hadow said: 'For the 25 years I have been exploring the Arctic I have never seen such large and very visible items of rubbish.
'The blocks of polystyrene were just sitting on top of the ice.'
The world's oceans are heavily polluted with plastic and it poses a significant threat to wildlife.
Scientists say it is one of the most northerly sightings of plastic in the world's waters and fear the material is flowing into the Arctic as ice melts (stock image)
One study estimated there are more than five trillion pieces of plastic clogging up our oceans - with some experts claiming it is now that prolific it will form a permanent layer in the fossil record.
The polystyrene chunks were discovered on a groundbreaking mission that used two yachts to sail further into international waters of the Central Arctic Ocean than ever before without the use of icebreakers.
It is estimated humans produce around 300 millions tons of plastic each year with around half of that used just once before being disposed of.
POLLUTION IN NUMBERS The Ocean Cleanup Project has estimated that there is up to 5 trillion pounds of plastic in the sea, and two-thirds of it comes from the 20 most contaminated rivers - 67% of the global total. The team had also noted that the pollution costs at least $8 billion (7.1 billion euros) in damage to marine ecosystems and killing an estimated one million sea birds, 100,000 sea mammals and untold numbers of fish. The Yangtze, the world's third-longest river, 'is the largest contributing catchment', dumping some 727 million pounds of plastic into the East China Sea each year. Other than the Yangtze, the Ganges River in India with 98 million lbs per month. A combination of the Xi, Dong and Zhujiang Rivers (233 million lbs per year) in China as well as four Indonesian rivers: the Brantas (85 million lbs annually), Solo (71 million pounds per year), Serayu (37 million lbs per year) and Progo (28 million lbs per year), are all large contributors. The rest of the world shared the remaining 14 percent of plastic pollution via rivers, researchers said. Advertisement
The plastic wreaks havoc on the earth's ecosystem when it breaks down into microplastics and enters the food chain.
It is then found inside the bodies of animals.
Scientists say microplastics end up gathered in the Arctic because a high number of rivers empty into the Arctic basin. The melting ice means these previously frozen plastics are released into the oceans.
It is feared that by summer 2050 the Arctic Ocean will be free of ice, bringing with it concerns previously impossible human intervention will have a detrimental effect on wildlife.
Commercial fishing, shipping and industry are all worries.
As well as plastic pollution, the team is studying the impact of human-made noise pollution on the Arctic and what impact the ice loss will have on how sound travels through the sea.
Many animals, including beluga wales, ringed seals and walruses, depend on using sounds for navigation and communication in the pitch black icy depths.
And narwhals use biosonar to hunt for fish under water.
They emit 1,000 high-pitched clicks every second and listen to the reflected echoes.
A transgender campaign group defended an activist who attacked a 60-year-old by comparing the 'radical feminists' who question their views to 'Nazis'.
Members of the Action for Trans Health (ATH) clashed with their bitter enemies the Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists (or so-called TERFs) in London's Hyde Park before a scheduled event to discuss gender issues.
It culminated in an unseemly bust-up that ended with a 60-year-old mother-of-two being bundled to the ground and punched in the face by an ATH campaigner.
Following that the group have issued a number of statements defending the activist, widely identified on social media as 25-year-old courier Tara Flik Wood.
Gender warfare: A hoodie-wearing protester raises a fist during the brawl on September 13
Flashpoint: The activist holds mother-of-two Maria MacLachlan, 60, who was left 'shaken'
It has also emerged that Jess Bradley, a former member of the ATH, gave evidence on gender equality to the woman and equalities select committee in 2015, the Sunday Times reported.
The committee's report recommended updating legislation to allow people to choose their sex legally without the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. That is now part of a consultation launched by the government on the Gender Recognition Bill.
Police are continuing to investigate following the violent clashes between the transgender activists and 'radical feminists' on September 13.
Mother-of-two Maria MacLachlan, who describes herself as a 'gender critical feminist', was attacked at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park.
She had joined around 50 fellow TERFs who were to be given details of the secret location for a talk entitled What Is Gender? The Gender Recognition Act And Beyond.
TERFs believe transgender women should not have the same rights as other women, leading to tension between groups.
Ms MacLachlan, a humanist funeral celebrant, said she was talking to one of the event speakers Miranda Yardley when 'studenty-looking types' turned up and began arguing.
She said the protestors shouted 'when the TERFs attack, we fight back' and she decided to start filming.
Mother-of-two Maria MacLachlan, who describes herself as a 'gender critical feminist', was attacked at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park
'Then suddenly someone tried to grab my camera,' she said. 'It was scary. Someone kept trying to get my camera. I think it was a girl, but I couldn't tell because they had a hoodie over their eyes.'
Writing online she said: 'I ended up on the ground and it felt like a few of them were punching and kicking me.'
Ms MacLachlan later identified a trans-woman Tara Flik Wood, currently trying to raise 5,000 for vocal-cord surgery to make her voice higher, as one of her attackers.
She said she was 'shaken' and suffered bruising to her face, red marks on her neck and grazed knees.
Her Lumix camera was smashed and the memory card stolen. She added: 'I didn't go to hospital but it has really shaken me up.'
After the attack ATH's Edinburgh branch sent a series of tweets defending the use of violence.
They said: 'Punching terfs is the same as punching Nazis. Fascism must be smashed with the greatest violence to ensure our collective liberation from it'.
'Violence against terfs is always self defence', another tweet read.
Bradley, who said she no longer works for the group, tweeted 'terfs are using Nazi tactics...don't let it work'.
She is currently the trans officer for the National Union of Students (NUS). They declined to comment.
After the attack ATH's Edinburgh branch sent a series of tweets defending the use of violence
The group also uploaded this post saying 'when the terfs attack, we fight back'
Elsewhere on social media ATH supporters say 'TERFS must die' and 'burn in a fire, TERF'.
Before the meeting, a trans-woman posted: 'Any idea where this is happening? I want to f*** some TERFs up, they are no better than fash [fascists].'
In a statement Action for Trans Health said: 'We condemn violence against women in all forms. We're proud that many self-originating activists, allies and supporters stood against hatred, misogyny and intimidation.'
A Scotland Yard spokesman told MailOnline inquiries were ongoing but no arrests had been made.
Horrifying footage has captured a woman launching a foul-mouthed racist tirade at workers in a kebab shop.
CCTV from the Medo Kebab House in Southport, Merseyside, recorded the woman telling workers, 'remember he's in my country, not his' as she was handed her food.
The clip has amassed thousands of views on social media, after it was shared by the takeaway owner in a bid to demonstrate the abuse his staff have to deal with.
CCTV shows the woman unashamedly launching the racist tirade at workers
Footage from the Medo Kebab House in Southport, Merseyside, recorded the woman telling staff, 'remember he's in my country, not his' as she was handed her food
Social media users have since called for the woman in the footage to be 'named and shamed'.
In the video, she can be heard shouting a racial slur into the shop from the doorway, as a staff member replies: 'it's your country - no need to be racist.'
She can be seen using an electronic cigarette as she stands at the counter.
Cihan Erdogan, 42, owns Medo Kebab House and moved to the UK some 23 years ago from Turkey.
Mr Erdogan, who was working behind the counter, told the Liverpool Echo: 'She tried to grab something behind the till, a piece of paper or a pen, and I told her not to.
'We said "please just ask us, we can give you whatever you want" and she was saying, "This is my own country - this is mine, you are foreign, you can't say that to me".'
She can be heard shouting a racial slur into the shop from the doorway, as a staff member replies: 'It's your country - no need to be racist'
The clip was shared by the takeaway owner in a bid to demonstrate the abuse his staff have to deal with
People have now called for the woman to be named and shamed after her behaviour
The takeaway was nominated for the best takeaway outside London in 2015 and 2014.
Mr Erdogan added: 'I'm 42 years old and I've been in this country almost 23 years now, so most of my life I've spent here and I've been serving Southport people most of my life.
'When the credit crunch started I almost went bankrupt and my parents sold their house in Turkey and paid the money into my business here.
'I work very hard, like 15 to 18 hour days sometimes - it's very hard to pay bills and everybody thinks foreign people come here to take money and take benefits but it's not like that.
'I came to the UK when I was young and since then I've never taken benefits.'
The shocking clip has led to a wave of anger online.
John Parsons wrote: 'Why the abuse? The staff gave her what she wanted but it still isn't good enough.'
Aleck Jardim said: 'Racist but still comes for food cooked by the same foreign people she can't stand.'
It was also branded 'vile' and 'disgusting' in other responses to Mr Erdogan's post.
The Labour Party conference descended into chaos today as Corbynista activists demanded Sadiq Khan is gagged.
The chairwoman of the session had to plead for calm after a young Labour member was jeered by the audience as he urged the party to let the London mayor speak.
Tensions between Labour moderates and more radical party activists were laid bare almost immediately after the Brighton conference formally kicked off.
Organisers of the conference had finally given Mr Khan a slot to speak on Monday after a long-running battle for him to be heard.
Momentum activist Morgan Hendy called for Labour activists to be given the platform to speak at conference and fro Sadiq Khan to be gagged
A Labour delegate was jeered by the crowd at conference today when he pleaded for Sadiq Khan be allowed to speak - pointing out he has the biggest personal mandate of any Labour politician after his mayoral victory this year
But Morgan Hendy, an activist with the Jeremy Corbyn-backing Momentum group, urged the conference to bin the slot and give the time to activists instead.
Addressing the conference, he heaped praise on the flood of new activists to the party and said Labour must 'use this resource' .
He said: 'No offence, but we see him (Sadiq Khan) on television all the time...
'I want us to give speaking time for members, for volunteers, for activists - for the people who got us so far in the General Election.'
He said that if the conference does decide to hear from Labour mayors, they should be from cities outside London.
But another young delegate gave an impassioned plea to the conference to give Mr Khan a platform in recognition of his sweeping victory earlier last year.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan is due t speak at Labour Party conference after a long-running battle to get him a slot
He said: Going back to Sadiq speaking, can we just say that he has the biggest personal mandate of anyone in the Labour Party.
His remarks were met with cheers rom some corners of the conference hall, as he continued: Last year he pulled off a stunning victory in the London Mayoral campaign, it is ridiculous to say he should be blocked from speaking at this conference.
'Yes we should have the mayors like Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram.
'We should be championing the voices of local government and this is not the way to do it. We should have a slot for our mayors.'
But his plea were met with shouts and jeers from some in the conference hall leading the chair to step in and plead for calm.
The chairwoman said: 'Conference, conference, even if your views are not with the speaker, please be respectful.'
A retired Oxford University professor who was mauled to death by stray dogs in Greece had phoned her family shortly after the attack to tell them she was in danger.
The woman, who had been staying at a guest house in the nearby town of Maroneia, phoned her family in Britain on Thursday to say she was injured.
Her phone lost cell service shortly thereafter, and her family called police to raise alarm about the attack.
Authorities found the 64-year-old tourist dead on Saturday, with marks suggesting she had been savaged by animals in the northern region of Rodopi.
The woman had been missing since Thursday after returning from a visit to the Mesimvria archaeological site by foot
Authorities (pictured during the search) found the 64-year-old tourist dead on Saturday, with marks suggesting she had been savaged by animals in the northern region of Rodopi
The woman had apparently been attacked after returning from a visit to the Mesimvria archaeological site near Petrota Beach by foot.
After she alerted her mother and brother about the dog attack, they called local authorities in Greece to try to get help finding the woman, according to ERT Television.
The woman's family then called the British Embassy in Greece, who liaised with police to launch a search.
When the search began, the woman had last been seen by swimmers on Thursday afternoon.
The Foreign Office said: 'We are in contact with Greek Police about a British woman missing in northern Greece since Thursday.' Pictured: Petrota Beach, near where a body was found
Her body was found by police and firefighters at 10.45am local time on Saturday.
It was taken via ambulance to the General Hospital of Komotini, where an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'We are in contact with Greek Police in relation to a British woman missing in northern Greece since Thursday.
'We are also providing consular assistance to her family.'
The woman's family is believed to be traveling to Greece following the horrific incident.
There are more than a million stray dogs in Greece after many were abandoned by their owners following the financial crisis.
A family dog has been shot dead with a crossbow after a hunter mistook the pet for a coyote.
Tonka, a one-year-old Alaskan Shepherd, was walking with his owner Elizabeth Mongno in woods near their New Jersey home on Wednesday.
Mongno said the dog ran off chasing a deer but he failed to come back when he was called.
About 30 seconds later, Mongno said she heard him yelp and feared he had been bitten by another animal.
Tonka, a one-year-old Alaskan Shepherd, was walking with his owner Elizabeth Mongno in woods near their New Jersey home on Wednesday when he was shot by a hunter
Her husband found Tonka about 50 feet from their property line about 10 minutes later. He had been shot in the heart with an arrow.
Mongno said Tonka had tried to walk home but couldn't make it.
'One of our neighbors, unbeknownst to us, had given a relative property to deer hunt. A man saw Tonka running. Tonka stopped, probably about to return home, and the man shot and killed Tonka with a cross bow,' Mongno wrote in a Facebook post.
The hunter, Romeo Antonuccio, was charged with careless discharge and damage of property.
Antonuccio, who is not from the area, told authorities he was trying to shoot deer from a tree stand and thought Tonka was a coyote.
Mongno said her two children were devastated over their beloved dog's death. He was off chasing a deer when he was shot dead
The hunter who killed Tonka has been charged with careless discharge and damage of property. He told police he thought Tonka was a coyote
Mongno said Tonka was wearing two collars so the hunter would have known he was not a coyote.
'It all happened so fast, but I was so loudly calling him home, other neighbors, from further away could hear,' she said.
'Our hearts are completely broken, we devastated. I will never forgive myself for letting him get away from me. My poor kids couldn't be more broken, especially my nine-year-old.
'Tonka put so many smiles on so many faces. His lovable, goofy personality made everyone around him happy. He was truly a one of a kind dog and we will miss him so much.
'Never in a million years did I think that this could happen.'
Tonka (above with one of her nine-year-old owners) was found about 50 feet from the family's property line. He had been shot in the heart with an arrow.
Mark Tuthill pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud and was jailed for two years and four months
A predatory love-rat fleeced almost 20,000 out of three vulnerable women after spinning a web of lies and pretending he was a high-flying barrister.
Mark Tuthill claimed he was a barrister with the Crown Prosecution Service, said he had a 600,000 house, and pretended to own a race horse.
But Newcastle Crown Court heard that in reality, the 48-year-old was forced to live in hostels.
The court heard he met two of his victims on dating website Plenty of Fish, while a third was running a village Post Office in Northumberland when she fell for his charms.
As he jailed him for two years and four months, the judge said Tuthill weaseled his way into the affections of the women before systematically financially and emotionally violating them.
Prosecutor Neil Pallister added: 'All three were told lies about his financial situation. He extracted money from them and preyed on their vulnerability.'
The first victim, in her 30s, got to know 6ft 7in Tuthill as he called into the post office she was running while he was working on a building site nearby.
She had suffered a traumatic time in her life when he began to target her.
Mr Pallister said: 'He told her what were undoubted lies, and she believed him, about having a house in Durham or Sunderland and that he had 50,000 tied up in an ISA account.
'He gave the impression he was a wealthy man but said his savings were tied up and used that as an excuse to supposedly borrow money. He clearly had no intention of paying it back.'
Tuthill told the woman he needed to loan 3,000 to buy a van for his business.
Mr Pallister said: 'She believed him. He said everything would work out and they would live happily ever after.
Tuthill met two of his victims on dating website Plenty of Fish, while a third 'fell for his charms' in the Post Office
'She gave him money for hotel bills and he would promise to pay half back but that never materialised.
'One Christmas, he said he had no money for presents for a son he had and he borrowed upwards of 1,000.
LOVE RAT 'WEASLED HIS WAY' INTO WOMEN'S AFFECTIONS Jailing him for two years and four months, Recorder Ian Harris said it was not necessary to determine the truth of the value of the frauds as it would not effect the sentence. The judge said: 'There was a period of dishonest, deceitful and disgraceful behaviour. 'You weaseled your way into the affections of these three females and financially abused them. 'You moved like a financial predator from one relationship to another while systematically financially and emotionally violating these women. 'While they warmed to you, you were cold and calculated. You took gross advantage of them. 'It was cold-hearted and encompassed enormous persistent lies. 'You manipulated your way into the affections of the three female victims who believed and trusted you.' Peter Walsh, defending, said: 'He used false accounts about himself because of his desperation to get money. He was running into financial difficulties. 'For the last few years he has lived on the verges of society, living in hostels.' Advertisement
'She was later told his partner stopped him having access to his son and she agreed to pay 500 which he told her was going towards legal expenses so he could see his son.'
In total the woman says she gave 5,921 to Tuthill on the understanding he would pay her back. He says the value of the fraud was more like 3,200 and claims to have done work for her valued at 2,500.
When the relationship petered out, she tried remaining friends with him in order to get her money back but whenever he arranged to meet her to supposedly settle up, he cancelled or fobbed her off.
She said: 'He could see my vulnerability as an opportunity to manipulate me and extract money. That makes me feel sick.
'I believed he was a good guy. He spoon-fed me a pack of lies. He convinced me I should be getting married and having children. He left me utterly bereft.
'I was taken advantage of financially and sexually. I feel disgusted I have been intimate with a person capable of doing what he had done.'
Tuthill met his second victim, a 41-year-old special needs teacher who had had gastric band surgery, on Plenty of Fish in July 2015 and spun her a catalogue of lies.
Mr Pallister told the court: 'He told her he was a successful barrister with the CPS, working in a specialist department, that he owned a house in Gosforth and a race horse.
'He persuaded her to give him money towards funding the race horse he claimed he had and she transferred 1,000.
'He told her he was a successful lawyer with a monthly income of 14,380 and was expecting a lump sum of 50,000.
'Sadly, she believed his lies. During the relationship she continued to give him money.
'He said he would get a substantial sum on retirement which would secure their financial future together. She never got the money back.'
Her last contact with Tuthill was in November 2015 and she reported him missing when contact ceased.
The woman says she handed over a total of 10,200.
She said in a victim statement: 'With the issues I had I was over the moon I had met him. He was kind, attractive and wanted a family and to get married.
'I believed what he told me, that's why I constantly transferred money. He has ruined me financially, emotionally and psychologically.'
Tuthill formed a relationship with 48-year-old woman he met on Plenty of Fish around the same time, in May 2015.
After they started dating, she discovered she had breast cancer and needed a double mastectomy.
Prosecutors say the total value of Tuthill's con wasin the region of around 19,678.95
Mr Pallister said: 'The defendant was very attentive and visited her in hospital but clearly then became interested in the amount of money her daughter had saved for a flat or house of her own.
'He spun a story that he would like to help her out financially.
'He told the daughter he was selling his house in Gosforth for 600,000 and he would use some of that money to buy the house for her.'
Tuthill persuaded the 24-year-old daughter to transfer 3,492 of her 10,000 savings to him to pay off her debts, but she never saw her money again.
She said: 'I'm really annoyed, he preyed on my mother when she was fighting a terrible disease.
'I'm in shock he would prey on someone with cancer when his own father had the same illness.
'Me and my mother don't suffer fools which just highlights how calculating he has been in what he did to me and my family.'
Tuthill, of no fixed address, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud.
Prosecutors say the total value was 19,678.95 but the defence argue it was closer to 13,000. He was jailed for two years and four months.
Peter Walsh, defending, said: 'He used false accounts about himself because of his desperation to get money. He was running into financial difficulties.
'For the last few years he has lived on the verges of society, living in hostels.'
One of Mark Tuthill's devastated victims said he was so clever at what he did, he even avoided leaving any social media footprint in his wake.
And now she wants his photograph printed so other women can be on their guard if he tried to strike again when he gets out of prison.
The 38-year-old victim said: 'At the beginning he really convinced me that he really loved me and wanted to marry me. But it is so horrible to think he milked me for what he could get.
'He would come in and chat. It went on for about a year, he came in every day and we built up a rapport.
'I didn't see him for about six months, until one day he appeared at the shop with a substantial bunch of flowers.
'He asked me out and he took me on a very nice date to York. He was all fun and very respectful.
'He was very nice and came across very well. He was clever and picked up what you liked and reflected that back at you. He was very clever.
'At the time I was quite lonely and regarded myself that I wouldn't meet anyone again and by talking to me he gleaned the information he needed.
'I still feel stupid. I'm really absolutely gutted and sickened he did this to me and others.'
The victim, who has rebuilt her life away from Northumberland, added: 'Eventually I started suspecting that he was lying.
'He never let me meet his family and there would always be an excuse why I couldn't. That was when alarm bells started ringing. I never met anyone who was close to him.
'Meetings were supposed to happen and they were cancelled or something else would happen. There was always an excuse.
'I gave him 3,000 for a van and I never saw any of that again. He said he needed presents for his son and I gave him around 1,000. He was full of promises.
'It is a sad state of affairs, I don't know of his family and it's sad for his family that he's been taken away from them. It is a very sad and pathetic way to make money.
'He was a bright man, very cleaver, he would have probably made something good of himself if he'd put that effort into something else, rather than manipulating people to make money.
'Him being jailed can help me draw a line under this now and help me move on.'
A 13-year-old dog was rescued by two hikers after being stranded high up on a ledge at one of the Colorado's 14'ers for six weeks.
Over two days, Trinity Smith and Sean Nichols were able to save the dog named Chloe who was whimpering atop of Mount Bross. The mountain is a 100 mile drive from Denver and is one of the 14'ers, Colorado's 14 highest peaks.
People posted in the 14'ers Facebook group that they heard a dog crying during their hikes. Chloe's owners had also posted online that they were looking for her after she ran off with another neighborhood dog.
Trinity Smith and Sean Nichols (pictured) rescued 13-year-old Chloe who was stranded on Mount Bross for six weeks. She normally weighs 90lbs but was just 26lbs when she was found
The day after hearing the dog bark, the couple returned the next day with a Jeep and called for the trapped dog for four hours
Chloe's family was desperately hoping to find her and posted she went missing on August 11
Smith decided to take on the challenge and hiked up the mountain to see if she could locate the pup.
When she heard her whimpering, Smith called her boyfriend for help since it was dark and the hike up the steep incline would have been dangerous.
They returned the next day with a Jeep and called for the trapped dog for four hours. Chloe eventually stopped barking in response.
But Nichols and Smith didn't give up hope and finally found Chloe stuck on top of a rock. Nichols retrieved her and slid down the rock with Chloe in his arms.
Smith wrote on Facebook: 'After rumors of a dog crying and two days of scrambling along the side of a 14er, we finally brought this sweet baby down to safety.
After the rescue mission, Smith (pictured) and Nichols went to the store to get Chloe food and to give her back to her owners
Chloe was found stranded on a ledge on Mount Bross which is part of the Colorado 14ers
'This poor thing has been stranded high up on a cliff for over a month. She was once a 90lb dog who now weighs 26.'
'Glad to have her off that mountain and back with her owners!'
After saving Chloe, the couple went to the store to get her food and to give her back to one of her owners Larry Osborne. He though Chloe was lost for good.
Osborne spoke with 9NEWS and said Chloe is doing better and that he is thankful to Smith and Nichols.
He said: 'It's a really tight-knit community - but it's really good to know that with all the bad in the world - there's still a lot of good.'
Corbyn ally Clive Lewis today claimed Brexit voters fears about immigration were 'racist'.
The Norwich South MP clashed with ex Labour minister Caroline Flint on the issue on live TV as she insisted he was wrong.
The incendiary claim came as shadow home secretary Diane Abbott accused the Tories of weaponising the issue of immigration.
Corbyn ally Clive Lewis (pictured left on Sky News today) claimed Brexit voters fears about immigration were 'racist' - clashing with ex Labour minister Caroline Flint (right)
Mr Lewis told Sky News' Sunday with Paterson that opposition to EU free movement is fuelled by racism.
He said: 'I actually believe in freedom of movement. You are talking about managing migration.
'You are not going to like to hear this: it always comes back down to something the Left in this country has very much difficulty with, which is that it is ultimately about racism.
'It comes down to racism.'
On the same programme, ex Labour minister Caroline Flint hit back: 'You do not respect the will of the people.
'You don't want any immigration controls at all.'
The shadow home secretary used her main speech to Labour conference in Brighton to insist her party would take a measured approach to controlling the border.
But Ms Abbott's address to party delegates did nothing to end continued confusion over exactly what Labour would do in power to cut arrivals in Britain.
Diane Abbott (pictured today at the LKabour conference in Brighton) accused the Tories of 'weaponising' immigration to capitalise on voters' fear
Ms Abbott was welcomed onto the conference stage by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for her main speech to delegates (pictured)
She said: 'Tory opportunism on immigration is a disgrace. They continue to talk about bogus immigration targets, which they have not met and will never meet.
'The Tories have weaponised immigration. They have pandered to anti-immigrant sentiment whatever the cost to the economy and communities.'
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn today refused to make the party's position on EU free movement clear as he acknowledged concerns on his own side about any cuts to arrivals.
In her speech, Ms Abbott said Labour would end indefinite immigration detention and review the Prevent anti-extremist strategy.
She said: 'There are real labour market issues in relation to immigration but the Labour Party under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn will never scapegoat immigrants for these issues.
'Labour in government will work across departments to counter the effects of deregulation, liberalisation and the weakening of trade-union rights and freedoms.'
Ms Abbott said there was increasing concern that Prevent is a tainted brand that is not fit for purpose.
She said: 'Trampling on our civil liberties will do the terrorists' work for them.
'Because what makes us free is what makes us safe and what makes us safe is what will make us free.'
Ms Abbott and Mr Corbyn won a standing ovation from a hall packed with supporters in Brighton today as surprise election progress saw Labour moderates back away
Ms Abbott also stressed the nation cannot be kept secure 'on the cheap' as she pledged to reverse funding cuts and recruit 10,000 new officers.
The Government is boosting its total spending on counter-terrorism by 30%, from 11.7 billion to 15.1 billion.
However, Sara Thornton, head of the National Police Chiefs' Council, has argued the amount allocated from that budget to policing, which currently totals around 700 million a year, is set to be cut by 7.2 per cent in the next three years.
Ms Abbott said: 'The truth is that austerity undermines policing and community safety in just the same way that it undermines our health service.
'We see the consequence of this around us, with rising levels of homicide, knife and gun crime and the police themselves are suffering from spiralling levels of overwork and stress.
'Labour in government will work to make communities safe. We will recruit 10,000 new police officers working in the community.'
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (pictured in the conference hall today) earlier refused in a TV to make the party's position on EU free movement clear as he acknowledged concerns on his own side about any cuts to arrivals
Labour delegates queuing up for the conference in Brighton today are set to spend four days by the seaside debating politics
On Grenfell Tower, Ms Abbott said the blaze symbolised the Conservatives' failure and that the failure 'goes further than the borough council'.
'Events at Grenfell are also a direct consequence of deregulation of fire standards and inspection, privatisation and outsourcing.
'We demand justice for the Grenfell survivors they will not be forgotten.
'We demand an immigration amnesty for former Grenfell residents so they all feel able to come forward for help.'
She added: 'Labour in government will recruit 3,000 additional firefighters and we fully support the campaigning of the Fire Brigades Union, against the cuts.'
Pope Francis has been accused of heresy over his thawing relations with remarried Catholics.
More than 60 priests, theologians and academics have lashed out at the Pontiff in relation to his 2016 opening to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics.
In a 25-page letter delivered to Francis last month, the 62 signatories issued a 'filial correction' - meaning brotherly correction - to the pope - a measure they said hadn't been employed since the 14th century.
More than 60 priests, theologians and academics have formally accused the Pontiff in relation to his 2016 opening to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics
The letter accused Francis of propagating seven heretical positions concerning marriage, moral life and the sacraments with his 2016 document 'The Joy of Love' and subsequent 'acts, words and omissions.'
The initiative follows another formal act by four tradition-minded cardinals who wrote to Francis last year asking him to clarify a series of questions, or 'dubbia,' they had about his 2016 text.
Francis hasn't responded to either initiative. The Vatican spokesman didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment late Saturday.
None of the signatories of the new letter is a cardinal, and the highest-ranking churchman listed is actually someone whose organization has no legal standing in the Catholic Church: Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior of the breakaway Society of St. Pius X.
Several other signatories are well-known admirers of the old Latin Mass which Fellay's followers celebrate.
But organizers said the initiative was nevertheless significant and a sign of the concern among a certain contingent of academics and pastors over Francis' positions, which they said posed a danger to the faithful.
Pope Francis meets members of a children's choir from Mexico during his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, on Wednesday
'There is a role for theologians and philosophers to explain to people the church's teaching, to correct misunderstandings,' said Joseph Shaw, a spokesman for the initiative, signatory of the correction and senior research fellow in moral philosophy at Oxford University.
When it was released in April 2016, 'The Joy of Love' immediately sparked controversy because it opened the door to letting civilly remarried Catholics receive Communion.
Church teaching holds that unless these Catholics obtain an annulment - a church decree that their first marriage was invalid - they cannot receive the sacraments, since they are seen as committing adultery.
Pope Francis waves as he arrives in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Wednesday
Francis didn't create a church-wide pass for these Catholics, but suggested - in vague terms and strategically placed footnotes - that bishops and priests could do so on a case-by-case basis after accompanying them on a spiritual journey of discernment.
Subsequent comments and writings have made clear he intended such wiggle room, part of his belief that God's mercy extends in particular to sinners and that the Eucharist isn't a prize for the perfect but nourishment for the weak.
Shaw said none of the four cardinals involved in the initial 'dubbia' letter, nor any other cardinal, was involved in the 'filial correction.'
Organizers said the last time such a correction was issued was to Pope John XXII in 1333 for errors which he later recanted.
Speaking to 60 minutes, he said he 'felt back at home' in the water
The 25-year-old got back into the water seven months after the attack
He died 'at least six times' on route to hospital, where doctors amputated his leg
The father-of-three was spearfishing with friends when attacked by a bull shark
Since Glenn Dickson survived a savage shark attack in February, the young father has been thinking about getting back in the water.
And seven months since a three-and-a-half metre bull shark nearly ended Mr Dickson's life, he is finally back where he is happiest.
The 25-year-old was spearfishing off Hinchinbrooke Island, North Queensland, on February 18 when he was confronted by the vicious bull shark.
The creature repeatedly attacked Mr Dickson and left him fighting for his life in hospital, where doctors had to amputate his right leg.
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Glenn Dickson was spearfishing off Hinchinbrooke Island, North Queensland on February 18 when he was attacked by a bull shark
The creature repeatedly attacked Mr Dickson and left him fighting for his life in hospital, where doctors had to amputate his right leg
Seven months since a three-and-a-half metre bull shark nearly ended Mr Dickson's life, he is back in the water
Speaking to 60 Minutes on Sunday night, the young father-of-three relived his horrific ordeal and shared his journey since the attack.
'You can't stop living life just because you get knocked down,' he said.
'You've gotta get back up and keep trying, and I love the ocean and I knew what I was doing that day.'
Mr Dickson told 60 Minutes: 'You can't stop living life just because you get knocked down.'
The father-of-three arrived in hospital nearly four hours since the shark attack took place
Three months after the attack and with his right leg gone, Mr Dickson stood up and began learning to walk with a prosthesis
Mr Dickson said he was 'as close as you can get' to dying but miraculously pulled through, even after a 45-minute boat ride back to shore, where he was flown to Cairns Base Hospital.
By the time he arrived at the hospital, it had been four hours since the attack.
On the day of the attack, Mr Dickson had been out spearfishing with three of his friends.
Friends Peter Kosica and Aaron Butler, together with former US Navy diver Rick Bettua, pulled Mr Dickson into the boat after they realised he had been mauled.
Appearing on the program, Mr Bettua said it 'came down to seconds' to save Mr Dickson's life.
Mr Dickson said he was 'as close as you can get' to dying but miraculously pulled through
At the time of the attack, Mr Dickson was a father to son Reef, four, and daughter Lyla, two. He has since welcomed now three-month old daughter Aurora
Mr Dickson said he remembered his friends telling him he 'wasn't going to die on them' and he had to get back to his family
'He had a 360 degree cut around his thigh, it went all the way around, and every vein and every artery was severed,' Rick said.
There was also another massive gash on Mr Dickson's calf.
Asked how many times he thought his friend died, Rick said 'at least six'.
Mr Dickson said he remembered his friends telling him he 'wasn't going to die on them' and he had to get back to his family.
At the time of the attack, Mr Dickson was a father to son Reef, four, and daughter Lyla, two.
His fiance, Jessie-Lee Janssen, was pregnant with their third child.
Fiance Jessie-Lee Janssen said 'I think it's good for him to move forward and to be getting on with life'
Mr Dickson had a '360 degree cut around his thigh, it went all the way around, and every vein and every artery was severed'
She told the program that she supported his need to get back into the water.
'I think it's good for him to move forward and to be getting on with life, rather than letting the unfortunate thing that happened to him, get to him,' she said.
The couple welcomed their daughter Aurora, now three-months-old, after Mr Dickson's surgery.
Three months after the attack and with his right leg gone, Mr Dickson stood up and began learning to walk with a prosthesis.
Glenn (left) was back in the water seven months after the shark nearly ended his life, even catching a crayfish within 15 minutes
Coming to terms with the loss of his leg took a lot of effort for the young father, who said he 'had to learn to love my leg'.
With the unconditional love and support from his family and friends, the 25-year-old was back in the water seven months after the shark nearly ended his life.
And within 15 minutes, he had caught his first crayfish.
Mr Dickson admitted he felt a bit 'edgy' at the beginning of his dive but once he 'got back in the water, I felt back at home'.
Two Australian soldiers who inspired the Oscar-winning blockbuster The Hurt Locker have been denied gallantry medals for defusing improvised explosive devices in Iraq.
A military tribunal ruled Sydney soldier Sergeant Andrew Street and Townsville-based Captain Anthony Gilchrist were undeserving of the high honours despite serving in 180 high-risk missions to the Middle East, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The former Australian Defence Force diggers were part of a U.S.-led operation to defuse improvised explosive devices in Iraq in 2005 - two years after the overthrow of dictator Saddam Hussein.
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Townsville-based Captain Anthony Gilchrist was denied a bravery medal for serving in Iraq
Captain Anthony Gilchrist (pictured) and Sergeant Andrew Street defused bombs in Iraq
The FBI even recommended their work but the Australian military tribunal still knocked back the recommendation to give the men gallantry medals on the grounds their work was part of their 'trade', the newspaper article said.
Their bravery inspired the 2009 film The Hurt Locker.
This blockbuster, directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Jeremy Renner, won an Oscar for Best Picture in 2010, as well as five other Academy Awards.
The Department of Defence's Honours Awards Appeals Tribunal ruled the former Australian soldiers did what they were expected to do 'notwithstanding the horror of their employment, the threat and the inherent risk'.
'The Tribunal considered that all soldiers who do their expected duty in battle or on operations are brave and that duty and bravery rely on each other,' it concluded.
Now Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, himself a Vietnam War veteran, is being asked to decide what constitutes bravery.
A six year old twin boy was mauled to death by a brown bear that walked into his remote village in northern Russia.
The beast grabbed the child in front of other terrified youngsters including his twin sister - and dragged him away into bushes before killing him.
She managed to escape and raise the alarm.
The terrifying bear attack came in the village of Kheta on the Taimyr peninsula in Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region, according to Russian reports.
This bear attacked and killed a six-year-old boy as he played near the village of Kheta on the Taimyr peninsula in Siberia, Russia
The bear dragged the youngster away as he played on a helipad near the remote village
The children were playing on a helicopter pad when the bear suddenly approached them.
Olga Degid, Russian Investigative Committee representative, said: "Children were playing outside when a brown bear walked towards them, grabbed a six year old boy and killed him.'
The other youngsters - including the boy's twin - managed to flee and raise the alarm (pictured, a child walks through Kheta)
A helicopter flies over the village of Kheta, which was the scene of a horrific bear attack
Locals then killed the bear several hours later, she added.
The Russian Investigative Committee, equivalent of the FBI, is carrying out a probe into the attack, reported The Siberian Times.
This is the latest of a number of reports of aggressive bears this month.
The animals are preparing to hibernate for the winter but their natural sources of food are seen as being in short supply this year.
The animals are seen far more often encroaching on villages and towns in remote areas of Russia.
Unmarried Australian tourists could face jail in Bali if they have sex, under proposed Indonesian laws.
The petition to change the criminal code will be put forward to Indonesia's Constitutional Court this year.
'The group behind this petition want to make consensual relationships outside marriage illegal,' Human Rights Watch Indonesian researcher Andreas Harsono told news.com.au.
The petition to change the criminal code will be put forward to Indonesia's Constitutional Court this year (stock image)
Indonesian lawmakers plan on making sex outside of marriage and same-sex relationships illegal - meaning unmarried Australian tourists could face hefty jail terms if they holiday there (stock image)
'If it becomes a national law Australians could be punished. We're now waiting for the verdict.
'If it is to materialise, it will be used to charge same-sex couples indeed. It will be a crime.'
While unmarried sexual relations is part of the petition Mr Harsono suggested that the idea was to target same-sex couples above all because it remains a taboo topic in Indonesia.
Relations of the homosexual variety are not technically illegal, except in the province of Banda Aceh, but this decision will only work to further discriminate.
Bali is currently on high alert after a 5.7-magnitude tremor was detected in the Java Sea late on Wednesday and evacuations have begun around the Mount Agung volcano in case it erupts.
Mt Agung (pictured) is located in east of Bali and tens of thousands of people live near the crater
But at this stage tourists are still being invited to visit Bali despite three hundred tremors being recorded around the site of Mount Agung (pictured) on the resort island
But at this stage tourists are still being invited to visit Bali despite three hundred tremors being recorded around the site of Mount Agung on the resort island.
Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency has said the island remains safe for tourists, many of whom are Australians going on school holidays.
Between midnight and 6am on Sunday, three hundred tremors were felt and white smoke was seen 200 metres above the crater.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, National Disaster Management Agency spokesman, tweeted that as of Sunday morning the volcano had not erupted and there was no volcanic ash.
Cassie Sainsbury has hinted at 'links' between the Sydney brothel where she allegedly worked as a prostitute and the international drug syndicate for which she is accused of smuggling cocaine.
Speaking to 60 Minutes on Sunday evening, Sainsbury, 22, denied working as a prostitute for Club 220 in Penrith, insisting she was employed as a receptionist who would fly in from Adelaide to work shifts.
Reports shortly after her arrest at an airport in Bogota, Colombia, in April suggested she was coerced into joining the crime ring after applying for a job online, but revelations in her first tell-all interview since suggest that was not the case.
'Right now with the brothel there isn't a lot I can discuss, because everything that happened before and here are all linked in my case,' she revealed.
Club 220 immediately hung up when approached for comment by Daily Mail Australia.
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Cassie Sainsbury claims there are 'links' between the Sydney brothel where she allegedly worked as a prostitute and the international drug syndicate she is accused of smuggling cocaine for
Sainsbury denied reports that she worked as a prostitute at a brothel in Sydney, instead claiming she was a fly-in fly-out receptionist (pictured: Sainsbury's alleged profile picture on the brothel's website)
Sainsbury constantly said she was unable to elaborate on her latest claim with any detail because her defence case is ongoing, but denied her family were the party behind her alleged involvement in the international drug-smuggling syndicate.
'Not know-know, but sort of know, if that makes sense,' Sainsbury said when asked if she knew the person or persons that linked her past with her Colombian arrest.
She refused to comment on whether it was someone from the Sydney brothel where she worked, but said it was 'linked'.
She refused to comment on whether it was someone from the Sydney brothel where she worked, but said it was 'linked'
Pictured: The Sydney brothel where Cassie Sainsbury allegedly worked as a prostitute
Pictured: The Sydney brothel where Cassie Sainsbury allegedly worked as a prostitute
Upon her arrival in the country, Sainsbury says she met a man known only to her as 'Angelo', who she did not spend much time with because she 'didn't feel comfortable' in his presence
Sainsbury also extraordinarily claimed she cannot supply evidence proving her innocence because she has forgotten her phone password.
Sainsbury, who was arrested after 5.9kg of cocaine was found inside her suitcase, made the astonishing claim during a tell-all interview from behind bars.
A fragile and exhausted Sainsbury told 60 Minutes she was ordered to traffick cocaine by the Colombian mafia after they threatened her family.
She claimed the drug ring sent her WhatsApp images and texts of her family and fiance - saying her loved ones would be killed if she failed to obey their orders.
But in a sensational twist, Sainsbury said she cannot show the evidence - that could potentially clear her name - to prosecutors because she has forgotten the password to her own phone.
'I received a nasty phone call saying "what are you doing?" I was told my mum, my sister and my partner would be killed,' Sainsbury told 60 Minutes.
Sainsbury claimed the drug ring sent her WhatsApp images and texts of her family and fiance - saying her loved ones would be killed if she failed to obey their orders.
'I found myself in a bad situation and I couldn't find a way out. I just went with what I was told to do,' she said
After 'Angelo' learned she was trying to flee the country, Sainsbury alleges he showed her surveillance images of her mother, sister and partner (pictured left) in Adelaide, and said he would kill them if she did not follow his orders
Sainsbury says she initially believed she was being paid $10,000 to work as an international courier, and didn't consider the situation to be suspicious until her itinerary changed from flying to Colombia instead of London.
She says she does not know the person who organised her travel, or if the name on her ticket belongs to a real person. She claims she never knew of the drug-smuggling operation, instead thought she was 'transporting documents'.
Upon her arrival in the South American country, Sainsbury says she met a man known only to her as 'Angelo', who she did not spend much time with because she 'didn't feel comfortable' in his presence.
'I found myself in a bad situation and I couldn't find a way out. I just went with what I was told to do,' she said.
After 'Angelo' learned she was trying to flee the country, Sainsbury alleges he showed her surveillance images of her mother, sister and partner in Adelaide, and said he would kill them if she did not follow his orders.
'That hit home quite hard. He said he had people working for him everywhere.'
After 'Angelo' learned she was trying to flee the country, Sainsbury alleges he showed her surveillance images of her mother, sister and partner in Adelaide, and said he would kill them if she did not follow his orders
Sainsbury was arrested in April when narcotics police found 5.9 kilograms of cocaine in her luggage, hidden in headphone packets
Sainsbury astonishingly claims the key to her escaping a minimum 21 years and four months in jail lies on her mobile phone - a device to which she has forgotten her passcode.
The threatening images, text messages and emails that will see her avoid spending more than two decades in her Bogota prison are inaccessible because the unique symbol that unlocks the phone has left her mind.
'I haven't used the pattern. I'm not going to remember. I'm sure if you were in prison you'd forget,' she said.
She denied reports that she worked as a prostitute at a brothel in Sydney, instead claiming she was a fly-in fly-out receptionist.
'I'm not a prostitute. There was some work but it wasn't prostitution. I know it's a brothel but that doesn't necessarily make me a prostitute,' Sainsbury said.
Instead she says the establishment, Club 220 in Penrith, were 'struggling' to find people to work behind the desk and were happy to have her fly in and out of the state.
She did, however, suggest there are 'links' between the brothel and her arrest, claiming an associate maybe have been the reason for her involvement in the crime syndicate.
A new preview from the 'tell-all interview' with 60 Minutes has shown Sainsbury defending herself for the first time
Images of Sainsbury smiling and appearing calm as she is arrested by customs staff at Bogota Airport led people to believe she did not understand the gravity of her situation, something she denies.
'I was extremely worried. When I was first arrested it didn't hit me. It hit me when I got back to the police station, it was like hitting a brick wall,' she said.
Her story, her family's explanation and her partner's reasoning for her presence in the foreign country and involvement in the drug-smuggling operation constantly have changed, many of which she has admitted were lies.
'I didn't know if I could talk about what happened. If I spoke about what happened I'd be in a lot of trouble.'
'Until people know completely what happened they shouldn't be forming opinions,' Sainsbury told 60 Minutes
The 22-year-old was dubbed 'Cocaine Cassie' after narcotics police alleged they had found 5.9 kilograms of the drug in her luggage in April this year.
Her story so far has only been told in media snippets, with her parents painting a picture of the kind-hearted 'girl next door', former colleagues claiming her past was as a sex worker, her fiance Scott Broadbridge sharing their relationship woes and her Uncle Neil damning her as guilty on national television.
Sainsbury was moments away from a sentence reduction to six years last month when she claimed she carried the drugs because her family had been threatened by an anonymous drug cartel, The Australian reported at the time.
The explosive claim, previously unheard by Colombian prosecutors, saw her bargain thrown out the window as they were at odds with her initial statement.
She now faces a maximum of 30 years behind bars, and her indictment hearing has been scheduled for September 26.
Support for gay marriage has plunged as extreme 'Yes' case activists turn off Australian voters, a Newspoll shows.
The fortnightly opinion poll shows backing for redefining the Marriage Act has dropped from 63 per cent in August to 57 per cent now, with a majority of conservative voters opposed to change.
The slide in support for same-sex marriage occurred as voters received unsolicited text messages from the 'Yes' campaign and female protesters stormed the Coalition for Marriage's Melbourne 'No' case launch on Saturday.
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The antics of pro-gay marriage protesters appears to be turning off conservative Australia
Gay marriage fell after this protest and former PM John Howard's religious freedom warning
The drop in support has also coincided with former Liberal prime minister John Howard sounding a warning about religious freedom and Tony Abbott allegedly being headbutted in Hobart.
The proportion of voters opposed to same-sex marriage has risen from 30 per cent to 34 per cent, The Australian reported.
Liberal and National Party support for gay marriage has dropped even more sharply, from 55 per cent to 47 per cent as the Australian Bureau of Statistics mailed out households their ballots.
Labor voters are also less inclined to back homosexual matrimony, with support falling from 75 per cent to 70 per cent.
A pro-gay marriage protester's interruption of the 'No' case launch hasn't helped politically
It came as left-faction Labor deputy Tanya Plibersek criticised voters expressing annoyance at receiving unsolicited text messages from the 'Yes' campaign.
'One of the things that's most irritating about this are the people who are getting their goat up about the SMS messages coming out urging a 'yes' vote,' she told the ABC's Insiders program on Sunday. 'It's ridiculous.'
One Nation support for change has also plunged, from 50 per cent to 35 per cent, after Pauline Hanson slammed the $122 million voluntary postal vote survey, arguing it should have been held during the next election.
Malcolm Turnbull needs a political life saver after losing his 20th consecutive Newspoll survey
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who orchestrated the vote to keep the Liberal Party's right faction on side, is also unpopular with voters, with his government losing its 20th consecutive Newspoll.
The Coalition trails Labor 46 to 54 per cent, after preferences, losing one percentage point since the last Newspoll in early September.
In September 2015 Mr Turnbull, who supports gay marriage, used Mr Abbott's 30 straight Newspoll losses to justify challenging the then prime minister for the Liberal leadership.
Labor's primary vote was unchanged at 38 per cent compared with the Coalition's 36 per cent support.
The Greens had nine per cent support compared with eight per cent for One Nation.
Newspoll surveyed 1,695 voters between Friday and Sunday.
Voters have until November 7 to post back their ballots with a result expected to be declared by mid-November.
The elite police unit that has single-handedly diminished the presence of bikie gangs is now expanding its operation and turning its attention to Middle Eastern organised crime.
Strike Force Raptor, which was established in 2009 as a means of tackling the growing threat of illegal motorcycle groups, will now also attempt to tackle the drug trade being pedalled by Middle Eastern gangs in Sydney's southwest, the Daily Telegraph reported.
'By combining the forces of the two, we've really got a fantastic capability to stop violence across all criminal groups,' Assistant Commissioner Mal Lanyon said.
And while they do operate in the state of NSW the 55 Raptors (pictured) hold the status of deputy across Victoria, Queensland and the ACT - meaning they can wreak havoc on the lives of criminals no matter where they choose to hideout
One such example is when Hells Angels associates rented a boat on the Murray River in Mildura earlier this year. When approached by the Raptors and told to disembark, an idea they were opposed to, the task force decided to fine each gang member for parking their motorcycles on the nature strip, reports the Daily Telegraph
Strike Force Raptor will have to employ different tactics as to identifying and determining people of interest, as the Middle Eastern gangs operate in different techniques.
While bikie gangs wear colours and badges that dictate their allegiance and rank, the Middle Eastern factions do not.
'There are differences certainly. But we're focused on the criminality of groups not ethnicity,' Assistant Commission Lanyon said.
Both, however, are extremely violent groups, which means incidents involving members will be easily distinguished.
The Middle Eastern gangs are also notorious talkers, often outing members of illegal gangs to law enforcement agents.
Detective Chief Inspector David Adney has been operating the Raptors since its inception and is willing to throw any kind of act or law at the gangs in order to correct their behaviour
Strike Force Raptor have single-handedly diminished bikie gang sign ups and pressured leaders into 'patching out' of their fearsome clubs.
The group, which was developed eight years ago to be a militarised unit of the NSW Gangs Squad, uses old, long-forgotten legislation to provoke gang members into bowing out of a life of lawlessness - or 'patching out' as it is known.
And while they do operate in the state of NSW the 55 Raptors hold the status of deputy across Victoria, Queensland and the ACT - meaning they can wreak havoc on the lives of criminals no matter where they choose to hideout.
One such example is when Hells Angels associates rented a boat on the Murray River in Mildura earlier this year. When approached by the Raptors and told to disembark, an idea they were opposed to, the task force decided to fine each gang member for parking their motorcycles on the nature strip, reports the Daily Telegraph.
These are the kind of infuriatingly easy tactics the Raptors employ to frustrate gangs into a sense of order - particularly when they can't necessarily charge each one for more serious crimes that have been committed.
The force have disbanded clubhouses using laws from the 1940s to stop the sly-grog trade and even used strange search powers from the 1970s to make surprise house calls legal.
The force have disbanded clubhouses using laws from the 1940s to stop the sly-grog trade and even used strange search powers from the 1970s to make surprise house calls legal
While it may seem like a simple parking fine won't deter a gang member from a life of crime, the relentless manner in which the Raptors pull them over for forgetting P-plates and refusing to wear helmets makes life very difficult - for them and their families
While it may seem like a simple parking fine won't deter a gang member from a life of crime, the relentless manner in which the Raptors pull them over for forgetting P-plates and refusing to wear helmets makes life very difficult - for them and their families.
'Most of these guys are in gangs but they drive trucks on the side and need their licences,' a Raptor officer involved in the Mildura operation told the Daily Telegraph.
One anonymous ex-bikie said that he was forced to 'patch out' after receiving more than 20 'surprise house calls' a month. His children were beginning to grow uncomfortable the neighbours thought he was 'a bad person.'
Detective Chief Inspector David Adney has been operating the Raptors since its inception and is willing to throw any kind of act or law at the gangs in order to correct their behaviour - an idea likened to 'helicopter parenting.'
Adney doesn't believe the Raptors tactics are in any way discriminatory because the groups have chosen to live a life of crime as their ethos.
At present there are seven bikie gangs in NSW alone that are heavily targeted by the force, among them the Rebels, Bandidos, Comanchero and Hells Angels.
In one of the most infamous clashes between the groups the Bandidos and Comanchero fought in a shoot-out in Sydney's south-west in 1984. The incident in Milperra claimed seven lives - six of them gang members.
A father accused of forcing a 12-year-old girl into a bush and raping her while dressed in camouflage ghillie suit has twice been badly beaten up in prison.
Troy Stephen Johnson, 31, is currently in custody and has been refused bail after allegedly kidnapping and raping a 12-year-old girl on her way to school while dressed in a camouflage suit.
He is being treated in Sydney's Concord Hospital after inmates viciously attacked him and broke his eye socket.
Johnson's father Steve told The Daily Telegraph that Troy had been 'smashed to pieces' and that he will never 'abandon my boy' despite the alleged charges.
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Johnson is being treated in Sydney's Concord Hospital after inmates viciously attacked him (pictured with his wife)
Johnson's father Steve told The Daily Telegraph that Troy had been 'smashed to pieces' and that he will never 'abandon my boy' despite the alleged charges
'He's not been found guilty what's happened has destroyed our entire family, it's ripped us apart.'
The 31-year-old was arrested in August following a three-month police investigation and will now spend two months behind bars as the case against him is prepared.
Johnson's friend, who asked to remain anonymous, recently came forward to say that Troy had been arrested while taking his children to McDonald's.
The friend said he has known the accused since Year 7 and described him as an 'ordinary suburban father', News.com.au reported.
'He was just going back to Maccas because they forgot to put the toys in the Happy Meals for his kids,' he said.
The friend described him as a normal dad who never lost his temper.
'He was always a good bloke. When you needed help he would be the first one to stand up, to give you a hand,' he said.
Johnson's friend, who asked to remain anonymous, said he has known the accused (pictured) since Year 7 and described him as an 'ordinary suburban father'
'He [Johnson] (pictured) was just going back to Maccas because they forgot to put the toys in the Happy Meals for his kids,' said a friend of the accused
Residents of Narara, near Gosford, had been on edge after a 12-year-old girl was attacked on the morning of May 15 as she walked to school.
She was forced into the bushes and sexually assaulted at knifepoint by a man wearing a ghillie suit.
Johnson faces nine charges, including kidnapping, stalking, indecent assault, grooming and producing child abuse material.
He's also been charged with a further four offences relating to a second complainant, an 11-year-old, including an indecent assault on Christmas Day.
He allegedly groomed the girl between New Year's Day and late June.
Police seized a number of items during a search of a Woongarrah home (pictured) on Saturday - including camouflage gear allegedly worn during the attack
Solicitor Roland Day did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.
'There's a circumstantial case,' Mr Day told the court.
Johnson consented to a forensic order which will allow detectives to collect samples of his DNA as they prepare the prosecution case.
Magistrate David Day ordered a brief of evidence be served by October 9.
Officers also reportedly seized hunting knives (pictured), boots, cable ties and a mask during their search
Several items were seized from a house in Woongarrah following Johnson's arrest on Friday night.
He was taken to hospital after he attempted to take his own life by an insulin overdose.
Weeks after the alleged May attack involving the 12-year-old, an 18-year-old girl also told police a man wearing camouflage gear grabbed her around the neck after she got off a train at Narara Railway Station.
Some residents said they were scared to walk around the area knowing the attacks had taken place.
One parent said there were 'a million places to hide' around the commonly used path where the incidents happened and described the mood in the community as sombre.
The arrest followed a months-long police search for a man in a 'ghillie' suit (pictured left and right)
Others called for better lighting, CCTV and for existing paths to be cleared.
Following news of his arrest, Johnson's Facebook profile was flooded with hateful messages condemning his alleged crimes.
But some users also defended his family and warned vitriol should not be directed at them.
'To the victims, wife, kids and family ... you will get through this,' one woman wrote.
Johnson's matter will return to Gosford Local Court on October 27.
This is an Arctic fox, cruelly fattened up to produce as much fur as possible to be used in luxury coats and bags.
The obese animals, with stomachs sagging to the ground and rolls of fat obscuring their faces, were found to weigh 40lbs - five times the average - making them too fat to walk without the risk of breaking their legs.
Finnish animal rights group Justice for Animals claims their fur ends up being sold by world famous fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton, which advertises a 4,450 gilet made of Arctic fox fur on its UK website.
It is unclear if the firm do use the fur from fattened animals and they were unavailable for comment today.
This Arctic fox was cruelly fattened up to produce as much fur as possible to be used in luxury coats and bags
The obese animals were found to weigh 40lbs - five times the average - making them too fat to walk without the risk of breaking their legs
A Finnish animal rights group claims their fur ends up being sold by world famous fashion brands such
Kristo Muurimaa of Justice for Animals told the Sunday Times: 'Bigger skin means more money for the fur farmer, but the animals pay the price in suffering.'
Arctic Foxes live in temperatures as low as -70C thanks in part to their deep, thick fur and their ability to store layers of fat under their skin.
But it is that same fur which makes them so attractive to clothes makers and their skins are coveted as one of the finest pelts available.
Finland's largest fur trader, Saga Furs, sells around 2.5 million fox pelts each year and its website lists Louis Vuitton as customers.
A spokesman for the Saga Furs said they do not accept the breeding of oversized foxes or the mistreatment of animals.
Justice for Animals demanded companies stop using real fur in favour of 'cruelty-free alternatives'.
This wild Arctic fox, pictured with its summer fur, weighs around five times less than the ones bred for fur
Justice for Animals demanded companies stop using real fur in favour of 'cruelty-free alternatives'
Arctic Foxes live in temperatures as low as -70C thanks in part to their deep, thick fur and their ability to store layers of fat under their skin
Jeff Potts, who sits on Solihull Borough Council in the West Midlands, re-tweeted a series of inflammatory comments
A Tory councillor who sits on a religious education committee has been suspended after retweeting a slew of offensive and inflammatory anti-Muslim rants.
Jeff Potts, who sits on Solihull Borough Council in the West Midlands, re-tweeted comments including: 'Deport and repatriate all Muslims from the UK or watch terrorists kill innocent people for generations to come.'
He also retweeted: 'You've clearly not experienced the Pakistani hospitality, having a daughter raped by men who think she's 'white trash'.
There have been calls for the long-standing councillor, who sits as the council's representative on the standing advisory committee on religious education, to resign.
His suspension from the local Conservative group means he can still attend meetings - but only as an independent.
Cllr Potts stressed he did not share or support the comments, adding that they were a 'freedom of speech issue'.
That explanation has failed to satisfy the council's Green Party opposition leader, James Burn, who has demanded the Conservative's resignation.
Cllr Burn said: 'His position is untenable.
'When you start retweeting things about deporting all Muslims you are publicising views that are very close to crossing a legal line and encouraging hatred.
His suspension from the local Conservative group means he can still attend meetings - but only as an independent. Pictured: One of the inflammatory tweets posted by the councillor
'I'm afraid to say I don't think he has any other choice but to resign. By retweeting, you are spreading that view and information.
'I'm concerned about the tweets. I'm concerned this is a councillor on a committee advising on religious education, I'm concerned this is the same Conservative group who have only just been in trouble for a similar incident and did not act swiftly following a complaint about it.
'A resident brought this matter to my attention as they were very upset and told me he'd contacted Solihull Conservatives on their group email.'
Above an August 31 tweet stating, 'we wish all Muslims a blessed Eid ul-Adha', Cllr Potts posted: 'Why?'
There have been calls for the long-standing councillor, who sits as the council's representative on the standing advisory committee on religious education, to resign. Pictured: One of the inflammatory tweets
Another incendiary comment 'UK police covered-up THOUSANDS of girls raped/sold by the religion of peace' drew the response: 'Is anybody surprised?'
All the controversial comments have now been deleted.
Formerly a member of the Labour Party, Cllr Potts, who represents the well-heeled, leafy ward of Knowle, has been on the Solihull authority since May, 2012.
He is vice chairman of the council planning committee and also sits on the licensing committee, airport working party and safer Solihull board.
Keen to brush off the controversy, Cllr Potts said: 'I have no comment on that at all. My public page states I don't endorse retweets.'
Cllr Potts did, however, explain that the tweets were briefly displayed as a matter of freedom speech. He 'certainly did not' agree with those views.
Sabir Hussain, trustee of the Solihull Muslim Community Association, voiced his 'sadness' over the remarks that appeared on Coun Potts' twitter account.
Mr Hussain said: 'I feel sorry for him because he is misguided and has shown narrow vision.
Bob Sleigh, leader of Solihull Council, said he was initially unaware of the controversy, but, within hours, he and colleagues on the Conservative Group had made the decision to suspend Cllr Potts
'There is, in any community, religion or sect, bad apples. The Muslim faith is not exempt from that. To retweet something that suggests all are like that is unfair.
'Retweeting something like that only inflames community relations that we have worked very hard to fuse together.
'Solihull is a very nice place to live. I have lived there for 35 years and have very good friends among various religions.
'We find it very comforting to relate to each other's religions. We are all one together, regardless of colour and shape, and we are one very cohesive society.'
Bob Sleigh, leader of Solihull Council, said he was initially unaware of the controversy, but, within hours, he and colleagues on the Conservative Group had made the decision to suspend Cllr Potts.
Cllr Sleigh said: 'I rang Coun Potts for clarification and then told him he was suspended from the Conservative Group. I took the action because I believed it was the right action to take.'
A full investigation will now follow.
The Australian government has planned for the return of at least 70 children of ISIS fighters and will given them counselling, welfare and citizenship.
Justice Minister Michael Keenan said that each child will be case-managed and the states will be working together to ensure they have access to an education.
Despite security being a top priority upon their return, Mr Keenan was quick to say the returning youngsters won't be left without help or guidance as they transition back into a regular life.
Justice Minister Michael Keenan said that each child will be case-managed and the states will be working together to ensure they have access to an education
They will be offered anonymity in order to distance themselves from the regime.
By law anyone who is born overseas and has at least one Australian parent is allowed to apply for citizenship - a notion that may be taken up on amongst the 70 children returning.
So far, the government has not revealed whether applications have been made.
A Middle East expert told the Sydney Morning Herald that more people were being detained on the Turkish border as they attempted to flee the Islamic State and that this great 'exodus' was a sign that the fighters were crumbling.
A Middle East expert told the Sydney Morning Herald that more people were being detained on the Turkish border as they attempted to flee the Islamic State and that this great 'exodus' was a sign that the fighters were crumbling
It is currently understood that 110 Australians are still in Syria and Iraq fighting for IS. At least 65 people have lost their lives fighting alongside the terrorist group
It is currently understood that 110 Australians are still in Syria and Iraq fighting for ISIS. At least 65 people have lost their lives fighting alongside the terrorist group.
Levi West, a lecturer in terrorism and national security at Charles Sturt University, has previously opened up to the ABC about the threat these children may pose.
'At what age do we assess the children to be too much of a risk, given that they may have been exposed to and substantially influenced by - if not committed to - an ideological framework that is going to cause an enormous problem when we bring them back here,' he said.
But there are others, like UNICEF Australia's director of policy and advocacy Amy Lamoin, who say we should look at them first and foremost as children before they are considered a threat.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said police in London have stopped seven attacks by terrorists in just six months.
Mr Khan said counter-terror experts have told him there has been a shift in the threat, rather than a spike in attacks, this year.
There have been five attacks in Britain this year but police have thwarted more over the same period of time.
Mr Khan said counter-terror experts have told him there has been a shift in the threat, rather than a spike in attacks, this year
Mr Khan told a Guardian live fringe event at Labour's party conference in Brighton: 'The phrase used by police experts, counter-terror experts, in relation to terrorism is what we're seeing is not a spike but a shift.
'And the reason why they say that is because if you look at the time when Fusilier Lee Rigby was murdered in 2013 up until the Westminster Bridge attack this year, there were 13 terrorist attacks thwarted because of the excellent work of the police and security services.
'If you look at the time between March of this year and now, yes there have been four terrorist attacks (in London) but there have been seven that have been thwarted.'
John McCain revealed his doctors gave him a 'very poor prognosis' when he first found out about the rare and aggressive brain cancer that he continues to battle.
The Arizona senator said his doctors told him at the time that his condition was 'very, very serious'.
'So I just said, "I understand." Now we're going to do what we can, get the best doctors we can find and do the best we can. And at the same time, celebrate with gratitude a life well-lived,' McCain said during an interview on 60 Minutes, that aired Sunday night.
McCain underwent surgery in July for a brain tumor that was later found to be a form of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer that is nearly always fatal.
The Republican senator spoke candidly about the grim diagnosis following a routine doctor's appointment.
John McCain said his doctors have given him a 'very poor prognosis' as he continues his battle against brain cancer
McCain said he was leaving the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix after a routine checkup when he got an urgent call from his doctor.
'You've got to come back,' he recalled the doctor saying.
'Hey, today is Friday. I'll just come in on Monday.' McCain replied.
But the doctor persisted, telling him: 'No, you have to come now. It's very serious.' The doctors had discovered a blood clot above McCain's left eye. 'They thought it was serious enough that they had to act immediately,' he said.
Before the operation to remove the clot, the doctors mentioned glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
But McCain said that the doctors hedged, trying to downplay concerns until tests confirmed the diagnosis.
'Tell it to me straight... I said, "I can take it. Just tell me." And - and then they were more forthcoming,' McCain said.
Lab tests confirmed the diagnosis days later.
'They said that the prognosis is very, very serious. Some say 3 per cent, some say 14 per cent. You know, it's-- it's a very poor prognosis,' recalled McCain.
The cancer that McCain is suffering from is the same type of cancer that took the life of his former Senate colleague Edward M. Kennedy in 2009.
He told CBS' 60 Minutes that he thinks about Kennedy a lot. McCain said Kennedy continued to work despite the diagnosis and 'never gave up because he loved the engagement'.
McCain said he has 'feelings sometimes of fear of what happens,' but counters that with gratitude for having lived 'had a great life'.
McCain was leaving his doctor's office after a routine checkup when he got an urgent call
McCain's wife of 37 years Cindy also spoke out in the new interview, which aired Sunday night
Shortly after the interview aired, McCain's daughter, Meghan McCain posted a heartfelt tribute to her father and others who suffer from glioblastoma
He added: 'it's not that you're leaving, it's that you that you stayed.'
Shortly after the interview aired, McCain's daughter, Meghan McCain posted a heartfelt tribute to her father and others who suffer from glioblastoma.
'60 minutes came to our ranch and spent time with us in Arizona. I cried the entire time watching my parents interviewed,' she wrote on Instagram.
'Thank you for your respect Leslie Stahl and to CBS for showcasing correctly the inconceivable bravery of both my parents. I still cant talk about my fathers cancer publicly, but I promise some day I will.
'I pray every morning and night for everyone who suffers from #glioblastoma and the people who love them,' she wrote.
The interview, in which McCain's wife of 37 years Cindy also spoke, comes two days after the senator was the target of a scorching Twitter attack from President Donald Trump.
In a series of messages posted to Twitter, Trump slammed McCain for his lack of support in nullifying the Affordable Care Act, accusing the former Republican presidential nominee of going back on his word.
'John McCain never had any intention of voting for this Bill, which his Governor loves. He campaigned on Repeal & Replace. Let Arizona down!' the President tweeted Saturday morning.
On Thursday, McCain announced that he could not 'in good conscience' support the Republican party's likely last effort to repeal the ACA, a bill sponsored by his close friend Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
Rescuers have reached a middle-aged man who has fallen 100ft down a mine shaft in Cornwall but now face a race against time to get him out as he battles against hypothermia.
A paramedic and a firefighter were lowered on ropes to the injured man and were giving him first aid, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said.
Rescuers took three hours to reach the man, aged in his mid-50s, and are trying to extract him from the disused mine shaft at Porth Nanven, on the coastal path near St Just.
The Coastguard said the initial call for help was made shortly after midday on Sunday.
A paramedic and a firefighter were lowered on ropes to the injured man and were giving him first aid, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said
Devon and Cornwall Police had requested the Coastguard's assistance at about 1.15pm after receiving a 999 call from a member of the public who said a person had fallen and was injured.
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said the man who had fallen down the shaft was believed to be aged in his 50s and is suspected to have sustained a hip injury in the fall. He was also believed to be suffering from hypothermia.
A large crew had been working using ropes to try to reach him in a rescue which the Coastguard described as 'complex'.
The area where he fell is known for its mining history. The National Trust website says the St Just coastal path walk is located within a world heritage mining site.
A large crew had been working using ropes to try to reach the man in a rescue which the Coastguard described as 'complex'
The area where he fell is known for its mining history. The National Trust website says the St Just coastal path walk is located within a world heritage mining site
Describing the walk, it says one mine shaft is located down a hillside and is marked by a sign-post that reads 'mine shaft, danger of death'.
Lands End and Penzance Coastguard rescue teams and the UK Coastguard helicopter were sent to the scene, along with the South Western Ambulance and Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service.
A confectioner famously known on Instagram for its beloved cookie dough is in hot water after a class action lawsuit alleged that the not-baked treats cause food-borne illness.
Cookie Do, with more than 180,000 followers on the social media platform, creates cookie dough from pasteurized egg product and heat-treated flour.
It boast on its website that 'that means NO chance of food-borne illness or the risk that comes along with eating raw flour products. At last, worry-free treats you can't get sick from!'
Cookie Do, with more than 180,000 followers on the social media platform, creates cookie dough from pasteurized egg product and heat-treated flour
Filed in Manhattan federal court, a lawsuit asserts that people do get sick and notes that 'there's an aggregate amount in controversy exceeding $5 million'
Filed in Manhattan federal court, the lawsuit asserts that the store does make people sick. While it does not ask for a specific amount, according to Bloomberg Pursuits, it does note that 'there's an aggregate amount in controversy exceeding $5 million.'
In a statement released on Friday, the company said it stands 'behind the safety of our products and our representations about our products. We will fully and faithfully defend ourselves against any and all false accusations.'
The once-upon-a-online-business opened a brick-and-mortar location last year in Greenwich Village, New York.
Plaintiffs Julia Canigiani and Katherine Byrne visited the store where the former ordered a 'Sandowich' and the latter got a scoop of oatmeal M&M cookie dough
After a viral video from Insider racked more than 73 million views on Facebook, the small shop soon found itself having to adjust to block-long lines.
Plaintiffs Julia Canigiani and Katherine Byrne visited the store where the former ordered a 'Sandowich' - an ice cream and cookie dough sandwich which retails for $5 - and the latter got a scoop of oatmeal M&M cookie dough.
According to the complaint 'within approximately 15 minutes, plaintiff Canigiani began experiencing stomach pains.
According to the complaint 'within approximately 15 minutes, plaintiff Canigiani began experiencing stomach pains'
Along with the women's testimony, the suit also cited eight Yelp reviews of people claiming to have health issues after eating at the shop
'Later that day, she experienced more severe stomach pains and nausea.
Throughout the night, plaintiff suffered from diarrhea. She was unable to eat until the following afternoon.'
Byrne suffered from stomach ache, nausea and heartburn.
The lawsuit claims violations of New York general business law, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, and unjust enrichment
Along with the women's testimony, the suit also cited eight Yelp reviews of people claiming to have health issues after eating at the shop.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned against eating the popular food item, but confectioners assert that the removal of raw eggs makes the dough safe.
And viral excitement definitely has played a part in the trend of eating questionable treats.
'Plaintiffs were excited to try the social media buzz worthy products,' Brittany Weiner, the plaintiff's attorney, said in an email.
They 'were obviously disappointed after it failed to meet the marketed representation that one would not get sick.'
The lawsuit claims violations of New York general business law, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, and unjust enrichment.
President Trump said 'eventually' the GOP will get Obamacare repealed, though suggested tax reform which he is just getting to this week has always been his bigger concern.
'Eventually we will win on that,' Trump told reporters from the tarmac Sunday as he boarded Air Force One to head back to D.C. 'My primary focus, I must tell you, it has been from beginning, as you might imagine is taxes.'
Trump seemed miffed that Republicans were once again fouling up an opportunity to nix Obamacare, as he ticked off the benefits for certain states including Arizona, Maine and Alaska, places that the senators represent who messed up the GOP-led effort before.
'Every state youre talking about it happens to be particularly good for. So I dont know what theyre doing,' Trump said.
But it was Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who was the latest GOP senator to suggest he would be a no vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill.
'Right now, they dont have my vote and I don't think they have Mike Lees vote either,' Cruz said at the Texas Tribune Festival on Sunday, suggesting his fellow conservative Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, could also be a no vote, according to Politico.
Cruz's comments come as Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, whose support was also in doubt, said on both Face the Nation and State of the Union that she's likely a no as well.
President Trump told reporters Sunday that the Republicans would 'eventually' win on health care, though said taxes has been a bigger priority for his presidency anyway
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Sunday at the Texas Tribune Festival that he doesn't support the Graham-Cassidy 'right now,' which further hinders Republican plans to kill Obamacare
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. (left), a no vote and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine (right), likely a no vote too went on Meet the Press and Face the Nation, respectively, to explain their reservations for the Graham-Cassidy plan
'Well, it is hard for me to envision getting to yet on this bill, because my concerns are so fundamental,' Collins, a moderate from Maine, told CBS' John Dickerson.
It was always going to be difficult for Republicans to thread the needle on a health care reform bill, with their margins in the Senate so thin.
Even with the vote of Vice President Mike Pence, the GOP could only afford to lose the support of three senators.
Already, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was a no.
On Meet the Press Sunday, Paul argued that the Graham-Cassidy bill 'basically keeps most of the Obamacare spending almost all of the spending and just reshuffles it and block grants it to the states.'
Paul has long wanted to fully repeal Obamacare and implement various market reforms, such as allowing Americans to buy health insurance across state lines.
On Friday, Paul was joined in the no column by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who derailed the Republicans last health care reform effort as well, voting against the so-called 'skinny' Obamacare repeal.
This time around, McCain said he couldn't 'in good conscience' support the Graham-Cassidy proposal, even though Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is a longtime friend.
'I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried,' McCain said.
The leaders of the Senate's Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., had made an effort to work with one another on an Obamacare fix.
Then Republicans became skeptical of Democratic motives when Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced a Medicare for all bill, which received support from about one-third of the Democrats in the Senate, of both moderate and progressive bent.
At the same time, Democrats saw Republicans continuing to work on the Graham-Cassidy proposal, which Graham and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., first spoke publicly about in July.
Thus, bipartisan efforts were derailed.
McCain also said he couldn't support the Graham-Cassidy bill without a full score from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, worrying about the cost of the measure, how it will impact insurance premiums and how many Americans could be helped or hurt by it.
The CBO said it could produce a preliminary report on the proposal, though not a full one by the September 30 deadline, which Republicans were aiming for so they could use reconciliation to pass the bill, meaning they would need just majority support.
'Without a full CBO score, which won't be available by the end of the month, we won't have reliable answers to any of those questions,' McCain said in a statement Friday.
Collins voiced concerns about the CBO score as well.
'CBO's analysis in the past has been very helpful to me in evaluating bills such as the previous bills that I opposed,' she said.
The Maine Republican had also voted no on the 'skinny' repeal, alongside Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
'The problem is, CBO may have a very difficult time analyzing the bill because it still seems to be a moving target, even over the weekend,' Collins continued. 'The sponsors were making changes in it, and I think that's part of the problem, you can't when we're dealing with a sixth of our economy and millions of people you can't do sound health insurance policy this way.'
'You need to have extensive hearings,' she added.
On Sunday, Cruz said he supported the way the Graham-Cassidy plan would mold Obamacare funding into block grants for the states, but he added that he wanted to see more changes, but didn't elaborate.
He also suggested Republicans had more time on the clock than they thought.
'September 30 is a bogus deadline,' Cruz said. 'We can do budget reconciliation or resolution at any point.'
Talking to reporters, Trump gave a 'we'll see what happens' when asked if he would consider working with Democrats on a bipartisan health care bill.
The White House is expected to unveil the president's tax reform plan this week.
The masked gunman who opened fire at a Nashville church killing one and injuring six others has been charged with murder.
Melanie Crow Smith, 39, of Smyrna, died and another six were injured when Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, opened fire at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, 30 minutes southeast of Nashville in Antioch, as services let out at 11.15am.
The attack only stopped thanks to the brave actions of an armed church usher and Samson, a Sudanese-born bodybuilder, was arrested at the scene.
Robert Engle, 22, identified by friends on social media, had ran up to confront Samson and despite being repeatedly pistol-whipped in the head, was able to force Samson to shoot himself in the leg.
Engle then went to his car, grabbed his own pistol, and returned to hold the shooter at gunpoint.
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Emanuel Kidega Samson (pictured being arrested) has been charged with one count of murder after the deadly shooting in Antioch, Tennessee
Samson is a Sudanese born body builder, who graduated from Smyrna High School and studied Psychology at Mott Community College
Police confirmed that the church goer shot dead by Samson was Melanie Smith, 39, of Smyrna (left and right)
Church usher Robert Engle, 22 (pictured) has been hailed as a hero after he stopped the shooter
Family members and church parishioners said pastor Joey Spann and his wife Peggy Spann were also both shot. Married mother-of-two Smith died at the scene.
Police say that Samson, originally from Khartoum, Sudan but who now lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was spotted in the parking lot wearing a mask before he shot dead Smith.
Alleged church shooter Emanuel Kidega Samson
'A gunman wearing a neoprene mask arrived in the parking lot and one woman who was walking to her vehicle was immediately fatally wounded by the gunman,' Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said at a press conference.
'This particular church member has a handgun carry permit.
'The usher went to his vehicle, got his gun, came back inside and made sure the gunman didn't make anymore movements until the police department arrived.'
The gunman, who went to Smyrna High School before studying psychology at Mott Community College, then entered the church through a main sanctuary door and began firing multiple rounds.
He appears to have made a number of cryptic Facebook posts on Sunday morning, moments before his rampage, writing: 'Everything you've ever doubted or made to be believe as false, is real. & vice versa, B.'
In another, he wrote: 'Become the creator instead of what's created. Whatever you say, goes.'
Samson's public records do not list any criminal charges against him. He had lived in Rutherford County and in South Nashville near Burnette Bethel Church of Christ
A mass shooting at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ (scene above) in Nashville on Sunday left one woman dead and eight people wounded, including the gunman, who is in police custody
In a series of tweets, the Nashville Fire Department said those injured, including the 26-year-old African American male shooter, were being treated at area hospitals around Nashville (scene pictured above)
The fire department called it 'a mass casualty situation' as emergency personnel were still on the scene (above) interviewing witnesses
Earlier reports from local media said the shooter was wearing a clown mask. But Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said that is false and the gunman wore a neoprene ski mask. Above police check the shooter's SUV for explosives
The shooter Samson's condition is not life-threatening and he is under police guard at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Pictured above is the scene after the shooting
A spokesman for Vanderbilt University Medical Center said two of the victims are critically injured, with four others in stable condition, The Tennessean reported. All six patients are adults - three men and three women.
'The two critical patients suffered gunshot wounds to (their) chest and torso,' John Howser, spokesman for the hospital, told the newspaper.
'The four other patients suffered gunshot wounds to their extremities.'
Engle, whose two passions appear to be God and guns, according to his Facebook page, was taken to TriStar Skyline Medical Center along with the last shooting victim.
The church usher, a former warehouse worker, lives in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.
Pastor Spann reportedly teaches Bible classes at the Bellevue school. The school released the following statement: 'As you may already know, one of our Bible teachers, Joey Spann, and his wife were both injured in the church shooting this morning at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch.
Family members and church parishioners said pastor Joey Spann and his wife Peggy Spann (together above) were both shot
The pastor teaches Bible classes at the Bellevue school. The couples' (above) family members and friends posted on Facebook requesting prayers for them following the shooting
Kaitlyn Adams, a member of the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, hugs another church member at the scene after a deadly shooting at the church on Sunday
Engle (left and right) was pistol whipped by Samson while wrestling with the shooter for the gun. He is currently in hospital
Samson's (pictured) condition is not life-threatening and he is under heavy police guard at Vanderbilt Medical Center
Police have identified the masked gunman behind the fatal mass shooting at a Nashville church on Sunday as Emanuel Kidega Samson (left and right)
'We do not have any additional information at this time but want to boldly ask you to pray. Please lift up Coach Joey Spann and his wife Peggy and all who have been injured or impacted by this tragic event.
'We will keep you informed when we have more information. Thank you for being a part of our family of faith and for interceding on behalf of the Spanns.'
The couples' family members and friends posted on Facebook requesting prayers for them following the shooting.
Earlier reports from local media said the shooter was wearing a clown mask. But Aaron said that is false and the gunman wore a neoprene ski mask.
Police are not aware of any relationship between Samson and the church or parishioners, Aaron said during the first press conference.
Approximately 50 people were inside the church at the time of the shooting, officials say.
Police have not released a motive for the shooting and are still investigating the incident. Pictured above is a police officer at the scene
Police are not aware of any relationship between Samson and the church or parishioners, Aaron said during the first press conference. Pictured above is police tape lines outside of the church on Sunday
All of those wounded in the shooting at the church (file above) except for one person is over the age of 60. Pictured above are police tape lines at the scene
The shooter arrived to the church in a blue SUV and police are working to secure the vehicle, as the bomb squad is on the scene.
Earlier in the day, Nashville Fire Department tweeted that it was a 'mass casualty situation.'
'This is a mass casualty situation. All of the wounded have been transported to area hospitals. The majority are older adults,' the fire department tweeted.
All of those wounded in the shooting except for one person is over the age of 60.
Former Burnette Chapel Church of Christ pastor Bill Hunter said: 'I'm just absolutely stunned, I can't believe that someone would come in off the street and start shooting.'
The church hosts weekly service at 10am and is located on Pin Hook Road.
Church members who were not injured were still being interviewed by officers as of 1pm.
An area was also set up for family members to meet up with the relatives who were at the church at the time of the shooting.
This area was set up at Beautiful Gate Church located at 12316 Old Hickory Boulevard.
Authorities are advising for residents to stay away from Pin Hook Road.
In response to the shooting, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper tweeted: 'Horrified by the killing in Antioch. Following reports and hopeful that injured victims recover quickly.'
Mayor of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County Megan Barry issued the above statement about the shooting
Mayor of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County Megan Barry issued a statement about the shooting.
'This is a terrible tragedy for our city. My heart aches for the family and friends of the deceased as well as for the wounded victims and their loved ones,' her statement reads.
'Their lives have been forever changed, as has the life of their faith community at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ.
'My administration, especially the Metro Nashville Police Department, will continue to work with community members to stop crime before it starts, encourage peaceful conflict resolution, and promote non-violence.'
Students at a private Catholic girls' school in Missouri have been suspended following photos showing them posing with beer cups arranged in the shape of a swastika.
The photos, shared on Snapchat during an off-campus party after-school hours by students at St Teresa's Academy, were captioned: 'Girls night!'
Upset classmates reportedly asked the girls to take the photos down and, when they refused, one of their peers went to administration.
Alumnae of the Brookside school, which costs $12,650 per year, say the seven girls involved allegedly received a one day in-school suspension, were barred from participating in extra-curricular activities for one week and had to write to their future colleges about the incident.
Students at St Teresa's Academy in Missouri were disciplined following photos showing them posing with beer cups arranged in the shape of a swastika (above). The girls allegedly received a one day in-school suspension, were barred from participating in extra-curricular activities for one week and had to write to their future colleges about the incident
A statement from the school read in part: 'Upon the incident being brought to our attention, STA leadership undertook an internal, as well as external investigation.
'We investigated the underage drinking as well as the potential for racial discrimination. We also involved the Kansas City Missouri Police Department.'
Critics, including several alumnae, say the punishments the involved students received, however, were not harsh enough.
'That's the same punishment one of my peers received for bringing an e-cigarette to class,' Maddie Summers, a 2016 St Teresa's graduate, told KCUR.
Despite calls for a harsher punishment - including expelling the students - the president of St Teresa' said that was the 'wrong solution'.
But current students say more has to be implemented as the disciplined girls are bullying the teen that reported them.
Many current students and alumnae of St Teresa's (pictured) say the punishment was not harsh enough and that more severe punishments have been doled out for lesser infractions
A similar incident occurred last month whens students from The Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia, were disciplined after a photo posted online showed them playing 'Jews vs Nazis' beer pong at an off-campus house party (above)
'They will come up to her in the halls and make passive aggressive comments like, "Snitch",' junior Katie Gregory, who is friends with the student who reported her classmates, told KCUR.
'One girl told her and said she had better stop talking about the situation.'
And Gregory says that the punishment the students did receive is not adequate as they are all juniors and only one has committed to a school.
Gregory reiterated the complaint of alumnae that harsher punishments have been doled out for lesser infractions, saying last year, a group of students received three days of in-school suspension for going off campus to get lunch from Subway and McDonalds.
A similar incident took place last month at The Lovett School, a private school in Atlanta, Georgia, after students were found to be playing 'Jews vs Nazis' beer pong at an off-campus party.
On one side of the table, the cups are in the shape of a Jewish Star of David and on the other in the shape of a Nazi swastika.
Five students were suspended, two were banned from co-curricular activities during the first two weeks of school, and one was expelled.
John Mech, of Seaside, Oregon, went to Fairfield County, Connecticut after Hurricane Sandy devastated the area in 2012 to sell and install generators
An Oregon man who used a generator installation scheme to exploit Hurricane Sandy victims was tracked down by police after five years.
Westport police said John Mech, of Seaside, Oregon, went to Fairfield County, Connecticut after Hurricane Sandy devastated the east coast back in 2012 to sell and install generators throughout the area.
In one case, the 56-year-old accepted a down payment of $6,000 and expected to be paid the remainder of the $9,750 upon completion, according to police.
Instead, Mech didn't provide any of the services he offered after receiving the down payment.
The man also ran similar gambits in Monroe and Stamford, where there are warrants out for his arrest as well.
Mech was taken into custody on September 15 by wildlife and game control in Oregon for illegal salmon fishing.
After running a background check on him, police learned of multiple extraditable warrants in Connecticut.
He was then transported to Stamford, facing six counts of third-degree larceny and four counts of home improvement violations.
In one case, the 56-year-old accepted a down payment of $6,000 and expected to be paid the remainder of the $9,750 upon completion, according to police. But he took advantage of the struggling folk, not actually doing any of the services he offered
He was charged with third-degree larceny and home improvement violation. At the moment, Mech is detained by in the Bridgeport Correctional Center on a total of $61,000
The 56-year-old was held by the Department of Corrections on a $55,000 bond and then was transferred to Norwalk Superior Court, where he was charged for his Westport crimes.
There he was charged with third-degree larceny and home improvement violation.
At the moment, Mech is detained by in the Bridgeport Correctional Center on a total of $61,000.
He is set to appear in court on Oct. 2.
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Officials in Puerto Rico have described conditions there as 'apocalyptic' in the wake of Hurricane Maria, with widespread destruction and looting and electricity and cell phone service cut off for much of the island.
On Saturday, Governor Ricardo Rossello met with more than 50 local mayors and representatives from across the island, who relayed reports of commercial and residential looting, CNN reported.
'We know a little more today than we did yesterday,' Rossello said. 'This is going to be a long road.'
At least 10 people have been confirmed killed by the storm, according to Rossello's office.
A house destroyed by hurricane winds is seen in Corozal, west of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The scale of destruction is just now emergint as 95 percent of the island remains without cell phone service
Iris Vazquez washes clothing at an open road drainage ditch in Puerto Rico. Officials describe conditions as 'apocalyptic'
People affected by the passage of Hurricane Maria wait in line at Barrio Obrero to receive supplies from the National Guard
National Guardsmen arrive Sunday at Barrio Obrero in Santurce to distribute water and food among those affected by Maria
A woman cries after learning about the arrival of the National Guard at Barrio Obrero in Santurce to distribute water and food
On Sunday, Puerto Rico's nonvoting representative in the US Congress said that Hurricane Maria's destruction has set the island back decades, even as authorities worked to assess the extent of the damage.
'The devastation in Puerto Rico has set us back nearly 20 to 30 years,' said Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez.
'I can't deny that the Puerto Rico of now is different from that of a week ago. The destruction of properties, of flattened structures, of families without homes, of debris everywhere. The island's greenery is gone.'
Engineers on Sunday planned to inspect the roughly 90-year-old Guajataca Dam, which holds back a reservoir covering about 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) in northwest Puerto Rico.
The government said it suffered a large crack after Maria dumped 15 inches (nearly 40 centimeters) of rain on the surrounding mountains and that it 'will collapse at any minute.' Nearby residents had been evacuated, but began returning to their homes Saturday after a spillway eased pressure on the dam.
Puerto Rico's National Guard diverted an oil tanker that broke free and threatened to crash into the southeast coast, said Rossello, and officials still had not had communication with nine of 78 municipalities.
'This is a major disaster,' he said. 'We've had extensive damage. This is going to take some time.'
Police officers stand guard at a gas station in San Juan. Local media reported that looting occured in the eastern municipalities of Luquillo, Fajardo and Humacao, where security forces have found it necessary to intervene
Damaged homes and vegetation during the passage of Hurricane Maria, are viewed on a mountain southwest of San Juan
Some areas of San Juan, Puerto Rico (above) remain flooded after Hurricane Maria passed last week
Danger: The Guajataca Dam in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico (above on Saturday) is in danger of failing as it was heavily damaged by rains from Hurricane Maria
The death toll from Maria in Puerto Rico was at least 10, including two police officers who drowned in floodwaters in the western town of Aguada.
That number was expected to climb as officials from remote towns continued to check in with officials in San Juan. Authorities in the town of Vega Alta on the north coast said they had been unable to reach an entire neighborhood called Fatima, and were particularly worried about residents of a nursing home.
Across the Caribbean, Maria had claimed at least 31 lives, including at least 15 on hard-hit Dominica.
Mike Hyland, a spokesman for the American Public Power Association, which represents the Puerto Rican power agency, said Sunday that restoration is a long ways off.
The organization is working with US Energy Department crews as well as New York Power Authority workers sent down by Governor Andrew Cuomo to fly over the island and assess damage.
Crews hoped to get helicopters and drones in the air over the next two days to assess the damage, but Hyland said they need to be patient and let the military continue rescuing people before focusing on restoring power.
'We are trying to get an understanding of the extent of the damage over the next 48 hours to then begin to work with our federal partners to get the right crews and equipment down to Puerto Rico,' Hyland said.
Large amounts of federal aid have begun moving into Puerto Rico, welcomed by local officials who praised the Trump administration's response but called for the emergency loosening of rules long blamed for condemning the US territory to second-class status.
An airplane themed restaurant is seen damaged by mudslides and winds in Barranquitas, southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Hundreds of people wait in line since the morning to buy gasoline three days after the impact of Maria in Puerto Rico
The opening of the island's main port in the capital allowed 11 ships to bring in 1.6 million gallons of water, 23,000 cots, dozens of generators and food. Dozens more shipments are expected in upcoming days.
The federal aid effort is racing to stem a growing humanitarian crisis in towns left without fresh water, fuel, electricity or phone service.
Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is in charge of the relief effort, said they would take satellite phones to all of Puerto Rico's towns and cities, more than half of which were cut off following Maria's devastating crossing of Puerto Rico on Wednesday.
The island's infrastructure was in sorry shape long before Maria struck. A $73 billion debt crisis has left agencies like the state power company broke. As a result the power company abandoned most basic maintenance in recent years, leaving the island subject to regular blackouts.
A federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico's finances authorized up to $1 billion in local funds to be used for hurricane response, but the governor said he would ask for more.
'We're going to request waivers and other mechanisms so Puerto Rico can respond to this crisis,' Rossello said. 'Puerto Rico will practically collect no taxes in the next month.'
US and Puerto Rico National guard control the admission and distribution of aid in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Sunday
Inhabitants receive supplies from authorities in San Juan Sunday. Puerto Rico hopes that the arrival of aid from the United States, in the form of food, supplies and technical personnel, will help improve the situation
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez of New York said she will request a one-year waiver from the Jones Act, a federal law blamed for driving up prices on Puerto Rico by requiring cargo shipments there to move only on U.S. vessels as a means of supporting the U.S. maritime industry.
'We will use all our resources,' Velazquez said. 'We need to make Puerto Rico whole again. These are American citizens.'
A group of anxious mayors traveled to the capital to meet with Rossello to present a long list of items they urgently need. The north coastal town of Manati had run out of fuel and fresh water, Mayor Jose Sanchez Gonzalez said.
'Hysteria is starting to spread. The hospital is about to collapse. It's at capacity,' he said, crying. 'We need someone to help us immediately.'
Across Puerto Rico, more than 15,000 people were in shelters, including some 2,000 rescued from the north coastal town of Toa Baja. Many Puerto Ricans planned to head to the mainland to temporarily escape the devastation.
A buff 30-year-old man has been told that he is too old to join New York City's fire department, and is speaking out in protest.
Rob Becerra, who turned 30 in April, said the FDNY's strict on applications over the age of 28 is 'age discrimination' in a plea for the department to reconsider his case.
New York ban anyone who has reached their 29th birthday from starting the application process, with some exceptions for military veterans. The age cutoff is among the youngest in the country.
'I was told by the FDNY I am too OLD to be a Firefighter, it's something I've been thinking about doing besides the acting/modeling and animal activism,' Becerra wrote in a plaintive Facebook post on Monday.
Rob Becerra, who turned 30 in April, said the FDNY's strict on applications over the age of 28 is 'age discrimination'
'I was told by the FDNY I am too OLD to be a Firefighter, it's something I've been thinking about doing besides the acting/modeling and animal activism,' Becerra said
'Talk about Age Discrimination....you telling me i can't do the job? I'm too old? An outrage at the least, especially for all the people in my age bracket (30-35),' he continued.
AGE LIMITS FOR NEW FIREFIGHTERS IN MAJOR CITIES New York: 28 Houston: 36 Chicago: 37 Los Angeles: No limit stated Advertisement
Becerra said he wanted to become a firefighter in order to 'save animals from burning buildings'.
The FDNY has made exceptions to its strict rules in the past.
In 2014, after the department settled a racial discrimination lawsuit alleging it had passed over qualified black and Hispanic applicants, those former applicants in their 30s and 40s were allowed to join.
Becerra, who also works as a personal trainer, told the New York Post that he first considered becoming a firefighter four years ago, too late for the department's last open exam in 2012.
By the time the FDNY offered another exam this past April, he had aged out.
Becerra's girlfriend vouched for his strength, saying he sometimes picks her up and carries her several city blocks
'I work out five days a week. I can bench 315 pounds. I can run a mile in under six minutes,' the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Becerra told the newspaper.
His girlfriend Grace Navarro also vouched for the Queens native's fitness: 'Sometimes hell pick me up, and carry me for blocks.'
Although a city council bill raising the FDNY age cap from 28 to 36 was supported by firefighters' unions last year, it was shot down.
Department brass reportedly feared raising the age limit would disrupt efforts to recruit more ethnic minorities by widening the overall applicant pool.
An imam, who treated Manchester bombing victims, was rushed to hospital after he was stabbed outside a mosque by an attacker who reportedly made 'anti-Muslim comments'.
Police have launched an investigation after Dr Nasser Kurdy was attacked with a knife outside the Altrincham Islamic Centre in Greater Manchester on Sunday.
Andrew Western, Labour councillor for Sale, Greater Manchester, said his thoughts are 'with him and his family.'
Dr Kurdy, 58, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, and some people had already made their way into the mosque when he was attacked at around 6pm.
Speaking about the horrific incident, he said: 'It's shocking something like this can happen within our community.
Police have launched an investigation after Dr Nasser Kurdy was attacked with a knife outside the Altrincham Islamic Centre in Greater Manchester on Sunday
'I was just going to the centre on Sunday evening on my own for mid-afternoon prayers. I was a couple of minutes late and only just entered the grounds when it happened.
'It happened from behind me. I was told later it was a knife in my neck. It was painful. As a surgeon, I could tell immediately none of the vital structures were affected. I just put pressure on my neck. I probably only bled a little bit.
'Looking back I was pragmatic about it because of my profession and my age.
He has been discharged from hospital, according to his colleague Dr Khalid Anis, a spokesman for the Altrincham & Hale Muslim Association, who said he was 'very lucky'.
Greater Manchester Police is treating the attack as a hate crime and confirmed they have made two arrests. They have arrested two men in relation to the attack.
A video posted on Facebook following reports of the stabbing purportedly shows the victim immediately after the attack.
He can be seen sitting on a bench clutching at his neck and appears to be in some pain as people attend to him.
The imam was named on Twitter as being Dr Nasser Kurdy (pictured) and he was rushed to hospital
The footage shows them asking him about his attacker. At first he appears unable to answer and another person is overheard saying he was 'hit' by something in a man's hand: 'I don't think it was that sharp.'
On Monday the father of three, from a Syrian Jordanian family, was preparing to go back to work to treat his patients as the police investigation continued.
He said: 'God was merciful to me yesterday. It could be a nerve, an artery, a vein, the gullet. The neck is the contact between the body and your head, but fortunately it was just the muscle.
'As I entered the grounds of the premises, I felt that pain and the blow to my neck.
'I turned around and saw this gentleman in a threatening pose. I did feel threatened, I did feel vulnerable.'
He rushed inside and, fearing the attacker may follow, grabbed a chair and dashed outside, but his attacker had fled.
'Police later made two arrests and said they were treating the incident as a hate crime.
Mr Kurdy has worked as a doctor for four decades, after coming to Britain to study medicine in 1977 and working in Perth, Dundee and Northampton before settling in Manchester in 1991.
He has been discharged from hospital, according to his colleague Dr Khalid Anis, a spokesman for the Altrincham & Hale Muslim Association, who said he was 'very lucky'
He was going to the Islamic Centre for mid-afternoon prayers and a committee meeting, as he is a lay imam, sometimes giving sermons, and vice chairman of Altrincham and Hale Muslim Association.
Mr Kurdy said, ahead of giving a police statement, that he could not say what his attacker said to him, but was in 'no doubt' he was attacked because he was entering the Islamic Centre.
But he added he feels no anger towards his attacker.
He said: 'He is not representative of what this country stands for. I have absolutely no anger or hate or anything negative towards him. I have declared it, I have totally forgiven him.
'He could be a marginalised person within his own community.'
But Mr Kurdy said he felt hate crimes against Muslims were escalating on the back of terror incidents including the Arena bombing and the Parsons Green tube attack.
Mr Kurdy said he felt hate crimes against Muslims were escalating on the back of terror incidents including the Arena bombing and the Parsons Green tube attack
'The climate is very threatening, very worrying. Something could have happened, horrible, yesterday. The atmosphere that is around has allowed for that.
'There needs to be acknowledgement that hate crimes against Muslims are on the increase and they are becoming more physical.
'It's not just someone saying something verbally, or somebody pulling a headscarf or what have you, it is now taking that extra step and I think that extra step is what has started worrying and frightening people.
'There are very senseless acts of insanity taking place, which can only fuel anger and hate.
'We can't hide away from what happened in Manchester, what happened around the country and the recent Tube incident. That will fuel hatred and anger.
'People need to know there are Muslims like myself. I've worked hard, I'm a surgeon, I treat people. I have a wonderful community. My colleagues at work respect me and value my contribution.
'I don't think I can see anybody more integrated than I am. I get invited to sit on services in the synagogue, service on Remembrance Sunday, I'm always in the church at All Saints.
'I'm sure people don't get to see that, all they get to see is those crackpots.'
Mr Kurdy said Muslims at the Islamic Centre were now frightened and security will be reviewed.
The centre has suffered a brick through its windows, graffiti and a rubbish bin set alight in the past.
Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson said: 'This is a very nasty and unprovoked attack against a much-loved local man.'
Dr Anis, who was with his friend moments after the attack, said: 'It could have been very, very serious.
'He said he noticed someone cross the road and then somebody just attacked him from behind.
'There were definitely abusive comments made - obviously he was in shock at the time, he had just been stabbed so the detail of those comments I don't know but there were definitely abusive comments made by the attackers at the door of the mosque.
'We understand it was a knife - he is very lucky. It's obviously out of the blue, it's shocked the whole community.
'It's not just a criminal act against the Muslim community or one individual, it's the people living in Altrincham, I think we all feel that.
'The fact they attacked an orthopaedic consultant who devoted his life to helping others is really quite poignant.'
Officers arrived at the Altrincham Islamic Centre after Dr Kurdy was stabbed in the neck on Sunday
Police confirmed they are treating the incident as a hate crime and said they have made two arrests
Councillor Western tweeted: 'Shocked and saddened to hear of stabbing of Dr Nasser Kurdy outside Altrincham mosque. Thoughts with him and his family.'
Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, Miqdaad Versi, added: 'Muslim orthopaedic surgeon stabbed in neck outside Altrincham Mosque. Reports that perpetrator (now arrested) made anti-Muslim comments.'
A spokesman for the Altrincham Islamic Centre told the Manchester Evening News: 'Nothing like this has ever happened before and it does not reflect the community.
'In my experience community relations are very good and it is a very safe area; it is shocking for all of us.
'I would like to invite anybody to come to talk to us and if they harbour any ill will then to come and find out more about us.
'My message to the congregation is to not be deterred from coming here.
'One thing that our scripture tells us is to repel evil with kindness.'
They told the paper: 'He is a lovely guy, very gentle, loved by the community Muslim and non-Muslim alike.
'He needs stitches and will be kept in hospital overnight, he is incredibly lucky.
'This incident has really shaken us.'
Greater Manchester Police said in a statement: 'Officers have arrested two people after a hate crime in Hale.
'At around 5.50pm on Sunday 24 September 2017 police were called to reports that a man had been stabbed outside the Islamic Cultural Centre, Grove Lane.
'Emergency services attended and a man in his 60s has been taken to hospital with a stab wound to the back of his neck.
'Two men aged 54 and 32 were arrested nearby in connection with the incident and remain in custody for questioning.
'Officers are treating this as a hate crime and are appealing for people with information to come forward.'
Dr Kurdy treated victims of the Manchester bomb attack earlier this year. Pictured are doctors and emergency treating the injured after the terrorist incident
Police arrested two men aged 54 and 32 in connection with the incident and remain in custody for questioning
The imam was stabbed outside Altrincham Islamic Centre (pictured) on Sunday and police have now launched an investigation
Greater Manchester Police rushed to the scene (pictured) after Dr Kurdy was stabbed in the neck
GMP's Detective Inspector Ben Cottam, said: 'As with any investigation, our primary concern is for the victim and, thanks to the quick response from our colleagues in the ambulance service, he is currently receiving treatment for his injuries.
'He was attacked in broad daylight as he made his way to the mosque and while we are yet to gather all the evidence, we can be sure that there is no place for hate crime on our streets and we will do all that we can to take action against those who jeopardise the safety of others.
'We have two people in custody who were arrested a short time after the call came in but need people who witnessed the attack or those who have information to contact us.
Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting reference number 1646 of 24/09/17 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Bethenny Frankel was in an earthquake-ravaged Mexican town on Sunday to help with relief efforts, deliver aid, and speak out about the devastation.
The Real Housewife of New York star, 46, flew via helicopter on Friday night to Jojutla, an impoverished town south of Mexico City that has seen some of the worst of the devastation.
Frankel shared videos and photos to her Instagram page showing leveled buildings, mounds of rubble and people asking for help.
The reality star is using the hashtag #thisisacrisis to promote the cause of her organization, B Strong.
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Bethenny Frankel was in an earthquake-ravaged Mexican town on Sunday (pictured) to help with relief efforts, deliver aid, and speak out about the devastation
The Real Housewife of New York star, 46 (pictured, in Mexico), flew on Friday night to Jojutla, an impoverished town south of Mexico City that has seen some of the worst of the devastation
Frankel shared videos and photos to her Instagram page showing leveled buildings, mounds of rubble and people asking for help (left). The reality star is using the hashtag #thisisacrisis to promote the cause of her organization, B Strong (right)
'It's one of the worst things I have ever seen. It is pure devastation,' Frankel said.
'They have less than zero and estimate they'll need $11million to rebuild.'
Estimates of the cost of the earthquake run as high as $8billion.
Among the destruction she has seen, Frankel says people are living outside and doctors are performing medical procedures in the street.
Although a relief fund will be set up shortly, Frankel has taken to handing out 'thousands of dollars' of her own money in cash to impoverished families.
'They don't want water. They don't want underwear. They want money,' she said in one video posted on Instagram.
'They're trying to rebuild their houses. They have bills. They have less than nothing.'
Frankel also added that medical supplies and feminine hygiene products are sold out and is urging people to donate as much as they can.
Among the destruction she has seen, Frankel (pictured, in Mexico) says people are living outside and doctors are performing medical procedures in the street
Although a relief fund will be set up shortly, Frankel has taken to handing out 'thousands of dollars' of her own money in cash to impoverished families. They don't want water. They don't want underwear. They want money,' she said in one video posted on Instagram (left and right)
Frankel (pictured, in Mexico) also added that medical supplies and feminine hygiene products are sold out and is urging people to donate as much as they can
As a fresh aftershock jolted southwestern Mexico on Sunday, the death toll from Tuesday's 7.1 magnitude earthquake climbed to 319 people, with thousands of buildings damaged and survivors sleeping on the street outside their homes.
Many have been traumatized by the second major quake to strike Mexico City in their lifetime after a devastating 1985 tremor killed an estimated 10,000 people.
Makeshift places of worship have popped up next to the crumbling cement and mangled steel of collapsed buildings in the deeply religious country.
In upscale Roma, one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods of the capital, a priest led mass for nearly two dozen people under a blue tarp while a nun handed out small cards with an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, who according to the Catholic faith first appeared to an Aztec convert in 1531.
As a fresh aftershock jolted southwestern Mexico on Sunday, the death toll from Tuesday's 7.1 magnitude earthquake climbed to 319 people (Pictured, workers search buildings on Friday)
Many have been traumatized by the second major quake to strike Mexico City in their lifetime after a devastating 1985 tremor killed an estimated 10,000 people (Pictured, a rescue worker uses a machine to break up concrete at the site of an office building on Friday)
Rescuers narrowed their search to a handful of buildings in the sprawling capital of 20 million people, using advanced audio equipment to detect signs of life beneath tonnes of rubble (Pictured, rescuers race to save people still strapped in an office building on Friday)
President Enrique Pena Nieto, who has visited the scene of the devastation, has urged Mexicans to turn their attention to rebuilding and many schools were expected to reopen on Monday.
Rescuers narrowed their search to a handful of buildings in the sprawling capital of 20 million people, using advanced audio equipment to detect signs of life beneath tonnes of rubble, with help from teams from as far afield as Israel and Japan.
'The search and rescue in Mexico City continues as a priority, with cooperation from national and international groups,' tweeted Miguel Angel Mancera, Mexico City's mayor.
Labour officials wanted Jeremy Corbyn to walk on water with a plan for him to address supporters from a floating platform in the sea, it can be revealed.
Organisers looked at holding an eve-of-conference rally on Brighton beach with the Labour leader standing on a raft off the shore.
But the idea - which would have drawn comparisons to both when Jesus walked on water and when he preached to crowds from a boat - was scrapped following concerns about tide times and unpredictable waves.
Instead the event was held in a skate park in the seaside city on Saturday evening.
One MP told the Daily Mail: The events organising people wanted Jeremy to stand on a platform floating in the sea, near the pier.
Organisers looked at holding an eve-of-conference rally on Brighton beach with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn standing on a raft off the shore
He was going to stand offshore and the rally would take place on the beach, with Jeremy addressing the activists over a loudspeaker.
They got as far as looking at tide times. They thought it would make a great picture JC literally walking on water, sort of.
A source close to the Labour leader said: 'We're inventive but not that inventive.'
The 68-year-old veteran at the weekend said he wanted to serve 10 years in Downing Street - something which could keep him in power until the age of 83.
Addressing a crowd that chanted Oh Jeremy Corbyn at the rally on Saturday, Mr Corbyn said the transformation of Labour under his leadership is just starting and his drive to give members more control over the party will help win power.
He claimed plans to give his grassroots support a greater role and open up our party from top to bottom will help oust Theresa May.
Despite getting 54 fewer MPs than the Conservatives, the Labour leader claimed the June election showed a thirst for real change across Britain.
One MP told the Daily Mail: The events organising people wanted Jeremy to stand on a platform floating in the sea, near the pier'
Corbyn is pictured today during the Labour Party conference with Tom Watson and Diane Abbott
We now have the chance to transform our country. To do that we must use our strength inside and outside Parliament to challenge the Conservatives at every step, and prepare to form a government whenever the next election is called, he said.
Mr Corbyn yesterday told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show that the party was in good heart and good mood after doing better than expected in the general election.
He said: Our vote went up actually in all sections of a community by differing amounts, but our vote did go up to nearly 13 million. We put on three million votes in the general election.
The party is in good heart and good mood and the people of this country are utterly fed up with injustice and inequality, pay caps and lack of investment in public services.
Thats fundamentally the message we were putting forward. And the resonance we got was huge and I have to say every commentator wrote us off in April and in June they were eating their words.
Ahead of the conference Mr Corbyn's supporters secured an important victory in Labour's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) over changes to the leadership election rules.
In changes expected to be endorsed by the national conference, the NEC agreed to a proposal to cut the number of nominations a candidate needs to run from 15 per cent to 10 per cent of the party's MPs and MEPs.
The change is expected to make it easier for a left-wing candidate to secure a place on the ballot paper when Mr Corbyn finally steps down.
In a further strengthening of the left's position, the party also increased the number of NEC delegates from members and unions.
Thousands of people have been left stranded at Sydney Airport after a huge power outage on the first day of school holidays grounded all flights.
Systems went down just after 5am and resulted in radar failures at air traffic control, preventing all flights from leaving the domestic and international airports.
By mid-morning, queues stretched out the front doors of all terminals at the major airport as airline staff battled to contend with cancelled flights.
It's understood air traffic control has had to revert to a manual process for departing flights, and is now allowing just 15 planes in and out of the airport every hour.
Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide airport are reporting huge delays as well as they deal with the backlog of flights unable to touch down at Sydney.
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Total chaos: Thousands of passengers have been left stranded at Sydney Airport after a huge power outage
Systems went down just after 5am and resulted in radar failures at air traffic control
Holidayers took to social media to vent their frustration as queues stretched out the entrances of domestic and international terminals
It's understood air traffic control has had to revert to a manual process for departing flights
Some passengers were left stuck on the tarmac inside planes for hours on Monday morning
The chaos comes as thousands of families prepare to head away on vacation for the school holidays, which began for many on Monday.
The technical glitch was resolved by 9am with the domestic airport 'progressively returning to normal operations,' a spokeswoman for Sydney Airport said.
'The issue has been addressed but the airport is not at normal capacity. We are working hard to clear the backlog of flights,' she said.
Delays are also being felt on the roads, with traffic backing up for kilometres at Mascot and surrounding suburbs.
'We were at a crawl for about 10 kilometres before the terminal,' Nina Masters said.
'It was quite funny because people were getting out and walking with their bags including air hostesses to get to work on time.'
The Sydney flights suspension will have major knock-on effects across the country.
'If one airport sneezes the others will catch the cold because we're all interconnected,' a Brisbane Airport Corporation spokeswoman told AAP.
She said knock-on delays were already being felt in Brisbane from the Sydney event.
'A lot of flights will be impacted because it is one of the busiest routes to and from Brisbane.'
Melbourne Airport also confirmed likely delays throughout the day.
The technical glitch was resolved by 9am with the domestic airport 'progressively returning to normal operations, a Sydney Airport spokeswoman said
Passengers have been urged to check their flight status with their airline before arriving at Sydney Airport
One elderly passenger fed up with the delays opted to take a seat as lines escalated
A group of young gymnasts fear they may miss their national championships in Bendigo after their flight was cancelled less than 24 hours before the competition
A group of young female gymnasts joined by their mothers were left stranded at Sydney Airport the day before their national championships in Bendigo.
The girls, aged 10 to 12, said they were terrified they might miss the competition they had trained all year for after their flight was cancelled.
'We don't know what we're going to do... we start the comp at 10am tomorrow so there's no room for disasters like this,' team mother Maria al Hassan told Daily Mail Australia.
The team are now weighing up their options - which include driving in packed cars, catching a train to Newcastle and catching another flight or risking the wait for a replacement flight at Sydney.
Airservices Australia has urged passengers to check with their airlines for their flight status before arriving at Sydney Airport.
The Sydney flights suspension will have major knock-on effects across the country
'If one airport sneezes the others will catch the cold because we're all interconnected,' a Brisbane Airport Corporation spokeswoman said
One passenger was stuck on the tarmac for almost two hours - capturing the sunrise from his window
Brisbane passengers took to Twitter to report the delays.
'So we can't leave Brisbane because Sydney Airport radar isn't working... a little concerning?' Mickey maher said.
'Brisbane Airport, if you expect delays of over 15 minutes you should let people off the plane and back into the terminal,' Ben Burnsy said.
Frustrated passengers in Sydney were told their flights were grounded due to a 'nation wide system fault in the air traffic control systems'.
'At Sydney Airport and told air traffic control system is down Australia-wide this morning. It is unknown when we will be able to take off,' one man wrote online.
One woman who was sitting on the tarmac said passengers were told the air traffic control was manually departing planes.
The captain told passengers traffic controllers were managing about 15 planes per hour rather than the usual 80 per hour.
'Sitting on the tarmac at Sydney Airport and we've been informed planes are grounded nationwide. Apparently a radar tracking issue,' Bill B said.
Flights delayed over 1.5 hours from Sunshine Coast to Sydney Airport - one passenger reported from his plane seat
Patients trying to see a GP are being screened by receptionists in a controversial scheme designed to cut the number of appointments.
Under an NHS drive to free up doctors' time, clerical staff are being trained as 'care navigators'.
They are being sent on a half-day course and taught how to direct patients to other health professionals, including nurses, pharmacists or physiotherapists.
The scheme was devised to reduce 'avoidable' appointments and is gradually being adopted by surgeries across England.
GPs say up to a quarter of consultations are unnecessary and taken up by patients who could look after themselves at home or see another health professional.
Under an NHS drive to free up doctors' time, clerical staff are being trained as 'care navigators' (stock photo)
But campaigners say it is 'absolutely ridiculous', adding that patients are upset at having to discuss personal health matters with a receptionist, in earshot of the waiting room.
There are also concerns that staff will overlook serious symptoms or put people off from trying to make an appointment in the first place.
The scheme is being trialled in surgeries in London, Devon, Birmingham, East Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear and Greater Manchester.
Patients who ring the surgery to make an appointment or come in to the clinic are put through to a receptionist or other admin worker and asked why they want to see a GP.
If the receptionists believe it isn't appropriate or necessary for patients to see a GP, they will be told to see a nurse, pharmacist, physiotherapist or dentist instead.
GPs say up to a quarter of consultations are unnecessary and taken up by patients who could look after themselves at home or see another health professional (stock photo)
One trial covering six surgeries and 64,000 patients in West Yorkshire found that the scheme freed up 930 hours of GPs' time in ten months. One receptionist described it as 'reception-plus'.
Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients' Association, said: 'General practice remains the key route into the NHS for most people, so this will feel like a major change.
'Add to that the growing financial crisis in the NHS, and many may draw the conclusion that this is about saving money, not improving care.
'The NHS has a lot of work to do, firstly to show that these arrangements are genuinely beneficial, and secondly to communicate that to patients, who at the moment naturally often feel alarmed to find their traditional route to a GP is seemingly gone.'
Russ McLean, chairman of the Patients' Voices Group, said: 'Patients are reluctant to discuss their personal health problems with people who don't have the training and who might know them in their community.
An NHS England spokesman said: 'Care navigators are practice staff that are specially trained to offer patients the right choice of treatment at the right time' (stock photo)
'Patients are telling me there's no privacy. Staff are just answering the phone in reception where they can be heard by other patients.
'Spending thousands of pounds sending receptionists on a course when there is no money in the health service is absolutely ridiculous.'
Tom Cottam, policy manager at the charity Macmillan Cancer Support, said: 'If staff such as GP receptionists are to play this role, it's absolutely vital that they receive proper training and feel supported. This approach is not a silver bullet and these trained roles shouldn't replace those of experts and specialists.'
Managers behind the scheme say patients can still demand to see a GP if they are unhappy about discussing their complaint with a care navigator.
But many patients, particularly the older generation, will not want to be forceful or make a fuss.
Richard Vautrey, chairman of the British Medical Association's GP committee, said: 'With appropriate training practice staff can be very helpful in guiding patients to get the best type of appointment. This might include a telephone or face-to-face consultation with a GP or other member of the practice staff.
'Using their skills in this way, it ensures patients are more likely to see or speak to the best person to be able to deal with their problem.'
An NHS England spokesman said: 'Care navigators are practice staff that are specially trained to offer patients the right choice of treatment at the right time.
'It is already common for patients to inform reception staff about their needs but anyone who still wants to see a GP will always be able to do so.'
The cost of sending admin staff on the half-day course is not known.
Sabina Sultanova was travelling to the UAE for her birthday when she claims she was pulled back on to a plane as she tried to disembark
A city worker is suing British Airways after claiming she was assaulted by the cabin crew before being held by police in Dubai for 12 hours without being told why.
Sabina Sultanova, 34, was travelling to the UAE for her birthday when she alleges she was pulled back on to a plane as she tried to disembark, leaving her bruised with a cut on her neck.
The financial services worker says she passed out before waking up in an airport holding room full of police officers, but was never told why and was not charged.
The airline, which contests the claims, says Miss Sultanova ran along the planes aisle with her trousers down, was abusive and tried to bite crew members.
Miss Sultanova, who lives in central London, says she was unable to swallow for several days after her jacket was pulled around her neck with such force that it restricted her breathing.
She is suing BA, claiming that she has been left terrified to fly.
She said: My question, even now, is, what happened? Why did they do that? That isnt the way you should handle people, thats not the way to do it. They almost killed me.
The ordeal happened after a seven-hour flight to Dubai in March last year when Miss Sultanova was between two passengers who kept falling asleep on her.
The alleged altercation left city worker Miss Sultanova with a bruised arm as well as a cut on her neck
After asking to move into a free seat, Miss Sultanova made her way to business class.
She said: I went out to stretch my legs and I dont know how it happened but I just fell asleep in business class.
I was aggressively woken up by the cabin crew member. I apologised to her and explained I was desperate for some sleep.
On landing, she texted a friend at 8.33am to say she had arrived. She said: I was walking towards the exit and I was about to get off the plane. As I was coming off, [the air hostess] says, Can you step aside please? So I stepped aside. I was waiting and I ask, What am I waiting for? She said, Wait, just wait.
Around 20 minutes later, Miss Sultanova, a British citizen originally from Azerbaijan, alleges she found herself pulled back as she tried to get off the plane.
She said: Im just walking through the doors, the staircase is going down and as I pushed my way out [the air hostess] screamed saying, Shes leaving. The same minute, all I can feel is that I am choking, someone is pulling me backwards and as they are pulling and pulling me that minute I lost consciousness.
The ordeal happened after a seven-hour flight to Dubai in March last year when Miss Sultanova was between two passengers who kept falling asleep on her. Right: Miss Sultanova holds up her torn coat
BA has said Miss Sultanova was restrained for her safety and staff were waiting for police, who had been called to take her away.
She said she was taken to the airport police station.
She said: I woke up there, they, the police officers were laughing, joking. I could not get answers when I was saying, Whats going on? Whats happening?
She was released only at 9pm and was told she had been banned from the airline for life.
Aviation law specialist Keith Barrett, of Fieldfisher, representing Miss Sultanova, said: Not only did the BA crew assault Ms Sultanova, they then allowed a lone woman to be transported unconscious and then be detained by Dubai police.
British Airways said its crew acted responsibly as they looked after an unwell customer.
Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke and his wife Blanche d'Alpuget have thrown their support behind same-sex marriage.
In a video shared by the Australian Marriage Equality campaign, Mr Hawke was seen ticking 'Yes' for the gay marriage postal vote.
Hawke, who was Australia's longest serving prime minister, joins a number of former and current politicians in favour of legalising gay marriage.
Former Australian PM Bob Hawke and wife Blanche d'Alpuget are voting 'Yes' for gay marriage
Hawke, who was Australia's longest serving prime minister, joins a number of former and current politicians in favour of legalising same-sex marriage
'Our campaign is delighted to have the support of one of the greatest Australian Prime Ministers,' openly gay MP and Equality co-chair Alex Greenwich said.
'He is a man who has always believed in a fair go and this is simply what our campaign is about.
'Bob Hawke is showing leadership for a fair go and like millions of Australians wants to get this done.
'Every Australian should be treated with the same dignity and respect and that is why we encourage everyone to vote YES and post back their survey immediately.'
Hawke, 87, has been a long-standing supporter of same-sex marriage.
'I'm very much in favour of the law being changed to enable marriage between gay people,' he said during a fundraiser alongside John Howard in 2012.
Mr Hawke (pictured right enjoying a beer during the cricket earlier this year) has been a long-standing supporter of same-sex marriage
His wife, famous writer Blanche d'Alpuget, was featured in a video shared by the Australian Marriage Equality campaign
It comes as a new opinion poll has revealed a dip in support for gay marriage.
The fortnightly Newspoll shows backing for redefining the Marriage Act has dropped from 63 per cent in August to 57 per cent now, with a majority of conservative voters opposed to change.
The slide in support for same-sex marriage occurred as voters received unsolicited text messages from the 'Yes' campaign and female protesters stormed the Coalition for Marriage's Melbourne 'No' case launch on Saturday.
The drop in support has also coincided with former Liberal prime minister John Howard sounding a warning about religious freedom and Tony Abbott allegedly being headbutted in Hobart.
The proportion of voters opposed to same-sex marriage has risen from 30 per cent to 34 per cent, The Australian reported.
Could there be a sadder postscript to the 20th anniversary of Princess Dianas death than the revelation that doctors, and possibly some members of the Royal Family, believed she might have had a congenital condition that could be passed on to future generations?
The extraordinary assertion, detailed in a letter to one of Prince Charless closest mentors, suggests this was primarily the concern of the Queens former physician, who feared Diana was suffering from a mental disorder that was dangerous and posed a dynastic disaster to the House of Windsor.
What makes this revelation so chilling is that the doctors were worried not for the welfare of the Princess their patient but for the future well-being of the royal house. Some would argue that it was a shameful betrayal of a young woman desperate for help.
Troubled: A tearful Princess Diana is pictured in 1983, during a royal tour of Australia
The extraordinary letter from Dr Alan McGlashan To Charles' friend and mentor, Van der Post
According to the letter, Dr Pare took an unnecessarily gloomy and alarmist view of the case
Equally disturbing is the realisation that at the time these were the prevailing views of some of the most distinguished minds in the medical profession called in to treat Diana.
In fact, as we know, her anxieties stemmed not from some inherited mental problem, but from the ever-present Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles in her marriage and what she perceived to be the cold indifference of the royals.
Diana, remember, was still a teenager when she and Charles got engaged and had just turned 20 at the time of her wedding.
Within a few months her life had been completely transformed: a princess and pregnant with Prince William, she would soon be the most recognised face on the planet.
Yet before she met Charles, she had been a self-assured, perfectly normal young woman, sharing a flat with friends and enjoying an independent life.
But the happiness that she had longed for on marrying Charles eluded her and matters had come to a head little more than six months after the birth of Prince William in June 1982.
The Prince and Princess of Wales with Prince William and his godparents (seated) ex-King Constantine of Greece, (standing, left to right) Princess Alexandra, Lord Romsey, Lady Hussey, Sir Laurens Van Der Post and the Duchess of Westminster
By now the 21-year-old Diana was in the grip of the eating disorder bulimia and was suffering from anxiety, low self-esteem and post-natal depression. It is at this point that we now gain an astonishing insight into the Princesss emotional frailty.
The letter, written in February 1983 by the eminent psychotherapist Dr Alan McGlashan, who was called in to examine the Princess after she had distanced herself from the royal medical specialists, itemises their views and the treatments prescribed for Diana.
It reveals she was dosed with anti-depressants and sleeping drugs and had tried behavioural therapy. Dr McGlashan says Diana had been surrounded by an army of doctors who were plainly scared by her symptoms and overawed by the possibilities of dynastic disaster.
Alan McGlashan was a prominent psychiatrist and eclectic psychoanalyst, who continued to practise in his Sloane Street office until just days before his death in his 99th year
That army included Sir John Batten, then head of the Queens medical household, Dr Michael Pare, a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Dr Michael Linnett, apothecary to the Waleses household, and Dr David Mitchell, a behavioural expert.
According to Dr McGlashans letter, Dr Pare took an unnecessarily gloomy and alarmist view of the case. None of them, however, was able to help her overcome her problems, which included disturbing, recurrent dreams about storm-tossed seas and sea monsters. Intriguingly, Charles, who has been portrayed as unsympathetic or indifferent to Dianas state of mind, is shown by Dr McGlashans letter revealed in yesterdays Mail on Sunday to have been concerned about his wifes welfare.
In desperation, he turned to his long-term spiritual guru, South African-born philosopher and writer Sir Laurens Van der Post.
After seeing Diana at Balmoral, the elderly author suggested the Princess consult his old friend, a noted Jungian psychotherapist Dr McGlashan, who was viewed as an expert in dream analysis.
Diana saw Dr McGlashan eight times and his evaluation was significantly different from the royal physicians. For he concluded: She is a normal girl whose troubles were emotional not pathological a verdict that must have come as a considerable relief to both the Prince and the Queen.
Prince William with Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Harry on the day he joined Eton in September 1995
The uncertainties that led to the Knightsbridge consulting rooms of Dr McGlashan had been sowed almost from the outset of Dianas life with Charles.
Arriving at Clarence House the night before news of the engagement was to be announced in 1981, not only was her fiance not there to greet her, nor was a single member of the Royal Family.
Instead, lying on her bed was a letter from Camilla, the woman who was to cast such a shadow over Diana and her happiness.
In his letter, discovered during research for a new biography of Van der Post, McGlashan uses the code the South African used to refer to Charles. He calls him the Young Man or TYM, while Diana is referred to simply as D.
He discloses that Charles telephoned him and asked me to see D the following day, which I did.
He goes on: She is a very unhappy girl facing situations on various fronts which she finds difficult to deal with, though making a courageous effort to do so.
The doctors, he says, had been treating her as a patient with an obscure and dangerous illness which baffled them . . . She complained to me that they all treated her as if I were made of porcelain.
In all, Diana and McGlashan met eight times and the psychotherapists assessment was vastly different to that of the Royal doctors
It was a difficult and delicate situation for me, coming into such an overloaded medical scene, but this was greatly simplified by D herself, who has gently but firmly distanced herself from them all, having made what I think is a very good contact with me.
Diana met McGlashan twice a week for therapy sessions, mainly at Kensington Palace. He encouraged her to write down her dreams before analysing them and discussing their hidden messages.
He also appeared to have been consulting the other physicians familiar with her at this time: (Dr) Pare came to see me last Sunday and was very ready and I think a little relieved to retire from active participation. He is a very nice and unassuming chap.
He also says he was keeping in friendly touch with Dr Linnett, the Waleses GP. It is quite a responsibility to take over from all these Big Shots, but we get on fine and I have good hopes of being able to help her.
My only fear is that she may not fully grasp that analysis is a slow process and that she may be expecting quick results and become disappointed.
It was a perceptive observation, for Diana soon tired of the sessions and ended their arrangement. She later said she was not convinced by his form of treatment.
Diana met McGlashan twice a week for therapy sessions at Kensington Palace. It appears from the letter that McGlashan was in touch with at least some of Dianas doctors during this period
However, Dr McGlashans involvement with the Royal Family did not end there and Prince Charles became a patient for 14 years. The Prince even keeps a bust of the psychotherapist at Highgrove in his so-called wall of worthies of people who have been influential in his life.
To Diana, however, McGlashan, a former World War I flying ace, must have seemed not just from another generation, but from a different age. He was 84 at the time of their consultations.
Williams birth and her illness had left Diana mentally drained and physically exhausted.
As well-intentioned as all the experts she saw were, they were steeped in medical learning from the Forties and Fifties. Diana, a teenager in the Seventies, said they made assumptions about her and could not connect her unhappiness with her new life.
Williams birth had triggered dark feelings about Charless relationship with Camilla, which she never believed he had ever ended. There were tears and phone calls when he didnt arrive home on time and sleepless nights when he was away.
She later confided that she had felt desperately lonely. While constantly anxious about William, she neglected herself.
She also knew the royals saw her not only as a problem the Queen had been understandably horrified when her pregnant daughter-in-law apparently threw herself down the stairs at Sandringham but also a threat.
Charless decision to give up shooting and his developing interest in green issues, including vegetarianism, were blamed on her.
When the Princess appeared to cut short a holiday at Balmoral, a place she always hated, media reports claimed she was bored and wanted to go shopping. In fact, she had returned to London for treatment for her depression.
Dr Mitchell encouraged her to discuss her conversations with her husband. He would see her daily and encourage her to talk through the events of the day.
She admitted, frankly, that her conversations with Charles consisted more of tears than words.
While some of the royal medical specialists wanted to explore her psyche, others preferred to prescribe drugs. The fact is, Diana felt that none of them came close to understanding the true nature of her turmoil.
Years later, in her BBC Panorama interview, Diana spoke of her early difficulties and her eating disorder.
Sir John Batten feared Diana was suffering from an obscure mental disorder that risked 'dynastic disaster'. Princess Diana, Prince Charles and Prince William are pictured while on tour in New Zealand in 1983
It was a symptom of what was going on in my marriage, she said. I was crying out for help, but giving the wrong signals and people were using my bulimia as a coat on a hanger. They decided that was the problem: Diana was unstable.
Ironically, Dianas salvation was to be found not on the consultants couch, but in her royal life. After barely keeping her head above water in the early days of the marriage, she was eventually transformed by the working side of her role. There were still tears and traumas, but she began to feel that she could cope.
Looking back, the chilling prognosis of doctors who believed the Princesss illness posed a risk to her children seems preposterous.
Consider the evidence. There is Harry confidently handling a global audience at the opening of the Invictus Games in Toronto.
He and William have both spoken eloquently about mental health issues. And by remarkable coincidence, Prince Harry devoted the early part of his visit to Canada this week to attacking the pill-popping culture, which he says dominated doctors approach to depression.
There has to be a better way than just giving out antidepressants, he told workers at a mental health clinic.
His mother, Diana, would surely have approved.
A top Russian general has been killed by an ISIS mortar strike in Syria as he tried to help Bashar al-Assad troops fight in the war-torn country.
Lieutenant-General Valery Asapov was in the Middle East and was 'at a command post of Syrian troops', according to the Russia's Defence Ministry.
He moved to Syria to assist commanders in the operation for the liberation of the city of Deir ez-Zor.
But he was 'mortally wounded' after a mortar strike was carried out by ISIS on Sunday.
Lieutenant-General Valery Asapov (pictured) has been killed by an ISIS mortar strike in Syria
Asapov was one of the senior Russian military advisers who travelled to Syria to help and he is one of the people who has been killed in the attack.
The Russian ministry said that Lt. Gen. Valery Asapov 'was at a command post of Syrian troops, assisting the Syrian commanders in the operation for the liberation of the city of Deir ez-Zor.'
State news agency Tass reported that 'as a result of a mortar shelling by the IS (Islamic State group), Asapov was mortally wounded.'
It comes as airstrikes targeted rural Aleppo in northern Syria on Sunday for the first time in months since a cease-fire took hold in the province.
Burning vehicles are seen under the debris of Al-Rahme hospital after an air strike was carried out in Han Seyhun town of Idlib, Syria on September 19, 2017
The Central Military Media, affiliated with the Syrian government, reported that Iranian drones successfully struck vehicles of the Islamic State group along the Syria-Iraq border in the south.
Meanwhile, Syrian media reported that government and allied troops have seized Maadan, a town north of Deir el-Zor and south of Raqqa, which has been scene to intense fighting with Islamic State militants.
Philip Hammond offered to back Boris Johnson for the Tory leadership in a desperate attempt to keep his job, it emerged yesterday
Philip Hammond offered to back Boris Johnson for the Tory leadership in a desperate attempt to keep his job, it emerged yesterday.
The Chancellor is reported to have texted his Cabinet rival at 4am on the morning after the election to offer his support when it looked like Theresa May could be forced from office.
It is believed May faced plots from four minsters to oust her from leadership, including one for Boris and another in support of David Davis.
Mr Hammond is said to have proposed a deal in which he remained as Chancellor, with David Davis handling Brexit while Mr Johnson could run the shop.
The proposal was put as Mr Johnson sat with friends digesting the fallout from the disastrous election result in the early hours of June 9.
Mr Johnson told friends: Philips just texted me. Hes 100 per cent behind me if I go for it. Clearly he wants to be Chancellor.
The claim emerged in a new book on Brexit and the election by political journalist Tim Shipman, who claims Johnson, Davis, Amber Rudd and Hammond were all involved in leadership plots.
The book cites a friend of Mr Johnsons saying he was circumspect about the early hours offer from Mr Hammond. An ally of Mr Hammond also confirmed the extraordinary intervention saying the Chancellor initially thought Mr Johnson could be the answer if Mrs May decided to quit.
Mr Hammonds offer was made despite strained relations between the two men who have found themselves on opposite sides of the Brexit debate in Cabinet.
As the leading Remainer in Cabinet, Mr Hammond has clashed repeatedly with Mr Johnson over issues such as the need for a transition deal. The Chancellor has been withering in private about Mr Johnsons abilities since he returned to government, criticising his lack of interest in detail.
But at the time of the election he feared he was facing the sack. Mr Hammond was sidelined during the election campaign and subjected to a series of brutal Downing Street briefings. During the campaign Mrs May publicly refused to endorse her Chancellor, and No 10 insiders even role-played a Cabinet reshuffle in which he would be sacked.
The Chancellor is reported to have texted his Cabinet rival at 4am on the morning after the election to offer his support when it looked like Theresa May could be forced from office
Desperate to keep his job he appears to have briefly decided to throw in his lot with Mr Johnson, who many Tories believed could become prime minister within hours of the election. One source who discussed the leadership with the Chancellor that morning said he thought Mr Johnson could head a triumvirate in which Mr Davis could run Brexit, (Hammond) could run the economy and Boris could run the shop.
Mr Hammond is said to have considered himself too grey to make his own bid for the top job and saw the proposal as a solution to the election debacle. The plan dissolved when it became clear Mrs May was not going to resign, and the two men resumed hostilities soon afterwards.
The new book, serialised in the Sunday Times, also reveals that David Cameron and Sir John Major were among those encouraging Home Secretary Amber Rudd to mount a challenge in the event of Mrs May stepping aside.
Meanwhile, allies of Mr Davis were involved in collecting the names of MPs willing to call for Mrs May to resign. The Brexit Secretary was aware of the plot and did nothing to discourage it.
The revelations expose the fragility of Mrs Mays grip on power with Mr Hammond, Mr Johnson, Miss Rudd and Mr Davis all embroiled in leadership plots in the aftermath of the election.
Treachery of the serpent: QUENTIN LETTS on why we should not be surprised by the laughable plotting of Philip Hammond
Even in the steamiest jungles of Borneo can there be a serpent as slithering, as coiling, as Philip Hammond?
Yesterday it was reported that the Chancellor was on his mobile telephone within hours of the general election result, offering Boris Johnson help should he wish to topple Theresa May.
Hammond loathes Boris. For all we know, Boris hates him right back (and who could blame him?).
Yet in those pre-dawn hours after the election, self-serving Hammond suspected that Boris might become the new PM. Quick! Time to slither and coil! Boris, my DEAR old friend...
Even in the steamiest jungles of Borneo can there be a serpent as slithering, as coiling, as Philip Hammond?
And so he tapped out a little come-hither text message a 4am, electronic sibilant hiss, a nibble in the ear allegedly assuring Boris he was 100 per cent behind him if he sought the Tory leadership. Behind him with a flick-knife in hand, yeah.
In some ways we should not be surprised by this laughable plotting. Mr Hammond is the ultimate politician, driven by his own survival. Here, after all, is a man who in Opposition allowed himself to become regarded as a trenchant Eurosceptic. That suited the politics of the time.
Once he was in Cabinet, and once he had to keep matey with pro-Brussels David Cameron, he became a leading member of George Osbornes Project Fear campaign to startle voters into supporting the EU. At Westminster they call this finessing your views. Ordinary mortals would call it deceit.
In January of this year, Mr Hammond suggested that post-Brexit Britain could become a competitive, low-tax haven for employers. Good idea. It would boost the economy. Good tactics, too it jolted the Europeans and could have created some leverage in the Brexit negotiations.
In those pre-dawn hours after the election, self-serving Hammond suspected that Boris might become the new PM. Quick! Time to slither and coil! Boris, my DEAR old friend...
But that was when this Chancellor thought Mrs May was going to become more powerful. That was when he was wriggling for his job. Now that she has been weakened by her poor election performance so weakened that she could not sack Mr Hammond he has changed his tune and recently said that a lower-tax Britain was neither our plan or our vision.
Vision! How can so drab and duplicitous a figure talk of vision? The word suggests something Biblical and uplifting. Not slippery careerism.
You might have thought that, having been made Chancellor by Mrs May, this cadaverous oiler would have shown the lady some loyalty and thanks. Yet this time last year, a few months after finally landing the job he had yearned for so long, he was manoeuvering against Cabinet colleagues and Brexit. His plotting to dilute the EU referendum result has severely weakened not only Mrs May but also Britains chances of securing an acceptable deal from the EU.
That would suit Philip Hammond and his Treasury just fine. They could turn round and tell the referendum majority we told you so. But it would be a betrayal of the country. Mr Hammond often justifies his anti-Brexit position by claiming that the people of Britain did not vote to become poorer. Actually, they were asked a question which very clearly placed democratic self-control above the convenience of commerce. They chose the former. They chose to get out of the undemocratic EU, not least to control immigration.
Yet Mr Hammond and his Remain co-plotters, from Tony Blair to George Osborne and Miss Scary Spectacles Amber Rudd, think they can tell the voters to get stuffed. Mr Hammond patronisingly claims that literally no one wants a fall in immigration from the EU and he wants Britain to remain recognisably European.
One detail of yesterdays reports rang a little untrue the claim that Mr Hammond realises that he is grey and therefore accepted that he would have to serve under Boris in an envisaged triumvirate with David Davis.
When this Chancellor thought Mrs May was going to become more powerful. That was when he was wriggling for his job
Grey, Hammond most certainly is. But the odd thing about this most prosaic of personalities is his weird vanity. Just look at how he is forever patting the edges of his hairstyle. How he must boil with envy at Boris Johnsons effortless elan.
Politically, Mr Hammonds vanity can be seen in his delusional self-regard for his abilities. He really thinks he is the master strategist, the dogs brisket. But his one Budget to date turned into a fiasco when one of its chief proposals, a change in National Insurance rates for the self-employed, had to be quickly dumped. He had forgotten that this was in conflict with his partys 2015 election manifesto! Had he only mentioned the National Insurance changes to Mrs May before he gave his Budget, she might have pointed that out to him. But he had kept the PM in the dark, and the voters trust in the Tories was damaged at a crucial time.
It is reassuring to read that Boris laughed when he read that 4am text from dullard Spreadsheet Phil (his nickname, testament to his computeroid speed at reading financial documents). The Foreign Secretary immediately spotted that Mr Hammond was simply trying to keep his job. A man, in short, who had he been on the Titanic on the night she hit an iceberg would have barged the women and children aside in the rush for the lifeboats, demanding safe passage for himself and his tin of Cossack hairspray.
This morning we are waking up to nothing short of a political earthquake in Europe as Germanys Iron Lady is discovering what its like to have feet of clay.
Yes, Chancellor Angela Merkels party came first, but it fell far short of the 40 per cent share of the vote it was expecting, delivering the worst performance by the Christian Democrats since 1949.
Scoring barely one third of the national vote can hardly be called a ringing endorsement of a leader in power for the past 12 years.
The German election has delivered an earthquake result as voters turned away from established parties and looked to the fringe to provide answers (pictured, supporters of the far-right AfD party cheer as it gained its first seats in parliament)
Indeed, our own Prime Minister Theresa May could be forgiven for wondering why she is seen as a loser for getting only 43 percent of the vote in June.
Until yesterday, the woman known as Mutti mother Merkel was seen as mistress of all she surveyed. Now her own future and certainly the stability which is what she prides herself on safe-guarding of Germany are in question.
As a European historian, I can barely believe I am writing those words, but facts are stark.
For the first time since Hitlers suicide in that Berlin bunker more than 70 years ago, a nationalistic Right-wing party has won dozens of seats in the German parliament. The Communist Left has done well too.
Almost a quarter of Germans voted for parties which reject the status quo. That level of alienation hasnt been seen since the last days of the Weimar Republic in the early 1930s.
So what on earth went wrong?
Angela Merkel has won a fourth term as Chancellor, but will lead a weakened coalition as a damaged figure
Two issues bedevilled this election: Mass migration and wage stagnation were the underlying concerns for many Germans who felt left behind in a prosperous nation.
Mrs Merkel was praised as decisive two years ago when she opened Germanys borders to a million migrants from the Middle East in a grand humanitarian gesture.
True, the hordes of people fleeing conflict in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, through Turkey and on to Germany, was a crisis that needed solving, but she set aside both German and EU law to let them in.
She declared Germany could do it. It did, but now the political price is beginning to be paid as the hundreds of thousands of Germans who felt their views and concerns had been ignored make their voices heard.
Despite Germanys export success, fuelled by a weak euro and static wages, resentment about the costs of integrating so many new arrivals has soared.
Decades of shame about the countrys Nazi past had kept a lid on nationalism in Germany, but suddenly Right-wing attitudes began to make themselves heard.
The so-called Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) is often dismissed as neo-Nazi by its opponents, but its leaders present themselves very differently from the fringe neo-Nazi skinheads of the past few decades.
Instead of brawling beerhall types, AfD candidates are often university graduates and career women who seem more yuppy than neo-Nazi. They highlight the genuine difficulties of integrating a sudden influx of a million people who dont speak German, and claim they are the real defenders of womens rights and Jews against reactionary Muslim fundamentalists. Terrorist attacks by asylum seekers boosted their fearmongering.
They also play up the fact that some four million Turks and Kurds have lived in Germany for 50 years but remain largely unintegrated, relatively poor outsiders.
Nor was the AfD alone in playing to anti-migrant sentiment. One of Mrs Merkels likely coalition partners, the Free Democrats, ran on an anti-immigrant ticket too. Its leader promised economic migrants and failed asylum seekers would be sent home.
Her biggest challenge will come in the form of the AfD (pictured are candidates Alexander Gauland, left, and Alice Weidel) which has vowed to 'go after' her
That puts them at odds with the Greens who are committed to immigration whose votes Merkel will also need to form a three-party coalition with 50 per cent of the seats in parliament. How to handle the migration issue is going to be a tricky one in any talks on forming a coalition.
In addition to its anti-immigrant rhetoric the AfD, like the Communist Left, has appealed to millions of Germans who have secure jobs but no prospects of a pay rise. Too many Germans are just getting by to appreciate being told theyve never had it so good. Both Merkels Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats lost millions of votes because people felt that the parties had abandoned their traditions.
If Merkel was accused of sacrificing Christian heritage to a multicultural approach, the moderate Left lost support because it was seen as abandoning its socialist credentials for jobs in a pro-business government.
We should remember that this seismic shift has occurred in what are economic good times. What if the German economy stalls or slips into recession?
A stable democratic and co-operative Germany is in all our interests. The biggest and richest country in Europe has too often been an uncomfortable neighbour. For 200 years, from the era of Karl Marx to Angela Merkel, Germany has struggled to find a way of being at peace with herself and the rest of Europe.
Until yesterday Angela Merkel seemed to offer a one-woman model of achieving a stable Germany while managing Europe as well as anyone could hope to.
Now her high-handed approach to policy-making will be under sharp scrutiny. Not only will radical Right and Left use their parliamentary soap-boxes to challenge her, but her allies wont be docile any more.
And what might it mean for Britain? Without clear guidance from Berlin, what will Brussels do about the Brexit negotiations?
Until now Whitehall has been blamed for the slow progress, but as the Germans wrangle in the coming weeks over who should have what ministry in their new government, Brexit will take a back seat.
Drift may be even worse for all of us than Merkels high-handed approach. If the Chancellor can rule Germany only by forming an unholy coalition of her conservatives with Free Democrats and Greens, then the hard Right and Left will look forward to even better poll results next time.
Mark Almond is director of the Crisis Research Institute, Oxford
Prince Charles, pictured right, with Michael Fawcett in December 1992
Michael Fawcett proved so indispensable to Prince Charles that he is said to have squeezed the royal toothpaste on to HRH's brush.
Now, the controversial former valet has cemented his place next to the heir to the throne by being made a director of Charles's company, A.G. Carrick Ltd.
'If anyone doubted Michael's importance to His Royal Highness, this is his response,' a courtier claims. 'Michael is probably the most influential person in the Prince's life and that includes the Duchess of Cornwall.'
Documents filed at Companies House disclose that Fawcett was appointed earlier this month as a director of A.G. Carrick, which Charles set up to sell goods such as 60 stuffed corgi toys and 65 cushions emblazoned with the motto God Save The Queen at his Highgrove shops. Fawcett's occupation is listed as 'events manager'.
A.G. Carrick is named after the pseudonym the Prince uses to sign his watercolours and the company recorded a turnover of 4.26 million in 2016.
Fawcett, 54, resigned not once but twice from the Royal Household. In 1998, when a number of the Prince's staff complained to Charles of Fawcett's bullying attitude, he duly resigned. But within a week, he was not only reinstated, but promoted.
Then in 2003, he was forced out as a senior valet when an inquiry found he had sold off gifts on Charles's orders. However, he was retained as a highly paid 'consultant'.
In January, I revealed that the Dumfries House Trust, a charity set up to run Charles's Palladian pile in Ayrshire, had paid Fawcett a staggering 245,000 in the past year. The trust even handed 16,000 to the company run by Fawcett's son.
Accounts disclosed that Fawcett's company, Premier Mode Ltd, was paid 105,000 for organising events during the year to April 2016. The documents said 'these events were underwritten by a donation to the value of 130,000.
Premier Mode was also paid 80,000 for Fawcett's 'role within the trust'. Three quarters of this money came from the Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation. In addition, 60,000 was paid to Premier Mode for 'consultancy services', while another 3,000 was paid to an unnamed employee.
Last year, this newspaper revealed that businessmen had been asked to pay up to 100,000 each to be entertained by Charles at an event in aid of Dumfries House and another charity.
The Prince's office said the letter sent to donors demanding cash to attend one of Charles's charity functions had been 'erroneously' sent out by a 'third party' without their knowledge and steps were immediately taken to ensure that it never happened again.
Fawcett was previously a director of A.G. Carrick, but left in 2013. Yesterday, a Clarence House spokesman confirmed his new appointment, but declined to comment further.
Look at me, smooch, says Jude's boy
Jude Law is known almost as much for his lady-killing as his acting skills.
And now The Talented Mr Ripley star's son Rafferty is keen to show he's inherited his father's appeal.
Jude Law's son Rafferty is keen to show he's inherited his father's appeal
Rafferty, whose mother is Jude's ex-wife Sadie Frost, wrote next to this snap: 'Smooooch'
Model and aspiring DJ Rafferty, who turns 21 next week, has shared this picture of himself passionately kissing his glamorous new girlfriend, Clementine Linieres.
Rafferty, whose mother is Jude's ex-wife Sadie Frost, wrote next to the snap: 'Smooooch.' What a poet.
Lovejoy bids farewell to the wife he 'never saw'
Lovejoy star Ian McShane has enjoyed worldwide success late in his career, with roles in hit TV western Deadwood and Hollywood series Pirates Of The Caribbean.
But the 74-year-old actor is mourning the first of his three wives, Suzan Farmer, who has died aged 75.
Introduced to McShane by his friend, the Manchester United ace George Best, Suzan was a star of Hammer horror films and went on to play Ken Barlow's girlfriend in Coronation Street.
The sister of former Tory Party treasurer Michael Farmer, her marriage to McShane hit the rocks because of his hard-partying and womanising.
'My first wife was delightful, but I never saw her for two years,' he later admitted. 'It was the Sixties.'
Mick, Keith: This way to the stage
Back in the Swinging Sixties, Mick Jagger, now 74, and Keith Richards, 73, were pursued by hordes of young women from concert to concert.
These days, the only ones doing any following are their daughters who lend them some much-needed assistance at Rolling Stones gigs.
Sharing this photograph with her fans, Lizzy, pictured right, joked: 'This way to the stage, Dads . . .'
On Saturday, Sir Mick's 33-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, joined Theodora Richards, 32, whose father is guitarist Keith, at the Stones' performance in Lucca, Italy.
The pair helpfully used bright orange sticky tape to guide their fathers to the stage. 'We love you, Dads,' they wrote above a large arrow.
Sharing this photograph with her fans, Lizzy joked: 'This way to the stage, Dads . . .'
Former US Attorney Preet Bharara said Sunday that he believed Special Counsel Robert Mueller would leave no stone unturned, including looking into whether President Trump obstructed justice.
'I think everything you see from our armchair seats suggests that Robert Mueller is going to chase down everything that might suggest a crime has been committed by any associate, colleague, relative of the president, and also the president himself,' Bharara told CNN's Jake Tapper on State of the Union.
When Tapper specifically asked about obstruction, Bharara answered yes.
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Former US Attorney Preet Bharara expressed confidence in Special Counsel Robert Mueller and suggested he would look into whether President Trump obstructed justice with his firing of FBI Director James Comey
Preet Bharara (left) sat down with CNN's Jake Tapper (right) for an interview on State of the Union Sunday
'I think, clearly, one of the things he's going to be looking at is obstruction,' Bharara said.
The former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who was let go by President Trump in March, after President-elect Trump had said he could stay on, warned viewers that Mueller's probe may not necessarily lead to Trump being ousted from office.
'That does not mean that there will be a referral to the House of Representatives for impeachment,' Bharara said when speaking of the thoroughness of the Mueller investigation.
'That does not mean there's going to be a charge against anyone,' he added.
But Bharara, who's now a senior legal analyst for CNN, continued to sing Mueller praises.
'But I think Bob Mueller, based on my knowledge of him, and based on, I think, what his lifetime of service as a prosecutor, as an FBI director indicates, is that he's going to look at everything,' Bharara said.
President Trump's Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller to take over the FBI's investigation into Russian meddling in the US election, along with any ties to the Trump campaign, after the president decided to fire FBI Director James Comey.
Trump has indicated he was thinking about the Russia probe when he axed Comey in May, and Comey has since testified before Congress that he believed that was the president's reason.
Tapper pointed out that CNN had reported that Mueller had interviewed Rosenstein about his role in the firing of Comey, a move the deputy attorney general had recommended.
The CNN newsman also noted how Rosenstein is technically Mueller's boss, because Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from all things Russia-related.
'Do you have any concerns about the person overseeing the investigation also being a witness, potentially, to possible crimes committed that Mueller is looking into?' Tapper asked. 'Doesn't that seem like a huge conflict of interests?'
Bharara agreed that it was odd.
'And to the extent that an obstruction investigation relies a little bit on the facts relating to the firing of Jim Comey, it would seem that there's a conflict,' the ex-US attorney said.
He also gave some advice.
'What I think people should want to know is whether or not, like Jeff Sessions, the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, has consulted with the top ethics advisers in the department and gotten clearance to continue,' Bharara said. 'And, if not, then he shouldn't.'
When are you going back? asked the US immigration guy at JFK. Tonight, I said.
Youre coming to New York for the day? He looked bemused. Theres a new early flight from London that gives you ten hours in Manhattan, I said. I fly back at 11pm tonight.
When Concorde was the pride of the British Airways fleet, a morning flight across the Atlantic to New York was the ultimate commute. Now a low-cost airline has taken up the baton. Norwegians new flight leaves Gatwick at 6.45am and arrives in JFK at 9.45am.
Oasis of calm: The city's skyline towers over Central Park
Even with a lengthy queue at immigration, Im in Times Square all neon signs, yellow cabs, skyscrapers, honking cars, gridlock and attitude by 11.30am. As immersions go, its fast and furious.
To make the most of my day, I realise I have to rationalise things. Ellis Island is great, but takes too long to get to. The Lower East Side, however, is only 17 minutes from Times Square by subway.
I pop up at Delancey Street in low-rise New York, awash with vegan bakeries, custom coffee roasters and vintage shops.
Now highly hipster, in the late 19th Century this was where most new arrivals ended up after Ellis Island Italians, Irish, Swedes, Germans and Eastern Europeans all mixed in together.
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum offers a fast track to New Yorks past, providing fascinating details about the families who lived in the area and recreating their apartments. Rich in detail, tours last an hour and make a perfect pre-lunch introduction to the Big Apple.
Big Apple: Crowds gather in the world-famous Times Square
Hopping on the subway again, Im back at Times Square in time for a posh lunch. At The Knickerbocker Hotel, built in 1906, Im surrounded by serious New Yorkers in business attire, sleek suits, dresses and pearls, as I devour chateaubriand and passion fruit souffle in the restaurant on the fourth floor.
An hour and a half later, Im back on the subway up to 77th Street on the Upper East Side. Here the stately mansion blocks between Park and Madison house millionaires and their art works.
Its an entirely different vision of New York, moneyed and decidedly posh with doormen and expensive boutiques.
And at the end of 77th Street is Central Park, a glorious oasis of green in the centre of Manhattan. Full of picnicking families, with meadows, lakes and playgrounds, and surrounded by benches, each one inscribed with a plaque, including one to Biscuit the dog, it feels like New Yorks heart.
TRAVEL FACTS Norwegian (norwegian.com/uk, 0330 828 0854) flies to New York JFK twice a day. Flights start at 249 return. Bloc Hotel at Gatwick has rooms from 79 (blochotels.com/gatwick). For more information, go to nycgo.com. Advertisement
I take a breather to soak up some sun, but the Metropolitan Museum of Art is only a few steps away. This colossus usually has queues to match, but theres also a handy, little-used side entrance by 81st Street.
I get lost in art for a couple of hours, taking in the must-see Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons exhibition and Roman antiquities before I head to the roof terrace.
Each summer, this hosts an art installation but for many, including me, the real draw is the view of the New York skyline.
I grab a bus from outside the museum and head down Fifth Avenue, passing Bergdorf Goodman and Saks the current poor exchange rate makes it easier to withstand temptation.
And then Im back in Midtown. My lightning trip has given me just enough time to head to the Rainbow Room on the 65th floor of the Rockefeller Center. I walk out on to the terrace, cocktail in hand, to watch the sun set over the Hudson River before setting off back to JFK.
New York is a wonderful city, even if you only have ten hours.
Cut above: Hanging hams and a glass of wine at a San Sebastian bar
Gastronomy was never on the menu during previous trips to the Basque Country in Northern Spain.
Great food is a low priority when youre visiting Pamplona during the San Fermin fiesta and fleeing from marauding bulls and drunken Aussie backpackers the latter infinitely more scary.
So its long overdue that I embrace the regions exceptional dishes. We start in San Sebastian, the capital of Basque cuisine, home to some of the worlds best restaurants. Theres even a gastronomic university, the Basque Culinary Centre.
For Basques, its all about eating together. They grow up around the dinner table, says our guide Gabriella Ranelli, who runs Tenedor Tours.
She leads our group of six from bar to bar in the citys old town. Were soon on a crash course in Basque pintxo culture, sampling delicious small bites washed down with local txakoli sparkling wine.
Its red peppers filled with beef in batter in a bar called Tamboril, then ravioli with cuttlefish in La Cuchara de San Telmo.
The following morning we are back in the old town at La Bretxa, in one of the citys two markets. Stalls display prime meat, cheese and fish including red snapper, monkfish and scorpion fish.
Near the market, we visit family-owned food shops such as the marble-fronted bakery Pasteleria Otaegui, which has made chocolates and biscuits since 1886, and delicatessens like Zapore Jai, where hams are hand carved in front of us.
These shops know everything about their products: which region the ham is from, and what the pigs were fed on. We lunch along the coast in Elkano, a Michelin-starred fish restaurant in the fishing village of Getaria.
Cheers to that: A wine-tasting at Bodegas Baigorri in Samaniego is dominated by views of the Sierra de Cantabria mountains
Our exceptional turbot main is prepared outside on a charcoal grill. You dont need anything else when you have such a quality product, says manager Aitor Arregui.
Next day we head south into Rioja Alavesa, a rolling landscape of wineries and villages like the hilltop walled town of Laguardia, with its medieval centre. A wine-tasting at Bodegas Baigorri in Samaniego is dominated by views of the Sierra de Cantabria mountains that shield the vineyards from cold northerly winds.
TRAVEL FACTS British Airways (ba.com) flies from Heathrow to Bilbao from 60 return. Brittany Ferries (brittanyferries.com) has crossings from 255 each way for two with car. Visit: basquecountrytourism.eus/en. Advertisement
Inventive Basque food is matched by innovative architecture. Near Laguardia, we see architect Santiago Calatravas striking Ysios winery, and in the medieval village of Elciego, the futuristic Hotel Marques de Riscal designed by Frank Gehry.
Our gastronomic tour finishes as it began, back in San Sebastian, this time at Arzak, one of the citys best-known restaurants. Chef Elena Arzaks great-grandparents opened it in 1897 and she works alongside her father, Juan Mari. Arzak, and nearby Akelarre, situated atop Mount Igueldo and overlooking the Cantabrian Sea, helped spearhead the Basque culinary evolution where tradition meets innovation.
Dishes include marinated anchovies with strawberries, and sea bass with patxaran, a local liqueur made from wild sloe berries. Our mission is the same as always: to work hard to make something delicious, says Elena, leaving us to enjoy her creations.
Radio star Kate Langbroek is not happy about receiving a text message promoting same-sex marriage.
The KIIS FM star was one of the many Australians who received an SMS message from YesEquality on Saturday, reminding her that her postal form had arrived.
Taking to Instagram, she wrote: 'Spammed. Is the 'yes' campaign trying to put people off?'
'Is the 'yes' campaign trying to put people off?': Radio star Kate Langbroek is not happy about receiving a text message promoting same-sex marriage on Saturday
'Delete my number': The 52-year-old KIIS FM star described the above text she received as 'spam'
Kate added the hashtag 'delete my number.'
The full text read: 'The Marriage Equality Survey forms have arrived! Help make history and vote YES for a fairer Australia.'
The messages, which are believed to have been sent randomly, have been described by critics as 'harassment' and 'unsolicited.'
Advocates for the 'Yes' campaign in November's postal survey for same-sex marriage equality have expressed similar complaints about the 'vote no' campaign.
'Spammed': The messages, which are believed to have been sent randomly, have been described by critics as 'harassment' and 'unsolicited.'
These complaints were mostly in response to a skywriting message that was displayed over the Sydney Harbour Bridge this week, which read 'Vote No.'
Referencing the skywriting, one of Kate's fans replied to her post: 'Yeah I don't like being spammed on my phone or in the sky either.'
Another wrote: 'Im not too fussed. Rather it be a text about marriage equality than a phone call about my electricity provider.'
Payback? Similar complaints were made by the 'yes' campaign in response to a skywriting message that was displayed over the Sydney Harbour Bridge this week, which read 'Vote No'
Several other fans rushed to support Kate, with one stating: 'I'm a yes voter but I wasn't happy about receiving this text #privacyissue.'
'That's a huge invasion of privacy,' agreed another follower.
Others were less fussed about receiving the lone message: 'People who are 'put off' by a text message don't deserve a vote on something as important as this.'
'The texts went out to random, computer-generated numbers so no breaches of privacy or illegal activity going on,' another follower concurred.
Split: Fans in the comment section were split, with one writing: 'That's a huge invasion of privacy,'
Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder have issued a joint apology after their 'goofy' story ignited a debate about reproductive coercion.
The 29 year old actress had taken to Twitter on Friday to blast the Cosmopolitan writer who claimed that the 38-year-old Vampire Diaries star had forced her into starting a family.
But Reed's tone had changed by Saturday when she issued a joint statement from the couple on Twitter, apologizing for the serious turn the conversation had taken.
'To anyone who has been affected by reproductive coercion, we are deeply sorry.'
Apology: Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder issued a joint apology on Saturday after their 'goofy' story ignited a debate about reproductive coercion
Reproductive coercion is a collection of behaviors intended to pressure or coerce a partner into becoming a parent or ending a pregnancy.
The Thirteen actress expressed surprise that her 'goofy story' told on a podcast had been taken as an example of her husband of two years being a perpetrator of the act.
'We never expected a lighthearted interview we did poking fun at EACH OTHER and how WE chose together to get pregnant... to turn into something representing a very serious matter.'
'However, if this somehow sheds light on a topic that definitely needs mainstream attention, then we are grateful for the unintended consequence.'
'Goofy story': Reed, 29, pictured here in April 2017, expressed surprise that the story she told on a podcast had been taken as an example of her husband, 38, being a perpetrator of the act
The controversy all started when the Twilight star revealed on Dr. Berlin's Informed Pregnancy Podcast that the Lost actor had thrown out her birth control pills.
This prompted a writer for Cosmopolitan to slam Ian, saying he forced his wife into starting a family.
'That is some unconsented bulls*** right there,' they wrote.
Summer loving: Nikki told a story about how the couple had been on vacation in Barcelona, Spain, when Ian went through her bag and threw out her birth control pills as she watched on
Taking to Twitter, Nikki responded to the writer's criticisms with a few fighting words of her own.
'When you actually listen to the podcast (which Im sure you didnt) youll hear how "unforced" I felt,' she tweeted on Friday.
The actress then went on to accuse the writer of trying to stir up drama.
'Dont talk about consent to me. And lastly, how dare you try to cast a dark shadow over one of the happiest most memorable days of my life youre not only disrespecting me but my baby,' she continued.
'Oh, and next time you try to stand up for women by writing an article "about womens rights", try properly conveying the way I felt.'
Fighting words: The actress has accused a Cosmopolitan writer of trying to stir up drama
During the podcast, Nikki told a story about how the couple had been on vacation in Barcelona, Spain, when Ian went through her bag and threw out her birth control pills as she watched on.
'It was the beginning of the pack, so I had to pop all those suckers out,' he said, confessing he flushed them down the toilet.
'Actually, now thinking about it, I guess I kind of decided [to start a family].'
Happy: The couple, pictured her in January 2017, have been married for two years. It is Reed's second marriage and Somerhalder's first
And while Nikki was able to laugh about the story, she wasn't laughing when she took to Twitter on Friday.
'WOMEN'S RIGHTS MATTER, so please don't use false narratives to highlight issues that are truly important!' she wrote.
The couple - who have been married since 2015 - welcomed their first daughter, Bodhi Soleil on July 25.
She is expecting twins in the fall.
And Jaime Pressly was bumping along nicely as she flaunted her blooming baby belly in Los Angeles on Saturday.
The 40-year-old actress stepped out at the 6th Annual Celebrity Red Catpet Safety Awareness Event at Sony Studios Commissary.
Twins coming! Jaime Pressly was bumping along nicely as she flaunted her blooming baby belly in Los Angeles on Saturday
The My Name Is Earl star kept it casual as she cradled her perfectly formed bump. She wore black leggings and a charcoal hoodie, which she teamed with grey Nikes.
Septembers Child Safety Month ended with the 6th Celebrity Red CARpet Safety Awareness Event, a fun filled, educational, inspiring and engaging event for parents and kids that benefitted Baby2Baby!
The event helped spread awareness about Car Seat Safety as well as other areas of safety (Activity Safety, Car Seat Safety, On-The-Go Safety, Home Safety, Body Care Safety, and Kitchen Safety) that affect parents and their precious loved ones. New highlights this year include: a new Kitchen Safety Area, McLaren Push Around Buggy and a self-installing car seat.
Blooming: The 40-year-old actress stepped out at the 6th Annual Celebrity Red CARpet Safety Awareness Event at Sony Studios Commissary
The Event was also sponsored by safety products for maternity, baby and toddler from national and local companies such as event sponsors Step2, Diono, Evenflo, Nuna, Cybex, UPPAbaby, Babyganics, OXO Tot.
The star's cobalt eyes were popping thanks to her radiant skin and minimal make-up.
The father of her twins is longtime boyfriend Hamzi Hijazi, she has a 10-year-old son Dezi with her ex Eric Calvo - both of whom were also at the event.
'Twins don't run on either side of our families so we were completely shocked,' said Pressly in an interview with People.
'This wasn't IVF or anything like that. It was just a shock, and I'm like, 'Doctor, that's impossible!''
Looking good: The My Name Is Earl star kept it casual as she cradled her perfectly formed bump
It suits her! She wore black leggings and a charcoal hoodie, which she teamed with grey Nikes
Family: The father of her twins is longtime boyfriend Hamzi Hijazi (left) and she has a 10-year-old son Dezi with her ex Eric Calvo (right)
Delighted: Pressly said that the happy news now has her feeling like her family is complete
The Emmy-winning actress, who began dating Hijazi in 2011, said that her son could not be more excited about the addition of two new siblings.
'He's been begging Hamzi and I to give him a sibling since he was in kindergarten,' said Pressly.
'He's very patient and sweet and gentle and is going to be the best little babysitter ever. He's constantly kissing my belly.'
Pressly said that the happy news now has her feeling like her family is complete.
Pretty: Ali Fedotowsky was also at the event
'I've always wanted three kids and the older I'm getting, I'm like, 'Okay, maybe just one more would be nice,'' said the actress.
'I was getting a little sad, but it was like, 'We'll give you two in one. You don't have to do another pregnancy.''
The happy news comes after a difficult few months for Pressly, whose home was broken into back in March, with $30,000 worth of jewelry taken by a band of robbers who are also believed to have possibly ransacked the homes of David Spade and Kendall Jenner.
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The former Miss Universe Australia and her husband Jake Wall recently moved into a $6million waterfront mansion in Sydney's Northern Beaches.
And now Jennifer Hawkins appears to have put one of her many investment properties, in Newcastle's Merewether, on the market.
According to The Daily Telegraph on Sunday, the 33-year-old is expecting to almost double her original purchase price in the upcoming auction.
Trading up! Former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins puts $860,000 three-bedroom Newcastle abode up for auction... as she and husband Jake Wall settle into $6million Sydney waterfront mansion
One of many: Having become a property mogul in the years since she won Miss Universe in 2004, Jennifer and husband Jake Wall (pictured) are believed to still have three other investment properties
Having become a property mogul in the years since she won Miss Universe in 2004, Jennifer is believed to still have three other investment properties.
Jennifer bought the property for $469,000 in 2006, the year before signing her $4million deal with Myer.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom abode is now on the market with a hopeful ask of $860,000 with McGrath Real Estate
Get her look: Jennifer appears to have opted for a coastal vibe when decorating the property, pairing blue carpets with neutral tones and rustic elements
Up for auction: The three-bedroom, two-bathroom abode is now on the market with a hopeful ask of $860,000 with McGrath Real Estat
The 319sqm property is located only a short walk to local cafes, shops and Merewethers beautiful coastline.
Making for a comfortable residence in summer, each bedroom has ceiling fans and air conditioning is available within the dining and living areas.
Jennifer appears to have opted for a coastal vibe when decorating the property, pairing blue carpets with neutral tones and rustic elements.
The modern kitchen, with electric cooking, has marble bench tops and light blue cabinets
Relaxed vibes: Making for a comfortable residence in summer, each bedroom has ceiling fans and air conditioning is available within the dining and living areas
Plenty of room to grow: With open-plan living and a large backyard, the property appears to be a perfect family-friendly buy
The modern kitchen, with electric cooking, has marble bench tops and light blue cabinets.
The house's large glass windows invites an abundance of natural light into the home.
With open-plan living and a large backyard, the property appears to be a perfect family-friendly buy.
There will be an on-site auction for the property on October 7.
Meanwhile, Jennifer and builder husband Jake appear to have settled into their 3261sqm
Selma Blair made a fashion statement during a Saturday morning stroll with her new dog in West Hollywood.
The brunette beauty wowed in an off-the-shoulder Endless Rose frock, belted with white ribbon, as she walked rescued Pit bull pup Cappuccino.
Later the 45-year-old actress met up with son Arthur and beau Ron Carson for a cup of coffee and a small bite at Alfred's.
Sky high! Selma Blair wowed in an off-the-shoulder Endless Rose frock with a white ribbon during a Saturday morning stroll with her new dog in West Hollywood
The American Crime Story actress glowed in the powder blue frock that featured flouncy sleeves and a ruffled hem.
The Cruel Intentions actress paired her cloud-like frock with simple white sandals and big round shades while letting a delicate necklace brush against her chest.
Selma, who hails from Southfield, Michigan, swept her smooth, brown tresses to the side elegantly while sporting a hint of caramel highlights up front.
Ruffling it up! The American Crime Story actress glowed in the powder blue frock that featured flouncy sleeves and a ruffled hem
Quick stop: Later the 45-year-old actress and pup met up with son Arthur and beau Ron Carson for a cup of coffee and a small bite at Alfred's
Cappuccino Houston, Cappy for short, was on her best behavior as her mom lead her through the WeHo streets, stopping briefly outside the cafe for some shade and H20.
Selma welcomed the pit bull pup to the family after losing her her Chihuahua-pug mix Ducky in late August.
The Heathers actress introduced fans and followers to her new four legged friend in an Instagram photo with son Arthur, six.
A touch of caramel: The Michigan native swept her smooth, brown tresses to the side elegantly while sporting a hint of caramel highlights up front
New journey: The Heathers actress introduced followers to Cappy in an Instagram photo with son Arthur, six, writing 'And so we have begun another dog love adventure'
'And so we have begun another dog love adventure,' began the caption.
'Cappuccino Houston (Cappy) entered our lives a few weeks ago. She is a shy dog, and much patience and work is being done,' she continued while also thanking LA non-profit Angel City Pits and Best Friends Animal Society.
Selma have been a lifelong animal advocate and in June attended an event at the Best Friends Animal Society in L.A.s Woodland Hills neighborhood to promote the importance of adopting.
Priyanka Chopra looked like she'd just stepped off a bus from the '60s when she took to the stage at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City's Central Park on Saturday.
The 35-year-old actress opted for a red, white and black floral mini shift dress, which she teamed with matching thigh-high boots.
Taking to the stage to speak at the festival, the Baywatch star appeared to have been having a great time, smiling as she basked in the sunshine.
Blast from the past: Priyanka Chopra looked like she'd just stepped off a bus from the '60s when she attended the Global Citizen Festival in New York City's Central Park on Saturday
Her long brown hair was worn loose in soft curls, and she wore round sunglasses.
Having changed outfits, Priyanka was initially seen wearing dark blue Frame jeans and a white T-shirt emblazoned with the Global Citizen Festival's logo.
Backstage, the stunning star was seen mixing with fellow celebrity guests, including Lupita Nyong'o and Michelle Monaghan, who both wore Global Citizen Festival tees.
Lupita, 34, teamed hers with cropped black pants, while Michelle, 41, opted for satin emerald green trousers.
For a good cause... Taking to the stage to speak at the festival, the Baywatch star appeared to have been having a great time, smiling as she basked in the sunshine
Perfect match: The 35-year-old actress opted for a red, white and black floral mini shift dress, which she teamed with matching thigh-high boots
The finer details... Her long brown hair was worn loose in soft curls, and she wore round sunglasses
Costume change: Having changed outfits, Priyanka was initially seen wearing dark blue Frame jeans and a white T-shirt emblazoned with the Global Citizen Festival's logo
Demi Lovato was also backstage, with the 25-year-old stepping out in a striking figure-hugging fuchsia colored dress.
Joining them was Freida Pinto, who also sported a Global Citizen Festival tee.
The 32-year-old Slumdog Millionaire star also donned a floral bomber jacket.
Meanwhile, Priyanka was also seen posing for photos alongside Kal Penn.
Famous faces: Backstage, the stunning star was seen mixing with fellow celebrity guests, including Lupita Nyong'o (left) and Michelle Monaghan (right)
Backstage buddies: Priyanka and Michelle were also seen talking with Demi Lovato (second left) and Freida Pinto (far right)
Shark attack: Meanwhile, Priyanka was also seen posing for photos alongside Kal Penn. The 40-year-old Harold & Kumar star bizarrely opted to don a shark costume for the event
The 40-year-old Harold & Kumar star bizarrely opted to don a shark costume for the event.
The Global Citizen Festival is an annual one-day music festival held in New York City in an effort to help end poverty and fight inequality.
Included in this year's line-up are Stevie Wonder, Green Day, The Lumineers, The Killers, The Chainsmokers and Pharrell.
As an actress herself, she is no doubt proud that her daughter has pursued the family business.
And on Saturday, Demi Moore supported Rumer Willis at the The Casts of Empire and Star Celebrate Fox's New Wednesday Night Lineup event in New York.
On the dramatic, music industry show, Rumer plays Tory Ash, a musician who attempts to rebuild her career following a heroine-fueled meltdown.
Her biggest fan: On Saturday, Demi Moore, 54, supported Rumer Willis, 29, at the The Casts of Empire and Star Celebrate Fox's New Wednesday Night Lineup event in New York
Demi, 54, dazzled in a tea-length, trumpet dress by Marchesa; the lovely frock was a combination of navy velvet and lace, complete with a neck-tie bow.
Demi accessorized with a matching velvet clutch and diamond stud earrings from Eva Fehren.
Rumer chose a head-to-toe cream ensemble. The 29-year-old tucked a silk, button-up blouse into a pair of wide leg pants.
Her look was complete with a silk blazer, large hoop earrings, rings and bracelets.
Feminine frills: Demi dazzled in a tea-length, trumpet dress by Marchesa; the lovely frock was a combination of navy velvet and lace, complete with a neck-tie bow
Contrast: While her mother went with a dark dress, Rumer chose a head-to-toe cream suit look. The 29-year-old tucked a silk, button-up blouse into a pair of wide leg pants
Gorgeous: While at the event, the women shared two beautiful smiles
Rumer took to Instagram to share a photo of herself and her mother.
'Me & Mama . Empire,' she wrote.
While Demi was styled in the same ensemble as the event, Rumer switched looks with a white, feminine blouse tucked into a pair of pants.
'Me & Mama': Rumer took to Instagram to share a photo of herself and her mother
On Empire, Rumer plays Tory Ash, a musician inspired by the late Amy Winehouse.
In an April interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rumer recalled her reaction to an audition opportunity for the show.
'I was on tour, and I had a layover day in New York. My agents had reached out to me and said, "Hey, there's this role on Empire to do this Amy Winehouse-type rock star,''' she began.
'I was like, "I don't need to see anything else. I'm going in. I don't care if I'm tired.'''
Its hard to imagine what the sisters at Nonnatus House would say if they clapped eyes on Call The Midwife star Jessica Raine in her latest role as a sex-crazed alcoholic.
The 35-year-old plays the wayward wife of a British Army officer in a new BBC1 drama set in the colonial outpost of Aden in the Sixties.
In one steamy scene from The Last Post, Raines character Alison Laithwaite is caught in the throes of passion as she beds another officer to make a cuckold of her husband.
In others she is seen downing tumblers of gin from early in the morning.
Jessica Raine the wayward wife of a British Army officer in a new BBC1 drama set in the colonial outpost of Aden in the Sixties in The Last Post
Raine known for playing kindly nurse Jenny Lee has described her latest character as humming with dissatisfaction. She said: I imagine her climbing the walls with boredom. Shes desperate to have fun but theres not much of the type of fun she wants in the strict military environment a real hell for her.
BBC bosses hope The Last Post, which starts next Sunday and follows the lives and loves of a unit of Royal Military Police officers and their wives, will be a smash.
At the time, the unit faced deadly dangers from insurgents who wanted the British to leave.
British rule in Aden, which began in 1839, ended on November 30, 1967, with the establishment of The Peoples Republic of South Yemen.
She's the former Home And Away stunner who's found fame in the US thanks to a slew of roles including on Pretty Little Liars.
And on Saturday, Tammin Sursok radiated beauty as she rocked the red carpet at the 6th Annual Celebrity Red CARpet Safety Awareness Event in Culver City, California.
Accompanying the 34-year-old to the event was her husband Sean McEwen and their three-year-old daughter Phoenix.
Gorgeous! On Saturday, Tammin Sursok radiated beauty as she rocked the red carpet the 6th Annual Celebrity Red CARpet Safety Awareness Event in Culver City, California
The youthful-looking actress donned a dark-coloured mini-dress emblazoned with an intricate pink love heart and blue bird pattern for the outing.
Septembers Child Safety Month ended with the 6th Celebrity Red CARpet Safety Awareness Event, a fun filled, educational, inspiring and engaging event for parents and kids that benefitted Baby2Baby!
The event helped spread awareness about Car Seat Safety as well as other areas of safety (Activity Safety, Car Seat Safety, On-The-Go Safety, Home Safety, Body Care Safety, and Kitchen Safety) that affect parents and their precious loved ones. New highlights this year include: a new Kitchen Safety Area, McLaren Push Around Buggy and a self-installing car seat.
The Event was also sponsored by safety products for maternity, baby and toddler from national and local companies such as event sponsors Step2, Diono, Evenflo, Nuna, Cybex, UPPAbaby, Babyganics, OXO Tot.
Family affair! Joining Tammin for the event were her husband Sean McEwen and three-year-old daughter Phoenix Sursok-McEwen
The leg's have it! Tammin's toned and trim pins were accentuated by the thigh-skimming frock
Tammin's toned and trim pins were accentuated by the thigh-skimming frock and the Australian native emphasised her natural beauty with subtle makeup touches.
A lashing of black mascara made her eyes pop while a baby pink shade was perfect for her plump pout.
Her hair looked just as gorgeous, with Tammin's striking brunette locks left out and styled with loose waves.
Flawless! The Australian native emphasised her natural beauty with subtle makeup touches
Twinning! Phoenix matched her mum's dress with her own heart-patterned clothing
Adorably matching mum's dress was Phoenix Sursok-McEwan, who was dressed in her own heart-patterned T-shirt.
The black and white top was teamed with pale pink overalls.
Dad Sean also went for low-key attire, selecting a grey T-shirt, white pants and brown shoes for an understated look.
She plays the glamorous and cunning Cookie Lyon on Empire.
And on Saturday, actress Taraji P. Henson looked every bit the diva as she stepped out to celebrate the start of the show's fourth season with her co-stars.
The Howard University alum oozed sex appeal in a sheer top which dipped low to reveal her black bra and full chest while a sequined maxi skirt added another dose of drama.
Dazzling diva! Tariji P Henson oozed sex appeal Saturday in New York, where she donned a sheer top and sequined maxi skirt to celebrate the new season of Empire
Taraji, 47, looked fierce as she displayed her daring decolletage in a transparent wrap.
On bottom the Oscar nominee continued to wow, wearing a sequined skirt that feel to the floor while hugging her bountiful backside.
The Hidden Figures actress accessorized with pointy patent leather stilettos and a collection of geometric jewelry.
That's a wrap! The 47-year-old actress displayed her daring decolletage in a transparent wrap while hugging the rest of her curves in a glittering skirt
You glow girl! The Hidden Figures let her breathtaking face take centerstage, teaming short, natural tresses with well-groomed eyebrows, fluttering lashes and a nude pout
All about the details! The Hidden Figures actress accessorized with pointy patent leather stilettos and a collection of geometric jewelry
Sky high! The Washington DC born beauty shared a few backstage snaps on her Instagram feed, where she showed off the dazzling view from the party
Letting her breathtaking face take center-stage, the mother-of-one paired short, natural tresses with well-groomed eyebrows, fluttering lashes and a nude pout.
The Washington DC born beauty shared a few backstage snaps on her Instagram feed, where she showed off the dazzling view from the party.
Co-star Rumer Willis, 29, graced the event in a white hot look.
White hot! Co-star Rumer Willis turned heads in a creme suit that combined a silk top with wide crepe pants for maximum style
Yin and yang: The actress, who plays recovering wild child Tory Ash on the show,balanced her buttoned up suit with wild black tresses and smoky eyes
Rumer has it! Inside the event, Rumer got behind the turn tables to DJ
The actress, who plays recovering wild child Tory Ash on the show, turned heads in a creme suit that combined a silk top with wide crepe pants for maximum style.
The second generation celeb's wild black tresses and smoky eyes expertly balanced the buttoned up glamour of her crisp suit.
Inside the event, Rumer got behind the turn tables to DJ.
Beat it! The Dancing With The Star alum looked like she was in her element as she held an ear to her headphones and matched beats
Never a plain Jane! The GI Jane bombshell's dress featured a flirty bow around the neck while the star let her long, black locks sweep over her shoulders sleekly
Good genes: Rumer was joined by mom Demi Moore, 54, who turned heads in midnight blue velvet and lace
The Dancing With The Star alum looked like she was in her element as she held an ear to her headphones and matched beats.
Rumer was joined by mom Demi Moore, 54, who turned heads in midnight blue velvet and lace.
The GI Jane bombshell's dress featured a flirty bow around the neck while the star let her long, black locks sweep over her shoulders sleekly.
In the clutch! The ex of Bruce Willis topped off the look with a blue velvet clutch and black satin heels
Generations of glam! The stunning pair looked more like sisters than mom and daughter
Her biggest fan! Demi was there to support her triple threat daughter at the season kick-off
The ex of Bruce Willis topped off the look with a blue velvet clutch and black satin heels.
Terrance Howard put a sharp twist on your everyday suit donning a boxy jacket with lush floral lapels and cuffs.
The Oscar nominated actor balanced the bold blazer with a crisp button up, white sneakers and a straw fedora.
Standing out! Terrence Howard put a sharp twist on your everyday suit donning a boxy jacket with lush floral lapels and cuffs
Hot date! The Chicago native brought along wife Mira Pak, who looked chic in a slinky, silk dress with dual slits on the legs
Sealed with a kiss! Terrence pulled Mira in for a passionate kiss on the carpet
The Chicago native brought Mira Pak as his date, who looked chic in a slinky, silk dress with dual slits on the legs.
Terrence wasn't hiding his affection for his formerly estranged other half, pulling her in for a passionate kiss on the carpet.
Actor, musician and son of Diana Ross Evan Ross wore a black jacket sans shirt to reveal a necklace adorned chest while hearty diamonds adorned his ears.
No shirt, no problem? Actor, musician and son of Diana Ross Evan Ross wore a black jacket sans shirt to reveal a necklace adorned chest while hearty diamonds adorned his ears
Bow down! Queen Latifah was simple and chic in a black blazer and dark shift worn over matching leggings
Grace Geeley made onlookers green with envy as she displayed her full chest in a plunging emerald suit.
Queen Latifah was simple and chic in a black blazer and dark shift worn over matching leggings.
The Girl's Trip talent, who's in Fox's Star this Fall, glitzed things up a bit with a solid gold necklace.
Taking the plunge! Grace Geeley made onlookers green with envy as she displayed her full chest in a plunging emerald suit
Shining star! Gabby Sidebe sparkled in a gold frock teamed with gladiator heels and romantic curls
The ever-talent Leslie Uggams, who plays Lucious's mom Leah on Empire, matched chic black with blue and green silk
Gabby Sidebe sparkled in a gold frock teamed with gladiator heels and romantic curls.
The ever-talent Leslie Uggams, who plays Lucious's mom Leah on Empire, matched chic black with blue and green silk.
The men of the evening were well-suited, with most opting to ditch their ties during the tepid New York evening.
His Empire! Creator Lee Daniels was well suited in navy during the Saturday soiree
Boys in blue! Navy suits were a favorite, as creator Lee Daniels, actor Andre Royo (right), and rapper Xhibit (left) all donned handsome shades of sapphire
Taye-ing stylish! Taye Diggs stood out in a funky grey cargo pants teamed with a blue jacket, matching hat and crystal clear glasses
Navy suits were a favorite, as creator Lee Daniels, actor Andre Royo, and rapper Xhibit all donned handsome shades of sapphire.
Taye Diggs stood out in a funky grey cargo pants teamed with a blue jacket, matching hat and crystal clear glasses.
The triple threat repped American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat on his shirt while added fringed two-tone loafers on foot.
Classic: Benjamin Bratt was handsomely understated in a black button up and matching slacks, leaving his jacket at home for the night
Scarlet fever! Leading lady Brittany O'Grady exuded old Hollywood elegance in a wine red velvet dress teamed with Veronica Lake-style waves
The soiree also celebrated the new season of Star, Empire creator Lee Daniel's other Fox musical drama.
Leading lady Brittany O'Grady exuded old Hollywood elegance in a wine red velvet dress teamed with Veronica Lake-style waves.
Benjamin Bratt was handsomely understated in a black button up and matching slacks, leaving his jacket at home for the night.
Flower power! Ryan Destiny donned a suit-inspired black dress and eclectic flower-embellished leggings
Star's showrunner Karen Gist turned heads in a paisley suit paired with sexy lace cami.
Ryan Destiny donned a suit-inspired black dress and eclectic flower-embellished leggings.
Both Empire and Star premiere Wednesday September 27 on Fox.
Phillip Schofield has a new job as a dress salesman.
The veteran TV presenter, 55, has been employed by his daughter Molly, 24, to help sell her used clothes on internet shopping site Depop.
Mollys hoping that his famous face, as in my picture, right, will encourage more bidders to buy her wares, which sell for around a fiver.
The presenter of This Morning said: Im not included! Next time Phil, why not wear the dress... that Id pay good money to see!
Phillip Schofield has a new job as a dress salesman. The veteran TV presenter, 55, has been employed by his daughter Molly, 24, to help sell her used clothes on internet shopping site Depop
Shes been working her way back into the Royal good books ever since her dalliance with a Texan lover in 1992 the Queens famous annus horribilis resulted in her divorce from Prince Andrew. Now, in the surest sign yet that Sarah Ferguson, left, is no longer a persona non grata, it has emerged that the Duke of Edinburgh, far left, approved her new role as an ambassador for the British Heart Foundation, where he has been patron for 56 years.
The charity bends over backwards for Philip and will certainly have sought his approval, Im told. Aides were betting good money that Philip, 96, would veto her, but now they are wondering if, astonishingly, Fergie will end up doing more ribbon-cutting than him, especially now he has retired from public life.
You won't believe what they tell me!
'My phone went off when we were filming Question Time recently. It was my bedtime alarm. The BBC love that kind of thing.' - David Dimbleby admits the years are catching up with him when we met at the Quintessentially Foundation and Dimbleby Cancer Care annual charity quiz.
'How do I keep my mind active? I learn a word a day, like anatidaephobia. It is the irrational fear of being stared at by a duck.' -Dame Judi Dench may be 82 but shes still firing on all cylinders.
'Anyone falling over makes me laugh. If my husband gets a slap to the crotch when one of our kids runs into him, its hilarious. Thats awful of me, isnt it?' - Actress Olivia Colman, right, tells me that slapstick is her preferred kind of comedy even if it means her husband Ed Sinclair taking a hit.
'My piano playing is going all right. I am supposed to be getting better at it but I am flatlining. I wish I was good' - Benedict Cumberbatch reveals to me that there is something he isnt good at at last!
'The idea of making vows before God scared me. I was terrified the night before and it nearly put me off' - Russell Brand confesses to getting cold feet before marrying Laura Gallagher.
'Theyre making another Kingsman film but I think it should be called Invasion Of The Flying Turds. I could play one of the flying turds. It is a perfect role for me' - Elton John enjoyed being in the second Kingsman film so much hes got plans for the third one...
The Block contestants were challenged to make KIIS FM radio stars Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek laugh over dinner in order to win a prize of $5,000 for their build.
And married couple Ronnie and Georgia have now admitted they regret their AWKWARD roasting attempt of comedian Dave Hughes.
Appearing on Weekend Today on Sunday, Ronnie confessed: 'It didn't go well.'
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'Seriously, what were we thinking?' The Block's Ronnie and Georgia regret awkwardly roasting comedian Dave Hughes on the renovation show claiming it 'didn't go well'
'We signed up to renovate a house, look we are roasting those guys, it didn't go well,' he said.
In one joke directed at Dave, Georgia cheekily suggested she thought he was fellow comedian Wil Anderson.
'When we were work-shopping ideas, we were like "yeah, that's a really good idea", but when they were sitting in front of us, we were like, "Oh man, this is awkward!"' Georgia said.
'We were like, "Oh man, this is awkward!"': Georgia's joke didn't fair well with an unimpressed-looking Dave
'The plan was get them boozed with champagne, but Hughsey doesn't drink,' Ronnie added.
Ronnie and Georgia laughed off the incident, though: 'At the end of the day we made them laugh. We did our job.'
Meanwhile, married couple Sarah and Jason were left red-faced after they offended the KIIS FM radio host.
Dave, 46, wasn't too impressed when Sarah failed to realise he hosted a drivetime radio show.
Even Dave Hughes hates them! The Block's Sarah and Jason offend the comedian and his radio co-star Kate Langbroek (seen) when they fail to realise they host a drive show
'So an early morning start for you guys tomorrow?' Sarah asked Dave and co-host Kate, trying to make conversation at the dinner table.
Looking offended, Dave dryly replied: 'No, we do drive radio.'
The mishap left the table including The Block hosts Scott Cam and Shelley Craft in awkward laughter.
Put your foot in it? 'So an early morning start for you guys tomorrow?' Sarah (R) asked, trying to make conversation at the dinner table
A blushing Scott Cam sarcastically told Sarah: 'It's good that you know our superstar guests!'
Dave and Kate made an appearance on the show as guest judges of the Youfoodz challenge.
The contestants had to whip up a dish for the pair, Scott and Shelley, in their new kitchens. They were judged on how much the judges liked the food and how much they made the judges laugh.
The winning team would pocket $5,000 and have their recipe turned into a Youfoodz dish, with their picture on the packets.
Jason and Sarah cooked udon noodles, while Jason dressed up as a Geisha.
Tyga didn't seem to affected by reports his ex Kylie Jenner is expecting her first child.
The 27-year-old Rack City rapper on Saturday shared a montage of clips to his Instagram Stories in which he was riding in his vehicle before taking his four-year-son King to see The LEGO Ninjago Movie.
In the clip, Tyga was asking his adorable son (with Blac Chyna) what movie they were going to see, followed by a shot of the duo inside the theater wearing 3-D glasses.
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Moving on: Tyga, 27, didn't seem too impacted by ex Kylie Jenner's unconfirmed pregnancy as he stepped out with his four-year-old son King on Saturday in a visit he chronicled on Instagram Stories
Tyga, whose real name is Micheal Ray Stevenson, raised eyebrows on Friday when he weighed in on the unconfirmed reports that Kylie, 20, is expecting her first child with her current beau, 25-year-old rapper Travis Scott, in February.
The rapper initially took to Snapchat to put in his two cents, as he posted a shot of the Kylie news item (which was first reported by TMZ ) captioned, 'Hell nah thats my kid,' with emojis of devils. He later deleted the post.
Tyga and the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star have not been together since April, ending a relationship that was long rumored, but only confirmed in 2015 when Kylie turned 18.
A source close to Kylie told People on Friday that the rumored pregnancy came as a shock to some, as 'Kylie broke up with Tyga partly because she felt too young to get serious,' and 'now shes having a baby with a guy she just started dating.
Snarky on Snapchat: The Rack City rapper rapper initially took to Snapchat to put in his two cents, as he posted a shot of the Kylie news item (which was first reported by TMZ ) captioned, 'Hell nah thats my kid,' with emojis of devils. He later deleted the post.
Father and son: The rapper quizzed his adorable four-year-old with Blac Chyna about what film they were headed to see, in a clip from his social media page
At the movies: Tyga snapped a selfie with his son, as the two wore 3-D glasses to watch The LEGO Ninjago Movie
The source continued: 'People around her are really surprised. It happened really fast, but for Kylie, being with Travis is so different than anyone else. Shes so in love with him. Shes really excited.'
Tyga, who's recently been romantically-linked to a woman named Kamilla Osman - a dead ringer for Kylie's older sister Kim Kardashian - revealed in a radio interview with The Breakfast Club on New York City's Power 105.1 in July that he was emotionally past the longtime romance with the young reality starlet.
'I mean, I have love for her, but, like, Im not in love no more,' he said, noting that problems in their relationship sprouted up past their 'honeymoon stage.
Old news: Tyga and the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star have not been together since April, ending a relationship that was long rumored, but only confirmed in 2015 when Kylie turned 18
Too cute! King, who turns five next month, had his hair styled in braids, looking adorable as he headed to the cinema with his dad
Stylish: The hip-hop artist donned a designer shirt and necklace in his social media clip
Hot wheels: The rapper headed off from Beverly Hill's Rodeo Drive in a sleek luxury vehicle
'You get with anybody, for the first year its magic,' he said. 'Then after that you start realizing a bunch of s---.'
In the interview, Tyga said that he harbored 'no hard feelings' for Scott, who hooked up with Kylie after they had 'been broken up.'
'He's not in the wrong,' the rapper said. 'Its not like I broke bread with him; its not like hes my day-one homie.'
After being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer in October 2011, Sally Obermeder's life changed forever.
The TV personality faced an uphill battle as she underwent intense treatment to eliminate the cancer, including chemotherapy and a double mastectomy.
But now Sally is finally breathing a sigh of relief, with the 44-year-old revealing to Body & Soul on Sunday she's celebrating reaching the milestone of being five years cancer-free.
'I can finally breathe properly again': On Sunday, Sally Obermeder (pictured) opened up to Body & Soul about how relieved she was to be celebrating five years cancer-free
Speaking to the publication, Sally said she was ecstatic to receive the 'all-clear' on her five-year cancer scan.
'I feel like I've been holding my breath for five years and I can finally breathe properly again,' she divulged.
'There's always a low-level anxiety you live with will it come back? Is this going to be it? especially before a scan. I know the routine well but the inner dialogue and emotion is so full on, I was nervous going to that scan and when it came back clear... My gosh, the relief!'
'My gosh, the relief!' The mum-of-told admitted she was ecstatic to receive the 'all-clear' on her five-year cancer scan
The mum-of-two also shared intimate details of living day-to-day with her very public against the disease.
'It doesn't matter whether you're in the public eye or not, when you go through cancer treatment, you're very openly sick. I'd see pity and sadness wash over people's eyes when I went out to get bread or milk with my baby,' Sally admitted.
Since getting her first all-clear scan back in 2012, Sally has experienced a new lease on life and admitted she'd been living like every day was her last.
Happy and healthy! Sally welcomed daughter Elyssa (centre) nine months ago via surrogate, who is a little sister to five-year-old Annabelle (right)
Now happier and healthier than ever, The Daily Edition star also welcomed a baby daughter with her husband Marcus nine months ago.
The new addition to the family was born via surrogate after doctors were concerned that a pregnancy could be fatal for Sally.
Elyssa joins their eldest daughter Annabelle, five, who was born just one day after Sally's cancer diagnosis.
She walked the runway at the Versace Fashion show on Friday.
And Cindy Crawford transformed the streets of Milan into her own personal catwalk as she was spotted having dinner with her children Kaia, 16, and Presley Gerber, 18, on Saturday night.
The former supermodel, 51, looked ageless as she was seen being escorted while leaving the building.
Iconic: Cindy Crawford transformed the streets of Milan into her own personal catwalk as she was spotted having dinner with her children on Saturday night
Cindy stepped out in a tight black midi dress that featured a slit teamed with a black leather jacket.
She added height by wearing opened-toed black heels that laced-up.
The model kept her glossy brunette tresses down while wearing only a minimal amount of make-up to accentuate her features.
Cindy carried a black leather clutch as she walked out of the Italian restaurant.
Catwalker: The former supermodel, 51, looked ageless as she was seen being escorted while leaving the building
Leggy: Cindy stepped out in a tight black midi dress that featured a slit teamed with a black leather jacket
Cindy's son Presley was seen in an all black ensemble while in Milan supporting his little sister and mom at Fashion Week.
Model Kaia wore jeans, a black long-sleeve shirt and white Nike shoes for her night out with her family.
The 16-year-old was also spotted being hugged by her brother Presley's girlfriend, Cayley King, as the two stepped out of the restaurant.
Good jeans: The 16-year-old was also spotted being hugged by her brother Presley's girlfriend, Cayley King, as the two stepped out of the restaurant
Dashing: Cindy's son Presley was seen in an all black ensemble while in Milan supporting his little sister and mom at Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week was extra special for Cindy because she was able to share the runway with daughter Kaia for the first time ever.
Kaia catwalked the Spring Summer 2018 Versace Fashion Show, while her doting mother paid tribute to iconic designer Gianni Versace with other renowned models, such as Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Carla Bruni, and Helena Christensen.
Cindy herself quit full-time modelling in 2000 to focus on her Kaia and her 18-year-old male model brother Presley, both of whom Cindy shares with husband Rande Gerber.
The all-American beauty is said to have featured on around 500 magazine covers and walked for shows including Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Dior, DKNY, and previously, Valentino.
Family affair: Kaia catwalked the Spring Summer 2018 Versace Fashion Show, while her doting mother paid tribute to iconic designer Gianni Versace
Golden goals: Cindy walked the runway with other renowned models, such as Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Carla Bruni, and Helena Christensen
He's the lovable triple threat and one of Australia's most successful actors.
And on Saturday, Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness, 61, arrived in New York to co-host this year's Global Citizen Festival.
The free and annual event held at Central Park saw the 48-year-old greet the crowd and keep them entertained between musical performances.
Loved up: On Saturday, loved up Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness, 61, arrived in New York to co-host the 2017 Global Citizen Festival
Looking dapper with a hint of stubble, Hugh sported a Global Citizen Festival T-shirt.
Pairing his top with plain black pants, the star was similarly dressed to his wife.
Deborra donned a comfortable look, dressed head-to-toe in black complete with fresh white sneakers.
Hosting duties: Looking dapper with a hint of stubble, Hugh sported a Global Citizen Festival t-shirt
Stunner: Looking radiant, the mum to Oscar, 17, and Ava, 12, sported a radiant and luminous complexion at the event that sees Coldplay's Chris Martin act as Creative Director
Looking radiant, the mum to Oscar, 17, and Ava, 12, sported a radiant and luminous complexion at the event that sees Coldplay's Chris Martin act as Creative Director.
Keeping her makeup minimal with a sweep of blush, Deborra had her pink-tinged hair pinned back into a casual ponytail.
The event that was held in an attempt to end poverty by 2030, saw Hugh host and raise awareness for the cause.
Doing his bit: The event that was held in an attempt to end poverty by 2030, saw Hugh host and raise awareness for the cause
Keeping them entertained: The free and annual event held at Central Park saw the 48-year-old greet the crowd and keep them entertained between musical performance
Star-studded line-up: Named as a co-hosts alongside Demi Lovatio, Lupita Nyong'o and Aaron Paul, the pair kept the crowd entertained between musical acts
Named as a co-hosts alongside Demi Lovatio, Lupita Nyong'o and Aaron Paul, the pair kept the crowd entertained between musical acts.
The crowd were greeted by performances from Stevie Wonder, Green Day, The Killers, The Lumineers, The Chainsmokers, Pharrell Williams, Big Sean, Andra Day and Alessia Cara.
This is the fourth consecutive year Hugh has been cast as a host of the internationally acclaimed event.
They just issued a joint apology after a story they told about birth control sparked a debate on reproductive coercion.
And later that evening, Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder stepped out at the EMA Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, CA.
The attractive couple looked ever so much in love, as Ian planted a sweet kiss on his wife of two years.
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Date night: Nikki Reed, 29, and Ian Somerhalder, 38, stepped out at the EMA Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, CA
Nikki wore a green, Victorian-inspired gown decorated with a floral pattern.
The mother-of-one styled her brunette locks in a half-up do, complete with a loose bun up top.
Handsome husband Ian looked dapper in a classic black-and-white suit, sans tie.
His lady: The attractive couple looked ever so much in love, as Ian planted a sweet kiss on his wife of two years
Looing sharp: Nikki wore a green, Victorian-inspired gown decorated with a floral pattern. Handsome husband Ian looked dapper in a classic black-and-white suit, sans tie
On Friday, the couple took to Instagram to issue a joint apology over drama that followed after an interview given to Dr. Berlin's Informed Pregnancy podcast.
'To anyone who has been affected by reproductive coercion, we are deeply sorry.' they began.
'...We never expected a lighthearted interview we did poking fun at EACH OTHER and how WE chose together to get pregnant... to turn into something representing a very serious matter.'
'...It's a shame that outlets chose this as their way into a very serious discussion, as we are certainly not qualified to be the faces of this topic. We are two happily married people who chose TOGETHER to have a baby. The end,' the note read.
'A note from us': On Friday, the couple took to Instagram to issue a joint apology over drama that followed over an interview given to Informed Pregnancy
Where it began: While in a lighthearted chat on Informed Pregnancy, Ian revealed that he took his wife's birth control and flushed it down the toilet during a trip to Barcelona
While in a lighthearted chat on Informed Pregnancy, Ian revealed that he took his wife's birth control and flushed it down the toilet during a trip to Barcelona.
'...Unbeknownst to poor Nikki, she didn't realize that I was gunna go in her purse, and take out her birth control...' he began.
When asked how she felt, Nikki said that there was a photo of her where she, according to Ian 'was freaking out.' He also revealed he has a video as well.
A laughable evening: When asked how she felt, Nikki said that there was a photo of her where she, according to Ian 'was freaking out.' He also revealed he has a video as well
Giving her strong opinion: A Cosmopolitan journalist decided to weigh in on the interview, referring to the situation as 'unconsented bull****'
A Cosmopolitan journalist decided to weigh in on the interview, referring to the situation as 'unconsented bull****.'
'Like, bro,' began the writer. 'If you want to start a family, have a chat about it with your partner dont steal her pills and force her into pregnancy?! That is some unconsented bull*** right there.'
The seemingly devout feminist journalist ended the piece with, 'Our body, our choice remember?'
Nikki was not to pleased with the reporter weighing in on her personal life, and took to social media to share her thoughts.
Still not done: 'Like, bro,' began the writer. 'If you want to start a family, have a chat about it with your partner dont steal her pills and force her into pregnancy?! That is some unconsented bull*** right there'
Over it: Nikki was not to pleased with the reporter weighing in on her personal life, and took to social media to share her thoughts
Calling it out: 'Also 'unconsented bull**** is you speaking on my behalf in a story admittedly taken out of context for the purpose of stirring up drama WITHOUT my approval. Don't talk about consent with me
'When you actually listen to the podcast (which I'm sure you didn't) you'll hear how UNFORCED I felt.'
'Also 'unconsented bull**** is you speaking on my behalf in a story admittedly taken out of context for the purpose of stirring up drama WITHOUT my approval. Don't talk about consent with me.
And lastly, how dare you try to cast a dark shadow over one of the happiest most memorable days of my life youre not only disrespecting me but my baby,' she continued.
She's rebounded from a health crisis, and looks to be stronger than ever.
Selena Gomez on Saturday was snapped in New York City enjoying popcorn during a stroll down the street in the SoHo neighborhood, looking beautiful and confident on the early autumn day.
The Bad Liar beauty, 25, wore a khaki trench coat over a white T-shirt and blue jeans with white shoes, with her dark locks partially pulled back, looking nice as she regains her health after undergoing a kidney transplant this past summer.
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What's poppin': Selena Gomez, 25, was snapped munching on popcorn as she walked on Saturday in NYC, where she's filming a yet-to-be-titled movie for Woody Allen
The outing came just days after Selena's confidante, actress Francia Raisa - who donated a kidney to Gomez - took to Instagram to declare she's 'happy to be back,' along with a clip documenting a workout she had. In the clip, there were visible scars on her abdomen from the transplant she underwent.
Gomez said earlier this month that she was 'incredibly blessed' after Raisa, best known for her role on The Secret Life of the American Teenager, 'gave [her] the ultimate gift and sacrifice' in the significant gesture to aid in her battle with Lupus.
'There arent words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend,' Gomez wrote on Instagram September 14 in a post revealing the surgical procedure. 'I love you so much sis.'
The Hands to Myself artist included a shot of herself and Raisa holding hands in adjacent hospital beds amid the surgery to combat Selena's battle with Lupus, which she first publicly spoke of in 2015.
Focused: The entertainer is back at work after receiving a kidney transplant this summer to aid in her battle with Lupus.
Happy days: Selena looked to be in good spirits as she walked in the city on the fall day
Gomez described her most-recent transplant as 'what [she] needed to do for [her] overall health.'
On Wednesday, a source close to Selena told People that the star has 'really bounced back more quickly than everyone expected.'
The former Disney diva is in the Big Apple filming an upcoming movie for Woody Allen in which she stars opposite Timothee Chalamet, the 21-year-old actor of Call Me By Your Name fame. Gomez 'seems wonderful' in her return to work, an insider on the film told the publication, adding that the star 'shows up looking rested and in a great mood and seems to take great care of herself.'
The beat goes on: Gomez 'seems wonderful' as she films a movie for Woody Allen, a source on the set told People this week
Tis' the season: The beauty was outfitted in a khaki coat, appropriate garb as the leaves turn
Life-changing: Selena's dear friend, actress Francia Raisa (L) donated a kidney to her this past summer
She's the younger sister of Australian artist Cody Simpson.
But on Saturday, Alli Simpson was the centre of attention when she graced the red carpet at the iHeartRadio music festival in Las Vegas.
Putting on a leggy display, the 19-year-old blonde bombshell was all smiles whilst posing for snaps.
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Stunner! On Saturday, Alli Simpson got heads turning when she put on a leggy display on the iHeartRadio Festival red carpet
Opting for a black ensemble, Alli sported a chic black mini-dress.
Showcasing her long and lean legs, the stunner's short skirt featured frills and pleats.
Keeping all eyes on her stylish outfit, Alli opted for metalic pumps to complete her look.
Leggy display! Opting for a black ensemble, Alli sported a loose fitting shirt over a black mini-skirt
Keeping her accessories minimal, Sony's new online reality show host sported a few rings and statement hooped earrings.
Alli's makeup was luminous and radiant for the festival, sporting a cat-eye and glossy pink lip.
Keeping her blonde locks off of her face, Alli donned a high pony-tail.
Beauty: Alli's makeup was luminous and radiant for the festival, sporting a cat-eye and glossy pink lip
Completing her look: Keeping her blonde locks off of her face, Alli donned a high pony-tail
After being announced as host alongside Jai Waetford for Sony's new online reality series, The ShareSpace earlier in the month, the US-based star said she was excited to return home.
'It's a pleasure to be working closely with Jai and I can't wait to get back to my amazing home, Australia,' Alli said in an official statement.
'It will great to see how The Talent evolve through collaboration and creativity over the 30 days. Exciting times ahead!'
The show which launches next month hopes to find the next singing sensation and will air on YouTube.
He's the Australian actor who, much to the delight of many around the country is currently single.
And Alex Dimitriades has revealed that he would be willing to walk down the aisle for the right woman, admitting that he 'believes in magic.'
Speaking to Sunday Life, the 43-year-old admitted that marriage wasn't something that was always on his mind.
Groom to be? Alex Dimitriades has revealed that he would be willing to walk down the aisle for the right woman, admitting that he 'believes in magic'
'I would like to get married, but once upon a time I would have said "no",' the Slap star told the publication.
He said he would consider making the commitment for the right woman, but hastened to add that it wasn't something he was actively pursuing.
'It's something I'd like to do with the right person, but I have been on some bumpy rides and I'm not really reaching for it right now.
One day: 'I would like to get married, but once upon a time I would have said "no",'Alex told Sunday Life
'It'll come to me when it does. I believe in magic and certain things are beyond manifestation.'
Alex also recently divulged that he was getting clucky, admitting that he would one day like to have children.
Speaking to Executive Style, the currently single actor confessed he would like to trade in his 'silly old rock and roll lifestyle' to have children like his friends have.
Feeling clucky? Alex Dimitriades, 43, reveals desire to have children like his friends instead of a 'silly old rock and roll lifestyle'
Alex jokingly told the Fairfax Media magazine he hoped his next project was 'babies, maybe,' despite not being in a relationship at the moment.
'I don't know which one is going to come first . They're both the same thing in a way, really,' Alex added.
The actor, whose previously acting credits include Underbelly and Blue Murder, explained that all of his friends already had children.
Changed: The actor, whose previously acting credits include Underbelly and Blue Murder, explained that all of his friends already had children
In the spotlight: While he told the publication he isn't dating anyone at the moment, Alex is no stranger to high-profile relationships
'And I've got my silly old rock and roll lifestyle. I'm not complaining. When you say "rock and roll", there's the rock and then there's the roll. That means the up and the down,' Alex said.
While he told the publication he isn't dating anyone at the moment, Alex is no stranger to high profile relationships.
He had an eight-year relationship with shoe designer Terry Biviano before they went their separate ways in 2006.
Working hard: Forging a successful career overseas, in recent years Alex has returned home to focus on local projects
Alex was most recently linked to socialite Anji Lake, however, the pair are understood to have parted ways in 2015.
Forging a successful career overseas, in recent years Alex has returned home to focus on local projects.
Earlier this year Alex starred in ABC drama Seven Types of Ambiguity, playing a father whose son has vanished from school.
It was a brutal race to the finish line on Sunday night's episode of The Block.
With a an extremely tight time frame and a lot of work to do, teams were struggling to get everything done and dusted before tools down.
But it was Sticks and Wombat who ultimately came out victorious when it was time for the Room Reveal and they took out the number one spot.
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Winners are grinners! The Block's Wombat (left) and Sticks (right) won the Room Reveal on Sunday night after adding soft touches to their laundry and hallways
The boys from the country had focused their efforts on a more softened style and it paid off at judging.
Sticks and Wombat scored 28-and-a-half and added their extra bonus point that they had won earlier in the competition.
Judge Shaynna Blaze praised the more feminine look and described the panelling on the ceiling and hallways as masterpieces.
The experts, which also includes Neale Whitaker and Darren Palmer, were also impressed by less masculine elements such as the colour palette and artwork.
'Masterpieces': Judge Shaynna Blaze praised the wall and ceiling panelling
A girl's touch! The judges were impressed by Sticks and Wombat's feminine touch
Josh and Elyse were the only other duo to completely finish their rooms and they nabbed second place with a score of 27.
Judges were gobsmacked by their towering 9-feet high ceilings and folded steel door that broke up the spaces.
However, they were let down by the fact they didn't incorporate an extra toilet in the space like all their rivals did.
Genius! The folded steel door that broke up the spaces was deemed a smart move
Sky-high praise: Judges were gobsmacked by Josh and Elyse's nine-feet high ceilings
The remaining teams - Hannah and Clint, Ronnie and Georgia and Jason and Sarah had all felt the pressures of limited time and failed to complete their rooms to the full extent.
After receiving The Block's first ever score of zero for not finishing a room at all previously, Jason and Sarah had bounced back to create their best room of the competition.
They racked up a score of 26-and-a-half after wowing the experts with a grand ceiling and 'sexy' laundry, but their unfinished touches lost them their edge.
Their best room so far: After struggling throughout the competition, Jason and Sarah bounced back with a hallway that featured a grand ceiling
Not finished: Hannah and Clint were criticised for touches like having a glass door next to a toilet after they failed to finish their vision in time
Meanwhile, Hannah and Clint - who scored 22 - were deemed as creating a hallway that was 'ordinary' and were criticised for having a glass door next to a toilet in the laundry.
They complained the clock ran down before they had time to finish their vision and vowed to fix the issues.
Early frontrunners Ronnie and Georgia also had a tough time of things but the judges thought buyers would like their Victorian hallway arch.
They nudged just above Hannah and Clint with a score of 24 after overlooking practical issues like a storage space for an ironing board in the laundry.
Not like them! Early frontrunners Ronnie and Georgia didn't finish in time for the first time
Jaws dropped when it was reported starlet Kylie Jenner was pregnant with her first child Friday afternoon.
But her beau Travis Scott, who is reportedly the father of her child, looked calm and collected Saturday while seen at iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas.
The 25-year-old year old Antidote rapper kept his eyes down while sporting loose jeans, a burnt orange tee and tons of ice before his set at the Sin City music fest.
Oh Daddy! Travis Scott was low-key at Saturday's iHeartRadio Music Fest in Las Vegas, just one day after girlfriend Kylie Jenner dropped that she was pregnant with her first child
Scott, given name Jacques Webster, made a brief stop by the red carpet where he showed off layers of diamond encrusted chains along with a frosty watch, braided bracelets and countless rings.
The Houston, Texas native paired his simple jeans and tee look with fresh Nikes and cuffed jeans.
The alleged expecting father kept his hair styled in small braids while wearing laid back stubble along his jaw.
Secret potion! The 25-year-old year old Antidote rapper kept his eyes down while sporting loose jeans, a burnt orange tee and tons of ice before his set at the Sin City music fest
Frosty as a snowman: The expecting father showed off layers of diamond encrusted chains along with a frosty watch, braided bracelets and countless rings
On Friday, it was reported Kylie Jenner is expecting her first child with Scott, who she was first linked to in April.
TMZ first broke the news, with a report stating that Travis was telling friends his life was about to change.
Later a source confirmed the news to DailyMail.com, adding that the young star was around four months pregnant.
Breaking news: On Friday news emerged reported Kylie Jenner, 20, is 'expecting a baby with boyfriend Travis Scott'; the two are seen here in April, soon after they started dating
A further source told People magazine that Kylie was overjoyed about her pregnancy.
'It is an unexpected but completely amazing turn of events that she could not be more excited or thrilled about,' they said.
Kylie began dating Travis back in April following her split from former long-term boyfriend Tyga, who has a child, son King Cairo, with Blac Chyna (Rob Kardashian's ex).
He's the Hong Kong-born movie star who spent time as a teenager growing up in Australia.
But Jackie Chan's connection to the country runs deeper than initially thought, with the actor revealing his father was a spy in hiding at the US Embassy in Canberra.
The 63-year-old's father Charles Chan originally fled China to Hong Kong to avoid capture by rival communists, News.com.au reported.
Surprise reveal: Jackie Chan makes the startling revelation that his father was a spy who spent years hiding in Canberra at the US Embassy
'My father was a spy hiding': Jackie's father Charles Chan originally fled China to Hong Kong to avoid capture by rival communists
'My father was a spy hiding in Hong Kong and hiding in Australia at the American embassy for so many years,' Jackie said
'My father was a spy hiding in Hong Kong and hiding in Australia at the American embassy for so many years,' Jackie told the website.
The Rush Hour star also revealed he wouldn't have become known as 'Jackie' if it wasn't for his time in Australia.
He said he was initially referred to as 'Steve' when attending Dickson College in the Australian Capital Territory.
But he then began going by the name 'Jack', courtesy of a friend at the US Embassy.
'A guy said "what's your English name?" and I said "I don't have one". My friend was a driver for the embassy,' Jackie said.
Jackie's connection to Australia runs deeper than initially thought, with the actor revealing his father Charles (pictured) hid at the US Embassy in Canberra
'His name was Jack so it was, "OK, call him Jack".'
Jackie said he added the 'ie' to the end of his name to give it more 'rhythm' once he returned to Hong Kong to pursue an acting career.
While his parents Charles and Lee-Lee lived in Canberra, Jackie spent most of his younger years away from them in a Hong Kong boarding school, News.com.au reported.
It was there he learnt his now world-renowned martial arts and acrobatic skills.
Jackie's latest work involves him voicing character Master Wu in the recently released The Lego Ninjago Movie.
Tim Dormer has revealed that he is now engaged to his boyfriend of three years Ash Toweel.
'We're really thrilled that people have embraced our engagement news!' he told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday.
On Friday, the 2013 Big Brother winner shared a touching video of the pair spending quality time together at an unknown beach to his Instagram and Facebook profiles.
Finally! Tim Dormer has revealed that he is now engaged to his boyfriend of three years Ash Toweel
The video features the pair attempting to re-live the experience when they first fell for each other, driving a van to the coastline.
Flaunting matching rings as they drive to their destination, the pair finally arrive and proceed to lay a towel on the ground while sharing drinks as the sun sets in the foreground.
He captioned the video with an elaborate history behind the couple's relationship, stating that they fell in love three years ago on a spontaneous trip to Byron Bay.
'Three years ago we were just mates leaving on a road trip. Camping alone on a beach under the stars, we fell in love': Flaunting matching rings as they drive to their destination, the pair finally arrive and proceed to lay a towel on the ground while sharing drinks as the sun sets in the foreground
'Three years ago we were just mates leaving on a road trip. Camping alone on a beach under the stars, we fell in love,' Tim captioned the post.
Tim confessed that while they became engaged earlier in the year, the pair kept it a secret until they felt the time was right.
'It was a long road before I was ready to tell everyone about us, but I'm glad I did because we're so happy now': Tim confessed that while they became engaged earlier in the year, the pair kept it a secret until they felt the time was right
'Earlier this year we travelled overseas. Once again alone on a beach, we asked each other an important questionwe both answered yes,' the caption read.
'It was a long road before I was ready to tell everyone about us, but I'm glad I did because we're so happy now.'
Ending the post with an impassioned reference to the current same-sex marriage debate in Australia, Tim thanked those who have supported the pair's relationship.
'Once again alone on a beach, we asked each other an important questionwe both answered yes': Meeting Ash at a party shortly after winning Big Brother, Tim has spoken openly about his bisexuality in the past, but revealed he was in a same sex relationship with the Sydney-based model in only December last year
'If you celebrate love, we thank you.'
Meeting Ash at a party shortly after winning Big Brother, Tim has spoken openly about his bisexuality in the past, but revealed he was in a same sex relationship with the Sydney-based model in only December last year.
The couple currently live together in an apartment at Sydney's beachside suburb of Bondi.
Tim says that the pair are more than happy with the reaction they have received upon going public with the new chapter in their life.
Next chapter: The couple currently live together in an apartment at Sydney's beachside suburb of Bondi
'If you celebrate love..': Tim says that the pair are more than happy with the reaction they have received upon going public with the new chapter in their life
He once again led the tributes for his crusading sister in an emotionally charged public memorial on Saturday.
And on Sunday, Samuel Johnson admitted going public with his sister Connie's cancer battle has been both a blessing, and a curse.
The Gold Logie winner said that Connie's choice to lay her fight bare in the public eye initially met resistance within the family, before it was finally accepted.
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'So too has it been a curse': Samuel Johnson says sharing his sister Connie's story has been both a blessing and a curse after she lost her cancer battle two weeks ago
'Going public was not popular': The Gold Logie winner said on Sunday that Connie's choice to lay her fight bare in the public eye initially met resistance within the family
'As much as [sharing Connie's story] has been a blessing for the family, so too has it been a curse,' he told Mamamia.
'Going public was not popular most of all with me.'
But the actor said it eventually became clear that it was 'well worth' providing the family's example to other families going through a similar experience.
'Bit by bit, every family member started to realise this was bigger than us,' he said.
'Came at a cost': Samuel also revealed the guilt his adored sister felt in her final years, as she spent time away from her family
Samuel also revealed the guilt his adored sister felt in her final years, as she spent time away from her husband Mike Johnson and two children Willoughby, 11, and Hamilton, ten, while campaigning.
He said her tireless work came at a cost, as her children have spent the majority of their lives 'in a trauma state', Mamamia reported.
Samuel emotionally opened up about his sister during a celebration of her life on Saturday.
Emotionally charged: Samuel opened up about his sister during a celebration of her life on Saturday
Touching tribute: Samuel didn't speak at the memorial, but instead a video remembering his and Connie's life together was played in front of about 500 at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne
The actor who ran the Love Your Sister charity alongside Connie didn't speak at the memorial, but instead a video remembering their life together was played in front of about 500 at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne.
'Connie Cottonsocks, it's been a stunning ride in life and now in death and it has indeed been my pleasure to be your Sammy Sam,' Sam said in a voiceover during the video.
'I remain not just your little brother but, as always very truly yours.'
The glamorous departures that have so far defined her hugely successful West End run were surprisingly put on hold as Sienna Miller greeted fans on Saturday evening.
Sporting a casual grey T-shirt and skinny black trousers, the British actress, 35, made an uncharacteristically low-key exit from Londons Apollo Theatre following her latest appearance in Tennessee Williams classic play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
A pair of white Reebok trainers completed the relaxed ensemble, while a large black leather bag was clutched in her right hand as she made her way towards a waiting car.
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Here she comes: The glamorous departures that have so far defined her hugely successful West End run were surprisingly put on hold as Sienna Miller greeted fans on Saturday evening
Flanked by security, the blonde star once again greeted the autograph hunters who have gathered on a near nightly basis in the hope of signatures and selfies.
Reflecting the low-key nature of her look, Sienna who plays female lead Maggie in the iconic play opted to style her hair with a conventional centre-parting, while her make-up was selected from a natural colour palette.
Her latest appearance was in stark contrast to her comparatively glamorous departure from the Apollo on Thursday evening.
Relaxed: Sporting a casual grey T-shirt and skinny black trousers, the British actress, 35, made an uncharacteristically low-key exit from Londons Apollo Theatre following her latest appearance in Tennessee Williams classic play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Wearing a feminine jumpsuit the star stunned as she exited the theatre and made hr way past her adoring fans, flashing just a hint of her bra.
The Factory Girl actress wore a maroon and white jumpsuit featuring a floral pattern and three pearlescent buttons at the front.
The blonde bombshell's simple outfit showcased her enviably slender frame, hugging her in all the right places.
Sienna completed her ensemble with a pair of black leather loafers and a rust coloured bag with contrasting suede and leather elements.
Simply stunning: Siennashowcased her slender frame in a patterned jumpsuit as she left the Apollo on Thursday evening following a performance of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
Keeping it casual: A Cat On A Hot Tin Roof actress paired her jumpsuit with black leather loafers and a rust coloured bag with suede and leather elements
She stylishly wore her glossy blonde locks in a top knot, leaving tresses of her hair to fall around her shoulders, which she tucked behind her ears.
The Layer Cake actress highlighted her eyes with a swish of mascara and a touch of smudged black liner.
Keeping her accessories simple, but effective, she wore four silver earrings to complete the look.
Looking good: On Wednesday evening the star wowed as she left The Apollo following her performance in a candyfloss pink jumper and mustard pumps with a fluffy sky blue pom-pom
On Wednesday evening she wowed in a candyfloss pink jumper and mustard pumps, as she exited the Apollo following her performance.
Sienna's casual looks are world's away from the sultry character she portrays in A Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.
The critically acclaimed play will soon come to close on 9 October after three months of excellent reviews.
She's rumoured to be expecting her first child with beau Travis Scott.
And Kylie Jenner only seemed to fuel further speculation of baby news as she arrived at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on Saturday night to support the rapper, who is reportedly the father of her child.
The 20-year-old American reality star masked her 'bump' in an oversized grey shirt and brown PVC trousers as she was joined by her gaggle of pals for the outing.
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Expecting? Kylie Jenner, 20, only seemed to fuel further speculation of baby news as she arrived at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas in an oversized grey top to support her rapper beau Travis Scott
Kylie and Travis are said to have broken the happy news to friends earlier this month, and the youngest Jenner proved to be in a great mood as she stepped out to watch the Antidote rapper perform.
The brunette, who has yet to confirm that she is expecting, did little to dispel the rumours as she swapped her usual skintight ensembles for the baggy shirt.
Sprucing up the look she went for a pair of eye-catching PVC trousers, which were paired with Nike trainers.
Kylie, who is allegedly expecting a girl - due in February - opted for a preened make-up look, focusing on heavily chiselled cheekbones, which were framed with her long raven tresses.
Hiding something? The American reality star masked her 'bump' in an oversized grey shirt and brown PVC trousers as she was joined by her gaggle of pals for the outing
'Father of her child': Kylie and Travis are said to have broken the happy news to friends earlier this month, and the youngest Jenner proved to be in a great mood as she stepped out to watch the Antidote rapper perform
Bejeeweled: Kylie was decked out in bling and sports large diamond stud earrings
Her beau Travis, real name Jacques Webster, who is said to be the father of her unborn child, took to the stage at the festival to perform.
After reports emerged that Kylie was expecting on Friday, it is also claimed that Kylie and 25-year-old Travis know the sex of the child - and are having a girl.
A source confirmed the news to DailyMail.com, adding that the young star is around four months pregnant.
And eagle-eyed fans have now spotted what seems to look like a 'bump' in an Instagram snap shared by Kylie on August 22.
The make-up entrepreneur is seen wearing a skin-tight purple patterned dress, which cuts off under her waist - hinting that she may be expecting as she cradles her waist with her hand.
TMZ first broke the news, with a report stating that Travis was telling friends his life was about to change. A further source told People magazine that Kylie was overjoyed about her pregnancy.
Was she hinting then? Eagle-eyed fans have now spotted what seems to look like a 'bump' in an Instagram snap shared by Kylie on August 22 wear she is seen cradling her stomach
Claims: After reports emerged that Kylie was expecting on Friday, it is also claimed that Kylie and 25-year-old Travis know the sex of the child - and are having a girl
'It is an unexpected but completely amazing turn of events that she could not be more excited or thrilled about,' they said.
Kylie began dating Travis back in April following her split from former long-term boyfriend Tyga, who has a child, son King Cairo, with Blac Chyna (her half-brother Rob Kardashian's ex).
As news broke of the pregnancy on Friday Tyga added his own thoughts to the mix - Snapchatting, then deleting, the comment: 'hell nah that's my kid!'
Four months ago - around the time she fell pregnant - Kylie went on a charity trip to Peru.
Keeping Up With The Kardashians viewers were watching as a private jet made a pit stop in Miami to collect her, after she spent a romantic few days with Travis.
Pregnant: After TMZ first broke the news, a source confirmed the news to DailyMail.com, adding that the young star is around four months pregnant
In love: Kylie began dating Travis back in April following her split from former long-term boyfriend Tyga
Ex: As news broke of the pregnancy on Friday Tyga added his own thoughts to the mix - Snapchatting, then deleting, the comment: 'hell nah that's my kid!' (Pictured 2015)
In the months since, the two have have proved to become inseparable, and even have matching butterflies tattooed on their ankles.
Amid the explosion of rumours that she is pregnant, some in her inner circle are reportedly 'very concerned,' with a source telling People that her family 'think Kylie is too young to have a baby.'
The insider's said of the reality star, whose baby-daddy is purportedly her boyfriend Travis Scott: 'Kylie is very naive.'
As this source pointed out: 'Spending time with other peoples kids is obviously completely different than being a mom 24/7. Kylie of course has no idea about all the hard work and sleepless nights.'
The source said that during her relationship with her ex 'Tyga, whenever things were good, Kylie said she wanted a baby. Between spending lots of time with her nieces and nephews, and being around Tygas son, she claimed she was ready.'
Her parents Kris and Caitlyn Jenner, sister Kendall Jenner and half-sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian are still tight-lipped on social media about the news.
'Kylie has no idea about all the hard work': Amid the explosion of rumours that she is pregnant, some in her inner circle are reportedly 'very concerned,' with a source telling People that her family 'think Kylie is too young to have a baby'
She's the busty party girl who's rumoured to star on the upcoming Australian version of Bachelor in Paradise.
But Zilda Williams appears to have seen the light and found love away from reality TV, with The Bachelor bombshell taking to social media over the weekend to flaunt her hunky new man, chiseled tradie and devout Christian Keith Frazer.
The 34-year-old could barely contain her E-cup cleavage in a skimpy swimsuit as she cuddled up to Keith, who at just 27-years-old is seven years Zilda's junior.
True love? The Bachelor's Zilda Williams, 34, relaxed by the pool in a skimpy swimsuit with her hunky new man Keith Frazer, 27, over the weekend
The pair looked blissfully happy as they splashed around in the pool together on Sunday afternoon.
Cougar Zilda was dressed in a plunging yellow swimsuit from Bella Bikini that could barely contain her eye-popping curves.
Christian Keith was similarly scantily-clad, with the pious hunk flaunting his chiseled physique in a pair of small board shorts.
Cougar and cub! Zilda showcased her curves for Keith, who is seven years her junior
Keith and Zilda first met at a modelling competition that the busty Kiwi was hosting at Love Nightlife, where she works as the sales and events manager.
Keith works as a tradie, but is also an underwear and fitness model.
On his Instagram profile, the 27-year-old hunk writes in his bio: 'I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.'
Busting out: Zilda was dressed in a plunging yellow swimsuit from Bella Bikini that could barely contain her eye-popping curves
Busting out! Former FHM model Zilda boasts an eye-watering E-cup chest
The twosome have been seen looking loved-up together on social media for weeks, despite rumours that Zilda is one of the front-runners for the upcoming Australian version of Bachelor in Paradise.
The racy reality series brings previous Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants together on a tropical island to hook up and party.
Earlier this week, Daily Mail Australia exclusively reported that Cameron Cranley, Megan Marx, Michael Turnbull, and Jake Ellis have all been approached to star on the show.
'I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me': Keith works as a tradie, but is also an underwear and fitness model, as well as a devout Christian.
Romance: Keith and Zilda first met at a modelling competition that the busty Kiwi was hosting at Love Nightlife , where she works as the sales and events manager
Earlier reports from New Idea magazine claimed last year's Bachelor runner-up Nikki Gogan and former villain Keira Maguire had been cast, as well as former Bachelorette winner Sasha Mielczarek.
'International male model' David Witko was also approached for the series, but has reportedly turned it down.
Zilda was previously contacted by producers to potentially star on season three of the American Bachelor in Paradise, but the show ultimately passed on casting foreign contestants for that season.
She became one of the most successful female artists of all time before bringing her own career to a stand-still, where it stood for 15 years.
And now Shania Twain has opened up on the troubled period since 2002, in which she suffered a debilitating illness and a bitter divorce.
The 52-year-old revealed on Sunday night that she thought her career was over after she began having voice troubles caused by a battle with Lyme disease.
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'I don't think I can handle one more bloody thing like that': Shania Twain discusses her crippling divorce as she simultaneously battled Lyme disease
Devastating: The 52-year-old revealed on Sunday night that she thought her career was over after she began having voice troubles caused by a battle with Lyme disease
The That Don't Impress Me Much hitmaker said she thought the problems were related to fatigue, and decided to take a break.
'I had been working really hard and intense for over a decade, I just had a baby and I was ready for a break and then I was suddenly having voice issues,' she told 60 Minutes.
'I just figured it was fatigue.'
However after a ten-year wait, doctors eventually told her she had permanent partial paralysis in nerves connected to her vocal cords, which was linked to a previous battle with Lyme disease.
'It will heel to a degree but I will still have scar tissue, it can never heal 100 per cent,' she told the program.
'It adds to my anxiety, it's a lot of pressure.'
'It adds to my anxiety, it's a lot of pressure': The songstress said the damage to her vocal cords will never fully heel
However, the heartache didn't stop there, as Shania revealed the breakdown of her fifteen year marriage to Robert Lange during the same period.
She said Robert was cheating on her with her own best friend Marie-Ann Thiebaud, as her condition was worsening.
'What made my divorce heavier was the fact it was like 'I don't think I can handle one more bloody thing like that',' she said.
'How many more traumatic moments can I take?'
Shocking betrayal: However, the heartache didn't stop there, as Shania revealed the breakdown of her fifteen year marriage to Robert Lange (pictured) during the same period
Making a comeback: Now the five-time Grammy winner is on the comeback trail and is releasing new solo album 'Now' next week
'There was nothing worse in my life at that moment, I wasn't just broken, I was shattered.'
Shania did find love again in the form of Frederic Thiebaud - who she bonded with over their mutual heartbreak, 60 Minutes reported.
Now the five-time Grammy winner is on the comeback trail - as she is set to star in upcoming film Trading Paint with John Travolta, as well as releasing new solo album 'Now' this month.
Shania rose to number one on the Billboard charts with the release of her last album Up! in 2002.
Soon after that she disappeared from the limelight, blaming her crushing marriage woes to Robert - who she shares son Eja, 15, with - as the reason why, and most recently her battle with Lyme disease.
She has endured a difficult few months, as her bitter divorce battle with ex Stephen Belafonte rages on.
So it is no wonder Mel B leaned on the support of her mother Andrea Brown on Saturday night, as they attended the 2017 Face Forward Gala together in LA.
The former Spice Girl, 42, dazzled in a beaded gown of silver and gold as she put on a giggly display with her strikingly youthful mother on the red carpet.
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Mama, I love you! Mel B leaned on the support of her mother Andrea Brown on Saturday night, as they attended the 2017 Face Forward Gala together in LA
The former Spice Girl was the picture of class and elegance at the bash in her stunning floor-length gown.
Remaining sophisticated with a high-neck, the dress then split into delicate cold shoulder straps in a chic touch, before skimming her impressively slender frame to the floor.
Making the frock more show-stopping however was its all-over embellishment of gold and silver sequins, which glittered in the light as she posed for cameras.
All that glitters: The former Spice Girl was the picture of class and elegance in a stunning floor-length gown, entirely embellished with sequins
Slinky: Remaining sophisticated with a high-neck, the dress then split into delicate cold shoulder straps in a chic touch, before skimming her impressively slender frame to the floor
Having debuted a bold ice blue hairstyle last week, Mel returned to her natural brown locks for the classy soiree, which she coiffed stylishly to the side.
Accentuating her radiant complexion with a glowing make-up look and matching gold eyeshadow, the pop star kept all eyes on her dramatic ensemble as she made a striking arrival at the bash.
In the midst of a difficult divorce with film producer Stephen Belafonte, Mel opted to attend the charity event with her mother Andrea - who looked equally stunning in a white lace dress.
Dynamic duo: In the midst of a difficult divorce with Stephen Belafonte, Mel opted to attend the charity event with her mother Andrea - who looked equally stunning in a white lace dress
Back to her roots: Having debuted a bold ice blue hairstyle last week (above), Mel returned to her natural brown locks for the classy soiree, which she coiffed stylishly to the side
The form-fitting number cut into a chic bardot neckline, before tightly hugging her enviably trim frame to its thigh-high hem.
The blonde added height to her frame with towering heeled sandals, and co-ordinated her daughter's shimmering look with a chunky diamante choker.
Styling her hair into a simple glossy bob however, Andrea drew attention to her impressively youthful and glowing complexion as she posed with Mel for cameras.
Radiant: Styling her hair into a simple glossy bob however, Andrea drew attention to her impressively youthful and glowing complexion as she posed with Mel for cameras
The pair could not contain their giggles as they chatted and joked on the carpet, after recently reconciling.
Mel had been estranged from Andrea as well as her sister Danielle for ten years during her marriage to Stephen, 42.
However in May Mel shared a colourful photo of her mother and three daughters Phoenix, Angel and Madison to Instagram - marking the first time the mother-daughter duo had been pictured in over a decade.
Unbreakable bond: Mel and Andrea recently reconciled, after enduring a fractious relationship during Mel's ten-year marriage to Stephen Belafonte (pictured in 1997)
Back in the day: Andrea even appeared in the Spice Girls' music video for hit Mama (above) back in 1997
Yet, the pair's united front was also tinged with sadness, as it follows the death of her father in March.
Announcing the news on social media, Mel had written on Instagram: 'It is with great sadness after a 5yr battle to multiple myeloma cancer our loving father Martin Brown passed away age 63 peacefully yesterday.
'Both of us his children were by his side and would like to say thank you to St Gemma's and all the doctors and nurses for there amazing care and support over the years.
'Please respect our privacy and let us as a united family grieve. With love and respect. Melanie and Danielle Brown x Be Free Dad (sic)'.
At war: Mel is currently in the midst of a tense divorce battle with husband Stephen Belafonte (above) - and has accused him of 'emotional and physical abuse'
Mel is currently in the midst of a tense divorce battle with husband Stephen, who reportedly told her to 'suck it up' upon discovery of her father's condition.
The America's Got Talent judge is accusing her ex of 'emotional and physical abuse', and claimed he had an affair with the nanny Lorraine Gilles - both of which Stephen has staunchly denied.
Recent reports now state that Stephen is planning to show footage in court of Mel with drugs and involved in threesomes with him and Lorraine, in order to 'clean up' his reputation.
Meanwhile rumours of the much-anticipated Spice Girls reunion intensified on Sunday, following reports the band were working with Simon Fuller once again.
Hitting back: Recent reports now state that Stephen is planning to show footage in court of Mel with drugs, in order to 'clean up' his reputation
The famous manager first signed the girl group back in 1995, and is now reportedly handing the band's sponsorship offers once again.
A source told The Sun: 'Simon was responsible for securing their big money endorsement deals with the likes of Pepsi and Walkers.
'If the girls do get back together, there will be a lot of brand interest and Simon is the man to make sure they strike the right deals.'
Melanie Chisholm is also thought to be joining Mel, Emma Bunton and Geri Horner for the reunion, after pulling out earlier this year to pursue her own projects.
Kyle Sandilands appears to be off the wagon.
After maintaining for years he doesn't touch alcohol, he's been snapped numerous times in recent weeks with a drink in hand.
And on Sunday, the 46-year old KIIS FM host was seen once again enjoying a tipple alongside his girlfriend Imogen Anthony, when she uploaded a photo of the pair having fun at the St Ives Medieval Faire to her Instagram.
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'Drinking ale together, it was fu**ing disgusting': On Sunday, Kyle Sandilands was seen once again with a drink in hand alongside his girlfriend Imogen Anthony, when she uploaded a photo of the pair having fun at the St Ives Medieval Faire to her Instagram
'Drinking ale together, it was f***ing disgusting,' the 26 year old Australian model captioned.
While the controversial radio personality is poking his tongue out and doesn't appear to enjoy the taste, he appears with a plastic cup filled with beer as Imogen takes a selfie.
The pair walked the grounds of St Ives showground, watching events together and checking out the exhibits.
Having fun: The pair walked the grounds of St Ives showground, watching events together and checking out the exhibits
On the wagon? In the past, Kyle has previously claimed the media's assumptions that he is a 'party animal' are completely untrue, and that he barely, or never has, drunk alcohol under any circumstances
In the past, Kyle has previously claimed the media's assumptions that he is a 'party animal' are completely untrue, and that he barely, or never has, drunk alcohol under any circumstances.
However, earlier this month, 'King Kyle' was spotted with a drink in hand at the House of K'dor store launch in Double Bay.
Telling Daily Mail Australia he was still recovering from the flu, Kyle called in sick to his KIIS FM breakfast show the next morning, with Dave Hughes filling in for him alongside Jackie 'O' Henderson.
A good night out? Kyle Sandilands attended a lavish bash with girlfriend Imogen Anthony on Monday night but failed to show up to work the next morning
Kyle attended the exclusive K'dor launch on Monday night alongside his girlfriend, Imogen Anthony.
The shock jock sipped from a cocktail in one of the rare times he has been seen publicly consuming alcohol.
Kyle makes no secret of his aversion to drink, telling Mamamia in 2016 he 'always avoided alcohol'.
Partying the night away: Later the couple were seen posing up a storm with a bevy of pals including I'm A Celeb's Tegan Martin
'In my mindfrom being a child, around that alcoholism, I thought, that might be the poison, like if thats in me, then maybe I could be that devil,' he explained.
'So I just always avoided alcohol, and obviously thats a weird issue. Plenty of people drink and they dont get violent but my mum was a victim of that sort of behaviour.'
The shock jock also told listeners of The Kyle and Jackie O Show in 2015 he was teetotal.
Cool and casual: The radio shock jock accessorised with black and red Adidas sneakers and a black cap
'Every time I'm in the newspaper they say "renowned for his partying ways",' Kyle complained.
'I don't even drink, I've never drunk in my whole life, what's wrong with people?'
However, it's possible Kyle has since softened his stance and no longer avoids alcohol completely.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kyle's representatives for further comment.
She's the stunning Playboy centerfold and social media sensation with millions of followers on Instagram and Facebook.
And on Sunday, New Zealand native Gemma Lee Farrell gave her loyal fans a treat by stripping down to a skimpy one-piece to flaunt the results of a recent laser hair removal session.
'Skin so smooth,' wrote the 29-year-old as she showed off her picture perfect physique.
'Skin so smooth!' Gemma Lee Farrell flaunted her perfect skin and flawless curves on Instagram on Sunday after a laser hair removal session
The brunette beauty regularly posts sexy photos on social media, which led to her becoming Playboy's first Kiwi Playmate.
Last week, she shared a few scantily-clad images of herself wearing a revealing white swimsuit that revealed more than a generous glimpse of her world famous assets.
She didn't caption the photos, leaving her curves to do all the talking instead.
Cheeky girl! Gemma stripped down to flaunt her flawless figure on social media last week
Gemma's mesmerised fans were quick to shower her with praise, with one writing: 'That's your best picture to date, boooooty.'
Another gushed: 'You are absolutely beautiful.'
The former Miss November's career is going from strength to strength these days.
'You are absolutely beautiful!' The 29-year-old, who has over 1.1 million followers on Instagram, was showered with praise from her fans
She was recently named an official ambassador for Khloe Kardashian's Good American denim line, alongside several other A-list influencers like Julia Kelly and Chantel Jeffries.
The New Zealand native previously worked in a men's prison before shooting to fame as a model and social media influencer.
She also gets paid to party, with the stunning socialite admitting on the Nik Richie Podcast last year that she can easily make thousands of dollars a night hosting at nightclubs in Los Angeles.
'It's hard to be yourself and not be judged on your flaws': The model has been open about her struggles on Instagram
Endorsements! She was recently named an official ambassador for Khloe Kardashian's Good American denim line
The beauty opened up about her journey from NZ to LA in an interview to promote Good American jeans.
'It was the hardest time of my life with the process of moving to another country at such a young age,' she said.
'But I made it happen and it's been a roller coaster ride ever since.'
Gemma continued: 'The opportunities they are endless and it can change your life in a day.
Working hard? Gemma now gets paid to party, with the stunning socialite admitting on the Nik Richie Podcast that she can easily make thousands hosting at nightclubs in Los Angeles
'I've met the most amazing people in Los Angeles that are now life long friends. I feel very blessed.'
The Instagram millionaire also opened up about the struggles she experiences on social media.
'It's hard to be yourself and not be judged on your flaws,' she admitted.
'Social media can be good and bad, but I try to take it as it is, be as real as I can but not lose my sense of who I am.'
He was left heartbroken after his ex-husband Kevin McGee tragically committed suicide one year after their divorce in 2009.
And Matt Lucas has revealed he turned to sex and food to cope when Kevin, who he was married to for two years, took his own life aged just 32.
The 43-year-old comedian, who shot to fame on Little Britain, said he turned to encounters with men he met online as a way of 'distracting himself' from his pain.
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Heartbreak: Matt Lucas has revealed he turned to sex and food to cope when his ex-husband Kevin McGee, who he was married to for two years, took his own life aged just 32
He told the Sunday Times: 'I think people respond in all different ways to grief. I thought I was very conscientious going to a bereavement counsellor and not turning to drink, which I hardly ever do I probably have six units a year.
'Im not going to start smoking again, Im not going to do drugs. But I ended up eating lots and having lots of sex. That was how I responded.
'As much as anything I was trying to distract myself.'
The Doctor Who star moved to California three years later acting upon a desire to 'build a new life' and start afresh after the trauma.
Grief: The 43-year-old comedian, who shot to fame on Little Britain, said he turned to encounters with men he met online as a way of 'distracting himself' from his pain (above Matt and Kevin on their wedding day in 2006)
He later found fame in US hit film Bridesmaids and lived with co-star Rebel Wilson for three years.
Matt and Kevin married in a civil partnership in 2006, hosting a pantomime-themed reception attended by guests including Courtney Love and Sir Elton John.
But less than two years later the couple of six years split, allegedly over Kevin's struggle with drug addiction.
Kevin, who worked for a TV company, was found dead in his Edinburgh flat in 2009, just ten months after their divorce.
Candid: He said: 'Im not going to start smoking again, Im not going to do drugs. But I ended up eating lots and having lots of sex. That was how I responded' (Matt and Kevin pictured in 2007)
In recent years Matt has been seen on-screen playing assistant Nardole in Doctor Who, a role he finished up in July.
Speaking at a screening event in London in April, an emotional Matt proved that Kevin was close to his heart when he said had been 'nervous' about joining the show at first because his late partner had been a huge fan.
He said: 'I wanted to be in the show for a while but I had been a bit nervous about being in the show.
'Partly because Im a fan and partly because my late partner was a huge fan of it and so it was a bit of an emotional thing for me and I needed to be ready and enough time had passed for me to say "OK, Im ready to do this".'
He added: '[O]nce I was ready then I wanted to come back in it and be in it more.'
Michelle Keegan reportedly threatened to pull out of BBC drama Our Girl filming after a crew member 'nearly died' from a spider bite.
And a BBC spokesman has confirmed a crew member has completely recovered after being bitten by the deadly spider, in an incident which left lead star Michelle Keegan terrified.
A BBC spokesman told Mail Online: 'BBC Studios' first priority is always the health and safety of cast and crew on set. The crew member has fully recovered following treatment both on set and in hospital and has since returned to work.'
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Scary:A BBC spokesman has confirmed a crew member has completely recovered after being bitten by the deadly spider, in an incident which left lead star Michelle Keegan terrified
Terrified: The 29-year-old actress was allegedly left terrified after script expert Andrea Bamford was 'left 15 minutes from death' when she was bitten while filming in the Malaysian jungle
The 29-year-old actress was allegedly terrified after script expert Andrea Bamford was 'left 15 minutes from death' when she was bitten while filming in the Malaysian jungle.
An eyewitness told the Sunday Mirror that Andrea lost all colour in her face and was unable to walk after being bitten.
They said a crew member who was ex-military got her to hospital in the nick of time.
The source said the incident had left Michelle, who plays Georgie Lane, fearful, saying: 'Everyone, including Michelle, is completely shocked and feels like they are in danger.
'Bosses had to assure them that it is fine to continue filming.'
Shock: An eyewitness told the Sunday Mirror that Andrea lost all colour in her face and was unable to walk after being bitten'
Fear: The source said the incident had left Michelle, who plays Georgie Lane, fearful, saying: 'Everyone, including Michelle, is completely shocked and feels like they are in danger. 'Bosses had to assure them that it is fine to continue filming'
It was reported that two weeks earlier the crew had filmed in an area with no phone signal
The source added: 'What would have happened then? It would have been awful.'
Malaysia has a whopping 425 types of spider, including the venomous brown widow spider.
She's known for her glamorous and sexy red carpet displays.
And Eva Longoria took a break from being primped and preened as she enjoyed a very low-key outing in Los Angeles on Saturday.
The 42-year-old former Desperate Housewives star was casually clad in a navy sweater as she carried balloons to a friend's house for a party.
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Casual: Eva Longoria, 42, took a break from being primped and preened as she enjoyed a very low-key outing for a pal's party in Los Angeles on Saturday
Ruling the red carpet: Eva is known for her glamorous and sexy displays
Eva opted for maximum comfort in her slightly oversized hoodie, which she teamed with grey joggers emblazoned with colourful animal print.
The Texas born beauty gave her striking features a break as she forewent make-up and kept her brunette locks unstyled.
The talented star chose maximum comfort as she strolled forth in flip flops and coming prepared for her pal's celebrations, she held onto balloons.
With her hectic schedule as a world-renowned actress, Eva is usually found on red carpets, premieres and events dolled up to the nines.
Chilling: The former Desperate Housewives star went make-up free and was casually clad in a navy sweater as she carried balloons to a friend's house for a party
All eyes on her! With her hectic schedule as a world-renowned actress, Eva is usually found on red carpets, premieres and events dolled up to the nines
And clearly a fashionista, Eva has recently been celebrating the debut of her first collection at NYFW last week, which was inspired by her own casual style.
Talking to Latin America news site People Chica, Eva said: 'When I started directing and producing, I wanted to be a boss lady, but still look good.
'I was no longer in hair and makeup in front of the camera and I was like, 'I feel sloppy.'
'So, I started designing a more elevated sweatsuit that was not so junior. I'm not a junior in high school.'
'I want to be a boss lady': Clearly a fashionista, Eva has recently been celebrating the debut of her first collection at NYFW last week, which was inspired by her own casual style
Despite Eva's delve into the fashion industry, it looks like she will be heading back to the silver screen soon, with two new films in the works
And despite Eva's delve into the fashion industry, it looks like she will be heading back to the silver screen soon, with two new films in the works.
One is the comedy All-Star Weekend, written, directed by and co-starring Jamie Fox along with Robert Downey Jr., which has yet to set a release date.
Another is the romantic comedy Overboard, a remake of the classic 1987 romcom starring Goldie Hawn and her real-life beau Kurt Russell - with a twist - due out on April 20.
Eva is also content on the love front and has been happily married to media mogul Jose Baston since May 2016.
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She is one of the hottest young models of the moment, as has already stormed the stage for the likes of Missoni and Alberta Ferretti this week.
And Hailey Baldwin proved her fashionable prowess once again on Sunday, as she led the glamour at the regal Dolce and Gabbana SS18 catwalk show, during Milan Fashion Week.
The beauty, 20, was both sexy and chic in a skin-flashing chiffon gown, secured by a raunchy leather corset, as she stormed the runway for guests on the FROW.
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Sheer she comes! Hailey Baldwin proved her fashionable prowess once again on Sunday, as she led the glamour at the regal Dolce and Gabbana SS18 catwalk show, during Milan Fashion Week
The catwalk queen commanded attention in her daring look, which saw skimpy black underwear concealed by a semi-sheer gown and racy leather bodice.
Her chunky balconette bra and high-rise briefs were mostly concealed by a racy leather corset - which laced up across the front in a risque style, and cinched in at her impossibly petite waist.
Not stopping there however, Hailey then teamed the statement item with a semi-sheer black maxi skirt, which left almost all of her long and slender legs on show as she sashayed down the catwalk - with the material billowing behind her.
Maintaining the romantic and balletic feel throughout, the model tied her look together with simple black heels, layered atop semi-sheer shocks, and accessorised with delicate red roses in her hair.
All eyes on me: The catwalk queen commanded attention in her daring look, which saw skimpy black underwear concealed by a semi-sheer gown and racy leather bodice
Show-stopping: Maintaining a raunchy feel throughout the show, Hailey later emerged on the catwalk for the finale in nothing but a structured lace negligee, which teased at her cleavage with its sweetheart neckline
Sweeping her glossy, blonde locks back with a glittering headband and adding a smoky eye and dark red lip, Hailey was the picture of glamour as she strutted her stuff in front of guests.
Maintaining a raunchy feel throughout the show, Hailey later emerged on the catwalk for the finale in nothing but a structured lace negligee, which teased at her cleavage with its sweetheart neckline before hugging her enviably slender frame all the way down.
Hailey oozed confidence on the catwalk - having recently revealed the secret to her catwalk successes was down to practicing her moves off the runway.
She told Elle last month: 'Sometimes if I'm walking down a hallway and no one's around, I'll do it low key if no one's going to come round the corner.'
Stunning: The beauty was joined by Sara Sampaio, who was the picture of elegance in a delicate lace mini dress, complete with glittering diamante flowers on the skirt
Striking: The 26-year-old slipped her famously slim frame into the frock, which featured another corseted bodice tied saucily at the bust, and a statement draped back
High drama: Sara added a dramatic sweeping of liquid eyeliner and a thick slick of scarlet lipstick
Although she was spotted at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show auditions in New York recently, it was recently revealed Hailey has not been chosen to walk the famous annual event.
The blonde bombshell has made no secret of her desire to appear in the show, having previously told MailOnline: 'I want to walk in the Victoria's Secret show, it's every girl's dream'.
However, the daughter of Stephen Baldwin's career is only going from strength to strength, after a string of glamorous appearances in Milan alongside a number of other top models.
The beauty was joined by Sara Sampaio, who was the picture of elegance in a delicate lace mini dress, complete with glittering diamante flowers on the skirt.
The sheer cheek of it! Semi-sheer was a theme of the catwalk - with another model storming the runway in a see-through ruched dress, layered atop delicate black lingerie
True romance: Models commanded attention in a number of lace and embroidered dresses, which cinched in at their impossibly slim waists in their classically glamorous fits
All that glitters: Other models paraded down the runway in a number of embellished frocks - with one maxi completely bedazzled with diamante (L) while another modelled a jewelled shift dress
Flower power: All of the models adorned their glossy locks with the designer's trademark rose hair pieces
The 26-year-old slipped her famously slim frame into the frock, which featured another corseted bodice tied saucily at the bust, and a statement draped back - which fell low across her arms to flash plenty of skin to the crowd.
The Portuguese beauty added the designer's trademark red rose to her hair, which she co-ordinated with her scarlet lipstick, as she captivated the audience by pounding the catwalk.
Dolce & Gabbana launched a secret runway show on Saturday, to prepare fans and fashion's elite for the debut of their show-stopping collection the following day.
Summer chic: A number of other designs featured elaborate prints and bold colours
Suits you! Other models stormed the catwalk in chic trouser suits - one adorned with the print of playing cards in sequins (L) while another followed the classic pinstripe (R)
Taking place at Bar Martini, the catwalk featured a number of young stars who all hail from famous families - including Hailey, Mackinley Hill, the sister of Victoria's Secret model Taylor Hill), Talita Von Furstenberg, granddaughter of famous designer Diane,, Corinne Foxx, daughter of actor Jamie, and Amber Le Bon.
Delilah Belle Hamlin, the daughter of Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna was also present, alongside Lori Harvey and Anais Gallagher.
Thylane Blondeau, 16, also walked the runway - the French model who was once named 'the most beautiful girl in the world'.
The models are all part of Dolce & Gabbana's 'DGMillennials' campaign (though many of them are actually teens and in their early 20s, making them members of the younger Generation Z).
Stripping off! The models all stripped to their underwear for the big finale
Take a bow! Designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce (centre) joined the models onstage for the finale as they lapped up the applause
All eyes on her: A number of glamorous guests attended the highly-anticipated SS18 show - including model Amber Le Bon
Striking: Amber proved to have inherited her mother Yasmin Le Bon's model features as she posed for cameras
Supportive: Cameron Dallas also sat front and centre in a metallic grey suit, to support his leading lady girlfriend Hailey Baldwin
Woman of the hour: Famous magazine editor Anna Wintour also attended the SS18 presentation in a chic silk dress
A number of glamorous guests attended the highly-anticipated SS18 show - including model Amber Le Bon.
The 28-year-old was effortlessly elegant in a chiffon maxi gown, patterned with the playful print of cats and love hearts all over.
Pulling into a classic pussy bow neckline, the dress then cinched in at her slim waist before billowing out into a full skirt - which met chic suede loafers.
Princess Diana's niece Kitty Spencer also stunned cameras in a striking red midi dress, patterned with vibrant scarlet flowers and playful embroidered patches all over.
Meanwhile Amelia Gray Hamlin showed off her slender figure in a black satin bodysuit, paired with vibrant green suede trousers and a sleek leather khaki jacket.
Bold: Princess Diana's niece Kitty Spencer also stunned cameras in a striking red midi dress while Amelia Gray Hamlin (R) showed off her slender figure in a black satin bodysuit, paired with vibrant green suede trousers
Star-studded: Rafferty Law, Talita Von Furstenberg and Corinne Foxx (L-R) all took their places on the FROW in equally stylish ensembles
Boys will be boys: Rafferty Law and Brandon Thomas Lee caught up as they sat on the FROW ahead of the catwalk
The original '90s supers reunited on the catwalk on Friday, wowing the crowds with their seemingly ever-youthful faces and slender figures.
But as Claudia, Naomi, Cindy and the rest rolled back the clock there was one notable face missing - Linda Evangelista.
Instead of joining her onetime peers in Milan, the 50-year-old was back home in New York - where she was spotted on Sunday.
Undercover model! Linda Evangelista is unrecognisable as she jets out of New York on Sunday
With her hair scraped back beneath a cap and a pair of glasses hiding her face, the former catwalk queen was seen jetting out of the city.
Linda hid her famous figure beneath a baggy black coat and scarf.
Pulling her own luggage as she walked, there was none of the attitude that led the then-youthful Linda to once infamously declare she never got out of bed for less than $10,000 a day.
Day trippin: With her hair scraped back beneath a cap and a pair of glasses hiding her face, the former catwalk queen was seen jetting out of the city
Linda previously told the Mail On Sunday that she hadn't had any work done and hoped to grow old gracefully.
'There was a picture of me in the press recently just after Id had a facial, in which I was wearing no make-up. It was claimed that I had had this and that procedure done, and it was rubbish,' she explained.
'I probably will have surgery not right now, but I am getting close. If its important to me I will have it, and announce that Ive had it.'
Don't I know you? Linda hid her famous figure beneath a baggy black coat and scarf
Model traveller: Pulling her own luggage, there was none of the attitude that led the then-youthful Linda to once infamously declare she never got out of bed for less than $10,000 a day
The model muse was best known in the nineties as one of the world's six supermodels, a group which also included Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Kate Moss.
Linda got her start in modelling at the age of 16 when she took part in the Miss Teen Niagara beauty pageant, where she was spotted by a representative from Elite Model Management.
Her unique and versatile look meant that Linda was able to snag a multitude of modelling jobs, quickly becoming one of the highest paid models in the industry.
They're back! The original '90s supers reunited on the catwalk on Friday, wowing the crowds with their seemingly ever-youthful faces and slender figures; seen here are Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen
She was missed on Friday as onetime peers Claudia Schiffer, 47, Naomi Campbell, 47, Helen Christensen, 48, Carla Bruni, 49, and Cindy Crawford, 51, reunited on the catwalk, for the Versace SS18 show at Milan Fashion Week.
Showing the young guns how it was done, fashion's golden girls brought the show to a stunning climax, after it was opened by 21-year-old Kendall Jenner and model sisters Bella, 20, and Gigi Hadid, 22.
The Nineties supermodels walked designer Donatella Versace down the runway to rapturous applause as they paid tribute to her late designer brother Gianni Versace, who was killed in 1997.
Golden girls: Showing the young guns how it was done, they brought the show to a stunning climax, after it was opened by 21-year-old Kendall Jenner and model sisters Bella, 20, and Gigi Hadid, 22
She's been on Love Child since the show's beginning in 2014.
And after four seasons on the drama series, Sophie Hensser-Bloom says she won't mind if it isn't picked up for a fifth season.
'If this was the last season I would be comfortable,' she told the Daily Telegraph.
'If this was the last season I would be comfortable!' Sophie Hensser-Bloom is fine with Love Child possibly ending
The blonde also revealed that she was eyeing roles in Hollywood and will be meeting with U.S. TV bosses.
Sophie isn't the only one that's hinted that she's moved on from her role on the show.
Danielle Catanzariti, 25, who plays the role of Italian migrant Elena Capobianco, echoed a similar sentiment to Sophie in a recent interview.
In the series, her character is ordered by her father to marry a man she hasn't met yet in Italy.
Former child star Danielle Catanzariti (pictured) has spoken about her career breakthrough after landing a role on hit TV series Love Child
However, she risks upsetting her father when she falls pregnant by a young Australian man.
The role represents a career breakthrough for Danielle, who starred as a teenager in 2008 Australian film Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger.
'Esther was such an iconic role,' Danielle told The Daily Telegraph.
'I feel like I have grown up now and moved on from that.'
The role represents a career breakthrough for Danielle, who starred as a teenager in 2008 Australian film Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger (pictured)
'I think that I am in a new chapter in my career.'
And it appears the work is now coming in thick and fast for the Sydney-based actress, who has recently extended her talents to the stage.
Danielle is starring in the popular West End and Broadway show The Nether, which is now running at Sydney's Seymour Centre.
The show is a futuristic and intricate crime drama which previously received rave reviews from The New York Times.
They stormed the Versace catwalk together with Kendall Jenner in striking scarf-print patterns on Friday.
But the joint force of the Hadid sisters was dispelled on Sunday as Bella and Gigi headed their separate ways for their next engagements as two of the most sought after models of the moment.
Bella, 20, cut a casual figure at Milan's Linate airport with her mother Yolanda Hadid as they left the Italian city behind after Bella's third successive - and successful - fashion week this season.
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Jetting off: Bella Hadid, 20, cut a casual figure at Milan's Linate airport as she left the Italian city behind as MFW drew to a close on Sunday
Low profile: In contrast to the supremely sexy plunging snakeskin print dress she donned at Saturday's Salvatore Ferragamo SS18 show, Bella went for an understated ensemble of jeans, a hoodie and a bomber jacket
In contrast to the supremely sexy plunging snakeskin print dress she donned at Saturday's Salvatore Ferragamo SS18 show, Bella went for an understated ensemble of jeans, a hoodie and a bomber jacket.
She swept her silky brunette tresses back from her face, accentuating her famously sharp cheekbones, and protected her striking green eyes from the bright Milan sun with a pair of dark shades.
The runway model and cover girl looked relaxed as she clutched her phone and earphones, making make sure she had some music lined up for the journey.
Head down: She swept her silky brunette tresses back from her face, accentuating her famously sharp cheekbones, and protected her striking green eyes from the bright Milan sun with a pair of dark shades - as mother Yolanda smiled at her from behind
Yolanda (left) looked the picture of the supportive mother as she smiled while looking at Bella (right). The mother of three cut a sophisticated figure in an all-black ensemble
Bella flashed a shy smile as she tucked her jacket under her elbow at one point - no doubt reflecting on the successful string of shows she's executed at New York, London and Milan Fashion Weeks.
Yolanda looked the picture of the doting mother as she smiled while looking at Bella. The mother of three cut a sophisticated figure in an all-black ensemble of a casual shirt, leggings and brogues.
Ever her daughters' supporter, Yolanda stopped at one point to pack away Bella's bomber jacket after the star model overheated.
Meanwhile, Gigi had already moved on to her next commitment in her busy schedule as a fashion icon.
Doting mum: Ever her daughters' supporter, Yolanda stopped at one point to pack away Bella's bomber jacket after the star model overheated
Quietly confident: Bella flashed a shy smile as she tucked her jacket under her elbow at one point - no doubt reflecting on the successful string of shows she's executed at New York, London and Milan Fashion Weeks
Sssexy! Bella looked fierce in snakeskin as she strutted down the runway for the Salvatore Ferragamo SS18 show for MFW on Saturday
Here come the girls: Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and younger sister Bella stunned in eye-catching scarf print looks during the Versace SS18 show at MFW on Friday
Jetting out from Milan ahead of her younger sister and mother, Gigi posed with adoring fans in Denmark at the opening of a new Tommy Hilfiger store on Saturday.
The 22-year-old model, who has been hailed as the 'ultimate Tommy Hilfiger girl', was clearly in a great mood as she spent quality time with the crowds - chatting and snapping selfies.
The sisters wowed on various MFW runways this week, including at the star-studded Versace show on Friday,
Designers and luxury brands, including Prada, Armani, Cavalli, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana, have showcased a total of almost 160 collections for spring and summer 2018 during the six-day extravaganza.
Ready for her close-up: Bella framed her striking green eyes with iridescent metallic shimmer and plumped her pout with a slick of taupe lipstick
Scott Disick, 34, and his 19-year-old girlfriend Sofia Richie shared a passionate kiss at a restaurant on Saturday.
In front of them was a dessert plate with: 'Congratulations Scott and Sophia [sic]!' frosted onto it.
It immediately led to speculation about what the lovers could be celebrating.
In a video posted online, a waiter applauded, as friends around the two filmed.
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Keeping close: Scott Disick, 34, and his 19-year-old girlfriend Sofia Richie shared a passionate kiss at a restaurant on Saturday
Graffiti artist Alec Monopoly, a friend of Scott's, posted an Instagram Story video of this kiss, whichtook place in Miami.
Scott, who earlier this year was linked to Sofia's fellow 19-year-old Bella Thorne, has three children by his on-off paramour Kourtney Kardashian.
Their son Mason's 2009 birth was immortalized on an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. A little girl called Penelope followed three years later.
Celebratory mood: In front of them was a dessert plate with: 'Congratulations Scott and Sophia [sic]!' frosted onto it
Sweet affection: Graffiti artist Alec Monopoly, who's a friend of Scott's, posted an Instagram Story video of this kiss, which TMZ claims took place in Miami
Kourtney and Scott's youngest child, a son called Reign, was born in December of 2014, and his parents broke up for the most recent time the following year.
This has been a week full of drama for the Kardashian-Jenner clan, with an explosion of reports on Friday that Kylie Jenner is pregnant by her boyfriend Travis Scott.
Scott, in fact, swung by Travis' performance this Friday night at the LIV nightclub in Miami Beach's iconic Fontainebleau Hotel.
Hints: It's unclear what the congratulations are for, but TMZ have cited a source who's assured the website it's not an engagement
A source told DailyMail.com that Kylie was around four months pregnant.
Kylie, who owns two lavish homes in Hidden Hills, has yet to publicly confirm the pregnancy herself, as has Travis.
Nor have Kylie's parents Kris and Caitlyn Jenner - as well as Kylie's sister Kendall Jenner and four Kardashian half-siblings - confirmed the rumor outright.
It might pay the bills, but a voiceover for My Little Pony: The Movie is unlikely to be Liev Schreiber's dream role.
And the actor certainly didn't look too happy to be posing up with a huge character pony on the purple carpet on Sunday.
Still, at least Liev had some fans in the form of his two sons - Samuel Kai, eight, and Alexander, 10 - who unlike their dad were obviously delighted by the outing at Lincoln Square in New York City.
The things we do for our kids! Liev Schreiber poses alongside giant character at My Little Pony premiere on Sunday
Night out: The actor, 49, looked cool and casual as he walked the purple carpet while joined by his excited children
Day out: His little boys were joined on the purple carpet with other children who attended the animated movie's premiere
The actor, 49, looked cool and casual as he walked the purple carpet while joined by his excited children.
The father-of-two plays the voice of The Storm King, in the My Little Pony film.
The little boys were joined on the purple carpet with other children who attended the animated movie's premiere.
Liev stepped out in black trousers, a gray striped shirt, black sneakers, and a charcoal colored jacket.
Not his dream job perhaps? Liev looked rather unimpressed by the giant pony
Gangs all here: Alongside Liev on screen and on the carpet was (L-R) Taye Diggs, Uzo Aduba and Kristin Chenoweth
The X-men star looked a little under the weather while he sported his signature scruffy facial hair.
Alongside Liev on screen and on the carpet was Taye Diggs, Uzo Aduba and Kristin Chenoweth.
Taye, 46, who plays the voice of Casper, dressed up in a blue plaid blazer, a graphic T-shirt, and blue trousers.
The Private Practice actor added his own flare to his movie premiere ensemble by accessorizing with beige-rimmed glasses and a brown fedora.
Flower fancy: Uzo attended the event looking elegant in a floral black dress teamed with open-toed pumps
Uzo, 36, attended the event looking elegant in a floral black dress teamed with open-toed pumps.
The Orange Is The New Black actress wore her hair in its natural form and accessorize with dainty hoop earrings.
The children film is Uzo's first animated feature, and she plays the voice of Queen Novo.
Leading ladies: The women both looked gorgeous as they attended the New York movie premiere
Say cheese! Kristin attended the purple carpet looking all smiles as she posed next to the famous animated character
Kristin, 49, attended the purple carpet looking all smiles as she posed next to the famous animated character.
The Broadway star wore black leggings, a white blouse teamed with a fuchsia colored blazer.
The petite blonde paired her ensemble with white over-the-knee boots.
Embark on a journey: My Little Pony: The Movie will be released October 5
Other stars in attendance were Cathy Weseluck and Tara Strong, who both decided to wear purple dresses to match the movie premiere theme.
Emily Blunt, Sia and Zoe Saldana also voice characters in the animated movie, which follows six ponies that embark on a journey to meet new friends while experiencing unplanned challenges.
My Little Pony: The Movie will be released October 5.
Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers and his wife Mara Lane have suffered a difficult six weeks as they coped with the aftermath of of their tragic miscarriage.
But the pair put on a united front as they premiered Jonathan's new film, Damascus Cover at the 2017 Boston Film Festival on Saturday in Boston, Massachusetts.
Jonathan looked healthy following his recent downturn when the shock of his grief initially hit him, while supportive Mara cuddled up to him.
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United: Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers and his wife Mara Lane put on a united front as they premiered Jonathan's new film, Damascus Cover at the 2017 Boston Film Festival on Saturday in Boston, Massachusetts
Jonathan looked handsome in a pair of trendy square framed glasses, and slipped a smart black suit jacket over a casual T-shirt.
Mara looked stunning in a printed maxi skirt and khaki polo neck top, and styled her raven tresses into a loose blow out.
She posted a sweet tribute to her husband on her Instagram page, penning: 'J has asked me to thank Robin and @bostonfilmfestival for having us and #DamascusCover. Also thank you for his best actor award.
Support: Jonathan looked healthy following his recent downturn when the shock of his grief initially hit him, while supportive Mara cuddled up to him
'Thank you those who came out to support. Official theatre release is in March so will remind others who may be interested then. *Really lovely to meet some of you. Boston you are so beautiful! Thank you for hosting us Boston Harbor Hotel. #beautifulcity #WeLoveBoston.'
Jonathan's latest film will follow him playing a spy who navigates the precarious terrain of love and survival during an undercover mission in Syria.
Recently, the couple celebrated being reunited after spending six weeks apart.
Mara took to her Instagram to share a photo with Jonathan and their son Wolf, captioned: 'Reunited today after 6 weeks too long. #TBT this photo is after another reunion and makes me happy so hopefully will make you smile and have nice feels too.'
Tough time apart: Recently, the couple celebrated being reunited after spending six weeks apart. Mara took to her Instagram to share a photo with Jonathan and their son Wolf
It was taken during in Venice, Italy, during some time off from filming Aspern Papers.
She added: 'We will be in Boston this weekend for the @bostonfilmfestival #BostonFilmFest17 to view #DamascusCover so if in area please come by and say hello and support our film. Before is the documentary #Heal which I am going to try to see as well.'
Earlier this month, the couple shared the heartbreaking news that they recently suffered a miscarriage with their second child.
'6 weeks too long': The couple are back together after sharing the tragic news of their miscarriage earlier this month
The American actress took to Instagram to thank fans for the outpouring of support she and her husband have received in the ensuing days, while also revealing that their baby, Willow, has been laid to rest under their tree.
She also took the brave move to share a brief clip of the devastating moment she was informed that her baby had no heartbeat, as she and her husband sought to be 'transparent' through her journey of grief and help 'others as well as ourselves'.
In the video, Mara's sonogram is shown, with a male voice - presumably that of a doctor - informing her: 'So unfortunately, the fetus has no heartbeat.'
She accompanied the heart-wrenching post with a lengthy caption, which read: 'To the showering of love received, thank you from bottom of our hearts.
'I am so humbled and got teary-eyed several times at how beautiful humans can be and so sad but hopeful with the stories shared of depression and miscarriage and addictions.'
Heartbreaking: Jonathan Rhys Meyers' wife Mara Lane (pictured together in May 2017) has thanked fans for their support after revealing the couple's devastating heartbreak
Mara made the revelation of their devastating loss on Sunday, two days after her recovering alcoholic husband Jonathan was stopped by security at Ireland's Dublin Airport for being too intoxicated to board a flight to Vancouver, Canada.
At the time, she explained that the Tudors star had taken the miscarriage 'particularly' badly and had started drinking again to deal with the loss.
In her new post on Tuesday, she continued: 'Thank you for sharing your soul and stories back, as this helps us feel that we are not alone.
'Anyone who knows me personally knows I would normally never share such personal sadness (only because in my head, I would not want to burden others and because I trust that in time God will heal me) but I was happy to come to my husband's defense...
'We will try to be more transparent on our journey as I see it may be helpful for others as well as ourselves. We dont have to carry the weight of the world ourselves. We can help lift one another up.'
Mara also revealed the location of Willow's place of rest, writing: 'I have been given peace and Baby Willow is now planted in the tree in front of our home that has weeping long branches and leaves so we can brush our faces in soft leaves in passing or we can see the baby dance with the wind in the branches as they sway.
'It is helping me process the situation as Nature does. Thank you again Dr Stu for getting us through that as watching a sonogram not have a heartbeat is very surreal and beyond sad.
'Thank you Father God for supernatural peace. May you afford those who seek you the same peace and may we grow as humans and have more compassion for all humanity.'
Devastating moment: In the clip, a man can be heard saying that the fetus has no heartbreat
Mara, who welcomed her son Wolf with Jonathan last year, initially announced the couple's sad news on social media, beside a drawing of a young girl stroking a lion.
She wrote beside the poignant image to fans: 'With much sadness, we open our hearts to share that J and I lost our second child, who was baking in the oven.'
Mara went on to admit her husband was struggling with the news - but fiercely praised his strength through his lengthy battle with alcoholism and depression, confirming that he had relapsed.
She continued: 'Child was very very much wanted (right now especially by J, so he took the news particularly not so well) and we are still working with coping skills over here... when life throws us curve balls such as these.
'Depression is a real concern from past abuse as well as alcoholism which he was born with. He has been able to turn any ugliness and hurt in his life into art and is the strongest person I know.'
Expressing her admiration for the Tudors star further, she added: 'I do not know anyone who has been through what he has been through and reached his level of successes.'
Speculation mounted that their romance was on the rocks after it was alleged that they had a 'jealous nightclub row' in the early hours of Friday.
And now it has been reported that Olivia Attwood, 26, has jetted out of the country and landed in Germany following her tearful bust-up with beau Chris Hughes, 22, after she 'flirted' with a mystery man.
According to The Sun Online, Love Island's Chris flew into a jealous rage after he spotted her dancing with a 'group of gay male dancers' while supporting him at London's Ministry of Sound.
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Had enough? It has been reported that Olivia Attwood, 26, has jetted out of the country and landed in Germany following her tearful bust-up with beau Chris Hughes, 22, after she 'flirted' with a mystery man
The publication reported that ITV2 starlet Olivia was left so alarmed by his behaviour at the club where he performed his new single Little Bit Leave It with his pal Kem Cetinay that she left the UK to gain perspective on their relationship.
A source close to the blonde bombshell said: 'Chris asked Olivia to come to Ministry of Sound rather than work a job shed been offered. She went to support him and looked like she was having a great night hanging out with Amber [Davies], her mates and Chriss family.
However things reportedly took a sour turn when Chris - who is set to launch his own reality show Chris & Kem: Straight Outta Love Island - 'flipped and flew into a jealous rage' when he saw Olivia dancing with Amber's gay pals.
Despite Amber doing the same, Chris was left 'furious' as watched on and was restrained by security at the venue while the furore grew as he 'hates seeing her near other guys'.
MailOnline have contacted Olivia Attwood and Chris Hughes' reps for comment.
Reports: According to The Sun Online, Love Island's Chris flew into a jealous rage after he spotted her dancing with a 'group of gay male dancers' while supporting him at London's Ministry of Sound
Jetting off: Olivia shared an image of her in Germany on her Instastory in the midst of the furore on Sunday
According to the insider, it wasn't only Olivia who was taken aback by his temper but fans at the club night were left 'horrified' by his actions.
The pal added: 'Olivia loves Chris but she seemed horrified by his flip out; and they have far bigger things to face than Chris' jealousy over her dancing with a gay guy.
'She was so upset she left the club alone while security held Chris back and she has fled abroad. No one has heard from her.'
The reports come after Olivia shared a cryptic note with her 280,000 followers after the 'row 'reading: 'And sometimes you can do everything in your power to make something work, and its still not enough', however swiftly deleted the note.
'It's still not enough': Olivia's since-deleted note read, 'And sometimes you can do everything in your power to make something work, and its still not enough'
But Chris then sparked confusion as he took to Instagram to share a loved-up snap of the pair with their 'baby' Cash on Saturday.
In the images obtained by The Sun, Olivia was seen storming out of The Ministry Of Sound after Chris performed his single with Kem Cetinay - Little Bit Leave It.
It is claimed the duo fell out over the attention he received inside the club culminating in her storming out of the venue in a rage.
Speculation: During the week, there was speculation that Olivia and Chris Hughes had split
The latest drama in their relationship comes after Chris and Kem revealed that he can't talk about their other halves as they check their phones.
The pair - who's bromance on ITV2's Love Island captured the nation - admitted to the Sunday Times Style magazine that their girlfriends have no qualms about routing around their personal devices.
Speaking to the publication, Kem shared: 'Thing is, our girlfriends go through our phones so theres no point in chatting about them on text.'
In the villa, Chris and Olivia were plagued with strife after a very rocky start in which she chose co-star Michael Thalassitis over him and went on to get up close with him although soon returned to her beau's arms.
Defiant: When they left the villa, some compromising photos of Olivia chatting to a former flame outside a club sparked infidelity reports yet the duo defiantly remained together
When they left the villa, some compromising photos of Olivia chatting to a former flame outside a club sparked infidelity reports yet the duo were as defiant as ever when they continued to put on a united front.
Thursday evening's tweet is the latest in the ongoing saga of their romance as fans swiftly asked if it was anything to do with Chris.
In messages obtained by Mirror, fans wrote: 'Have u and Chris split? Is everything OK Liv? What has happened are you and Chris ok.'
Despite being rocked by rumours of cheating and a subsequent split shortly after their exit from Love Island, Olivia last month emphasised how the pair were still 'obsessed' with each other after spending so much time together in the villa.
Public display of affection: Just one month ago, the reality TV lovebirds were seen putting on a very public display of affection in London (pictured)
Speaking to MailOnline, the beauty admitted Chris had been staying at hers ever since the series finale in July, and that the pair were 'more in love than ever'.
She admitted: 'Chris chucked his suitcase at mine the day we got back from the island, and hasnt left since. We haven't had an official "moving in" thing, but he's pretty much at mine full time now.'
Discussing their hectic schedules, she explained: 'Were obsessed with each other to the point where were killing ourselves trying to keep to the routine of staying together every night. Which isnt feasible, but we're doing a pretty good job.'
Adding she could not handle their heights of fame without Chris, she continued: 'Were more in love now too, because weve been thrown into this crazy world, so were holding each others hands through it.'
They are fitting in some serious couple time before the arrival of their third child.
And Kim Kardashian and Kanye West enjoyed yet another date night as they headed to upmarket Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica on Saturday.
The romantic outing came amid a flurry of reports that Kim's little sister Kylie Jenner, 20, is also preparing to welcome a child.
Staying mum! Kim Kardashian and Kanye West enjoy date night ahead of baby's arrival... but refuse to answer questions about Kylie's 'pregnancy'
Best foot forward: The reality star wore purple velvet heels for her night out
Yet a tight-lipped Kim refused to comment on the reports that her sister is four months pregnant by her boyfriend of five months, Travis Scott.
Instead the bleached blonde ignored shouted questions as she walked side by side with her rapper husband.
Kim, 36, wore skintight fitted black jeans for the outing, tailored tightly to her tiny waistline.
A tank top was tucked inside the waistline, with the thin fabric turning sheer in the flashlights to reveal her braless figure.
Sheer Kim! The mother-to-be, 36, wore skintight fitted black jeans for the outing, tailored tightly to her tiny waistline
The West's surrogate is due to deliver their third child in January - which if reports are correct will be the month before her little sister Kylie's first child is born
Kanye, who walked one step behind, kept it casual in a denim jacket worn over a hoodie.
The nexy day, the currently blonde beauty shared video of her and four-year- old daughter North cuddling and playing on Snapchat.
Mom and daughter both sported fun puppy ear filters while little North barked for the camera.
Quality time! Earlier in the day the currently blonde bombshell shared video of her and four-year- old daughter North cuddling and playing on Snapchat
All ears! Mom and daughter both sported fun puppy ear filters while little North barked for the camera
She and husband Kanye are already parents to one-year-old son Saint and four-year-old daughter North.
Both were carried by Kim herself. However she suffered serious complications with her second pregnancy.
The West's surrogate is due to deliver their third child in January - which if reports are correct will be the month before Kylie's first child is born.
Wait up! Kanye, who walked one step behind, kept it casual in a denim jacket
Date night: The two are already parents to one-year-old son Saint and four-year-old North
On Saturday Kylie was seen in Las Vegas, where she hid her figure beneath a baggy men's T-shirt.
She has yet to officially comment on the pregnancy reports,however that hasn't stopped sources within the Kardashian clan sharing their thoughts.
One family source told People magazine: 'Kylie is very naive. Spending time with other peoples kids is obviously completely different than being a mom 24/7.
Pasta party: The couple headed to Giorgio Baldi, Rihanna's favorite Italian restaurant
Night out: The couple were having a date night without the kids
'Kylie of course has no idea about all the hard work and sleepless nights. With Tyga, whenever things were good, Kylie said she wanted a baby.
'Between spending lots of time with her nieces and nephews, and being around Tygas son [four-year-old King Cairo], she claimed she was ready. Her family would beg her to protect herself.
'They were very concerned. They still think Kylie is too young to have a baby.'
Oh baby! Kylie Jenner is seen in Las Vegas on Saturday night; she has yet to officially comment on the multiple reports she is pregnant
Kanye was spotted getting sushi with a friend at Sugarfish in Calabasas, California on Sunday
As for Kim's husband Kanye, the rapper has been recently seen out and about more often than usual.
The soon-to be father of three was spotted getting sushi with a friend at Sugarfish in Calabasas, California on Sunday.
Kanye sported a causal look with gray sweatpants, a brown T-shirt and a black unzipped sweatshirt.
Playing it cool: Kanye sported a causal look with gray sweatpants, a brown T-shirt and a black unzipped sweatshirt
The doting dad was hospitalized last November amid concerns for his mental health, which led him to cancel 21 shows of his Life Of Pablo Tour.
Since then, he has maintained a fairly low profile while focusing on his family.
In February it was confirmed that Kanye was making new music, after Pusha T confirmed in a radio interview with 93.9's The Fam in the Morning Show.
Pusha T stated: 'Ye is working on a new album.'
Although, Kanye has not yet confirmed the statement himself.
The doting dad was hospitalized last November amid concerns for his mental health, which led to cancel 21 shows of his Life Of Pablo Tour
Other priorities are private sector participation, investment in people and knowledge, environmental sustainability and resilience, and good governance.
The Country Partnership Framework (CPF) introduces a number of strategic shifts, including comprehensive engagement to strengthen private sector development and participation across sectors; support to achieve the financial sustainability of public services and transfers; support of poverty reduction among ethnic minorities through activities that generate jobs and incomes; multi-sector engagement to strengthen linkages between education and the labor market; and promotion and stimulation of low carbon energy generation.
WB Country Director in Vietnam Ousmane Dione speaks at the workshop in Dong Thap province on September 22nd (Photo: VNA)
Through the CPF, the WBG will assist Vietnam in carrying out its five-year Socio-Economic Development Plan for 2016-2020 and its goals of balancing economic prosperity with environmental sustainability, promoting equity, and strengthening the capacity and accountability of state agencies.
Addressing the event, WB Country Director in Vietnam Ousmane Dione pledged that the WBG will mobilise all its institutions the WB, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), as well as available instruments in order to create strategic changes like lending, policy dialogue, analytical and advisory work or guarantees.
Representatives from Mekong Delta cities and provinces highly valued strategic orientations set in the new framework, saying they suit pressing requirements of their localities in the current context.
They expressed their hope for support in job generation for rural labourers in response to adverse impacts of technological applications in agriculture, along with assistance in capital disbursement mechanisms and procedures, and capital access in order to carry out infrastructure, transport and water projects./.
She dazzled viewers with her foxtrot and on-screen chemistry with professional dance partner Brendan Cole.
Yet, Charlotte Hawkins, 42, has laughed off concerns about the so-called Strictly 'curse' because she and her husband Mark Herbert are happily married.
Speaking to Hello! Magazine, the Good Morning Britain host admitted that while many other celebrities have fallen victim to the 'curse of Strictly', she is more than loved-up with her other half Mark.
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Happy: Charlotte Hawkins, 42, has laughed off concerns about the so-called Strictly 'curse' because she and her husband Mark Herbert are happily married
She confessed: 'One of the things I get asked about most is the "curse of Strictly", but it's not an issue as we're very happily married.'
The TV regular has been married to husband Mark for nine years, and in 2015 they welcomed their little girl Ella Rose.
Weighing in on the commentary, Mark admitted that he's happy his wife was partnered with Brendan: 'It's really important they get on - there needs to be quite a bit of chemistry there for their dancing to be good.
'Brendan is a really nice bloke - I'm very happy with him as a choice.'
Challenge: Speaking to Hello! Magazine , the Good Morning Britain host admitted that while many other celebrities have fallen victim to the 'curse of Strictly', she is more than loved-up with her other half Mark to look at her professional dance partner Brendan Cole
Strictly happy: She confessed: 'One of the things I get asked about most is the "curse of Strictly", but it's not an issue as we're very happily married' about her husband Mark Herbert
Charlotte said she hopes to score success with Cole on the show, because he won the first series of the BBC One programme with another newsreader, Natasha Kaplinsky.
Read the full article in Hello! magazine out now
The Strictly curse was started in the first season the show aired in 2004 between Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole. Brendan is Charlotte's professional partner this season.
Natasha and Brendan were both in relationships at the time Natasha with Mike Barnard and Brendan with fellow Strictly professional Camilla Dallerup.
However, the two had an affair while on the show and later got together after leaving their partners for each other.
Her admission comes she admitted that 'its still weird for your husband to be watching you dance intimately with another man.'
The presenter also admitted that she plans on wearing short skirts to 'distract everybody' from her dancing.
In the past: The Strictly curse was started in the first season the show aired in 2004 between Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole. Brendan is Charlotte's professional partner this season (Pictured in 2004)
Speaking to The Sun on Friday, Charlotte brushed off any concerns about the curse, saying that she had spoken to her husband Mark Herbert about any worries.
'Were really happily married, so its not an issue... I wanted to check he was going to be happy with that and OK Im dancing in such an intense way.
'Id find it really hard if it were the other way around. But then Id know theyre just dancing and I have trust in our relationship.'
There is of course no suggestion that Charlotte and Bredan are anything more than friends.
All in jest: 'Susanna and Piers are already teasing me about how short the dresses will get. Thank goodness, with all the dancing, Im gonna be the fittest Ive ever been!'
Joking about her plan to wear shorter skirts to draw attention to her fabulous pins rather than her dancing, Charlotte jested that her co-presenters Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid had been teasing her about her costumes.
'Susanna and Piers are already teasing me about how short the dresses will get. Thank goodness, with all the dancing, Im gonna be the fittest Ive ever been!'
Elsewhere, Charlotte told Hello! that she is taking inspiration from her 'carefree' two-year-old daughter on the dance floor.
In terms of her technique, the ITV darling is looking to Ella Rose, although she said the toddler is 'not the most delicate'.
Inspiration: Elsewhere, Charlotte told Hello! that she is taking inspiration from her 'carefree' two-year-old daughter on the dance floor
'I look at Ella Rose when she's dancing and she's so carefree; completely confident,' she began. 'I think I need a bit of that inner two-year-old to help me on Strictly.
'That's the bit you need to hold onto. I need to learn from her... She does baby ballet and has taken to it like a duck to water. But she gets all her dancing skills from Peppa Pig. She's not the most delicate.'
Hawkins took to the dance floor with Cole to dance a Foxtrot in Saturday's first live show of the series, and the pair scored a respectable 22 points from the judges.
Read the full interview and more in this week's Hello! Magazine.
They began dating after sitting on the judges panel together on The Voice.
And on Sunday, Gwen Stefani, 47, and boyfriend Blake Shelton, 41, attended a memorial service for their The Voice co-star Carson Daly's mother.
The couple walked side by side as they arrived for the service in Palm Desert, California.
Gwen Stefani, 47, and boyfriend Blake Shelton, 41, attended a memorial service for their The Voice co-star Carson Daly's mother on Sunday
Showing up: The loving pair are both long-time friends of Carson, who has hosted the NBC show The Voice for 13 seasons.
The loving pair are both long-time friends of Carson, who has hosted the NBC show The Voice for 13 seasons.
Other stars such as Jimmy Kimmel and Savannah Guthrie were also there in support of their friend and colleague.
Pattie Daly Caruso, 73, died las week at her home in Palm Springs, California, after suffering an early morning heart attack.
The breast cancer survivor was close to her son, and their large family.
Good friends: Other stars such as Jimmy Kimmel and Savannah Guthrie were there in support of their friend and colleague Carson Daly
The death was announced in a statement to local newspaper The Desert Star.
'It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our mother, wife, grandmother, Pattie Daly Caruso. She passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 17th, 2017,' read the statement.
'Kiki, as she was known to her grandchildren and many others, touched so many lives with her kindness, her giant spirit, and her love of life. She will be terribly missed by her family and the world, but her spark will shine for eternity.'
Supportive: The loving pair are both long-time friends of Carson, since he has hosted the NBC show The Voice for 13 seasons
Blake and Gwen were seen walking to the memorial service hand in hand.
The two have been dating since November 2015, only a couple months after Blake filed for divorce from ex-wife Miranda Lambert.
The Hollaback Girl songstress divorced her rocker husband Gavin Rossdale also in 2015, and share three sons Kingston, 11, Zuma, nine, and Apollo, three.
On October 6, Gwen is set to release a Christmas album that features the song, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, an upbeat duet with love Blake.
Audrina Patridge has filed a restraining order and moved back into her childhood home amid a tense split with husband of 10 months Corey Bolan.
And on Sunday, the Hills alum was seen with her now estranged partner for the first time since news of their split emerged earlier this week.
The 32-year-old mom handed over 15-month-old daughter Kirra Max to the pro BMX biker, 35, for a 7-hour visit before meeting up again later for another swap.
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Meeting halfway: Audrina Patridge was seen with her now estranged partner Corey Bohan for the first time since news of their split earlier this week
Publicly private: It was the pairs first public encounter since Patridge has filed a restraining order and moved back into her childhood home amidst the tense split with Bohan
The estranged duo looked to be on good terms, briefly chatting before Corey handed over a bag of baby supplies to his ex.
He made sure to take extra care of Kirra's pink Minnie Mouse doll, before parting ways with the reality beauty.
During the earlier hand off, Audrina was joined by a blonde female acquaintance, arriving about ten minutes after Corey.
Mousing around! The BMX-er made sure to take extra care of Kirra's pink Minnie Mouse doll, before parting ways with the reality beauty
Getting along okay: The estranged duo looked to be on good terms, briefly chatting before Corey handed over a bag of baby supplies to his ex
Homeward bound: After spending a day with his little one, Bohan let his ex take their daughter home
Calming down: Though Audrina officially filed for divorce from Corey on Wednesday, tensions seem to have eased since
As ordered: It was also reported that the MTV figure had taken out a restraining order on the professional dirt biker earlier this week, likely the reason for the blonde chaperone
The duo kept their distance, briefly exchanging words before Corey headed off with his one-year-old in his arms and a huge grin on his face.
Audrina and Corey left in separate vehicles.
On Wednesday, Audrina officially filed for divorce from her husband of less than a year.
Co-parenting: The now-divorcing pair were spotted exchanging custody of daughter Kirra for Bohan's day of visitation, later meeting up for Audrina to take the little one home
Poker face: The 32-year-old mom wore a distant expression as she handed off 15-month-old daughter Kirra Max to her now estranged partner
Arm's length: The duo kept their distance, briefly exchanging words before the pro BMX biker headed off
Emotional support: Audrina was joined by a blonde acquaintance during the meet up, arriving about ten minutes after Corey
Seperating: Earlier in the week the starlet was seen moving into her parent's Orange County home
Go your own way: Audrina and Corey left in separate vehicles
Happy dad: Corey left with his one-year-old in arm and a huge grin on his face
Earlier in the week, TMZ reported that the MTV figure had taken out a restraining order on the profession BMX dirt biker after a domestic violence incident.
The incident reportedly involved him shoving her while she was holding the baby, threatening suicide and 'repeatedly harassing her while she was working.'
And yesterday news emerged that the LA native had moved in with her parents in the wake of the tense breakup.
Making it official: On Wednesday, Audrina officially filed for divorce from her husband of less than a year
Judge's orders: Earlier in the week, TMZ reported that the MTV figure had taken out a restraining order on the professional BMX dirt biker after a domestic violence incident
The gist of it: The incident reportedly involved him shoving her while she was holding the baby, threatening suicide and 'repeatedly harassing her while she was working'
Rocky road: Patridge and Bohan have been together on-and-off since 2008, but have only been wed for 10 months
The brunette beauty was pictured unloading her things at her mom and dad's home in Orange County, complete with plenty of baby supplies for her little one.
Audrina's move is reportedly due to the fact Bohan will not move out of the Irvine, California house that she owns, as specified in their prenup, in addition to accusations of abuse.
At this time, a rep for the star told People 'Audrina's number one concern is for her daughter and she asks for privacy at this time.'
Patridge and Bohan have been together on-and-off since 2008, but have only been wed for 10-months.
Seeking refuge: Yesterday news emerged that the LA native had moved in with her parents in the wake of the tense breakup
Squatter's rights? Audrina's move is reportedly due to the fact Bohan will not move out of the Irvine, California house that she owns
Her adoptive parents live in Hollywood luxury, each with a portfolio of spectacular properties in the US.
Walking the streets in jeans and a baggy sweatshirt, Isabella Cruise looks anything but an A-lister's daughter as she searches for a new home... in Croydon.
The 24-year-old lives her life in Britain far from the glamour of her adoptive parents Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
Isabella Cruise, the adopted daughter of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, was spotted house-hunting with husband Max Parker in Croydon, south London, on Sunday
Miss Cruise walked hand in hand with Mr Parker, an IT consultant, who she married in a Scientologist ceremony in London back in 2015
Miss Cruise was spotted in the street arm in arm with her husband Max Parker, an IT consultant, as they looked for a house in South London.
The pair married in a Scientologist ceremony in London in 2015, but neither of her famous parents attended.
Miss Cruise was notably estranged from her Australian mother for years, but is reportedly now back in contact. However, last week she was snubbed during an Emmy awards speech by Miss Kidman, 50.
Accepting a best actress award for the hit drama series Big Little Lies, she only mentioned the two girls she had with her current husband, Keith Urban.
'I am also a mother and a wife,' she said. 'I have two little girls, Sunny and Faith. This is yours.
Miss Cruise has been estranged from her adoptive mother for years, but reportedly got back in touch wit her recently
After Tom and Nicole split, Miss Cruise and adopted brother Connor (left) both children went to live with him and followed him into the Church of Scientology
'I want my little girls to have this on their shelf and to look at it and go, 'Every time my mama didn't put me to bed, it's because of this'.
Miss Cruise was adopted in 1992, followed by her younger brother Connor three years later.
When Top Gun star Cruise and Miss Kidman split in 2001 after 11 years, both children went live with their father and followed him into the Church of Scientology.
While Miss Kidman rarely talks of her family, she described her recent film Lion as a 'love letter' to her adopted children.
She said the movie about an Indian boy who is adopted by an Australian couple made her think about their backgrounds, adding: 'You're all intertwined. Your destinies somehow all come together.'
Cruise, 55, also has an 11-year-old daughter, Suri, by second wife Katie Holmes.
She's best known for playing the role of Anastasia Steele in the raunchy film saga 50 Shades of Grey.
And Dakota Johnson, 27, displayed her sizzling sex appeal as she went braless under a dazzling diamond embellished gown for the Green Carpet Fashion Awards Italia at the Teatro Alla Scala during Milan Fashion Week on Sunday.
The beauty exposed her decolletage and her smooth complexion in the number, which was intricately adorned with beading at her bust.
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Sizzling: Dakota Johnson, 27, displayed her sizzling sex appeal as she went braless under a dazzling diamond embellished gown for the Green Carpet Fashion Awards Italia at the Teatro Alla Scala during Milan Fashion Week on Sunday
Her gown cinched her in at her tiny waist, further displaying her slimline figure with the horizontally placed diamonds which ran down the body of the dress.
Delicate spaghetti straps were further decorated with sparkles, and allowed Dakota to show off her toned arms.
She sported smokey brown eye makeup to bring out her blue eyes, and glowing, peachy makeup to complement her radiant skin.
Dazzling: The beauty exposed her decolletage and her smooth complexion in the number, which was intricately adorned with beading at her bust
Embellished: Her gown cinched her in at her tiny waist, further displaying her slimline figure with the horizontally placed diamonds which ran down the body of the dress
Dakota swept her silky brunette tresses off her face, and added some height to her frame with a pair of towering heels.
She was joined at the event by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, 67, who sported a sequined floor length coordinating skirt and top.
Anna's dress highlighted her lithe frame, and skimmed over her slim torso while finishing off with capped sleeves.
Beauty: She sported smokey brown eye make up to bring out her blue eyes, and glowing, peachy make up to complement her radiant skin
Dramatic: Dakota swept her silky brunette tresses off her face, added some height to her frame with a pair of towering heels (posing with Alessandro Michele)
Eye-catching: She was joined at the event by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, 67, who sported a sequined floor length coordinating skirt and top
She added a matching necklace, which consisted of several layers of chunky jewels fastened at the collar of her top.
The style maven sported her signature glossy pageboy bob and fringe, and added a pair of dark sunglasses for a touch of A-list glamour.
She finished off the look with a pair of jewelled sandals, and posed with Andrew Garfield.
Fashionista: She added a matching necklace, which consisted of several layers of chunky jewels fastened at the collar of her top. The style maven sported her signature glossy pageboy bob and fringe
Sparkly: She finished off the look with a pair of jewelled sandals, and posed with Andrew Garfield
Star-studded: Andrew, who looked dapper in a tuxedo, accepted the award for Best International Designer award on behalf of Green Carpet Fashion Award winner Tom Ford
Andrew, who looked dapper in a tuxedo, accepted the award for Best International Designer award on behalf of Green Carpet Fashion Award winner Tom Ford.
The awards, the first of their kind, focused on environmental and social sustainability (Total Sustainability) and brought together Italys greatest designers, luxury design houses, the most innovative companies and emerging designers in the same ceremony.
They aim to put sustainability at the heart of fashion; they were founded on sustainable values and represent the handprint of fashion.
Support: Colin Firth, a lifelong environmental activist, presented at the awards, which are the first awards to honour Made in Italy one of the most important supply chains in the world
Important cause: The awards, the first of their kind, focused on environmental and social sustainability (Total Sustainability) and brought together Italys greatest designers, luxury design houses, the most innovative companies and emerging designers in the same ceremony
Colin Firth, a lifelong environmental activist, presented at the awards, which are the first awards to honour Made in Italy one of the most important supply chains in the world.
Colin, who looked dapper in a tuxedo, posed with Brunello Cucinelli, who was the winner of the Community & Social Justice award.
The actor is known for his humanitarian and environmental work; he is an avid supporter of Survival International, which campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples.
Humanitarian: The actor is known for his humanitarian and environmental work; he is an avid supporter of Survival International, which campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples
Stunning: Model Tina Kunakey wowed in a dazzling green silk dress embellished with jewels
Playful: Tina worked the cameras like a pro, holding her hair off her face to work her angles
Zoe Saldana was also in attendance, stepping out in a floor-length lilac creation.
The intricately designed dress was covered in ruffles, and she paired it with strappy silver stilettos.
The stunning 39-year-old actress wore her long brown hair loose in soft waves.
Purple reign: Zoe Saldana was also in attendance, stepping out in a floor-length lilac creation, which she paired with strappy silver stilettos
Ruffled up: The intricately designed dress was covered in ruffles and she wore her long brown hair loose in soft waves
Amber Valletta also turned out.
The 43-year-old model-turned-actress stepped out in a strapless red, black, purple and blue geometric-print floor-length gown.
The stunning star carried a gold box clutch purse and wore a pair of dangly gold earrings.
Geometry lesson: Amber Valletta also turned out. The 43-year-old model-turned-actress stepped out in a strapless red, black, purple and blue geometric-print floor-length gown
Red hot: Elsa Hosk looked stunning in a floor-length red dress with sheer vertical panels. The striking star wore her blonde hair loose and tucked behind her ears
Biggest fan: The 28-year-old Swedish-born beauty was seen playfully fanning out her voluminous dress for photographers as she posed for pictures
Her long blonde hair was worn loose and tucked behind her ears.
Elsa Hosk looked stunning in a floor-length red dress with sheer vertical panels.
The 28-year-old Swedish-born beauty was seen playfully fanning out her voluminous dress for photographers as she posed for pictures.
Power pair: Karolina Kurkova posed alongside businessman James Ferragamo, 45, a member of the iconic Italian fashion family
Go big or go home... The fabric of her dress was tucked in at the back, creating volume, and she carried a matching box clutch purse in the same print
Karolina Kurkova opted for strapless, stepping out in a knee-length chiffon dress painted with flowers.
The fabric was tucked in at the back, creating volume, and she carried a matching box clutch purse in the same print.
The 33-year-old former Czech-born model posed alongside businessman James Ferragamo, 45, a member of the iconic Italian fashion family.
Dramatic: Naomi Campbell looked glamorous in a figure-hugging halterneck creation. The 47-year-old British supermodel wore her hair in loose waves and swept over to one side
Simply stunning: The floor-length silver gown was covered in intricate beading and featured yellow and white feathers around the bottom
Naomi Campbell looked glamorous in a figure-hugging halterneck creation.
The floor-length silver gown was covered in intricate beading and featured yellow and white feathers around the bottom.
The 47-year-old British supermodel wore her hair in loose waves and swept over to one side.
Going green: Speaking of supermodels, Gisele Bundchen was also on hand, stepping out in a slinky green gown
Speaking of supermodels, Gisele Bundchen was also on hand, stepping out in a slinky green gown.
The floor-length dress featured a mermaid tail and a low-dipped open back.
The 37-year-old Brazilian-born beauty wore her long caramel colored tresses loose in textured waves.
Huthi rebels and their allies began retaliatory attacks against Saudi Arabia two years ago
A Yemen rebel missile heading towards Saudi Arabia was intercepted late Saturday, the Arab military coalition said, in the midst of nationwide celebrations to mark the founding of the kingdom.
The ballistic missile targeted Khamis Mushait, which houses the Saudi-led coalition's main airbase for its operations in Yemen, the official Saudi Press Agency quoted the coalition as saying.
It added that the missile was intercepted without casualties or damage.
"The Saudi Royal Air Force discovered the launch of a ballistic missile from within Yemeni territory," SPA said.
"The coalition forces then targeted the launch site."
The attack came as Saudi Arabia celebrated its national day across the kingdom with a raucous display of concerts, folk dance and fireworks.
Occasional ballistic missile attacks, as well as more frequent short-range rocket fire over the southern border, have in the past been conducted after coalition air strikes against the rebels in Yemen.
Last week, the head of the rebels threatened to fire missiles at the United Arab Emirates and to attack Saudi tankers in the Red Sea.
The Huthi rebels and their allies, former members of Yemen's security forces linked to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, began retaliatory attacks against the kingdom two years ago.
The coalition intervened in the country in March 2015 to support President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who says the rebels are supported by Saudi's regional arch-rival Iran.
The war has killed more than 8,500 people and wounded nearly 49,000 others, according to the World Health Organization.
More than 17 million Yemenis are now facing dire food shortages, and a nationwide cholera epidemic has killed more than 2,100 people since April.
Google has faced more scrutiny from antitrust regulators in Europe than in the United States
With a handful of US technology giants growing more powerful and dominant, debate is intensifying on whether big tech's growth is healthy or not.
Over the past few years, Apple, Google parent Alphabet, Facebook and Amazon have become among the world's most valuable companies.
Along with stalwarts like Microsoft and rising stars like Netflix, the tech firms exercise enormous control over what people see and how they live.
Increasingly, policymakers and others have begun to consider breaking up or regulating the biggest technology companies, although imminent action appears unlikely.
While many consumers welcome innovation from the tech sector, critics have complained about the power of "gatekeepers" of information and other content.
Google holds around 90 percent of the internet search market in the United States and Europe. Facebook and Google scoop up some 60 percent of digital ad revenues and are eating up 90 percent of new ad growth in the United States.
Google's Android and Apple's iOS power the overwhelming majority of mobile devices. Amazon accounts for nearly half of US online sales and is expanding into new sectors.
- Concentration of power -
Barry Lynn, executive director of the Open Markets Institute, said three firms -- Google, Facebook and Amazon -- "have more power than any previous monopolies we've dealt with in the past century."
"We have to be incredibly concerned about the power of Facebook, Google and Amazon," said Lynn, who launched his research center last month after his team was ousted from the Google-funded New America Foundation.
"They have their hands on the flow of news, the flow of books and they are manipulating that flow in a conscious way to promote their interests."
Even though the idea of taking on the tech giants appears extreme, the upheaval in US politics over the past year has brought together allies from across the spectrum worried about their concentration of economic power.
The domination in online advertising of Facebook and Google has raised concerns about a digital duopoly
The recently formed "New Center" political alliance that includes leaders from the traditional right and left has placed "challenging big tech" on its agenda.
Bill Galston, a former White House advisor under Bill Clinton and co-founder of New Center, argued that tech monopolies are hurting wages, entrepreneurship and could be distorting the political landscape.
"The big tech firms have almost unlimited funds they can throw into lobbying, and they have been ramping this up steeply," Galston said. "Is that a good thing for democracy?"
Lou Kerner, partner at the investment firm Flight Ventures, said this monopoly power is more concentrated than any in recent history, and expressed concern it will "strangle innovation" and increase income inequality.
But Kerner said he opposes heavy-handed regulation or breakup of the tech giants.
"By their nature regulators move slowly and by the time they address the problems they are no longer problems," Kerner said.
"Historically the market has been much better at addressing monopoly powers in technology."
- Rewriting the book -
Ed Black, president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which represents firms including Google, Facebook and Microsoft, said breaking up the tech giants could have a "chilling effect on innovation."
"If our goal is really to maintain innovation, spur the entire economy, and grow higher paying jobs, asking the government to penalize a successful foundational economic sector, absent bad behavior or consumer harm, seems illogical," Black said.
European regulators have taken a more aggressive approach, imposing a hefty fine on Google after concluding the search giant illegally favored its own shopping services, one of three antitrust investigations into the company.
Amazon has become the dominant online retailer as it has expanded into other sectors such as streaming video and groceries
In Washington, the rise of Donald Trump suggests a possible shift in US policy after years in which Silicon Valley was seen as close to the White House.
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon said recently he was leading an effort within the administration to turn Facebook and Google into "public utilities."
But Federal Trade Commission chief Maureen Ohlhausen, who would lead any US antitrust action, signaled any effort to break up tech firms is remote.
"Given the clear consumer benefits of technology-driven innovation, I am concerned about the push to adopt an approach that will disregard consumer benefits in the pursuit of other perhaps even conflicting goals," Ohlhausen said in a speech at Georgetown University.
She said some tech critics want "to rewrite the modern rules" of antitrust enforcement to "pursue a wide variety of goals other than consumer welfare."
A map of the epicenter of an earthquake in North Korea, displayed at a railway station in Seoul
A shallow 3.5-magnitude earthquake which hit North Korea near the country's nuclear test site on Saturday was not the result of a fresh nuclear test, China's seismic service said, after initially reporting a "suspected explosion".
The China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said in a statement late Saturday that study of infrasonic data determined "the incident is not a nuclear explosion, but had the nature of a natural earthquake".
The Chinese Academy of Sciences also released a report saying the earthquake was likely a "lagged collapse earthquake", echoing international experts' hypotheses that the earthquake was a delayed repercussion of a previous detonation.
The North's last nuclear test, on September 3, was the country's most powerful, triggering a much stronger 6.3-magnitude quake that was felt across the border in China.
Monitoring groups estimate the nuclear test had a yield of 250 kilotons, which is 16 times the size of the US bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.
The test prompted global condemnation, leading the United Nations Security Council to unanimously adopt new sanctions that include restrictions on oil shipments.
The strength of the quake on Saturday was much lower than the tremors registered during any of North Korea's previous nuclear tests, including its first detonation in 2006, which triggered a 4.1-magnitude quake.
It came at the end of a week that saw a blistering war of words between between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, with Trump using his maiden speech at the UN General Assembly to warn that Washington would "totally destroy" the North if America or its allies were threatened.
North Korea, which says it needs nuclear weapons to protect itself against the threat of a US invasion, responded on Friday with a rare personal rebuke from Kim, who called Trump "mentally deranged" and threatened the "highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history".
Washington announced tougher restrictions Friday aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programme, building on tough new UN sanctions aimed at choking Pyongyang of cash.
Russia and China have both appealed for an end to the escalating rhetoric between Washington and Pyongyang.
Fighter jets, drone deals and shared concerns over Afghanistan's security challenges look set to dominate the agenda when US Defence Secretary James Mattis (L) visits India this week
Fighter jets, drone deals and shared concerns over Afghanistan's security challenges look set to dominate the agenda when US Defence Secretary James Mattis visits India this week.
Mattis is scheduled to arrive in Delhi late Monday and is set to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his new defence minister in the first visit by a top US official since Donald Trump became US president in January.
"The United States views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia," a Pentagon statement said.
Trump and Modi met in June in Washington, and Mattis' visit is a sign "the political leadership in both countries place defence cooperation as a top priority", Mukesh Aghi, president of the US India Strategic Partnership Forum, told AFP.
Delhi and Washington share concerns about Afghanistan, and Trump announced a new strategy for the war-torn country last month, which cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops.
The billionaire president has urged India to boost assistance to Afghanistan's economy, and has lambasted Delhi's arch-rival Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".
Mattis "will express US appreciation for India's important contributions toward Afghanistan's democracy, stability, prosperity, and security", the Pentagon said.
India has long vied with Pakistan for influence in Afghanistan, building dams, roads and a new parliament in the troubled country. Last year, it offered some $1 billion in aid.
Delhi frequently accuses Islamabad of stirring up violence in Afghanistan and harbouring militant groups.
- Arms sales -
In 2016, the United States designated India a "Major Defence Partner" and Trump has sought to further boost military ties, praising India for contributing to regional peace and stability, and for purchasing US military equipment.
Mattis is likely to seek to convince India to purchase Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70 aircraft -- a lucrative deal pegged at $15 billion.
Lockheed Martin has offered the most upgraded version of the fighter jet to India, the world's largest weapons importer.
The US manufacturer is competing with Swedish defence giant Saab, whose Gripen E made its maiden flight in June.
India has said it requires at least 100 single-engine fighters to counter the growing air threat posed by China and Pakistan
India has said it requires at least 100 single-engine fighters to counter the growing air threat posed by China and Pakistan.
Saab and Lockheed have both offered to build the jets locally to comply with Modi's "Make-in-India" initiative, which aims to cut imports and build a domestic defence industry.
US giant Boeing has also offered to set up a manufacturing facility in India for production of its F/A 18 Super Hornet aircraft, if it wins a deal.
A drone deal for the Indian Navy will also likely be up for discussion, a source familiar with the negotiations told AFP.
"Since Chinese assets have started to dominate the Indian Ocean region, the Trump administration is keen on fast-tracking the acquisition of the drones," the source said.
Many commentators have said that US-India cooperation is crucial to countering an increasingly assertive China, which has been developing its military capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.
Win Naing, one of Myanmar's most famous cartoonists, whose pen name is Aw Pi Kyeh, in Yangon
Cartoons taking aim at Rohingya Muslims are spreading rapidly across social media in mainly Buddhist Myanmar, where public opinion on the crisis stands in stark contrast to the outcry overseas.
Fanned by Myanmar's civilian and military leaders, an information war has taken hold and is being embraced with gusto by a legion of satirists, meme-makers and internet trolls.
Local cartoonists, many of whom earned their revered status for skewering the former junta, have taken aim at the Rohingya.
One widely-shared sketch called 'crocodile tears' shows a group of reptiles swimming away from a bank of mutilated animals towards an eager Western cameraman.
"I had to flee my motherland," a crying crocodile says into the microphone, a swipe at the testimonies of Rohingya refugees who have arrived in Bangladesh with accounts of atrocities by Myanmar's army.
"There is something untrue about what they (the Rohingya) are saying," Win Naing, one of Myanmar's most famous cartoonists, told AFP.
The 58-year-old, whose pen name is Aw Pi Kyeh, said he just wanted to provoke thought in a highly charged situation.
"We draw cartoons with a spirit that loves the country."
For decades the paranoid former junta sequestered its people from technology, global opinion and debate.
But since the country creaked open a few years ago Myanmar's public has dived head first into Facebook and Twitter.
Now, anti-Rohingya diatribes are being 'liked', shared and retweeted -- reinforcing long-held religious hatreds against the minority.
Since late August, around 430,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh, escaping an army crackdown in Rakhine state which the UN has called 'ethnic cleansing'.
The global condemnation has triggered a defensive instinct in Myanmar where the Rohingya are not citizens and are broadly reviled.
- Keyboard warriors -
Armed with crass humour, internet fame and riding a wave of public opinion, cartoonists have delivered sharp counter-punches.
When Malala Yousafzai condemned fellow Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi for failing to speak up for the Rohingya, one cartoonist hit back with a rendering of the Pakistani activist with human excrement instead of brains -- a grim reference to her surgery after being shot in the head by the Taliban.
A sketch by cartoonist Okka Kyi Winn, liked nearly 10,000 times on his Facebook page, showed a UN insignia wrapped in a Middle-Eastern keffiyeh, suggesting the body is in cahoots with the Arab world.
While the intention may be pure satire, such images are contributing to a siege mentality in Myanmar, where keyboard warriors are trading blows with vocal pro-Rohingya groups scattered across the Muslim world.
Cartoons taking aim at Rohingya Muslims are spreading rapidly across social media in mainly Buddhist Myanmar, where public opinion on the crisis stands in stark contrast to the outcry overseas.
The prevailing view among the Buddhist majority is that foreign media and international NGOs have embellished the plight of the Rohingya and unfairly bashed Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
'The Lady' has refused to weigh in on the squall of claims and counterclaims, saying only that there is a 'huge iceberg of misinformation'.
Many outside Myanmar are baffled by the seeming lack of empathy, and the often violent rhetoric from a Buddhist people.
But toxic Islamophobia has been brewing in the country for years, fed in part by official rhetoric that the Muslim Rohingya are foreign invaders intent on taking a Buddhist land.
As his troops blanket Rakhine, Myanmar's commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing has continued with Facebook posts branding the Rohingya as 'terrorist extremists' of 'Bengali' origin -- a state-stamped slur that condemns them to the status of illegal migrants.
- 'Better angels' -
Newspapers, TV debates and social media have followed suit, jeering at the Rohingya as they flee, says Sein Win of the Myanmar Journalism Institute.
Some of the loudest noises are coming from people who fought repression under the junta, he told AFP, in a remarkable reshaping of the young democracy's political landscape.
Local cartoonists in Myanmar, many of whom earned their revered status for skewering the former junta, have taken aim at the Rohingya
"I am disturbed by the actions of the media, civil society and even former political activists. You need to care about humans across the board, not just when it suits you," he said.
On Friday US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Patrick Murphy condemned the hate speech on social media and urged the "better angels" of the Myanmar people to find empathy for the Rohingya.
But cartoonists such as Maung Maung Fountain (pen name) argue their sketches "don't insult any religion or any people".
In one, he draws a camel -- a code for Rohingya Muslims -- that has edged its way into a tent made from the Myanmar flag then bellows 'Human Rights' at the startled Burmese man he has just evicted.
"I meant say that some people want more and more rights and opportunities."
Thomas Egebo, Danish Permanent Secretary of State and Deputy Minister for Energy, Utilities and Climate, and delegates at the ceremony
Addressing the ceremony, Thomas Egebo, Danish Permanent Secretary of State, and Deputy Minister for Energy, Utilities and Climate, stressed the importance of energy efficiency solutions. Vietnams challenge is not growth, Vietnams challenge is to make growth sustainable, he said. Denmark, including Danish companies, are well placed to help Vietnam overcome this. This goes particularly for a company like Grundfos, one of the leading companies in the world in providing energy efficiency pumps, and solar pump solutions.
According to Grundfos, the company is performing well thanks to the positive economic growth of Vietnam, which leads to the opening of the companys new office as well as the rising number of staff. The new Grundfos head office located at district 9 in Ho Chi Minh city is 1,600 square meters, with 50 working staff members. With this new office, we show our commitment to invest into Vietnam to support countrys social economic development by providing our products and services and creating high-skilled jobs. We grow with the countrys growth, said Mr. Okay Barutcu, Asia Pacific Regional Managing Director of Grundfos.
Grundfos was founded in 1945. With over 70 years of development, the company has become a global corporation, one of the biggest pump solutions providers. About one seventh of the world population has benefited from Grundfoss products.
Through more than 80 companies, Grundfos are directly accessible in 56 countries across North America, Europe, China, Asia Pacific and other new markets. The company employs around 19,000 people at present.
Grundfos focuses on developing advanced technology and environment friendly solutions to provide the market with high quality, energy saving pumps.
Grundfos Vietnam, which was established in the end of 2008 with 100% investment from Grundfos Corporation, has provided clean water to thousands of households in Ben Tre and Ca Mau provinces through its community projects using solar pump and pump stations./.
Ayesha, a 20-year-old Rohingya refugee victim of rape, said five men in military uniform had come into her house and one raped her while the others looked on
Shamila clutches her daughter's hand so tightly it turns white as she recounts how soldiers broke into her home in Myanmar and gang-raped her in front of her children -- a story heard over and over in Bangladesh refugee camps.
UN observers say they have seen scores of rape and gang rape survivors among the Rohingya who have fled ethnic violence in Myanmar in recent weeks.
Almost all said the perpetrators were men in uniform who they identified as Myanmar military.
Those cases, experts say, are almost certainly the tip of the iceberg.
The social stigma surrounding rape in their conservative Muslim society and the challenge of finding shelter and food means many women and girls have likely not yet come forward.
Shamila, not her real name, says she was still bleeding from the attack when she arrived in Bangladesh after walking for three days.
"All three soldiers raped me," she said, tears in her eyes, as she gripped the hand of the six-year-old sitting beside her in a pink vest and shorts.
"When they left, I ran out of the house with two of my children and followed the crowd of people running for their lives."
Shamila's husband was out when the attack happened and she has not seen him since. She does not know where her other three children are -- they were playing outside when the soldiers came and had disappeared by the time it was over, she said.
The story of the 25-year-old who now lives in a makeshift camp, is one UN observers say they have heard time and again from Rohingya women and adolescent girls fleeing the eruption of violence that started on August 25.
UN observers say they have seen scores of rape and gang rape survivors among the Rohingya who have fled ethnic violence in Myanmar in recent weeks.
A UN fact-finding mission is working in the refugee camps to investigate allegations of rights abuses in Myanmar, including sexual violence.
UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten said this week she was "gravely concerned" about security operations in Myanmar's Rakhine state.
Survivors have described sexual violence being used as a "calculated tool of terror to force targeted populations to flee", she said.
- Bruised and bitten -
The Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority, are reviled in Buddhist Myanmar where they are regarded as illegal immigrants.
Hundreds of thousands have fled to Bangladesh in recent decades, but the scale of the latest exodus is unprecedented at 429,000.
Now doctors in Bangladesh say they are starting to see survivors come forward.
Their stories are strikingly similar -- soldiers broke into their homes when husbands and male relatives were out and raped them in front of their children.
Nourin Tasnupa, who works at a clinic run by the UN's migration agency at the Leda refugee camp, said most of the survivors she had treated were beaten before they were raped.
She said she had seen women with bruising on their bodies and bite marks on their breasts and genitals.
Based on her experience of the last outbreak of violence in Rakhine in October 2016, Tasnupa believes many women have yet to come forward.
Shamila, a 25-year-old Rohingya refugee victim of rape, soldiers broke into her home in Myanmar and gang-raped her in front of her children
"People don't want to share these incidents with even their family members," she told AFP.
"With the last influx (of Rohingya to Bangladesh, in October), we got cases even after three to four months."
Human Rights Watch has said the sexual violence seen in October appeared "part of a coordinated and systematic attack against Rohingya".
- 'Fight for survival' -
UN experts in Bangladesh say there appear to be fewer rape survivors among the latest arrivals.
But they also say the chaos caused by the sheer number of arrivals since August 25 means the true scale is impossible to determine.
"At the moment it's a fight for survival," said Irine Loria, protection officer for gender-based violence at the UN migration agency.
Loria said the rapes this time appeared to be different in nature and may be more opportunistic.
"Before it seems rape was being used as a tool. People were paraded naked in public, humiliated," she said.
"This time it appears it is more about pushing them out as fast as possible."
That fits with testimony given to AFP by Ayesha, 20, who came to the clinic in Leda a week after arriving in Bangladesh from Rakhine.
When soldiers came to her village in Buthidaung township in northern Rakhine her neighbours fled.
"They came to our village at eight in the morning and they started burning down houses," said Ayesha, whose name AFP has also changed.
"People were fleeing, but I had to take care of my child first."
Five men in military uniforms came into her house and one raped her while the others looked on, she said. Her husband had already left the village after rumours spread that Rohingya men would be rounded up.
Ayesha has not seen her husband since, but she has learned that he made it to Bangladesh and is hoping to be reunited with him soon.
Shamila's situation is even more difficult.
"I don't know where my husband or my other children are. I keep asking people but I still have no news," she said sadly, before picking up her daughter and heading back to the small bamboo shelter they now call home.
Cashews have become quite the cash cow for Guinea Bissau
Sustained global demand for cashews has helped Guinea-Bissau's farmers rake in record prices, but the industry wants a crack at more revenue by processing the wonder nut at home.
Demand for cashews has risen 31 percent globally over the last decade, according to the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council (INC), driven by its popularity in Asia and cashews' image as a healthy ingredient in the West.
"I have never earned as much money as this year," said Braima Seidi, a cashew farmer who has collected enough this season to build a house, purchase a motorbike, and buy a tonne of rice for his family.
"I always managed about two-and-a-half tonnes, but as the prices were low my income was too," Seidi said, celebrating a three-tonne harvest this time.
Cashew nuts grow nestled against a fruit, and entire families in Guinea-Bissau gather during harvest season to pull them from the trees, separate the nuts and pack them into sacks destined for the capital.
The fruits are pressed and the liquid that seeps out stored to make juice or ferment a type of wine, while the pulp is dried to produce feed for livestock.
In this deeply impoverished west African nation, where 12 percent of land is dedicated to cashew production, GDP is projected to be up 5.2 percent this year, UN Special Representative to Guinea-Bissau Modibo Toure said in late August, thanks in part to the high prices.
- Foreign buyers back -
The record revenues come down to two factors: a determination by the state to correct a negative price differential with producers in neighbouring Senegal, and the re-engagement of foreign buyers in Bissau's markets.
President Jose Mario Vaz temporarily suspended the sale of the nuts in May after discovering that in Casamance, Senegal, cashews were sold for 1,000 FCFA (1.5 euros, $1.8) per kilo, while Guinea-Bissau's farmers were getting paid half of that at best.
Buyers from abroad, temporarily absent from local markets, have been welcomed back, and Indian, Chinese and Mauritanian agents have duly sent prices soaring to 1,500 FCFA per kilo.
This year the quantity exported will reach 200,000 tonnes, up a solid 6 percent from 2016, according to the National Cashew Agency (ANC).
The revenues of producers, meanwhile, are expected to soar to $70-80 million from around $40-50 million last year.
"Never in living memory have the producers' prices reached this level," Mamadu Nene Balde, a representative of the country's farming communities, said in a recent meeting with President Vaz.
- Focus on processing -
Guinea-Bissau is Africa's third-largest cashew producer after Ivory Coast and Tanzania, and Africa produces 56 percent of the world's cashew crop, according to the INC.
Most of Bissau's cashews are exported raw, but now the industry wants to boost lucrative processing at home
However, only around one percent of cashews are processed for consumption and for use in cosmetics and industry on the continent, meaning Africa is missing out on an opportunity for added revenue.
Guinea-Bissau's cashews are almost all exported raw to China, India and Vietnam for processing, with just 20,000 tonnes transformed at home, including into biscuits and grilled snacks, by a handful of family firms in the former Portuguese colony.
"Our countries export almost all of our crop to other countries, where added value is created," said Georgette Taraf, President of the African Cashew Alliance at a meeting in Bissau last year.
But "Africa has opened its eyes to the potential of the cashew" she said.
Capturing more of the processing of cashews would generate both more jobs and profits.
But the Guinea-Bissau government is already enjoying the health benefits of cashew exports on its revenues this year, with the 128 million euros raised in export taxes equal to nearly half of the entire national budget.
Ponso is the last survivor of a colony of 20 apes who mysteriously died or vanished on "Chimpanzee Island" in Ivory Coast
"Oooah! Oooah!" Screeching to see visitors on the forested "Chimpanzee Island" in Ivory Coast, Ponso is the last, lonely survivor of a colony of 20 apes who mysteriously died or vanished.
An effort is under way to keep Ponso alive and well in a west African country where the ape population has plummeted by 90 percent in just two decades.
Chimpanzee Island adjoins the village of Grand-Lahou in the Bandaman estuary, an outlying reach of tropical forest about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the commercial capital, Abidjan.
Only Ponso remains of the group of chimpanzees relocated to the tiny island from Liberia in 1983 by a research laboratory for medical tests.
Since August 2015, the association Les Amis de Ponso (Friends of Ponso) has paid for the animal's food and for a dedicated carer, Germain Djenemaya Koidja, according to a wooden signpost near the landing stage and the website sosponso.org.
Two years ago, Ponso suffered a traumatic loss when his female companion and two children all died of unknown causes, says Koidja, a retired farmer in his 60s.
Since then, the animal has been "the world's loneliest chimp", as SOS Ponso puts it.
- Part of the family -
Ponso's dedicated carer Germain Djenemaya Koidja says the ape is "like my child"
Every morning, barefoot, Koidja pushes through the water lilies on a makeshift boat to carry food and medication to the island, which lies just a few metres (yards) offshore.
He is welcomed with cries and acrobatics by Ponso, an ape about a metre (three feet) tall leaping from one branch to the next.
"Ponso is like my child. I don't want to see him go... I'm making a call to have someone send me another female," says Koidja, whose family specialises in primates, from his father down to Junior, his 21-year-old son.
The small village community shares his determination to save Ponso, whom residents now consider to be part of the family.
The chimpanzee's isolation has also moved Francoise Stephenson, the Franco-American owner of a hotel in Lahou who has become the leader of a rescue committee.
- 'An Ivorian citizen' -
"I have accepted the role of intermediary between well-wishers and Germain," says Stephenson, who is in her 60s and has come to know Ponso well.
"During my last visit, we exchanged kisses and praise, he put his nails in my ears and then my nose," Stephenson says. "I left the island with the impression that I was coming down from another planet."
Ponso's salvation has become a textbook case for African primatologists confronted with poaching and deforestation
Ponso's fate has been taken up by the new African Primatological Society (APS), which held its first congress this year to respond to a catastrophe that may see more than half of Africa's primate species doomed to disappear.
In the large island nation of Madagascar alone, off the southeast African mainland coast, about 85 percent of the famous wide-eyed lemur population is threatened.
"Ponso's story is rather touching," says the APS president, the Ivorian Inza Kone, who is also director of the Swiss Centre for Scientific Research in Ivory Coast (CSRS).
"A plan to transfer (the ape) to a sanctuary in Zambia was mooted by NGOs to end his solitude. But Ivorian authorities refused, arguing that Ponso was a non-transferable Ivorian citizen," Kone adds.
Ponso's salvation has become a textbook case for African primatologists confronted with poaching, deforestation and the need to mobilise resources to help animals.
"From a scientific and even ethical point of view, it's clear that Ponso must be brought out of this situation of isolation, as soon as possible. There are two methods, sending him company or taking him somewhere else," Kone says.
Specialists are wary, however, about finding companionship for Ponso, since nobody has clearly explained the deaths and disappearances on his island in the last 20 years.
- Sanctuary? -
One school of thought holds out for prolonged care and company, arguing that to move Ponso elsewhere would be admitting an inability to protect the last primates in the tropical forest, where their ecological worth is incontestable.
Specialists are wary about finding companionship for Ponso, since nobody has clearly explained the deaths and disappearances on his island
"These great apes are cousins with whom we share 80 percent of our genes. A single family lives in a very large territory (25 square kilometres, 9.6 square miles) and can travel 15 kilometres (nine miles) per day. All along the route, it eats and leaves waste and grains that grow to make the space green again," says Bassirou Bonfoh, chief director of the CSRS.
Most people see the creation of a chimpanzee sanctuary as the most viable solution. "The sanctuary will reproduce the natural life setting of the animal and enable him to be in contact with his fellow apes," Kone says.
African primatologists are ready to back this project, but count on a political will to help, which they have so far found insufficient.
"Ponso is the torchbearer of this initiative to create a sanctuary in Ivory Coast," Kone says. "We have to hope that the efforts to set it up get there before it's too late."
President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner of the August 8 election but the Supreme Court ordered the vote annulled
Kenya's chief prosecutor has ordered the police and anti-corruption agency to investigate the country's election commission for alleged "irregularities and illegalities" in the conduct of August's annulled presidential poll.
Director of public prosecutions Keriako Tobiko said the wide-ranging investigations into the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) must be completed within 21 days.
A fresh presidential election between President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga is due on October 26.
In a letter sent Saturday to the heads of Kenya's criminal investigations department and anti-corruption commission, Tobiko ordered, "thorough, comprehensive and expeditious investigations into the irregularities and illegalities found by the SCOK (Supreme Court of Kenya) to have been committed by the IEBC in relation to the Presidential Election with a view to establishing whether electoral and/or other criminal offences (including corruption and economic crimes) may have been committed by the IEBC officials or any of them and those who may have aided, abetted, counselled or procured commission of any such offence(s)."
Kobiko also said police and the anti-corruption agency should investigate allegations made by Odinga's National Super Alliance (NASA) against 11 specific, senior IEBC commissioners accused of offences, and allegations from Kenyatta's Jubilee Party that two senior NASA leaders, Musalia Mudavadi and James Orengo, illegally accessed IEBC records.
Kenya's Supreme Court annulled the August 8 presidential election, in which Kenyatta was declared winner, following a legal challenge from Odinga.
The annulment has heightened political tensions in Kenya, with Kenyatta describing the court decision as "a judicial coup" while Odinga has threatened to boycott the new election unless the IEBC is overhauled.
Saeb Erekat, former Palestinian chief negotiator and PLO secretary general, is in hospital in the US awaiting a lung transplant
Former Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said Sunday he is awaiting a lung transplant in the United States, after several years of battling pulmonary fibrosis.
Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and a prominent Palestinian official for decades, issued a video message on his health via social media.
He is being treated in Virginia in the Washington area.
"After reading a few baseless rumours, I have completed my medical tests," the 62-year-old said.
"Now I am on the priority waiting list to get a lung transplant any day depending on finding a matching donor."
Erekat, an academic with a perfect command of English, has been part of every team to negotiate with Israel since 1991, with the notable exception of those who secretly hammered out the 1993 Oslo Accords.
Born in Jerusalem, he has been a key figure in the Palestinian political landscape, an indispensable briefer for foreign envoys and a suave tactician who can register indignation when necessary.
Erekat, who now lives in Jericho in the occupied West Bank, was close to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and has been a stalwart presence in the inner circle of Arafat's successor, president Mahmud Abbas.
Israel-Palestinian peace efforts have been at a standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in 2014.
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Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi speaks during the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York
Yemen's civil war will "most likely" require a military solution because of Tehran's influence, the country's Saudi-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
"The military solution is the most likely because it is not their (the Huthis') decision to make," he said in an interview with Al-Arabiya television broadcast at the weekend, referring to the rebels and their backers, Iran.
"Even if you come to an agreement with them, they call up Iran ... back out, and then you don't have a deal," he said.
The interview came just days after the third anniversary of the Huthi takeover of Sanaa, which the rebels control in coordination with forces loyal to Yemen's ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The rebels were in March 2015 on the verge of seizing total control of Yemen when Saudi Arabia formed an Arab military coalition and intervened in support of Hadi's forces.
Hadi, who has taken refuge in the Saudi capital Riyadh, said that US policy in the region had improved under President Donald Trump.
"The American position now is better than it was under (hir predecessor Barack) Obama, because Obama's priority was getting the nuclear deal," which had allowed Iran to "expand" its influence, he said.
Hadi said Obama's secretary of state John Kerry had proposed he govern with a vice president chosen by the Huthis, a proposal he had refused.
In contrast, Hadi said his government was on the same page as the Trump administration with a common goal "to increase pressure on the Huthis and on Iran".
Although he largely discounted the negotiations track, Hadi said his internationally-recognised government would "continue to extend its hand to peace".
Villages were torched in the chaotic aftermath of Myanmar's crackdown on Rohingya militants
Myanmar's army said Sunday that a mass grave of 28 Hindus had been discovered in violence-wracked Rakhine state, blaming the killings on Muslim Rohingya militants.
The announcement could not be independently verified in an region that has been seized by communal violence since Rohingya militant raids on August 25 triggered a sweeping security crackdown.
"Security members found and dug up 28 dead bodies of Hindus who were cruelly violently and killed by ARSA extremist Bengali terrorists in Rakhine State," a statement posted on the army chief's website said.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) is the group whose attacks on police posts triggered an army backlash so brutal that the UN believes it amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority.
More than 430,000 Rohingya have fled the region to Bangladesh in under a month.
Some 30,000 Hindus and Buddhists based in the area have also been displaced, with some saying were terrorised by Rohingya militants.
The army said that security officers found 20 dead women and eight men in the graves, including six boys under the age of ten.
Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay confirmed the discovery of the 28 bodies on Sunday.
A senior police officer in northern Rakhine told AFP they had been "buried with 10-15 bodies in each hole."
The village where the army chief said the bodies were found, Ye Baw Kya, is near a cluster of Hindu and Muslim communities in northern Rakhine called Kha Maung Seik.
Hindus from the area have told AFP that militants swept into their villages on August 25, attacking people who stood in their way, killing many and taking others away into the forest.
A Malian policeman walks with UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) peacekeping forces in Timbuktu during a joint patrol in May 2016
At least three UN peacekeepers were killed Sunday when their vehicle hit an explosive device in Mali's troubled north, the UN's mission to the conflict-torn country said.
MINUSMA said the attack, which left another five soldiers seriously wounded, took place early Sunday on a road between the city of Gao and a village called Anefis.
In a separate statement, the Bangladeshi armed forces said three of its soldiers had been killed and another four wounded when their vehicle hit the explosive device.
"A mine hit our peacekeepers," said MINUSMA force commander Jean-Paul Deconinck.
In a statement, a spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the world body condemned the attack and conveyed his condolences to Bangladesh and to the bereaved families.
The statement stressed UN determination to bring lasting peace and security to Mali by expediting the implementation of the peace agreement to isolate all groups bent on constructing the peace and reconciliation process.
Deputy UN mission head Koen Davidse condemned the attack but underlined its determination to support the Bamako government in its efforts to make a fragile 2015 peace deal a reality.
The blast came a day after Bangladeshi peacekeepers successfully fended off another attack, their contingent said.
On September 5, two MINUSMA peacekeepers were killed and another two seriously wounded in a similar attack on their vehicle in the northeast.
There are frequent clashes between rival armed groups in northern Mali which is also a haven for jihadist activity.
Since 2013, when MINUSMA was deployed in Mali, 80 peacekeepers have been killed, making it the most costly UN mission in terms of human life since Somalia (1993-1995).
In 2012, key cities fell under the control of Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist groups who exploited an ethnic Tuareg-led rebel uprising, leading to a French-led military intervention and the UN deployment a year later.
Although the Islamists were largely ousted, much of the region is lawless despite a ceasefire which former rebels and pro-government fighters said they signed last week after talks in Bamako, with attacks continuing on UN and French forces, civilians and the Malian army.
Iran says it successfully launched a medium-range missile September 23, in defiance of warnings from Washington that such activities were grounds for abandoning their nuclear deal
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif branded Washington "unreliable" Sunday in response to threats over the future of a nuclear deal with Iran.
"What the United States is doing, in addition to being unpredictable -- which might sometimes work -- is proving that it is unreliable," Zarif told CNN.
The deal, agreed in 2015 between Iran and six world powers -- the United States, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany -- lifts economic sanctions put in place in 2005 in exchange for curbs to Tehran's nuclear program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is responsible for verifying that Iran meets the terms of the agreement.
But since arriving in the White House, Donald Trump has attacked the deal on numerous occasions, vowing to tear it up.
"Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it," he told the UN General Assembly Tuesday.
The president cast further doubt over the deal after the Islamic republic tested a new medium-range Khoramshahr missile Saturday.
"Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!" Trump tweeted.
But Zarif brushed off the threat, saying Washington cannot act alone to end the agreement.
"This is not a bilateral agreement," he told CNN's Fareed Zakaria.
"It's not even a multilateral treaty. It's a Security Council agreement and the United States is a member of the Security Council."
The foreign minister added that Donald Trump's certification of whether Iran is abiding by the deal -- due mid-October -- is an "internal procedure" that in itself does not endanger the agreement.
"The only authority that has been recognized in the nuclear deal to verify is the IAEA," he said.
But according to diplomats, "non-certification" by Trump would lead to re-imposition of sanctions and the "political death" of the agreement.
Zarif said Iran will "consider its options" if Trump tells Congress on October 15 he believes it is not complying with the deal and it is not in US interests to stick by it.
"Iran has a number of options, which include walking away from the deal and going back with greater speed with its nuclear program, which will remain peaceful -- but which will not address and accept the limitations that we voluntarily accepted over our nuclear program," he said.
Nuclear brinkmanship between North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and US President Donald Trump sends global tensions soaring
Spiking nuclear tensions between the United States and North Korea showed little sign of abating Sunday as Russia warned of a "very unpredictable nosedive" if Washington does not ease up on its fiery war of words with Pyongyang.
US bombers and fighter escorts flew off the coast of North Korea on Saturday and US President Donald Trump took to Twitter with verbal threats as the brinkmanship with Pyongyang intensified.
"Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!", Trump wrote.
The bellicose rhetoric comes as international alarm mounts over Pyongyang's weapons ambitions -- including a suggestion last week that the country is considering detonating an H-bomb over the Pacific.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cautioned that a softer touch was needed to defuse the crisis.
Only "caresses, suggestion and persuasion" will work, Lavrov told Russia's NTV television in an interview that aired Sunday.
If the US does not ease up, he said, "we could drop into a very unpredictable nosedive and tens if not hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens of South Korea but also North Korea, of course, and Japan will suffer -- and Russia and China are nearby."
Despite the heated exchanges, Lavrov said the United States would not take military action against North Korea because "they know for sure that it has nuclear bombs."
"I'm not defending North Korea. I'm just saying that almost everyone agrees with such an analysis," he said.
- Insult for insult -
Matching insult for insult, Trump and Korean leader Kim Jong-un have taken the standoff into bitter personal territory.
Trump used his maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to warn that Washington would "totally destroy" the North if America or its allies were threatened.
Pyongyang, which says it needs nuclear weapons to protect itself against the threat of a US invasion, responded on Friday with a rare personal rebuke from Kim, who called Trump "mentally deranged" and threatened the "highest level of hardline countermeasure in history."
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho took things further. He, too, dismissed Trump as deranged, and said the US president's threats had increased the chances of military confrontation.
Ri told the UN General Assembly in New York that Trump's vow to destroy his country had made "our rockets' visit to the entire US mainland all the more inevitable."
On the fringes of the UN meeting last week, Ri upped the tensions further, telling reporters Pyongyang might now consider detonating a hydrogen bomb outside its territory.
Monitoring groups estimate that a nuclear test conducted in North Korea earlier this month had a yield of 250 kilotons, which is 16 times the size of the US bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.
- Show of force -
In a show of force, US B-1 bombers took off from the Pacific territory of Guam and flew over international waters off the east coast of North Korea, accompanied by F-15C fighters based in Okinawa, Japan.
US bombers have carried out similar flights before, but the Pentagon stressed this was the furthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas that any US fighter or bomber has flown off North Korea's coast in this century.
"This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said.
"We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies."
Washington announced tougher restrictions Friday aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program, building on tough new UN sanctions aimed at choking Pyongyang of cash.
US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the executive order "gives the Treasury more authorities than we've ever had before."
"The president is very committed to blocking economic transactions and that's what this is all about," he said on CNN's "State of the Union" show.
During his two-day visit, Hue met with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico on September 21st, during which he affirmed Vietnam attaches importance to relations with traditional friends, including Slovakia.
He proposed Slovakia promote ties between the European Union (EU) and Vietnam.
PM Fico expressed his admiration for the Vietnamese peoples achievements in the cause of national building and development.
The two countries relations will develop sustainably based on the traditional friendly ties and shared common values, he said, adding that Slovakia supports the development of Vietnam-EU ties, including the signing and ratification of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement.
The PM suggested increasing people-to-people exchanges to help young generations understand the long-standing relations between the two countries.
He also hailed the contributions of the Vietnamese community in Slovakia and affirmed Slovakia will create the best conditions for Vietnamese expatriates to integrate into the host society and preserve their national identity.
Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue in Trnava (Source: VNA)
The same day, Hue attended a workshop on promoting Vietnam-Slovakia investment with more than 100 businesses in Slovakia and Central and Eastern Europe represented.
He highlighted the countrys socio-economic accomplishments, development plans and incentives to encourage investment in Vietnam.
There is a plenty of room and opportunity for Slovakian firms to make use of business and investment opportunities in Vietnam and vice versa, he said.
He called on Slovakian enterprises to invest in Vietnam in the fields of their strengths such as automobile and spare parts manufacturing, mechanics, industrial equipment, electronics, and infrastructure development.
The official introduced Vietnams processed farm produce, aquatic products, electronics, and high-quality consumer products, which are available for Slovakias 5.5 million customers.
He noted that there are ample opportunities for Slovakias industrial products, mechanics, energy and food to access Vietnam, and then on to ASEAN and Asia-Pacific markets.
While meeting with some leading businesses in Slovakia on the sidelines of the workshop, Deputy PM Hue asked the Slovakian groups to invest in Vietnam.
He also exchanged information on potential investment projects in Vietnam such as hi-tech industry, electronics, renewable energy, hi-tech agriculture, and information technology.
At a meeting with representatives of the Vietnamese community in the Central and Eastern European region, including Slovakia, the Republic of Czech, Poland, and Hungary, Hue said he hoped the overseas Vietnamese will continue serving as a bridge to connect the two nations./.
Qataris take to the streets of Doha to welcome back the Emir upon his return from his first trip abroad during the ongoing Gulf diplomatic crisis on September 24, 2017
Thousands of Qataris lined the streets of central Doha Sunday to welcome back the emir as he returned from his first trip abroad during the ongoing Gulf diplomatic crisis.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani travelled to Turkey, France, Germany and the US -- where he addressed the UN General Assembly -- his first overseas engagement since Qatar was isolated politically by neighbouring states.
The emir was greeted by crowds numbering in their thousands as his car, part of a large convoy, wound its way slowly through the capital, said an AFP correspondent on the spot.
People waved flags, danced on top of cars and children wore T-shirts depicting the ruler's face to show support for him.
Footage on social media showed him leaving his car to greet some well-wishers at one point.
Saud al-Abdullah, who was waiting to cheer the emir along with his wife and four children, said people had come voluntarily.
"It is a message of loyalty and support to our leadership," he told AFP.
"Qatar is a peaceful country and we do not want troubles with any country."
Foreigners were also in the crowds. Almost 90 percent of Qatar's population is made up of expatriates.
Qatar has been accused by Saudi Arabia and others of supporting extremism and fostering ties with Iran, charges which it denies.
The first leader Sheikh Tamim met on his trip was Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on September 15, more than 100 days since the onset of the crisis.
That first meeting was also notable as Sheikh Tamim had been the first foreign leader to contact Erdogan during the July 2016 attempted coup in Turkey.
SWAT and Nashville Metro Police trucks, pictured in 2015 in Antioch, Tennessee
A masked gunman opened fire Sunday at a church near Nashville, Tennessee, killing a woman, wounding six more people and pistol-whipping another, police said.
The gunman, who is 26, shot himself after being confronted by an usher at the Church of Christ Burnette Chapel and has been hospitalized. But his life is not believed to be in danger, police spokesman Don Aaron told reporters.
In the latest chapter of America's epidemic of gun violence, police said the shooter, an African-American wearing a sort of ski mask, arrived at the church in a blue SUV as parishioners were leaving Sunday services and immediately shot a woman in the parking lot. She died later of her wounds.
He then entered the rear of the church while about 50 people were still inside and fired multiple rounds, wounding six more people, Aaron said.
After that gunfire, the usher ran up to the shooter and confronted him, and was pistol-whipped in the head.
Bleeding, the usher went outside to his vehicle and retrieved a licensed gun and went back into the church, the spokesman said.
"According to him, it was then that the gunman shot himself," Aaron said.
When police arrived at the church, the engine of the shooter's car was still running.
"It would appear he was not expecting a brave individual like the church usher to initiate the struggle and confrontation," Aaron said.
"This gentleman, this church usher (is) an extraordinarily brave individual."
Aaron said he did not know of any relationship between the gunman and the people at the church. While the gunman has been identified, authorities have yet to provide any more details on his identity.
The Nashville Fire Department said most of those wounded in the shooting were over the age of 60.
MEXICO CITY (AP) - The Latest on Mexico's major earthquake (all times local):
11 p.m.
Mexico's federal prosecutors' office says one of its employees has died in the crash of a helicopter that was carrying aid to a remote village in Oaxaca state. The office started aid flights to supply the village after an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck on Sept. 7, killing 96 people.
Rescue workers move buckets of rubble from the site of an office building felled by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake, as they search for people who are believed to be trapped inside, at the corner of Alvaro Obregon and Yucatan streets in Mexico City, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. Mexican officials are promising to keep up the search for survivors as rescue operations stretch into a fourth day following Tuesday's major earthquake that devastated Mexico City and nearby states. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
The office said three of its employees and two Red Cross aid workers were aboard the helicopter when it crashed, but only one, an aircraft maintenance employee, died.
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9:45 p.m.
The morgue service in Mexico City is reporting that eight foreigners are among the city's 155 dead in Tuesday's magnitude 7.1 earthquake.
The city's justice tribunal said Friday the dead include four Taiwanese women. One of the buildings that collapsed in the quake housed a business listed as Asia Jenny Importaciones, S.A. de C.V. A South Korean man was also confirmed dead.
A Panamanian woman died, as did one man from Spain and one from Argentina.
Some of the areas hardest hit by building collapses included part of the city's near-west side that are favored by foreigners.
One woman's body that has yet to be identified remained at the morgue.
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8:05 p.m.
The frustrated urge among volunteers to help - even though they no longer have much to offer after professional rescuers took over following Mexico's 7.1-magnitude quake - came to a head on Friday.
For days, the family of Laura Ramos had gathered outside the apartment building where Ramos lived, and whose ground floor pancaked in Tuesday's quake. The family wanted rescuers to enter, but authorities deemed it too dangerous; the building was leaning and could fall down at any moment.
So finally, the family approved efforts to dismantle the building to reach what would probably be Ramos' body.
But someone, unknown to the family, had filed a court injunction to block the controlled demolition. There has been a strong and vocal movement against the use of heavy machinery, for fears it could kill any survivors. But in this case, the family wanted the demolition to go forward.
On Friday, Ramos' daughter published an emotional appeal asking for the injunction to be withdrawn.
Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong reposted the video, saying "giving out false information has consequences. Here is one example of how it is blocking a recovery effort."
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7:40 p.m.
Inhabitants of the villages that dot the largely rural southern edge of Mexico City say they feel abandoned, as aid and rescue workers focused on the 38 buildings that collapsed nearer the city's downtown district.
Jaime Perez, the local historian of the village of San Gregorio Atlapulco, was pulled from the rubble of the Sept. 19 quake that destroyed his house, but he hasn't received any aid yet.
Downtown aid stations are overflowing with food, drinks and air volunteers, but the poorer southern villages have largely been left to themselves. Neighbors rescued Perez and his wife from the rubble of his house, and he still wears a bandage on his arm. He now has nowhere to live. Authorities say about 121 of the villages houses were severely damaged.
"It is unfortunate that the Condesa and other neighborhoods with rich people and tourists get the aid. We are a village, and we need a lot of aid," Perez said.
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7:30 p.m.
In Mexico City, Jorge Daniel Huitzil and Erika Castillo Aparicio are spending their first night as husband and wife sleeping beneath a tarp in a makeshift quake shelter.
They had plans to tie the knot this week in a civil ceremony followed by a church service and a reception. But Tuesday's deadly magnitude-7.1 earthquake turned their world upside down.
Their apartment building was damaged so severely that it's too dangerous to live there, and the young couple wanted to postpone the nuptials. But then they learned they would lose their slot at city hall - and the 1,019 pesos (about $60) they had paid to reserve it.
A beaming Huitzil said Friday, bride at his side: "We were not able to cancel it, so we had our wedding today."
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4:10 p.m.
Mexico's navy says it has rescued 115 people alive from the rubble of buildings in Mexico City that collapsed due to Tuesday's deadly quake.
The navy also says in a statement that it has recovered 88 bodies.
About 1,300 navy personnel are taking part in rescue efforts in various parts of the Mexican capital, alongside other brigades including police, Red Cross workers and civilian volunteers.
Authorities raised the death toll to 293 on Friday.
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3:15 p.m.
Mexican authorities have raised the death toll from Tuesday's earthquake to 293, with more than half the fatalities in the capital.
National Civil Protection chief Luis Felipe Puente says there are 155 dead in Mexico City.
In a tweet Friday, Puente said the tolls remain unchanged elsewhere with 73 in Morelos, 45 in Puebla, 13 in Mexico state, six in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.
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10:15 a.m.
Cristal Estrada is pacing back and forth with a blanket wrapped around her near the tent where she spent the night on the street in Mexico City's Roma Norte neighborhood.
She is worried about her brother Martin, a 31-year-old accountant, who is believed to be in the remains of a seven-story office building across the street that collapsed in Tuesday's earthquake.
Estrada says she's frustrated that she can't do anything herself to help remove the rubble. Rescuers continue to say there's life in the wrecked building, but there's no telling whether that includes her brother.
Estrada worries that "they do not have much time in there."
Officials say scores of people have been rescued alive from collapse buildings, but at least 286 are known to be dead.
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8:35 a.m.
Rescue efforts were suspended overnight at a quake-collapsed seven-story building in Mexico City's Roma Norte neighborhood as rain drenched the area and destabilized the pile of rubble.
Workers were eager to restart under overcast but dry conditions as soon as experts confirm it's safe to do so.
Jose Gutierrez is a relative of someone believed to be in the wreckage of the building, and also a civil engineer.
He gathered other families of the missing amid an ad-hoc campsite of tents, tarps and plastic chairs on Friday to let them know what was going on.
A list of 46 names of missing people was attached to a nearby lamppost.
Gutierrez's voice broke with emotion as he spoke: "My family is there. I want them to get out, so ... we go onward."
Rescuers from countries including the United States, Israel, Japan and Panama were at the site.
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7:55 a.m.
Mexican authorities have raised the death toll from Tuesday's earthquake to 286, with more than half of them in the capital.
National Civil Protection chief Luis Felipe Puente says 148 people are confirmed dead in Mexico City.
He reports in a tweet sent Friday that there were also 73 deaths in the state of Morelos, 45 in Puebla, 13 in Mexico, six in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.
A family sleeps on a square after being displaced from their home due to the risk of collapse, in the aftermath of a 7.1 earthquake, in Mexico City, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. Those who witnessed buildings collapse said the tragedy could have been much worse. Some buildings didn't fall immediately, giving people time to escape, and some shattered but left airspaces where occupants survived. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
CORRECTS BYLINE - The Topos search and rescue team is held back by the police as they attempted to enter the site of a building felled by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake, in Mexico City, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017. The Topos are a famous Mexican search and rescue team specialized in searching for victims under the debris of collapsed buildings and giving first aid. The group wast formed in the aftermath of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake. The police eventually relented and allowed the Topos in the site. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Family members embrace as they wait for news of their relatives outside a quake-collapsed seven-story building in Mexico City's Roma Norte neighborhood, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. Mexican officials are promising to keep up the search for survivors as rescue operations stretch into a fourth day following Tuesday's major earthquake that devastated Mexico City and nearby states. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on health care legislation (all times local):
9 p.m.
President Donald Trump is criticizing Sen. John McCain for opposing Republican efforts to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama's health care law.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks to the media, accompanied by Senate Majority Whip Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Trump is calling McCain's opposition "sad" and "a horrible, horrible thing" for the Republican Party.
McCain declared his opposition Friday to the GOP's last-ditch effort to repeal and replace "Obamacare," dealing a likely death blow to the legislation.
It's the second time in three months the 81-year-old McCain has emerged as the destroyer of his party's signature promise to voters.
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5 p.m.
Sen. Bernie Sanders says more Republicans should take a cue from Sen. John McCain and oppose the party's latest proposal to overhaul the health care system.
Sanders is praising McCain's for using his "conscience" in opposing the plan, but says the struggle to stop the GOP bill is not over.
Sanders is touting his own "Medicare for all" health care plan during a nurses union conference in San Francisco.
The Vermont independent is urging the nurses to show Republicans they will pay a "heavy political price" for backing any health care bill that eliminates coverage for millions of Americans.
Still, Sanders says, defending President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law is not enough. He says Democrats must go further and back his plan to expand Medicare coverage for everyone.
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4:45 p.m.
Vice President Mike Pence is tweeting about the benefits of the latest Republican proposal to repeal the Obama health care law, even though its prospects are grim.
Pence writes on Twitter that the legislation is "the right bill at the right time to repeal and replace" the health care law.
He says that although the "opposition is forming up," he and President Donald Trump "are undeterred."
Pence's tweets didn't mention Republican Sen. John McCain's announcement that he will oppose the bill, which is likely a death blow for the legislation.
Pence was in Indiana Friday to push the administration's efforts on health care and overhauling the tax code.
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4:15 p.m.
A Louisiana senator who helped write the Republican health care bill says he's disappointed in Sen. John McCain's decision to oppose it.
GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy says he'll keep working for families that can't afford health coverage.
McCain announced his opposition earlier Friday to the bill aimed at repealing much of President Barack Obama's health care law. The Arizona Republican's opposition makes it extremely likely that the legislation won't survive.
Cassidy wrote the bill with South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Senate leaders have planned a showdown on the legislation next week. It's unclear now whether a vote will occur.
Two other Republican senators seem ready to oppose the legislation. All Democrats oppose the measure, and "no" votes from just three Republicans mean it would lose.
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3:40 p.m.
A chief sponsor of the teetering Senate Republican drive to erase the Obama health care law says he's not giving up, even though Sen. John McCain has dealt the effort a near-fatal blow.
South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham says, "We press on."
Graham says his friendship with McCain is not based on his votes, but instead on "how he's lived his life and the person he is."
Graham says he disagrees with the Arizona Republican's opposition to the GOP repeal bill. He says the measure remains the best chance to scrap and replace President Barack Obama's health care law.
The bill would transfer health care decision-making and funding from Washington to the states.
A Senate showdown is expected next week. The drive now seems likely to fail.
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3:10 p.m.
A leading Senate Democrat says she's willing to resume efforts to find a bipartisan deal on health care.
Washington Sen. Patty Murray made the remark after Republican Sen. John McCain said he'll oppose the GOP's last-ditch bill to repeal President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The Arizona Republican's opposition means the GOP legislation would likely die in a Senate showdown expected next week.
Murray and GOP Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander had been working toward a bipartisan bill to shore up individual health care markets. Republicans abandoned that effort last week, as they focused instead on the separate repeal bill.
Murray says she's willing to keep pursuing a compromise when Republicans give up on the repeal legislation.
Murray says in a written statement that the two parties should be "working together to find common ground."
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3 p.m.
The top Democrat in the Senate says he's assured Republican Sen. John McCain that "as soon as repeal" of Obamacare is off the table, Democrats will resume bipartisan negotiations on health care.
McCain made the stunning announcement Friday that he opposes the latest GOP bill. Moments later, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York praised McCain and spoke of fresh talks with the Republicans.
Schumer says: "John McCain shows the same courage in Congress that he showed when he was a naval aviator. I have assured Senator McCain that as soon as repeal is off the table, we Democrats are intent on resuming the bipartisan process."
McCain's opposition to the bill all but dashes GOP hopes of dismantling President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. Previously, Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander and Democratic Sen. Patty Murray had been working on a bipartisan measure.
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2:20 p.m.
Talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel is thanking Arizona Sen. John McCain for rejecting the latest Republican bill to repeal the Obama-era health care law.
McCain's statement of opposition Friday likely deals a fatal blow to the last-gasp GOP measure in a Senate showdown expected next week.
In a tweet, Kimmel thanks McCain "for being a hero again and again and now AGAIN."
Kimmel has been in a war of words with Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy over the GOP bill.
Kimmel said he felt a sense of personal betrayal from Cassidy, a co-sponsor of the bill who went on Kimmel's ABC show this spring after Kimmel talked about his newborn son's medical problems. Kimmel said he believes that Cassidy lied to him about Republican health care plans. Cassidy said the comedian was misinformed.
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2 p.m.
Sen. John McCain says he won't vote for the Republican bill repealing the Obama health care law. His statement likely deals a fatal blow to the last-gasp GOP measure in a Senate showdown expected next week.
The Arizona Republican says he can't back the partisan GOP measure because "we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats."
He also says he can't back it without knowing the proposal's impact on insurance coverage and premiums. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said its estimates on that won't be ready next week.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has said he'll oppose the bill and Maine Sen. Susan Collins says she's leaning against it.
Republicans control the Senate 52-48. All Democrats oppose the bill so three GOP "no" votes would doom it.
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12:50 p.m.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says she's "leaning against" a Republican proposal to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, despite new pressure from her state's GOP governor.
Gov. Paul LePage joined Vice President Mike Pence in Washington Friday. LePage says the bill represents the "best chance" to reform the current system and to return decision-making about funding health care to the states.
LePage cites a study from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that says Maine would gain 44 percent more in funding by 2026 under the proposal by Republican Sens. Lindsay Graham and Bill Cassidy. The same analysis shows other states would lose ground.
In Maine, Collins says there are lots of numbers floating around, and she's awaiting an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office before she makes a final decision.
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11 a.m.
Sen. Rand Paul says despite President Donald Trump's attacks on him for opposing the new GOP health care bill, the measure is a "fake" and he won't support it.
The Kentucky Republican says in an interview with The Associated Press that the White House "just wants a legislative victory, they're not as concerned with the policy" in the bill. He says the measure doesn't really repeal President Barack Obama's health care law because it leaves most of its tax increases intact.
Trump tweeted Friday that Paul or other Republicans who vote against the bill will "forever ... be known as 'the Republican who saved ObamaCare.'"
Paul says top Republicans pushing the measure toward a showdown next week have been "tarting it up with special stuff" to try winning enough votes for it to pass.
He says he doesn't resent Trump's Twitter attacks on him for opposing the bill. He says, "I'm a big boy."
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7 a.m.
President Donald Trump is lashing out at a Republican senator who opposes the last-ditch effort to overturn the Obama-era health care law.
On Twitter Friday, Trump says: "Rand Paul, or whoever votes against Hcare Bill, will forever (future political campaigns) be known as 'the Republican who saved ObamaCare.'"
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has said he'll oppose the latest bill because it doesn't abolish enough of Obama's 2010 law.
The proposal to scrap President Barack Obama's health care law would shift money and decision-making from Washington to the states. It nearly has the support it needs for the vote expected next week, a deadline that's focused the party on making a final run at the issue.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., points to a question as he speaks to the media, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
FILE - In this March 8, 2015, file photo, Jimmy Kimmel arrives at the 32nd Annual Paleyfest : "Scandal" held at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Kimmel said on Sept. 19, 2017, that Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy "lied right to my face" by going back on his word to ensure any health care overhaul passes a test the Republican lawmaker named for the late night host. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., leaves meeting of Senate Republicans, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, speaks with reporters before heading into a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) - President Donald Trump implored his supporters Friday to get behind an establishment-backed incumbent in a Republican runoff race in Alabama, arguing that Sen. Luther Strange will "drain the swamp" and doesn't know the Senate Majority Leader "at all."
Acknowledging he was putting his own political capital on the line, the president insisted to thousands of cheering fans in Huntsville, Alabama, that backing Strange - who was appointed in February to temporarily fill the seat that opened up when Jeff Sessions became attorney general - would help further the Trump agenda.
"We can only win the fights and we can only drain the swamp if we have smart, tough, tenacious leaders who know who they are and know how to deliver," Trump said. "Luther Strange is our man."
President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally for Senate candidate Luther Strange, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, in Huntsville, Ala. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Despite Trump's endorsement and heavy spending by a super political action committee tied to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Strange remains locked in a tight race against former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, a jurist known for opposing gay marriage and pushing unsuccessfully for the public display of the Ten Commandments. The runoff vote will be held Tuesday.
Trump said Strange had wrongly been branded an establishment insider, saying people have unfairly claimed Strange is "friendly with Mitch." Trump called that a "bum rap."
He also praised Strange for agreeing to back Republican health care legislation with no strings attached, saying, "That's the coolest thing that's happened to me in six months."
Trump noted the Alabama race was close, but said he appreciated Strange's support during the push to overhaul President Barack Obama's health care law. Said Trump, "We have to be loyal in life."
And Trump insisted he was taking a political risk, saying if Strange loses, "they're going to go after me."
Moore is favored by many of Trump's supporters and allies, including former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who headlined a rally for Moore Thursday night.
Moore also appears to have the support of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson - though a confidant insisted his praise wasn't an endorsement.
In a statement released by Moore's campaign, Carson called the former judge a "fine man of proven character and integrity" who "reflects the Judeo-Christian values that were so important to the establishment of our country."
But Armstrong Williams insisted the praise was "not an endorsement" and said Carson was "just showing support for his friend."
The president acknowledged he had friends who supported Moore - Including some who worked for Trump, though he joked, "They may not have a job by Monday."
Trump argued Moore will have a harder time winning the general election against Democrat Doug Jones, but still promised to campaign "like hell" for Moore if he wins.
While Trump emphasized his support for Strange, his freewheeling speech also delved into his White House agenda, as well as many of his campaign themes.
He lashed out at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, calling him a "madman." He criticized Sen. John McCain for opposing Republican efforts to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama's health care law. He discussed his long-promised border wall, called allegations of Russian election meddling a "hoax," and relived his 2016 general election victory at length.
Alabamians attending the Friday night rally were united in support of Trump, but divided over who should be the state's next senator. And for some Alabama Republicans, the support of a president they adore wasn't enough to dissuade them from supporting Moore.
"Vote for Roy Moore, a man of God," Cal Zastrow repeated to the supporters filing into the Von Braun Civic Center, often getting a thumbs up or enthusiastic "I am" in reply.
One of those was Laura Skipper. She attended rallies in support of Moore in 2003 when he was removed as Alabama chief justice.
"I am a huge supporter of President Trump. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the president, but I am a Moore supporter. I love what he stands for," Skipper said.
Moore led Strange in the first round of GOP voting, but not by enough to avoid the runoff. The two Republicans traded jabs at a Thursday night debate, with Strange stressing that "the president supports me" and Moore arguing that McConnell and the "elite Washington establishment" were trying to influence the race.
Both have emphasized their support for Trump, who remains popular in the deep red state.
Trump allies say he is genuinely appreciative of Strange's loyalty and support. The visit also the urging of top Republicans, who worry Moore would be a disruptive figure in the Senate, or might even lose to Democrat Doug Jones. McConnell spoke with Trump recently and assured him that Strange was much more competitive than recent public polls suggested, according to a person with knowledge of the call who requested anonymity to discuss it.
In 2010 and 2012, the GOP had a few disastrous Senate primaries where extreme candidates won and then lost winnable races to Democrats in the general election. Since then, McConnell has been determined not to let it happen again - and has succeeded in every instance.
But the pro-Moore forces have shown no signs of retreat. He is also being boosted by conservative website Breitbart News and the Great America Alliance, an advocacy group that supports Trump.
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Lucey reported from Washington. AP Congressional Correspondent Erica Werner and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump hugs U.S. Senate candidate Luther Strange during a campaign rally, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, in Huntsville, Ala. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Trump administration on Friday scrapped Obama-era guidance on investigating campus sexual assault, replacing it with new instructions that allow universities to require higher standards of evidence when handling complaints.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has said that President Barack Obama's policy had been unfairly skewed against those accused of assault and had "weaponized" the Education Department to "work against schools and against students."
The change is the latest in Trump's broader effort to roll back Obama policies. Women's rights groups slammed Friday's decision, saying it will discourage students from reporting assault.
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos arrives at the dedication ceremony of Michigan State University's new Grand Rapids Medical Research Center on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, in Grand Rapids, Mich. (Cory Morse /The Grand Rapids Press via AP)
The guidance released in 2011 and then updated in 2014 instructed universities to use a "preponderance of the evidence" standard when assessing and investigating a claim of sexual assault.
DeVos' new interim guidelines let colleges choose between that standard and a "clear and convincing evidence" standard, which is harder to meet. Those rules will be in place temporarily while the Education Department gathers comments from interest groups and the public and writes new guidance.
"Schools must continue to confront these horrific crimes and behaviors head-on. There will be no more sweeping them under the rug. But the process also must be fair and impartial, giving everyone more confidence in its outcomes," DeVos said in a statement.
Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women's Law Center, said the new rule will have a "devastating" impact on students and schools.
"It will discourage students from reporting assaults, create uncertainty for schools on how to follow the law, and make campuses less safe," Graves said in a statement. "This misguided directive is a huge step back to a time when sexual assault was a secret that was swept under the rug."
The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights is investigating 360 sexual violence cases at 258 postsecondary institutions.
A student may choose whether to report a claim of assault to police or to have it investigated by a university under a federal provision against sexual discrimination. Some students choose not to turn to law enforcement because many such cases go unprosecuted as police and the courts require higher standards of evidence. Students may also feel more comfortable dealing with university investigators rather than with police following a trauma.
Andrew Miltenberg, a New York lawyer who represents students accused of sexual assault, said Obama's standard ignored the presumption of innocence and put the burden on the accused to prove the assault did not happen. He said the system proposed by DeVos is "a much more stringent standard and one that is less open to subjective interpretation."
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the senior Democrat on the Senate's committee on education, said DeVos' decision "may cause survivors of sexual assault to go back into the shadows, allowing predators to continue to roam college campuses and the epidemic of college sexual assault to spread."
The department did not say how long the interim rule is expected to be in effect. Clare McCann, a higher education expert with the New America think tank, said it will likely take the department more than a year to finalize a new rule.
CLEVELAND (AP) - A man accused of performing a sex act on a dog has been charged under a new state law that criminalizes bestiality.
The law went into effect March 21 and makes sexual contact with an animal a misdemeanor offense that carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail upon conviction. Previously, animal cruelty laws applied, but Cleveland Animal Protection League president Sharon Harvey said those cases were difficult to prosecute because they required proof the animal suffered.
Cleveland.com reported Thursday that 47-year-old Scott Turner was charged with the misdemeanor. Turner was told to appear in court Oct. 5. Court records didn't list an attorney for him, and he doesn't have a publicly listed telephone number.
Turner told Cleveland Animal Protection League investigators he was caring for a woman's dog in May when he abused it, according to court records.
He previously served more than 12 years in prison for sex crimes involving children. He pleaded guilty to several counts including rape and kidnapping with sexual motivation, according to court records. He was released in 2015.
The Humane Society of the United States says bestiality has been criminalized everywhere in the U.S. except Washington, D.C., Hawaii, Kentucky, New Mexico, West Virginia and Wyoming.
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Information from: cleveland.com, http://www.cleveland.com
NEW YORK (AP) - More than a month after a liberal advocacy group publicly called on advertisers to boycott Sean Hannity's show on Fox News Channel, luxury carmaker Cadillac has been the only new company to publicly back away from the program.
While Hannity has appeared largely impervious to the efforts against him, opponents say they're not giving up.
Meanwhile, Hannity is ascendant at Fox. His show, which averaged nearly 2.7 million viewers in August, was the second most-popular program in cable news behind MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, according to the Nielsen company. Starting Monday, Hannity moves back to the 9 p.m. Eastern time slot he previously occupied, taking Maddow on directly.
FILE - In this March 4, 2016, file photo, Sean Hannity of Fox News arrives in National Harbor, Md. More than a month after a liberal advocacy group publicly called on advertisers to boycott Sean Hannity's show on Fox News Channel, the luxury car maker Cadillac has been the only new company to publicly back away from the program. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
Fox wouldn't discuss his advertising.
Cadillac pulled its commercials after becoming aware of commentary on Hannity's program following violence at a rally held by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia.
"In the strongest possible terms, we at Cadillac condemn any form of racism or discrimination," company spokesman Andrew Lipman said. "We have a zero tolerance policy as it pertains to any of our employees and business partners."
Angelo Carusone, president of the media watchdog that called for the boycott, Media Matters for America, said other luxury carmakers Land Rover and Mercedes Benz have also abandoned Hannity. A Land Rover spokesman, Stuart Schorr, said that while the car is currently not being advertised on "Hannity," it is not participating in a boycott and that its advertising strategy "evolves and changes." Mercedes representatives did not return queries about the company's plans.
Media Matters said some dozen advertisers have told the organization they will not purchase commercials in Hannity's show in the future; some have current contracts and are staying put until those commitments are completed.
Efforts against Hannity were partly triggered by his promotion of a story suggesting that a Democratic National Committee staffer who was killed last year may have been involved in a leak of Wikileaks documents. Hannity is the most visible and vehement supporter of President Donald Trump on the most influential media outlet for conservatives.
Carusone said Hannity had gone beyond mere commentary, pointing to the frequent appearance of Trump attorney Jay Sekulow on the program. He said he wouldn't attack a media figure's commercial viability because of just one or two comments.
"It's one thing to have political perspective," he said. "It's another thing to see it as a political campaign."
Boycott efforts frequently go nowhere, but Carusone's track record made this one worth watching. He was involved in trying to get advertisers to back away from Bill O'Reilly this past spring, following reports of settlements made in sexual harassment cases against him. Advertisers, and Fox, quickly abandoned him.
Prior to that, Carusone helped persuade advertisers to stay away from Glenn Beck's Fox News Channel show. That effort took more than two years, but Beck's show was slowly choked to the point where it had too few advertisers to be feasible financially.
That's the methodical strategy he's employing with Hannity, trying to convince media buyers and companies that the show is too controversial for their products. His prediction: "As long as he continues the same kind of programming he's been providing the last couple of years, I think that he is not commercially viable by Christmastime."
However, the number of people who clicked on a FireHannity.org website - in the thousands during the summer - has slowed to a trickle, said Nate Lerner of the Democratic Coalition Against Trump, which operates the site. That group hopes to regain momentum with a new app.
"The energy of the boycott Hannity movement has definitely died since the announcement of the last month," Lerner said.
The boycott call angers Hannity's supporters. Members of the Tea Party Patriots responded with their own protest calls to companies that said this spring they were backing away from Hannity's show. The financial services firm USAA felt the backlash and responded by taking advertising off all opinion-based programming. It then reinstated it on all the shows days later.
Many Trump supporters feel Hannity was one of the few people in the media who had their backs, and they want to be there for him, said Jenny Beth Martin, president of the Tea Party Patriots.
"What we're seeing from the left is an effort to bully people to silence them," she said. "They want people to agree with them or not say anything at all."
NEW YORK (AP) - More than 1,000 families whose homes were swamped by Superstorm Sandy are still fighting with the U.S. government over their flood insurance payouts, nearly five years after the storm struck the East Coast.
The FEMA-run National Flood Insurance Program paid out billions of dollars to policyholders in New York, New Jersey and elsewhere following the 2012 storm.
But the disaster also gave rise to complaints from people who said they were shortchanged by insurance adjusters.
Under pressure from Congress, FEMA reopened the Sandy claims process and has paid out an additional $227 million since 2015, but some property owners continue to fight for more.
Lawyers involved in those battles say many victims of this year's storms in Texas, Florida and elsewhere should brace themselves for a similar fight.
SCOTTSVILLE, N.Y. (AP) - An upstate New York farm is marking the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in the state in distinctly fall fashion, with a corn maze in the shape of Susan B. Anthony.
Stokoe Farms' owner Suzanne Stokoe says she wanted to honor one of Rochester's most famous citizens with the three-acre maze, which features the activist's profile and her house, which has been turned into a museum.
This year is the centennial of women's voting rights in New York. Three years later, in 1920, ratification of the 19th Amendment gave all American women the right to vote.
The maze is open from this weekend through the end of October.
At their meeting in Tokyo, Minister Kamikawa expressed her admiration for Vietnams achievements, noting that building a judicial mechanism that operates stably and effectively is critically important to economic development and social stability.
Hailing judicial reform efforts by the Vietnamese Supreme Peoples Court, she said the two countries judicial cooperation has thrived over the last two decades. Japan has assisted Vietnam to fine-tune the law system and relevant mechanisms and policies since 1995.
She voiced her hope that Vietnam will succeed in judicial reforms.
The minister also thanked Chief Justice Binh for his attention to bilateral cooperation projects, including a UNAFEI training programme for judicial officials.
Japanese Minister of Justice Yoko Kamikawa (R) receives Chief Justice of the Supreme Peoples Court of Vietnam Nguyen Hoa Binh on September 22nd (Photo: VNA)
Japan plans to work with the Supreme Peoples Court of Vietnam to organise a workshop in 2018, she noted, asking for Vietnams support of the event. The minister also invited Vietnam to an international judges forum hosted by the Justice Ministry and the Supreme Court of Japan this October.
For his part, Chief Justice Binh said the extensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan is flourishing, particularly in economy. He stressed that Vietnam has made great progress in judicial reform with the cooperation of the Japanese Ministry of Justice since 1998.
With the help of Japanese experts, Vietnam has completed its legal regulations on justice, he noted.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Peoples Court of Vietnam is in Japan to attend the 17th Conference of the Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific held in Tokyo, Japan, from September 19th-21st./.
TOKYO (AP) - Declare China a currency manipulator? Hasn't happened. Make Japan and South Korea pay more to host U.S. troops? Hasn't happened. Unleash fire and fury on North Korea? Hasn't happened - at least not yet.
Asia is getting used to living with Donald Trump's broadsides, though it can't shrug them off completely. Many people are unnerved, but not panicked, by his latest exchange of threats with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The U.S. president dialed up the rhetoric last week at the United Nations, saying his country would "totally destroy North Korea" if forced to defend itself or its allies.
"If (German leader) Angela Merkel were U.S. president and she said those words at the U.N., then I would have been worried," said Huh Doo-won, a 38-year-old South Korean school teacher in Seoul. "But this was Trump, so I am not. Trump clearly likes to make bombastic comments to please his domestic supporters. ... It's similar to the talk about building a wall on the border with Mexico. You doubt whether his words will ever be put into action."
FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2017 file photo, President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in support of Sen. Luther Strange, in Huntsville, Ala. Asia is getting used to living with Trump's broadsides, though it can't shrug them off completely. Many people were unnerved, but not panicked, by his latest exchange of threats with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after the U.S. president said at the United Nations that his country would have "to totally destroy North Korea" if forced to defend itself or its allies. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Trump has followed through on at least one promise: to pull the United States out of a 12-nation trade agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. But his talk of demanding more for U.S. base costs has given way to administration pledges to uphold America's commitments to defend both Japan and South Korea. His suggestion of using U.S. policy on Taiwan as leverage with China evaporated after it was roundly criticized.
Chinese and Japanese officials have generally avoided comment on Trump's combative words, while South Korea has sought to play them down. The language may have been more heated in the U.N. speech, but the thrust of his message on North Korea was unchanged, and South Korea and Japan both welcomed it.
"It was nothing more or less than what has been said before," said Du Hyeogn Cha, a visiting scholar at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul.
Others did take Trump to task for his undiplomatic language.
The Global Times, a Chinese Communist Party newspaper, wrote: "This is not what one expects from a U.S. president." A liberal South Korean newspaper, Kyunghyang Shinmun, said that Trump had insulted the U.N. by speaking like a gang leader.
"It's not Twitter; it's a speech in the United Nations General Assembly," said Hiro Aida, a Japanese analyst and author who has researched the Trump phenomenon in America. "That's a concern, I think, for Japanese, because it may trigger a negative reaction from North Korea. We don't know what kind of reaction, because the leader himself, Kim Jong Un, is a very unpredictable person."
A sense of unease persists, even if most of Trump's threats haven't come true.
"He has broken all those established traditions and practices in U.S. domestic politics and diplomacy and now has to rebuild them," said Wang Dong, an international relations expert at Peking University. "This increases the uncertainties about American politics and foreign policy."
In addition, Trump's aggressive words have fanned concern in South Korea that its voice is being tuned out in North Korea policy.
Yu Hyeon-cheol, a 42-year-old office worker, said he is getting used to Trump's rhetorical shooting sprees, but accused the American president of speaking too casually about a potential conflict that could kill tens of thousands in South Korea. Seoul, the South Korean capital, is within easy range of North Korean artillery along the nearby border.
"Trump clearly sees Japan as a more important ally, and he doesn't seem to have an understanding about South Korea," he said.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga avoided a direct answer when asked about Trump's "totally destroy North Korea" remark, but reiterated Japan's support for the U.S. president's policy of keeping all options on the table.
North Korea responded to Trump's U.N. speech two days later, with a rare direct message from its leader.
Kim verbally fired back at Trump, who has started calling Kim "rocket man." His statement referred to Trump as a "dotard," an old person who is weak-minded or senile.
The jockeying seems unlikely to stop at name-calling. Kim's statement also said that North Korea would consider doing something major in response: "Action is the best option in treating the dotard who, hard of hearing, is uttering only what he wants to say."
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Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Gillian Wong and researcher Yu Bing in Beijing contributed to this story.
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) - A weeklong conservative free speech showcase at famously liberal University of California, Berkeley was supposed to start Sunday. But it apparently ended the same day after a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance by right-wing firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos and angry shouts from small groups of competing protesters who came to celebrate and condemn him.
Yiannopoulos blew kisses, posed for selfies and briefly addressed a few dozen supporters at the campus while a slightly larger crowd protesting him was kept separate by police. Wearing sunglasses and an American flag hoodie under a denim jacket, he spoke without amplification for a few moments on the steps of Sproul Hall. Then he led a rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" before being whisked away in a car. The whole appearance lasted less than a half hour.
Jake Wall, a college student from Los Angeles in town to visit his girlfriend, described Yiannopolous' showing as a "meet and greet." He said Yiannapoulos couldn't make any points without a microphone and promised his admirers he'd return to deliver a proper address.
Pro-first amendment supporters rally at UC Berkeley's Sproul Plaza before right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos made a brief appearance on campus in Berkeley, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. Yiannopoulos was whisked away in a car after a brief appearance at the University of California, Berkeley that drew a few dozen supporters and a slightly larger crowd protesting the Yiannopoulos. (AP Photo/Daisy Nguyen)
"When you can't speak through a mic, how effective was that?" Wall asked. University officials said a request for amplification, required under school rules, was never made.
A defiant Yiannapoulos announced Saturday that he would appear at an unsanctioned rally despite the sudden cancellation of a planned four-day conservative event dubbed Free Speech Week. The campus conservative group Berkeley Patriot, which had been organizing the gathering with Yiannopoulos, told university administrators that the group would cancel it, the university said.
Yiannopoulos said he was blindsided by the news.
Those hoping to hear him speak Sunday were herded through metal detectors, while demonstrators who came out against the appearance were held behind barricades on Sproul Plaza, the center of activity on campus during the 1960s Free Speech Movement.
Kat McLain, 26, said she considers herself a liberal but decided to come out to support conservatives' right to be heard. "There's no way to come to a peaceful resolution until we can stop and talk to each other," she said.
University officials said there were no injuries and at least two arrests, including one of somebody allegedly using unpermitted amplified sound. The Berkeley Police Department said at least five people were arrested near campus, most of them for carrying a banned weapon.
UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof joked that the money spent on mobilizing police for the short appearance amounted to "probably the most expensive photo op in the university's history." But he defended the tactical strategy of deploying so many officers, saying they had to be prepared for the unexpected.
Campus police Chief Margo Bennett estimated that the university spent roughly $800,000 on security.
Berkeley freshman Alexandria Storm bemoaned the money spent on a huge police presence for an event that went bust. "This is a waste of resources, a waste of student dollars to militarize the police," she said.
UC Berkeley recently shelled out $600,000 for security when conservative Ben Shapiro spoke.
Berkeley's reputation as a liberal stronghold and the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement has made the city and campus flashpoints for the country's political divisions since the election of Republican President Donald Trump.
Yiannopoulos' attempt to speak at Berkeley in February was shut down by masked anarchists who rioted on campus.
"Claims that this (the cancellation of the Free Speech Week event) is somehow the outcome desired by the campus are without basis in fact," Mogulof said in a statement Saturday. "The University was prepared to do whatever was necessary to support the First Amendment rights of the student organization."
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Associated Press writer Christopher Weber contributed from Los Angeles.
Protest banners lie on the ground after a planned speech by Milo Yiannopoulos in Berkeley, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. Yiannopoulos was whisked away in a car after a brief appearance at the University of California, Berkeley that drew a few dozen supporters and a slightly larger crowd protesting the right-wing provocateur. (AP Photo/Daisy Nguyen)
Demonstrators protest the appearance of right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos rally in Berkeley, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. Yiannopoulos was whisked away in a car after a brief appearance at the University of California, Berkeley that drew a few dozen supporters and a slightly larger crowd protesting him. (AP Photo/Daisy Nguyen)
Berkeley Police officers stand guard for planned speech by Milo Yiannopoulos in Berkeley, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. Yiannopoulos was whisked away in a car after a brief appearance at the school that drew a few dozen supporters and a slightly larger crowd protesting the right-wing provocateur. (AP Photo/Daisy Nguyen)
Berkeley Police officers stand guard for planned speech by Milo Yiannopoulos in Berkeley, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. Milo Yiannopoulos was whisked away in a car after a brief appearance at the school that drew a few dozen supporters and a slightly larger crowd protesting the right-wing provocateur. (AP Photo/Daisy Nguyen)
Berkeley Police officers stand behind barricades waiting for planned speech by Milo Yiannopoulos in Berkeley, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. University officials said they had worked around-the-clock and spent more than $1 million to ensure there would be adequate security for the events. (AP Photo/Daisy Nguyen)
Kat McLain, 26, a film student San Francisco State University gathers at the University of California, Berkeley, to protest a planned speech by Milo Yiannopoulos in Berkeley, Calif. McLain says she's a liberal, but that conservatives deserve to be heard. "A lot can be gained if we're willing to listen to these people. There's no way to come to a peaceful resolution until we can stop and talk to each other," McLain said. (AP Photo/Daisy Nguyen)
MILAN (AP) - Milan designers are breathing fresh air into Milan Fashion Week, quite literally.
Many fashion houses are showing their collections outdoors this season, or at least throwing open the windows on their grand palazzi venues, betting on Mother Nature with open-air shows. The late summer-early fall weather has cooperated fully.
Angela Missoni's 20th anniversary show was in the courtyard of a former factory, with a colorful tent of foulards offering some protection from the sun. Roberto Cavalli returned to the runway with a new designer in a sleek-white open-air runway in Milan's central Parco Sempione, which the brand founder often used as his venue. Tomas Maier made sure the windows were open on the grand Conservatory where he showed his latest Bottega Veneta collection, while Vionnet and Max Mara located their shows in Renaissance-style courtyards.
Models wear creations as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Salvatore Ferragamo moved out of its usual Milan Stock Exchange venue into the square, hedging bets against the weather with some plexi-glass protection overhead.
Here are some highlights as womenswear collections for spring-summer 2018 continue into their fifth day on Sunday.
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FERRAGAMO UNDER THE STARS
To celebrate its new "Amo Ferragamo" fragrance, Salvatore Ferragamo energized Milan's Piazza Affari with an open-air runway show on Saturday night, a sign of freshness and openness as womenswear design director Fulvio Rigoni previewed his third collection.
Models walked on a plexi-glass runway over a fresh lawn of real grass sprinkled with plastic daisies, and the fashion crowd was treated to a Botticelli-inspired light show on the facade of Milan's stock exchange building before being invited inside to party with the British band "Clean Bandit." The celebratory atmosphere was all meant as an antidote to trying political times, the designer said.
"I wanted to create a positive feelings at this particular moment," Rigoni said ahead of the show. "At least in fashion, we want to dream a little."
The foulard was the star of Rigoni's collection. Twisted for dramatic effect, they became the straps on halter dresses or oversized stitching on an off-shoulder dress, with the length of the silken scarf trailing. And dramatically, Rigoni created trompe l'oeil prints that gave the illusion of draped foulards on simple, straight dresses.
Rigoni said he imagined how he would dress Salvatore Ferragamo's iconic clients, taking inspiration from Greta Garbo, Carmen Miranda, Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe to create straight silhouettes from the 1920s, fringe detailing from the 1930s and flared trousers of the 1970s.
The Ferragamo rounded gancio, or clasp, was a motif throughout, as an anchor for scarfs, a handle on mini-bags and even a pocket detail. Laser perforations on suede dresses and coats had the feel of crochet, and hand-painted python boots and coats underlined the brand's technical prowess. Colors included bright pink, emerald green, red and plum punctuated by neutrals.
"I wanted a relaxed vibe and an easiness that is perceptible and refreshing," Rigoni said. "The collection is fresh because there is a casualness, even if it is very studied."
Model Bella Hadid wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Models wear creations as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Model Bella Hadid wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Models wear creations as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Models wear creations as part of the Ferragamo women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Ferragamo fashion designer Fulvio Rigoni waves at the end of the presentation of the women's Spring/Summer 2018/19 fashion collection, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican on Sunday revealed the reason behind the hasty departure of its auditor general, accusing him of having illegally hired a firm to spy on the private lives of Vatican personnel.
The Vatican made the revelation after Libero Milone broke three months of silence to declare that he resigned under threat of arrest for what he said were trumped-up charges.
Milone told reporters Saturday that he was told on June 19 that Pope Francis had lost confidence in him. He said he was subsequently subject to an "aggressive" interrogation by Vatican police who seized material from his office and told him to resign or face arrest.
Faithful and pilgrims crowd St.Peter's Square at the Vatican during the Angelus noon prayer led by Pope Francis, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
"They wanted me to confess to something. I don't know what, because I acted within the confines of the statute," he told Sky TG24 and other media.
In a statement, the Vatican admitted that Libero Milone resigned in June after Vatican investigators determined his office had "illegally hired an outside company to conduct investigations into the private lives of Holy See personnel."
The Vatican said Milone had exceeded his mandate, freely tendered his resignation and was treated with full respect by investigators. It said it was "surprised and saddened" that Milone had violated the terms of his departure, which had called for confidentiality.
Milone's resignation had raised eyebrows because he was only two years into a five-year term, and had been seen as a key part of Francis' efforts to reform the Vatican's finances. Along with Cardinal George Pell, he was tasked with overseeing the Holy See's budgets and making sense of the finances of the Vatican's various departments.
Pell recently returned to his native Australia to face trial on historic sex abuse allegations, which he denies. His secretariat for the economy, which includes Milone's office, is being run by underlings for now. Milone said he didn't exclude a connection between his removal and Pell's departure, suggesting that the Vatican's "old guard" was trying to stymie their reforms.
WESTFIELD, N.J. (AP) - This is not President Donald Trump's dinner party.
Republican Rep. Leonard Lance, standing in the middle of Ferraro's dimly lit restaurant dining room, says it's not necessary to build a wall along the entire U.S. border with Mexico. He raises concerns about the White House's promised tax overhaul. And he condemns the brash personalities that have come to define the GOP in the age of Trump.
"His personality and mine are vastly different. I'm comfortable with my personality," Lance says as 19 men gathered for a private meeting of the Republican National Lawyers Association pick through their salads.
FILE - In this March 24, 2017, file photo, Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J., is interviewed on Capitol Hill in Washington. In Washington, Lance is often overlooked. But the gray-haired Republican in deep-blue New Jersey may become a crucial moderate vote in the fight to enact Trump's agenda. And his ability to navigate the confused politics of the Trump era will help decide the House majority next year. Back in his suburban New Jersey district this week, he raised concerns about the Republican president's plans for immigration, taxes and health care.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
In Washington, Lance is often among the GOP's forgotten. The five-term congressman doesn't garner the attention or influence of some of his Republican colleagues. Even at the supermarket across the street from his local office, many people don't know his name.
But this gray-haired Republican in deep-blue New Jersey has become a crucial moderate vote in the fight to enact Trump's agenda. And Lance's ability to navigate the confused politics of the Trump era will help decide the House majority next year.
Few Republican congressmen faced voters in town halls during this past week's recess, even as Congress pursues dramatic changes to the nation's laws on immigration, health care and taxes. Even Lance, who has held five such town halls so far this year, avoided the larger unscripted venues where angry constituents have lashed out against Trump's agenda in recent months.
They are still angry - at everyone in Washington, it seems.
In Michigan, die-hard Trump supporter Joe Guajardo questioned Republican Rep. Justin Amash after a recent town hall in Battle Creek.
"I'm wondering how he's helping our president get things done," Guajardo said. He added, "I don't think President Trump's getting a fair shake. And I don't really know what Congress is doing to help him."
In California, young immigrant students shouted down House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for working too closely with Trump on immigration. They chanted for half an hour until Pelosi and some Democratic colleagues gave up and walked out of a news conference last Monday.
"We don't want them making any deals with Trump," said one of the protesters, Laith Ocean, a 20-year-old transgender student originally from Nicaragua.
At the supermarket across from Lance's suburban New Jersey office, 47-year-old stay-at-home mom Suzanne McMahon warned that Lance would pay for Trump's actions, even if the congressman doesn't wholeheartedly embrace the president's agenda.
"Even if he hasn't been a bad guy, I want somebody to lose. He's a Republican," Democrat McMahon said of Lance.
The politics of the Trump era are particularly troubling for Republicans such as Lance, who is among two dozen GOP lawmakers nationwide serving in congressional districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in last year's presidential race.
In most cases, they are considered the most vulnerable incumbents going into the 2018 elections, when Democrats need to pick up 24 seats to capture the House majority. Already, several Democrats are aggressively raising money to take on Lance. With Trump's popularity near historic lows, Lance has little choice but to distance himself from his own party's leader as he fights to enact conservative policies that sometimes align with Trump's agenda.
It's a tricky balance at best.
"I will support him where I agree with him and I will not support him where I disagree with him," Lance told The Associated Press in an interview inside his Westfield office, where the only photograph on the wall features Lance alongside former presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who once personified the "Never-Trump" movement.
Lance, 65, scans a piece of paper on his desk as he tries to highlight areas of agreement with Trump: Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch's appointment, the president's second travel ban, fewer government regulations and hurricane aid.
He doesn't need a cheat sheet to list the differences.
Lance opposes Trump's plan for a wall across the entire U.S.-Mexico border, Trump's ban on transgender soldiers serving in the military and the president's initial response to a deadly white supremacist protest in Virginia. Lance already voted against the Trump-backed House health care overhaul. And on taxes, the congressman raises serious concerns about any plan that would eliminate the ability to deduct state and local taxes.
One of Lance's closest friends on Capitol Hill, Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., describes Lance as a "growing voice" for the Republican Party.
"Leonard won't be afraid to check the president if he's moving in a direction that's not in the best interests of New Jersey or the country," Dent said. He added, "There are parts of the country where it's probably not in everyone's interests to stand shoulder to shoulder with the president on everything."
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Associated Press writers Ellen Knickmeyer in Santa Rosa, California, and David Eggert from Battle Creek, Michigan contributed to this report.
KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) - Rwandan police have arrested Diane Rwigara, a leading critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame and a women's rights activist, for alleged offenses against state security.
Rwigara's mother and sister were also detained on the tax evasion charges and she is also being charged with forgery, Rwanda police said in a Twitter post Sunday. The three who arrested Saturday have been under investigation and police have interrogated them several times.
"During ongoing investigations, police uncovered credible evidence linking the trio to offenses against state security," Rwanda police said.
FILE - In this Sunday, May 14, 2017 file photo, women's rights activist and presidential candidate Diane Shima Rwigara, 35, is photographed next to a portrait of her father, business tycoon Assinapol Rwigara, at her home in Kigali, Rwanda. Rwandan police have arrested Diane Rwigara, a leading critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame and a women's rights activist, for alleged offenses against state security. Rwigara's mother and sister were also detained on the tax evasion charges and she is also being charged with forgery, Rwanda police said in a Twitter post Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. (AP Photo, File)
Police said earlier the three refused to cooperate with police and publicly revealed information that is, by law, supposed to be confidential. Rwigara was a women's rights activist before she announced plans to seek the presidency in last month's election. Rwanda's electoral board disqualified her, saying she didn't have enough signatures to support her candidacy.
Her brother, Aristide Rwigara, told The Associated Press that his sister is being persecuted for having dared to challenge Kagame, the longtime president, in Rwanda's August election. He also said the criminal allegations against the family are fabricated, insisting they have been targeted by Rwanda's government for refusing to do business with the ruling party.
"These charges are absurd. Every day, authorities in Kigali come up with something new against my family," Aristide said, speaking from the United States.
Rwigara's troubles started this year after she announced she would challenge Kagame in the Aug. 4 vote. Two days after declaring her candidacy, nude photographs allegedly of her were leaked on social media. It was not clear who was behind the leak.
Rwanda has won praise for its advances in economic development and women's rights over the last 20 years, but critics say Kagame rules with an iron fist and tolerates little criticism.
BRISTOL, England (AP) - Moeen Ali propelled England to 369-9 in the third one-day international against West Indies on Sunday with the second fastest ODI century by an Englishman.
Ali reached 100 off 53 balls - powered by eight sixes and seven fours - and took England from 210-5 when he arrived to an imposing total at the County Ground in Bristol. Ali was out for 102 off 57 balls in the 49th over, and England went on to post its fifth highest ODI total.
Only Jos Buttler has made a century in fewer balls for England in an ODI, when he reached three figures off 46 deliveries against Pakistan in 2015.
England's Moeen Ali bats during the third One Day International against West Indies at Bristol County Ground, England, Sunday Sept. 24, 2017. (David Davies/PA via AP)
Joe Root made 84 and Ben Stokes 73 and their 132-run stand had England in control. But Stokes, Buttler and Root all fell in the space of 11 runs before Ali took control.
England leads the five-match series 1-0, winning the first game before the second was abandoned because of rain.
England's Moeen Ali reaches his 100 during the third One Day International against West Indies at Bristol County Ground, England, Sunday Sept. 24, 2017. (David Davies/PA via AP)
England's Ben Stokes makes his way off after being dismissed during the third One Day International against West Indies at Bristol County Ground, England, Sunday Sept. 24, 2017. (David Davies/PA via AP)
England's Joe Root bats during the third One Day International against West Indies at Bristol County Ground, England, Sunday Sept. 24, 2017. (David Davies/PA via AP)
England's Ben Stokes reaches his 50 during the third One Day International against West Indies at Bristol County Ground, England, Sunday Sept. 24, 2017. (David Davies/PA via AP)
West Indies' Jason Holder celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Eoin Morgan during the third One Day International against West Indies at Bristol County Ground, England, Sunday Sept. 24, 2017. (David Davies/PA via AP)
LONDON (AP) - England No. 8 Billy Vunipola has been ruled out for four months because of a right-knee injury, meaning he will miss the November test series.
Vunipola's club, Saracens, said Sunday he has undergone surgery to repair his meniscus.
Vunipola damaged cartilage in his knee during Saracens' 41-13 win over Sale in the English league on Saturday.
Vunipola had only just returned from a long-term shoulder injury, which forced him to miss the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand.
He has been outspoken about player welfare in recent weeks.
Vunipola will be touch and go for the start of the Six Nations, starting in February 2018.
BERLIN (AP) - Swiss voters have decided against increasing the retirement age for women by a year to 65.
Swiss broadcaster SRF reported Sunday that voters rejected in a referendum a retirement reform package raising women's retirement age to equal that of Swiss men, which is already at 65.
The Swiss package that was turned down also included proposals to raise the VAT to 8.3 percent to help support the country's pension system and raising the amount of money taken from salaries for pensions.
Swiss voters often vote in referendums as part of their direct democracy political system.
MORRISTOWN, New Jersey (AP) - President Donald Trump is promising "the largest tax cut in the history of our country" that will slash rates for the middle class and corporations to spark economic growth and jobs.
Trump said Sunday his "primary focus" is the tax overhaul rather than last-ditch efforts to bring a repeal of the Obama health care program. The health care legislation brought forward by Republicans teetered near failure over the weekend, though said "eventually we will win on that."
Trump said the tax plan that the White House and congressional Republicans have been working on for months, for the first major overhaul of the tax system in three decades, is "totally finalized." He was speaking on the tarmac at the Morristown Municipal Airport.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks at a press briefing at the Hilton Midtown hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Trump's details weren't firm. He said "I hope" the top corporate tax rate will be cut to 15 percent from the current 35 percent. House Speaker Paul Ryan has said a 15 percent rate is impractically low, with a rate somewhere in the low- to mid-20 percent range more viable to avoid blowing out the deficit.
The rate is "going to be substantially lower so we bring jobs back into our country," Trump said.
Trump also said "We think we're going to bring the individual rate to 10 percent or 12 percent, much lower than it is right now." He did not say whether the tax rate for the wealthiest Americans, now at 39.6 percent would be cut, as some Republicans have advocated.
"This is a plan for the middle class and for companies, so they can bring back jobs," he said.
The plan also is expected to reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to three.
Trump spoke as House Republicans on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee huddled behind closed doors to discuss the plan. They have promised to reveal an outline and possible details of the plan later this week, after all Republican lawmakers in the House get a chance to discuss it and put questions to the chief architects, including Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, who heads the Ways and Means panel.
"We'll let the White House determine the timetable" of releasing the plan, Brady said following the meeting. He added it will "definitely" occur this week.
Republicans have been split on some core issues. They are divided over whether to add to the nation's soaring $20 trillion debt with tax cuts. The GOP also is at odds over eliminating the federal deduction for state and local taxes.
Republican senators on opposing sides of the deficit debate have tentatively agreed on a plan for $1.5 trillion in tax cuts. That would add substantially to the debt and would enable deeper cuts to tax rates than would be allowed if Republicans followed through on earlier promises that their tax overhaul wouldn't add to the budget deficit. That would mark an about-face for top congressional Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Ryan, who had for months promised it wouldn't add to the deficit.
Earlier Sunday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a television interview the plan "creates a middle-income tax cut, it makes businesses competitive and it creates jobs." He added that there are changes, too, for the "high end," including "getting rid of lots of deductions." He did not offer specifics.
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Gordon reported from Washington, D.C.
Activities under the exchange programme are co-chaired by Politburo member, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission and Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich on the Vietnamese side. The co-chair on the Chinese side is Politburo member and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Senior Lieutenant General Fan Chang Long.
The event is aimed at promoting friendship and solidarity between local administrations, people and border guard forces of the two countries, thus enhancing political trust, enabling the sustainable and stable development of relations between the two countries and two armies.
Through the exchange, the two sides want to strengthen trust of the two peoples about a peaceful Vietnam-China border of friendship and development while countering distorted information about Vietnam-China ties.
The Chinese delegation to the exchange programme was welcomed to Lai Chau at a ceremony at Ma Lu Thang border gate in Lai Chaus Phong Tho district on September 23rd.
The same day, a seminar on the border defence friendship between Vietnam and China was held in Lai Chau with the participation of the two co-chairmen Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich and Sen. Lt. Gen. Fan Chang Long.
Participants shared their experience in external defence activities, policies to promote cross-border trade, and the establishment of twinning relations between border localities.
They proposed measures to improve the quality and efficiency of border defence cooperation in the time ahead.
Deputy Commander of Military Region 2 Major General Hoang Ngoc Dung said the region has coordinated with Chinese border defence forces to build the shared border line of peace, friendship and common development.
The armed forces of two sides have regularly exchanged information and worked together to ensure social order, safety and security in border areas, especially in preventing crimes and handling cases relating to cross-border farming and migration, he noted.
Major General Zhang Jian from the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army held that it is necessary to devise more practical measures in the bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as joint exercises on fighting terrorism and violence and cross-border crimes, while expanding exchanges at the grassroots level./.
LAS VEGAS (AP) - The driver of a Las Vegas-bound Greyhound bus who was stabbed by an unruly passenger near the California border said his assailant possibly was under the influence of drugs, according to authorities.
Nevada Highway Patrol officials say 31-year-old Armando Juarez was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder with a deadly weapon and taken to a hospital for evaluation late Friday night.
There was no immediate update Sunday.
The 55-year-old bus driver, whose name hasn't been released, told authorities that he was dealing with an unruly passenger who appeared to be under the influence of something.
The driver said the passenger was standing next to him on the bus, threatening him with a knife, according to authorities.
It's still unclear where Juarez got on the bus, but preliminary information indicates Juarez is a transient from California.
The incident occurred about 11 p.m. Friday, when the bus was northbound on Interstate 15 near Jean, Nevada - about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the California border.
Authorities said the driver was stabbed outside the bus after he pulled over while trying to get the passenger to either get off or sit down in his seat.
The wounded driver got back on the bus, shut the door and reported the stabbing to a Greyhound dispatcher.
He was stabbed twice in the chest and once in the thigh and was taken to University Medical Center with serious, but survivable injuries, according to Highway Patrol officials.
Witnesses said Juarez got off the bus, ran across the interstate to the center median and was seen stripping off his shirt and trying to punch passing cars, Highway Patrol officials said.
A replacement driver was driven to the scene and drove the bus and its 23 remaining passengers to Las Vegas.
The injured driver apparently didn't receive any help from passengers during the scuffle outside with Juarez.
"It seemed like he was just fending for himself," Trooper Jason Buratczuk, a Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman who wasn't at the scene, said Saturday. "It was just very quiet (on the bus) during the incident."
PHOENIX (AP) - More than 45 flights headed to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport were temporarily diverted after an alarm activated at the air traffic control tower.
The Arizona Republic reported that Phoenix Fire crews responded to the alarm around 8:45 a.m. Sunday.
A spokeswoman for Sky Harbor officials say the control tower was evacuated as a precaution.
According to Phoenix Fire Department officials, the problem stemmed from a faulty air handler sensor and is being investigated.
The faulty mechanism caused low water pressure, which produced steam from the tower at air traffic control.
In all, 46 flights were diverted to airports in other cities including Tucson; Mesa, Las Vegas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; El Paso, Texas; Burbank, California; and Ontario, California.
All the flights were traveling back to Phoenix as of 10 a.m.
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Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com
CHICAGO (AP) - A person with knowledge of the situation says the Chicago Bulls and forward Nikola Mirotic have agreed to a two-year contract that could pay as much as $27 million.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Sunday because the deal has not been announced. The Bulls hold an option on the second year.
The 6-foot-10 Mirotic averaged 10.6 points last season. He has scored 10.8 per game over three seasons.
The Bulls are rebuilding after winning 41 games and losing in the first round of the playoffs. They traded All-Star guard Jimmy Butler to Minnesota on draft night for three players 23 and younger - Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the rights to No. 7 overall pick Lauri Markkanen.
Yahoo Sports first reported the agreement.
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More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball
Pro-Brexit Tories have reacted angrily after French president Emmanuel Macron warned Theresa May she needed to provide greater clarity over Britains position if she wants to break the deadlock in the stalled Brexit talks.
In a keynote speech in Florence on Friday, the Prime Minister set out her offer to continue paying into EU coffers for a two-year transition period after the UK leaves in 2019, during which EU nationals would remain free to settle in Britain.
Downing Street had hoped her keenly awaited address would end the stalemate in Brussels and enable the talks to move on to Britains future relations with the EU - including a free trade deal.
This is how we will use Brexit to build a country that works for everyone, not just a privileged few.https://t.co/47EL60sgoG Theresa May (@theresa_may) September 6, 2017
However, speaking in Paris, Mr Macron said that while he welcomed Mrs Mays willingness to move forward, more progress was needed on the rights of EU citizens in Britain and the border with Ireland as well as the so-called divorce settlement.
Before we move forward, we wish to clarify the issue of the regulation of European citizens, the financial terms of the exit and the question of Ireland, he said.
If those three points are not clarified, then we cannot move forward on the rest.
His comments echoed those of the EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier who welcomed the constructive spirit of her speech but said her assurances needed to be translated into a precise negotiating position.
Mrs May and Mr Macron. (Yui Mok/PA)
The senior Conservative backbencher Bernard Jenkin said the French president was being unreasonable in demanding such detail at this stage of the negotiations.
How can we put money on the table when we dont know what the deal is? How can we discuss how the finer details of the Northern Ireland border should operate when the EU wont even begin to discuss what the relationship is that they want between the UK and the EU? he told the BBC.
Under Mrs Mays proposals, the UK could pay around 18 billion into the EU budget during a two-year transition in which the UK would continue to have access to the single market and EU nationals would remain free to move to Britain although they would have to register with the UK authorities.
She also promised the rights of EU citizens living in the UK would be written into British law and proposed a bold new strategic agreement on future security co-operation.
Constructive #FlorenceSpeech by PM May; must be translated into negotiating positions to make meaningful progress https://t.co/fCfBrqNhAp Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) September 22, 2017
Czech Europe secretary Ales Chmelar warned, however, that the final divorce bill would be significantly higher than the 18 billion it is said the UK would have to be prepared to pay for access to EU markets.
This is just a payment for the remaining financial framework period. This is not a payment for all the legacies that we see including for example the pensions and the legacies in terms of grants and funds, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
It is quite a normal thing that when you have a certain advantage of access to a market you also have to pay for it. This is a very important part that cannot be ignored.
(PA Graphics)
Meanwhile there was concern among some pro-Brexit Conservatives that Mrs May had given too much ground to Brussels in her efforts to get a deal
Backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg said she had failed to make clear whether the UK would remain subject to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) during the transition period.
To my mind that is an absolutely red line, he told BBC 2s Newsnight.
If after March 2019 we are still subject to the ECJ we have not left the European Union and that would be undermining the (EU referendum) vote we had in 2016.
Cinema workers will stage a fresh strike, exactly a year after the start of their pay dispute.
Members of the Bectu union at The Ritzy in Brixton, south London, will walk out for 24 hours on Saturday as part of a long-running campaign involving staff at six cinemas in London and Brighton run by Picturehouse.
The workers are campaigning for increases in wages and sick pay and the reinstatement of four sacked union representatives.
The Ritzy cinema in Brixton, south London
Strikes are being planned during the London Film Festival next month.
Sophie Lowe, one of the strikers, said: One year on from the start of this dispute, we are planning a substantial escalation in the campaign.
A Picturehouse statement said: Paying our staff a fair wage is hugely important to us.
Staff at The Ritzy are paid 9.10 equivalent to 9.70 when working an eight-hour shift as we choose to pay for breaks.
We also offer statutory sick pay, maternity/paternity pay and 28 days paid holiday amongst other competitive benefits.
This makes Picturehouse Cinemas one of the highest-paying employers in the cinema industry.
Ratings agency Moodys has downgraded the UKs credit rating as Brexit threatens to slow economic growth.
The countrys long-term issuer rating and senior unsecured bond rating were both cut from Aa1 to Aa2 - two notches below the US agencys highest rating - on Friday.
Analysts said the outlook for the UKs public finances had weakened significantly with Brexit likely to put further pressure on the countrys economic strength.
Hours after PM speech Moodys downgrade UK debt to AA2 lowest ever credit rating for UK - citing "Brexit challenges" https://t.co/QMANxY6Fm2 Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) September 23, 2017
Moodys said the Governments plans to fix the public finances were increasingly in question and debt levels are expected to rise.
Moodys expects weaker public finances going forward, partly linked to the economic slowdown under way but also reflecting the increasing political and social pressures to raise spending after seven years of spending cuts, it said in a statement.
Moodys believes that the UK governments decision to leave the EU single market and customs union as of March 29 2019 will be negative for the countrys medium-term economic growth prospects.
The agency also cut its rating for the Bank of England to Aa2 from Aa1, but revised the UKs outlook to stable from negative, meaning a further downgrade is not imminent.
A downgraded credit rating for a down graded Tory government. https://t.co/vFopGoE9Zd Peter Dowd (@Peter_Dowd) September 23, 2017
For Labour, shadow treasury chief secretary Peter Dowd said the downgrading was a hammer blow to the Governments economic credibility.
For the second time under the Tories the UKs credit rating has been downgraded, and on this occasion citing their lack of faith in the Chancellor to meet his own spending targets as a result of unfunded spending commitments such as the deal with the DUP, he said.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable said it was no coincidence the downgrading followed Theresa Mays keynote Brexit address in Florence.
Sir Vince Cable. (Andrew Matthews/PA)
Despite Theresa Mays conciliatory tone we are no closer to knowing what our future relationship with the EU will be once any transitional deal expires, he said.
The warning that Moodys have issued by downgrading the credit rating is that the economy will be weaker once the transitional deal comes to an end.
All May has done is simply delay the economic pain caused by an extreme Brexit.
A Bank of China executive has backed the City of London to help manage the risk posed by Beijings mammoth infrastructure programme, the belt and road initiative.
Sun Yu, general manager of the banks London branch, said the capitals powerhouse financial sector could be a solution provider for the 900 billion US dollar (666 billion) project designed to bolster economic growth across Asia and the wider world.
The programme has been branded the modern day silk road and will include a string of developments spanning the globe, from a high-speed railway in east Africa, a port in Sri Lanka and bridges in Bangladesh.
An aerial view of view of The City in London, including The Cheesegrater (The Leadenhall Building) and Tower 42, 30 St Mary Axe building, also known as the Gherkin and 20 Fenchurch street, nicknamed the walkie talkie building (PA)
Speaking to the Press Association, he said: China wants to embrace globalisation. The belt and road initiative is a great opportunity, while risk management is also critical.
Commercial banks can provide the right price for the risk. London is a financial centre for many countries along the belt and road. London could be a kind of solution provider for the belt and road initiative, because London has the expertise to devise a solution for the risks.
Britain is on the hunt for economic opportunities and has been attempting to lay the groundwork for a host of new trade deals to ensure the UK economy can prosper once Brexit is enforced.
However, Asia has responded with a mixed view of Britains break from the European Union, amid fears that Londons position as a leading financial centre could be diminished.
Japan wrote to the Government in September urging it to remain in the EU following concerns that its banks will lose the passporting rights needed to trade across the EU.
Despite the political pressure, Japanese banks have already started to adjust their operations, with Daiwa, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), Nomura and Mizuho Securities all bolstering their presence in Frankfurt.
Chinese and Indian banks are better placed to ride out the disruption, as many already have financial operations spread throughout the UK and Europe.
On Brexit, Sun Yu added: Most Chinese banks are to review how to better manage overseas business, e.g. make some integration.
Brexit throws uncertainty to Londons role in the process of refining the overseas business structure of Chinese banks.
He said The Bank of China has been operating in the UK for 88 years and London remains an important international base for the lender.
Focusing on the wider impact of Brexit on the City, Sun Yu added: There might be some job relocation from London to the EU, but for London in the long term it is unlikely any EU city can replace London as a global financial centre.
It has the language, the legal system, the talent pool and the time zone on its side.
London is also the most internationalised, with foreign banks accounting for over 50% of total banking assets.
There are more dollars traded in London than in New York, and more euros traded than in Frankfurt. London is the launch pad starting point for almost all foreign banks looking to internationalise.
Midfielder Fernandinho claimed goal difference was on his mind as free-scoring Manchester City hit five against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
City took their goal tally for the Premier League season to 21 in just six games as they thrashed the bottom side 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
It was not enough to shake off Manchester United and move clear at the top of the table but it did give City an edge courtesy of a goal difference four better than their rivals.
Leroy Sane
Fernandinho said: If you compare with last year - we created so many chances to score goals but we didnt score. This year we just score.
I dont know what has changed, to be honest, I am not a specialist to talk about that, but I am so happy we are scoring goals.
This is important because one of the things that can decide the title is goal difference, and we are on the right way.
Citys emphatic victory sent out another strong warning of their title credentials to the rest of the competition on the back of a 5-0 hammering of Liverpool and 6-0 demolition of Watford.
Fernandinho insisted, however, that any title talk was far too premature.
The Brazilian added: It is just the beginning of the Premier League. We all know how tough it is.
The most important thing is to get to December in the same level we are in now and try to get the most possible number of points, then to arrive there in February or March with a good chance to fight for the title.
City had no need to bring Gabriel Jesus off the bench as they swept Palace, who are still to register a point or score a goal in the league, aside.
It was not all plain sailing for Pep Guardiolas men as the visitors survived a flurry of chances early on and then threatened themselves with Ruben Loftus-Cheek hitting the post and spurning another chance.
Guardiola even showed his frustration on the touchline but once the outstanding Leroy Sane showed neat control to open the scoring after 44 minutes the result was not in doubt.
Raheem Sterling struck twice after the interval and Sergio Aguero notched his 176th City goal, one short of the club record, before substitute Fabian Delph completed the rout.
Its ridiculous to sit and talk about positives when you have been beaten 5-0, admitted Palace boss Roy Hodgson, whose side face United and Chelsea in their next two games.
RH: It's a baptism of fire, but we can't start panicking. We can't be thinking it's hopeless by the end of September. pic.twitter.com/xy5ZXEgxBC Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) September 23, 2017
Hodgson, appointed earlier this month, hopes to summon the spirit of a decade ago when he kept Fulham in the top flight from a seemingly impossible position.
He said: It is equal to that, without a shadow of a doubt, but the difference is when I came into Fulham there were 18 games to play. Here we have still got 32 games to play.
What we have got to do is make sure we dont start panicking and accept we are in a hopeless position at the end of September, because October, November, December, January, February, March, April and May can change so many things.
Gareth Barry admits he could play until he is 40, with the West Brom midfielder set to break the Premier League appearance record.
The 36-year-old will play in his 633rd top-flight game on Monday if he turns out for the Baggies at Arsenal.
It will eclipse Ryan Giggs mark which the winger set exclusively with Manchester United, although the Welshman made 672 top-flight appearances for United.
Barry signed for Albion from Everton in the summer. He has a years option on the initial 12-month deal he signed and sees himself playing on for longer until hes 40.
Its definitely a possibility. I was 32 when I signed for Everton and (the manager) Roberto Martinez said, Youre style of game - you can play until youre 40, he said.
Im sitting there laughing at him, but he was deadly serious, and I still laughed. Its still going to be tough, but for a manager to tell me that four to five years ago is a good compliment, which was nice to hear.
Im immensely proud to get there. Whether it will stay around for long I dont know.
The top five appearance-makers in the Premier League
Barry started his career as a 17-year-old when he replaced Ian Taylor as a second-half substitute at Hillsborough as Aston Villa won 3-1 at Sheffield Wednesday.
He made 365 appearances for Villa before playing 132 matches in the top flight for Manchester City.
He featured 131 times for Everton and has played four games for West Brom. He also won the Premier League with Manchester City in 2012.
But Barry conceded youngsters now do not have the opportunities to play like he did in the past.
Gareth Barry was a man in demand at The Hawthorns earlier today...
See how his day unfolded.#WBAhttps://t.co/iMUf1ck66s West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) September 21, 2017
He said: Its certainly harder for younger players breaking through now like I did. Theres a lot more rotation in terms of selections now. So it may be tough to beat and the longer I can go it will be tougher as well. More so for my kids, Id be proud for them to see their dad up there.
You can speak about the money, they will be getting more at a younger age and there are a lot of dangers with that if youre not being advised properly.
For a young players its important to have people around you other than yourself. Youre immature as an 18 or 19-year-old.
"There's no better feeling than running out there with your teammates and trying to win a game of football." Gareth Barry is still motivated as he prepares for a record-breaking Premier League appearance on Monday evening. Full press conference http://bit.ly/gb-pl #WBA Posted by West Bromwich Albion on Thursday, September 21, 2017
I would have made big mistakes then as a young player and done things I would have learned from and Im sure young players will now.
Its important to have the right people around them and for players like myself, the older players, to advise them.
By Benjamin Cooper
SYDNEY, Sept 24 (Reuters) - A damaged pipeline that resulted in a fuel shortage across New Zealand and grounded hundreds of flights was restarted on Sunday after repairs were completed, officials said.
Jet fuel from the Marsden Point Oil Refinery began to arrive at Auckland's Wiri Oil Terminal on Sunday morning, and is expected to reach Auckland Airport by Tuesday, Energy and Resources Minister Judith Collins said.
"Airlines are continuing to operate their networks on the 50 percent fuel allocation from Auckland, with increasing stability and minimal disruption to passengers," Collins said in a statement. "The number of flight cancellations has been steadily decreasing."
Five international flights were canceled on Saturday as the country's army trucked fuel to Auckland airport and New Zealanders went to the polls for a general election. Two more international flights are expected to be canceled on Sunday.
The New Zealand government set up a commission to oversee the response to the crisis just days before Saturday's poll, which has left the ruling National Party and opposition Labour Party in a position of having to lobby the nationalist New Zealand First party to form a coalition government.
Tourism industry officials have expressed concern about the impact on the international reputation of the South Pacific island nation, which has been experiencing record levels of tourism.
More than 100 flights were canceled over the past several days and many more delayed, disrupting the plans of thousands of travelers.
Damage to the 170-km (105-mile) fuel line, which supplies almost all of the fuel for Auckland, New Zealands largest city, was believed to have been caused by a digger. Repairs were completed late on Friday.
New Zealand Refining Co Ltd Chief Executive Sjoerd Post told media on Saturday that full capacity would probably not return until early next year. Post said the pipeline would operate at 80 per cent capacity until further tests were carried out over the next few months. (Reporting by Benjamin Cooper; Editing by Jane Wardell and Paul Simao)
At a reception for President of the RoK-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Group Kim Hack-yong in Hanoi on September 22, the Deputy PM said the two sides should devise a coordination plan to well prepare for President Moon Jae-ins visit to Vietnam to attend the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting slated for November in the central city of Da Nang.
The Vietnamese Government always attaches importance to developing the strategic partnership with the RoK in the coming time, he affirmed, adding that Kim Hack-yongs visit is significant to promoting the legislative ties in particular and the bilateral relationship between the two countries in general.
Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh (R) and President of the RoK-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Group Kim Hack-yong (Source: VNA)
Deputy PM Binh expressed his hope that the RoK National Assembly will continuously expand and increase the efficiency of economic and trade cooperation with Vietnam, while working on measures to reduce Vietnams trade deficit with the RoK.
He also called for the Korean legislative bodys support in maintaining the RoKs non-refundable aid and official development assistance (ODA) loans for Vietnam.
The Deputy PM proposed the early signing of a credit framework agreement for 2016-2020 between the two countries, and maintained preferential loans for Vietnam from the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIMBANK).
He appealed to the RoK side to step up cultural, educational and tourism links with Vietnam, expand Korean and Vietnamese language teaching, especially Vietnamese language teaching for children of Vietnamese-Korean families, and facilitate visa granting for Vietnamese.
For his part, Kim Hack-yong stressed that Vietnam and the RoK have become important partners in economy, trade, education, national defence and security.
The RoK will continue its position as Vietnams largest partner in terms of investment, ODA provision, tourism and trade.
He proposed the Vietnamese Government continue providing optimal conditions for Korean businesses to operate in the country./.
WELLINGTON, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Winston Peters - a colourful, populist figure who rails against immigration - is poised to determine New Zealand's next government after a hotly contested election left neither major party with enough seats in Parliament govern on its own.
Below are some facts about New Zealand First leader Winston Peters:
* Peters was born in the far north New Zealand town of Whangarei in 1945 into a Scottish-Maori family.
* Peters studied law at Auckland University, where he was the captain of the Auckland Maori Rugby team. He later worked for a commercial law firm before setting up his own legal practice.
* Peters got his start in Parliament in 1978 as an MP for the National Party after winning a High Court case that overturned the election night result which showed his rival in the lead.
* Peters began sparring with his National Party caucus in the late 1980s and was sacked by then-Prime Minister Jim Bolger in 1991.
* In 1993, Peters set up the New Zealand First Party and won a seat in Parliament.
* Peters' New Zealand First was cast as kingmaker for the first time after the 1996 election, the country's first under the German-style proportionate representation system that favours smaller parties. He famously eschewed negotiation talks the day after the election to go fishing.
* Despite expectations he would back Labour, Peters eventually threw his support behind National and became the country's deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer.
* The coalition collapsed after Peters was sacked from the National Party-led Cabinet in 1998.
* Peters later served as foreign minister under Helen Clark's Labour Party-led government in 2005, during which time he became among a handful of Western politicians to visit North Korea.
* Despite holding the balance of power for a third time after Saturday's election, Peters did suffer a blow losing his seat representing his home constituency, Northland, to National.
* Peters regularly espouses nationalist views that he says reflect what regular New Zealanders think, but that many have criticized as xenophobic.
* In 2005, Peters blamed Asian immigration for "imported criminal activity". Last year, he described a Chinese company taking a majority ownership in a small New Zealand dairy processor as "lunacy", while he called dairy giant Fonterra's decision to send cows to China "economic treason". * Peters' policies have consistently centred around tight controls on immigration and foreign investment, as well as reducing taxation. He also advocates boosting welfare spending for the elderly, a key source of the party's support.
(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
BAGHDAD, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Iraqi oil minister Jabar al-Luaibi said on Sunday talks are continuing with Royal Dutch Shell on the Majnoon oil field that the company is said to be seeking to quit.
"There are still negotiations, things are not clear," Luaibi told a news conference in Baghdad. "We haven't initiated talks with other companies."
A letter signed by Luaibi, dated Aug. 23 and seen by Reuters, gave approval for Shell to quit Majnoon, a major oilfield near Basra which started production in 2014.
Industry sources told Reuters last year that Shell was considering selling out of its oil fields in Iraq as part of its global $30 billion asset disposal programme. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Toby Chopra)
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe participated as the chief guest of the annual general meeting of the Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association (CHSGA)that was held in Tangalle yesterday. Minister of Tourism and Christian religious affairs John Amaratunga and Sri Lanka Tourism Authority Director General Paddy Withana and Tourist Board Chairman Kavan Ratnayake also participated. Pix by Pradeepm Patirana.
I think Tharindu was once an elephant (in another life). And now, hes been born again to save the elephants.- then Minister of Wildlife and Sustainable Development, Gamini Jayawickrema Perera said at the launch of twenty three year-old Tharindu Muthukumaranas mammoth undertaking, The Life of Last Proboscideans : Elephants at Kadirgamar Centre on August 13.
Dedicating his gigantic work to well-wishers and the conservationists, Tharindu raise concerns about an impending danger of total extinction of Asian elephants during the Anthropogenic Holocene extinction.
The books authenticity, clarity of thought and complete production of established facts blended with original ideas makes it a very readable and moving text.
The chapter on Mythology makes it intermittently amusing but not overly exhaustive.
Tharindu deserves acclaim, and should be congratulated on his presentation of the complex events of this category of giants on land. This is perhaps a very helpful volume from the point of view of understanding the world of pachyderms.
This book should be read not only for the minute of the details of the elephant population, but also for the alerts it provides.
If historys lessons were not heeded, mankind is surely destined to be consumed by them. Very occasionally a book comes along that change your life, in the sense that it alters your thinking and causes you to reevaluate the things that everyone knows. Tharindus book is such a book.
On one level, this is a book about animal kingdom, about human culture, which does not sound particularly promising.
One of the books main strengths, and most perceptible features, is the way it constructs its overarching accounts from meticulously-researched facts
The study of pachyderms can be a niche subject, and it can be arid. The book starts from what may seem an innocuous topic: However, that includes both the entire history of life on earth and the history of Proboscideans itself, and the book is notable for both its breadth and depth. It focuses in immense detail on single events. It thus offers a comprehensive overview of the pachyderms history and existence.
Tharindu also challenges many of the universal beliefs about what we think we know about the in intricacies of nature at a point, when the question of Elephant human conflict is a daily topic in media and the public sense of right and wrong. One of the books main strengths, and most perceptible features, is the way it constructs its overarching accounts from meticulously-researched facts.
The Life of Last Proboscideans: Elephants, was launched at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute (The Lighthouse), 24 Horton Place, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka on Sunday, August 13, 2017
The text is straightforward, and full of well-expressed remarks or comments that reverberate long after the book is finished.
One of the most fascinating passages in the book is a discussion of elephant participation in religious rituals.
The book is profusely illustrated, hundreds of photographs, sketches, and illustration are included to demonstrate or accompany the paragraphs in the text.
He soaks up animal facts and explains eco systems; there are chapters formed around behaviours and defence systems, and an absorbing chapter on the history of life on earth. The book is divided up into several sections. His art is simple and amazing. I would say the length alone makes it better suited to upper elementary and middle-school elephant lovers. There is ample white space around the illustrations and text making it less visually distracting.
It would be a great way to start senior school children on their reading journey as well as their journey of learning about environment and elephants. A couple of copies should be made available in every school library.
A reader would value the descriptions on elephant intelligence, the intricacy of their lives and families and their skill to endure famine and human brutality. One can discover the tenderness of the animal, how the trunks that reach out and gently stroke a nervous toddler and a fierce commitment to defend their kind in the face of devastatingly superior force.
The book gathers almost one-and-a-half decades worth of study on the elephant into a single volume. The book is important for contravening the decades-old hypothesis about elephant behaviour. Thus it facilitates a much more conversant approach to saving the elephant and discovering better ways to support labours that would see humans living happily side by side with these wonderful non-humans. There are still hunters and poachers, who shoot the elephants for their ivory. The book enlightened me on many such cruel practices.
Tharindus observations of courtship, birth, communication, death, and social structure of the species kept my interest to the end. The author is first and foremost a ground researcher with long hours of first hand observation of untamed and tamed elephants. The trouble with a lot of expert books of elephant conduct is that they almost have too much familiarity. Tharindu strikes a balance between talking scientifically relevant information while also amusing the reader. It is both good science and good writing.
Ever since I can commit to memory elephants have fascinated me. Their sheer dimension, their fluttering ears, the echoing and trumpeting noises they make, the unhurried and methodical way they stroll and their amazingly attractive tusks fascinated me. The author had relieved me of all my reservations, doubts and speculations.
Clashes between elephants and people arent new, but they are growing. As human populations grow, territory becomes disjointed, with elephants losing more of the space they need to live. But the solutions to human-elephant conflicts are often politically provoked and can lead to brutality to animals. Individual elephants and whole groupings may be fenced in to insignificant areas or even culled.
Managing such conflicts entails great care; Tharindu has a solution.
Finally, I admire the author for the work he has done and his dedication to the species; the world needs a few more youngsters like Tharindu Muthukumarana.
I would recommend that anyone pick up this book for pleasure reading as well as an interesting scientific study of the elephants.
Amid the backdrop of the fight against the Islamic State (IS), where Kurds play a leading role in the US-backed war against the IS, Kurdish Peshmergha have defeated IS troops in many regions of Iraq and now control those territories, which includes the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
The Kurdistan autonomous region in Iraq plans to hold a referendum to determine its direction on statehood today, September 25. The referendum is not equivalent of a declaration of independence. The referendum will simply ask voters if they want an independent Kurdish state. The vote will not only take place within the borders of the Kurdistan region, but also within disputed territories that are now under de facto Kurdish control.
Besides the Kurdish population in Iraq, Kurds form the fourth largest ethnic group in Middle East, but are without a state of their own. The Kurdish people are scattered in various countries, including Turkey, Iran Syria and Armenia where they have sizeable populations. It is in this milue, Iraqs Kurdish leader, Masoud Barzani has called for a plebiscite on whether or not the Kurdish people want to form a state of their own.
Like the Tamils of Sri Lanka and the Israelis who prior to the setting up of the State of Israel, the Kurds are a discriminated minority in the countries they live in. They have their own language, culture and even their forms of worship differ from those of the majority in those lands. They occupy a contiguous land area in which they have lived in for centuries. They are now seeking a land for themselves, an end to years of discrimination, and support for the right to rule themselves.
Rulers like the late Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey look on the Kurds as terrorists and have subjected them to persecution. In holding the referendum though, Iraqs Kurdish leader appears to be defying international opposition from the US, the EU countries, and neighbouring Middle Eastern countries all of whom too, are opposed to the proposed referendum. The only nation backing the demand of the Kurds is the State of Israel.
What drives the Kurds to hold a referendum at this point or juncture, when In the aftermath of the western occupation of Iraq, it was the US that helped set up of an autonomous region within Iraq where Kurds enjoy a degree of self rule. Kurds however claim, the regime in Baghdad has nullified their autonomy and continues its discriminatory policies against the Kurdish people.
The reality is, Kurds realise that once the war against the Islamic state ends, their bargaining power with both the US and the Iraqi authorities will diminish. Today the war to recapture Iraqi territory from the IS, is coming to an end. And so the Kurdish leadership is attempting to solidify gains they made on the battlefield before international pressure is brought on them to return these territories to Iraq.
A referendum which delivers a pro-independence verdict will make it all the more difficult to bring international pressure on the Kurds to cede these territories back to Iraq. Analysts see the referendum as a ploy a set up for another US-outpost in the Middle East and a means to further control and dominate the oil-rich region.
Whatever, today is September 25, and the Kurds of the autonomous region within Iraq and the captured territories now held by Kurdish Peshmergha forces, are expected to vote in an unofficial independence referendum. There is little doubt if the referendum goes ahead, the pro-independence vote will triumph, which in turn will lead to situations of confrontation and violence within Iraq.
The Turkish President has already warned against the holding of the referendum which he fears will draw Turkish Kurds into a future conflict. He has already warned of Turkish intervention in the event of violence breaking out. The crackdown on the Kurds in Iraq will draw the US into the conflict on behalf of Kurds who form the backbone of the US-backed forces fighting the war against the IS and could lead to the setting up of another US-dependent state in the Middle East.
For America a dependent Kurdish state is a win-win situation. On the one hand, it increases US leverage over Israel which lately has not only openly opposed US policies but also attempted to play a role in the US election itself, vis-a-vis influencing the US Jewish voting bloc.
On the other hand, it will go a long way to improve Americas image. By helping the Islamic Kurds it will help change international perceptions of the US now seen as anti-Islamic.
High time to do away with nit-picking, tilting windmills over blathering politicians and dashing coconuts
It is quite discernible and palpable that our country is passing through a period of vital transformation with regard to public administration.
A very healthy dialogue has erupted in course of a very short span of time over the historical judgment delivered by the court regarding misappropriation of public funds by two very important public servants. The crux of the matter is that the court itself says that they have not used that colossal amount of money for their personal use. The other day, some people talking at our nearby tea-kiosk generated a lengthy discussion in their conclave and came to a unanimous verdict that it was a deterrent punishment to the present breed of administrative officers not to carry out the orders of the high ups with scant care to the establishment code, so that the verdict was poetic justice.
Some others argued that they could resort to summary justice as both parties were brothers and sisters. Since independence, they have been misappropriating public funds in their turns. Yet, another member of the village concave said that the verdict had to be hailed as the tipping point and no any other alternative was possible to arrest this game.
This transitional Government could prepare the necessary springboard for concrete good Governance later one day. By listening to their pundit talk I could call to my mind two books I had read at the university library. One is serving unto Caesar by our veteran civil servant Bradman Weerakoon and Peter Principle.
But I for not being able to remember the great author who penned it, necessarily a guide book for amateur administrative officers. I humbly believe that if these two victims of public funds misappropriation had read these ground breaking books they might have not done this blunder and could survive as two of the unblemished honorable public servants. Yet, I have a great respect towards Mr. Lalith Weeratunga for his stellar performance in administrative service. He fell victim to the corrupt system that prevailed.
The ongoing tragedy is that the concerned parties, in a desperate attempt, are nitpicking and misguiding the general public. That is infra dig and could have drastic boomerang effects because of the very fact that people are very knowledgeable now.
If they go into the matter deeply, there are surely some other ways to skin a cat. It is generally believed now that most of the politicians are playing to the gallery. That cock wont fight. The children of the present population are armed with a profound understanding of the status quo with regard to almost all the public matters of national importance. They educate their parents and elders not in uncertain terms. Most of the young and immature politicos are rope walking.
The children in unprivileged families are very angry, because they seem to know that their children are pursuing higher education in salubrious countries and disturbing the apple cart here. When all these things come out on the public platform, the leaders become unanswerable.
It is crystal clear that God has a soft spot for the people who live by their sweat. Therefore, God could be found at the places where people work under the scorching sun or where rubble is broken into pieces, where steam-rollers work making roads under the unbearable heat. -the workers or the underdog as our old red brigade said in the radical university days, when our blood was heated.
But the utter disgrace to the economists, professors and doctors of political science is that they dash coconuts, where God is not present.
Even when Kataragama Devale turmoil erupted and the goons surrounded the very abode, the God was not present there. In fact, stupid people dash coconuts at the wrong place. That is why they do not get the expected results from dashing coconuts. God sees to the interest of the less fortunate. Our gross national product is wasted on vulgar projects,
LO AND BEHOLD!
National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa said today that the government was trying to bring in the new Constitution on the requirement of the Western forces and Tamil Diaspora to please Tamil separatists.
He told a news conference that President Maithripala Sirisena had assured UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zaid Al Hussein that Sri Lanka was carrying out UNHRC recommendations and added that the new Constitution was also being drafted according to that.
He said countrys Constitution, which was its basic legal system, could not be changed on the whims of foreign forces.
He said the Central Government, President and the Prime Minister would function for their name sake as all the powers including Police, Administration, Finance, Land and Enacting Laws would be granted to Provincial Councils in the new Constitution.
The country will be divided into nine regions, where separate laws and administration would prevail. The country will become jumbled. Is this for what 27, 000 war heroes sacrificed their lives? he asked.
Mr. Weerawansa said Tamil separatists had been trying to fulfill their needs through the Constitution for a long time, where they once did it through the 13th Amendment under J.R. Jayewardene.
He said the then President J.R. Jayewardene acted to pass the 13th Amendment by seeking advice from the Attorney General without going for a referendum and added that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was also following the same suite by bringing in amendments during the committee stage going against the Supreme Court decision.
He followed the same strategy in bringing in the Provincial Councils Amendment Bill and Local Government Elections Bill, where amendments were made during the Committee Stage contracted to the bill forwarded to the Supreme Court.
It is possible to bring in such contradicting amendments to the new Constitution also during the Committee Stage. The concept of Unitary State may also be changed to Federal State during Committee Stage and get a two thirds majority in Parliament, he said. (Ajith Siriwardana)
Elected representatives are supposed to represent the wishes of the citizens in a country. In this respect, holding fair and free elections is paramount. Free and fair elections does not merely include holding elections which are unbiased and uninfluenced but also include ensuring that the ideal candidate is elected and that the people are represented. The Constitution explicitly states in Article 4 that the sovereignty of the people(among other things) will be exercised through the franchise.
According to the United Nations Former Secretary General Kofi Annan, one of the key principles of Good Governance is peoples participation in government policy through elections. Therefore, postponing any election under any circumstance is a violation of this Good Governance principle, said former Human Rights Commissioner, Dr.Prathiba Mahanamahewa.
Like in the United States, elections should be held on the due date. If it should be held in four years, it has to take place in four years; not before or after, he stressed.
Suggesting that there should be an election calendar he said that the directives must be given by the constitution. Otherwise we cant set up this system. Or else Sri Lanka will have to go for a dictatorship. Good governance is not working as there is corruption, he said.
PR system
One of the major issues in Sri Lanka is that the proportionate representation system does not represent the true vote of the people. This is where we can see power and money playing a major role. Cases of 29 present ministers have gone before the Bribery Commission via the FCID. Why do they collect money? Mainly to spend for the next election, he pointed out.
He added that it was not wise to remove the proportionate representation system completely, and that 60% should be under the First Past the Post system (FPP). In other words he suggested that there should be a mixed member proportional system. The Interim Report of the Steering Committee submitted to the Parliament states that the electoral system shall be a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system, which seeks to ensure proportionality of the end result (allocation of seats), while also having directly elected constituency seats (thus ensuring such MPs accountability to constituencies).
Representation
Today uneducated and unskilled people get into parliament. Therefore, a slot should be allocated for experts, academics, and engineers, he said adding that minimum educational qualifications and any required employment experience for candidates intending to contest elections should be published.
He added that there should be allocations made for female representation and youth representation. There are unemployed graduates the government has still not employed. There must be a compulsory representation of 25% for the youth and 30% for women, he said.
Rejection votes
He further pointed out that the number of rejected votes showed how people have rejected political parties. Under the proportional representation system you vote for the party first and then the candidate. In the past fifteen elections the rejection vote has been accumulating. This means that people have no trust in the government. When people have money and no jobs, for them the best thing would be to join politics.
Declare assets and liabilities
Like in the United States, elections should be held on the due date. If it should be held in four years, it has to take place in four years; not before or after
One of the major issues in Sri Lanka is that the proportionate representation system does not represent the true vote of the people. This is where we can see power and money playing a major role
Former Human Rights Commissioner Dr. Prathiba Mahanamahewa
Primarily for a free and fair election everyone must play in a fair play ground. Up till 1977 Members of Parliament (MPs) travelled to parliament by bus, by train, or even by cart. But today why do they go for luxury? I have no faith on whether the current constitution will change or not. But we need to have a proper mechanism. Today the person with more money wins, he lamented.
He added that prior to handing over the nomination forms to contest any election, all the candidates must declare their assets and liabilities within Sri Lanka and overseas to the Elections Commission (EC).
The EC must publish the maximum amount which could be spent by an individual candidate in their election campaign. The final accounts must be submitted to the EC with a ratification by a recognized auditor within three months after the election failing which the MP automatically vacates the post, he said.
He stressed that there should be a proper forecast of the budget and that the Parliament Elections and Provincial Elections Acts should be amended.
In Bangladesh, when you campaign, you have to register. Your budget must be approved by the Independent Commission. You must inform of how many posters you would display, and how many supporters are there in your campaign. So the main weakness in our system is the lavish spending in the form of dansal, gifts and liquor. This has led to an uncontrollable situation, he said.
Code of conduct
Asked if there was a code of conduct to govern candidates he said, When you submit your nominations, and if you had been involved in any illegal activities, it could be disputed. Then the District Secretary may reject the nomination. But in certain issues such as the dual citizenship issue, the DS didnt reject the nomination. This is where self-regulation comes in. How many declarations are signed by Parliamentarians? Have they followed them? They have a code of conduct. But the political party must take action.
The leader doesnt take action because of the fear that the candidate might cross over to the other side, and it has happened in Sri Lanka. In Australia, when I was doing my PhD, the Finance Minister of the state of Victoria was charged for driving under the influence of Alcohol. He was above the 5% limit which was allowed. The traffic sergeant stopped him, checked him and found him guilty. He was sacked from parliament, sacked from the party and simultaneously, the sergeant who handled the case was promoted. Will that happen in Sri Lanka?
He also highlighted how parliament members are traded. If you give Rs. 5 million, they will cross over to your side.
Equal chance of voting
An election becomes fair when voters have the equal chance of voting. The migrant population in Sri Lanka is very high. In the Gulf region, more than 1,000,000 Sri Lankans work. They have no access to vote. This makes a big impact on the country, he said. In other countries, the embassies of the respective countries where the elections were held has facilities for people to come and cast their votes. A ballot box is set up at the Maldivian embassy here for Maldivians to cast their votes. How many students are studying in Malaysia? Their voice is not heard. This is a violation of basic civil and political rights. In the prisons, there are hundreds of inmates who languish without any access to vote. In some companies, employees are not allowed to travel far to vote because of leave constraints. Under these circumstances, the companies must be provided with access to postal voting. They are bound by the law to release employees to vote. A written petition to the EC would deliver them the justice. But no one complains due to the fear of losing their jobs, he lamented.
Laws
Dr. Mahanamahewa emphasized that regulations or laws related to candidates contesting elections should not be passed to be applied retrospectively.
The fine for an election law violation by any candidate or political party, should be a minimum of Rs. 100,000 and a minimum imprisonment of three years. Election law violations should be made a non-bailable offence and only Provisional High Court should be allowed to grant such a bail, he added.
He further suggested that election promises given by candidates prior to elections should be made legally binding and that unfulfilled promises should be heard before a Tribunal.
Senate and House Sub-committees have both opposed the 92% slash in funding
China pledged over US$ 300 mn in development assistance to Sri Lanka for the years
2018 2020
Chinas gift in 2011 of the Nelum Pokuna alone is valued over US$ 19 mn
Earlier this year the US set up and trained an elite Marines Battalion within the SLN
The first ever US-Sri Lanka Naval exercise is now set to take place in Trincomalee
As the US government engages in the complicated process of approving its budget for Financial Year 2018, we are told that the Trump administration had requested US$ 3.4 million in foreign assistance for Sri Lanka. Readers could be forgiven if they thought it was a typo in the news reports they read. But it was confirmed in Acting Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wellss statement to the US House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific on Sept. 7.
US Senate and House Sub-committees have both opposed the 92% slash in funding, with the Senate Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations Appropriations recently approving a sum of US$35 million under the Economic Support Fund, according to reports. But this amount, modest as it is, comes with hefty conditions attached that would have implications for Sri Lankas sovereignty and independence, since it is conditional on laws being repealed or changed, demands as to how Sri Lankas military shall be deployed, decisions on the militarys restructuring and its size etc. It further links the assistance to supporting a credible justice mechanism in compliance with UNHRC Resolution (A/HCR/30/ L.29) of October, 2015 (which incorporates all of the above and more).
In 2016, US assistance commitments to Sri Lanka were about 42.5 mn and thats a bit less than half the cost of an F-35 fighter jet
The latter condition was also central to Wellss testimony before the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee when she said We (meaning the governments of the US and Sri Lanka) are working together to fulfil the steps to which our nations agreed in a resolution 30/1 at the UN Human Rights Council in 2015. Wells links the assistance to constitutional reform, devolution of power, repeal of the PTA and other specifics contained in Resolution 30/1 such as the Office of Missing Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Commission and prosecutions for alleged war crimes. Such is the tall order that (it would appear) is expected in order to receive the grand sum of US$3.4 million in assistance in 2018.
For perspective on the figures, its useful to recall that when PM Ranil Wickremesinghe visited Beijing earlier this year, China pledged over US$ 300 million in development assistance to Sri Lanka for the years 2018 2020, apart from over US$ 60 million in the current year, according to reports. Chinas gift in 2011 of the Nelum Pokuna theatre/auditorium alone is valued at over US$ 19 million. While it is true that Sri Lanka has gotten into a debt trap over Chinese infrastructure projects based on loans, it is also true that China does not make its money conditional on internal political and system changes within the country. It could be argued that if the Sri Lanka failed to negotiate effectively in securing the Chinese loans (which it had the right to do as a sovereign state) and its bureaucrats and politicians were embroiled in corrupt deals, it has only itself to blame for those lapses.
So what considerations led the US Senate and House Committees - which do the actual fund allocations to decide on the revised figures? According to reports:
Given the geostrategic importance of the country, the Committee does not support the Presidents budget request for Sri Lanka, which proposed a 92% reduction in assistance from the prior fiscal year, the Senate Appropriations Committee was cited as saying, in a report passing the annual State Appropriations Bill for the fiscal year 2018, beginning October 1. The report had referred to Sri Lanka being strategically positioned along key shipping lanes and emerging from decades of conflict.
US lawmakers openly acknowledge that economic support is nothing but a foreign policy tool, in the case of Sri Lanka to be used to gain geostrategic advantage
Reports also say the House Appropriations Committee has passed its Foreign Appropriations Bill. According to Congressman Ted Yoho, Chairman of House - Foreign Affairs Sub Committee on Asia and the Pacific,Even at their height in 2016, US assistance commitments to Sri Lanka were about 42.5 million, and thats a bit less than half the cost of a single F-35 fighter jet. That seems like a reasonable investment to gain a friend in one of the worlds most critical sea lanes...
Thus the US lawmakers openly acknowledge that economic support is nothing but a foreign policy tool, in the case of Sri Lanka to be used to gain geostrategic advantage, especially in the crucial matter of maritime domination. As Senator Lindsay Graham, chairman of the Senate State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee declared ... America must remain the pre-eminent power in the world.
This relates to Alice Wellss reference to the USs growing interest in establishing military ties with Sri Lanka, in her statement to the Congress Sub-committee where she said The current coalition governments commitment to a reform agenda has prompted growing interest in expanding engagement with the U.S., including in military-to-military relations. While the terminology suggests US interest in military ties with Sri Lanka is some kind of payback for the governments commitment to a reform agenda, it is obvious that the eagerness to establish military ties only serves the USs own strategic purposes.
The US mainly seeks to deepen ties with the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), as the frequent US warship visits and training exercises with the SLN show. The first ever US-Sri Lanka Naval exercise is now set to take place in Trincomalee, a long-coveted natural deep water port, under the tutelage of the US Seventh Fleet. There has been a focus on amphibious operations in particular, and multiple missions to train Sri Lankan personnel in areas that would presumably be useful to the US in an anticipated conflict scenario in the Indian Ocean or beyond. Earlier this year the Americans set up and trained an elite Marines Battalion within the SLN, described as a master of amphibious operations, and fully fledged in undertaking any form of threat coming from the seas. Seeing that Sri Lanka has no enemies who are likely to invade this island, what is the explanation for this perceived threat from the seas? It could only mean a threat to Sri Lankas partner in these exercises namely the US. So it is clear that by committing its personnel, vessels, equipment and skills to these training exercises the US is investing in its own security and not that of Sri Lanka. Considering the strategic gains for the US, Sri Lanka is being cheaply had.
The USs perceived threat in this region, it is well known, is China, on account of its maritime expansion. The question arises as to why the government of Sri Lanka is committing its highly professional and respected armed forces to someone elses anticipated battle, most likely against a long-standing friend of Sri Lanka, and to what end. Why must Sri Lanka put itself at risk by getting entangled in war games among the big nuclear powers? What has become of the pledge to be friends with all and enemies of none?
Its worth pondering the profound and bitter irony that the US exploits for its own strategic purposes, the very Sri Lankan armed forces whose leaders it seeks to crucify in its hypocritical crusade over human rights that uses Resolution 30/1 as its weapon. Big powers plan strategy decades ahead (not just long enough to stay in power for five years, as in Sri Lanka). Given that the stakes are high, it would be fair to surmise that this situation has developed not by accident but by design.
By Dr.Harinda Vidanage
President Trump reiterated his willingness to destroy North Korea which was captured by the global media
Trumps ideas about UN reforms and Guterres sense are very different
Germany is bracing for its general elections and Merkel is the favourite to win
People, Peace and Decent life for all, was the theme of 72nd UN General Assembly (UNGA), yet what stood out from the interventions of some key global leaders was antithetical to the theme. Rather than peace and coexistence the forum was more like a ring for professional wrestlers who punched and kicked each other to the cheering frenzy of their fans. Thus from threats such as wiping out nations, to terrorist branding of nations and leaders the UNGA became less about global governance and more about global fractures.
Pakistan accused India of sponsoring terrorism inside of its borders and called for a hard response if Indians do not cease interventions in Pakistan. India shot back, naming Pakistan as Terroristan. President Trump reiterated his willingness to destroy North Korea which was captured by the global media. His longer more nuanced and complex critique was on the Iranian regime. His critique of the ongoing Iranian nuclear deal has already created shock waves among the European partners of the deal.
There were some clear signals from Trumps speech, what the global media has extracted are a few audacious ones, yet if one carefully goes through Trumps Speech, there are a set of interesting points of departures from American foreign policy of the last 70 years. Trumps debut at the UNGA was the first real detailed outlining of his foreign policy as well as his world view. Trumps world view is shared by quite a number of current and emerging global leaders, who argue for a return to nationalism as bedrock of policy making.
Trump seems to be addressing a cohort of like-minded leaders who has emerged within the last five years and even leaders who are drifting towards embracing rigid and strict forms of nationalism. Thus from Poland, India, Russia, to Japan the call for return to emphasis on state sovereignty resonates well with its incumbent leadership. Trump in his speech declared, As President of the United States, I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries will always, and should always, put your countries first. And another significant statement was Now we are calling for a great reawakening of nations, for the revival of their spirits, their pride, their people, and their patriotism
While it is appealing given the current political transformations and the inherent problems of democratic regimes, Trump clearly takes aim at signalling a new era in American foreign policy which will not develop a robust global governance architecture. Instead Trump believes that forums like United Nations is to discuss issues but with strong domestic compulsions. Trumps United States is looking at a much weaker, less able, less bureaucratic, intergovernmental organization.
The United States has achieved a forceful confession from the United Nations; its new Secretary General Antonio Guterres acknowledged the need for reform. Trumps ideas about UN reforms and Guterres sense are very different. Many analysts were appalled when Trump called for the destruction of North Korea, and many blamed Trump for his inexperience and irresponsibility. Yet a deeper discursive analysis would reveal that rather than the intention to wipe out Korea, Trumps intention was demonstrate that the UN forums can be used to popularize ideas such as war, violence and such acts or initiatives can be normalized backed by rhetoric.
Thus the current United States regime has managed to open spaces for leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu, General Sisi, Tayyip Erdogan to feel comfortable when they drive forceful narratives about the existence of rogue states and the necessity to stop such evil. Trumps speech had that effect, thus the theme of the UNGA this year is upended when the head of the United States is articulating power in pure military sense by referring to increased military spending of the US to providing a singular option to deal with all adversaries of the United States, the use of force.
The speech was a well devised attack on liberal internationalism which was the guiding ideology and operational theory of global affairs the in the last 30 years. Instead Trump introduces the notion of Principled Realism. The United Nations that was conceived as a peaceful mechanism of coexistence since the end of the World War II might be going through a period of radical transition. American political scientist Joseph Nye disagrees, he claims in a recent opinion piece the structural dimension of American politics is rooted in such a way that Trump will not be able to change the foundations and pillars of American foreign policy any soon.
While the UNGA is going through such turmoil, Germany is bracing for its general elections. Merkel is the favourite to win the elections. Thus for the German Chancellor who in her address to the congress during her visit to the United States in 2009 passionately disclosed her love and passion for the American Dream is now seen by many globalists, institutional liberalists as a the only leader who is capable of facing up to the challenges of rising nationalism. Merkel is endowed with the spirit of defiance; she defied her Eastern roots to be the first woman to be a Chancellor in Germany.
She is perceived as the only leader who has not wavered in front of an aggressive Russia and the Russian President Putin. Accounting for nearly 20% of the European Unions GDP and with a larger manufacturing base than the United States and possesses one of the worlds largest surpluses in its current accounts, Berlin has for a while been the indispensable heart of the European Project but Merkel is reluctant for any form of German writ large in the name of defending the Project or the Union. She was quick to disagree with Trump mainly on Iran but has not delved into a serious critique about the American leaders stance on the crucial nuclear deal.
Donald Trump in his speech did not mention a single thing about Russia or Putin, or make any allusions to Russia indirectly. Thus it is becoming evident that Trump is trying hard to define the contours of a global threat that according to him is the primary threat confronting the Unites States in the 21st Century. Out of the great powers in the world no leader came forward to defend the status quo, there was no real defender of the liberal international order.
This led to Javier Solana former NATO Secretary General to quickly come up with a opinion piece titled The Global Leadership vacuum, questioning the ability of current international order to maintain any order to deal with the crucial global challenges from the North Korean nuclear crisis to the global climate debate. Trumps comments ignited a no holds barred cage fight, heralding a shrinking and weak role for the United Nations. This relegation is analogous to a referee in wrestle mania who gets to do less while being hit on the head.
The writer is the Director, Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS)
An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 on the Richter scale again shook this Saturday morning in central and southern Mexico and unleashed the worst fears of those who lived four days before the powerful earthquake of 7.1 that has caused so far around 300 victims mor Such. The rescue efforts in the capital stopped for a few minutes, as reported by the authorities, and were retaken shortly thereafter. The quake has been a replica of the one that occurred on September 7, as the authorities have confirmed, and has weakened some constructions in Oaxaca that were already affected by the previous earthquake that left 98 dead. Two people have died because of a heart attack in Mexico City. The Telluric movement was registered at the 7.53 local time (14.59 GMT) and its epicenter was located in the southern state of Oaxaca, the same area where last September 7 an earthquake of 8.2, the most powerful since 1932, cause 98 dead. "At the moment, the major affectations are the bridge of Ixtaltepec [Oaxaca], which must be rebuilt, and structures with previous damage that collapsed," said Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto. After verifying that the conditions are safe, the activities will restart as soon as possible. Https://t.co/U25tkvDHeM Luis Felipe Puente (@LUISFELIPE_P) September 23, 2017 the alarm sounded almost a minute before the quake could be felt in Mexico City, which allowed many citizens to leave their homes and take refuge in the street. The scene was repeated, the faces of fear, the "It has happened again". The 38 collapsed buildings in the capital take them tattooed on the skin and stay inside is not an option. In Mexico City felt a "light perception and at the moment do not report affectations, continues monitoring", said on Twitter the national coordinator of Civil Protection, Luis Felipe Puente, who said to be in communication with the States of Chiapas and Oaxaca. "We ask the whole population to remain calm," he said in turn the presidency. Carlos Valdes, director of the National Center for Disaster Prevention (Cenapred), confirmed that the earthquake was a replica of the incident on 7 September. Because of the "magnitude" of the earthquake, he said, "it can generate replicas like the one we've seen today."
This week witnessed a series of addresses at the United Nations by heads of state or their representatives. The world followed as leaders from United States, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Bangladesh shared their concerns. In many cases, the country against whom statements were made exercised its right to respond and sought to discredit the remarks of the previous leader. United States president Donald Trump, while openly threatening North Korea and Iran, also gave a direct hint to Pakistan when he mentioned that terror financing and support must stop, though Islamabad preferred to ignore his statement.
Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi spoke on expected lines, blaming India for his country's troubles, claiming that Afghanistan supported anti-Pakistan terror groups and sought UN intervention on Kashmir, including the resolution of the UN mandate. He also claimed to have handed a dossier on India's human rights violations in Kashmir to the UN secretary general.
His comment that Pakistan would not be anyones scapegoat, referring to Trumps criticism about its support to terror groups, was a sign of mounting international pressure against Pakistan's own actions.
India, in its right to reply, called Pakistan "terroristan", with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj accusing the country of supporting terror groups and openly allowing UN-designated terror group leaders the freedom to operate and launch political parties.
To add insult to injury, Trump refused to meet Abbasi in a one-to-one in New York, while he did meet the Afghan president. Abbasi had to be content with meeting US vice-president Mike Pence. A meeting for a few minutes with Trump during the formal event hosted by him for all delegates may not mean much, but it was the saving grace for an otherwise beleaguered Pakistan prime minister. The US has made no mention of this meeting.
To add insult to injury, Donald Trump refused to meet Pakistan PM Abbasi in a one-to-one in New York, while he did meet the Afghan president. Photo: Reuters
Bangladesh prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, criticised Pakistan for the 1971 genocide, which resulted in the deaths of more than three million people. She also stated that terrorism and violent extremism had become a major threat to peace, stability and development in a direct hint to Pakistan. Pakistan, in its right to reply, rejected her statement, claiming it had no takers. She spoke of facts, while Pakistan desperately tried to dispel her assertion, clearly at a loss, as history bears testimony to her words.
Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani, stated that Trumps strategy for the conflict-torn nation would be successful solely because Washington seeks to employ a harder line against Pakistan. He went on to add: The message to Pakistan to engage and become a responsible stakeholder in the region and in the fight against terrorism has never been clearer. If Pakistan does not take this opportunity, they would pay a high price. Pakistan did not officially respond to Ghani, but insisted that it too has been a victim of terrorism a poor justification that nobody would believe, as world pressure mounts on it.
In her lucid address, Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj spoke of national and international issues that would be of concern to the UN. She too took on Pakistan, accusing India's neighbour of being a global supporter of terror, spending its budget on terror groups, permitting its people to suffer the abject lack of facilities.
She reminded Pakistan about the Shimla accord and the Lahore declaration, which made the UN mandate on Kashmir redundant. Her comment that it was only Pakistan that was compelled to respond to every speaker from the subcontinent proved that its terror support policies were harming the region. Her statement was well received by the UN.
Pakistan responded in its characteristic style, taking off from where its prime minister's address concluded and accused India of being the terror exporter in the region. Their spokesperson, Maleeha Lodhi, even showed a picture of a Palestine girl to the address, claiming it was a Kashmiri who had suffered pellet wounds. Pakistan's justification included attacking the RSS and the BJP; however, it left no one in doubt that the rejoinder was given only because it was mandatory, as there were no comments on development issues. Sushma was right when she stated that Pakistan has to respond to every country in the subcontinent.
Pakistans belief that China would provide unstinted support to every one of its actions is misplaced. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, when asked about the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)'s comments requesting the UN to implement the Kashmir resolution, stated that Beijing's position is clear cut. Kashmir is a dispute from history and can only be resolved through mutual dialogue and enhanced communication between India and Pakistan again supporting India's stand of bilateral discussions.
Nations of the subcontinent have all condemned Pakistan for its policies, support to terror groups and making southeast Asia insecure. In what is yet another setback for Pakistan, when the foreign ministers of SAARC nations met, they refused to accept the country as the host for the regional summit solely because it supports terror. SAARC, as an entity, has almost outlived its utility. Further, Indias support to BIMSTEC which comprises nearly the entire SAARC but for Pakistan and one-to-one agreements with most nations involving financial support and assistance in development, has isolated Pakistan from the subcontinent.
If strategic leaders from both its military and polity have failed to grasp the international isolation that Pakistan is slowly moving into, it may be too late for them to redirect their path.
Banking on unstinted support from Russia and China may be asking for too much as Beijing's comments on Kashmir and the BRICS statement proved. Chinese pressure would begin to mount as it fears undue military action by the US could place its investments in the CPEC in jeopardy.
To add to its misery were protests both in Geneva and New York by Baloch separatists seeking freedom from Pakistan repression. It brought into international glare what Pakistan had been keeping under the wraps all these years brutal suppression of the Baloch people. As expected, Pakistan complained to Swiss authorities about the demonstrations, but the damage has been done and its brutality stands exposed.
For any nation, facing such hostility from its own neighbours, members of its closest regional grouping and major powers would be a clear indicator of its international and regional standing. An open refusal to accept any SAARC meeting was a slap on the face, which Pakistan still aims to downplay.
Its own deep state is pulling the nation down into a morass from which it may not emerge easily, while the polity looks on helplessly.
For the deep state that continues in its belief of using terror groups as an instrument of state policy, the doors are slowly closing.
Pressure is mounting from all directions India, China, Russia and the US. It is time Pakistan introspects, plans a change in its policies and seeks to become a respected member of the international community.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, while calling India an IT superpower in her address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, forgot to mention that Pakistan too is an IT superpower! The only difference is that in the context of India, IT stands for information technology, but in Pakistan's case, IT means international terrorism.
Swaraj, in her frontal assault on the country from the UN podium, took Pakistan's name and castigated it for the innumerable sins of omission and commission it had committed with the following verbal missiles:
1. We set up IITs, IIMs, AIIMS and ISRO. What did Pakistan make? They set up LeT, JeM, Haqqani network and Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist camps.
2. We gave birth to doctors and scientists, Pakistan gave birth to jihadis and terrorists. Your jihadis are not just killing Indians but also (those of) other nations.
3. I want to tell people of Pakistan the money you are spending on terrorism, you should spend it on your people.
What the external affairs minister's decisive takedown of Pakistan means
1. Forget India's presence at the South Asian Association Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit this year too, as our relations with Pakistan, the host country, continue to remain in the dog house at a time when the latter would be preparing to send formal invites to member countries;
2. India is in a poll mode and the Narendra Modi government has virtually slammed shut the door of peace talks on Pakistan as it wants to convey a tough image to the people and also because the Modi government may hold elections around or before the next UNGA meeting in September 2018 if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wins Gujarat Assembly polls this year end. An important point made by Swaraj was her appeal to the international community to stop paying lip service to the cause of fighting terrorism by formally passing the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) in the ongoing session of UNGA.
The proposed treaty which intends to criminalise all forms of international terrorism and deny terrorists, their financiers and supporters access to funds, arms, and safe havens has been hanging fire for more than two decades.
'We set up IITs, IIMs, AIIMS and ISRO. What did Pakistan make? They set up LeT, JeM, Haqqani network and Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist camps.' Photo: Reuters
Going by the current dynamics and complete polarisation among member states on the definition of terrorism, it is highly unlikely that Swaraj's wish would come true in the foreseeable future. This is because a terrorist for one country is a martyr for another. This has been so for centuries and shall remain so for the time to come.
However, the discussions on CCIT have yielded three separate protocols that aim to tackle terrorism: International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, adopted on December 15, 1997; International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, adopted on December 9, 1999; and International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, adopted on April 13, 2005.
Sushma Swarajs repeated mocking of Pakistan and her unusual aggression isnt going to change the India-Pakistan dynamics or Pakistan. On the contrary, the maximalist position taken by Swaraj is likely to trigger a maximalist response from Pakistan in an equal and opposite reaction.
The Pakistani response may manifest itself, most probably, in terms of unprovoked firing and shelling by its troops along the Line of Control (LoC). Thats because even the terrorists, long nurtured by Pakistan's state actors, have in many ways stopped listening to Islamabad and are pushing their own agenda.
On a Friday night last month, Collective, a political organisation in Jawaharlal Nehru University of which I am a part, organised a public meeting on Understanding Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment.
It was held in the mess of one of the women-only hostels, and despite three other events being scheduled at the same time - it was election season, after all - over a hundred students participated in a constructive discussion about the meaning of affirmative consent, what constitutes sexual harassment, the jurisprudence and regulations governing complaints, and the support systems available to the complainant.
As we were preparing the mess for the event, we noticed a curious set of posters stuck on the water cooler and the wall behind it. We hadnt seen them anywhere else on campus; they had been put up earlier in the evening, only in this hostel.
All of them were titled, Ban the Khap. One demanded "rule of law, not your pseudo-progressive khapi ideology for politically backed boost [to] your flagging career". Another accused "corrupt and thieving khapis of embezzlement of public money without authority of law". At first, we were all bewildered about who they were talking about.
It became clear when the speakers finished and the floor was thrown open to the audience. The first questioner went on a rant about how the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH), which investigates all such complaints on campus, has no legal basis to exist.
As this weeks events have shown, the latest target of the vice-chancellor is the GSCASH itself.
His argument was that under the Sexual Harassment at Workplaces Act, 2013, and guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission in 2015, all complaints must be handled by an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), and therefore the GSCASH is an extra-legal body, much like a khap panchayat.
Its an odious comparison. No one says that the GSCASH is a perfect institution. It could focus more on gender sensitisation work, for one, and elections to the committee have not been held since 2015 because, the organisations that have controlled the union in the interim say, of the unprecedented attack on JNU over the past two years. There is also a provision in the UGC guidelines that the university could benefit from, but has not yet adopted, stating that campus safety "should not result in securitisation, such as over-monitoring or policing or curtailing freedom of movement, especially for women employees and students".
However, the GSCASH is based on sound principles and was forged through years of struggle by both students and teachers. The democratic nature of the body, in which student, faculty, and staff representatives are elected, ensures that there is robust debate about what needs to be improved at every election. At a time when dysfunctional institutions are the norm, it is a body that works.
Its existence has enabled complaints against sexual harassment to be pursued in a sensitive manner, protecting the privacy of both the complainant and the accused, with safeguards against the shielding of powerful figures as well as further harassment of the complainant by issuing restraining orders. Many of these provisions are not included in the UGC guidelines, which are intended to provide minimum standards for universities throughout the country.
Again, it is not my argument that the GSCASH has made JNU an idyll of gender justice; such idylls can only be worked towards through a constant struggle. But the GSCASH was a prominent milestone in that struggle. And such a struggle must be democratic in nature.
Despite the panellists repeatedly explaining to him why his legal argument was specious - how the GSCASH amended its rules and procedures in 2015 to incorporate the provisions of the Sexual Harassment at Workplaces Act; how the UGC guidelines specify that existing bodies such as the GSCASH need only be reconstituted as an (ICC), as has happened at Ambedkar University, Delhi, and the University of Hyderabad, and not be replaced by one; how the GSCASH is a model for similar institutions across the country - he continued his heckling for a few minutes, then left.
The posters showed up a few weeks later at different places around the campus. As you would expect from their viciousness, they are anonymous, just like the Islamophobic graffiti that showed up in Najeeb Ahmeds hostel around the time he went missing a year ago.
Whoever was behind this guerrilla postering, it is now evident, was merely a useful idiot for the university administration in its never-ending quest to dismantle all that is remotely progressive about JNU. As this weeks events have shown, the latest target of the vice-chancellor is the GSCASH itself.
Using the same Orwellian logic as our heckler, the registrar issued a notification on September 12 that the GSCASH elections scheduled for this Friday (September 22) would not be held, and that the body itself would be replaced by an ICC, with members nominated by the vice-chancellor. (Three student posts are to be elected, but the guidelines prevent anybody with pending disciplinary proceedings against them from contesting the elections. The administration has been using similar provisions in the Lyngdoh Committee Recommendations to prune the field of potential candidates by instituting farcical inquiries against undesirables. Nothing would stop it from pursuing similar tactics here.)
On Monday (September 18), this decision was ratified by the executive council of the university over the protests of some members. Nivedita Menon, who was one of those who spoke up, and whom the university administration has sought to make an example of in their attempts to stifle dissenting voices on campus, was later removed as chairperson of the Centre for Comparative Politics and Political Theory, the position from which her membership of the executive council stemmed.
Within an hour, without even having the minutes of the meeting signed by all present, two further notices were published: one naming a panel of six nominated members, including the wife of Vijender Gupta, the BJP leader in the Delhi Assembly; another relieving chief proctor Vibha Tandon, who has been at the forefront of the administrations persecution of student activists, of her charge so that she can head the committee.
Soon afterwards, administrative staff showed up at the GSCASH office, demanding that everyone leave so they can seal the premises. GSCASH members resisted, citing the privacy of complainants and accused perpetrators whose case files the administration wants to seize. They eventually locked the room themselves, only for the staff to put another lock on the door. On Thursday, the Delhi High Court issued an interim order for the status quo to be maintained until the next hearing of a petition challenging the decision.
And so, with a few strokes of a pen, another hard-fought victory of the students movement is nullified as the tyrant in the pink palace, guarded by G4S personnel and a high court order banning protests within 100 metres, continues dragging JNU back into the dark ages by the scruff of its neck.
If this decision is allowed to stand - and it must not - a functional, sensitive, well thought out and accountable institution will be replaced by one which provides complainants fewer protections, one whose chief purpose is not gender sensitisation but doling out punishment, one whose constitution and decisions are determined by those who wield the most power.
U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers and F-15C Eagle fighter escorts on Saturday flew in international airspace over waters east of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), according to the Pentagon.
"This is the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft have flown" off the DPRK's coast in the 21st century, said the Pentagon in a statement, adding that the move underscored "the seriousness with which we take DPRK's reckless behavior."
"This mission is a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat," the statement added.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly that the United States "will have no choice but to totally destroy" DPRK if forced to defend itself or its allies.
After the threat, the DPRK said it might test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean.
China on Friday urged all relevant parties to avoid any action that may increase tension on the Korean Peninsula.
"The current situation on the peninsula is severe and complicated," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing. "Only if all sides bear their due responsibilities, can the peninsula nuclear issue be truly resolved and peace and stability restored to the region."
The DPRK knows well that China opposes its development of nuclear weapons and nuclear tests, Lu said. "What parties concerned should do now is to strictly and comprehensively implement UN Security Council resolutions and make positive efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue."
"China opposes unilateral sanctions imposed by any country outside the framework of the UN Security Council," Lu said.
RICHMOND A Virginia consumer group on Wednesday called on Dominion Energy to abandon its stalled plans to build a new nuclear reactor at its North Anna Power Station, the latest in a long-running campaign to convince the utility to shelve the expensive project for good.
This is a $19 billion or more white elephant that needs to be laid to rest officially and permanently, said Irene Leech, president of the Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, a nonprofit group that has fought the expansion at North Anna and wants the State Corporation Commission to excise it from Dominions long-range forecast regulators will hold hearings on next week.
Dominion includes the new reactor in just one of eight proposed scenarios included in the forecast known as an Integrated Resource Plan it filed with the State Corporation Commission. But for opponents, thats one too many.
Even as Dominion says, Were going to pause, we should not forget that ratepayers are bearing a burden, said Mark Cooper, a senior fellow for economic analysis at the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School.
The General Assembly authorized the utility giant to recoup $301 million from its nearly 2.5 million Virginia ratepayers related to the expense of developing the project and securing an operating license. The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the license in May, but Dominion told a legislative commission on electric utility regulation in August that it had suspended development of the third reactor.
The work we have done to obtain a combined operating license for North Anna Unit 3 is prudent and valuable for our customers to maintain a diverse, carbon-free, baseload source of electricity for the future, said Richard Zuercher, a Dominion spokesman.
Dominion operates two reactors at North Anna and an additional two at a sister station in Surry County. Those plants provide about 41 percent of all the electricity used by Dominion customers. The utility will have spent nearly $634 million by the end of this year on the development of the new unit at North Anna, Zuercher said.
The company has made no decision yet on when it may seek to collect the outstanding monies spent to preserve this option for our customers, Zuercher said.
***
Dominions decision to pause development of North Anna comes amid some major cost overruns at new nuclear plant projects in Georgia and South Carolina. Georgia Powers new reactors at Plant Vogtle were three years behind schedule and more than $3 billion over budget even before Westinghouse Electric, the designer of the reactors and lead contractor, went bankrupt in March. If it is finished, it could cost $25 billion, $9 billion more than budgeted.
And in South Carolina, the V.C. Summer project near Columbia, also lead by Westinghouse, was suspended in July after delays and about $9 billion in overruns.
Nuclear construction costs escalate relentlessly, said Cooper, who predicted the demise of the Summer project.
Cooper said major advances in renewable technology including the emerging promise of energy storage to counter the intermittent nature of wind and solar generation and cheap natural gas have made nuclear a loser for new generation projects.
Its so hard because the prime mover, the source of energy, is a catastrophically dangerous resource, he said. In order to render it tolerable for civil society, you have to wrap it in immensely complicated technology.
Mark Webb, Dominions senior vice president of corporate affairs and chief legal officer, told state lawmakers last month that the company had suspended development of North Anna as it awaits the fate of carbon regulation. President Donald Trump has directed his administration to roll back former President Barack Obamas Clean Power Plan, aimed at limiting carbon emissions from power plants, but Virginia is forging ahead with its own regulations for limiting emissions.
Carbon regulation could be a lifeline that makes nuclear plants better able to compete with other generation sources because, such as wind and solar power, they have zero emissions.
We really need to understand what form carbon regulation takes and where future energy prices may go to understand at what point North Anna 3 would become an economically viable project for our customers, Webb said.
That point will never arrive, Cooper said.
***
Today and for the foreseeable future, nuclear power is the most expensive way imaginable to reduce carbon emissions, he said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday, adding that investments in energy efficiency and renewable power could accomplish the same goals.
The difference, he said, is that utilities such as Dominion make a lot more money if they build one of these things, referring to the guaranteed return on investment that Dominion receives for building new power plants.
Cooper said the SCC should order North Anna 3 removed from Dominions long-range plan and refuse to allow any cost-recovery other than through the normal ratemaking process, in which the utility demonstrates that it is the least cost option and used and useful to ratepayers. The Virginia Attorney Generals Office of Consumer Counsel also in the past has urged Dominion to abandon the project.
Ken Schrad, a spokesman for the commission, pointed out that the Integrated Resource Plan is a planning document with no commitment of dollars.
But Cooper and Leech said it should still go.
As long as theyve got it on the table, theyll dream up ways to build it, Cooper said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.
Representatives from 5th District Rep. Tom Garretts office will be available this week to meet with constituents in need of assistance with federal agencies in Nelson County.
Staff members will be at the Nelson Memorial Library, at 8521 Thomas Nelson Highway in Lovingston, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.
It is recommended that people call ahead to confirm the time and location of the office hours by calling Garretts Danville office at (434) 791-2596 or his Charlottesville office at (434) 973-9631.
The League of Women Voters of the Charlottesville Area will hold a series of candidate forums for contested races locally and at the state level through October.
The first is for Greene County Board of Supervisors and commonwealths attorney races on Oct. 4 at William Monroe High Schools Performing Arts Center.
At 6:30 p.m., the forum will feature independent Jim F. Frydl and independent challenger Marie C. Durrer, who are running for the Midway District seat on the Board of Supervisors, and independent Bill B. Martin and Republican challenger J. Frank Morris in the Stanardsville District race.
At 7:45 p.m., the forum will host commonwealths attorney candidates Matthew D. Hardin, a Republican, and Andrew L. Wilder, an independent.
The next forum is Oct. 11 between Charlottesville City Council candidates at City Council Chambers from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Democrats Heather Hill and Amy Laufer and independent candidates Paul Long, Nikuyah Walker, Kenneth Jackson and John Hall are running for two open seats on the council.
The league, in conjunction with the Fluvanna County Chamber of Commerce, will then host a forum featuring candidates for the 58th and 65th House of Delegates districts on Oct. 12 at Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church in Palmyra.
Republican Rob Bell, who first ran for the 58th District seat in 2002, is facing Democratic challenger Kellen Squire. The 58th District consists of Greene County and parts of Albemarle, Fluvanna and Rockingham counties.
Republican Lee Ware, who has represented the 65th District since 1998, is running against Democratic challenger Francis M. Stevens. The district includes Powhatan County and parts of Fluvanna, Chesterfield and Goochland counties.
The church is located at 4309 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, and the forum will last from 7 to 8:15 p.m.
A forum for Albemarle County School Board candidates on Oct. 19 will be held at the downtown Charlottesville location of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Mary McIntyre and Katrina Callsen are running for the open Rio District seat, which Pam Moynihan has held since 2002. Moynihan announced earlier this year that she would not seek re-election. Incumbent Graham Paige is facing challenger Julian Waters in the race for the Samuel Miller District seat.
The final forum will be between Albemarle County Board of Supervisors candidates on Oct. 26 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the County Office Building on McIntire Road.
Incumbent Democrat Liz Palmer is facing Republican challenger John Lowry in the race for the Samuel Miller District seat.
Election Day is Nov. 7.
Sri Sri Ayurveda, the FMCG brand of spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, plans to launch its products in 30 new countries. Photo: AP
Mumbai: Sri Sri Ayurveda, the FMCG brand of spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, plans to launch its products in 30 new countries with a focus on Latin America, including Brazil and Argentina, a top company official said.
This expansion will take the number of countries where the brand is present to 60 from 30 currently. "We will launch Sri Sri Tattva brand of products in 30 new countries with a focus on Latin America, including Brazil and Argentina. We are already present in countries in Middle East, Far East, and Russia, where we will further expand our range," Arvind Varchaswi, MD of the FMCG firm, told PTI here.
The company also plans to launch 1,000 new stores in the next few years, through a partnership with Franchise India, Varchaswi added.
He indicated that 600 stores will be opened this year. "We are also expanding our personal care range, and home care and Pooja ranges," he added.
The brand intends to launch about 20-25 products in the next one month in these various categories. It has also launched an apparel range with Indian ethnic wear, which will sell online and through the app, he said.
Unveiling range of healthy cookies in collaboration with Bangalore-based biscuit maker Unibic Foods India.
The company has set up two more factories in Bengaluru for its personal care range.
Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) urged the government to take action against e-commerce firms like Amazon and Flipkart, alleging they have flouted FDI norms for such players.
New Delhi: Traders' body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) urged the government to take action against e-commerce firms like Amazon and Flipkart, alleging they have flouted FDI norms for such players by undertaking retail trading activities.
The CAIT wrote to Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu in this regard, claiming that the companies were indulging in a "blatant violation" of the FDI (foreign direct investment) policy.
"Amazon has declared Great Indian Festival Sale from 21 September to 24 September, 2017 and Flipkart has conducted Big Billion Day Sale from 20-24 September 2017, Snapdeal has announced Unbox Diwali Sale from 20 to 25 September 2017, Jabong Sale from 20 to 24 September 2017, Myntra Sale from 20 to 24 September 2017, Shopclues has announced Maha Bharat Diwali Sale from 20 to 28 September 2017 which is a blatant violation of the guidelines issued by the DIPP," CAIT alleged.
In its complaint, CAIT said, "the advertisements issued by them in past days amounts to soliciting retail customers at their portals and influencing the prices and creating an uneven level playing field".
"Under FDI policy these companies cannot undertake retail trading activities but these e-commerce portals being habitual offenders of (the) government policies are circumventing the law and engaged in B2C (business-to- commerce) activities which are prohibited for e-commerce marketplace portals," CAIT alleged in the complaint to Prabhu.
In its complaint, the traders' body demanded that necessary immediate action should be taken against the firms for violation of FDI policy.
"The Confederation of All India Traders has charged Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal etc for violation of FDI policy for e-commerce of the Government issued on 29 March 2016 by Department of Industrial Promotion & Policy, Ministry of Commerce," the traders' body said.
Myntra and Jabong declined to comment, while query sent to others did not elicit an immediate reply.
According to CAIT, as per the FDI policy guidelines, e-commerce portals receiving foreign direct investment can conduct business activities for B2B (business-to-business) business and will not be allowed to undertake B2C (business-to-consumer) business activities.
CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said that by inserting big advertisements in the media, the companies are attempting to address consumers directly which is a contravention of the FDI guidelines.
"They (e-commerce firms named) do not have ownership of the inventory of the products purported to be sold on their technology platform, how can they offer discounts or discounted prices on the products for which they are not the owners-questioned trade leaders," Khandelwal claimed.
New Delhi: The apex industry body CII on Sunday asked the government for six months of amnesty from penal action on GST by tax authorities till the system stabilises.
It said that in view of certain pending issues, the deadline for filing GST returns should be further extended by up to a couple of months.
CII pointed out that GSTN is a single platform bringing together suppliers, buyers and tax authorities. The ministry has taken cognisance of the glitches being faced in online filing of invoices and extended dates for GST returns. CII has now requested for further extension to resolve certain system issues, it said.
For example, Tran1 form is filed for July to carry forward the closing balance of credits of June 2017, including data of issue and pending C/H/F forms. Accordingly, Tran1 calculates the liability of pending forms; however, in many cases, carry forwarded amount has been calculated in negative figure, it said.
New Delhi: As 'Newton' has been selected as Indian's official entry to the Oscars 2018, Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao on Saturday said that, 'Newton' is a "real super hero", while adding, "We need people like 'Newton' in our society and system," to bring free and fair elections in conflict-ridden areas.
While talking to media, the 33-year-old, "Newton is a super hero, a real super hero, we need people like Newton in our society and system."
The 'Trapped' star said that it is really nice that the movie is creating impact on the people and the government is using it as a tool to spread awareness.
Earlier on Friday, Rajkummar, who plays the lead role in 'Newton', took to social media to share the news that Newton is India's official entry to the Oscars 2018.
"Every country has corruption and problems, so everybody can connect their problem with 'Newton,' he said.
He expressed hope that 'Newton' will impress the international audience as well, like it's impacting the people of India.
Movie's producer Manish Mundra expressed his happiness that they are "super thrilled and excited about the nomination of the film in Oscars".
The 'Trapped' star said that soon after the 'Newton' was selected as Indian's official entry to the Oscars, people started congratulating.
"A lot many people called to congratulate and everybody is very supportive. A lot many people tweeted on social media to express their love for 'Newton'."
After many years, a film has come, where everybody is saying that it's worthwhile, the actor stated.
The movie, which also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil, Raghubir Yadav and Sanjay Mishra, is directed by Amit V Masurkar.
Here is the list of India's last ten Oscar submissions - 'Eklavya: The Royal Guard' (2007), 'Taare Zameen Par' (2008), 'Harishchandra's Factory' (2009), 'Peepli Live' (2010), 'Abu, Son of Adam' (2011), 'Barfi!' (2012), 'The Good Road' (2013), 'Liar's Dice' (2014), 'Court' (2015) and 'Interrogation' (2016).
Only three Indian films - 'Mother India' (1957), 'Salaam Bombay!' (1988) and 'Lagaan' (2001) - have been nominated for Best Foreign Language film.
A day after making headlines for being Indias official entry to the 2018 Oscars, Newton is in the news for all the wrong reasons. According to a Facebook post by film critic Khalid Mohamed, Newton bears uncanny resemblance to a famous Iranian film called Secret Ballot. Oh no, so disillusioned...the big buzz is Indias Oscar entry Newton has been inspired by Iranian film Secret Ballot. Had seen it nearly a decade ago...how could I forget? My bad...sad to say the plot premise is quite similar...what an ittefaq! Consolation if any is that Newton has been effectively adapted, (sic) he wrote.
The concept of both the movies, in fact, is similar. Secret Ballot revolves around a protagonist, who has been given the responsibility to ensure that people living on a remote island vote against all odds. In Newton, the responsibility of the protagonist remains the same; however, the location has been changed to the jungles of India. Also, the protagonist in both the movies is accompanied by a soldier, who is in charge of election security.
Both the satirical movies have toured many film festivals and made a mark, but nobody seems to have noticed the resemblance earlier.
When questioned about the stark similarities, Amit Masurkar, the director of Newton defends his movie.
Amit Masurkar
He says, We were preparing for the shoot of Newton when someone asked me if I had seen Secret Ballot. I had not. So I went through whatever material was online and realised that our film was not similar to Secret Ballot. Newton was written around four years ago and then I collaborated with writer Mayank Tiwari to develop the script further. My script is an original idea and I wrote the film keeping in mind that so many people in our country who want to vote are unable to.
He adds, Newton is very rooted. If it was a copy, do you think Berlin International Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival would have screened it? The other film has also won international awards. Newton is not a copy of any other film, it isnt even inspired.
C.V. Reddy, Chairman of Indias Oscar Jury, says that it is not their duty to run a check on the movies. It is the responsibility of the Film Federation of India (FFI). Our job is to select one out of the 26 films that are given to us. We dont know if the film is a remake of another foreign film or they have taken the theme from that film. Thats not our job. The FFI goes through the movies and selects them, says Reddy, the chairman of the 14-member committee that selected Newton.
He adds that it is upon the Jury to ensure that the film gives out a message to the society, besides checking other technicalities. Interestingly, according to the Oscar Committee rules, the Jury committee members should be related to the film industry. There are no politicians, doctors, advocates or socialites as the committee members are from the different film industries in India, he says.
Notably, this is not the only case where an Indian film has been in the limelight for alleged plagiarism. Earlier, Barfi, which was Indias entry to the Oscars in 2012, was also accused of lifting scenes from Charlie Chaplin movies.
Kylie is due in February with her first child with rapper Travis Scott. (Photo: AFP)
Los Angeles: Reality TV star Kylie Jenner is pregnant with a baby girl.
A source close to the People magazine has confirmed that the 20-year-old business mogul is due in February with her first child with rapper Travis Scott.
"They started telling friends a few weeks ago. The family has known for quite some time. She is really excited and so is Travis," the source said.
Another source close to the family told the magazine, "It is an unexpected but completely amazing turn of events that she could not be more excited or thrilled about. Everyone is overjoyed for her. This is the happiest she's ever been."
Jenner has been dating Scott since earlier this year after splitting from her on-again, off-again boyfriend Tyga in April.
Washington: To tackle the most prevalent mental disorder i.e. depression, researchers are now focusing on the one thing that humans, these days, are addicted to- smartphones.
A recent research has confirmed that smartphone apps are an effective treatment option for depression, paving the way for safe and accessible interventions for the millions of people around the world diagnosed with this condition. Apart from being the most prevalent mental disorder, depression is a leading cause of global disability, with mental health services worldwide struggling to meet the demand for treatment.
In an effort to tackle this rising challenge, researchers from Australia's National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM), Harvard Medical School, The University of Manchester, and the Black Dog Institute in Australia examined the efficacy of smartphone-based treatments for depression. The researchers systematically reviewed 18 randomised controlled trials which examined a total of 22 different smartphone-delivered mental health interventions.
The studies involved more than 3400 male and female participants between the ages of 18-59 with a range of mental health symptoms and conditions including major depression, mild to moderate depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and insomnia. The first of its kind research, published in World Psychiatry found that overall smartphone apps significantly reduced people's depressive symptoms, suggesting these new digital therapies can be useful for managing the condition.
Lead author of the paper, NICM postdoctoral research fellow Joseph Firth says this was an important finding which presented a new opportunity for providing accessible and affordable care for patients who might not otherwise have access to treatment. "The majority of people in developed countries own smartphones, including younger people who are increasingly affected by depression," said Firth. "Combined with the rapid technological advances in this area, these devices may ultimately be capable of providing instantly accessible and highly effective treatments for depression, reducing the societal and economic burden of this condition worldwide."
Co-author, NICM deputy director, Professor Jerome Sarris highlighted the importance of the findings for opening up non-stigmatising and self-managing avenues of care. "The data shows us that smartphones can help people monitor, understand and manage their own mental health. Using apps as part of an 'integrative medicine' approach for depression has been demonstrated to be particularly useful for improving mood and tackling symptoms in these patients," said Professor Sarris.
When it comes to the question of "Which app is best?" and "For who?", the results suggested these interventions so far may be most applicable to those with mild to moderate depression, as the benefits in major depression have not been widely studied as of yet. The researchers found no difference in apps which apply principles of mindfulness compared to cognitive behavioural therapy or mood monitoring programs.
However, interventions that used entirely 'self-contained' apps - meaning the app did not reply on other aspects such as clinician and computer feedback - were found to be significantly more effective than 'non-self-contained' apps. The authors suggested this might be due to the comprehensiveness of these particular stand-alone apps rather than the combination of therapies.
Despite the promising early results, there is currently no evidence to suggest that using apps alone can outperform standard psychological therapies, or reduce the need for antidepressant medications. According to co-author and co-director of the digital psychiatry program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a clinical fellow in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Dr John Torous, the research is a timely and promising step forward in the use of smartphones in mental health. "Patients and doctors are faced with a vast array of mental health apps these days, and knowing which ones are actually helpful is imperative," said Dr Torous.
"This research provides much needed information on the effectiveness of apps for depression, and offers important clues into the types of apps which can help patients manage their condition."
Jennifer Nicholas, a PhD Candidate at Black Dog Institute and co-author of the paper says with the knowledge that apps can be effective for managing depression, future research must now investigate which features produce these beneficial effects.
"Given the multitude of apps available - many of them unregulated - it's critical that we now unlock which specific app attributes reap the greatest benefits, to help ensure that all apps available to people with depression are effective."
The most important factor in managing an Alzheimers patient at home is taking care of hygiene as the patients toilet habits are inappropriate. (Representational image)
Hyderabad: To diagnose Alzheimers at an early stage is a challenge even for doctors as studies have shown that Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging are useful but not definite.
Dr M. Jayasree, consultant neurologist, explains that the early scans do not give a definite indication that the grey areas will later develop into a full blown Alzheimers. Study of cerebral blood flow and metabolism may show a diminished activity, which can be taken as a sign of Alzheimers, but it is properly diagnosed only in the stage 2 and stage 3, when the patient comes with complaints of severe forgetfulness, phobia and irritability.
Most patients in urban India seek medical help when the disease becomes severe. This is because the symptoms of forgetfulness, irritability, anxiety and delusion are taken to be a natural sign of aging. Only when day to day activities, such as eating meals on time, washing of hands, forgetting ones own address and other such symptoms develop, that the family seeks medical advice.
Dr Pranav Kumar, senior consultant neurosurgeon, agrees that we see patients at a very severe stage of the disease, when their normal functionality is affected.
At this stage the family has to take care of the patient, who may not be able to control movement. In many cases, the person does not remember his/her children and relatives. This is a traumatic time for the family, Dr Kumar says.
The most important factor in managing an Alzheimers patient at home is taking care of hygiene as the patients toilet habits are inappropriate. Full time care is required, which can cost quite a lot.
The incidence of Alzheimers disease in India is 125 new cases per 1,00,000 population above 60 years of age. But this figure is understated as only patients in urban areas come for treatment. Those in small towns and rural areas are not accounted for and do not make it to the hospitals. The Alzheimers and Related Disorders Society of India stated that 40.31 lakh people suffer from Alzheimers in India and the number will increase to 67.43 lakh by 2030. The society has started support groups to impart knowledge about the disease but the outreach is limited.
36-year-old Neil Junglas believes she just wanted to get some free parking. (Photo: Facebook/Elaine)
A man from Hunts Cross, Liverpool was so furious about people parking outside his house that he finally gave it back and wrapped a car in cling film.
36-year-old Neil Junglas said he was making dinner for his daughter when he saw a silver Skoda pull up, and the couple in it climbed into a taxi with two suitcases.
Neil said to the Metro, "They were clearly leaving their car there and just getting a taxi to the airport."
Hunts Cross is about 3 kms from Liverpool John Lennon Airport in the south of the city.
Neil believes they just wanted to get some free parking.
After having tolerated the car for two days outside his home, forced to not being able to park his own car, Junglas decided it was time for payback and headed to his workplace, Costco, and bought a big roll of cling-film.
Neil said he then wrapped the entire car using an industrial sized roll of cling-film.
According to Neil the Merseyside Police even came to check the car but said they couldnt do anything about it because it isnt illegally parked.
He added, "I thought it was cheeky leaving the car there so thought Id leave them a nice surprise for when they got back."
Hyderabad: A 25-year-old BBA graduate, who attempted and failed in police examinations, was arrested by west zone task force team for posing as a pseudo cop and extracting money from brothel house organisers in Begumpet.
Officials seized cash and cellphones from his possession. The accused was identified as Hazmeera Anand, resident of Moosarambagh and native of Khammam.
Anand was passionate about joining police department right from his college days. He appeared for constable and SI exams but failed to get a job. After facing financial problems, he hatched a plan to extort money from by introducing himself as Task Force Sub-Inspector said Addit-ional DCP, Commiss-ioners Task Force, C. Shashidhar Raju.
To execute his plan, he took an old SIM card from his brother, Azmeera Prashanth, and changed his name and profile in the Truecaller app as Task Force, kept Telangana police logo and also mentioned his mail Id as telanganapolice@gov.com in the same.
He started making calls to brothel house organisers by browsing an internet website called Locanto.
On Friday, he was apprehended in front of Lifestyle building at Begumpet and Rs 24,000 and a cellphone was seized from his possession. The accused along with seized property was handed over to Panjagutta police.
An injured student writhing in pain after police allegedly beat them up during a clash at Banaras Hindu University late Saturday night. (Photo: PTI)
Varanasi/Lucknow: A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in lathicharge by the police in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) which witnessed violence last night, in an ugly turn to a protest against an alleged eve-teasing incident.
In the wake of the violence, the university has announced "holidays" from Monday till October 2, advancing it from September 28.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday sought a report from Divisional Commissioner about the incident as various political parties, including Samajwadi Party, criticised the government and condemned the police action.
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in the lathicharge by the police.
Some policemen were also injured in the clashes during which students indulged in arson, police sources said.
Violence erupted after some students, protesting against the alleged eve-teasing incident of Thursday, wanted to meet the Vice Chancellor at his residence last night, according to police and university sources.
The security guards of the university stopped them and the police was informed, according to the University sources.
BHU spokesperson said some students wanted to "forcibly" enter the VC's residence but they were stopped by the security guards of the university.
Subsequently, there was stone pelting by "outsiders" who had joined the students.
Police used lathicharge to control the situation.
"I have sought a report from the Divisional Commissioner, Varanasi, about the entire incident," Adityanath said in Lucknow.
The lathicharge on journalists led to protests in Lucknow with some journalists staging a sit-in near the CM's residence. They later gave a memorandum to the District Magistrate demanding action against the guilty.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav condemned the lathicharge of the students in BHU.
"The government should resolve the issue by talks, not by lathicharge. It is condemnable. Action should be taken againt the guilty," Akhilesh tweeted.
Last night, the BHU issued a statement, saying the 'dharna' by the students just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit was "politically motivated" to malign the image of the university.
The university also said that security guards were regularly patrolling the campus and assistance from the police is sought from time-to-time to maintain peace in the campus.
Senior officials including District Magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra and SP (city) Dinesh Singh reached the campus along with a large posse of police.
Nearly 1500 policemen includingPAC personnel have been deployed in and around the campus to maintain law and order in the campus.
The BHU students have been protesting near the university's main gate since Thursday against the rising eve- teasing incidents on the campus.
The trigger was an incident in which a woman student of Arts faculty alleged harassment by three men on a motorcycle inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel.
The three men abused her and fled when she resisted their attempts, according to the complainant.
The woman alleged that security guards, about 100 metres from where the incident happened, did nothing to stop the men.
She said her warden, instead of taking up the issue with her superiors, asked her why was she was returning late to the hostel.
The warden's response angered the student's colleagues, who sat on a 'dharna' at the main gate midnight Thursday. One of the students even got her head tonsured.
BHU students have alleged they have to face eve-teasers on the campus regularly and the varsity administration was not taking any action to stop the miscreants.
Police and BHU professors tried to pacify the students Saturday, but they refused to end their protest and sought assurance from the university vice chancellor.
A large number of police personnel have been deployed near the campus as a security precaution, said the police.
Bengaluru: The city police who have arrested the four accused in the kidnapping and murder of 19-year-old Sharath, son of an I-T officer, have now intensified manhunt to nab another accused in the case, Shantha Kumar, who is still at large.
The police have, meanwhile, taken the four accused into their custody on Saturday and are interrogating them. Multiple teams have been formed to nab the accused who is said to be working as an agent along with the main accused Vishal (21) at an RTO Office. Both Shantha Kumar and Vishal are said to be in deep financial crises and were looking for a way to get out of it.
Sharath was kidnapped and killed by five accused Vishal, Vinay Prasad alias Vicky (24), Karan Pai alias Karna (22), Vinodkumar V (21) and Shanthakumar on September 12 and the accused had thrown his body into Narasimhaiana Kere near Ramohalli twice before burying it near a quarry in Kurbarapalya at Ajjenahalli near Ramohalli after the body started floating in the lake.
According to a police source, all the five accused were in need of quick money to clear off their debts and to settle down in lives. The four shared their stories with Vishal who hatched a plan to kidnap his friend Sharath and get the huge ransom and distribute money among them.
Vishal was aware of the financial status of Sharaths family and shared the information with his other four associates and simultaneously hatched a plan to kidnap him. The accused thought Sharaths father V. Niranjan Kumar would easily cough up the money without informing the police. But when Sharaths father approached police to file a case, they felt their plan was going off the track. They then decided to kill Sharath, fearing he would reveal their names if hes let off, an official, who is taking part in the investigation, told Deccan Chronicle.
Meanwhile, the police on Monday will scrutinise the bank accounts of the accused to check on the amounts they had borrowed from the banks and the reason they got money for and where have they spent it.
The accused were into deep financial crises despite having borrowed money banks as they say. Considering the backgrounds of the accused, they seem to have borrowed less money from banks and more from private financiers. We are checking with private lenders as well to learn why they borrowed money in lakhs and what they did with it, the source said. Once Shantha Kumar is arrested, we will get a clear picture, he said.
With all the accused in this case being in their mid twenties, and considering the increasing rate of crimes such as murders and dacoities in which the accused are youth, renowned sociologist Dr. G K Karanth opines that unregulated autonomy of youth and their desire to adopt so called upper class lifestyle is driving youth to crime.
The ongoing protesters outside the BHU campus were triggered when a first-year female student of BHU alleged that she was molested by three bike-borne men outside the varsity campus on Thursday. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)
Uttar Pradesh: The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday lathicharged the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) students, who were protesting since three days against alleged molestation of a varsity girl.
It has been reported that the protesting students tried to enter the residence of University Vice Chancellor and when the deployed security forces tried to stop them, students became violent and attacked the police after which the security forces also used force and lathicharge on the students to disperse them.
The students alleged that the police thrashed them and dragged them by hair, but DM Varanasi, who was present on the spot, denied all such claims.
The ongoing protests outside the BHU campus triggered when a first-year female student of BHU alleged that she was molested by three bike-borne men outside the varsity campus on Thursday.
The victim in the matter has claimed that she went to the university administration for complaining about the incident but the administration instead of taking any action against the molesters, shamed the victim for her awkward hostel timings.
Angered over the laid back attitude of the administration and lack of action from their side, the varsity students staged protests outside the campus on Friday and blocked entry to the campus through the main gate.
The protests in Uttar Pradesh coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to his Lok Sabha constituency.
Mattis is likely to seek to convince India to purchase Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70 aircraft -- a lucrative deal pegged at $15 billion. (Photo: AFP)
New Delhi: Fighter jets, drone deals and shared concerns over Afghanistan's security challenges look set to dominate the agenda when US Defence Secretary James Mattis visits India this week.
Mattis is scheduled to arrive in Delhi late Monday and is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and new defence minister in the first visit by a top US official since Donald Trump became US president in January.
"The United States views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia," a Pentagon statement said.
Trump and Modi met in June in Washington, and Mattis' visit is a sign "the political leadership in both countries place defence cooperation as a top priority", Mukesh Aghi, president of the US India Strategic Partnership Forum, told AFP.
Delhi and Washington share concerns about Afghanistan, and Trump announced a new strategy for the war-torn country last month, which cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops.
The billionaire president has urged India to boost assistance to Afghanistan's economy, and has lambasted Delhi's arch-rival Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".
Mattis "will express US appreciation for India's important contributions toward Afghanistan's democracy, stability, prosperity, and security", the Pentagon said.
India has long vied with Pakistan for influence in Afghanistan, building dams, roads and a new parliament in the troubled country. Last year, it offered some $1 billion in aid.
Delhi frequently accuses Islamabad of stirring up violence in Afghanistan and harbouring militant groups.
In 2016, the United States designated India a "Major Defence Partner" and Trump has sought to further boost military ties, praising India for contributing to regional peace and stability, and for purchasing US military equipment.
Mattis is likely to seek to convince India to purchase Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70 aircraft -- a lucrative deal pegged at $15 billion.
Lockheed Martin has offered the most upgraded version of the fighter jet to India, the world's largest weapons importer.
The US manufacturer is competing with Swedish defence giant Saab, whose Gripen E made its maiden flight in June.
India has said it requires at least 100 single-engine fighters to counter the growing air threat posed by China and Pakistan.
Saab and Lockheed have both offered to build the jets locally to comply with Modi's "Make-in-India" initiative, which aims to cut imports and build a domestic defence industry.
US giant Boeing has also offered to set up a manufacturing facility in India for production of its F/A 18 Super Hornet aircraft, if it wins a deal.
A drone deal for the Indian Navy will also likely be up for discussion, a source familiar with the negotiations told AFP.
"Since Chinese assets have started to dominate the Indian Ocean region, the Trump administration is keen on fast-tracking the acquisition of the drones," the source said.
Many commentators have said that US-India cooperation is crucial to countering an increasingly assertive China, which has been developing its military capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.
Stalin cited C Srinivasans statement that AIADMK leaders lied about Jayalalithaas health, fearing her aide VK Sasikala. (Photo: PTI/File)
Chennai: DMK working president MK Stalin on Sunday urged the Centre to order a CBI probe to unravel the mystery surrounding former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaas death.
He said it was the responsibility of the Centre to do so.
Stalin cited Forest Minister Dindigul C Srinivasans statement that AIADMK leaders lied about Jayalalithaas health when she was undergoing treatment, fearing her aide VK Sasikala.
While a team from AIIMS in Delhi had come to attend to Jayalalithaa, Union Health Minister JP Nadda had also said the Centre was keeping a watch on her health, Stalin said in a statement in Chennai.
Since the central government had assisted in the treatment of Jayalalithaa, it has a responsibility to unravel the mystery surrounding her death... Therefore, using its authority, it should immediately order a CBI probe into the matter, he said.
Stalin said he was making the plea in his capacity as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.
He also questioned the veracity of Jayalalithaas signature on a statement made in her name during her hospitalisation seeking support for AIADMK candidates in the bypolls to three Tamil Nadu Assembly seats last year.
He said her thumb impression was found in a set of poll-related documents of AIADMK candidates for the elections to Aravakurichi, Thanjavur and Thiruparankundram assembly constituencies earlier.
Stalin recalled that AIADMK leaders had criticised his father and DMK president Karunanidhi when he had demanded the release of pictures of Jayalalithaa undergoing treatment and related details, since she was the chief minister then.
People in the AIADMK are now demanding the release of not just photographs, but also video, he said referring to the face-off between TTV Dhinakaran and the unified AIADMK camps over the matter.
Srinivasan had recently claimed that afraid of Sasikala, party leaders had lied about Jayalalithaas health so that people believed she was improving.
No one was allowed to meet the late chief minister.
Whoever came, would be briefed by Sasikalas relatives that she was all right, he had said at a public meeting on Friday.
New reports about several leaders meeting Jayalalithaa at the hospital and their version that she was improving were also false, Srinivasan had claimed. We were afraid of Sasikala at that time and lied about Jayalalithaas health condition, he had claimed.
After prolonged treatment for infection and other complications, Jayalalithaa had died of a heart attack on December 5.
Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had earlier called for a probe into the death of Jayalalithaa, saying there were doubts in the minds of people.
Chief Minister K Palanisamy had recently announced that a commission of inquiry would probe her death.
Chennai: A petition has been filed in Madras high court seeking a direction to appoint the Judicial Commission headed by a retired high court judge to find out the real cause of death of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa as announced by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami last month. The petitioner has also sought an interim injunction to the party leaders not to blame other rival groups for the cause of her death.
In the petition, P. Muruganandham, Kodavasal taluk, Tiruvarur district, claims to be an AIADMK cadre, submitted a large number of party cadres seek the constitution of a judicial probe to bring out the truth behind the sudden demise of Jaya and to clear air of suspicion surrounding the demise. On August 27, 2017, he sent a representation to the chief secretary and home secretary, the state government requesting them to constitute the enquiry commission soon.
Soon after her death, people were made to believe that Amma's death was due to natural causes. After the resignation of O. Panneerselvam from the post as CM, charges and countercharges were levelled against each other faction leaders over the issue for the past nine months.
In order to get the support of O. Panneerselvam and his group, the Chief Minister yielded to their prime demand and on August 17 announced that an inquiry commission headed by a retired high court judge would be set up to conduct a probe into the death of former Chief Minister. However, no such commission was formed so far, he stated.
Ministers Dindigul C. Sreenivasan and Vellamandi N. Natarajan should be prevented from speaking and issuing the press statement about the demise of the mysterious death of Jayalalithaa. He sought the court to grant an interim injunction restraining all the ministers from issuing any public statement pertaining to her untimely death as it would affect directly or indirectly in the functioning of the proposed judicial commission.
This is the first visit by a senior minister in the Modi government to China border after the resolution of the stand-off in Dokalam. In picture: Rajnath Singh. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh will this week visit a Sino-Indian border area in Uttarakhand which has witnessed transgression by China's People's Liberation Army in the recent past, officials said.
During the tour to Barahoti, the home minister will interact with the personnel of the Indo Tibetan Border Police, which guards the border outpost located at an altitude of 14,311 feet.
This is the first visit by a senior minister in the Narendra Modi government to China border after the resolution of the stand-off in Dokalam.
Singh will also visit ITBP border outposts at Rimkhim (altitude 12,500 feet), Mana (10,500 feet) and Auli (10,200 feet) during the four-day trip beginning September 28, a home ministry official said.
There were reports that on July 25, Chinese soldiers had entered 800 meters into the Indian territory in Barahoti, located in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, and stayed for sometime before returning to the Chinese territory.
The home minister will also address the probationers of the IAS, IPS and other services at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, besides interacting with central government's additional secretary rank officials there on the first day of the visit.
The home minister is expected to review the situation on the border, address a 'Sainik Sammelan' and assess the progress in various infrastructure projects, another home ministry official said.
The 3,488 km-long India-China border stretches through Jammu and Kashmir (1,597 km), Himachal Pradesh (200 km), Uttarakhand (345 km), Sikkim (220 km) and Arunachal Pradesh (1,126 km).
The Chinese and Indian troops were in a face-off situation for more than two months in Dokalam in Sikkim sector after Indians stopped the construction of a road by China's army.
The Sino-Indian border is not fully demarcated and the process of clarifying and confirming the Line of Actual Control is in progress.
The area is characterised by high-altitude terrain and thick habitation which have resulted in inadequate development of infrastructure in these regions.
To redress the situation arising out of lack of infrastructure along border with China, the government has decided to undertake construction of 73 roads of operational significance.
Of these, 27 roads involving 804.93 km are being constructed by the home ministry in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh at an estimated cost of Rs 1,937 crore.
Of the foreign nationals visiting India, only 42.50 per cent said they sometimes got opportunity to know about India as a tourist destination through social media.
Chennai: Tourism has emerged as one of the revenue generating industries, but
unfortunately the countrys presence on the social media has not added much to its success story in luring more international visitors, it appears.
Of the foreign nationals visiting India, only 42.50 per cent said they sometimes got opportunity to know about India as a tourist destination through social media.
Whilst 23.60 per cent mostly got the opportunity to know about India through social media, 89.30 per cent of the respondents had tried to explore more information related to India through social media for tourism purposes, as per the final report 2016 17 commissioned by the Union Tourism Ministry on social media as an influencer among foreign tourists visiting India and submitted by the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, recently.
A total of 2,351 foreign tourists (including those visiting Chennai and Kanyakumari in TN) were surveyed and of them 42.50 persons expressed they sometimes got the opportunity to know about India as a tourist destination through social media. This indicated that there is a need to enhance the presence of India as a tourist destination on social media platforms so that this percentage would be increased in the coming years.
About 89.30 per cent respondents had tried to explore more information related to India through social media for tourism purposes, so that they could plan their trips to India.
This percentage is huge and indicates the curiosity among online explorers to know more technicalities related to either know or finalise their trips to India.
About 44.54 per cent respondents explored tourist attractions through social media, which is higher than 31.88 per cent respondents who had explored the accommodation option through social media. This indicated the need to make available appropriate information on the social media networks to boost this percentage in threefold or even higher.
New Delhi: A section of BJP leaders, particularly those belonging to the camp of a senior Union cabinet minister is baying for the blood of party MP, Mr Subramanian Swamy for savaging the government on the economic front. However, it's not only Mr Swamy who has been critical of the government's economic policy and the way demonetisation scheme was implemented, the Economist in its latest issue also talked about the Union government's failure to create jobs.
While this particular section in the BJP, apparently "loyal" to the senior cabinet minister was trying to mount pressure on the party high command to "caution" Mr Swamy, the other section seemed to be in agreement with this maverick BJP MP.
A senior BJP leader, who refused to be identified claimed that under the pretext of attacking the government on the economic front, Mr Swamy "was trying to malign a minister concerned."
In an interview, Mr Swamy did not merely stop at saying that the "economy is in a tailspin" but hinted that a handful of leaders were trying to block him from getting any crucial role. "One of them seems to be against me. I have been kept out of practically everything," he said.
Mr Swamy, in favour of demonetisation during the 2014 elections felt that the scheme was "not implemented properly" and predicted that "demonetisation was going to fail."
What had upset a particular section of the saffron leaders, close to that one minister was Swamys claim that if corrective measures were not taken the country could head for a major depression, banking sector might collapse and factories could close down.
As some of the BJP leaders continue to seethe against Swamy, the Economist in its latest issue talked of the governments failure to create job opportunities.
The Economist wrote that slow economic growth, a decline in investment rates, the shock of economic reforms, a long term decline in agricultural employment and a faulty education system have combined to reduce the proportion of Indians who hold proper jobs.
The magazine claimed that ..just to keep unemployment in check, India needs to create some 10 to 20 million jobs a year.
On the economic front it claimed that the growth has steadily slowed since 2016"
Talking about the National Skill Development Corporation, the Economist claimed that it had trained some 557,000 workers and by its own count only 12 per cent of these trainees found jobs.
It may be recalled that the during the recent reshuffle Prime Minister Narendra Modi dropped national skill development minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
Though the government claims that the Metro Rail will help decongest roads, these effects may be seen only later, depending on the convenience that it offers to travellers.
Hyderabad: College students, office goers, businessmen and women are most likely to use the Metro Rail to travel along the Nagole Ameerpet and Ameerpet Miyapur stretches.
According to an initial assessment, motorists and car owners are unlikely to switch over to the metro. The services will be used by those who currently rely on other modes of public transport such as buses auto-rickshaws and cabs.
A senior official of Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited said, The frequency of trains will be decided based on the passenger load. Within the first two months we will be able to assess the demographics of people using these routes. Those who want to travel to distant locations such as Hitec City or the Secretariat will not switch now. These passengers will come in later, once the metro project is completed.
Though the government claims that the Metro Rail will help decongest roads, these effects may be seen only later, depending on the convenience that it offers to travellers.
A senior official, on condition of anonymity, said, Only those who have work close to the stations on the present 30 km route will opt for the the Metro. If a person has to travel by metro and then use another mode of transport to get to his destination, then he is unlikely to switch over to the use of the Metro until end-to-end services are developed.
Citizens fear that they will be forced to use auto-rickshaws to get from Metro stations to their destinations and that they will be fleeced by rickshaw drivers. This will be one of the biggest challenges for the Metro Rail authorities to overcome. Senior officers insist that end-to-end connectivity facilities must be developed on a priority basis along the stretch that has been completed.
Hyderabad: Inflows into Srisailam have started receding and with the monsoon withdrawal date of October 15 approaching, it is increasingly clear that Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh will not have water from the dam for irrigation.
With no water till the next monsoon, 30 lakh acres of crop land will go without assured irrigation from the Krishna river, which could affect production of food grains.
The Srisailam dam had 160 tmc ft of water on Sunday, and this will be used only for drinking purposes.
We had estimated water availability based on hope, but the real picture will be available when the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) meets on October 15," said Srisailam dam chief engineer C. Narayana Reddy.
Mr Sridhar Deshpande, officer on special duty at the Telngana state irrigation ministry, echoed the same sentiment, saying, There is no water for irrigation using Krishna waters. Strict discipline should be ensured to reserve the entire storage for drinking needs.
India Meteorological Department-Hyderabad director Y.K. Reddy said there was no hope for a significant rainfall till October 15, when the monsoon begins to withdraw, going by the present indications.
According to a Central Water Commission official, there may be another spell of rain in Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra, the origin of the Krishna river, after September 27 but the intensity could not be forecasted now.
There will be no major inflows. As of now, the Srisailam dam is getting around 1.5 lakh cusecs, this may reduce to Rs 1 lakh cusecs and then to 50,000 cusecs by the end of September, he said.
Water in significant quantities started flowing into the Krishna river only in September this year.
The Srisailam dam had 160 tmc ft of water on Sunday, only including releases made to the Nagarjunasagar dam which attained the Minimum Draw Down Level of 510 feet against full reservoir level of 590 ft.
In normal years, Srisailam receives about 600 tmc ft from the Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers.
For the second successive year, the Tungabhadra yielded little water, and there were no releases downstream from the Hospet dam.
On the Krishna river, only the Almatti (130 tmc ft), Narayanapur (37 tmc ft) and Jurala (9 tmc ft) are full as is the Ujjain dam built on the Krishna tributary Bhima.
World leaders make the annual pilgrimage to New York to address the high-level segment of the new session of UN General Assembly in September, which poet Alfred Tennyson presciently called in the 19th century the Parliament of Man. Over the years the rostrum has seen theatre, fireworks and sometimes genuine vision. US President Donald Trump with his trademark barbs, calling Kim Jung-un, the overgrown adolescent leader of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (as North Korea is officially known), the Rocket Man, or levelling extremely tendentious charges against Iran would fall into the category of bizarre theatre than statesmanship. In 2006 Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, speaking soon after President George W. Bush, stood at the rostrum saying the smell of Diablo, or the devil, still lingered. Then there was the year Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev took off his shoe to stomp the lectern with it.
In reality, the main action is on the first two and a half days as the heads of state, who get precedence and speak first, are followed by the heads of government. By the time the foreign ministers get the stage the hall is generally half-empty or occupied by junior diplomats taking notes, except for ministers who are listed to speak. Thus, often the UNGA podium is used for domestic audiences hanging onto each nuance and phrase. This has become an art form with the BJP as the lectures are delivered in Hindi, which in translation for the international community loses much of its oratorical flourish. Sushma Swarajs address must be seen in that context.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was prompt to tweet his acclamation. The speech was well constructed and began by listing global challenges like violence and terrorism, climate change, freedom of navigation on the seas, poverty, nuclear proliferation, cyber security, etc. She then shrewdly linked the UNs goals of sustainable development, targeted to be achieved by 2030, to Narendra Modi governments development schemes. Ms Swaraj picked up three the Jan Dhan Yojana, or financial inclusion of 300 million people; Mudra Yojana, or funding the unfunded, particularly women; and Ujvala Yojana, or providing free cooking gas cylinders to eliminate smoke inhalation and eye injuries. She, of course, then cleverly slipped in demonetisation, on which a crescendo of expert opinion is negative, and GST, the implementation of which is as yet of questionable efficiency.
Her address then turned to Pakistan. Everyone was waiting to see how India would respond to the extremely provocative speech of Pakistans new Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. Ms Swaraj put her finger on the problem by saying while India fights poverty, Pakistan fights India. Thereafter, she was more addressing the audience back home than across the world. There is not a note she missed that would not bring cheer to any BJP election rally in India. It was in keeping with the new rallying of opinion on issues like Rohingyas to get the BJP base behind the leadership that is concerned about the increasingly negative economic news.
Contrariwise, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made a choice, when reacting to President Trumps diatribe calling the Iranian regime a corrupt dictatorship, to not succumb to conservative opinion at home urging him to reply in kind. He characterised Mr Trumps speech as ignorant, absurd and hateful rhetoric. Then he added that in the portals of UN such language must not be used. He confidently asserted that Iran was confident in the depth of our culture, the truth of our faith and the longevity of our revolution.
This was a leader speaking to a global audience, despite extreme provocation and pressure from conservatives at home. The Indian government also has to think through its insistence on a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, which India has been pushing since 1996. The whole approach to dealing with terror changed in 2001 when following the 9/11 attacks the UN Security Council adopted a number of Chapter VII resolutions on curbing terrorism, its financing and abetment. These are binding directly on all members of the UN and still have elicited partial compliance by countries like Pakistan. What is it that a new convention will do, which will be without an enforcement mechanism? Thus the Indian strategy must evolve with changing times, instead of carrying around a proposal that is anachronistic.
India also needs a new Pakistan policy which is calibrated to isolate those elements that are inimical to India instead of painting the whole of Pakistan with one brush. Moreover, the international community is little interested in India-Pakistan bickering and switches off when exchanges become rhetorical. Ashley Tellis, a profound US thinker on South Asia, in a recent piece has even advised Western analysts to not keep pushing for dialogue between India and Pakistan as no peace process will work unless the Pakistani Army overcomes its India phobia and its desire for equivalence and revenge for the 1971 defeat. To help people like
Mr Tellis develop this further, India must not succumb to trading charges with electrifying statements like the coinage Terroristan, which play well on television and the social media, but reduce India to the level of Pakistan.
Teddy Roosevelt voiced the best prescription for a rising power like India facing a troublesome neighbour to the west, using terror asymmetrically, in league with another powerful foe to the north. He suggested speaking in a soft voice and carrying a big stick. The BJP leadership obviously does not think that is useful domestically. The people of India, however, will have to decide in a little over a year if Trump or Roosevelt should be the preferred guide on diplomacy.
Bunk beds in a dormitory room at a university in Guizhou, capital of Guiyang Province. [File Photo: IC]
The death of a 21-year-old college student, after falling from a top bunk bed, has raised safety concerns.
The student, surnamed Wang, was found lying on the floor of her room in a residence of the University of Foreign Languages in Zhejiang Province, at around 7:00 am, on September 17, 2017.
Four of her roommates were elsewhere at the time of the accident, but a sleeping roommate was woken by what she described as "a big noise," and found Wang "lying motionless on the floor." Help arrived within minutes of her raising the alarm.
Wang was rushed to hospital, but all efforts to revive her proved in vain.
The hospital said the student's death was due to "a cardiac arrest caused by a fall."
The police have ruled out a homicide, and an investigation is currently underway.
While the exact circumstances of the accident remain unknown, it's believed Wang may have fallen from her top bunk.
Similar incidents have been reported in the past. Last month, a student was seriously injured after falling from her top bunk in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
Two Chinese students chatting in their dormitory at Chengdu Normal University in Chengdu city, Sichuan province, May 15, 2017. Loft beds with desks are a common feature in student accommodation. [File Photo: IC]
Traditional bunks beds, along with newer loft-style beds with desks, are widely used in Chinese colleges. As yet there are no legal standards for furniture of this kind.
Wang's death has once again prompted questions about their safety.
Stories of similar incidents have been circulating on social media, with one post saying the incident is "a common longtime nightmare that finally came true."
Others have urged the Chinese authorities to set standards for this kind of furniture.
They also call for the living conditions for Chinese students to be improved.
External affairs minister Sushma Swarajs riposte to Pakistan raising the Kashmir issue at the United Nations last week was the coup de grace in a chain of events that showed the world where the most trouble comes from in the Indian subcontinent. Ms Swarajs speech, full of allegories on Indias development in education, science and IT, in contrast to its stark lack of it across the border, shouldnt be seen in isolation but as part of a chain in which Pakistan was at the receiving end. US President Donald Trump, speaking earlier, made an oblique reference to Pakistan as a provider of safe havens for terrorists, and China firmly rebuffed Pakistan saying Kashmir was a bilateral issue, and that only dialogue and communication could help resolve it. In raising Kashmir again at the UN through new PM Shahid Abbasi, and seeking an inquiry into Indias alleged human rights violations, Pakistan was trying to breathe life into a 70-year-old bogey all over again.
The attacks through proxies in the Valley resumed the day after the UN speeches and rebuttals, clearly showing nothing will change on the ground. The ministers speech, and that by the young Indian diplomat earlier, is in a sense a replay of the annual bash at the General Assembly, long reduced to a toothless tiger as conflicts rage worldwide. India scored brownie points through a calibrated attack on Pakistan in what was finally just a little more sophisticated than a college debate. This may sound repetitive but Pakistan never seems to get it that, having agreed to bilateral talks in the Shimla Agreement and Lahore Declaration, it is duty bound not to raise Kashmir at the UN decades after its accession to India. Where Ms Swaraj excelled was making what was a point-scoring speech appear an evolved argument that shed light on history.
So shrill has the issue of terror and Pakistan as a unique Terroristan haven become that India seems to have forgotten its larger international role, and its duty to help resolve the greater concerns of the planet. Much else of what the minister said may have been drowned in the rhetoric on Pakistans terror factories. Even so, what she said were not non-sequiturs as she spoke of United Nations Security Council reform and climate change. There may not be too much progress in tackling global warming, however, unless the promised sums from the developed world do materialise. She did, however, goad all countries by noting that hurricanes and earthquakes were striking as the UN General Assembly was meeting.
The sudden ouster of Indian Forest Service officer (IFoS) Vinay Luthra as chairman of the Karnataka Ecotourism Development Board, just a year after his appointment, has caused much distress in the service. Moreover, he has been replaced by former chief secretary J. Alexander, who is an IAS officer.
Sources say that Mr Luthras unexpected exit has sparked off an IFoS versus IAS debate. Apparently, this is the latest in a series of setbacks for the forest service, which have, including the taking away of some of the powers from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) through the post of Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW). Some forest babus blame excessive political interference in a department that is being bogged down by one or the other controversy, the previous one being the appointment of honorary wildlife warden postings that allegedly witnessed political nominations instead of merit-based appointments.
The issue has triggered a debate within IFoS circles with some saying that they were being overpowered through former or serving IAS and IPS officers.
Gujarat babus rule!
The elevation of Gujarat IPS officer Y.C. Modi as head of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has again highlighted that Gujarat cadre officers seem to rule the babu corridors. Mr Modi will join his colleagues Rakesh Asthana, who was made acting director of the CBI last year, and A.K. Patnaik, who is the CEO of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID).
The cop will now be part of a select group of officials in Delhi who worked with Mr Modi when he was chief minister of Gujarat, and have received key posts in the Central government since 2014.
Sources say that Y.C. Modis appointment is also being watched with interest, as it is a key post when it comes to setting the narrative on crucial terror investigations. Former NIA chief Sharad Kumar received two extensions from the Modi government, and under his tenure several important investigations were conducted by the agency.
Prior to this, Gujarat-cadre IAS officer and former chief secretary of the state Achal Kumar Jyoti was appointed Chief Election Commissioner of India in July 2017. Other officers from Gujarat who made it big at the Centre include revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia, power secretary P.K. Pujari, commerce secretary Rita Teotia, corporate affairs secretary Tapan Rai and joint secretary in the Prime Ministers Office Arvind Kumar Sharma.
Modi government trimming the fat
The Modi sarkar is quietly working towards trimming the bloated bureaucracy. All those performance appraisals and weeding out of non-performing babus at the very top, now seems to be a planned strategy set to go deep down within the government. Sources say that the Centre is likely to show the door to about one million employees, while speculation is rife that the number could actually be higher. There are an estimated 5.2 million Central government employees currently working in India, excluding the defence personnel.
The Centre has been tightening performance appraisals for employees, weeding out non-performers, as the government sees its businesses slowing for public services, technology shifts towards digital and growing government businesses in digital.
Sources say that the government is scrutinising employees for performance in the same post for longer periods, identifying gaps to reskill and marking out those who are unable to upskill with newer technologies. Apparently, the government wants to skill babus in newer technologies such as cloud, digital and analytics, and will redeploy them in new projects.
Rahul Gandhi, derided as soft in the head by a committed but unprincipled social media army (directed by an invisible hand), with sniper support from regulars, stunned detractors when he made quite a decent speech at the University of California in Berkeley recently.
He answered probing questions from the campus audience with candour, unlike devious politicians who are deemed serious and capable as they offer opaque answers with double meanings that send out self-congratulatory messages to followers and mean threats to opponents. Throughout, the Congress leader displayed a lack of rancour, a touch of wit, and due regard for decorum.
This was enough to set the cat among the pigeons. Heavy artillery was deployed to dismantle Mr Gandhi, although the Congressman is routinely lampooned as inadequate and inept by the BJP-RSS. BJP chief Amit Shah made a quick jab below the belt. A Cabinet minister aimed poison darts. Smriti Irani, a regime favourite, used her Cabinet position to hog television time as she shot missiles dripping with venom at the Congress leader.
This comes naturally to Ms Irani, who made bold to assert that while some people had to work hard to reach where theyd got, the dynast had got everything on a platter. Naturally, people are curious to know in what positions this minister has toiled to bag plum Cabinet posts after losing her Lok Sabha election.
It is clear to everyone even Narendra Modis Cabinet colleagues that the PM couldnt have pulled off the trick that RG did. He is short on intellectual fibre. He is good at something else though, else he wouldnt have been able to cash in on peoples urge for a strong leadership.
He brags without inhibition (Lord Krishna would have disapproved), he calls himself Son of India, he says those who preceded him were against progress, and he has worn a coat in public that cost lakhs of rupees (betraying a deep-seated sense of anxiety behind the bold facade). These unusual attributes in the top leader were lapped up by the masses. They thought they had found their man. He seemed to attack the elites. They were certain he would look after their interests.
But that time is now past. Mr Modi looks defeated when he takes the stage these days. He proffers jaded propaganda such as farmers incomes will double in five years; this at a time when more farmers are committing suicide every day across India than ever before. Also, when employment is rapidly shrinking.
No wonder Mr Modi doesnt answer any questions, leave alone searching ones. He has no time for journalists, even less for his own MPs and ministers, who bow and scrape before him as before a sultan of yore, worried that they might be ejected from the gravy train otherwise.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj offered a typical example recently. At the UN General Assembly, she covered the routine on Pakistan being the home of terrorism, and then launched into the PMs fulsome praise for programmes such as Stand Up India and what have you, as she might at an election rally. Good Luck India! Good Bye India! One can almost hear that coming! Modis India looks badly faded. It is divided and despairing.
In the three years Mr Modi has been around as PM, he has used the state apparatus to intimidate opponents. In his name, thugs have let loose repression on Muslims, the dalit community (although the PM courts B.R. Ambedkar flagrantly, hoping to win dalit votes), poor tribal people, holders of contrary opinion, and intellectuals.
The return of state awards by prestigious writers, thinkers, artistes and the hit-style murders of rationalists and dissenting journalists inspired nationwide protests, but the bhakts or regime supporters are unfazed. Recep Tayyip Erdogans Turkey has despatched opponents to jail. We are not there yet. But the age of fear is upon us, and the age of attacks on the nations poorest. This takes us beyond authoritarianism to a place from which quasi-fascism does not look so far.
The States hungry beasts have been let loose on a particular television station, which in recent times has attempted to do straightforward, old-fashioned, journalism instead of keeling over like the rest and becoming a servitor of the regime. The CBI is now a monster unchained. A former IAS officer and now a well-known activist for communal harmony, now touring the country with young people to spread the message of societal peace, is being threatened by the tax brutes.
As for the PMs ability to guide the country with sophistication and intellect (a requirement in a complex society like India), it will suffice to explore the contents of his Mann Ki Baat programme. There is no need to dissect crucial issues like demonetisation, GST, surgical strike, Swachchh Bharat, Stand Up India, etc.
No wonder every economic metric points to a tired, shrinking economy with little hope of recovery in the foreseeable future. People are seething with discontent. The farmers are in revolt. The BJPs student wing, the ABVP, has lost university elections across India, although the important tests lie in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. When the PM was in Varanasi, his constituency, last week, over 1,000 BHU women students protested life under the regime, including pointing to sexual violence, but Mr Modi had no time for them. They were lathicharged. The friendly media looked the other way.
The PM and his cohorts give the call to protect Indias honour and self-respect through militarism. Their way is to pay overt obeisance to the armed forces. The establishment speaks of placing tanks at university campuses to inculcate a healthy dose of patriotism among young people. Any day one expects ministers to arrive at Cabinet meetings wearing jackboots and epaulettes. But can you honour the soldier when you dishonour the farmer? Isnt the jawan the kisan in uniform?
HMD Global is sending out media invites for the launch of the next milestone of Nokia phones in India with a tag line: There are two sides to every story. Dont miss out on yours, revealed an image posted by India Today in its report.
Based on what the invite reads, HMD Global is speculated to launch the Nokia 8 smartphone -- designed to shot from both its front and rear-facing cameras simultaneously, and broadcast side-by-side to live-streaming services -- at an event in New Delhi on September 26.
Nokia 8 is expected to go on sale in the country in the second week of October through both online and offline retailer stores, starting at a price of Rs 36,999.
Nokia 8 features a 5.3-inch Quad HD display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection atop. It is powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor coupled with 4GB/6GB RAM, as spotted by Federal Communications Commission (FCC)s listing in the US, and Adreno GPU.
Nokia 8 will come equipped with 64GB/128GB storage options which can be expanded up to 256GB using a microSD card. It will pack a 3090mAh battery with quick charge 3.0 support.
The phone will include ZEISS powered dual rear camera setup, featuring a 13MP primary RGB sensor and a 13MP monochrome sensor. Also, Nokia 8 will run on Android Nougat 7.0 and may soon get upgraded to Android Oreo.
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The picture was of Rawia Abu Joma'a, a 17-year-old girl injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza city in 2014. (Photo: ANI)
New York: Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi in her right to reply to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's speech at the United Nations showed pictures of Palestinian victims and tried to pass them off as 'evidence' of atrocities on Kashmiris.
Maleeha Lodhi resorted to waving dramatic pictures of a girl with pellet injuries on her face and added, "this was the face of Indian democracy", while suggesting that Kashmiris had been injured by pellet guns.
However, upon closer inspection of the picture, Maleeha Lodhi's claim seemed to have boomeranged on her.
Photo: Twitter/@PakistanUN_NY
The picture used by Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN was reported by a number of media outlets as that of Rawia Abu Joma'a, a 17-year-old girl injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza city in 2014. Rawia's picture was taken by award winning photographer Heidi Levine.
Earlier on Saturday, Swaraj had said India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan's nefarious export of terrorism.
"India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan's nefarious export of terrorism. There have been many governments under many parties during 70 years of Indian freedom, for we have been a sustained democracy. Every government has done its bit for India's development. We have marched ahead consistently without pause, in education, health and across the range of human welfare. We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world," Swaraj said while addressing the 72nd UNGA session in New York.
She also questioned as to what has Pakistan offered to the world and to its own people apart from terrorism.
In a stinging response to Pakistan at the UNGA, she said that India is completely engaged in fighting poverty, whereas Islamabad seems engaged in fighting New Delhi.
Addressing the UN general assembly on Saturday, Sushma Swaraj slammed Pakistan and said it was the 'pre-eminent export factory for terror'. (Photo: Twitter)
United Nations: India is the mother of terrorism in South Asia and "a racist and fascist ideology is firmly embedded in the Narendra Modi government, Pakistans Ambassador to UN, Maleeha Lodhi, said in response to External Affair's Minister Sushma Swaraj's speech at UN.
Addressing the UN general assembly on Saturday, Sushma Swaraj slammed Pakistan and said it was the "pre-eminent export factory for terror".
Also read: India set up IIT, you created LeT, JeM: Sushma slams Pak in UN speech
Earlier this week, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi called for a special envoy to Kashmir while alleging that the "struggle of the people in the region is being brutally suppressed by India".
Swaraj, in her speech said, India has built institutions of learning like IITs, IIMs and AIIMS whereas Pakistan has built terrorist organisations like the LeT, JeM, Haqqani Network and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Also read: Pakistan is now Terroristan: India says in strong reply to Pak PM at UNGA
Lodhi appealed to the UN to expose brutalities of Indian forces in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
She also launched an attack on the BJP, referring to the 2002 Gujarat riots and said, "New Delhis current political luminaries belong to a political organisation that has the blood of thousands of Muslims of Gujarat on their hands.
Pakistan's Ambassador told the UN that India is the world's so called largest democracy, but is in fact the largest hypocrisy.
In response to the Swaraj's statements, Pakistan called for international inquiry into India's war crimes in occupied Kashmir.
"If the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between India and Pakistan, it must call on India to halt its provocations and aggressive actions. It must end the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control. It must halt its sponsorship of terrorist groups against Pakistan," Lodhi said.
Given that such responses are normally given by a low level foreign service official, it was quite significant that the top Pakistani diplomat took up the floor to launch a verbal dual against India.
(With inputs from PTI)
North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un said US President Donald Trump is 'unfit to hold the prerogative of supreme command of a country.' (Photo: AFP)
Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, in an extraordinary and direct rebuke, called President Donald Trump "deranged" and said he will "pay dearly" for his threats, a possible indication of more powerful weapons tests on the horizon.
Kim said Trump is "unfit to hold the prerogative of supreme command of a country." He also described the US president as "a rogue and a gangster fond of playing with fire."
The dispatch was unusual in that it was written in the first person, albeit filtered through the North's state media, which is part of propaganda efforts meant to glorify Kim. South Korean media called it the first such direct address to the world by Kim.
Some analysts saw a clear announcement that North Korea would ramp up its already brisk pace of weapons testing, which has included missiles meant to target US forces throughout Asia and the US mainland.
"I will make the man holding the prerogative of the supreme command in the US pay dearly for his speech calling for totally destroying the DPRK," said the statement carried by North's official Korean Central News Agency on Friday morning.
DPRK is the abbreviation of the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The statement responded to Trump's combative speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday where he mocked Kim as a "Rocket Man" on a "suicide mission," and said that if "forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."
Kim characterised Trump's speech to the world body as "mentally deranged behavior."
He said Trump's remarks "have convinced me, rather than frightening or stopping me, that the path I chose is correct and that it is the one I have to follow to the last."
Kim said he is "thinking hard" about his response and that Trump "will face results beyond his expectation."
Kim Dong-yub, a former South Korean military official who is now an analyst at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said Kim Jong-Un's statement indicated that North Korea will respond to Trump with its most aggressive missile test yet. That might include firing a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile over Japan to a range of around 7,000 kilometers (4,349 miles) to display a capability to reach Hawaii or Alaska.
The statement will further escalate the war of words between the adversaries as the North moves closer to perfecting a nuclear-tipped missile that could strike America.
In recent months, the North has launched a pair of still-developmental ICBMs it said were capable of striking the continental United States and a pair of intermediate-range missiles that soared over Japanese territory. Earlier in September, North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date drawing stiffer UN sanctions.
A man identified as Abu 'Uqayl from Singapore took issue with Prince Harry talking about a terror attack in London while on a visit to Singapore in June. (Photo: AP)
Singapore: A Singaporean member of the ISIS group in Syria has appeared in a video challenging Britain's Prince Harry to fight the jihadists, a monitoring group and authorities said Sunday.
It is believed to be the first time that a fighter from the affluent city-state has featured prominently in one of ISIS's videos.
In the English-language video released Saturday, a man identified as "Abu 'Uqayl" from Singapore took issue with Prince Harry talking about a terror attack in London while on a visit to Singapore in June.
"Why don't you come here and fight us if you're man enough, so that we can send you and your Apaches to hellfire, biidhnillah (Allah permitting)?" he said in the video which was circulated by the SITE Intelligence Group.
Prince Harry formerly served in the British army and flew Apache attack helicopters in Afghanistan.
The royal's visit to the city-state in June was overshadowed by an ISIS-claimed terror attack in London.
The attack saw knife-wielding men mow down and stab revellers on a night out, killing seven before they were gunned down by police.
Singapore's interior ministry said it believed the person in the video was a Singaporean.
"Our security agencies have been aware for some time now of the presence in Syria of a Singaporean, Megat Shahdan bin Abdul Samad, 39, and have been monitoring his activities," the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.
"It is believed that the person in the video calling himself 'Abu Uqayl' is Shahdan."
Singapore's leaders have warned that the city is a prime target for a terror attack because of its strong stand against terrorism and reputation.
The prospect of rabi (winter) crops in Karnataka has brightened because of late south-west monsoon, which will help the state recover likely foodgrain output losses in the kharif season, a state official said.
Kharif (summer) crops, which will be harvested from the next month onwards, have been hit badly in the southern state due to poor rains during crucial sowing months of June-July. This is expected to bring down overall Kharif output by 25 percent.
"The Kharif season has not been that good, but rabi prospects are bright. Late rains in the last few days have improved soil moisture and will encourage sowing of rabi (winter) crops," Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre Director G S Srinivasa Reddy told PTI.
Sowing of rabi crops will begin from the end of this month and the state has kept a target of covering 37 lakh hectares, he said.
Reddy further said: "We are expecting good rains during the withdrawal phase of the south-west monsoon. We will be able to achieve the target."
The shortfall in the Kharif output, especially in paddy, will be recovered during the rabi season, he claimed.
During the rabi season in the state, maximum of Bengal gram is sown in around 10-12 lakh hectares, followed by jowar, wheat and sunflower seeds.
Water levels in most reservoirs have improved, thanks to the last leg of the south-west monsoon, which is nearing its withdrawal.
As per state official data, foodgrain output during the Kharif season of 2017-18 is estimated to decline by 25 percent to 75 lakh tonnes, from 98.27 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period. Much of the estimated decline is in paddy and pulses.
Chinese Defense Minister, Chang Wanquan, embraces his visiting Singaporean counterpart Ng Eng Hen in Beijing, on Thursday, September 21, 2017. [Photo: Chinanews.com]
China and Singapore are to begin a new round of army and naval drills to enhance cooperation in defense, according to Singapore's Defense Ministry.
Chinese Defense Minister, Chang Wanquan, met his Singaporean counterpart Ng Eng Hen in Beijing on Thursday. Chang said that the leaders of both countries attach great importance to the development of bilateral relations, and the two countries should back each other on their core interests and major concerns. Military ties are an important part of bilateral ties between the two countries, and China is willing to break new ground for cooperation with Singapore, he said.
Ng Eng Hen congratulated the People's Liberation Army on its 90th anniversary and expressed the will to deepen defense cooperation between the two countries.
Singapore's Defense Ministry said on its website on Friday that China-Singapore cooperation in defense based on common strategic interests, aims to boost bilateral relations and promote regional stability and development. The two countries will enhance cooperation in defense through bilateral meetings of defense leaders as well as the next round of army and naval joint drills.
Three militants were killed, while four civilians and a trooper were injured an overnight encounter with security forces in Uri area of north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Sunday.
In a separate incident, four civilians and three security personnel were injured in a grenade attack by militants in Sopore town of the same district.
Sources said security forces launched a search operation after receiving specific inputs about the presence of militants in Kalghi forest area of Uri near the Line of Control (LoC) during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.
"As the cordon was tightened, the militants opened fire at the security forces triggering the gunfight, which lasted for several hours. The three militants, believed to be members of the Lashker-e-Toiba outfit were killed when army blasted the two houses where they were hiding," they said.
Dy SP Uri, Syed Javed Ahmad said the operation is over. There are reports of injuries to some civilians and an army man also in the encounter with one getting a bullet in his leg. The border town of Uri had made headlines in September last year when four fidayeen (suicide) militants had entered an army camp and killed 19 soldiers, before being gunned down.
State police chief Shesh Pal Vaid said the militants were planning to carry out September 2016 type fidayeen attack on Army camp in the area.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, four civilians and three security personnel were wounded when militants hurled a grenade at a CRPF camp near a bank in Sopore town, 52 km from here, on Sunday morning.
A police spokesperson said the grenade lobbed by the militants inside a security forces' vehicle in Sopore could have led to more casualties but an alert special police officer saved many lives by throwing away the explosive.
Police said the increase in grenade attacks by militants was due to a fresh supply of grenades to the militants. "There has been some supply of grenades leading to these incidents. We are careful," Vaid told reporters on the sidelines of a function.
The injured were shifted to Sub-District Hospital Sopore for treatment where the condition of all of them is stated to be stable. Earlier on Tuesday, a grenade attack by the militants in south Kashmir's Tral claimed lives of at least two civilians and injures more than 30 persons, including CRPF personnel.
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How can eve-teasing be curbed on Indian campuses? #BHUMolestation #BHU Deccan Herald (@DeccanHerald) September 24, 2017
Senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav today denounced the alleged police action against Banaras Hindu University students protesting the increasing incidents of eve-teasing on the campus, and said the issue will be raised in Parliament.A group of students had staged a sit-in at the main gate of the university after a woman student of the Arts Faculty was allegedly harassed by three motorcycle-borne men on the campus.The protesting students were reportedly baton-charged by the police last night."It has never happened before at BHU. It is sheer violation of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the Constitution," Yadav said in a statement."We will raise the issue in Parliament... It is intolerable in a democracy and the government should apologise," he said, adding people will take to the streets to protest it.BHU students have alleged they have to face eve-teasers on the campus regularly and the varsity administration was not taking any action to stop the miscreants.BHU, however, said the protest by the students was "politically motivated" to malign the image of the university.
A preliminary investigation has found that faulty ammunition was the reason behind the explosion on the Army's new long-range ultra-light (ULH) howitzer M-777 during a field trial in Pokhran earlier this month, official sources said.
The barrel of the US-manufactured gun had exploded when it was firing Indian ammunition on September 2.
A preliminary inquiry has found that the explosion took place due to faulty ammunition supplied by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and further probe into the matter was on, the sources said.
Asked about the findings of the probe, OFB spokesperson Uddipan Mukherjee said, "Any such failure is attributable to a complex phenomena pertaining to internal ballistics as the shell moves at a very high speed inside the barrel."
He said these kind of failures can have multiple causes and "the quality of the shell is not the only reason".
Without specifically commenting on the findings of the probe, Mukherjee said ammunition used in the M-777 gun had undergone the required quality tests.
India had received two M-777 ultra-light howitzers in May, each worth around Rs 35 crore, after a gap of 30 years since the Bofors scandal broke out, and the accident took place in one of them.
The field trials of the 155 mm, 39-calibre guns manufactured by BAE systems were being carried out at Pokhran in Rajasthan with an aim to collate various critical data like trajectory, speed and frequency.
Army sources had said the barrel of the gun was damaged in the explosion.
The Army had received the howitzers as part of an order for 145 guns. Three more guns are to be supplied to the Army in September 2018 for training.
Thereafter, induction will commence from March 2019 onwards with five guns per month till the complete consignment is received by mid-2021.
India had last procured howitzers in the mid-1980s from Swedish defence major Bofors. The alleged pay-offs in the deal and its subsequent political ramifications had severely crippled the Indian Army's procurement of artillery guns.
The defence ministry had struck a government-to- government deal with the US last November for supply of the 145 howitzers at a cost of nearly Rs 5,000 crore.
While 25 guns will come in a fly-away condition, the rest will be assembled in India by the BAE Systems in partnership with Mahindra Defence. The Army has been pressing the government to speed up its modernisation programme.
Pakistan today accused India of adopting a posture of that of a "predator" and said if the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between the two neighbours, it must call on New Delhi to halt its provocations and aggressive actions.
Terming India as the "mother of terrorism" in South Asia, Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi accused it of sponsoring terrorism in various parts of her country.
Exercising her right to reply after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday hit out at Pakistan for creating terror groups like LeT, JeM, Hizbul Mujahideen and the Haqqani Network, Lodhi alleged that "in her vitriol, she (Swaraj) deliberately ignored the core issue" of Kashmir.
Swaraj in her remarks did not mention Kashmir.
"If the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between India and Pakistan, it must call on India to halt its provocations and aggressive actions. It must end the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control. It must halt its sponsorship of terrorist groups against Pakistan," Lodhi said.
Given that such responses are normally given by a low-level foreign service official, it was quite significant that the top Pakistani diplomat took up the floor to launch a verbal dual against India.
India did not immediately exercise its right to respond to Lodhi's remarks, in which Pakistan for the second time accused the National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval of interfering in Balochistan.
Lodhi said if the parties fail to resolve a dispute, the UN and the international community has not only the right but the obligation to intervene and help to resolve the dispute.
"UN Security Council resolutions do not lapse with time. Or are 'overtaken', as the Indian foreign minister put it. Law has no expiry date. Morality has no sell-by date. India's posture is that of the predator. It cannot escape its legal and moral obligation to abide by the resolutions of the Security Council," she said.
Referring to Swaraj's remarks on terrorism and her push for a definition, Lodhi said the UN should actually define terrorism.
"In that definition, we should include 'state terrorism'. The state terrorism which the Indian National Security Adviser has boasted is being sponsored by India's spy agencies in Pakistan's Balochistan province in what he called a 'double squeeze' strategy," she alleged.
"India has sponsored and perpetrated terrorism and aggression against all its neighbours; creating terror groups; destabilising and blockading neighbours to do its strategic bidding and sponsoring subversion, sabotage and terrorism in various parts of Pakistan. All this establishes that India is the mother of terrorism in South Asia," she alleged.
She said the 'largest democracy' is also "the world's largest hypocrisy" and it's ruled by the "fascist" ideology.
Lodhi alleged that Swaraj in her speech criticised Pakistan's founding father M A Jinnah.
She also said Pakistan remains open to resuming a comprehensive dialogue with India to address all outstanding issues, especially Jammu and Kashmir and discuss measures to maintain peace and security. "But this dialogue must be accompanied by an end to India's campaign of subversion and state-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan," she demanded.
In her speech, Swaraj had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered the hand of peace and friendship since he assumed office/ "Pakistan's Prime Minister must answer why his nation spurned this offer," she had said.
Swaraj reminded Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi that in December 2015, when she was in Islamabad, a decision was made by the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that dialogue between India and Pakistan should be renewed and named it a "Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue".
"The word 'bilateral' was used consciously to remove any confusion or doubt about the fact that the proposed talks would be between our two nations and only between our two nations, without any third-party present. And he must answer why that proposal withered, because Pakistan is responsible for the aborting that peace process," Swaraj had said.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh will this week visit a Sino-Indian border area in Uttarakhand which has witnessed transgression by China's People's Liberation Army in the recent past, officials said.
During the tour to Barahoti, the home minister will interact with the personnel of the Indo Tibetan Border Police which guards the border outpost located at an altitude of 14,311 feet.
This is the first visit by a senior minister in the Narendra Modi government to China border after the resolution of the stand-off in Dokalam.
Singh will also visit ITBP border outposts at Rimkhim (altitude 12,500 feet), Mana (10,500 feet) and Auli (10,200 feet) during the four-day trip beginning September 28, a home ministry official said.
There were reports that on July 25, Chinese soldiers had entered 800 meters into the Indian territory in Barahoti, located in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, and stayed for sometime before returning to the Chinese territory.
The home minister will also address the probationers of the IAS, IPS and other services at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, besides interacting with central government's additional secretary rank officials there on the first day of the visit.
The home minister is expected to review the situation on the border, address a 'Sainik Sammelan' and assess the progress in various infrastructure projects, another home ministry official said.
The 3,488 km-long India-China border stretches through Jammu and Kashmir (1,597 km), Himachal Pradesh (200 km), Uttarakhand (345 km), Sikkim (220 km) and Arunachal Pradesh (1,126 km).
The Chinese and Indian troops were in a face-off situation for more than two months in Dokalam in Sikkim sector after Indians stopped the construction of a road by China's army.
The Sino-Indian border is not fully demarcated and the process of clarifying and confirming the Line of Actual Control is in progress.
The area is characterised by high-altitude terrain and thick habitation which have resulted in inadequate development of infrastructure in these regions.
To redress the situation arising out of lack of infrastructure along border with China, the government has decided to undertake construction of 73 roads of operational significance.
Of these, 27 roads involving 804.93 km are being constructed by the home ministry in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh at an estimated cost of Rs 1,937 crore. PTI ACB AAR
DMK working president MK Stalin today urged the Centre to order a CBI probe to "unravel the mystery" surrounding J Jayalalithaa's death.
He said it was the "responsibility" of the Centre to do so.
Stalin cited Forest Minister Dindigul C Srinivasan's statement that AIADMK leaders "lied" about Jayalalithaa's health when she was undergoing treatment, fearing her aide V K Sasikala.
While a team from AIIMS in Delhi had come to attend to Jayalalithaa, Union Health Minister JP Nadda had also said the Centre was keeping a watch on her health, Stalin said in a statement here.
"Since the central government had assisted in the treatment of Jayalalithaa, it has a responsibility to unravel the mystery surrounding her death... Therefore, using its authority, it should immediately order a CBI probe into the matter," he said.
Stalin said he was making the plea in his capacity as the Leader of Opposition in the assembly.
He also questioned the veracity of Jayalalithaa's signature on a statement made in her name during her hospitalisation seeking support for AIADMK candidates in the bypolls to three Tamil Nadu Assembly seats last year.
He said her thumb impression was found in a set of poll- related documents of AIADMK candidates for the elections to Aravakurichi, Thanjavur and Thiruparankundram assembly constituencies earlier.
Stalin recalled that AIADMK leaders had criticised his father and DMK president M Karunanidhi when he had demanded the release of pictures of Jayalalithaa undergoing treatment and related details, since she was the chief minister then.
People in the AIADMK are now demanding the release of not just photographs, but also video, he said referring to the face-off between TTV Dhinakaran and the unified AIADMK camps over the matter.
Srinivasan had recently claimed that afraid of Sasikala, party leaders had "lied" about Jayalalithaa's health so that people believed she was improving.
No one was allowed to meet the late chief minister. Whoever came, would be briefed by Sasikala's relatives that she was "all right", he had said at a public meeting on Friday.
New reports about several leaders meeting Jayalalithaa at the hospital and their version that she was improving were also false, Srinivasan had claimed.
"We were afraid of Sasikala at that time and lied about Jayalalithaa's health condition," he had claimed. After prolonged treatment for infection and other complications, Jayalalithaa had died of a heart attack on December 5.
Deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam had earlier called for a probe into the death of Jayalalithaa, saying there were doubts in the minds of people.
Chief Minister K Palaniswami had recently announced that a commission of inquiry would probe her death.
A Puerto Rico dam damaged by heavy rains from Hurricane Maria was in danger of failing on Sunday, posing a risk to communities downstream, as people across the U.S. territory sought to dig out from the deadly storm.
Some 70,000 people who live downstream from the compromised Guajataca Dam in the northwest of the island were under orders to evacuate, with the structure in danger of bursting at any time.
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello, after surveying damage to the cracked dam, reiterated his request on Saturday that people leave the area as soon as possible.
"The fissure has become a significant rupture," Rossello said at a news conference.
The dam, which is made of earth and surrounded by trees in a largely rural region of Puerto Rico, is 120 feet (37 metres) tall, according to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers database
The National Weather Service extended a flash flood watch for communities along the rain-swollen Guajataca River, downstream from the dam, until 1400 local time on Sunday.
If the dam fails, the flooding would be life-threatening, the National Weather Service warned. "Stay away or be swept away," it said.
Maria, the second major hurricane to savage the Caribbean this month and the most powerful storm to strike Puerto Rico in nearly a century, carved a path of destruction on Wednesday.
The storm killed at least 25 people, including at least 10 in Puerto Rico, as it churned across the Caribbean, according to officials and media reports.
It knocked out electricity, apart from emergency generators, on Puerto Rico, which has 3.4 million inhabitants.
Severe flooding, structural damage to homes and virtually no electric power were three of the most pressing problems facing Puerto Ricans, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose state is home to millions of people of Puerto Rican descent, said during a tour of the island.
"We lost our house, it was completely flooded," said resident Carmen Gloria Lamb, a resident near the rain-swollen Guajataca. "We lost everything; cars, clothes, everything."
The Guajataca Dam was built in 1929 to serve as a supply of drinking water and for irrigation, according to a U.S. Geological Survey website.
FUEL SHORTAGES AND WATER RATIONING
Signs of the strain on Puerto Ricans were evident throughout San Juan, the capital.
Drivers had to wait up to seven hours at the few filling stations open on Saturday, according to news reports. Hotels, meanwhile, warned that guests might have to leave soon without fresh supplies of diesel to keep generators operating.
Water rationing also began on Saturday. Signs posted throughout San Juan's Old Town informed residents that service would return for two hours a day between 1700 and 1900 local time until further notice.
Telephone service also was unreliable, with many of the island's cell towers damaged or destroyed.
Maria struck Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, dealing a savage blow to an island already facing the largest municipal debt crisis in U.S. history.
The storm caused an estimated $45 billion of damage and lost economic activity across the Caribbean, with at least $30 billion of that in Puerto Rico, said Chuck Watson, a disaster modeller at Enki Research in Savannah, Georgia.
Maria, which was hundreds of miles east of Florida over the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday, had eased slightly to a Category 2 storm but still sustained winds of up to 110 miles per hour (175 kmh). It was expected to weaken gradually as it moves north over the next two days.
Dangerous surf and rip currents driven by the storm were expected along the southeastern coast of the U.S. mainland for several days, the National Hurricane Center said.
Scattered showers were forecast for Puerto Rico on Sunday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Arlena Moses at the agency's Miami office.
Maria hit Puerto Rico about two weeks after Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, killed more than 80 people in the Caribbean and the United States. The two storms followed Hurricane Harvey, which also killed more than 80 people when it struck Texas in late August and caused flooding in Houston.
Suspected Naxals killed a 57-year- old revenue official of a village on suspicion of him being a "police informer" in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, police said today.
The rebels attacked the 'kotwar', identified as Sukku Nareti, last night in Sureli village under Antagarh police station area, Kanker's Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jaipraksh Badhai told PTI.
A group of armed ultras stormed into Nareti's house and dragged him out on the street. They then strangled him with a rope and threw the body on a road near the village, the police official said quoting eyewitnesses.
The ultras then fled the spot raising slogans in support of the outlawed Naxal movement, he said.
A police team visited the spot this morning and sent the body for postmortem, the ASP said.
Some Maoists' pamphlets were recovered from the spot in which Nareti was branded as a "police informer", he said.
A search has been launched to nab the assailants, the police official added.
The Jewish advocacy group met with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in New York on Friday after the UN General Assembly
The American-Jewish Committee (AJC), a leading Jewish advocacy group in the US, has praised Egypts efforts to revive the Israel-Palestine peace process, offering their support during a meeting on Saturday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in New York.
In an official statement, Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said Shoukry met with the committees delegation prior to wrapping up his visit to New York for the 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Abu Zeid said the JAC appreciated Egypts important role in the Middle East and its efforts to consolidate peace and stability in the region.
The meeting also included talks on the Middle East region in general, particularly the ongoing conflicts in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, as well as Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis initiative to reform religious discourse as a key step to combatting extremism.
Saturdays meeting comes days after El-Sisis participation in the UNGA, where he held bilateral talks with several world leaders. During his speech at the UNGA, he called on both Palestinians and Israelis to not waste a chance for achieving peace.
Egypt has been leading mediation efforts between Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement to build Palestinian unity.
Following several rounds of talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo over the past months, Hamas announced last week that it had dissolved its administrative committee running Gaza and agrees to hold general elections in order to end the decade-long split, a move that was welcomed by Fatah officials.
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A day after Tamil Nadu forest minister Dindigul Srinivasan claimed that he "lied" about the health condition of late AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa while she was in the hospital, all the opposition parties in the State including DMK, Congress, left parties, Pattali Makkal Katchi and BJP on Sunday demanded immediate probe into the mystery behind the death of the former chief minister.
Deepa Jayakumar, Jayalalithaa's niece, said she would move to the court to for further clarifications.
DMK working president M K Stalin sought a CBI inquiry. "The Union Government should order a CBI probe to solve the issue," he added.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president S Thirunavukkarasar demanded an investigation headed by a retired Supreme Court or a High Court judge.
Standing firm on his claim, Srinivasan said his government is not bothered about the CBI or any other agencies. "We have already announced that a commission led by retired High Court Judge will be formed for a thorough probe. The head of the commission will be appointed soon," he added.
Minister Sreenivasan had sought apology for lying about the well-being of late Jayalalithaas health condition when she was admitted to the Apollo Hospital. The Minister 'admitted' that all their claims like 'Amma consumed idli, juice and she smiled at the team of doctors' were a series of lies.
Meanwhile, the ousted AIADMK rebel leader TTV Dhinakaran claimed he would release the pictures of Jayalalithaa in the hospital if needed.
Amidst an intensified campaign for a separate religious status to Veerashaivas-Lingayat faith, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said the government has nothing to do with the rallies being organised in this regard.
With resentment within the community over projecting Lingayats and Veerashaivas as the same, he clarified that the stands taken by few of his ministers on the issue as "their personal".
"The government has nothing do with the rallies," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Chitradurga. Responding to a question about ministers participating in the rallies and taking sides, he said "cant ministers have their own opinion? Is there anything that they have to listen to what I say? On matters concerning the government they consult me, on matters not concerned with the government, I cant tie their mouth", he said.
As assembly elections are due earlier next year, the demand for a separate Veerashaivas-Lingayat religion status is gaining ground among the community, concentrated largely in the northern part of Karnataka.
Leaders and pontiffs who are propagating that Lingayats are separate from Veerashaivas, today held a large public meeting in Kalburgi as a show of strength. While one section under 'Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha' has demanded separate religion status, asserting that Veerashaiva and Lingayats are the same, the other wants it only for Lingayats as they believe that Veerashaiva is one among the seven sects of Shaivas, which is part of Hinduism.
The Veerashaiva-Lingayat community that pays allegiance to the 12th century "social reform movement" initiated by Basaveshwara has a substantial population in Karnataka, especially in the northern parts of the state.
They also have presence in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana.
The BJP and several sections of the Hindu community are opposed to the move to give Veerashaiva-Lingayat separate religion status and have accused the Siddaramaiah government of dividing the society to draw political mileage ahead of assembly elections due early next year.
Congress on Sunday welcomed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's recognition of the contribution of previous governments in the development of the nation and wanted her to hold a history lesson for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter.
Earlier, Congress chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said Swaraj's speech at the United Nations General Assembly was a befitting reply to those who ask what happened in the last 70 years.
The leitmotif of Modi's speeches, since the campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, has been misrule during 60 years of Congress rule. BJP President Amit Shah had in May this year claimed that the Modi government had done in three years what the Congress could not achieve in 70 years.
Stung by the repeated barbs, Congress leaders have time and again asserted its role in the development journey over the past 70 years.
Sushma Swaraj mirrored the yeoman progress made by India under Congress rule, making 'inclusive growth & progress' as India's mantra, Surjewala said.
The opposition party was unsparing in criticising Modi, who it claimed required some lessons in history.
Sushma Swaraj is a well-read person. We are happy that she had some lessons for the prime minister. Had Modi read some history books, he would have known that IITs, IIMs, ISRO, Operation flood, Green Revolution are all contribution of the Congress-led government, AICC spokesman Ajoy Kumar told reporters here.
Kumar said on her return to India from the United Nations should hold a history class for the prime minister to make him aware of the contribution of the Congress to the development of the country.
Surjewala also asked the Modi government to turn words against Pakistan into action. Time to move words into action as Pakistan still receives $743 million annual US aid, collaborates with China on CPEC and buys arms from Russia, he said.
Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 24, 2017
A court here has sentenced four people, including two brothers, to life imprisonment for the murder of a man in 2004.
Additional district sessions judge Rajesh Bhardwaj also imposed a fine of Rs 1,500 on each of them after holding them guilty under IPC sections 302 (punishment for murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) last evening.
The convicts are Ajit and Amit (brothers), Sundar and Sanjay.
According to government lawyer Kayyum Ali, Ratanpal was murdered by the four in August, 2004, on suspicion that he was in a relationship with the mother of Ajit and Amit.
In a major goof-up, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi today flashed a picture of an injured Gaza girl with no connection to India while alleging she was a victim of pellet guns in Kashmir.
Exercising her right to reply hours after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj blasted Pakistan for its support to terrorism, Lodhi, on the floor of the UN General Assembly, held up a photograph of a woman whose face was peppered with alleged pellet gun wounds.
"This is the face of Indian democracy," Lodhi claimed.
The picture of 17-year-old Rawya abu Joma'a of Gaza, an alleged victim of an Israeli attack was actually taken by award-winning American photo journalist Heidi Levine in July, 2014. The picture is available on multiple news websites.
"Rawya abu Joma'a, 17, at the Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Rawya was wounded when two Israeli air strikes hit her family's apartment. Three of her cousins and her sister were killed in the strike," says the caption of the photo on the website of the UK's Guardian newspaper.
Quite evidently, the picture has no connection with Kashmir. Lodhi, who is quite active on social media, including on Twitter, was silent after it emerged that she posed a fake picture during her right of reply at the UN General Assembly.
The Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN also did not immediately respond to a PTI query on Lodhi's apparent use of such a picture.
Members of Rajput Karni Sena on Sunday remained adamant to not to allow the screening of burnt posters of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming movie `Padmavati' in Jaipur.
The Karni Sena leaders alleged that film maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali is backtracking from his promise and his movie may not be allowed to release. Devrala, a member said, "Bhansali has released movie teaser, posters and also announced the date of release without consulting us. In January he had promised us that movie screening would be organized for Rajput prior to its release so that if there is anything that needs to be removed could be done."
Members have also threatened to harm the cast and director when he visits Jaipur. Karni Sena leaders said that the movie will not be allowed to screen anywhere in India and the producers should respect the terms of the agreement.
Earlier on Saturday members of Karni Sena, an organisation representing Rajputs, burnt posters of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis upcoming movie Padmavati, accusing the director of backtracking on a promise to screen the film before a panel of intellectuals before its release.
In January, the Karni Sena had disrupted the shooting of `Padmavati', and also attacked at Bhansali. Soon after the incident, Bhansali and his crew packed up and cancelled their shoot in Jaipur.
There is a number of scenes on which director and Rajput body differ from each other. The Rajput outfit believes that Queen Padmini had committed jauhar (self-immolation) along with thousands of other women when Alauddin Khilji attacked the Fort in 1303 AD.
The group differs their view from the popular view of historians that suggests how Allaudin Khilji saw Pamawati's mirror reflection in the pond. Karni Sena patron Lokendra Singh Kalvi said, "There were no mirrors present at that time. We had requested the fort authorities to remove the mirrors a few days ago."
Several journalists were injured after being attacked by the cops while covering the violence at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi late on Saturday night.
At least four scribes suffered serious injuries and admitted to the hospitals in Varanasi. The cops also allegedly damaged their cameras and other equipment.
Scores of scribes held a demonstration before UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath's official residence here on Sunday evening in protest against police brutality and demanded action against the erring cops.
Adityanath, according to the officials here, sought a report from the Varanasi commissioner in this regard.
Journalists associations have sharply condemned the attack on the scribes and demanded a thorough probe into the same.
A case was registered against unidentified police personnel in Lanka police station in Varanasi in this connection, sources said.
French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to help raise more than USD 1 billion in new funding for education in the developing world, calling schools vital in countering extremism.
The French leader made the pledge in a video to thousands of music fans at the Global Citizen Festival, a concert in New York's Central Park headlined by Stevie Wonder and Green Day that aims to build support for international development aid.
Macron said yesterday he was working with Senegal to boost the Global Partnership for Education which brings together donors, international organisations and the private sector to expand and improve schooling around the world.
Macron, whose video was introduced by Senegal's ambassador to the United Nations, Fode Seck, said France would co-host a financing conference for the partnership on February 8 in Dakar.
"It's all about education precisely to fight against terrorism, fundamentalism," Macron said against the backdrop of the skyline in New York, where he spent the past week attending the UN General Assembly.
"It's all about education to help women to build their lives, to help people to have a decent life," he said.
"I do believe we can deliver today and the momentum is now," he said.
Macron said he would work ahead of the conference to help the partnership meet its goal of USD 3.1 billion in funding for 2018 through 2020, of which USD 2 billion has already been committed.
The group said that the money would assist in the education of 870 million children through assistance for schools in 89 developing countries.
Pop superstar Rihanna, who serves as an ambassador for the partnership, earlier met Macron in Paris.
Global Citizen, whose festival has taken place since 2012 on the sidelines of the UN meeting, hands out tickets for free to fans who commit to take action against poverty such as writing letters.
The latest festival comes as US President Donald Trump threatens sweeping cuts to foreign assistance as part of his "America First" foreign policy. (
The Vatican said Sunday it had been forced to oust its former auditor general -- who resigned without explanation in June -- because he had been spying on senior officials.
In the latest scandal to embroil the centuries-old institution, Libero Milone had accused the Vatican of getting rid of him because his investigations into possible illegal activity had hit too close to home.
Just hours after the story broke, the Vatican issued a furious response.
"Milone's office illegally appointed an external company to carry out investigations into the private lives of members of the Holy See," it said in a statement.
It is very rare for the secretive seat of the Roman Catholic Church to comment in public about internal affairs.
Milone had given an interview published earlier Sunday to four media outlets including Italy's Corriere della Sera daily in which he said: "I did not voluntarily resign. I was threatened with arrest".
The auditing wizard, who spent much of his career with the audit firm Deloitte & Touche and was hired to much fanfare in 2015, said high-ranking figures in the Vatican wanted to scupper Pope Francis's financial reform efforts.
"I feel very sorry for the pope. I had a splendid, indescribable relationship with him, but over the last 18 months they stopped me seeing him. Obviously they didn't want me telling him about some of the things I'd seen," he said.
While he said a non-disclosure agreement prevented him from giving details of the irregularities he uncovered, his troubles began when he hired an outside firm to check whether the computers of his team had been bugged.
That was the company the Vatican believes was spying for Milone.
"They accused me of having improperly looked for information on Vatican members. I found out they had been investigating me for seven months," he added.
"I was only doing my job".
When he was hired, Vatican officials said Milone would be "completely independent" and would have the power to look through the books of every department in the tiny city state, reporting only to the pope.
But the Vatican said Sunday that not only had Milone broken an agreement for both parties to remain quiet about his dismissal, he had been acting like a secret agent in the tiny city state.
"The job of the auditor general is to analyse the balance sheets and accounts of the Holy See and connected bodies.
"It turns out unfortunately that the office led by Milone, going outside its jurisdiction, illegally appointed an external company to carry out investigations into the private lives of members of the Holy See.
"As well as being a crime, this irreparably damaged the trust placed in Milone who, when confronted with his responsibilities, accepted freely to hand in his resignation," it said.
Pope Francis was elected in 2013 on a mandate to clean up the Vatican, including its financial house.
Accelerating moves started under his predecessor Benedict XVI, he streamlined the Vatican bureaucracy and brought 21st-century auditing to the Holy See's tainted banking system.
But it has struggled to shake off the whiff of scandal.
The Vatican's bank, known as the Institute of Religious Works (IOR), became notorious after the 1982 death of Italian banker Roberto Calvi, whose corpse was discovered hanging from Blackfriars Bridge in London.
Prosecutors believe it was a mafia killing linked to money laundering via the Vatican bank.
Egypt's Prime minister Sherif Ismail issued an order on Sunday revoking the nationality of three Egyptian citizens for taking Israeli citizenship without a permit, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.
According to the decree, which was issued in the Official Gazette on Sunday, the three citizens did not apply for a permit from Egypt's interior ministry, a requirement for any Egyptian citizen seeking to acquire another nationality according to the Egyptian constitution.
Article 16 of the current constitution gives the prime minister the right to strip citizens their Egyptian nationality if they violate the constitution and the law by taking foreign citizenship without interior ministry authorisation.
The same article also stipulates that the prime minister has the right to annul the nationality of any citizen who does military service in any foreign country without receiving permission from Egypt's defence ministry.
The Egyptian government frequently strips Egyptians of their citizenship for taking foreign citizenship without permission from the interior ministry.
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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said his government would consider facilitating housing facility to electronic media journalists and press photographers in the state capital.
"I would consider over facilitating housing facility to electronic and photo journalists (here). They also work hard to get and break news," Chouhan said while addressing a gathering at programme of Rajdhani Patrakar Grah Nirman Sahakari Sanstha (RPGNSS) here.
He said he would also deliberate over converting the government land leased to the RPGNSS for (print) journalists housing colony into a free hold property.
The CM's statement came after journalists requested the government that the land leased to RRGNSS should be made a free holdproperty, so that it can be mortgaged for bank loans to construct houses.
Chouhan said people think that the journalists live a glamorous and influential life but it is the other way round.
"The journalists reach home at 2 am when the people are fast asleep and run after stories and to break news at day time," he said.
He said the government would help journalists to have their own homes.
Three more persons succumbed to swine flu in Indore in last 24-hours taking the toll in the district due to the H1N1 virus infection to 24 this year.
Asha Pandit, district in-charge of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), said, patients who succumbed to swine flu included a woman aged 39-year-old and two men respectively aged 25-years and 59-years.
All hailed from Indore district, she said.
Pandit said as many as 90 patients of city hospitals have tested positive since January this year and 24 out of them have died.
Of the deceased, 10 had come from other districts for treatment here while 14 hailed from Indore district, she added.
Earlier, on September 20-21, four persons had succumbed to swine flu in Indore in a period of 24 hours.
Myanmar's army said Sunday it had discovered a mass grave containing the bodies of 28 Hindus, including women and children, in violence-wracked Rakhine state, blaming the killings on Muslim Rohingya militants.
Thousands of Hindus have fled villages where they once lived alongside Muslims, alleging that they were targeted by militants whose August 25 raids plunged Rakhine into communal violence.
The announcement could not be independently verified in an region where access has been tightly controlled by Myanmar's army.
"Security members found and dug up 28 dead bodies of Hindus who were cruelly and violently killed by ARSA extremist Bengali terrorists in Rakhine State," a statement posted on the army chief's website said.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) is the group whose attacks on police posts triggered an army backlash so brutal that the UN believes it amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority.
More than 430,000 Rohingya have fled the region to Bangladesh in under a month, telling stories of Myanmar soldiers teaming up with vigilante mobs to slaughter civilians and burn entire villages to the ground.
Around 30,000 Hindus and Buddhists based in the area have also been displaced by the violence.
Both communities have told AFP they were terrorised by Rohingya militants.
The army said that security officers found a total of 20 dead women and eight men in two graves, including six boys under the age of ten.
A strong smell led security officers to the burial site outside of Ye Baw Kya village, the army said.
Unverifiable photos published by the government's Information Committee showed corpses laid out in rows on grass near two mud pits where they were found.
Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay confirmed the grim discovery to AFP, as did a senior police officer in Rakhine who requested anonymity.
The village where the bodies were found, Ye Baw Kya, lies near a cluster of Hindu and Muslim communities in northern Rakhine called Kha Maung Seik.
Last week Hindus from the area told AFP that militants swept into their villages on August 25 with sticks and knives, attacking people who stood in their way, killing many and taking others into the forest.
Hindu women are believed to have been abducted by the militants.
The grim discovery of the graves will further fuel already white-hot hatred between ethnic groups in Myanmar.
The epicentre of the unrest, in northern Rakhine, is dominated by Rohingya Muslims who are a minority elsewhere and have been the target of decades of state-backed persecution and discrimination.
Around half of their estimated 1.1 million population has fled over the last year.
Northern Rakhine is also home to ethnic Rakhine Buddhists, Hindus and a myriad of other groups.
Religious tensions have simmered for years, erupting into sporadic bouts of violence.
But the scale of the latest unrest is the worst to hit the region in years.
While the wretched lines of Rohingya streaming into Bangladesh have shocked and alarmed the world, there is scant sympathy for the Muslim group inside Myanmar.
Many in the Buddhist majority view the group as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, despite their long-established roots in the country.
Rahul Gandhi is likely to be elected unopposed as the Congress President in October as the organisational elections are set to enter the decisive phase next week.
The Central Election Authority is expected to announce the schedule for the presidential election by mid-October and has issued directions to returning officers to complete the internal polls to party's district and state committees by September end and submit the list of AICC delegates by October 3.
If there is no challenger to Rahul, he would be declared elected at the close of the nomination process, a senior Congress leader said.
An election to the post of Congress President last witnessed a contest in November 2000 when veteran Jitendra Prasad was pitted against Sonia Gandhi. Prasad lost the election comprehensively by managing to secure 94 votes against the 7771 votes polled by Gandhi.
The Congress was nudged into holding the internal elections by the Election Commission which first set June 30, 2017, as the deadline for the process to be completed. At the request of the Congress, it was extended by another six months to December 31.
The last internal elections were held in 2010 which was followed by a Plenary Session at Burari in Delhi.
At a recent interaction at the University of California, Berkeley, 47-year-old Rahul has declared that he was ready for the top job in the Congress.
I am absolutely ready to do that but the way our party works, we have an organisational election process that decides that and that process is currently ongoing, Rahul had said when asked whether he was prepared to take over the reins of the Congress party.
The Congress is also planning a Plenary Session to ratify the election of the new President either in November or January after the Gujarat elections are concluded.
Election to the Congress Working Committee, the party's top decision-making body, will take place during the Plenary that may be held in the national capital.
The Kerala Womens Commission (KWC) is set to approach the Supreme Court seeking permission to probe alleged human rights violations in the Hadiya case.
Hadiya (Akhila, before she converted to Islam), a 24-year-old homoeopathy graduate, is living with her parents in Vaikom, in Kottayam district, after the Kerala High Court annulled her marriage with Shefin Jahan.
A group of social activists and academics had sought KWCs intervention in what is alleged as Hadiyas illegal confinement. The commission also received memorandums from other groups requesting action. KWC Chairperson M C Josephine said the commission would seek the apex court permission to visit Hadiya and her family and submit a report on the alleged violations.
Josephine had on Saturday consulted the Advocate-General and the commissions standing council regarding the move.
The case attracted national attention after Hadiyas father, K M Ashokan, claimed that she was converted to Islam and forced into the marriage with Shefin. Later, a Supreme Court order led to an investigation by the National Investigation Agency into possible links to love jihad, an expression right-wing groups use to define alleged attempts to convert Hindu women to Islam.
On August 30, police in Vaikom detained a group of women who staged a protest seeking the release of Hadiya from her house arrest. One of the women, in a Facebook video, said Ashokan denied them permission to meet her. The women claimed they saw Hadiya calling out for help from a window and saying she was being beaten up. The protesters were charged with trespassing.
Activist Rahul Easwar had earlier visited Hadiya at her home and released a video of the visit on social media. In the video, Hadiya is seen as interrupting Rahuls conversation with her mother Ponnamma saying, Keeping me here like this... is that enough? I want to ask if this is going to be my life.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called upon the citizens to travel different parts of India during vacations to understand the meaning of the slogan unity in diversity and internalize it.
During his Mann Ki Baat monthly radio address, he urged the people to consider embarking on domestic tourism to visit different parts of country between October and March to also act as a major catalyst in promoting tourism in India.
He noted that October to March was generally a suitable period for tourism.
The Prime Minister also gave a call for organising the Run for Unity programme across all cities in the country on October 31, inviting people to participate in large numbers this year.
The event is organised every year since 2014 as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) which also marks the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel.
We feel proud of diversity but have you ever tried to feel this diversity? You travel around the world, I have no issues. But, have a look at your own country too. It is a matter of concern when we do not see our own country, we do not know about its diversities nor do we understand them, the Prime Minister said.
I would request that during these vacations do not go out just for a change but leave with the intention to know, understand and gain something. Internalize the diversities of millions of denizens of India within you. These experiences will enrich your lives. Your vision will expand. Prime Minister added.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has hit back at the leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, K S Eshwarappa for the latters Dasaiahs remark.
Eshwarappa, while speaking to reporters at Shivamogga on Saturday had said that the chief minister was seeking votes like a Dasaiah. The word refers to a person who collects alms from people.
Politicians are always like Dasaiah as they seek votes from people. Eshwarappa does not know this. He has no common sense and hence he is making foolish statements, Siddaramaiah said on Sunday.
He was speaking to reporters at Sirigere near Chitradurga. He was in Sirigere to take part in the 25th death anniversary of Taralabalu Shivakumara Swami.
Replying to a question on the participation of ministers in the convention for a separate Lingayat religion, the chief minister said that his Cabinet colleagues were acting in their individual capacity. Taking part in such convention is left to their discretion. I will not prevent them from that, he said.
The fight for one-upmanship in the BJP between party state president B S Yeddyurappa and national joint organisational secretary B L Santhosh has come to the fore again, this time over the composition of booth campaign committee.
Yeddyurappa and Santhosh, both of whom have been closely associated with the party at the grassroots, have not been seeing eye to eye for some time now.
Santhosh is unhappy with Yeddyurappa style of functioning. The former chief minister, for his part, is of the opinon that Santhosh has been working against him and is behind his rift with senior leader K S Eshwarappa.
Things were moving quite smoothly after BJP national president Amit Shah cracked the whip, warning against any sort of indiscipline in the party during his recent visit to the state. But, Santhosh is now in New Delhi and is likely to petition the central leadership on Yeddyurappa style of functioning, on the sidelines of the partys national executive meeting on Monday. Yeddyurappa, too, is in Delhi to attend the meeting.
The latest cause for the rift is that supporters of Santhosh, including MLC M B Bhanuprakash, former legislators A H Shivayogiswamy and Nirmal Kumar Surana and party functionaries Nandish and Keshav Prasad, were not invited for the booth campaign committees maiden meeting in Bengaluru on Saturday despite them being on the panel. Some of them even got a call from the party headquarters that the meeting had been cancelled. But the meeting took place.
Those in the Yeddyurappa camp are of the opinion that Santhosh had included the names of his supporters without any consultation and thus they had no business to attend the meeting. They point out that Bhanuprakash and Surana had, in fact, been removed as party vice-presidents for speaking out against Yeddyurappa.
However, Santhoshs supporters said the 40-member booth campaign committee had been vetted by Shah himself and they had been deliberately misled from attending the meeting.
It is an unfortunate development coming at a time when there was a feeling everything is well in the party, Banuprakash said.
In another development, Yeddyuruppas decision to reinstate former MLC G Madhusudhan as party spokesperson has been kept in abeyance by the central leadership.
Maiden meeting of two other committees constituted recently - conventional media campaign committee and social media campaign committee - are likely to be held in coming days.
Senior leaders including S M Krishna, S Suresh Kumar and Aravind Limbavali have been appointed as members of social media campaigning committee. The conventional media campaign committee comprises Union Minister Ananth Kumar, senior leaders K S Eshwarappa and Jagadish Shettar among others.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has decided to follow what his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee earlier planned for this Durga Puja.
All the puja samitis in Patna have been asked to immerse the idols of Goddess Durga on September 30, the Vijayadashmi day, itself. Since Muharram is on October 1, the district administration does not want to take any risk on the day when Muslims, too, will be taking out procession.
We do not want a situation where Durga Puja procession and Muharram clash, said District Magistrate of Patna, Sanjay Agarwal, after holding a meeting with the puja organisers. Though there has been no major clashes between the two communities in the last 25 years, the October 1989 riots in Bhagalpur during Ram Temple movement serve as a reminder and a lesson to officials responsible for maintaining law and order.
We are ready for immersion on September 30, the Vijayadashmi day, but the only problem is that there will be a huge crowd on the streets due to Ravan Vadh ceremony. This could impede the district administration directive, said R K Yadav, vice-president of the Navyuvak Sangh Sree Durga Puja Samiti.
The BJP, which is now an alliance partner in the Nitish Kumar-headed government in Bihar, has so far refrained from joining the issue.
A massive rally was taken out in Kalaburagi on Sunday, seeking a separate religion status for Lingayat.
Hundreds of Lingayats from the Hyderabad-Karnatata districts of Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Bidar, and the neighbouring states of Maharashtra and Telangana, prominent political leaders from the region and seers took part in the rally at the N V Grounds.
Addressing the gathering, Water Resources minister M B Patil, who is spearheading the movement for a separate Lingayat religion, said, If Veerashaivas ask for a separate religion, then it is not a problem. However, they are demanding Veerashaiva-Lingayat as separate religion. As long as the word Shaiva is there, we will not get a separate religion status as Shaiva is part of the Hindu religion.
He said that the movement didnt intend to disrespect Hinduism or Hindus.
Medical Education Minister Dr Sharanprakash Patil said, If Lingayat becomes a separate religion, then Vachanas will become our holy book.
Mines and Geology Minister Vinay Kulkarni said, If we dont get what want we want, then there will be a new revolution in the 21st century.
The meeting passed a resolution seeking arrest of the killers of scholar M M Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh.
High Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddy, MLC Basavaraj Horatti, seers Sharanabasappa Appa, Peethadhipathi of Sharana Basaveshwara Samsthana, Srishail Sarangadhar Mutt pontiff Sarangadhar Swami and actor Chethan were present.
Mathe wont publish book
The controversial book Basava Vachana Deepthi by Mathe Mahadevi will not be published.
The announcement was made by Mathe Mahadevi herself during the rally.
We will not publish the book henceforth, she added.
The book was published in 1996 and was banned by the state government in 1998.
Mathe Mahadevi made the announcement after Minister M B Patil requested her to honour the Supreme Court order, which recently upheld the ban .
The first of a group of new Japanese schools in Egypt will aim at encouraging innovation and creativity, along with virtue and physical wellbeing
Related Millions of Egyptian students start new school year
The first of a group of new Japanese schools in Egypt that adopt the whole child education system Tokkatsu will open doors to students in October, a spokesman of Egypt's education minister told Ahram Online Sunday.
Registration for the five new schools, which run from kindergarten through Grade 3, will start 26 September on the ministry's website and run for five days, spokesman Ahmed Khairy said.
The project, which aims to create 100 of such schools, is sponsored by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi following his visit to Japan in February 2016. Under a cooperation protocol signed between Egypt and Japan in May 2017, Japan provides the necessary technical support for the project.
Observers, teachers and parents believe that Egypt's education system needs a massive overhaul. Many say the system, based on rote learning, does not give students necessary practical skills, leaving them unqualified for college and hindering their transition to the workplace, and Egypt's development.
The new schools will teach the same curricula of government schools while adopting the Japanese "whole child education" system known as Tokkatsu.
Tokkatsu's course of study focuses on achieving a balanced development of intellect, virtue and body by ensuring academic competence, rich emotions and healthy physical development.
"The schools will focus on enhancing the child's personality rather than scientific content by introducing a special system that is meant to improve students' cognitive skills and behaviour while encouraging innovation and creativity," Khairy said.
Around 40 Egyptian teachers received special training in Japan to join the school; a Japanese technical delegation is in Cairo to supervise the project, Khairy said.
Main requirements for enrollment include living in the same location as the schools. The five new schools are located in Cairo's Al-Shorouk City, 5th Settlement, and the governorates of Assuit and Minya. Another school is currently under construction in the governorate of Suez, east of Cairo, according to provincal official at the education ministry abdel Hafez Wahid.
Parents are required to sign an avowal to spend at least 20 hours during the school year in workshops with their children at the school.
Each class at the school is planned to comprise 40-45 students, and runs until 5pm, an average of three hours longer than private and state-run schools.
Fees will range between LE 2000-4000 ($113-225).
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The attempt to put the blame of polluting Bellandur lake on apartments has backfired.
In a report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the state government has classified 319 apartments in the lakes catchment area as polluters although all of them let out sewage to BWSSBs underground drainage.
By this definition, all the citizens of Bengaluru should be considered as polluters since the UGD is the default channel to ferry sewage to the treatment plants. BWSSB is the culprit. Over the last many years, they should have set up larger centralised STPs at the exit points of the underground drains. They have miserably failed in doing this, which has meant that 480 Million Litres Daily (MLD) of sewage is flowing into the Bellandur lake from their network, Srikanth Narasimhan, general secretary, Bangalore Apartments Federation (BAF) told DH.
According to the report, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and BWSSB had inspected 755 apartments in the Bellandur catchment area. As many as 45 apartments were still under construction. Of the balance 709 fully built apartments, 390 had STPs and 319 had linked to the underground sewer network.
Miniscule sewage output
These 319 apartments, the report said, lets out 13.66 MLD into the UGD (which is about 2.8% of the overall sewage). Individual houses and smaller buildings, which constitute the majority of the citys population lets out 466.34 MLD (97.2% of the overall sewage).
This, Narasimhan contended, is proof that the civic agencies have been thoroughly incompetent and have been fully responsible for the destruction of the lakes. To cover up their own incompetence, they have found an easy target apartments, who as per their own report, are not polluting the lakes even one bit.
In the wake of this finding, the apartment owners have questioned the rationale behind forcing them to install STPs retrospectively. They (apartments) are not polluting, they cannot reduce the load on the UGD as they let out less than 3% of the overall sewage, and there are limited water re-use possibilities in older apartments, Narasimhan said.
BAF treasurer Vikram Rai said the Federation has taken the legal route to fight what he called, were these absurd rules and notifications passed by the government and BWSSB. It would be so much more efficient if they were to look at the real problem and engage with experts to find real solutions. We are willing to engage with the government, provided they are willing to get on to the discussion table and listen to reason, Rai noted.
The Yelahanka New Town police have arrested a 25-year-old autorickshaw driver on charges of raping a 13-year-old girl when she was alone at her house on September 21.
The victims parents lodged a complaint with jurisdictional police after the doctors confirmed sexual assault on examining the victim. The police arrested Girish, a native of Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday and produced him before the magistrate, who remanded the accused to judicial custody.
According to the police, the victim, a Class VI student, had returned home from school on September 12. The suspect, a distant relative and a neighbour, barged into the house and raped her. He threatened to kill her, if she informed to anyone about the incident.
The victims parents, both construction workers, noticed that their daughter looked unwell and was down with a fever. They took the her to a doctor.
Girish went absconding soon after the victims parents lodged complaint.
The police arrested the suspect based on call detail record and booked him under IPC Section 376 (rape) various sections of POCSO Act on Saturday. The accused is engaged and supposed to get married in the last week of November, this year, the police said.
A car parked outside a house at Vaddarapalya in Hennur was set on fire over a dispute between a Nigerian national and his compatriots on Saturday night.
Hennur police said that a 12-member group came to the house of Elvis, a businessman from Nigeria, at around 3.30 am on Saturday. They knocked on the door and asked him to come out of the house, but he refused. The angry mob set fire to his Toyota Corolla car and he informed the fire services and the police.
The car was partially burnt by the time the fire personnel doused the blaze. The miscreants had fled the scene before the police arrived.
Police said, Elvis and the miscreants are from the same village in Nigeria. The men were angry that Elvis had not taken part in a protest against the murder of a Nigerian last month. They had come to discuss the matter with him. As he did not open the door, the group set his car on fire. The police have registered a case and are investigating.
By Samantha Schmidt and Daniel Cassady
23 September 2017
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO (The Washington Post) In the northern Puerto Rican town of Vega Baja, the floodwaters reached more than 10 feet. Stranded residents screamed save me, save me, using the lights in their cellphones to help rescue teams find them in the darkness, the towns mayor said.
In Loiza, a north coastal town that already had been ravaged by Hurricane Irma, 90 percent of homes 3,000 were destroyed by Hurricane Maria just days later. In communities across the island, bridges collapsed and highways were severely damaged, isolating many residents. In Rio Grande, officials had yet to access a number of families stuck in their homes, three days after the powerful storm made landfall.
When speaking about his towns destruction, Ramon Hernandez Torres, mayor of the southern city of Juana Diaz, took a long pause, his voice catching and his eyes filling with tears.
Its a total disaster, he said.
Hurricane Maria pounded the entire island of Puerto Rico on Wednesday, but the scope of the damage had been speculative and unclear since, in large part because towns across the U.S. territory have been completely off the grid. Though images from the air showed incredible destruction, mayors were unable to reach central government for leadership and help because communication was impossible. No telephones, cellphones, or Internet. No power. No passage through roads that had been washed away or blocked with trees and power lines.
But on Saturday, for the first time in days, mayors and representatives from more than 50 municipalities across Puerto Rico met with government officials at the emergency operations command center here in the islands capital city. Many of the mayors learned about the meeting through media reports over satellite radio the night before. One mayor said his staff was informed after a man ran to his offices with a note telling him to make his way to San Juan.Approximately 20 other mayors across the island still have not been able to make contact with government officials, leaving major gaps in the broader understanding of the damage Maria left behind.The mayors greeted each other with hugs and tears, and they pleaded with their governor for some of the things their communities need most: drinking water, prescription drugs, gasoline, oxygen tanks and satellite phones. The entire population remains without electricity. Families everywhere are unable to buy food or medical treatment. Roads remain waterlogged, and looting has begun to take place at night.
There is horror in the streets, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz said in a raw, emotional interview with The Washington Post. People are actually becoming prisoners in their own homes.Whenever I walk through San Juan, Cruz said, she sees the sheer pain in peoples eyes. Theyre kind of glazed, not because of what has happened but because of the difficulty of what will come, she said. I know were not going to get to everybody in time. Two days ago I said I was concerned about that. Now I know we wont get to everybody in time. [more]
If anyone can hear us help. Puerto Ricos mayors describe widespread devastation from Hurricane Maria
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A wreath-laying ceremony has taken place to honour Donegal Congo hero Paddy Gildea who died in 1974.
The ceremony was held in Castlefinn graveyard.
Paddy Gildea was a member of the 4th Field Engineers based in Custume Barracks in Athlone.
Paddy was one of eleven Donegal soldiers who fought at the siege of Jadoville in 1961 when 155 soldiers under the command of Commandant Pat Quinlin were sent to the mining town to protect its citizens from mercenaries.the soldiers had been attending
The soldiers had been attending open-air Mass when they were attacked.
The siege lasted for six days and the company was eventually forced to surrender after their ammunition and supplies ran out.
Around 300 attackers killed in the siege and no Irish lost their lives.They were held prisoners of war for almost a month before being released.
The Donegal soldiers who fought in Jadoville were Paddy Gildea, Castlefin; Jim Gormley Ballyshannon; William Duffy; Harry Hegarty; Michael McDermott; Patrick Nicell , Burnfoot; Sean Kerr, Bundoran; James O'Kane, Castlefin; Joe Boland; James Harper, and Bobby Bradley, St.Johnston.
A number of 28th Battalion members from the different posts throughout Ireland, Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen and Irish United Nations Veterans Association (IUNVA) members attended the ceremony including the IUNVA National Secretary Jim Casey.
M.C was Gerry Carron Ballyshannon and family Liaison Officer was Eunan Carroll.
Fr. Porter recited the prayers and blessed the grave with all Paddy's family present.
Laments were played by Piper Willie Coffey. Wreaths were laid by the ex-army groups IUNVA, ONE, members of the 28infantrynty battalion and Paddy's family members. Refreshments were served in St.Mary's Hall afterwards with a number of presentations being made to family members.
Refreshments were served in St.Mary's Hall afterwards with a number of presentations being made to family members.
Paddy's family thanked all involved for making the day a most memorable one for them.
The e-mail from Ken Burns reaching the House of Adams Monday at 1:12 p.m. was eye-opening!
The thinking here was, Kens sent out bulletins to his inner-circle reminding us his long-awaited, much ballyhooed The Vietnam War starts tonight on APT.
Wrong Ken Burns.
And how!
More on that Ken shortly.
Watching Vietnam is compelling, like the Weather Channel the past couple weeks except Tuesday when at least one statement in Spectrums letter to its cable subscribers came up a skosh short, If you have an existing set-top-box, digital transport adapter (DTA), or retail device with a CableCard on each TV you are watching, you should be unaffected by this change
Right.
The change was the companys upgrade to an all-digital format Sept. 19, a change most thought was made when we started renting set-top boxes, monthly, several years ago, when we were told all-digital broadcasts had arrived by one of the companies thisun defeated.
Anyway, by Wednesday, most incoming channels to the HoA had been restored, including PBS, where Ken Burns documentary reached 1967, a year when one fellow Enterprise High School class of 1968 mate said, Boys, I may walk these halls until Im 55 years old, but I aint goin to Vietnam!
By 67, Hell no, we wont go! was a belief more and more baby boomer boys adopted, or planned to adopt, when they reached draft age, or for those who went to college whose deferments expired at the four-year mark.
It didnt take watching Vietnam to remember classmate Bud Herman, who was killed in that ill-advised war Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson knew early on we couldnt and wouldnt win.
Always think of Jimmy Stephens and Green Miller, both of whom lived on Pinehurst Drive, and Jimmy Layton, and the other dozen and a-half military men calling Enterprise home who died, so some of us they left behind could stand in line waiting to rent more set-top-boxes.
Stood in a shorter line waiting to see Elvis.
American boys died so we could head to Auburn to watch the Wildcats, read The Enterprise Ledger five days a week and/or eat when were hungry.
Wednesday, leaving Pizza Hut at lunchtime, a recent comment a friend made about all the traffic on Rucker Boulevard came to mind.
While our class was attending Enterprise Junior High, Rucker Boulevard was a two-lane gravel road where a classmate, whod never driven a motorcycle, wanted to solo on the Honda wed borrowed from another classmate one summer afternoon.
Despite the warning to be careful on the turn-around, he laid the Honda over on its side and his right leg, directly in the middle of the road, 300 yards away.
Didnt take long to sprint to the Hondas (and his) rescue, - nary a scratch on either - stand the cycle upright and head back toward town.
Not one car passed us the whole time.
Mere months after we graduated from EHS four years later, the Vietnam Tet Offensive escalated the war and if memory serves, more than 30,000 warriors were soon training for it at Fort Rucker.
There was some traffic on Rucker Boulevard then!
Oh, as for the other Ken Burns, heres his message: Simple 7 second trick cleans out YEARS of fecal matter inside you
Thats life in the past lane.
Last week, Egypt hosted the joint military exercise Operation Bright Star 2017 with US forces in western Alexandria's Mohamed Naguib Military Base
Egyptian and Russian paratroopers have concluded the "Protectors of Friendship 2" joint military drills, which started earlier this month in the Russian city of Novorossiysk and came within the framework of a joint military exercises plan between the armed forces of both countries, the Egyptian army said on Sunday.
The exercise involved 600 troops from both sides, as well as 100 elements of medium and heavy military equipment, a statement by the military spokesman said.
The paratroopers' drills included the deployment of troops, equipment and vehicles, and the exchange of experiences between special forces.
In October 2016, Protectors of Friendship 1 took place in the Egyptian Mediterranean city of Al-Alamein.
The commander of the Egyptian forces in the drill, Major General Mehez Abdel Wahab, delivered a speech at the end of the drill in which he stressed the importance of the exercise in "maximising mutual experiences in light of the distinguished military relations between the armed forces of both countries."
For his part, the deputy commander of the Russian Air Borne Forces, General Victor Kubcihin commented on the accomplishment of the Egyptian-Russian military exercise, wishing success to all participant elements in carrying out their further assigned tasks.
Egypt's joint military exercises for 2016-2017 included 30 trainings with 20 Arab and African countries. The Egyptian Army is involved in joint military drills and exercises with some of the top armies in the world.
Last week, Egypt hosted the joint military exercise Operation Bright Star 2017 with US forces in western Alexandria's Mohamed Naguib Military Base.
Operation Bright Star has been held regularly since 1981 between Egypt and US armies, with the latest exercise held in Egypt in 2009.
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Peanut harvesting has begun in the Wiregrass area, and many farmers have high-hopes for a good yield. But, cotton crop farmers may not be so lucky.
Many peanut farmers are breathing a sigh of relief following Hurricane Irma, said Alabama Peanut Producers Federation Director Caleb Bristow. Our farmers in the Wiregrass area were very lucky; Irma did minimal damage to the peanut crops. Right now farmers have turned their focus to harvesting the peanut crops, and many believe this years crop will be a bumper crop.
Although many farmers have high hopes this years peanut crop will exceed their expectations, Bristow is being a little more prepared.
Will this years crop be a bumper crop? I dont know, he said. I do believe it is going to be a good crop, I just dont know if it will be as good as what our local farmers are predicting. For them, I hope it is. They deserve a good harvest season.
With Irma out of the way and Hurricane Maria not expected to affect the Wiregrass area, farmers are just hoping a little rain continues to fall keeping the ground moist for harvesting.
Our farmers dont need stormy weather at this point, Bristow said. They just need a minimal amount of rain to keep the ground from becoming too hard where the peanuts cant be turned up. In order to have a good yield not only do farmers need to be able to get into their fields, but they also must be able to retrieve their crops. If the ground is too hard, farmers cant turn up the peanuts. If the ground is too wet, farmers cant get their equipment in the fields to harvest the crop. There is just a lot of hoping and waiting that will take place throughout harvest season.
Many farmers will wrap up their peanut harvest season during the month of November, depending on when their crop was planted.
With peanut farmers hoping to have a bountiful crop, farmers who planted cotton this year are hoping their loss in yield will be minimal. But, any loss in cotton is a huge problem for farmers.
Farmers who planted more peanuts this year hopefully will see good yields, said Auburn Research and Experiment Station Superintendent Larry Wells. The peanut crop came through Irma on the top-side. Our cotton crops will not be so lucky, especially the younger plants. Farmers are seeing the cotton plants wrapped around and tangled making it difficult for farmers to spray. It is hard to spray a row, when you cant tell where the row is actually located. Farmers are also hoping the plants will stand back up correctly which allows the crop to be harvested corrected.
According to Wells, the older plants may have a better chance of producing, however at this time everything is still at a wait and see situation.
The strong winds during Irma damaged some of the leaves on our cotton plants, Wells said. When a plants leaves get damaged this is never good for the plant. But, like I have said in the past, a farmer is an optimistic. They dont give up, they have faith, and they will continue to hope for the best. They are used to dealing with Mother Nature every day and this incident is no different.
Although farmers have worries about their cotton crops, the outcome could have been a lot worse.
In every situation a farmer faces, there is always a worst case scenario, Wells said. In this situation, the majority of the cotton was not open during Irma. Worst case scenario for our farmers would have been the cotton was open. Cotton on the ground during a storm is huge loss for farmers. Will our farmers see a loss in their cotton crops this year? Yes, they will. How much of a loss goes back to farmers having to wait and see. One of the worst things that could happen to our cotton crops at this time is another storm. Actually another storm would most than likely increase the chance for additional loss in both crops. Right now, we just need minimal rain fall.
While getting a promotion is a wonderful way of being acknowledged for the hard work youve put in to improve both yourself and your company, taking a step up particularly into management comes with a fresh set of hurdles to overcome.
Theres nothing quite like being made management to see all your old work mates start treating you like a leper, while the c-suite, who previously referred to you solely as mate, suddenly know your name generally because theyre asking a whole lot more of you and your team.
When moving up in the world, the aspect that is most overlooked is that the higher up you are, the higher the stakes become with regards to maintaining the tightrope that is managing both the expectations of your superiors and the health and happiness of your team.
Like anything in this world, a combination of practice, time and your own personality will determine how you go about getting this balancing act right. But there are a handful of tips worth keeping in mind from the minute you get handed your key to the Executive Washroom (because thats not just a thing from the Springfield Nuclear Plant, right?).
Accountability is key
Theres nothing wrong with maintaining friendships with people who were once on equal footing, but now youre their boss.
The key is to foster a culture where accountability is key.
Your mates can still be your mates, but if theyre letting the team down and leaning on you to cover for them because remember that awesome time when we youve got to act.
You set the tone for what will and wont be accepted, and if you haul one person over the coals for a missed deadline but take it easy on someone else, how will anyone respect your leadership?
Of course, as long as were talking accountability, youve also got to factor in self-accountability. If someone isnt hitting their targets, maybe you need to take a look in the mirror? Are you asking too much of someone, or have you failed to equip them with the tools they need to really tackle the task youve asked of them?
Take genuine interest in others progression
There will always people who, for whatever reason, have no interest in promotion. As long as these people are both happy with their place and do a good job, then thats their prerogative, and good luck to them.
More common though are people who are constantly looking to make the next step up. But rather than seeing this as a threat to your position, its as an opportunity for you, them and the company to benefit.
The logic is maddeningly simple: if you help someone in your team to be better, you in turn will have more time to focus on other tasks, which will improve the company as a whole. They are also going to be far more willing to work for you and to support you.
Its a bit of wisdom that Googles nice-guy CEO, Sundar Pichai, imparted to his alma mater earlier this year, saying that his leadership style at the head of a company with some 60,000 employees was based on the mantra let others succeed.
As a leader, a lot of your job is to make those people successful, Pichai told the students of Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur.
Its less about trying to be successful (yourself), and more about making sure you have good people and your work is to remove that barrier, remove roadblocks for them so that they can be successful in what they do.
Know what you dont know
The man presently in the White House has become known in some circles as the Dunning Kruger President.
Its based on a 1999 paper written by Justin Kruger and David Dunning, entitled Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing Ones Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments.
Basically, their hypothesis which is now known as the Dunning-Kruger effect is that gaps in ones knowledge can lead to a belief one knows a lot more than they actually do.
Generally, its easy to self-acknowledge with a bit of self-reflection, or by simply being asked to explain in detail a concept with which we claim to be familiar and were all guilty of overestimating our abilities from time to time.
But big noting your skills and knowledge, only to be found out as a bit of a fraud can be a tricky one to come back from, particularly if youre supposed to be in charge of a team.
No one knows everything, and theres nothing wrong with acknowledging that someone else might be better equipped to act as lead for a given project.
Its not about passing the buck, simply showing a bit of humility from time to time.
Allow for down time
Anyone whos ever worked at a McDonalds will be familiar with the old saying, If youve got time for leaning, youve got time for cleaning!
Basically the idea is theres no such time as down time there are always improvements to be made, which means theres always work to be done.
And it makes sense for anyone working casual hours. If you pay someone by the hour, its reasonable to expect them to work the full hours for which theyre being paid.
But how many people in nine-to-five jobs are casual? Most of your team are likely to be in for the long haul, which means theyre going to put in long, hard hours on the days when the pressure is on. So maybe its not the worst thing in the world to let your team take things a little easier when things on the work front are a bit chill.
This isnt to say you neglect the opportunities for growth that quiet days can present, rather that its important to have a long corporate memory. Youre unlikely to have a huge week followed immediately by a quiet one, allowing for people who have done long hours to receive instant karma on time in the office.
Ultimately, its a question of trust. If someone has done extras for you, they should have earned your trust to get done what needs doing, so if they decide to take a half day when things are in a bit of a lull, you should back them.
To put it simply, getting a bump upstairs into management can seem like a dream, until the reality kicks in and suddenly you actually have to do the job. If you can develop methods of dealing with the people around you, youll be in a much better position to excel.
See also: Its like Vegemite Why the business world has a love-hate relationship with culture
About the author
Phil Reilly is the SEO Lead with Sydney-based creative media agency Atomic 212. He recently contributed comment for Lets Talk Ecommerce.
The selection criteria allow for the release of political prisoners, but not those found guilty of violence or terrorism charges
Egypt's presidential committee to pardon youth prisoners has started preparing a fourth list of prisoners to be pardoned, committee member Karim El-Sakka told to Ahram Online on Sunday.
The list is due to be delivered to the president for approval when it is finished, said El-Sakka, although no firm date has yet been set.
El-Sakka previously told Ahram Online that the committee is adopting selection criteria that include political prisoners, but exclude those involved in violence or terrorism.
"All prisoners are eligible to be included in the list, except those who committed violence, or members of terrorist groups," he said.
In June, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued an official pardon for 502 prisoners in a number of cases, including some in protest-related jail-sentences, 175 of them based on the third list of the committee.
El-Sisi had issued two previous group pardons for young people, most of them jailed for violating the 2013 protest law.
The first pardon decree, in November 2016, included 82 prisoners, while and the second, in March 2017, included 203 prisoners.
Article 155 of the Egyptian constitution stipulates that the president has the power to issue a pardon or reduce a final sentence after consulting with the cabinet.
Many of those considered for pardon have been jailed under the controversial 2013 protest law, which has been widely criticised by local and international rights groups. Many of those arrested also face charges of thuggery, using force or belonging to illegal groups.
Thousands have been detained for violating the protest law since it was issued in November 2013. The law mandates 1-3 years in jail for violators.
Egypt's 2014 constitution guarantees citizens the right to peaceful protest.
In late October 2016, El-Sisi formed the committee to review the cases of those imprisoned in politically related crimes and others who meet certain other conditions, such as families who have more than one relative in jail.
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This month, the Italian foreign minister announced that Rome was sending Giampaolo Cantini as Italian ambassador to Egypt, filling a position vacant for more than a year
Egypt's new Ambassador to Italy Hesham Badr has presented his credentials to the country's President Sergio Mattarella in Rome, where he handed over a message from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi underlining his interest in enhancing bilateral relations between the countries, offical news agency MENA reported.
In the case of Giulio Regeni, the Egyptian president reaffirmed in his message the "commitment of Egypt's political leadership to continue close cooperation between investigation bodies in both countries, with Cairo's complete commitment to reveal the truth of the incident and bring its perpetrators to justice."
For his part, the Italian president expressed his appreciation to President El-Sisi, stressing the importance given by his country to strengthening bilateral relations and consultation on issues of mutual interest, especially illegal immigration and regional issues including the situation in Libya.
Political relations between Egypt and Italy witnessed tensions since Regeni, a Cambridge University graduate student, disappeared in Cairo on 25 January 2016. Regeni's body was found in early February showing signs of extreme torture.
Rome recalled its ambassador to Cairo in April 2016, expressing concerns about the alleged lack of transparency in Egypt's subsequent investigations.
Earlier this month, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Angelino Alfano announced that his country was sending Giampaolo Cantini on 14 September as Italian ambassador to Egypt to fill the position that had been vacant for more than a year, state-run news agency MENA reported.
Egyptian authorities have been conducting an investigation to determine who killed Regeni and are updating Rome on developments while prosecutors in both countries exchanged visits to share information related to the ongoing inquiry.
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Yes, I use Tinder and not ashamed of it. While Tinder has made a bad reputation in many parts of the world especially in Europe and America. Ive known a lot of people, real people, blogger friends in fact who have found love via this dating app. In the first world countries, Tinder is a hook-up app where two consenting adults who match meet up and you know hook-up. Here in the Philippines , I speak for myself and friends I know, they/we used Tinder to find love.
For a career oriented or busy woman like me, I dont have time or rather dont want to waste my time finding someone to date in a bar or set up by a friend or whatever. Tinder gives us options to look before we leap in meeting up. Find a common ground without leaving our comfort zone. Be close with someone to actually feel comfortable meeting in person.
However for some who uses the app, especially the men, they use the app for just hook-ups. For them, why be serious when you can go wham bam thank you maam in this app. While some girls in there are there for work , you know find customers.
How do I know this? Through the men I have matched and talked with on Tinder of course.
Ive used it since I started using Grab and Uber , roughly around 3 years. I use it intermittently, when Im not dating anyone of course or when Im bored or when Im sad and feeling lonely. Im a woman who have needs and wants. Im not a child, Im older than you think. Im a single momma remember?
Having said that, a single momma dating in the age of Tinder is 10 times more difficult than a single woman no attachments , no child, no baggage.
First of, when men know you are a single momma, they instantly think you are desperate and easy. Sex wont be an issue because hey you are not a single virgin girl. Duh what are your reservations for, they always have that at the back of their minds .
Sure, why not, sex is just sex. I can do casual sex if I want to. Id do it if I like to with anyone I choose to but not everyone!
During the times I used Tinder I have met up in real life with 4 different people.
First one I set up to meet at a bar event I was attending. Hey, I wanna be safe and be surrounded with people I know. I dont like meeting someone I just talked with online with no people I know around. During that time, the people I was with didnt know I was meeting up with someone. They just assumed a guy in the bar and a girl meeting situation kinda thing. This guy I met I guess got intimidated with me because he though I was a big time career woman and I am out of his league. The event was kinda bit high-end party. This guy was European, not so tall, was here for a business trip.
Second guy I met , I was a bit daring. We have been chatting for months. We clicked online. We can talk about a lot of things under the sun. What I liked about him was he regularly checks on me, messages me regularly and doesnt go missing on days and end unlike others. We decided to meet just us at a familiar place to me. Then I caught an accident on our meeting. What happened next gave me the feel of who he was. Not that gentleman as I wished or maybe he got nervous I did too. He was American. After that meeting I never talked to him again.
Third guy I met is another American. We met at a cafe near the gym he frequents. We had a nice talk he was good looking. But I guess no sparks for us. After the coffee we went to a bookstore and then said our goodbyes. No second date after. You know the 3 days rule. I waited for him to message me back after we met but he didnt. So I guess he wasnt interested. He seemed nice though. But nice that he never lead me on which is good.
The fourth guy I met was French. We met on Tinder Valentines day. Yes one of those lonely nights. He was an expat here for an NGO we all know. He was out of town that Vday week so we met a week after when he got back in Manila. It was a funny meeting because the first time I saw him at a cafe I frequent he didnt saw me but I saw him. For some stupid reason I ran off when I saw him. He knew I was there so he asked where I was.. He chased after me and we had dinner. I ran away coz I got intimidated with his looks. But we clicked somehow . We had dinner then he took me home, to my home ok. He was a gentleman. I liked him so we dated some more. He invited me to the house where he lived. We dated . Accidentally met his teenage daughter (he is a single dad as well). We had a great time together. Until he confessed he has a girlfriend off-shore he meets her at least twice a year. He lives in different countries coz of his job, it was his first year here when we met. I was crushed somehow, I dont like being second choice and I dont like competing for attention and love, so I became cold. I thought it was him. We had sparks. I ghosted on him after. He tried to communicate but I was cold. I can be cold when I get crushed. Defense mechanism. I felt sadder when he told me he left the country for another country assignment. He said he wanted to see me again, and even say goodbye before he left but I seem disinterested. I was hurt OK.
After him, I havent Tindered again yet because its hard to invest time and feelings somehow. I am still waiting for my Tinderella story. That is when I decide to install and use the app again .
Back story:
Before Tindering I used to date a European I met in bar. You know the kind of story you only see in movies happened to me. A guy spied me on a bar. We had common friends who were in the bar that night. We were introduced and he never left my side after. We kissed in the bar (something I never done in my life ever until that time) Never knew what got into me but it happened. He was so cute, very tall, very Ken (you know Barbies BF) . He wanted me to go to his place that night but I said if he was interested in me he would call me again when we are sober. I gave my number not expecting anything. It was a tipsy night that night. The next day he called asked me for a date. We dated longer than I ever dated anyone. I really liked him. He met some of my blogger friends coz I took him to some blogger events I go to. He introduced me to his fellow expat friends and bosses here in Manila. When he left his other job and made his own, he got busy and we drifted. He got very busy and I am not pushy and clingy. I always waited for the guy to make the first move always or message. It took him long so I went to Tinder, therefore that Tinder story above. Then a year after when I guess his business was doing well, he messaged to see me again. We were still the same together when we met but he ghosted again. I always make an excuse for him that he is busy. But I guess busy is not an excuse for someone who was actually serious and truly interested. The a few months after I learned he left the country for good. We talk online sporadically so thats where he told me he left and I shouldnt worry coz he never said goodbye to anyone here as well. A French exit he said.
Im still available and hoping but not actively looking.
Are you there? Please come!
I hope nobody gets to read this. I just missed writing personal stories on my blog. If you read this leave a comment and tell me your dating story.
Stay gorgeous everyone!
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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is scheduled to travel to the United Arab Emirates on Monday for a two-day official visit during which he will meet with a number of senior Emirati officials, state news agency MENA reported on Sunday.
The president will discuss with senior UAE officials the close bilateral relationship between the two countries, as well as consulting and cooperating on a number of issues including combating terrorism along with regional and international crises, MENA quoted an official presidency statement as saying.
El-Sisis visit reflects the "two countries keenness to consult one another on the current challenges faced by the region today," the statement added.
These challenges, according to the statement, require "joining efforts to protect Arab national unity against attempts to destabilise Arab states and interfere in their domestic affairs."
Egypt and the UAE, along with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar on 5 June, suspending air and shipping routes with the tiny Gulf state.
The nations say Doha supports Islamists, including the Muslim Brotherhood, which Cairo accuses of terrorism and attempting to destabilise Egypt.
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Israel's Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Saturday denounced Iran's testing of a medium-range missile as a "provocation" and said it was proof of Tehran's ambition to become a world power.
Iran on Saturday said it had successfully tested a missile with a range of 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) and that can carry multiple warheads, in defiance of US warnings.
"The ballistic missile which Iran fired is a provocation of the United States and its allies, including Israel," Lieberman said in a statement.
"It is also a means to test our reactions as well as new proof of Iran's ambition to become a world power in order to threaten the countries of the Middle East and democratic states around the world."
The test comes at the end of a heated week of diplomacy at the UN General Assembly, where both the United States and Israel denounced Iran and its nuclear deal with six world powers.
US President Donald Trump accused Iran of destabilising the Middle East, calling it a "rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos".
The American president also threatened to bin the 2015 nuclear accord, saying Iran is developing missiles that could be used to deliver a nuclear warhead.
Echoing him, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said since the deal Iran has been "like a hungry tiger unleashed, not joining the community of nations but devouring nations one after the other".
Netanyahu vowed to fight what he described as "an Iranian curtain" descending on the Middle East, and pledged to prevent Iran from producing any weapons that could hit Israel.
"Those who threaten us with annihilation put themselves in mortal peril. Israel will defend itself with the full force of our arms and the full power of our convictions," Netanyahu said at the UN.
UN inspectors say Iran has fulfilled its commitments to give up its nuclear activities under the agreement, which was reached with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.
Iran says all of its missiles are designed to carry conventional warheads only, and has limited their range to a maximum of 2,000 kilometres, although commanders say they have the technology to fly further.
That makes them only medium-range but still sufficient to reach Israel or US bases in the Gulf.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for the first time made their public appearance at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada on Saturday, September 23, reported US Weekly.
Though Meghan Markle,36 and Prince Harry,33 spend most of the time together overseas, this is the only time Markle has accompanied Prince Harry at an official event. However, the pair were seated separately according to a report by Hollywood Life.
Markle sat a few rows away from beau Harry and was seen applauding as a support when he took the stage to give a speech.
Markle dazzled in a purple dress with a purple jacket draped over her shoulder and sat next to friend Markus Anderson who left the stadium shortly after Prince Harry's speech.
While the Royalty wore a dark navy suit and sat next to Melania Trump, the First Lady of America, who he had met earlier in the day.
Although Markle and Harry had managed to keep their relationship under covers for six months, it was confirmed by US Weekly that the duo was dating since October 2016, when Prince Harry also defended girlfriend Markle in the subsequent month in a statement against "racist" and "sexist" critics.
Markle opened up about her relationship with Prince Harry in a tell-all interview with Vanity Fair.
"I can tell you that at the end of the day I think it's really simple. We're two people who are really happy and in love," she told the magazine.
"We were very quietly dating for about six months before it became news, and I was working during that whole time, and the only thing that changed was people's perception, Nothing about me changed. I'm still the same person that I am, and I've never defined myself by my relationship", further added Markle.
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The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), an alliance of ten business groups representing firms from across the Canadian, Mexican and US textile and apparel supply chain, is concerned that the expiration of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBPTA) in 2020 will adversely affect the Haiti trade preference programmes, which ends in 2025.It is vitally important that the CBTPA is maintained as it strongly supports jobs and exports in the US textiles sector, AAFA said in a letter to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR). Currently more than 99 per cent of the apparel that is imported under the CBTPA is imported from Haiti.
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), an alliance of ten business groups representing firms from across the Canadian, Mexican and US textile and apparel supply chain, is concerned that the expiration of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBPTA) in 2020 will adversely affect the Haiti trade preference programmes, which ends in 2025.#
The CBTPA of 2000 extended preferential tariff treatment to textile and apparel products assembled from US fabric.As the Dominican Republic-Central America FTA (CAFTA-DR) between the United States and a group comprising Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic snatches away apparel business out of other Caribbean Basin countries, the future of CBTPA is intrinsically linked to the future of Haitis apparel programme.Although a significant amount of trade is now entered under the Haiti HOPE and HELP trade partnership programmes, that alone is not enough to maintain the mutually beneficial US-Haiti trade ties, feels AAFA. Though these programmes are designed to work in concert with CBTPA and vice versa, multiple expiration dates induce confusion.As the CBTPA programmes require the use of US or regional yarns and fabrics, their termination could result in a loss of US fabric and yarn exports to Haiti. (DS)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk India
The Iraqi government asked the autonomous Kurdish region on Sunday to hand over international border posts and its international airports, retaliating to a Kurdish independence referendum to be held on Monday in northern Iraq.
It also asked the foreign countries to stop oil trading with the Kurdish region and to deal with the central government in regards to airports and borders, said a statement published by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office.
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The 17International Textile and Apparel Accessories Exhibition to be held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam is expected to host over 500 companies across over 700 booths from various countries such as China, India, Korea, Taiwan and more, besides Vietnam. The exhibition will take place from November 22-25 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre.
The exhibition will feature latest solutions, technology and equipment meant for the apparel and garment sector. These include cutting and fibre processing machines, automatic sewing machines, embroidering machines and printing machines and fabric among others, according to a Vietnamese media agency.
Companies such as Epson, Walz, Heinz, Juki, Hikari, Barudan, Ngai Shing, Mitsuyin, Supreme, ROQ (Artend) and Tajima have already registered for the exhibition. The show is being organised by the Vietnam Cotton and Spinning Association, the Yorkers Trade and Marketing Service Company, Guangdong Sewing Equipment Chamber of Commerce, the Hong Kong Apparel Machinery Association and the Vietnam National Trade Fair and Advertising JSC in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade. (KD)
The 17th International Textile and Apparel Accessories Exhibition to be held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam is expected to host over 500 companies across over 700 booths from various countries such as China, India, Korea, Taiwan and more, besides Vietnam. The exhibition will take place from November 22-25 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre.#
Fibre2Fashion News Desk India
Fijian nationals holding an ordinary or official passport will no longer require a visa when entering Argentina following an agreement signed between the two countries today.
Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Voreqe Bainimarama, signed the 'Visa Exemption Agreement' on behalf of the Fijian Government with Argentinas Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Jorge Faurie in New York today along the margins of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly.
Prime Minister Bainimarama commended this development in the two countries bilateral relations and highlighted the opportunities that a visa exemption agreement can bring.
There are enormous opportunities that Fijians can gain from this visa agreement with Argentina including opportunities in trade between our countries and sports, Prime Minister Bainimarama said.
This visa agreement will come into effect after thirty days from this signing.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The ongoing war of words between the United States and North Korea saw several new fiery salvos Saturday, a day on which the US military, in a show of force, flew bombers in international airspace over waters east of North Korea.
U.S. Department of Defense said Saturday in its website that U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam, along with U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan, flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea.
'This is the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone or (DMZ) any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft have flown off North Korea's coast in the 21st century, underscoring the seriousness with which we take DPRK's reckless behavior,' the Defense Department said.
'This mission is a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat. North Korea's weapons program is a grave threat to the Asia-Pacific region and the entire international community. We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the U.S. homeland and our allies,' the Department said.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, speaking before the United Nations, angrily responded to US President Donald Trump's UN remarks in which he referred to Kim Jong Un as 'Rocket Man.'
At the UN, Ri said that Trump had made a missile attack on the US mainland more inevitable by insulting the dignity of North Korea.
'None other than Trump himself is on a suicide mission,' Ri said in a speech at the UN General Assembly. 'In case innocent lives of the US are harmed because of this suicide attack, Trump will be held totally responsible.'
'Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!,' Trump Twitted.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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Honda's Gold Wing touring motorcycle has been awaiting an update for a while now. New leaked press images reveal that the motorcycle could receive massive upgrades if these images are anything to go by.
According to a report by Autocar, the new Gold Wing gets a major transformation in styling along with full LED headlamp and fresh bodywork. For the images, we gather that there will be two versions though the original came in one version. Autocar states that while one of the versions is the standard Gold Wing, the other would most likely be a sportier-looking F6B version which comes without the box at the rear.
The leaked images reveal that the large motorcycle has also received a new suspension, replacing the traditional forks on the original Honda Gold Wing. The new suspension is said to debut on the new Gold Wing and is expected to be similar to BMW's duo-lever suspension system.
The report goes on to state that the engine here remains the same Honda flat-six that fans of the Gold Wing grew to love. Power and torque specifics are not known yet but the engine will likely come with Euro-5 compliance.
The report also finds Honda removing the clutch lever on the grey variant of the Gold Wing suggesting the inclusion of Honda's dual-clutch transmission or DCT being included. Honda had added a DCT system on the Africa Twin as well earlier.
The original Honda Gold Wing was full of buttons and controls for a ton of added features on the motorcycle. The leaked images reveal that this will not change with the new versions. The dashboard also gets a new touchscreen display between the two analog dials. Honda is also expected to include the reverse gear that had originally featured on the Gold Wing making it easier to maneuver the bulky motorcycle.
While the current Gold Wing is sold by the company in India, it is likely that the new Gold Wing will be introduced into Indian markets when it releases. According to Autocar, the current Gold Wing is priced at Rs 32.16 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai).
Hyderabad: A city court on Saturday sent Bollywood producer Karim Morani to judicial custody for 14 days in a rape case.
Morani surrendered to police late on Friday night in connection with the alleged rape of a 25-year-old aspiring actress, hours after the Supreme Court dismissed his plea for anticipatory bail.
The Chennai Express producer surrendered at the Hayathnagar police station on the city's outskirts around midnight. He was formally placed under arrest.
Morani was later produced before a magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody till 6 October. He was lodged in Cherlapally jail on the city outskirts.
The Delhi-based woman alleged that Morani raped her on the pretext of marrying her. She alleged that Morani took her nude pictures and videos and sexually exploited her by threatening to post the same on social media.
The police had booked him in January on charges of cheating, rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of marriage under the Indian Penal Code.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed Morani's petition challenging the Hyderabad High Court's verdict cancelling his bail. The apex court directed him to surrender.
The High Court on 5 September had upheld the decision of the sessions court cancelling Morani's bail. The complainant alleged that Morani raped her in Mumbai and also at a film studio in Hyderabad in 2015 after promising to marry her.
The woman, who had done her Bachelor of Business Management (BBA) from Delhi, said she had met Morani through his daughter, who was also a theatre artiste in Mumbai.
The producer, however, had denied the allegations. Morani said the complaint was filed with the sole intention of tarnishing his reputation and image.
The producer's name had also figured as an accused in the 2G spectrum scam. He was accused of helping channel funds to the tune of Rs 200 crore to popular Tamil television channel Kalaignar TV.
A Russian general was killed while battling Islamic State group militants near the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor, Moscow's defence ministry said Sunday.
"Division general Valeri Assapov was killed when a shell exploded during shelling by IS fighters," the ministry was quoted as saying by local media, adding that the officer was serving as an advisor to Syrian government troops.
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Mumbai: Newton Director Amit V Masurkar says he was completely unaware of the Iranian film Secret Ballot and that people should watch both the films and compare to find out if they are copied.
Newton has been chosen as India's official selection for the 2018 Academy Awards. A day after this news was announced, several reports came out claiming that the film has been inspired by a 2001 Iranian movie titled Secret Ballot, helmed by Babak Payami.
It focuses on the life of a ballot officer who visits a barren and desolate place to plead with voters to cast their votes and take part in the elections.
Asked if he was inspired by the Iranian film, Masurkar told IANS: "I wrote the story in 2013 and after that, for eight months I along with Mayank (Tiwari, the screenplay writer) worked on the script.
"The intention of the story is to talk about a section of the population in our democracy who has a desire to vote but how, under which situation, missed out on the equal rights. The story was born from my heart. I had no idea about Secret Ballot."
The director added: "I think two days before the shooting starts (sic), someone told me if I watched that Iranian film. I went through some of the clippings online, and our film has no similarities to that.
Newton had its world premiere at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival and won the International Confederation of Art Cinemas Award for best film in the Forum Section.
Masurkar says that the film has been watched by several critics. "The film has travelled to 40 countries. Audiences and critics have watched it across. They could have said that then. They haven't because it is a different film. I think people should watch the film to compare and find out if my film is copied from that one (Secret Ballot)," Masurkar said.
Newton, which stars National Award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao, revolves around a government employee who struggles to supervise voting in a forest area of Chhattisgarh, controlled by Maoists.
With the second episode out, the Naveen Kasturia starrer Social, builds a strong premise on the buzzing trend of social media crimes across the world. From men satisfying their desires by hiding behind a screen to mysterious youth activity groups, the show gives us a glimpse of how no one can be completely trusted on social media.
The episode starts with the mysterious Myra (Priya Banerjee) who uses the internet to make money through all avenues that exist online. She is busy seducing a client over phone through one of her online identities when she comes across the news of a woman's death. Perplexed that the woman is her acquaintance whom she sent to the man's house for easy money, she researches online for clues.
When she comes across the profile of the girl she had innocently encouraged to join a trekking group and who is now dead - Myra freaks out.
Meanwhile, Neelesh suggests that Prithvi use the help of social media to look for his sister and together they start a social page. When Myra comes across missing Veda's photograph online, she finds a vague connect between the two girls who joined the trekking group and gets anxious. Dreading further bad news, she tries to get in touch with the gang so she can help them connect the dots.
How will the gang react to a cam girl wanting to help them find Prithvi's sister?
Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Raj Babbar was arrested along with other party leaders on Sunday in Varanasi ahead of their participation in a protest demanding the sacking of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) vice-chancellor following the increasing incidents of eve-teasing on the campus, and action against the authorities who ordered lathi charge on student protesters on Saturday.
#Varanasi: Students' protest march at #BHU; Congress leaders PL Punia, Raj Babbar & Ajay Rai detained by police ahead of their participation pic.twitter.com/PaO1yV4gNa ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2017
Babbar was on his way to meet the BHU students injured on Saturday night in police clashes, according to a report by The Times of India. Senior leaders PL Punia and Ajay Rai, who were accompanying Babbar, were also arrested. The report also said that before the cops caught them at Gilat Bazar crossing in Varanasi, the Congress leaders evaded airport and police personnel several times.
The report quoted Babbar saying, "It is shocking that I am not being allowed to reach BHU to meet the injured girls and know their problem. They (policemen) started a bid to stop me from the airport."
To keep a check on the unrest in the campus, police arrested 14 students who were involved in Saturday's protest, News18 reported.
Congress' student wing National Students Union of India (NSUI) held a protest in New Delhi on Sunday demanding action against the cops for alleged lathicharge on protesters at BHU, India Today reported.
Several female students, as well as two journalists were injured on Saturday when the police allegedly used force to remove protesters from outside the vice-chancellor's residence, Hindustan Times reported.
The students have alleged, the report added, that the police thrashed them and pulled them by the hair, a charge which the Varanasi district magistrate dismissed.
The students, according to a report in NDTV, claimed that the police lathicharged them without provocation, not even sparing women students. Students also alleged that the police entered a girls' hostel.
Violence erupted in the BHU campus after the police were informed when some students tried to reach the vice-chancellor to protest against a harassment incident on the campus.
On Thursday, a woman student of the arts faculty was harassed by three men on a motorcycle inside the campus. The woman alleged that security guards, about 100 metres from where the incident happened, did nothing to stop the men. She said her warden, instead of taking up the issue with her superiors, asked her why was she returning late to the hostel.
The warden's response angered the student's colleagues, who sat on a 'dharna' at the main gate on the midnight of Thursday.The protest forced authorities to change the planned route for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's convoy on Friday.
The students said they had to face eve-teasers inside the campus regularly and the administration was not taking any action to stop the miscreants.
Police and BHU professors tried to pacify the students on Friday, but they refused to end their protest and sought assurances from the university vice-chancellor.
The scuffle took a political turn as the BHU blamed the students of trying to malign the university's image just before Modi's visit. The university also said that security guards were regularly patrolling the campus and assistance from the police is sought from time to time to maintain peace on the campus.
With inputs from PTI
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Aditynath has ordered an inquiry into the violence which erupted on the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus on Saturday night.
Adityanath has sought a report from Divisional Commissioner about the incident as various political parties, including Samajwadi Party, criticised the government and condemned the police action. "I have sought a report from the Divisional Commissioner, Varanasi, about the entire incident," Adityanath said in Lucknow.
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister has also sought a report on the attack on journalists in the BHU campus. A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in lathicharge by the police in the BHU which witnessed violence last night, in an ugly turn to a protest against an alleged eve-teasing incident.
The lathicharge on journalists led to protests in Lucknow with some journalists staging a sit-in near the CM's
residence. They later gave a memorandum to the District Magistrate demanding action against the guilty.
Some policemen were also injured in the clashes during which students indulged in arson, police sources said.
BHU spokesperson said some students wanted to "forcibly" enter the VC's residence but they were stopped by the security guards of the university. Subsequently, there was stone pelting by "outsiders" who had joined the students.
In the wake of the violence, the university has announced "holidays" from tomorrow till October 2, advancing it from September 28.
According to NDTV, BHU vice-chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi promised action against those who were responsible for the violence and said installation of CCTV cameras at university campus was under process.
The vice-chancellor has blamed people from outside the university for the violence, according to ANI.
"We had information that some anti-social elements will try to disturb the environment of the University," Tripathi was quoted as saying by ANI.
Violence erupted after some students wanted to meet the vice-chancellor at his residence, according to police and university sources.
On Sunday, the police deployed additional 1,500 personnel from Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) around the campus to maintain law and order around the campus. Senior officials including District Magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra and SP (city) Dinesh Singh have also reached the campus on Sunday.
The BHU students have been protesting near the university's main gate since Thursday against rising eve-teasing incidents on the campus.
The trigger was an incident in which a woman student of Arts faculty alleged harassment by three men on a motorcycle inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel.
The three men abused her and fled when she resisted their attempts, according to the complainant.
Vice-chancellor Tripathi also admitted to the incident. He told ANI:
An unfortunate incident took place with one of our students;we're committed to stringent action & did so too :BHU VC Girish Chandra Tripathi pic.twitter.com/H1LigHtBpg ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2017
The vice-chancellor, however, underplayed the anger among students stating that "initially student had complaints with the University, but now that is not the case". He added:
Some complained about installation of CCTVs; it is under process. Some girls said University should be more sensitive towards safety: BHU VC pic.twitter.com/hvdQoGz2bU ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2017
I agreed to their viewpoint. Safety & security is imp, will have to consider various aspects with regard to safety in University: BHU VC ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2017
With inputs from PTI
Raipur: Suspected Naxals killed a 57-year- old revenue official of a village on suspicion of him being a "police informer" in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, police said on Sunday.
The rebels attacked the 'kotwar', identified as Sukku Nareti, last night in Sureli village under Antagarh police station area, Kanker's Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jaipraksh Badhai told PTI.
A group of armed ultras stormed into Nareti's house and dragged him out on the street. They then strangled him with a rope and threw the body on a road near the village, the police official said quoting eyewitnesses.
The ultras then fled the spot raising slogans in support of the outlawed Naxal movement, he said. A police team visited the spot this morning and sent the body for postmortem, the ASP said.
Some Maoists' pamphlets were recovered from the spot in which Nareti was branded as a "police informer", he said. A search has been launched to nab the assailants, the police official added.
New Delhi: Congress MP Rajeev Satav has moved a bill proposing recording of all Supreme Court proceedings and making them available online to the public.
The Right to Access of Judicial Proceedings And Information Bill 2016 prescribes digital recording of the court proceedings and making them available online.
At present, the proceedings of the apex court are available in public domain in text format after each hearing.
However, as the proceedings are lengthy and the arguments involved complex, the rationale behind the judgement becomes difficult for the common man to understand, Satav said. He also said some of the expressions of the opposing view on the bench are lost in plain text format.
"Adding two more sensory sources for information audio and video will increase the effectiveness as well as the speed of dissemination of legal information, both to the legal fraternity as well as common public at large," he added.
This can be preserved only through visual archives, he said, adding, "visual medium will also help in setting illustrations of exemplary legal conduct. It will also enhance the faith and respect of common man for the judiciary".
As per the bill, the central government after consulting with the chief justice should establish a 'Supreme Court Secretariat'.
The secretariat would work under overall supervision of the chief justice and the government would appoint officers and employees to ensure effective implementation of the provisions of this bill, it added.
The bill states that all proceedings should be uploaded on a specially created website for this purpose. It also proposes to create a database of the audio-visual archives within twenty-four hours of any hearing, including the name of the judge, parties involved, date of hearing, chamber number, case number and case type.
New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday slammed the Narendra Modi government over the visit of absconding underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim's wife to Mumbai last year, terming it a "failure of intelligence" and a "serious threat to national security".
"This came to light a few days back that Dawood Ibrahim's wife Mehajabin Shaikh had visited Mumbai in 2016, for over 15 days and returned to Pakistan. The government which talks about bringing back Dawood, they did not have information that she had visited Thane and Mumbai and went back," said Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar.
"Isn't it a failure of intelligence and a serious threat to national security? Recently, their (BJP) minister in Maharashtra Eknath Khadse had to resign for alleged links with Dawood," he added.
"BJP leaders also attended the marriage of Dawood's relatives," Kumar alleged.
Congress had on Saturday said that the Modi government should explain how Dawood's wife managed to visit Mumbai last year undetected and added that it raises questions about the credibility of the Central and the Maharashtra government as well as the state and central security agencies.
New Delhi: A Delhi University assistant professor who allegedly insulted Hindu goddess Durga in a Facebook post has reportedly been booked.
An FIR has been registered against Kedar Kumar Mandal, an assistant professor at DU's Dayal Singh College, according to The Hindu.
BJP-affiliated National Democratic Teachers Front had filed the police complaint against Mandal. The professor's Facebook post had prompted a condemnation from the ABVP.
The complaint was examined and Mandal was booked under section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc.) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting religious beliefs). We are looking if sections of IT Act need to be added, The Hindu quoted additional deputy commissioner of police (south) Chinmoy Biswal as saying.
Mandal uploaded the controversial Facebook post at 7.43 pm Saturday and later deleted it.
Mandal did not respond to messages and could not be reached on his phone for comment.
RSS-affiliated ABVP condemned the post and demanded immediate Mandal's suspension.
"We demand his suspension and we request the student community to boycott his classes. Mandal has provoked sentiments during a festival time of Hindu - Navratri," ABVP's Dayal Singh College unit said in a statement.
"If allowed to continue as a teacher he will only spread hatred among students."
With inputs from PTI
New Delhi: The proposal by Delhi University's English department to include author Chetan Bhagat's novels in the literature curriculum and introduce a course on writing Facebook posts has hit a roadblock following opposition from teachers of various colleges.
The university has decided to put the proposal on hold and formed a review committee to recommend if it can be taken up in the next academic session.
"It was felt that there is arbitrariness in framing and modification of the syllabus. It has also come to light that the department has been in practice of favouring some authors and publishers, even by going out of the way of normal practice and justification," read the minutes of the meeting in which the panel was formed.
"It seems through the reactions which came after the proposal that all of a sudden one big change has been made in the undergraduate English courseintroduction of Chetan Bhagat's Five Point Someone in the popular fiction paper of the syllabus. National dailies did considerable reporting on the issue, Twitter was 'shocked' with the news and Facebook and WhatsApp were no behind with comments and counter comments on the story," the minutes added.
Bestselling author Chetan Bhagat had announced on Twitter in April that his book had been included in the DU curriculum.
DU had confirmed that the department was considering the proposal made by the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) committee and that Bhagat's book would be taught along with fiction novels by American novelist and poet Louisa M Alcott, crime novelist Agatha Christie and Harry Potter writer J K Rowling.
The CBCS committee had also recommended making Facebook post writing to be part of a course on "academic writing".
Both moves had drawn sharp reactions from literature enthusiasts and various English teachers who questioned whether they really counted as literature.
"The committee has been formed to look into procedural lapses in syllabi design and modification, who were the members of the CBCS committee, was there sufficient representation from colleges, were all members informed about the modification and their approval sought," a senior official of the English department said.
"While the university has not set a deadline for the review committee but modification, if any, is not happening in this academic session for sure."
A student of Delhi Public School (DPS) Kalyanpur attempted to commit suicide by consuming sleeping pills and drinking phenyl on Saturday. The victim has reportedly alleged harassment by teachers and the school principal.
The student has been admitted to Madhuraj Nursing Home and is in critical condition, according to a report by The Asian Age.
#Kanpur: DPS #Kalyanpur student attempts suicide allegedly after being troubled by teachers, hospitalised in critical condition. ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2017
The student has said that the teachers made life difficult for him in school. They instructed other students to not talk to him.
The student said, "No one talked to me because the teacher asked them not to. Teachers and students targeted and taunted me," as tweeted by ANI.
The victim had joined the school just two months back, as per ANI. His mother said that he was depressed.
His bag was checked&he was told he has gun in his bag,so it's being done. Students were asked to stay away from him.He was depressed: Mother pic.twitter.com/qXT9xFn11z ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2017
A case has been registered with the Kanpur Police Station. Kanpur deputy superintendent said, "Further action to be taken based on the probe. As per the suicide note, he took step after four teachers tortured him," according to ANI.
Ethiopia has banned weapons at the upcoming Irrecha religious festival in order to avoid the violence that killed several dozen people last year.
The statement from the restive Oromia region came ahead of the October 1 thanksgiving gathering.
Lomi Beo, head of the Oromia Culture and Tourism Office, told The Associated Press on Sunday that armed police will be confined to the festival's outskirts.
She said up to 1.5 million people are expected at this year's celebration that will take place in the town of Bishoftu, 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the capital Addis Ababa.
Last year security forces at the Irrecha gathering dispersed anti-government protesters with tear gas and gunfire, triggering a stampede that officials said killed at least 50 people. Activists said the death toll was higher.
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Darjeeling: Incidents of fresh violence rocked West Bengal's Darjeeling hills on Sunday as a vehicle on way to Lebong area in the district was set ablaze allegedly by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) activists, police said.
"A vehicle moving from Darjeeling to Lebong was vandalised and torched by pro-shutdown GJM activists on Sunday morning. One person was injured," Darjeeling Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Kumar Chaturvedi said.
A number of shops and other business establishments opened in Darjeeling on Sunday after remaining shut for 101 days over the demand for separate Gorkhaland.
Though the GJM-sponsored indefinite shutdown has not been lifted from the area, pockets of Darjeeling hills were limping back to life as schools, colleges and government offices have started to function in the last one week.
The state government has appealed to the local populace to lift the shutdown and assured necessary security to those willing to open their shops or resume business activities.
A section of hill parties spearheading the agitation, including the GJM, remain defiant over the withdrawal demand till tripartite talks between the central and state governments and other stakeholders are organised.
Washington: US defence secretary James Mattis will seek to take the India-US defence ties to the next level during his visit to India this week, with discussion on F-16s and the security situation in the region likely to dominate the agenda.
Firmly of the view that a stronger India both in terms of military and economy is in America's national interest, Mattis would meet his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman, National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval and also call on Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
This is the first Cabinet-level visit to India under the Trump administration.
Informed sources familiar with the preparations of the visit told PTI that the trip would be used to develop new institutional mechanisms to elevate the status of India-US defense relationship, showcase enhanced strategic co-operation
in Afghanistan and strengthen maritime security and rule of law in the India-Pacific region.
While no specific defence trade deal is likely to be announced during Mattis' India visit on 26-27 September, sources said there would be discussions on two specific proposals of F-16 and F-18A under Modi's Make in India campaign, along with efforts to identify new projects under the ambitious Defence Technology and Trade Initiatives (DTTI).
The Trump administration wants to sell F-18 and F-16 fighter planes to India, built by American companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin respectively. Both companies have offered to assemble these planes in India.
Ahead of his visit, Mattis met Indian ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna at the Pentagon.
And in a rarest of the rare gesture, Mattis came down to the River side entrance of the Pentagon to receive Sarna.
The Indian envoy said meeting was "very positive and cordial."
And after the meeting, the defense secretary came down to see him off.
This is also the first follow up visit by a US Cabinet official after Modi's June trip to the US. During the visit, the two countries are expected to review the defence and strategic decisions taken by Modi and Trump in June.
During his India visit, Mattis is likely to talk with Sitharaman and other Indian leaders on the new Afghan strategy and the India-Pacific region.
Trump while announcing his new Afghan policy had asked India to do more to help Afghanistan with its developmental needs.
According to officials, Mattis is interested in accelerating the pace of India-US defense co-operation and making it an effective tool in achieving the goal of peace and stability in the entire region ranging from South Asia to India-Pacific region.
Mattis, it is learnt, is taking along with him some of his own ideas in this regard, which he would like to discuss with the Indian leadership and get their feedback.
And to take the relationship to the next level, including more exercise and sale of high-tech defence equipment, the Pentagon instead of the foundational agreements is now looking for some India specific documentation that would provide institutional mechanisms, address India's concerns and meet the Congressional-mandated legislative requirements in this
regard.
This could be seen as a major climbdown, as India had been resisting from signing any foundational agreements for the past several years because of sovereignty concerns.
In his interaction with the Indian leaders, Mattis is also expected to discuss how to advance on Major Defense Partnership, a designation given to India by the previous Obama Administration which has been continued by the Trump Administration.
Mattis' India visit comes in less than a week after external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had her first bilateral meeting with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
Srinagar: Three security personnel were injured on Sunday in a grenade attack by militants in a north Kashmir town, police said.
The grenade lobbed by the militants inside a security forces' vehicle in Sopore town of Baramulla district could have led to more casualties but an alert special police officer saved many lives by throwing away the explosive.
Three security personnel two SPOs( special police officer) and one CRPF jawan suffered minor injuries in the grenade blast, a police spokesman said.
"The alert SPO threw away the grenade to a safer place, thus saving the lives of his colleagues and civilians. The grenade was hurled by militants inside the security forces' vehicle," the spokesman said.
Director General of Police SP Vaid told reporters that the increase in grenade attacks by militants was due to fresh supply of grenades to the ultras.
"There has been some supply of grenades leading to these incidents. We are careful. Today a tragedy was averted by an alert SPO by throwing out the grenade from the vehicle," Vaid told reporters on the sidelines of a function.
Meanwhile, former chief minister Omar Abdullah lauded the presence of mind shown by the SPO and demanded his services be regularised immediately.
"This brave SPO should be rewarded for his presence of mind by immediately regularising him in @JmuKmrPolice," Omar tweeted.
Srinagar/New Delhi: The NIA has issued summons to a Kashmir university PhD student, the head of a trader's body and two Hurriyat leaders to appear before it on Monday in connection with a case related to the funding of terror activities in Kashmir, officials said on Sunday.
Yaseen Khan of Kashmir Traders and Marketing Federation, Aala Fazil, pursuing a doctorate from Kashmir university, and leaders of pro-Pakistan Syed Ali Shah Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference, Abdul Hameed Magrey and Wali Mohammed, have been asked to appear before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) at its headquarter in New Delhi, they said.
Kashmir Trader's body has called for a strike on Monday to register its protest over Khan's summoning.
Kashmir Bar Association president Mian Qayoom is likely to be summoned again by the NIA, the officials said, adding that many points related to his statement that was recorded earlier were being corroborated.
The people summoned to appear before the NIA on Monday were likely to be questioned about alleged funding to various groups that pelted the security forces with stones, the officials said.
The NIA had registered a case on 30 May against separatist and secessionist leaders, including unknown members of the Hurriyat Conference, who have been acting in connivance with active militants of proscribed terrorist organisations Hizbul Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other outfits and gangs, officials said.
The case was registered for raising, receiving and collecting funds through various illegal means, including hawala, for funding separatist and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir and for causing disruption in the Valley by pelting the security forces with stones, burning schools, damaging public property and waging war against India, the probe agency said in the FIR.
Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistan-based chief of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the front of the banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has been named in the FIR as an accused.
The FIR also names organisations such as the two factions of the Hurriyat, one led by Geelani and the other by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Dukhtaran-e-Millat, an all-women outfit of separatists.
NIA has also secured confessional statements from two of the accused in the case.
A confessional statement is recorded before a judicial magistrate. The accused confirms in it that he or she is giving a statement without any pressure from the probe agency.
The entire process is videographed and no investigation officer is present in the court premises during the proceedings. In case of retraction later, the agency can file a case of perjury.
The NIA has arrested 10 people so far in connection with the alleged funding of terror activities case. The list includes Altaf Ahmed Shah, the son-in-law of Geelani, and noted businessman Zahorr Watali.
Geelani's close aides Ayaz Akbar, who is also the spokesperson of the hardline separatist organisation Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, and Peer Saifullah have also been arrested.
Others on the list are Shahid-ul-Islam, spokesperson of the moderate Hurriyat Conference, Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Nayeem Khan, Farooq Ahmed Dar alias 'Bitta Karate', photo-journalist Kamran Yusuf and Javed Ahmed Bhat.
Bengaluru: Amidst an intensified campaign for a separate religious status to Veerashaivas-Lingayat faith, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said the government has nothing to do with the rallies being organised in this regard.
With resentment within the community over projecting Lingayats and Veerashaivas as the same, he clarified that the stands taken by few of his ministers on the issue as "their personal".
"The government has nothing do with the rallies," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Chitradurga.
Responding to a question about ministers participating in the rallies and taking sides, he said, "Cant ministers have their own opinion? Is there anything that they have to listen to what I say? On matters concerning the government, they consult me, on matters not concerned with the government, I cant tie their mouth", he said.
As Assembly elections are due earlier next year, the demand for a separate Veerashaivas-Lingayat religion status is gaining ground among the community, concentrated largely in the northern part of Karnataka.
Leaders and pontiffs who are propagating that Lingayats are separate from Veerashaivas, on Sunday held a large public meeting in Kalburgi as a show of strength.
While one section under 'Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha' has demanded separate religion status, asserting that Veerashaiva and Lingayats are the same, the other wants it only for Lingayats as they believe that Veerashaiva is one among the seven sects of Shaivas, which is part of Hinduism.
The Veerashaiva-Lingayat community that pays allegiance to the 12th century "social reform movement" initiated by Basaveshwara has a substantial population in Karnataka, especially in the northern parts of the state.
They also have the presence in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana.
The BJP and several sections of the Hindu community are opposed to the move to give Veerashaiva-Lingayat separate religion status and have accused the Siddaramaiah government of dividing the society to draw political mileage ahead of assembly elections due early next year.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said October is the month of remembering great leaders including Mahatma Gandhi who gave the nation a proper direction towards 20th and 21st centuries.
"From Mahatma Gandhi to Sardar Patel, there are many great leaders who gave us the direction towards the 20th and 21st centuries, led us, guided us and faced so many hardships for the country," Modi said in his radio programme Mann Ki Baat.
2 October is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. 11 October is the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan and Nanaji Deshmukh while Sardar Patel's birth anniversary falls on 31 October.
He said this year was the centenary birth anniversary of Nanaji Deshmukh and Deen Dayal Upadhyay.
The prime minister said the focus of all these men was to live for the country, do something for the nation and lead the people not by sermons but action.
"Gandhiji, Jai Prakashji, Deen Dayalji were such great personalities who remained far away from the corridors of power but lived every moment for the people."
Modi said Nanaji Deshmukh devoted his life for the betterment of villages while Deendayal talked about transforming the life of deprived, distressed and the poor through education and employment.
"We are not obliging these great men by remembering them but we remember them so that we may be able to foresee our forays into the future and the direction we choose."
Indicating that he will speak about Sardar Patel in the next episode of Mann Ki Baat, Modi said Patel unified the nation. "Let us preserve this unity by promoting and participating in the programme 'Run for Unity'."
Katra (Jammu and Kashmir): Over one lakh pilgrims visited the famous shrine of Vaishno Devi during the first three days of nine-day Navratri festival in the Katra town of Reasi district.
Located 42 kilometres from the winter capital, Jammu, along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, Katra base camp for the pilgrims was decked up to welcome devotees from across the country and abroad.
"During the past three days, over one lakh pilgrims have visited the shrine after trekking 12 kilometres from the base camp.
"Over 41,000 devotees offered their prayers on the first very first day of Navratra," in-charge of the yatra registration centre, Mahesh Singh Jamwal told PTI.
The footfall had dipped to only 27,500 on Friday, a day after a grenade attack in Tral township of south Kashmir that left two civilians dead and 30 others injured, he said.
However, the count picked up on Saturday.
"Saturday again witnessed a heavy rush of pilgrims with over 40,000 making it to the cave shrine," Jamwal added.
According to Minister of State (MoS) for Finance Ajay Nanda, terror strikes and natural disasters have made a dent in the number of pilgrims visiting the holy shrine in the past couple of years.
"There is a decline of 15 to 20 percent in the numbers over the past couple of years. Frequent terror strikes and 2014 disaster (floods) are among the many factors," senior BJP leader and MoS Finance Ajay Nanda said.
And though the locals agreed on the low footfall, they beg to differ with the minster on the reason as they blamed "demonetisation" and "GST", and not terrorism.
"Initially the demonetisation preoccupied the public and later GST."
"Terror attacks had no impact on the arrival of the devotees as the people are fully aware that it is safe to visit the shrine, which is located in a militancy-free zone," Kamal Sharma, a businessman, said.
He said that terror attacks had occurred earlier as well but the number of pilgrims were always increasing.
Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department along with local administration, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), non-governmental organisations and other private players including hoteliers have joined hands to make the festival a memorable one for the visitors.
To woo more visitors, an All India Devotional Song Competition and cultural programmes with varied themes based on local lifestyles and traditions are also organised during the auspicious festival.
"The tourism department has introduced 'Mata ki Kahani' (Mata's story) and a special package of 'Sampoorna Manokamna' yatra facilitating visits to nine deities," MoS for tourism Priya Sethi said.
Also, performance of Ram Leela, which was ended 25 years ago, was restarted to a positive response this time.
The festival is scheduled to end on 29 September.
Islamabad: Pakistan on Sunday summoned India's acting Deputy High Commissioner to Islamabad over alleged "ceasefire violations" by Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC).
Pakistan claimed that a 22-year-old girl was killed due to the alleged firing by the Indian troops and two others were injured.
Pakistan Foreign Office alleged that India committed "unprovoked ceasefire violations" in Kotli and Nikial Sub-Sector on 22 September.
"The deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws," the foreign office said.
Pakistan urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, and instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace along the LoC.
He also called on the Indian side to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.
United Nations: Pakistan on Sunday accused India of adopting a posture of that of a "predator" and said if the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between the two neighbours, it must call on New Delhi to halt its provocations and aggressive actions.
Terming India as the "mother of terrorism" in South Asia, Pakistan's ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi accused it of sponsoring terrorism in various parts of her country.
Exercising her right to reply after external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday hit out at Pakistan for creating terror groups like LeT, JeM, Hizbul Mujahideen and the Haqqani Network, Lodhi alleged that "in her vitriol she (Swaraj) deliberately ignored the core issue" of Kashmir.
Swaraj in her remarks did not mention Kashmir.
"If the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between India and Pakistan, it must call on India to halt its provocations and aggressive actions. It must end the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control.
It must halt its sponsorship of terrorist groups against Pakistan," Lodhi said.
Given that such responses are normally given by a low level foreign service official, it was quite significant that the top Pakistani diplomat took up the floor to launch a verbal dual against India.
India did not immediately exercise its right to response to Lodhi's remarks, in which Pakistan for the second time accused the national security advisor Ajit K Doval of interfering in Balochistan.
Lodhi said if the parties fail to resolve a dispute, the UN and the international community has not only the right but the obligation to intervene and help to resolve the dispute.
"UN Security Council resolutions do not lapse with time. Or are'overtaken', as the Indian foreign minister put it. Law has no expiry date. Morality has no sell-by date. India's posture is that of the predator. It cannot escape its legal and moral obligation to abide by the resolutions of the Security Council," she said.
Referring to Swaraj's remarks on terrorism and her push for a definition, Lodhi said the UN should actually define terrorism.
"In that definition, we should include 'state terrorism'. The state terrorism which the Indian national security adviser has boasted is being sponsored by India's spy agencies in Pakistan's Balochistan province in what he called a 'double
squeeze' strategy," she alleged.
"India has sponsored and perpetrated terrorism and aggression against all its neighbours; creating terror groups; destabilising and blockading neighbours to do its strategic bidding and sponsoring subversion, sabotage and terrorism in various parts of Pakistan. All this establishes that India is the mother of terrorism in South Asia," she alleged.
She said the 'largest democracy' is also "the world's largest hypocrisy" and it's ruled by the "fascist" ideology.
Lodhi alleged that Swaraj in her speech criticised Pakistan's founding father MA Jinnah.
She also said Pakistan remains open to resuming a comprehensive dialogue with India to address all outstanding issues, especially Jammu and Kashmir and discuss measures to maintain peace and security.
"But this dialogue must be accompanied by an end to India's campaign of subversion and state sponsored terrorism in Pakistan," she demanded.
In her speech, Swaraj had said prime minister Narendra Modi has offered the hand of peace and friendship since he assumed office. "Pakistan's prime minister must answer why his nation spurned this offer," she had said.
Swaraj reminded Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi that in December 2015, when she was in Islamabad, a decision was made by then prime minister Nawaz Sharif that dialogue between India and Pakistan should be renewed and named it a "Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue".
"The word 'bilateral' was used consciously to remove any confusion or doubt about the fact that the proposed talks would be between our two nations and only between our two nations, without any third-party present. And he must answer why that proposal withered, because Pakistan is responsible for the aborting that peace process," Swaraj had said.
UK Trade Envoy to Egypt Jeffrey Donaldson arrived in Cairo on Saturday, accompanied by representatives of various British companies, aiming to explore new investment opportunties in Egypt, the British embassy in Cairo said in a statement.
The delegation is looking to make investments in the key sectors of infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare and defence.
Fourteen companies are represented by the delegation, including London International Patient Services, Rolls Royce and Bombardier, with 70 percent of those involved being new investors in Egypt.
The embassy statement quoted British Ambassador to Cairo John Casson as saying, "Its an exciting time to be welcoming a new generation of British companies that are looking for business opportunities here."
The delegation is due to attend several meetings with Egyptian officials, including Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone Mohab Mameesh, and the ministers of investment, housing, trade, transport and petroleum.
The British delegation is also expected to visit the new administrative capital and meet with the project's chairman Ayman Ismail.
"The recent reforms that have been implemented have brought about stronger economic growth in Egypt and this has heightened the interest of British companies in doing business with Egypt," said Donaldson.
As part of its plan to improve the investment environment, Egypt has been implementing an economic reform programme to close budget deficits and streamline investment laws. Last November, the government floated the Egyptian pound to push its value closer to real market level.
This visit by the UK business delegation was announced earlier this month.
In August, UK minister for the Middle East Alastair Burt visited Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials on British-Egyptian cooperation and UK support for Egypt, especially in economic and educational reform.
The UK is Egypts number-one foreign investor, with $43 billion of inflows and over 1,450 British businesses active. It is also a major investor in Egypts oil and gas sector, the statement says.
The British embassy said that British investment in Egypt has been growing recently, citing several examples. The British manufacturer SEWS opened a new factory in Egypt in August, while the British telecommunications company Vodafone has allocated EGP 2 billion to expansion in Egypt this year.
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Southampton: Manchester United reiterated their condemnation of a crude chant about Romelu Lukaku after it was aired again during Saturday's 1-0 Premier League win at Southampton.
Both United and Belgian striker Lukaku had previously implored supporters to stop singing the song, which draws on racial stereotypes about the size of black men's penises.
But fans sang it again at St Mary's, as well as "We're Man United, we'll sing what we want", and the club now plan to use CCTV footage to identity the offenders.
"Manchester United has a zero-tolerance stance on offensive chanting and behaviour," United said in a statement.
"The club and the player have been clear in asking for an end to the chant.
"The club has worked with relevant bodies and supporters groups in trying to eradicate any offensive behaviour and will take further action against individuals if this continues.
"The club is in discussion with the police and has asked for CCTV footage from Southampton and will try to identify those who disrespected the player's wishes not to sing the song."
Lukaku, 24, scored United's winner at Southampton, taking his tally to eight goals in eight games since his 75 million ($101 million, 85 million) transfer from Everton.
Earlier this week, Lukaku released a statement saying it was time for the club's fans to "move on" from the chant, which has also been criticised by anti-discrimination groups.
New Delhi: Home minister Rajnath Singh will visit the China-Indian border area in Uttarakhand this week. The area has witnessed transgression by China's People's Liberation Army in the recent past, officials said.
During the tour to Barahoti, the home minister will interact with the personnel of the Indo Tibetan Border Police which guards the border outpost located at an altitude of 14,311 feet.
This is the first visit by a senior minister in the Narendra Modi government to China border after the resolution of the stand-off in Doka La.
Singh will also visit ITBP border outposts at Rimkhim (altitude 12,500 feet), Mana (10,500 feet) and Auli (10,200 feet) during the four-day trip beginning 28 September, a home ministry official said.
There were reports that on 25 July, Chinese soldiers had entered 800 metres into the Indian territory in Barahoti, located in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, and stayed for sometime before returning to the Chinese territory.
The home minister will also address the probationers of the IAS, IPS and other services at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, besides interacting with central government's additional secretary rank officials there on the first day of the visit.
The home minister is expected to review the situation on the border, address a 'Sainik Sammelan' and assess the progress in various infrastructure projects, another home ministry official said.
The 3,488 kilometres-long India-China border stretches through Jammu and Kashmir (1,597 kilometres), Himachal Pradesh (200 kilometres), Uttarakhand (345 kilometres), Sikkim (220 kilometres) and Arunachal Pradesh (1,126 kilometres).
The Chinese and Indian troops were in a face-off situation for more than two months in Doka La in Sikkim sector after Indians stopped the construction of a road by China's army.
The China-Indian border is not fully demarcated and the process of clarifying and confirming the Line of Actual Control is in progress.
The area is characterised by high-altitude terrain and thick habitation which has resulted in the inadequate development of infrastructure in these regions.
To redress the situation arising out of lack of infrastructure along the border with China, the government has decided to undertake construction of 73 roads of operational significance.
Of these, 27 roads involving 804.93 kilometre are being constructed by the home ministry in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh at an estimated cost of Rs 1,937 crore.
Srinagar: Security forces on Sunday killed three militants in an encounter in Kashmir's Uri, thus thwarting plans of the terrorists to carry out an attack like the one on an Army base in the same area last year, officials said.
The encounter took place after the Army and police started searches in Kalgai area Sunday morning following inputs about movement of terrorists.
"A cordon was laid and search operation was started in Kalgai area of Uri this morning following information about presence of militants in the area," an Army official said.
He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants opened fire on the security forces.
"Three militants have been killed in the operation while one soldier has sustained injures," the official said, adding three civilians were also injured in the gunbattle.
Director General of Police SP Vaid said the militants were planning a "suicide" attack like the one carried out on an Army base in Uri last year that left 19 soldiers dead and several others injured.
"A big tragedy has been averted. Like the suicide attack on the Army base last year, they (militants) had similar plans this time, but the police and the Army got the information before hand. A joint operation is going on to neutralise the
ultras," he said on the sidelines of an event in Srinagar.
On 18 September last year, four militants stormed Army brigade headquarters in Uri, close to the Line of Control, killing 19 soldiers before being neutralised.
Sushma Swarajs speech at UN where she called Pakistan an export factory for terror drew sharp reactions from the countrys media, who termed it a vicious attack on Pakistan.
In her address to the 72nd UN General Assembly session on Saturday, Swaraj asked Pakistani leaders to introspect as to why India is recognised as a global IT superpower, while Pakistan is infamous as the "pre-eminent export factory for terror".
Swaraj further accused Pakistan of waging war against India and said a country that has been the world's greatest exporter of havoc, death and inhumanity became a champion of hypocrisy by preaching about humanity from this podium.
Swaraj's reply came after Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in his speech on Thursday accused India of violating human rights and State-sponsored terrorism.
The headline in prominent Pakistan daily Dawn went thus: "Swaraj launches vicious attack on Pakistan in UN speech".
Anwar Iqbal and Masood Haider writing in Dawn, stated that the Indian external affairs minister not only targeted Pakistans current rulers but questioned the commitment of the countrys founding fathers to peace and stability. The article noted that hundreds of Kashmiris and Sikhs protested outside the UN building in New York while Swaraj was addressing the General Assembly.
Another Pakistan newspaper The Express Tribune carried Swaraj's speech under the headline: "In angry retort, India calls Pakistan terror factory."
In an opinion piece in The Express Tribune, Kamran Yousaf wrote that Abbasis UN speech left India reeling. The article further said: "Stung by scathing criticism, India exercised its right of reply to make a repugnant retort, calling Pakistan Terror-istan. This shows Abbasis forceful speech has thrown Delhi off-balance".
The Nation carried Swaraj's speech in an article headlined: "Pakistan aborted peace process, claims India" and highlighted the part of Swarajs speech where she had said that it was Pakistan who aborted the peace process.
Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan, but this was not reciprocated by the neighbouring country, the article stated.
Pakistans biggest news channel Geo TV wrote on its website that India responded to Pakistans speech at UNGA with a barrage of accusations.
Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Saturday addressed the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and let loose a barrage of allegations aimed at Pakistan.
Pakistan Today termed Swaraj's speech a very sharp and strong attack on Pakistan in its article titled: Sushma says India created institutions of excellence, Pakistan created terror factories.
In a hard-hitting speech at the UN General Assembly, Sushma said, We established scientific and technical institutions, which are the pride of the world. But what has Pakistan offered to the world and indeed to its own people apart from terrorism, the paper wrote, quoting Swarajs speech.
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government is considering changes to the primary school syllabus and increasing the number of teachers to improve the quality of education at the elementary level.
Basic Education Minister Anupama Jaiswal said the Yogi Adityanath government was committed to improving the quality of education in government primary schools.
She hoped primary school students would give pupils of the private ones a run for their money if the infrastructure was improved, some changes were made to the syllabus and the number of teachers was increased.
Jaiswal told PTI that there had been a paradigm shift in the quality of education imparted at government primary schools. "The teachers who would keep themselves from teaching activities have started taking classes. The trend of outsourcing teaching activities has been effectively curbed," she said.
"There has been a spurt in enrollments. More than 10 lakh children have enrolled (since the BJP government came to office). The increase in enrollments reflects that we have been able to bring children back to schools," the minister said.
The BJP government deliberated on why government primary schools were lagging behind. A decision was taken to strengthen "School Chalo Abhiyaan" and the government also came up with the "Khoob Padho, Aage Badho" campaign to ensure that every child goes to school, she said. Jaiswal said students of various government schools were given uniforms and it would instill confidence in them.
"In some cases, parents insisted that their children study in government primary schools even if it entails sitting on the floor, which is a positive sign," she said. The basic education minister said there was a proposal to develop schools on the public-private partnership model.
"Innovations in schools in terms of teaching and other activities are being encouraged to give an opportunity to students to showcase their talent," she said. "MLA, MPs and other public representatives are adopting schools. At some places, even government officials are teaching students," the minister said.
Growing up in a refugee camp in Damascus, Ahmad Joudeh loved only to dance. His father would routinely beat him up and burn his dance clothes, but Joudeh continued in defiance of his father, and later of the Islamic State group. Then, a Dutch filmmaker happened to meet Joudeh, and arranged for him to travel to Amsterdam in 2016 where Joudeh became the only Arab dancer in the Dutch National Ballet company. His story, told through the form of a video titled 'Dance or Die' (it's the same phrase Joudeh has tattooed on the back of his neck, in Arabic), by the Fusion Media Group, is part of a new exhibition called 'Art For Peace', currently on display at the National Art Gallery in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Works by 22 other artists primarily encompassing photography and video are also part of the exhibition, which marks a collaboration between the Asia Peace Film Festival and the Conexus Project. The artist roster includes names like Yoko Ono ('War Is Over If You Want It', posters), India's Cop Shiva ('Spring is Warmer than the Sea', about the refugee influx in Sweden), among others.
The work of each of these artists, selected from all over Asia, responded to a seemingly simple question: 'What is peace?'
"By definition, peace is related to freedom from disturbance; (it signifies) quiet, tranquility, equanimity, harmony, calm, restfulness. Among all the possibilities and interpretations of peace, one may wonder: how do we sense it? Is it a way, a question? An answer? A need? A desire or a dream?" reads the curatorial note for Art For Peace.
"Art For Peace, promoted by the Asia Peace Film Festival, invites Asian artists to reflect on their perceptions of the theme through contemporary art pieces. The participant artists share an interest in personal, political, historical and cultural conversations, in a complex web of inter-connections and subjective dialogues. Throughout their artworks, they debate the effects and consequences of local, international, present and past conflicts, proposing a space of reflexion on themes of peace, harmony and balance in different levels. These pieces do so by bringing a situation to the spotlight or stimulating dialogue and human connections, proposing answers or leaving a space for questions to come," it states.
The theme of 'peace' may seem straightforward enough, but Sheila Zago, founder of the Conexus Project, had a monumental task on hand as she began the process of curating the Art For Peace exhibition.
"This project was an invitation from the Asia Peace Film Festival to Conexus, which is the project that I coordinate," Sheila explained to Firstpost. "I work a lot with projects that have to do with peace, with art and education, how art can actually change people's lives, its therapeutic qualities, including a lot of work with refugees. When the APFF approached us and said, 'We want a project about peace' at first, it seemed easy. But as you research more, you find that there's very little in art that's directly about peace. You find a lot about conflict...asking people to go back to peace. I was also tasked with finding only Asian artists. It was very important to have as many artists from different countries and sub-continents of Asia, because it was important for us to have diversity in point of view...and you can see the diversity in the places where they come from too."
That diversity is seen in the range of themes tackled by the artists whose works were chosen to be showcased. Sheila says, "Some pieces talk about the new realities of the world we live in, such as refugees; we have a Russian artist talking about war in the region (Ilyas Hajji, 'Between War and Peace', 2016); a Japanese artist (Kensuke Koike, 'What Matters Most', 2017) tackling the perceptions we have in the images we see... He uses a video of Hitler and erases his moustache as a symbol of erasing something bad to create something new. There are really a variety of points of view towards peace. There is an artist from Saudi Arabia (Ibrahim Abumsmar, 'Al-Mabkhara - Premium Incense', 2010) who took a piece of a bomb and turned it into an incense burner suggesting that we can turn something that represents war into something peaceful. There are different mediums too most of the work at the exhibition is either photography or video, but some of the photographs are of previous installations/sculptures, so it's also a conversation between different types of art."
Among the artists chosen is Murad Subay from Yemen, who couldn't make it to Islamabad for the exhibition because of the situation in his home country. Subay's Street Art for Peace, an ongoing photo series that dates back to 2012, shows his community work as a street artist painting for peace.
Like Subay, there were other artists whose work Sheila hoped to bring down to Islamabad for Art For Peace, but couldn't because of budgetary and other constraints. She hopes to continue the project on a larger scale, and also take it to different countries, including India. It would be one way of having the dialogue started in Islamabad heard in other places around Asia, and the world.
This is especially important in these troubled times, when art can offer a way to connect people. Sheila believes in the power of art to bring about positive change, and that is what the Conexus project aims to highlight as well.
"In a conflict situation, art has the power to bring people together, to make us think about our situation, to unify, to build something better together," Sheila says. And this power can be felt in a very tangible way. Sheila talks of projects in Syria, Lebanon over the past eight years, where she has seen how art changes people and communities. "Art brings (to these communities) colours and a space of dialogue where people can talk about their sufferings, their expectations, their lives... Art is therapeutic, it changes the places where it's done physically, with the colour, and in the way it brings people together, which is a very, strong powerful way to work on, into the direction of peace."
What an exhibition like Art For Peace can achieve, ultimately, is reminding us of how much we have in common no matter where we come from.
"I honestly believe we are all the same," says Sheila. "We feel layers of cultural differences here and there, but we're all seeking happiness, and we're afraid of suffering. If we could only see that, through different perspectives, we would not let war or the disturbance of peace of any kind to continue, and art is a tool that can make this happen that can make this connection."
Full list of participating artists:
Cop Shiva, India; Fusion Media Group, Syria/The Netherlands; Helen Zugheib + Amy Joseph, Lebanon; Ibrahim Abumsmar, Saudi Arabia; Ilyas Hajji, Russia; Kensuke Koike, Japan; Kubra Khademi, Afghanistan; Manal Deep, Palestine; Murad Subay, Yemen; Saks Afridi + Co-Artists, Pakistan; Salma Prithi, Bangladesh; What Took You So Long + MakeSense, Lebanon; Yael Riva Efrati, Israel; Yoko Ono, Japan/USA
Art For Peace, until 28 September 2017. At National Art Gallery Islamabad, Pakistan
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Just as I watched my friend Gauri Sawant take to the hot seat for the 20th episode of this latest season of Kaun Banega Crorepati, opposite host Amitabh Bachchan, my Facebook timeline was flooded with photos of her.
Gauri is an icon. Gauri is a transgender belonging to the hijra community. She was born male and attracted to other males. However, she desired to have the female body, and with the help of the Humsafar Trust, was able to transition from being male to transgender. Today, you'll find her dressed in her salwars or saris, walking through the narrow lanes of Malwani in Malad.
Gauri shot to fame when she was featured in a Vicks ad that borrowed from her own life story as a transgender foster parent, who adopted the child of a commercial sex worker. The child six-year-old Gayatri would have landed up in Sonagachi, the red-light district in West Bengal, had Gauri not intervened and adopted the hild from her grandmother.
Gauri is a humanitarian worker, an animal lover, and most importantly, a friend.
***
It took me some years to realise that people from the hijra community are also just "people". Yes, it's strange that it should take anyone so long to reach this realisation. But it isn't as straightforward as it seems. On the one hand, our culture deifies them on the other, it demonises them for who they are.
This dichotomy has been brought forward in a new series by 101 India, which has been observing all of September 2017 as Pride Month. In a two-part episode, a city slicker called Rosh heads to the Koovagam Festival, known as India's biggest transgender festival. The episodes highlight the daily struggle of a community that is looked down upon by society. But here is a festival that cherishes and revers the transgender community. You can watch both episodes here:
What explains this duality in our attitudes towards the transgender community?
There was a time when I used to be extremely phobic of hijras. As a child, I would be threatened by my paternal grandmother to finish all the food on my plate "Or else the hijras will take you away!". When I came out as gay, a few people asked me if I had turned 'chakka' an offensive word used for hiras/transgenders. These experiences made me even more unempathetic towards the hijra community. Owing to my transphobia, in those days I never visited the Humsafar Trust, just because it was crowded with transgenders. It took me years to unlearn my grandmother's wrong lessons.
***
I did unlearn them, though. And I continue to unlearn my prejudice with the help of multimedia. I understand that it is our ruthlessness towards transpeople that forces them to beg or engage in sex work. Many of us don't even consider them humans at all, but like mythical creatures with some supernatural powers.
Today, if I meet a hijra person in the train, I chat with them. I reprimand them when they attempt to extort money forcefully. I ask them their names. I add them on Facebook (if they have an account). I treat them as I would like to be treated as a fellow human being. Perceptions are slowly and steadily changing. The tide is shifting, laws have changed. While the noose of Section 377 still hangs around the neck of transpersons, the NALSA judgement and the recent Transgender Persons Bill does recognise them, even if not completely.
To me, the 2016 Transgender Persons Bill largely highlighted three things:
1. It recognises transgenders as the third gender.
2. It is supposed to ensure that transgender people are not discriminated against.
3. It gives the transgender person the right to identify as man, woman, or transgender.
The intention seemed right, although the Bill does raise several questions.
For instance, if transgenders are the third gender, what are the first and second genders? Does this mean that transpersons are the lowest in the hierarchy?
I know of many transgender and hijra persons who have been ostracised, discriminated and even denied proper housing. What has the government done to ensure that people are made aware of the existence of transgender people? What has the government done for representation of transpersons in popular arts? Most of the work has been done by transgenders for transgenders, and by people like Reena Rai who has made Miss Transqueen a national pageant for transpersons.
Yes, corporate India has woken up to transgenders. But I am afraid in many cases, it is merely tokenism, given that people have a stereotypical image of transgenders of hijras who are forced to beg in local trains. If one insists that it is not all a farce, then please answer this: how many corporate houses have an all gender restroom or educative sessions for their employees about transpersons? In fact, our conversations begin with ladies and gentlemen when we could do with a more formal plural dignitaries, or friends or team which would ensure that our term of address is not exclusionary.
If one listens to the conversations between our chosen Parlimentarians on Lok Sabha TV, they would cringe. It seems like our MPs and MLAs only respect transgenders because of their mythological 'powers'. How long will it take them to realise that you need to respect transgenders like you should respect any other living being, and not make them equal to god or god themselves?
I believe that the goal of activism is the achievement of a world where we don't need an activist for that cause one day, because that cause doesn't remain a cause, and love and acceptance becomes the norm. I wish my transperson friends achieve that state of acceptance one day.
Because we started this piece with an inspiring story that of Gauri Sawant, we'll end with another one. This story is about Anjali Ameer, India's first transsexual actress who is starring in a film opposite superstar Mammootty. While most people now know about India's first trans heroine, no one knows the story of the real Anjali Ameer, which has been brought out in this 101 India video. Watch:
New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday took stock of the party's year-long expansion drive as its national executive meeting began on Sunday during which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to answer Opposition's criticism of the state of the economy.
After inaugurating the two-day meeting in New Delhi, Shah held a meeting with office-bearers, state chiefs and key organisational leaders to finalise agenda items, including resolutions, which the national executive is expected to discuss on 25 September, the birth anniversary of Hindutva icon Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.
#Visuals of Bharatiya Janata Party national executive meeting in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/HFWpjtFTSU ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2017
During the office bearers' meeting, Shah reviewed the performance of the party in the last one year and its activities, party general secretary Bhupender Yadav said.
It was also decided to take forward prime minister Modi's 'Swachh Bharat' mission and the resolve to establish a 'New India' and make them a success.
General Secretary Vinay Sahasrabuddhe also shared the details of Shah's country-wide tour during the meeting and said the party chief travelled 50,000 kilometres and interacted with 18,000 workers across the country to strengthen the BJP.
More than four lakh party workers, covered 4,100 Assembly seats across the country to mark the birth centenary of Upadhyaya, Yadav said.
To mark the birth centenary celebrations of Upadhyaya, the party has also dedicated the year to the 'welfare of the poor' and the government has taken various initiatives on this front while curbing corruption, he said.
A key highlight of the meeting will be the presence of the party's all elected lawmakers, close to 1,400 MLAs, 337 MPs and all MLCs, besides its core group leaders from states among others on Monday.
Modi, who will deliver the valedictory address on Monday, may use the opportunity to highlight his government's pro-poor measures and other policy decisions.
With the Opposition parties attacking the government's handling of the economy by citing the fall in GDP rate and demonetisation figures, Modi is expected to take them on and highlight his dispensation's "successes" in boosting transparency and curbing black money, party sources said.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has consistently attacked the government over economy during his visit to the US.
The BJP sources said the party's resolution is likely to assert that the economy has been doing better under the NDA than it did under the previous UPA government.
The roll-out of the GST has been described by the party as a major success of the government which, it has asserted, will integrate the country's economy.
The prime minister's agenda of development is also expected be a key feature.
A senior party leader said the issue of Rohingya immigrants, whom the government has termed a threat to security, may also find a mention.
With the government and the party embracing Upadhyaya's plank of 'antyodaya' (upliftment of the last man), the executive is expected to cite a number of measures taken by the Union and the BJP-ruled states for the poor's welfare.
After Tamil Nadu minister C Sreenivasan sought people's forgiveness for "lying" about the health condition of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa during her stay at Apollo Hospital, the mystery over the cause of her death is expected to only deepen.
Speaking at an event in Madurai on Friday, Sreenivasan said, "We told lies that Jayalalithaa had idlis and people met her. The truth is that nobody saw her."
Nevertheless, it was not just Sreenivasan, but also the state machinery, including the ruling AIADMK and leaders cutting across party lines, who assured people of "improvement" in Jayalalithaa's health. If the minister is to be believed, only VK Sasikala, the now jailed confidante of Jayalalithaa, used to meet the late chief minister.
If Sreenivasan's allegation turns out to be true, then it implicates the entire political class including the Centre of having partnered with Sasikala in perpetuating the lie. The latest charge leveled by the minister against Sasikala will only fuel the wild speculation around Sasikala's alleged role in the late chief minister's death.
The statements made by various leaders, who visited Jayalalithaa during the 75 days she spent in hospital, had many things in common. Each leader would say they went to the hospital and spent time with doctors. They would later come out and tell the media she is improving. However, none of them categorically stated that they met the ailing leader.
Sreenivasan's revelations also raise a question over Jayalalithaa "advising" Tamil Nadu governor C Vidyasagar Rao to allocate her additional portfolios to then finance minister O Panneerselvam.
"Under Clause (3) of Article 166 of the Constitution of India, Governor has allocated the subjects hitherto dealt with by the Chief Minister to O Panneerselvam. This arrangement has been made as per advice of the Chief Minister and will continue until she resumes her duties. Jayalalithaa will continue to be the Chief Minister", a communication from the Raj Bhavan had said.
If none of them ever visited the ailing AIADMK supremo during her hospitalisation, then a valid question will be raised: Who exactly advised Rao?
Rao himself visited Jayalalithaa twice in October. On his first visit on 1 October, Rao had said that he was happy to note, she was "recovering well". After his second visit on 22 October, the Raj Bhavan issued a statement: "Rao visited the chief minister in the ward where she is undergoing treatment. The governor was happy to note that the chief minister is progressing well." On that day, Rao was accompanied by Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, YS Chowdary, who too wished Jayalalithaa a speedy recovery.
It is pertinent that the post of governor is a constitutional post and is expected to be above political manipulations. However, in this case, the governor appears to have been a part of the strategy to keep the people in the dark: If Sreenivasan is to be believed, that is.
Not just Rao, but a host of senior leaders from the Centre and the ruling party too made statements on Jayalalithaa's health.
Among the first Union ministers to meet Jayalalithaa in hospital was M Venkaiah Naidu. Talking to reporters outside hospital on 12 October, Naidu said, I had a detailed briefing by the doctors. They said the chief minister is responding to the treatment. It is not fair to spread rumours about her health. Im sure she will recover soon.
In light of Sreenivasan's latest revelation, even Naidu's statement will be under the scanner as he was considered the point person between the Centre and the state government during the crisis.
Just before Naidu's visit, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi too visited the Apollo Hospital to enquire about Jayalalithaa's condition.
The Hindu quoted him as saying, I came to extend my support and the Congress presidents support to Jayalalithaa. She is recovering well and going to be alright.
A Firstpost report also noted that Rahul had "peeped in through the glass door of the Critical Care unit where the chief minister was admitted".
Sreenivasan's allegations gain even more significance as there were reports that the ailing leader had also performed official duties from her hospital bed.
Former minister P Valarmathi pointed out that she even announced the party's candidates for the civic polls while being hospitalised.
"Amma (Jayalalithaa) is healthy. She needs rest as per doctors' advice and will return in good health. Some jealous people are carrying out a wrong campaign to confuse people by spreading rumours about Jayalalithaa's health," Valarmathi had said.
If Sreenivasan is indeed speaking the truth then Valarmathi's statement may have been a deliberate attempt to show that all was well in the AIADMK. It is to be noted that the party has always lacked a strong second-rung of leadership and its overdependence on the late leader's mass appeal.
"We all lied then so that the party's secret does not get leaked," Sreenivasan said on Friday.
Arch rival M Karunanidhi demanded that pictures of the chief minister be released to quell rumours. However, senior AIADMK leader Panruti Ramachandran had criticised Karunanidhi.
"He has no right to demand so. What has to be informed to the people, we are doing so. The doctors are qualified to talk about someone's illness and they are sharing information," Ramachandran said.
Sreenivasan's revelation may be corroborated by what Panneerselvam said after his midnight revolt against Sasikala on 8 February.
Speaking to reporters at the Jayalalithaa memorial, Panneerselvam claimed that he was never allowed to visit Jayalalithaa even once during her hospital stay.
"I never got to see her once even though I went every day for more than 70 days of her hospitalisation. They turned me away saying she is in ICU and her immunity is low so you must cooperate," Panneerselvam told CNN-News18.
But Panneerselvam's statement came under scrutiny as he was often reported to be in the hospital during Jayalalithaa's 75-day stay and never made any such claims when he was chief minister between December 2016 and February 2017.
If Panneerselvam's statement on 8 February is true, questions will once again be asked as to why Sasikala was so eager to stop the truth from coming out.
Sreenivasan's latest salvo will only add more substance to the inquiry commission that was ordered by Chief Minister E Palaniswamy into the death of Jayalalithaa.
With inputs from agencies
Lucknow: In a crucial turn of events in the battle for supremacy in the Samajwadi Party (SP), Mulayam Singh Yadav is likely to announce a new outfit on Monday along with virtually defunct Lok Dal, and retain the 'samajwadi' tag in its name, sources in the two parties have indicated.
The hint of an imminent split in the SP came on Saturday when Mulayam and his brother-aide Shivpal Yadav stayed away from a state convention of the party which they had founded 25 years ago saying they were not invited.
"Mulayam will hold a press conference at the Lohia Trust office here tomorrow to announce a new party with Lok Dal," Lok Dal president Sunil Singh told PTI on Sunday. He said the word 'samajwadi' (socialist) will be retained in the name of the new party.
Even as the SP prepared for the convention, sources said the two brothers pondered over formation of a secular front under the banner of Lok Dal, hinting fresh differences in the party weakened already by the factional feud which proved to be its nemesis in the Assembly polls earlier this year.
The strains were palpable ahead of its state and national convention, with Mulayam replacing Akhilesh Yadav-loyalist Ram Gopal with Shivpal Yadav as the secretary of the Lohia Trust.
Shivpal had announced in June that he would float the Samajwadi Secular Front "to fight communal forces". "As there is no sign of any truce, it is a crucial time for Shivpal to decide his future course," a close confidant of Shivpal said.
Asked about Singh's claims that the two brothers will work under the banner of Lok Dal, another Shivpal-loyalist said, "Mulayam may not like to shun the Samajwadi tag. The situation will be clear tomorrow when netaji (Mulayam) will disclose his future course of action."
The posters at the SP convention on Saturday did not have pictures of Mulayam and Shivpal, giving ample hints about their place in the party. The convention saw a realignment of forces within the SP as senior leader Azam Khan attended the event and lashed out at the "people who have betrayed the party", in an apparent reference to Shivpal, his one-time friend and confidant.
Another surprise presence was that of SP MP Beni Prasad Varma, whose inclusion in the party last year was said to have triggered the battle within the family.
To top it all, SP president Akhilesh Yadav in his address on Saturday cautioned his supporters against "fake samajwadis". As in the past, Akhilesh, however, struck an emotional note when he said, "Netaji (Mulayam) is my father and this party (SP) belongs to him. His blessings are with us and we will carry forward his legacy. My father has always been with us and will remain with us."
In Election Commission records, Lok Dal is a registered, unrecognised party that was formed by veteran socialist leader Charan Singh way back in 1980 and Mulayam was its founder-member.
Lok Dal has the old election symbol of farmer ploughing the field (khet jot-ta kissan). Fighting on the symbol, Charan Singh had become the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Mulayam, who was opposed to the SP-Congress alliance during the Assembly elections, was offered Lok Dal symbol and president's post by Sunil Singh. "A number of Shivpal loyalists had contested on Lok Dal ticket during the assembly polls and the party used Mulayam's photographs for campaigns, terming him a true samajwadi," the Lok Dal president said.
The Yadav family feud came to the fore about a year ago and led to Akhilesh snatching the mantle of the SP national president from his father at an emergency national convention of the party here on 1 January.
Taking full control of the party after being crowned as its head and alloted the 'bicycle' symbol by the EC on 16 January, Akhilesh has been going whole hog consolidating his grip over the party.
People take part in a gathering in support of the banned October 1 independence referendum in Barcelona, Spain, September 24, 2017 Reuters People take part in a gathering in support of the banned October 1 independence referendum in Barcelona, Spain, September 24, 2017 Reuters
Carnations are left on a graffiti reading "We will vote independence October 1" during a gathering in support of the banned October 1st independence referendum in Barcelona, Spain, September 24, 2017 Reuters Carnations are left on a graffiti reading "We will vote independence October 1" during a gathering in support of the banned October 1st independence referendum in Barcelona, Spain, September 24, 2017 Reuters
Young women wearing Esteladas (Catalan separatist flag) paste posters on the wall in support of the banned October 1st independence referendum in Barcelona, Spain, September 24, 2017 Reuters Young women wearing Esteladas (Catalan separatist flag) paste posters on the wall in support of the banned October 1st independence referendum in Barcelona, Spain, September 24, 2017 Reuters
People wave Spanish flags as they gather at Barcelona's port bringing food and drinks to Spanish National Police and Guardia Civil officers, who are housed on charter ferries on September 24, 2017 AFP People wave Spanish flags as they gather at Barcelona's port bringing food and drinks to Spanish National Police and Guardia Civil officers, who are housed on charter ferries on September 24, 2017 AFP
A pro-referendum demonstrator on rollers waves an Estelada during a demonstration outside Barcelona's university in Barcelona on September 24, 2017 AFP A pro-referendum demonstrator on rollers waves an Estelada during a demonstration outside Barcelona's university in Barcelona on September 24, 2017 AFP
Pro-referendum demonstrators hold a banner reading "Democracy" during a demonstration outside Barcelona's university in Barcelona on September 24, 2017 AFP Pro-referendum demonstrators hold a banner reading "Democracy" during a demonstration outside Barcelona's university in Barcelona on September 24, 2017 AFP
A pro-referendum demonstrator holds a placard reading "Only kisses cover our mouths" during a demonstration outside Barcelona's university in Barcelona on September 24, 2017 AFP A pro-referendum demonstrator holds a placard reading "Only kisses cover our mouths" during a demonstration outside Barcelona's university in Barcelona on September 24, 2017 AFP
Pro-referendum demonstrators brandish their ballots during a demonstration outside Barcelona's university in Barcelona on September 24, 2017 AFP Pro-referendum demonstrators brandish their ballots during a demonstration outside Barcelona's university in Barcelona on September 24, 2017 AFP
Pro-referendum demonstrators brandish their ballots during a demonstration outside Barcelona's university in Barcelona on September 24, 2017 AFP Pro-referendum demonstrators brandish their ballots during a demonstration outside Barcelona's university in Barcelona on September 24, 2017 AFP
A pro-referendum demonstrator writes slogans on placards for a demonstration outside Barcelona's university in Barcelona on September 24, 2017 AFP A pro-referendum demonstrator writes slogans on placards for a demonstration outside Barcelona's university in Barcelona on September 24, 2017 AFP
A day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter on Sunday to thank Swaraj for "finally recognising Congress governments vision".
Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 24, 2017
Among other topics like climate change and UN Security Council reforms, Swaraj in her speech on Saturday took a jibe at Pakistan saying that while the world recognised India as a global IT superpower, Pakistan remains infamous as the "pre-eminent export factory for terror".
She cited IIMs and IITs among Indias achievements after Independence, whereas Pakistan had only succeeded in creating terror groups, she said.
"We produced scientists, scholars, doctors, engineers. What have you produced? You have produced terrorists...you have created terrorist camps, you have created Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and the Haqqani network," she said, adding that if Pakistan had spent on its development what it has spent on developing terror, both Pakistan and the world would be safer today.
She also praised previous governments in her comparison of India's development with that of Pakistan. Swaraj said, "India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan nefarious export of terrorism.
"There have been many governments under many parties during 70 years of Indian freedom, for we have been a sustained democracy. Every government has done its bit for India's development. We have marched ahead, consistently, without pause, in education, health and across the range of human welfare," she said.
Swaraj's speech was praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh, among many others. In a series of tweets, Modi said, "External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was insightful in identifying global challenges, and strongly reiterated India's commitment to create a better planet."
With inputs from agencies
In a widely shared letter to the Prime Minister, Sonia Gandhi recently pitched for the passage of the Womens Reservation Bill in the Lower House (it has already been passed in the Upper House). She described this as significant step forward in the empowerment of women and that the Congress Party has always supported and will continue to support this legislation. The Bill which mandates reservation of one-third seats for women in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies has caught the attention of others in the opposition (CPM, TRS) and it is reported that the BJP government is actively considering passing it in the Winter Session in the Parliament.
Unsurprisingly, the demand has generated some enormously good coverage and many commentators have urged the Prime Minister to heed and follow Sonia Gandhis advice. Why would anyone, they argue, not be in support of a Bill that encourages womens participation in politics? After all, the percentage of women in the Lok Sabha has gone up by only a small margin from 4.4% in 1951 to 11% in 2014 and at this pace, it will take another 180 years to reach the gender balance that the Bill seeks to create.
To be sure, our country will be better off with a lot more women engaged in politics and many genuinely want to see that happening quickly. The fact that we only have 62 women in the Lok Sabha is a statistic that should depress us and move us to make genuine effort to make political participation more accessible to women. But in our quest and urgency to rectify this serious problem, are we moving forward by using a wrong approach? Do we really need a law that discriminates between individuals on the basis of gender? Are we right in forcing voters to choose between men & women rather than pushing them to vote on how meritorious the individual candidate is? The solution often matters as much as the real problem and the solution herethe idea of quotas for womensuffers from serious flaws and limitations.
First, there is a growing temptation among the bills most vociferous supporters to disregard any opposition to the bill as sexist. No one is making the case against increase in womens representation in legislative bodies but the argument is against the chosen instrument or method to achieve that goal. The tendency to paint all those opposing it as anti-women is a mistake. One can raise a demand for greater womens representation while arguing against a state-backed mandated quota. In fact, opposing quotas based on gender isnt sexist, but is actually about standing up against discrimination on the basis of gender.
Second, there are several issues with the way the bill has been drafted. For instance, how did the politicians who drafted the bill decide on the quantum of representation of women in the Parliament or legislative assemblies? Why block only one-third of theseats? Why not a figure close to 50%? After all, if you wish to achieve gender balance, then why not go the whole hog and reserve seats proportionate to the population of women (48%)? If Sonia Gandhi really wishes to empower women then she is only doing a half decent job at it. On the other hand, the bill fortunately contains a sunset clausethe relevant provision herein states that such reservation will end on the expiration of fifteen years after the commencement of the Act. However, this seems implausible and far-fetched. Political parties in all likelihood will amend it so that it extends beyond this timeline. It is difficult to imagine that any politician will have the guts to oppose such trickery and scheming. Essentially, the policy is that once reservation is granted, it will not be withdrawn.
Third, such a measure is the wrong way to deal with the problem of under-representation of women in politics. It disregards the choices that voters make in elections, distrusts them and tells them what is right for them. It erroneously concludes that we need more women to raise women-centric issues, it focuses on numbers rather than merit and it fails to understand why few women run for office in India (only 640 out of 8205 candidates in 2014 union election were women). Our politicians instead need to have a real conversation with the masses on issues such as patriarchy, cultural stigmas and social pressures which act as barriers of entry for plenty of women.
Fourth, it creates a serious conflict for many activists who consider themselves as staunch feminists. For years, they have argued that there are essentially no differences between men & women and that roles can be easily switched between the two. On the other hand, they demand special quotas for women because they feel women will otherwise not be allotted tickets and be able to win elections on their own. This is a strange contradiction and this obsession with gender-friendly policies will only end up harming the intended beneficiaries: women. If our politicians do indeed care about equalitythey need to publicly build up their case for greater women representation (maybe by offering reservation in their own political parties first or making political funding more transparent) rather than super-impose their wishes upon the rest of us through legislative mandates.
Fifthly and finally, this sets a bad precedent. Rather than incentivising women to enter politics naturally, this uses a complex, coercive method. Where does the politics end for reservation of seats? We have 131 seats reserved for SC/STs and we are now clamoring for reservation for women. What next? The ripple effects of such policies are often multi-fold and the unintended consequences are substantial.
The bill tries to tackle a serious problem through a supposedly morally superior way but instead hurts what we should care about the mostour democracy. Our politics these days is often seen through the lens of what is fashionable or morally correct rather than what is logical. That must change. Women should be treated as individuals allowed to pursue what they want and voters should have the freedom to choose their representatives. That is what a real, strong democracy looks like.
Patna: Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Modi on Friday claimed that during the Vajpayee government there was "dichotomy" between government and party workers but now under Narendra Modi the BJP has created a strong bond between leadership, workers and huge "ideological family".
"During Vajpayee times there was dichotomy between government and party workers...while people were happy with Vajpayee government, BJP workers were unhappy," Sushil Modi said speaking at launch of a book "How the BJP wins."
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created a strong bond between party workers, party's "ideological family" and the leadership which is helping it win election after
elections," the senior BJP leader said drawing a parallel between Vajpayee era with that of Narendra Modi.
Sushil Modi was speaking after inaugurating the book authored by journalist Prashant Jha in Patna.
Showering praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah, he said another factor which pitchfork BJP far ahead of other parties is that "its
leadership is visionary and can think out of box."
He praised Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar saying "Nitish Kumar also has such vision."
"More than 90 percent politicians today lack such vision," he said taking an obvious dig at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.
Analysing BJP's winning strategy, Sushil Modi highlighted "risk taking capacity" of present BJP leadership as another important factor which distinguishes it from opponents.
"Narendra Modi as a chief minister of Gujarat during a municipal corporation election in that state had changed 100 per cent candidates denying ticket even to long time winners. I do not see any other party taking such a high potential risk," he said.
Sushil Modi also highlighted the use of technology by the PM as another victory recipe which yielded massive win for the party in 2014 and still keeps the party far ahead of others in state after states.
Sushil Modi emphasised "credibility" of PM among masses as another plus factor in favour of the party.
"Had it been any other leader than Narendra Modi, demonetisation could have resulted in great loss for a party. It was because of peoples strong faith in Narendra Modi
derived out of his credibility that despite difficulties standing in queue for hours there was no curfew, revolt or disturbance outside any bank during demonetisation," he said.
Going back into history, the senior BJP leader said "during 1991 the then Prime Minister P V Narsimha Rao did not had courage to announce economic liberalisation policy which was made public by Industry minister of that time."
Congress MLA from Kadwa in Bihar's Katihar, Shakil Ahmad Khan, who was present at the function differed with Sushil Modi.
"BJP is winning only because of core tactics of spreading virus of communalism and hate campaign," Khan said addressing the gathering.
"While BJP is managing to hog the show on big screen on the basis of lies, Congress has succeeded in drawing
peoples attention towards failure of BJP during past three years of its rule," the Congress legislator said.
Author Prashant Jha said he tried to remain "neutral" while writing the book. He said his book underlines the fact that "more than ideology its win after win is also due to their smart marketing by its present leadership."
Lucknow: The focus is back on Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya resigned as MPs from the parliamentary constituencies on their election to the Legislative Council.
While a confident BJP is claiming that it would not only "retain" but improve its "victory margin" in both the seats, political rivals are eyeing it as an opportunity to upset its apple cart in the state ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The saffron party and its allies had romped home in the 2017 Assembly elections bagging an overwhelming 325 out 403 seats.
According to party insiders, both seats are equally important for the BJP. Gorakhpur has been a party bastion since 1991 while the party made its debut in the Phulpur parliamentary seat--once considered as the pocket borough of the Congressonly in 2014 when Maurya won the seat.
"The party will not only retain both Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats, but also improve its victory margin in the bye-elections which will be held for both the parliamentary constituencies," UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said.
He said through various programmes organised by the party, there was a direct communication with the public.
"People of the state are being informed about the achievements of the central government in past three years, and also about the work done in a short span of six months by the Uttar Pradesh government," Tripathi said.
On the opposition and other rival parties eyeing the bypolls to upset BJP's calculations, he said, "The entire opposition is clueless and scattered. We will win both the parliamentary seats banking on the achievements of the party and the hardwork of our party workers."
On Saturday, while addressing the Samajwadi Party's state convention held in Lucknow, its national president Akhilesh Yadav said, "Lok Sabha bypolls will be held in Gorakhpur and Phulpur. If results of the elections are in our favour, it will give a message not only for 2019 (Lok Sabha polls), but also for 2022 (assembly polls)."
On the BJP's claims, UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh said, "The wave of change will begin from Gorakhpur itself (in the bypolls). The people have seen the three years' performance of the Centre and six months of the UP government. They want change. We are confident of snatching victory in the Lok Sabha bypolls."
The parliamentary constituency of Phulpur has been represented by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Congress leader Vijay Lakshmi Pandit.
In 2014, Maurya bagged 5,03,564 votes (52.43 per cent of votes polled) to give the BJP its maiden victory in the parliamentary constituency, which was earlier also represented by the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. Adityanath had started his winning streak in Gorakhpur seat from 1998 and he emerged victorious again in the 2014 elections by securing 5,39,127 votes (51.80 per cent of the votes polled).
PTI
Retail major Shoppers Stop today said it will raise Rs 179.26 crore from Amazon by issuing equity shares, amounting to 5 percent stake in it, on preferential basis. The board of directors of the company in its meeting held today approved issue of 43,95,925 equity shares of Rs 5 each at a price of Rs 407.78 per equity share to Amazon.com NV aggregating around Rs 179.26, Shoppers Stop said in a BSE filing.
The company has entered into an agreement with Amazon.com Investment Holdings LLC for the purpose of issuing equity shares on a preferential basis, it added. The shares will translate to just over 5 percent stake of Amazon in the company. As on quarter ended 30 June, Shoppers Stops fully paid up equity shares were at 8,35,04,744, according to information available on BSE.
The company said it has called for an ordinary general meeting on 18 October, 2017 for seeking approval from its shareholders.
Post allotment of the securities, the investor will have not any special rights under the agreement and will only be entitled to exercise such rights that are exercisable by ordinary shareholders of the company to the extent of its shareholding, Shoppers Stop added. In a separate statement, company said to strengthen their existing ties, Shoppers Stop (SSL) and Amazon Seller Services (ASSPL) have entered into an exclusive partnership for the department store format. As part of the deal, Shoppers Stop will have an exclusive flagship store on the Amazon marketplace.
The two companies have an existing partnership since 2016 under which Shoppers Stops private and exclusive brands (Stop, Kashish, Haute Curry, RS by Rocky Star,) have been listed on the Amazon marketplace. Further, Shoppers Stop will now have a flagship store on Amazon.in where it will list its entire portfolio of over 400 across categories such as apparel, footwear, beauty and accessories.
This partnership will leverage Shoppers Stops brand assortment and Amazon.reach to create a superlative omni-channel retail experience for consumers across the country. The two companies will also conduct joint marketing efforts and mutually beneficial marketing and promotion activities, it added. Besides, Amazon experience centers will be created across the physical network of Shoppers Stop stores.
Commenting on the partnership, Shoppers Stop Customer Care Associate and MD Govind Shrikhande said: "Overall, this alliance with Amazon.in will give a significant fillip to the growth of our omni-channel business". Amazon Fashion Head Arun Sirdeshmukh said the partnership enables Amazon.in to further extend its "leadership on selection in fashion category and offer customers across India fast while it also enables Shoppers Stop to access Amazon.ins nationwide customer base and expand reach in new geographies.
PTI
Traders body CAIT today urged the government to take action action against e-commerce firms like Amazon and Flipkart, alleging they have flouted FDI norms for such players by undertaking retail trading activities. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) wrote to Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu in this regard, claiming that the companies were indulging in a "blatant violation" of the FDI (foreign direct investment) policy.
"Amazon has declared Great Indian Festival Sale from 21 September to 24 September, 2017 and Flipkart has conducted Big Billion Day Sale from 20-24 September 2017, Snapdeal has announced Unbox Diwali Sale from 20 to 25 September 2017, Jabong Sale from 20 to 24 September 2017, Myntra Sale from 20 to 24 September 2017, Shopclues has announced Maha Bharat Diwali Sale from 20 to 28 September 2017 which is a blatant violation of the guidelines issued by the DIPP," CAIT alleged.
In its complaint, CAIT said "the advertisements issued by them in past days amounts to soliciting retail customers at their portals and influencing the prices and creating an uneven level playing field". "Under FDI policy these companies can not undertake retail trading activities but these e-commerce portals being habitual offenders of (the) government policies are circumventing the law and engaged in B2C (business-to- commerce) activities which is prohibited for e-commerce marketplace portals," CAIT alleged in the complaint to Prabhu.
In its complaint, the traders body demanded that necessary immediate action should be taken against the firms for violation of FDI policy. "The Confederation of All India Traders has charged Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal etc for violation of FDI policy for e-commerce of the Government issued on 29 March, 2016 by Department of Industrial Promotion & Policy, Ministry of Commerce," the traders body said.
Myntra and Jabong declined to comment, while query sent to others did not elicit any immediate reply. According to CAIT, as per the FDI policy guidelines, ecommerce portals receiving foreign direct investment can conduct business activities for B2B (business-to-business) business and will not be allowed to undertake B2C (business- to-consumer) business activities. CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said that by inserting big advertisements in the media, the companies are attempting to address consumers directly which is a contravention of the FDI guidelines.
"They (e-commerce firms named) do not have ownership of the inventory of the products purported to be sold on their technology platform, how can they offer discounts or discounted prices on the products for which they are not the owners-questioned trade leaders," Khandelwal claimed.
tech2 News Staff
Little over a month after unveiling its Mi Home in Gurugram, Xiaomi India today announced the opening of another Mi Home, this time in Noida. The store will be thrown open on Monday, 25 September and will be Xiaomi's second in the Delhi-NCR region.
The company took to Twitter to announce the launch, which will be the Chinese phone maker's seventh Mi Home in India. Xiaomi has opened three Mi Homes in Bengaluru, one in Hyderabad, one in Chennai. The store will be opened at DLF Mall of India, located at Sector-18 of Noida.
Xiaomi has primarily been an online-exclusive brand but has lately aggressively stepped up its offline presence across India this year via its Mi Home stores, Mi Preferred Partner stores and Large Format Retailer partners.
The company's Vice President and Managing Director, Manu Kumar Jain also took to his personal Twitter channel to announce new festive offers that can be availed exclusively at Mi Home stores. The offers include discounts up to Rs 2,000 and the chance to win a Royal Enfield Classic motorcycle on purchases above Rs 5,000.
Win Royal Enfield Classic 350CC FREE! #MiHome: avail Diwali discounts upto 2K. Shop for >5K & get a chance to win 7 #RoyalEnfield pic.twitter.com/y4RJlZGqt8 Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) September 24, 2017
Previously, Jain had said, "Till last year, the offline numbers used to be less than 10 percent. It fell down to about 5 percent in the beginning of this year with the release of Redmi Note 4 because it was an online-exclusive model. We then started re-building our offline journey and for the first time, in July 2017, we crossed 20 percent."
The company has a current target of opening as many as a 100 new Mi Homes in the next two years.
Kabul: Five civilians were wounded when a car bomber attacked a Danish convoy belonging to the NATO-led international mission in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Sunday, security officials said.
Captain William Salvin, a spokesman for NATOs Resolute Support mission, confirmed an attack had occurred and said a team was on the scene to recover the vehicle.
"There are no Resolute Support casualties as a result of the explosion," Salvin he said in an emailed statement.
Afghan security officials said a car bomb had been used in the attack on the convoy.
Wellington: The leaders of New Zealands main parties prepared on Sunday to start talks with Winston Peters, the leader of a nationalist party who emerged as kingmaker after an inconclusive general election, but Peters indicated he was in no rush to pick a side.
Prime Minister Bill Englishs National Party won the largest number of votes in Saturdays general election, securing a comfortable margin over the Labour opposition after what had shaped as one of the closest votes in recent history.
But it was Peters and his often controversial New Zealand First Party who emerged in a position of power, with both National and Labour needing his support to form a government under New Zealands proportional representation system.
The National Party, which has been in power for a decade, secured 46 percent of the vote, while Labour had 35.8 percent and New Zealand First 7.5 percent. A final tally, including overseas votes, will be released on 7 October.
The results so far secured 58 seats for National in the 120-seat parliament and 45 for Labour. New Zealand First has nine seats and the Green Party has seven.
Labour and the Greens already have a working agreement, with Labour leader Jacinda Ardern potentially in a position to form a coalition government with 61 seats if she wins Peters support the bare minimum needed.
Peters, who has served in previous Labour and National governments, appeared to be in no hurry. He told reporters on Sunday he had not yet received any calls from National or Labour, and had not contacted them. In the past, he has backed the party that won the most votes.
He said he was discussing options with members of his own party first.
"Im doing it one-by-one by phone," Peters said.
Asked how long it might be before he made a decision, Peters said, "How long before I pick you up and throw you into the water over there?"
Labour not conceding
Ardern, a charismatic 37-year-old, revived her partys flagging fortunes after only taking over as leader in August but fell far short of what early opinion polls suggested could have been a stunning turnaround.
She said it would be hard to complete coalition talks until all votes were tallied. Speaking outside her home in Auckland on Sunday, she said her centre-left party would not concede until "we are sure that a stable government has been formed".
English said he would proceed with negotiations with New Zealand First.
"The shortest path to stable government is a two-party coalition between National and New Zealand First," English told a news conference.
Analysts saw English and his National Party as the clear favourites.
"I think its fairly obvious that it will be a National-New Zealand First government," said Grant Duncan, associate professor at Massey University.
National and Labour were both expected to maintain a policy of fiscal prudence if they form the next government, although they differ on monetary policy, trade and immigration.
That would likely have implications for the New Zealand dollar, the worlds 11th most-traded currency. The currency had tended to rise when National rose in the pre-election polls.
"Clearly when we open on Monday morning were at the moment no better off its either going to be Labour or National leading the country," Stuart Ive, a Wellington-based dealer at OM Financial, said on Sunday.
Washinton: In a show of American military might to North Korea, US bombers and fighter escorts flew on Saturday to the farthest point north of the border between North and South Korea by any such American aircraft this century. The Pentagon said the mission in international airspace showed how seriously President Donald Trump takes North Korea's "reckless behavior."
"This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat," defence department spokesman Dana White said in a statement.
"North Korea's weapons program is a grave threat to the Asia-Pacific region and the entire international community. We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies," White said.
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, has said Trump would "pay dearly" for threatening to "totally destroy" North Korea if the US was forced to defend itself or its allies against a North Korean attack. Kim's foreign minister told reporters that the North's response to Trump "could be the most powerful detonation of an H-bomb in the Pacific."
North Korea has said it intends to build a missile capable of striking all parts of the United States with a nuclear bomb. Trump has said he
won't allow it, although the US so far has not used military force to impede the North's progress.
The Pentagon said B-1B bombers from Guam, along with F-15C Eagle fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan, flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea on Saturday. The US characterised the flights as extending farther north of the Demilitarised Zone, than any US fighter or bomber had gone off the North Korean coast in the 21st century.
B-1 bombers are no longer part of the US nuclear force, but they are capable of dropping large numbers of conventional bombs.
US Pacific Command would not be more specific about many years it had been since US bombers and fighters had flown that far north of the DMZ, but a spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Dave Benham, noted that this century "encompasses the period North Korea has been testing ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons."
At the United Nations, North Korea's foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, said Saturday that his country's nuclear force is "to all intents and purposes, a war deterrent for putting an end to nuclear threat of US and for preventing its military invasion, and our ultimate goal is to establish the balance of power with the US."
He also said that Trump's depiction of Kim as "Rocket Man" makes "our rocket's visit to the entire US mainland inevitable all the more."
Trump on Friday had renewed his rhetorical offensive against Kim.
"Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn't mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never before!" the president tweeted.
Trump continued the heated exchange with the North Koreans Saturday night.
He tweeted: "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"
Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
On Thursday, Trump announced more economic sanctions against the impoverished and isolated country, targeting foreign companies that deal with the North.
"North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development is a grave threat to peace and security in our world and it is unacceptable that others financially support this criminal, rogue regime," Trump said as he joined Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a meeting in New York.
Hours later, Kim responded by saying Trump was "deranged."
In a speech last week at the United Nations, Trump had issued the warning of potential obliteration and mocked the North's young autocrat as a "Rocket Man" on a "suicide mission."
Trump's executive order expanded the treasury department's ability to target anyone conducting significant trade in goods, services or technology with North Korea, and to ban them from interacting with the US financial system.
Trump also said China was imposing major banking sanctions, too, but there was no immediate confirmation from the North's most important trading partner.
If enforced, the Chinese action Trump described could severely impede the isolated North's ability to raise money for its missile and nuclear development. China, responsible for about 90 percent of North Korea's trade, serves as the country's conduit to the international banking system.
Dhaka: The office of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikha Hasina on Sunday denied as "completely baseless" some media reports of a plot by her bodyguards to kill her last month.
However a senior minister said separately there had been an assassination conspiracy, without giving details.
The prime minister's office issued a statement condemning the allegations carried in some news outlets as "completely baseless, misleading and motivated".
Deputy press secretary Mohammad Ashraful Alam said the rumours of an assassination attempt on 24 August by officers of Hasina's special security force were fabricated and damaging to the country.
Bangladesh's state-run news agency issued an advisory Saturday asking subscribers not to use an earlier story apparently referring to the reports. Some other outlets published details of an alleged plot involving the bodyguards and an Islamist group.
Obaidul Quader, an influential minister and deputy leader of the ruling Awami League party, told reporters Sunday there had been a conspiracy between local and foreign groups to assassinate the prime minister but offered no details.
Hasina, seen as a moderate in religious affairs in the mainly Muslim nation, was targeted by an Islamist extremist group in 2004 when leader of the opposition. She survived a grenade attack at a political rally which killed 22 people.
Since coming to power, she has cracked down on religious extremists.
Rumours of another assassination attempt come as Hasina rallies international support at the United Nations in New York over the Rohingya refugee crisis unfolding on Bangladesh's border.
The UN said Sunday that 436,000 Rohingya fleeing ethnic violence in Myanmar had arrived in Bangladesh in the past month.
London: The exit of the UK from the European Union may give rise to "Euro-English" - a new language tailored to the cultures and needs of continental European societies, a study claims.
The term Euro-English best suits those continental Europeans whose speech is characterised by influences from standardised English as well as their native tongues, researchers said.
Researchers from Gavle University in Sweden argue that when the English leave the European Union (EU), 98 percent of the population will not have English as their native language, and the absence of native speakers will lead the language to develop against its own variant, "Euro-English".
"The departure of the British from the European Union will without doubt mark the beginning of a new era for the English language," said Marko Modiano, language researcher at Gavle University.
"Europeans who speak English already show signs of developing their own words and phrases and their own way of speaking," said Modiano. Researchers point out that with the British gone, nobody will be there to defend UK English for competition, not only from American English but also from other languages.
"Moreover, when dealing with spellings, Europeans may debate the pros and cons of the US and the UK spellings without being influenced by 'native speakers' of either variety, and it is conceivable that the US English spelling system may be deemed more utilitarian," researchers said.
Researchers also noted that the English grammar is changing. One example is the expansion of the '-ing' form in utterances such as 'I am coming from Spain', which, in standardised varieties of English would be 'I come from Spain'.
Researchers also argue that Euro English provide its users with a sense of identity and is used as a medium of communication within the community at large, is something both logical and welcome.
After Brexit, the number of native speakers of English within the EU will about five million. The study was published in the journal World Englishes.
Washington: President Donald Trump gave a stark warning Saturday that cast growing uncertainty over whether a nuclear deal clinched with Iran would survive after the Islamic republic tested a new medium-range missile.
State television carried footage of the launch of the Khoramshahr missile, which was first displayed at a high-profile military parade in Tehran on Friday.
It also carried in-flight video from the nose cone of the missile, which has a range of 2,000 kilometres and can carry multiple warheads.
"Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel.They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!" Trump tweeted.
Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel.They are also working with North Korea.Not much of an agreement we have! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
The test comes at the end of a heated week of diplomacy at the UN General Assembly in New York, where Trump again accused Iran of destabilising the West Asia, calling it a "rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos."
"As long as some speak in the language of threats, the strengthening of the country's defence capabilities will continue and Iran will not seek permission from any country for producing various kinds of missile," Defence Minister Amir Hatami said in a statement.
Previous Iranian missile launches have triggered US sanctions and accusations that they violate the spirit of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.
An "extremely concerned" French foreign ministry, warned the launch violated the United Nations Security Council resolution that endorsed the accord.
"France demands that Iran halt all destablising activities in the region and to respect all provisions of Resolution 2231, including the call to halt this type of ballistic activity," a statement read.
"France will consider ways, with its European and other partners, to get Iran to stop its destabilising ballistic activities."
Iran, which fought a war with neighboring Iraq in the 1980s, sees missiles as a legitimate and vital part of its defence particularly as regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel import huge amounts of military hardware from the West.
Trump has threatened to bin the nuclear agreement altogether, saying Iran is developing missiles that may be used to deliver a nuclear warhead when the deal's restrictions are lifted in 2025.
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman denounced the test as a "provocation" aimed at the United States and its allies, including the Jewish state.
European support
Trump is due to report to Congress on 15 October on whether Iran is still complying with the deal and whether it remains in US interests to stick by it.
If he decides that it is not, that could open the way for US lawmakers to reimpose sanctions, leading to the potential collapse of the agreement.
Trump said Wednesday he had made his decision but was not yet ready to reveal it.
The other signatories to the deal Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the European Union have all pushed for it to continue.
They point out that abandoning the agreement will remove restrictions on Iran immediately rather than in eight years' time and that the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly confirmed Tehran is meeting its commitments.
Iran says all of its missiles are designed to carry conventional warheads only and has limited their range to a maximum of 2,000 kilometres, although commanders say they have the technology to go further.
That makes them only medium-range but still sufficient to reach Israel or US bases in the Gulf.
"The ballistic missile which Iran fired is a provocation of the United States and its allies, including Israel," the Israeli defense minister said.
"It is also a means to test our reactions as well as new proof of Iran's ambition to become a world power in order to threaten the countries of the West Asia and democratic states around the world."
In addition to carrying out missile tests, Iran has also launched a space satellite and fired missiles at Islamic State group targets in eastern Syria in recent months.
Washington: US President Donald Trump has warned that the new ballistic missile "successfully" tested by Iran may be able to reach Israel.
Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel.They are also working with North Korea.Not much of an agreement we have! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
"Not much of an agreement we have!" the President added in his tweet, apparently alluding to the agreement signed in 2015 between Tehran and six international powers, including the US, on Iran's nuclear programme.
The president's remarks came after Iran tested its new ballistic missile, called Khorramshahr, with a range of 2,000 km, which was unveiled on Friday for the first time during a military parade in Tehran.
The missile was launched from an unknown location in Iran and a few hours after it was shown during the parade, the Iranian television channel Press TV released a video of the launch, on Saturday.
The Khorramshahr missile was paraded, despite warnings from the US against Iran's weapons program, in the presence of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and senior military leaders.
The nuclear agreement, signed in July 2015 by Iran and six major powers (US, Russia, China, France, UKm and Germany), ended 12 years of conflict over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
Berlin: Chancellor Angela Merkel clinched a fourth term in Germany's general election on Sunday, but her victory was clouded by the hard-right AfD party winning its first seats in parliament.
Merkel, who after 12 years in power held a double-digit lead for most of the campaign, scored around 33 percent of the vote with her conservative Christian Union (CDU/CSU) bloc, according to exit polls.
Its nearest rivals, the Social Democrats and their candidate Martin Schulz, came in a distant second, with about 20-21 percent.
But in a bombshell for the German establishment, the anti-Islam, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) captured around 13 percent, making it the country's third biggest political force.
The four-year-old party with links to the far-right French National Front and Britain's UKIP has been shunned by Germany's mainstream.
It is now headed for the Opposition benches of the Bundestag lower house, dramatically boosting its visibility and state financing.
Alarmed by the prospect of what foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel branded "real Nazis" entering the Bundestag for the first time since World War II, the candidates had used their final days of campaigning to implore voters to reject the populists.
"This Alternative for Germany is no alternative. They are a shame for our nation," former European Parliament chief Schulz told a rally in Berlin on Friday.
Germans elected a highly splintered parliament reflecting an electorate torn between a high degree of satisfaction with Merkel and a desire for change after more than a decade of her leadership.
Another three parties cleared the five-percent hurdle to representations: the liberal Free Democrats (around 10 percent), anti-capitalist Left and ecologist Greens (both at about nine percent).
As Merkel failed to secure a ruling majority on her own, the process of coalition building was shaping up to be a thorny, potentially months-long process.
'Watershed moment'
Merkel, 63, whose campaign events were regularly disrupted by jeering AfD supporters, said in her final stump speech in the southern city of Munich that "the future of Germany will definitely not be built with whistles and hollers".
Merkel, often called the most powerful woman on the global stage, ran on her record as a steady pair of hands in a turbulent world, warning voters not to indulge in "experiments".
Pundits said Merkel's reassuring message of stability and prosperity resonated in greying Germany, where more than half of the 61 million voters are aged 52 or older.
Her popularity had largely recovered from the influx since 2015 of more than one million mostly Muslim migrants and refugees, half of them from war-torn Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
But the AfD was able to capitalise on a wellspring of anger over the asylum issue during what was criticised as a largely lacklustre campaign bereft of real clashes among the main contenders.
While the likelihood of the AfD winning seats was clear for months, commentators called its strong showing a "watershed moment" in German post-war politics.
The party has made breaking taboos its trademark.
One of two AfD leading candidates, Alexander Gauland, has called for Germans to shed their guilt over two world wars and the Holocaust and to take pride in their veterans.
He has also suggested that Germany's integration commissioner Aydan Ozoguz, who has Turkish roots, should be "disposed of in Anatolia".
Law student Sabine Maier dismissed the AfD as "too extreme" as she voted in Berlin.
But she also criticised the media for lavishly covering the most outrageous comments by the upstart party.
"They aren't all fascists," she said.
'Sleeping-pill' politics
Meanwhile Schulz, 61, struggled to gain traction with his calls for a more socially just Germany at a time when the economy is humming and employment is at a record low.
The SPD also found it hard to shine after four years as the junior partner in Merkel's left-right "grand coalition", marked by broad agreement on major issues, from foreign policy to migration.
In the final stretch, the more outspoken Schulz told voters to reject Merkel's "sleeping-pill politics" and vote against "another four years of stagnation and lethargy".
The CDU and the SPD have signalled they aren't keen to continue their loveless marriage.
The SPD's catastrophic result may convince many rank-and-file members that the traditional working-class party would benefit from a stint in opposition to rekindle its fighting spirit.
This would leave Merkel in need of new coalition partners - possibly the pro-business Free Democrats, who staged a comeback after crashing out of parliament four years ago.
In theory they could join forces with the left-leaning Greens, who, however, starkly differ from the FDP on issues from climate change to migration policy.
Kalak: "For the sake of the sacrifices and blood of the martyrs, let's all say yes for Kurdistan independence," reads a large billboard in the centre of Kalak, a small town in Iraq's northern Kurdish region.
"Independence is not given, it's taken!" reads another banner hanging below a cluster of red, green, yellow and white Kurdish flags.
Iraq's Kurds are set to vote tomorrow in a referendum on support for independence that has stirred fears of instability across the region as the war against the Islamic State group winds down.
The Kurds are likely to approve the referendum, but the non-binding vote is not expected to result in any formal declaration of independence.
The United States and the United Nations have condemned the referendum. Turkey, which is battling its own Kurdish insurgency, has threatened to use military force to prevent the emergence of an independent Kurdish state, and Baghdad has warned it will respond militarily to any violence resulting from the vote.
Initial results from the poll are expected on Tuesday, with the official results announced later in the week.
Denied independence when colonial powers drew the map of the Middle East after World War I, the Kurds form a sizable minority in Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Iraq. They have long been at odds with the Baghdad government over the sharing of oil revenues and the fate of disputed territories like the city of Kirkuk, which are expected to take part in the vote.
"There are pressures on us to postpone, to engage in dialogue with Baghdad, but we will not go back to a failed experiment," Masoud Barzani, the Kurdish regional president, said to roars of applause at a rally of tens of thousands in Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish region, on Friday evening. But beneath the sea of flag-waving, the Kurdish region continues to be plagued by endemic corruption and economic decline.
Among the portraits on Kalak's main street is that of Amen Jadr Mahmoud's 18-year-old son, Gaylan, one of the more than 1,500 Kurdish fighters, known as the peshmerga, killed in the fight against the Islamic State group.
"His death was noble, he died fighting for Kurdistan," Mahmoud said.
But even Mahmoud, a die-hard nationalist who lost four other relatives to fighting with Iraqi government forces decades earlier, has misgivings about the Kurdish region's political leadership. "If we have a state then we will build institutions that will let us change the faces of the main parties," he said.
"Once we have a state we can get rid of them or at least prevent them from stealing so much."
The Kurds have been a close American ally for decades, and the first US airstrikes in the campaign against Islamic State were launched to protect Irbil. Kurdish forces later regrouped and played a major role in driving the extremists from much of northern Iraq, including Mosul, the country's second-largest city.
"The Kurdish contribution to the Islamic State fight, it can't be overstated," said US Army Col Charles Costanza, a commander at a coalition base just outside Irbil, using another acronym for the extremist group. "We couldn't have done Mosul without the Kurds."
But the US has long been opposed to Kurdish moves toward independence, fearing it could lead to the breakup of Iraq and bring even more instability to an already volatile Middle East.
Mahmoud and other Kurds who support independence view the international opposition as a betrayal.
"My son was fighting Daesh on behalf of the entire world," said Mahmoud, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. "And now the international community is ignoring us."
The Kurds' sense of sacrifice and betrayal is rooted in decades of war and oppression, in which they repeatedly rose up against the Baghdad government and were often brutally repressed.
During the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, the Kurds sided with Iran against Saddam Hussein, who punished them with a scorched-earth campaign involving chemical weapons that killed an estimated 50,000 people.
A no-fly zone imposed by the US in the early 1990s largely halted the killings and allowed the Kurds to develop de facto autonomy, which was formalised after the 2003 US-led invasion.
Meanwhile, AFP reported that Iran has blocked all flights to and from Iraq's Kurdistan at the request of Baghdad, a day before the autonomous region holds an independence referendum that Tehran opposes.
"At the request of the central government of Iraq, all flights from Iran to Sulaymaniyah and Arbil, as well as all flights through our airspace originating from the Kurdistan region, have been stopped," official news agency IRNA quoted the spokesman for the Supreme National Security Council, Keivan Khosravi, as saying.
London: Six people were injured in a suspected acid attack in London, according to the metropolitan police.
The police were called to Stratford Centre at 8 pm on Saturday following an "altercation" between two groups of males where a noxious substance was thrown, reports the BBC.
The injuries were "not life threatening or life changing", the London Ambulance Service said.
Out of the six injured, three were taken to a hospital.
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.
Those reported injured were believed to be in a number of different locations, sparking initial fears that people had been sprayed at random.
A metropolitan police official said: "I would like to be very clear concerning this incident.
"What initially may have been perceived as a number of random attacks has, on closer inspection, been found to be one incident involving two groups of males.
"This incident is not being treated as terror-related."
Yangon: Myanmar's army said on Sunday that a mass grave of 28 Hindus had been discovered in violence-wracked Rakhine state, blaming the killings on Muslim Rohingya militants.
The announcement could not be independently verified in an region that has been seized by communal violence since Rohingya militant raids on 25 August triggered a sweeping security crackdown.
"Security members found and dug up 28 dead bodies of Hindus who were cruelly violently and killed by ARSA extremist Bengali terrorists in Rakhine State," a statement posted on the army chief's website said.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) is the group whose attacks on police posts triggered an army backlash so brutal that the UN believes it amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority.
More than 430,000 Rohingya have fled the region to Bangladesh in under a month.
Some 30,000 Hindus and Buddhists based in the area have also been displaced, with some saying were terrorised by Rohingya militants.
The army said that security officers found 20 dead women and eight men in the graves, including six boys under the age of ten.
Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay confirmed the discovery of the 28 bodies on Sunday.
A senior police officer in northern Rakhine told AFP they had been "buried with 10-15 bodies in each hole."
The village where the army chief said the bodies were found, Ye Baw Kya, is near a cluster of Hindu and Muslim communities in northern Rakhine called Kha Maung Seik.
Hindus from the area have told AFP that militants swept into their villages on 25 August, attacking people who stood in their way, killing many and taking others away into the forest.
Pakistan received criticism from all quarters on Sunday after the country's envoy to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi allegedly showed 2014 Gaza war victim's photograph as an image of Indian atrocities at the UN General Assembly. Lodhi showed the photograph terming it as the face of "Indian democracy".
The envoy to United Nations was seen confidently raising a poster of an injured girl at the UNGA, slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of killing Muslim people in Gujarat and adding that no minority is safe, the Outlook reported.
#BREAKING - Pakistan envoy caught lying. Shows Gaza picture as Jammu and Kashmir's. pic.twitter.com/oUv7hziz4E News18 (@CNNnews18) September 24, 2017
Though Lodhi didn't categorically mention "pellet gun injury" in her response, however, she referred to Indian atrocities. The official Twitter handle of Pakistan office at United Nations said:
In her reply to Indian FM's speech in UNGA, Amb. Lodhi showed a pic of pellet gun injured women frm Kashmir saying this is the face of India pic.twitter.com/StuG3arPoN Pakistan Mission UN (@PakistanUN_NY) September 24, 2017
Interestingly, the image of the Gaza airstrike victim, Rawya abu Joma, was taken by Jerusalem-based award-winning photojournalist Heidi Levine when she was covering Gaza war for The National and was published as a collection by the Guardian in 2014.
Jom'a was one of the many young people who had been injured by shrapnel during an airstrike by Israeli forces.
According to News 18, the photo was also tweeted on 27 March, 2015, by Dr Ramy Abdu, whose bio on his verified Twitter account says he is the founder of Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor.
Rawya Abu Joma was wounded during the 2014 war in #Gaza. Credit: Heidi Levine # pic.twitter.com/WGCctdCZwS Dr. Ramy Abdu (@RamAbdu) March 27, 2015
However, Pakistan seems to have refused to accept the mistake. According to India Today, when Pakistan defence expert Qamar Cheema was questioned about the fraudulent incident, he said that even Israelis haven't been as brutal as Indians have been to Kashmiris.
On Saturday, Lodhi had also borrowed the standard lines of a section of Indian secularists who describe Modi and his government as "fascist" and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath as a "fanatic".
Terming India as the "mother of terrorism" in South Asia, Lodhi had accused India of sponsoring terrorism in various parts of Pakistan. Lodhi alleged that "in her vitriol she (External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj) deliberately ignored the core issue" of Kashmir while exercising its right of reply to Swaraj.
In her address the same day, Swaraj had termed Pakistan as the "world's greatest exporter of havoc, death and inhumanity" and accused Islamabad of being "only engaged in fighting us (India)" and rejecting peace and dialogue.
Speaking at the high-level session of the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Swaraj also accused Pakistan's leadership of spurning the hand of friendship, choosing instead to fight and sponsor terrorism, IANS reported.
It was a speech marked by fiery remarks, responding the unusually virulent attacks by Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday.
Lodhi, who is quite active on social media, including on Twitter, was silent after it emerged that she posed with a fake picture the UN General Assembly.
The Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN also did not immediately respond to a PTI query on Lodhi's apparent use of such a picture.
This, however, wasn't Lodhi's first brush with controversy. According to The Times of India, in February, Lodhi had deleted a congratulatory tweet about Oscar winner Muslim actor Mahershala Ali after being criticised for promoting an Ahmadi, considered to be non-Muslims in Pakistan.
The 43-year-old actor had won the Oscar for his portrayal of a drug dealer in coming-of-age drama "Moonlight", becoming the first Muslim actor ever to win the prestigious award.
With inputs from agencies
Dhaka: Bangladesh has banned telecommunication companies from selling mobile phone connections to Rohingya refugees, citing security concerns for the latest restrictions, officials said Sunday.
Bangladesh's four mobile phone providers were threatened with fines if they provide any of the nearly 430,000 newly arrived refugees from Myanmar with phone plans while the ban is in force.
"For the time being, they (Rohingya) can't buy any SIM cards," Enayet Hossain, a senior officer at the telecoms ministry, told AFP on Sunday.
The decision on Saturday to impose a communication blackout on the stateless Muslim minority was justified for security reasons, said junior telecoms minister Tarana Halim.
Bangladesh already prohibits the sale of SIM cards to its own citizens who cannot provide an official identity card, in a bid to frustrate the organisational capacity of homegrown militants.
"We took the step (of welcoming the Rohingya) on humanitarian grounds but at the same time our own security should not be compromised," Halim said, without elaborating on what specific risk the Rohingya posed.
Bangladesh's telecoms authority said the ban could be lifted once biometric identity cards are issued to the newly arrived refugees, a process the army says could take six months.
It is just the latest restriction imposed on the Rohingya who have fled in huge numbers from violence in neighbouring Rakhine State into squalid camps in Bangladesh's southernmost Cox's Bazar district in the past four weeks.
The nearly 430,000 refugees have been herded by the military into a handful of overstretched camps near the border, where tens of thousands live in the open without shelter.
Many have been evicted from squatting in forest and farmlands by police and soldiers, who have been ordered to keep the Rohingya from seeking shelter in major cities and nearby towns.
Roadblocks have been erected along major routes from the camp zones, where a dire shortage of food, water, shelter and toilets is creating what aid groups describe as a humanitarian crisis.
Some 5,100 have already been stopped at these checkpoints and returned to the designated camps, police said.
"We have set up 11 check posts across the Cox's Bazar highway to stop the Rohingya refugees from spreading further toward the interior," Cox's Bazar police chief Iqbal Hossain told reporters.
New Delhi: India will on Monday dispatch around 900 tonnes of relief material for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh which is being loaded on to Indian Naval Ship Gharial at Kakinada port in Andhra Pradesh.
Naval officials said the relief material sufficient for around 62,000 displaced families will on 28 September reach Chittagong in Bangladesh, where thousands of Rohinya refugees have fled from Myanmar.
The material is packaged in customised family packets, containing essential items like ration, clothes, and mosquito nets. By Sunday afternoon, approximately 21,000 units had been loaded.
India sent relief material earlier this month also to Bangladesh by an Indian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft to address the humanitarian crisis emanating from large-scale migration of Rohingya Muslims.
According to the UN, almost 4,30,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar and crossed to Bangladesh since 25 August.
Cox's Bazar: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said Sunday that the exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar to Bangladesh is "the most urgent refugee emergency in the world."
Filippo Grandi told reporters in the Bangladeshi town of Cox's Bazar that the needs of the more than 4,30,000 people who have fled terrible violence in Myanmar over the last month are enormous and that the international community must step up financial and material aid to Bangladesh if the South Asian nation is to be able to help the refugees.
The latest round of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state erupted when a Rohingya insurgent group launched deadly attacks on security posts 25 August, prompting Myanmar's military to launch "clearance operations" to root out the rebels.
Those fleeing have described indiscriminate attacks by security forces and Buddhist mobs. The government has blamed the Rohingya, saying they set fire to their own homes, but has provided no proof.
The UN and others have described the violence as ethnic cleansing.
Rohingya have faced persecution and discrimination in majority-Buddhist Myanmar for decades and are denied citizenship, even though many families have lived there for generations.
The government says that there is no such ethnicity as Rohingya and that they are Bengalis who illegally migrated to Myanmar from Bangladesh.
Grandi toured the massive refugee camps that have sprung up to accommodate the new refugees. Cox's Bazar also has a large Rohingya camp that has housed Rohingya fleeing persecution over the decades. Another 3,00,000 older refugees make their home in these camps.
"This has been since the 25th of August the fastest and most urgent refugee emergency in the world," Grandi said.
"I was struck by the incredible magnitude of their needs. They need everything. They need food, they need clean water, they need shelter, they need proper health care," he said.
Grandi said he was thankful that Bangladesh's government had kept its borders open for the terrified Rohingya "in a world that has often turned hostile to refugees."
He said that the Rohingya need a long-term solution beyond helping ease their immediate suffering and added that "just like the causes of the influx are in Myanmar, clearly the solution is in Myanmar as well."
He said that Myanmar must end the violence that has caused such a vast number of people to flee their homes and to grant human rights organizations like his access to areas where the violence had taken place.
He said that while UNHCR and the World Food Program have a presence in Rakhine, "our movement is still restricted. This has to be restored so that we can help those who have not come over."
"The information that we have is very patchy," Grandi said. "But we know that there are people on the other side and under pressure and we know that there are people who are displaced internally in northern Rakhine."
Last week, Myanmar's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, said in a televised national address that the worst of the violence in Rakhine state was over. She said that the "great majority" of Muslims within the conflict zone stayed and that "more than 50 percent of their villages were intact."
However, Amnesty International said in a statement Friday that new satellite images and videos showed smoke rising from Rohingya Muslim villages in Rakhine. The London-based group said its sources in Rakhine claim the fires were started by members of the Myanmar security forces and vigilante mobs.
An attempt on Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasinas life, inspired by the way Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own bodyguards, was foiled four weeks ago by her loyalists and top counter-terrorism officers in Dhaka.
Intercepts suggested that six to seven personnel of the Special Security Force (SSF), which guards the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, were preparing to attack Hasina on 24 August. Their plan was to attack her as soon as she would step out of her office for an evening stroll.
Four independent sources, including two in Dhaka and two in the external intelligence apparatus of India dealing with Bangladesh, confirmed the development.
A top official in Bangladeshs National Security Intelligence told News18 that the attack was being coordinated with Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militants. According to the plan, JMB jihadis were supposed to trigger a series of explosions around Hasinas office to divert the attention of the other security guards, and to provide an escape route to the assassins.
The plan was modelled on the assassination of Indira. It was supposed to be an inside job performed by recalcitrant bodyguards with the outside support from jihadis, another top intelligence official working closely with Bangladesh PMO told News 18.
JMB, an internationally recognized terror group, has taken responsibility for many bomb blasts in Bangladesh and aims to replace democratically-elected government with Islamic State. The plan was foiled after a joint team of Indian and Bangladeshi intelligence officers intercepted the communication between JMB militants and the rogue SSF guards.
As soon as the conversation around the conspiracy was intercepted, Hasina was advised to stay put at a location outside her office in Dhaka, where she had gone for a personal meeting.
Following this, her loyal guards formed an inner ring around her. The rogue men were nabbed right after this, paving the way for Hasina to return safely to her office.
The whole operation was discreet. We wanted to catch every last person involved in this, a top official in Dhaka said. According to sources, the suspects are still being interrogated by Bangladeshi authorities.
News18s request for comment from Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka through the Bangladeshi High Commission in Delhi didnt elicit any response.
A spokesperson of the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi said the issue pertains to Bangladesh and declined to comment further.
This is said to be the eleventh assassination attempt on Hasina since she took charge in January 2009. Indira was assassinated by two members of her security detail on 31 October, 1984 as she walked from her residence to office in New Delhi.
In the attempt on Hasinas life, Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is suspected to be among the main conspirators of the attack. It all began when ISIs Brigadier Ashfaq, in-charge of eastern operations, met a top opposition leader from Bangladesh in London two months ago, said one of the intelligence officials in Dhaka.
The Bangladeshi intelligence is closely monitoring two major general-level officers of SSF, who also met the same opposition leader in London. According to the sources, these SSF officials made a phone call to a top officer in the ISIs Operations Directorate, which suggested finalisation of a plan to create large-scale disorder in Bangladesh.
Indian and Bangladeshi intelligence agencies had earlier intercepted communications between ISIs Brigadier Ashfaq and Hafiz Tohar, chief of the military wing of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a group that is sai to be carrying out attacks in the interests of the Rohingya refugees.
In these tapes, Ashfaq is heard asking Tohar to mount multiple attacks on Burmese security forces right after former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan had presented the Rakhine Commission report to Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar president Htin Kyaw on 24 August.
Myanmar news agency Mizzima, in a report, published the content of the two calls from Ashfaq to Tohar and one from Islamic State spokesman Al Amin to Tohar on 23 and 24 August. According to intelligence officers in Dhaka, ISI was working on a pincer plan to create unrest in the Bangladesh-Myanmar border region by assassinating Hasina.
A red alert has been issued across Bangladesh to guard against possible attempts to trigger communal violence, particularly in south-east Bangladesh where thousands of Rohingya refugees are living in temporary camps.
Subir Bhaumik, a former BBC journalist, is contributor at CNN-News18
Beirut: Russian air strikes have killed 45 members of a rebel group in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said on Sunday.
It was unclear why the strikes, which took place on Saturday, targeted members of the Faylaq al-Sham rebel group, which has taken part in peace talks supervised by Moscow in the Kazakh capital Astana.
The strikes hit the group in the province of Idlib, which is part of a so-called "de-confliction" zone agreed in a deal between Syrian regime allies Russia and Iran, and rebel backer Turkey.
The Observatory initially reported a lower toll, but said the figure had risen as bodies were recovered after the strike on one of the rebel group's headquarters on the outskirts of the village of Tal Mardikh.
Faylaq al-Sham is an Islamist rebel group considered close to the Muslim Brotherhood movement.
It has fought against the former Al-Qaeda affiliate that now effectively controls nearly all of Idlib after chasing its former rebel allies from their positions in fighting this summer.
A spokesman for Faylaq al-Sham confirmed the group's headquarters had been targeted, despite their participation in the last round of talks in Astana.
"Our participation in Astana does not in any way mean that Russia is a friendly or neutral country," Idriss al-Raed told AFP.
"The Russian bombing is not surprising, since its policy since its intervention in Syria is based on criminality and killing," he added.
Russia began an intervention in Syria in support of ally President Bashar al-Assad in 2015, and has helped the regime win back large parts of the country.
Moscow also helped broker a deal for four truce zones, one of which includes Idlib province, in an agreement with Iran and Turkey inked in May.
The deal excludes jihadists, but is intended to otherwise halt fighting in the agreed areas.
The three other zones are around the capital Damascus, in southern Syria and in the centre of the country.
More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
London: A Bangladeshi-origin businessman from Wales has been arrested in Spain over his alleged involvement in a worldwide Islamic State weapons programme unearthed by the UK media.
Ataul Haque is believed to be linked to a network of front companies, run from an office in Cardiff, which are accused of financing attacks in the US and shipping military- grade equipment for Islamic State around the world, the Sunday Times reported.
Spanish police allege that the 34-year-old was involved in "one of the most secretive and sophisticated" branches of the terrorist organisation and that it aimed to create weaponised drones.
Balaclava-clad police with assault rifles raided Haque's home in Merida, southwest Spain, on Friday morning. He later appeared before an investigating judge at the national criminal court in Madrid.
The arrest follows a Sunday Times investigation last month into a network of companies in south Wales set up by Haque's brother, Siful Sujan, who later travelled to Syria to become a senior figure in the Islamic State weapons development programme and was killed, aged 31, by an American drone strike in 2015.
Sujan and Haque were directors of Ibacstel Electronics, which operated from a business park in Cardiff.
In 2015, the company was used to send USD 7,700 in cash to an Islamic State supporter in the US state of Maryland for "causing destruction or conducting a terrorist attack in the United States," according to US court papers, based on FBI evidence.
Haque, who once lived in Pontypridd, moved to Spain in August 2015 with his Spanish-born wife, Ana Gonzalez, 34, a Muslim convert.
MEXICO CITY: A magnitude 6.2 earthquake that shook Mexico on Saturday was blamed for five deaths, spreading fear among a population reeling from multiple natural disasters and interrupting the search for survivors from a bigger tremor earlier this week.
South of Mexico City, the Popocatepetl volcano sent a column of ash into the sky, capping a period of seismic activity including two powerful tremors this month that have killed more than 400 people and caused damages of up to $8 billion.
Mexicos capital was shattered by Tuesdays magnitude 7.1 quake that flattened dozens of buildings and killed at least 307 people. The governments response to the disaster is under close scrutiny ahead of a presidential election next year.
Although the latest quake was not as destructive, fear is running high among the population. Terrified residents crouched and prayed when the alarms went off and two women died of heart attacks as the ground shook, the city government said.
Concern that the quake could cause further collapses paralysed rescue efforts at a housing complex in the Tlalpan neighborhood of Mexico City, frustrating first responders who earlier believed people were alive under the rubble.
By the evening, hard-hatted first responders were again digging for bodies or survivors. Elsewhere, the work barely skipped a beat when earthquake alarms twice rang out across the streets of the city.
The United States Geological Survey said the latest quake was relatively shallow with an epicentre near Juchitan, a tropical region of Oaxaca state hard hit by a massive 8.1 magnitude tremor that struck on 7 September.
Three people died during Saturdays tremor in Oaxaca, including a man who was attacked by a swarm of wild bees, authorities said.
Mexicos seismological authorities said Saturdays quake was an aftershock of that tremor, which was the strongest to hit the country in 85 years and killed at least 98 people.
The Popocatepetl volcano, which is visible on a clear day to the approximately 20 million people that live in the Mexico City metropolitan region, spewed vapour and ash-filled gas after two small eruptions on Saturday.
The market has been pretty volatile lately, which can start to fray investors' nerves. One way to avoid focusing too much on the stomach-churning gyrations inherent to stock prices is to focus instead on collecting dividend checks from high-yield stocks. Right now, you can get generous 3% and higher dividend yields from some iconic companies, including ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), and General Mills (NYSE: GIS). Here's a primer on these giant dividend-paying stocks.
1. The energy giant
Exxon is a $340 billion market-cap oil and natural gas company with diversified operations that span from the drill bit through to the processing plant and eventually to the gas pump. It has a 36-year history of increasing its dividend annually, a record its closest peers simply can't match. And it currently offers a 4.1% yield, roughly twice what you could get from an S&P 500 index fund.
Better yet, the company has a long history of being run conservatively and for the long term. For example, even during the worst of the oil downturn that started in mid-2014, long-term debt only rose to around 15% of the capital structure. Long-term debt is an incredibly modest 10% or so of the capital structure today. And the company is currently working on a drilling and expansion program that will take it through 2025, but has specifically stated that it is only interested in profitable investments and not growth for the sake of growth.
That's left Exxon a little out of step with peers, notably on the production front. Production fell in 2016, 2017, and through the first nine months of 2018. However, there was a notable shift between the second and third quarters, with production sequentially higher as investments in onshore U.S. oil production started to play out. That's just one of the projects that Exxon is counting on to double earnings by 2025. Getting to that point won't be a smooth ride, but the oil giant's results are starting to show that it is delivering on its promises.
2. Shifting gears has been paying off
Procter & Gamble, with its $230 billion market cap, is a consumer products giant whose diverse portfolio of brands include such well-known names as Bounty, Crest, Gillett, Pampers, and Always. It has increased its dividend each and every year for an astounding 62 years. The stock currently yields 3.1% -- the lowest of this trio of stocks, but still well more than the market is offering.
As a result of the shift in consumer buying habits toward brands viewed as natural and healthy, Procter & Gamble has taken an aggressive approach by selling off noncore brands and focusing on its best assets. It has been introducing new versions of old brands that are on target with current consumer desires, and it's been updating its image and messaging to better reach consumers both online and offline.
There have been some ups and downs in the process, but recent results show that Procter & Gamble is successfully shifting gears -- which it has done many times before in its over 100-year history. For example, companywide organic sales were up 4% in the fiscal first quarter. Particular strength came from its beauty business (whose organic sales were up 7%), where management has been highly focused on upgrading products and branding. That said, the company is still in transition mode, so fiscal 2019 probably won't be an incredible year. But adding a defensive stock with a generous yield -- from a company whose products we use every day -- is a solid decision especially when markets are volatile.
3. Going to the dogs
Last up is General Mills, which has a $24 billion market cap and owns brands like Cheerios, Yoplait, and Betty Crocker. The company traces its history back to 1866. Though it has only boosted its dividend every year for 14 years, it has paid dividends every year for over 100 years. The current yield is a very generous 4.5%.
Like Procter & Gamble, General Mills is dealing with shifting customer tastes. In response, it has been reworking old brands and revitalizing its portfolio via acquisitions like Annie's and Larabar. It has made notable progress, with market-share gains in eight of its nine core categories in the fiscal first quarter of 2019. By comparison, it only notched share gains in two categories in fiscal 2017. Sales were basically flat year over year in the first quarter, so General Mills still has more work to do. But winning more market share shows that it's taking the right steps.
The problem is that a recent move into the pet-food space has investors spooked, and with good reason. The roughly $8 billion deal to buy Blue Buffalo, a high-end, healthy pet-food maker, has increased leverage (long-term debt makes up a heavy 67% of the capital structure) and will lead to a pause in dividend increases over the next few years. However, this business has been growing faster than the rest of General Mills and holding the line on the dividend will allow management to focus on paying down debt.
This is the riskiest of the three high-yield stocks here, but if you can stomach some uncertainty while General Mills absorbs Blue Buffalo, it could be worth the trouble. In fact, the yield today is higher than it was during the deep 2007-2009 recession.
Three 3%-plus yields worth a deep dive today
Unless you live under a rock, you've heard of Exxon, Procter & Gamble, and General Mills and you may even use some of their products. That doesn't make them worth buying, but when you look at their robust dividend yields, long histories of returning cash to investors, and the businesses that support the payouts today, you might find that one of these three companies fits nicely in your dividend portfolio.
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Reuben Gregg Brewer owns shares of ExxonMobil, General Mills, and Procter & Gamble. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
By coincidence, General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE), and United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) are both under significant pressure to undertake far-reaching strategic restructurings. Let's take a look at what's going on, and how these changes might affect the investment proposition for each stock.
General Electric needs to restore confidence
As you can see in the chart above, both stocks have been somewhat disappointing so far this year. General Electric's weak performance has forced management to lower earnings expectations, and question marks have been raised about the quality of GE's earnings.
Clearly, new CEO John Flannery has a job to do to restore confidence in the company's strategic direction and its ability to hit earnings guidance. The latter issue could begin to be resolved by Flannery formally abandoning the target of $2 EPS by 2018 -- a figure analysts don't think GE will hit. In a nutshell, GE needs to learn a lesson from what Honeywell International's management did following its disappointing earnings in 2016.
Turning to strategic considerations, Flannery has promised investors a comprehensive, no-holds-barred review of GE's portfolio. There are reasons to believe that restructuring -- perhaps with a sale or spinoff of a significant business -- would enhance value for shareholders. Of the big four segments, healthcare is the most likely candidate.
Power is a core GE business, and management is busy integrating Alstom's energy assets, and driving earnings growth by cutting production costs on the H-class gas turbine. Aviation is also a core business, and cutting production costs on the cutting-edge LEAP turbofan engine, which it's building through its CFM joint venture, will be key earnings driver in the coming years. Meanwhile, the recently closed purchase of Baker-Hughes, which made GE the No. 2 oilfield service provider in the world, suggests management sees oil and gas as an integral part of the company's future.
However, selling or spinning off healthcare -- Flannery was formerly the CEO of GE Healthcare -- makes sense for a number of reasons. There is arguably very little cross-fertilization of ideas and technology between healthcare and the other segments, in contrast to how oil and gas, power, aviation, and transportation might, for example, trade insights on turbines and engines. Moreover, a separation would create two companies with differing end-market dynamics and cash-flow-generation properties. This would arguably lead investors to value them higher separately. For similar reasons, GE rival Siemens is on track to separate its healthcare unit from its energy and industrial businesses.
In short, a sale or spinoff of GE Healthcare could revitalize confidence in the business, and firmly focus GE on becoming the kind of digital industrial company that recently departed CEO Jeff Immelt dreamed of creating.
United Technologies has a lot on its plate
The stock price chart tells you a lot about United Technologies in 2017. In general, it has been a year of quiet execution on the company's long-term strategic plans. Its Otis Elevator subsidiary is growing unit orders in China, and there has been some relative improvement in pricing conditions. At Pratt & Whitney, the geared turbofan (GTF) production schedule remains on track even as the company still has technical issues to fully iron out. Meanwhile, UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS) is offsetting weak original equipment sales on legacy aircraft with strong aftermarket sales, and the climate, controls and security (CCS) segment is growing organic equipment sales strongly again -- they were up 11% in the second quarter.
In short, the company is broadly on track with its long-term plans, but investors have taken a dim view of its intended $30 billion acquisition of aviation equipment supplier Rockwell Collins. It's a major bet on aerospace, and the combined company will offer a wide range of products from avionics, flight controls, and aircraft interiors (Rockwell Collins) to mechanically actuated systems, aero-structures, landing gear, and aircraft engines (United Technologies).
The question is whether United Technologies is biting off more than it can chew with the acquisition. Bearing in mind the ongoing need for execution at Otis, UTAS, and CCS, management has a lot on its hands. Moreover, Rockwell Collins itself has a newly acquired business, BE Aerospace (aircraft seating and cabin equipment) to integrate as well.
Moreover, a quick look at United Technologies' overall valuation versus its peers suggests there is an opportunity for management to release value. For example, KONE competes with Otis, Ingersoll-Rand competes with CCS, and Spirit AeroSystems is a major aerospace equipment supplier. All three trade at higher valuations than United Technologies, while Honeywell's continues to command a premium relative to its rival.
In the press release announcing the Rockwell deal, United Technologies CEO Greg Hayes conveyed a willingness to take restructuring actions: "Once we have completed the integration of Rockwell Collins and made progress toward reducing leverage back to historical levels, we will have an opportunity to explore a full range of strategic options for UTC."
Looking ahead
All told, both stocks have upside opportunities, but there is a key difference. There are reasons to like GE, but in my opinion, it's not worth buying until the conclusions of Flannery's review are released and investors fully understand the direction he wants to take. Any failure to take decisive action could weigh on the stock.
The difference with United Technologies is the stock looks a good value with or without significant restructuring. Before the Rockwell Collins deal was announced United Technologies looked undervalued compared to its peers, and management thought so too.
The case for buying the stock rests on the idea that the company is going through a couple of years of transition while it's positioning itself to generate long-term earnings and cash flow from the GTF/Otis elevator servicing in China/new aircraft programs--something the addition of Rockwell Collins will help out with. In other words, United Technologies can release value for shareholders with the successfull execution of its existing plans as well as by engaging portfolio restructuring.
10 stocks we like better than General ElectricWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*
David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and General Electric wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.
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*Stock Advisor returns as of September 5, 2017
Lee Samaha owns shares of United Technologies. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
There are few psychological forces more powerful than hedonic adaptation. As former Fool Morgan Housel once described this phenomenon: "What we always dreamed of becomes nothing more than normal life once we achieve it."
This helps explain why winning the lottery only produces a short-term happiness bump, and becoming a paraplegic doesn't mean lifelong misery. In the world of personal finance, the implications here are enormous.
But what if we found something -- anything -- that could provide lasting benefits for your happiness? Could such a thing exist? According to a 2015 paper from researchers at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), there is such a thing: retirement.
A little background
In an earlier piece I wrote here at The Motley Fool, I argued that our two standard approaches to motivating readers to save for retirement don't really work:
The goal, I argued, should be to simply show non-retirees what retirees feel like once they've exited the mandatory-work world. The results, according to a study from Age Wave and Merrill Lynch, spoke volumes.
But believe it or not, that's not actually the "amazing" retirement chart I want you to see.
More powerful than originally thought
After publishing the aforementioned chart the first time, I heard from a number of folks who thought the sudden surge in free time and leisure in retirement was often a boom in the short term but didn't lead to any meaningful changes in happiness over the long run.
That's where our friends at the NBER come in. They noticed a glaring problem with current research -- which often finds retirement to be a time of loneliness and isolation: "Retirement decisions are endogenous," NBER says. "Individuals who experience negative shocks to health or life satisfaction disproportionately self-select into retirement."
In other words, retirement doesn't cause unhappiness. It's the escape mechanism for the already unhappy.
Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), and accounting for this self-selecting bias, the authors found that retirement "has a much larger impact on life satisfaction" than previously found. Specifically, those who complete the HRS were asked to rate their agreement with the following three statements, from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree):
In most ways, my life is close to ideal.
The conditions of my life are excellent.
I am satisfied with my life.
Here's the chart that's so important. To understand what it means, you need to know what you're looking at: regression analysis.
If you have a score of 1.0, it means that one variable -- here, how long you've been retired -- explains 100% of the variability in how people respond to the three questions. A score of zero means the two have absolutely nothing to do with one another. Importantly, all of the scores I'm showing you are statistically significant at the most rigorous standards.
What does this mean? It means the happiness you experience upon retirement doesn't diminish -- it actually increases!
Thus, you don't hedonically adapt to the freedom of time you experience. And that's no small deal. It helps explain why I've long believed we should stop encouraging folks to save for retirement and instead focus on financial independence -- which you can reach as early as your 30s. It's like showing people how great it feels to exercise, instead of just trying to stop them from being obese: They are pulled, instead of pushed, into the more immediate rewards.
I hope this serves as an impetus to prioritize your own retirement and financial independence savings. Scientific studies show that the freedom that comes with being retired and financially independent makes you increasingly happy over time.
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Swiss voters have decided against increasing the retirement age for women by a year to 65.
Swiss broadcaster SRF reported Sunday that voters rejected in a referendum a retirement reform package raising women's retirement age to equal that of Swiss men, which is already at 65.
The Swiss package that was turned down also included proposals to raise the VAT to 8.3 percent to help support the country's pension system and raising the amount of money taken from salaries for pensions.
Swiss voters often vote in referendums as part of their direct democracy political system.
President Donald Trump is promising "the largest tax cut in the history of our country" that will slash rates for the middle class and corporations to spark economic growth and jobs.
Trump said Sunday his "primary focus" is the tax overhaul rather than last-ditch efforts to bring a repeal of the Obama health care program. The health care legislation brought forward by Republicans teetered near failure over the weekend, though said "eventually we will win on that."
Trump said the tax plan that the White House and congressional Republicans have been working on for months, for the first major overhaul of the tax system in three decades, is "totally finalized." He was speaking on the tarmac at the Morristown Municipal Airport.
Trump's details weren't firm. He said "I hope" the top corporate tax rate will be cut to 15 percent from the current 35 percent. House Speaker Paul Ryan has said a 15 percent rate is impractically low, with a rate somewhere in the low- to mid-20 percent range more viable to avoid blowing out the deficit.
The rate is "going to be substantially lower so we bring jobs back into our country," Trump said.
Trump also said "We think we're going to bring the individual rate to 10 percent or 12 percent, much lower than it is right now." He did not say whether the tax rate for the wealthiest Americans, now at 39.6 percent would be cut, as some Republicans have advocated.
"This is a plan for the middle class and for companies, so they can bring back jobs," he said.
The plan also is expected to reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to three.
Trump spoke as House Republicans on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee huddled behind closed doors to discuss the plan. They have promised to reveal an outline and possible details of the plan later this week, after all Republican lawmakers in the House get a chance to discuss it and put questions to the chief architects, including Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, who heads the Ways and Means panel.
"We'll let the White House determine the timetable" of releasing the plan, Brady said following the meeting. He added it will "definitely" occur this week.
Republicans have been split on some core issues. They are divided over whether to add to the nation's soaring $20 trillion debt with tax cuts. The GOP also is at odds over eliminating the federal deduction for state and local taxes.
Republican senators on opposing sides of the deficit debate have tentatively agreed on a plan for $1.5 trillion in tax cuts. That would add substantially to the debt and would enable deeper cuts to tax rates than would be allowed if Republicans followed through on earlier promises that their tax overhaul wouldn't add to the budget deficit. That would mark an about-face for top congressional Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Ryan, who had for months promised it wouldn't add to the deficit.
Earlier Sunday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a television interview the plan "creates a middle-income tax cut, it makes businesses competitive and it creates jobs." He added that there are changes, too, for the "high end," including "getting rid of lots of deductions." He did not offer specifics.
__
Gordon reported from Washington, D.C.
As craft beer's growth slows, sales of wine and spirits are taking off, but the fastest-growing alcoholic beverage in the U.S. today is one you've probably never heard of.
Nectar of the gods
Mead is the oldest fermented beverage on earth, predating all other alcoholic beverages, even beer, with cave drawings of Paleolithic man enjoying the fruits of the beehive. And unlike many other beverages, mead has been drunk by people of all cultures around the world and across time, from ancient Egypt and Greece, through Mesopotamia, India, and Africa.
It's mentioned extensively in the Nordic tale Beowulf and arguably had its greatest period of proliferation in medieval Europe, explaining why, if anyone has stumbled across mead, it's probably been at a Renaissance festival.
But today there is a resurgence in mead making and appreciation for the drink known as "the nectar of the gods," and the growth in the number of meaderies producing this ancient drink is outstripping all other alcoholic beverages.
Between 2013 and 2016, the number of wineries in operation grew 11%; distilleries grew 71%; and craft breweries grew 80%. But during that same period, the number of meaderies in operation more than doubled. Of course, the base from which meaderies started is minuscule, so in comparison with the number of larger, more well-known alcoholic beverages, mead's presence is still inconsequential, with fewer than 500 meaderies.
A bee-friendly beverage
So what is mead? At its most basic, it's perhaps easiest to describe it as a wine, though instead of using grapes to ferment and create alcohol, it relies on honey. So although many call it a honey wine, it is really its own beverage, and today mead is so much more than what you'll find at a ren faire. Whether a traditional mead consisting of little more than honey, water, and yeast; a spiced mead, called a metheglin; or a fruit-infused mead, known as a melomel; and whether it's still or carbonated, there are a variety of flavor profiles for every palette.
As practiced by the biggest meaderies and best mazers (what the people who make mead are called), it can easily challenge the finest wines in flavor and delicacy. But for the growing legions of mead fans, it simply is a really tasty beverage to drink.
Part of the reason mead is relatively unknown today is that the craft largely died out as using grains to make alcohol proved to be cheaper. And honey is still comparatively expensive today, which is why mead often carries a premium or even super-premium price tag, though it is gaining ground once more as more meaderies open and more people discover it, whether at a ren faire, a mead hall, or a local tasting room.
At a regulatory disadvantage
I recently spoke with the executive director of the American Mead Makers Association, Vicky Rowe, who explained the explosive growth in mead making. She said the association is seeing a new meadery open at an average of one every three days. Today there are 412 meaderies in operation in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Dozens more are in the process of opening.
Production numbers are hard to come by, however, because the government's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau lumps mead production in with wine, and while the AMMA surveys its members on their numbers, there are really only a dozen or so good-sized meaderies in operation, with the vast majority being artisan in nature.
Regulatory hurdles are another problem. As one example, a type of mead known as a braggot is made using both honey and malt, which causes regulators to classify it as a beer, meaning a meadery can't make it without first having to jump through hoops, such as also possessing a brewer's license, and designating a portion of their facilities as a brewery when they're making it. Rowe believes that taxing a beverage based on its ingredients is silly, and the AMMA is working to have mead classified as its own unique alcoholic beverage for tax purposes.
It's a similar situation at the state level, where, because regulators are unfamiliar with the drink, it takes special lobbying efforts to open a production facility. New Jersey, for example, got its first and only meadery three years ago, after Melovino Meadery waged a campaign to persuade regulators to issue a license for mead-making.
Mead is still dominated by small meaderies that got started in the garages and basements of their owners. Now the beverage is on a comeback, and while long considered the drink of kings, honey-based mead is once again creating a buzz with its meteoric growth.
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Sen. Luther Strange on Sunday said President Trump is doing all that he can to help get the GOPs latest plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare passed in the Senate.
Hes pulling out all the stops to try to get us to 50 votes, Strange, R-Ala., told Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures, though he said the chances of Trump seeing a bill this week are getting slimmer.
In addition to working on health care legislation, Strange, who is a member of the Senate Budget Committee, said he has met with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to get a tax reform plan to the Senate floor.
I think its a good plan thatll bring together the House, Senate and the White House, he said. But weve got to turn to that quickly because if were going to get it done, its gotta be donein my viewbefore Thanksgiving to take effect next year.
Trump is expected to unveil a new tax plan crafted by the Big Sixtop GOP tax reform leaders in Congress and the Trump administrationincluding Mnuchin, Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch from Utah and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohnon Wednesday during a speech in Indiana. The plan calls for the corporate tax rate to be reduced to 20% from the current 35%, though the president had pushed for 15%, according to The Washington Post.
The thing that Id like to see is the lower rates, simplicity that will be a part of this. And I think youll also eliminate some of the arguments about reducing taxes on the super wealthy in this country. I dont think thats going to be part of the package, so I think that helps us, Strange said, regarding the new plan.
As for the individual tax code, the White House announced in April the goal is to reduce the number of brackets from seven to three10 percent, 25 percent and 35 percentallowing Americans to fill out their taxes on a postcard.
Currently Strange, who was appointed this year to fill the Senate seat Attorney General Jeff Sessions once occupied, is in the midst of a GOP Senate primary runoff against Roy Moore, a former chief justice on the Alabama Supreme Court. On Friday, Trump held a rally in the state to show his support for the senator who is currently behind in the polls.
WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump is expected to announce new restrictions on travel to the United States as his ban on visitors from six Muslim-majority countries expires Sunday, 90 days after it went into effect.
The Department of Homeland Security has recommended the president sign off on new, more targeted restrictions on foreign nationals from countries it says refuse to share information with the U.S. or haven't taken necessary security precautions.
Officials haven't said which or how many countries will be affected by the new restrictions, which could take effect as soon as Sunday.
"The acting secretary has recommended actions that are tough and that are tailored, including restrictions and enhanced screening for certain countries," said Miles Taylor, counselor to acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke.
The current ban bars citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen who lack a "credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States" from entering the U.S.
Unlike Trump's first travel ban, which sparked chaos at airports across the country and a flurry of legal challenges, officials said they have been working for months on the new rules, in collaboration with various agencies and in conversation with foreign governments.
The recommendations are based on a new baseline developed by DHS that includes factors such as whether countries issue electronic passports with biometric information and share information about travelers' terror-related and criminal histories. The U.S. then shared those benchmarks with every country in the world and gave them 50 days to comply.
The citizens of countries that refused could now face travel restrictions and more stringent screening measures that would last indefinitely, until their governments complied.
Trump last week called for a "tougher" travel ban after a bomb partially exploded on a London subway.
"The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!" he tweeted.
Critics have accused Trump of overstepping his authority and violating the U.S. Constitution's protections against religious bias. Trump had called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" during his campaign.
Hollywood superstar George Clooney, who was an avid supporter and major campaign donor for Hillary Clinton, had some stinging words for the former presidential candidate.
Clooney said while he thought Clinton was qualified for the job, the way she ran her campaign infuriated him.
It was frustrating because I never saw her elevate her game, Clooney told the Daily Beast. I never saw it.
Even his liberal friends, he said, werent impressed.
I had a lot of liberal friends who were like: She not good at this, the Oscar-winning actor and director told the Beast. And I see that, and I understand it.
He said her speeches "didn't soar." But Clooney also suggested that her gender was the reason her presidential aspirations sputtered.
I think the fact that shes a woman made it a much harder uphill battle, he said.
Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, hosted a fundraiser for Clinton during her presidential campaign where tickets fetched from $33,400 to $353,400. Supporters of her primary challenger, Sen. Bernie Sanders, showed up to protest the event.
He later acknowledged on NBCs Meet the Press that the ticket prices were obscene.
I think, you know, that we had some protesters last night when we pulled up in San Francisco and theyre right to protest, he said during the interview. Theyre absolutely right. It is an obscene amount of money.
A Virginia woman was out to eat at LongHorn Steakhouse with her 13-year-old son, her boyfriend, friends and family when she was bit several times by a copperhead snake.
Rachel Myrick said in a report to WTVR she was in the restaurants foyer when she was bit three times on the foot and toes by a roughly 8-inch-long snake.
MAN TRIES TO BARBECUE RATTLESNAKE, GETS BIT ON FACE
Myrick, who was wearing sandals, says she originally thought she had been stung by a bee until the pain started to intensify.
I freaked out, Myrick told The Free Lance-Star.
She started yelling, I got bit! I got bit!
Her boyfriend, Michael Clem, immediately called for help.
There was no questions was it was, Clem said to WTVR of the copperhead snake bite.
Paramedics arrived on the scene and Myrick was taken to Mary Washington Hospital for treatment. She was later released, but the bites which caused swelling in her knee, hip, and left thigh left her facing a three-month road to recovery.
Myrick, who has to use crutches now, said, Theres very little that I can do. I cant work. I cant take my kids anywhere.
They say that your life can change in a moment and theyre absolutely correct, she said.
The steakhouse chain called the event unusual and says they have been concerned since made away of the situation.
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A LongHorn Steakhouse spokesperson Hunter Robinson told WTVR by email that they contacted 911 and assisted Myrick right away.
Our primary concern is for the wellbeing of Ms. Myrick and we want to provide any assistance we can, Robinson wrote in the email.
This was a highly unusual incident, and we are working with our facilities team to see how this may have occurred and we are taking steps to prevent it from happening again, said Robinson.
Though copperhead snake bites are typically not fatal to humans, they are serious and should be treated with medical attention immediately. Copperheads are one of three types of venomous snakes found in Virginia.
I could not have been more excited to speak at Twin Lakes Church in Santa Cruz, California, for two reasons. First, the church has a long, rich legacy of transformational ministry dating back to 1890, when it was known as the Little Brown Church by the Sea. The church has grown tremendously over the years and is known on the West Coast for phenomenal outreach and teaching. Second, Santa Cruz is heralded as the surfing capital of the world. Need I say more?
One of the best parts of traveling and speaking globally is the opportunity to meet so many fascinating followers of Jesus. You learn very quickly how vast the kingdom of God truly is throughout the world.
In the book-signing line following my message at Twin Lakes Church, I met Lynn, and her story is one I will never forget because it shows the difference Jesus brings in the most tragic, unimaginable circumstances. She told me that less than two weeks after 9/11, Lynn and her husband, Dan, along with their teenage daughters, Carrie and Mandie, were returning home from attending Luis Palaus evangelistic outreach Beachfest Santa Cruz. It had been a great family weekend with 20,000 other attendees. They piled into their minivan, buckled their seatbelts, but didnt make it home as a whole family.
The Wagner family was driving north on Cayuga Street around ten at night. As they pulled into an intersection, a Chevy Suburban from the east ran a stop sign and barreled into them. The vehicle never braked. No skid marks were found at the scene. It was later revealed that the driver, a woman named Lisa, was high on coke, meth, and alcohol. According to newspaper reports, the Wagners van spun around and crashed into a light pole, toppled a street sign and struck a parked Volvo, ultimately coming to rest in the front yard of a house at the corner.
The noise of the crash in the quiet area caused neighbors to run to the scene, some even barefoot. They found Carrie and Mandie dead and Lynn and Dan seriously hurt. News of the tragic accident spread quickly. The next night, Luis Palau announced at the close of the two-day outreach event that something terrible happened here last night, as photos of the girls were shown on video screens. Then Luis said, Mandie and Carrie went straight to the Lord at that very moment.
Dan and Lynn had been rushed from the scene to Dominican Hospital, both with head injuries, and Lynn suffering a broken tailbone, three fractured ribs, and a broken pelvis. Dan also had a neck injury, a sprained coccyx, and embedded safety glass. Both had no memory of the accident.
When Lynn woke up in ICU that Sunday morning and was told about the accident, the first words she was able to muster to a friend were,Are they in Jesus arms? Sharon replied, Yes, they are.God is a good God, Lynn responded.
Dan did not wake up until Monday morning. His pastor tried to gently let him know about the girls, but it wasnt sinking in. In a reflection he shared with me from something he wrote later, Dan said, The first time I remember grasping it was when someone visiting me in my hospital room had said they were sorry for my loss. I had asked, What loss? They told me I had lost my girls.
As a parent of five, when I put myself in Dans situation, I think I would have preferred death to trying to carry on without my children. Dan told me he was battered by what-ifs. Why didnt God let me drop my keys walking to my car that night or have me see a friend to delay my departure by thirty seconds?
Would this tragedy rip Dan and Lynns marriage apart? So often, when a married couple loses a child, the marriage is ultimately lost too. The driver of the Suburban eventually pleaded guilty and went to state prison. Dan admitted, My anger and resentment toward God began slowly as I read Scripture after Scripture of Gods promisespromises that apparently didnt apply to us.
Lynn recounted how difficult the first Christmas without the girls was. How can we celebrate? How will we survive? Will we lose our faith? Anger turned from the driver to God, who could have stopped the accident, Lynn reasoned. Why did he take our girls?
Meanwhile, counselors visited Dan and Lynn for the first year. Their church held them close, supporting them, loving them like a mother loves her child, Dan said, and God began to do his work in us.He shared a glimpse of how he processed the grief:
My own thoughts and feelings want me to believe that perhaps:
God did not have the power to stop the accident,
or God did not know it was going to happen,
or God was tied up with other business and could not attend to us at that time,
or God did not have the authority to stop the accident, or he simply didnt care.
Or I can choose to believe what God said about himself in the Bible:
He is all-powerfulhe could have stopped it;
He is all-knowinghe certainly knew it was going to happen;
He is everywhere at all timeshe was there then;
He is sovereignhe had the authority to stop it;
He is lovetherefore his action or nonaction was an expression of his love.
It was not overnight, but Dan and Lynn chose to trust God in the face of their greatest adversity. Not only that, they chose to forgive Lisa. Heres where their story transcends ordinary human logic. In August of 2008, the Wagners learned that Lisa would be released from prison after serving 85 percent of her sentence. According to the parole office, the Wagners had a most unusual request. God protected the Wagners so they never had to appear in the courtroom to relive the tragedy and therefore they had never met Lisa. The Wagners wanted to meet her.
Only days before the seven-year anniversary of the tragedy, Dan and Lynn met Lisa under the supervision of her parole officer. When they hugged Lisa, a flood of emotions filled Dans heart and he began to weep. They learned Lisa had come to faith in Christ while in prison. Dan and Lynn forgave Lisa for killing their two daughters and forgave her for all the pain. As Dan and Lynn turned to leave their meeting with Lisa, the parole officer exclaimed, Ive never seen anything like this, and it happened only because of our faith. We serve a God of reconciliation (note the officer included himself in our faith).
What a testimony. Lynn wrote in her story "Not Wasted," That woman is now like a daughter to me, and I know she will be here for Dan and me no matter what. Lynn and Dan forgave Lisa because God not only commanded it, but they themselves have received the eternal forgiveness offered through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Forgiveness was freeing for the Wagners. Their marriage has never been stronger. They volunteer in ministries and touch the lives of multitudes of people. Whats more, Dan and Lynn, with Lisa, have shared their story of tragedy and forgiveness in churches. The Wagners are quick to say, This is not Plan B. This was Plan A, all along. Lynn says, If our aim is to bring others to Jesus, then how we respond to suffering is so important to those around us who dont yet know him.
Dan and Lynn reflected on the hope of the resurrection of Jesus. They will see their girls again. Our eventual resurrection is linked with Jesus resurrection. Dan and Lynn understand that life is not about the eighty years on this earth. Life is about eternity. Life is about bringing honor and glory to God today despite the most difficult, unimaginable circumstances.
As I left Santa Cruz and drove toward the San Jose airport, I wept thinking about the Wagners. No story is more illustrative of the difference the Jesus factor makes in the world. We can invite Jesus into a situation that appears to be wrecked, and he will make sense of it. In this book we have seen both at macro and micro levels, how Christianity brings hope and healing to the world.
On Tuesday, President Trump addressed the United Nations and, shocking to no one savelLeft-of-center news agencies, he expressed his strong belief in his own economic policies; in Americaits people, way of life, and the Constitution which governs it; and in business enterprise as a path to freedom and prosperity. Trumps speech, optimistic and pro-American as it was, falls in the mainstream of American presidential tradition. Indeed, it is the stuff of a Truman or a Reagan.
But youd never know it from how it was reported.
The Guardian called it a blunt, fearful rant.
That is a more apt description for The Guardian itself. (Trust me, I know. Ive been trashed by them no less than twice for a claim I never made and they never bothered to verify.)
Salon said Trump careened wildly from some warped form of principled realism to threats of mass annihilation and back again.
The people who believe in the naive, unworkable, utopian ideology of socialism no longer live in Beijing, Moscow, or Hanoi. On the contrary, socialisms modern advocates reside in such places as London, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, and, increasingly, Washington.
Perhaps Salon, careening wildly from one Trump attack-piece to another, is unaware of the fact that America has been threatened with mass annihilation by a declared enemy with an increasing capability to do it. Someone should tell them.
Slate characterized it as the most hostile, dangerous, and intellectually confusedif not outright dishonestspeech ever delivered by an American president to an international body.
We live in an age of hyperbole and this is an excellent example of it. I encourage you to read the full text of Trumps speech and decide for yourself if it was the most hostile, dangerous speech ever or if this is the worst reporting in the history of human civilization. Ever.
Then there is John Haltiwangers article in Newsweek titled, Trump was laughed at by world leaders for dissing socialism.
This column caught my attention both for its content and lack of content. The title alone intrigued meas good titles are supposed to dobut for all the wrong reasons. I mean, really? I know we live in the age of 24/7/365 news cycles and the hunger for fresh web content is relentless, but has Newsweek sunk so low that an article that feels like dialogue lifted from the script of "Mean Girls" is now counted as serious journalism?
Lets consider Mr. Haltiwangers argument, such as it is.
As the title indicates, his critique of Trumps speech centers on the presidents dissing of socialism. Haltiwanger writes:
When President Donald Trump criticized socialism during his speech Tuesday at the United Nations, he seemed to expect roaring approval from the audience. Instead, world leaders responded with laughter and weak applause. It was perhaps the most awkward moment of Trumps speech.
Speaking on the recent crisis in Venezuela, Trump said, The problem...is not that socialism has been poorly implemented but that socialism has been faithfully implemented.
From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure, Trump added.
In the middle of his comments, Trump paused to take the rooms temperature, but it was apparent world leaders were unmoved by the rebuke of the worker state. The room was silent. It was reminiscent of Jeb Bushs please clap moment. Video of the [presidents] speech has immortalized the uncomfortable moment.
That Trump would do such a thing is, for Haltiwanger, evidence of the presidents buffoonery, lack of sophistication, and his failure to properly read the rooms temperature.
He includes a screenshot of a tweet from someone named Jordan, which reads, The #UNGA [United Nations General Assembly] just LAUGHED at Trump for criticizing socialism.
So what?
I laughed at Mr. Haltiwangers article, but this is no proof that it is logically flawed (though logically flawed it is). The Left has always been overly sensitive to what the world thinks of America and its president. They need global affirmation, it seems. Obama was, for them, urbane, glamorous, a gentleman, as an acquaintance at the New York Times has often characterized him to me, as if these are defining characteristics of great national leaders.
By contrast, Trump is, for them, a national embarrassment with his comb-over, trademark scowl, and unfashionable patriotism. How are we to stand toe-to-toe with France and Canada when they have socialist beefcakes like Macron and Trudeau? Winston Churchill, who was neither a gentleman nor glamorousand whose scowl was likewise perpetualseems to have worked out rather well as Prime Minister. Moreover, Churchill biographer Paul Reid has said that Churchill, ever a reactionary, would out-tweet Trump.
Furthermore, it is highly unlikely that Trump expected, as Haltiwanger maintains, roaring approval from the audience. According to a 2015 Freedom House study of 195 nationsand, at the moment, there are precisely 195 nations in the worldonly 46 percent of them are deemed free. Worse, that same report says the world is trending away from freedom -- 193 of the countries included in this report are member states of the United Nations, North Korea and Venezuela among them. Trump seemed to expect roaring approval? Please. Ann Coulter will sooner get applause at Berkeley than Trump before such an audience as this one.
Of course, the reason the author tells us that UN leaders responded with laughter and weak applause is because he is, in the spirit of an adolescent, inviting us to join in the mockery and scorn of this president.
Mr. Haltiwanger, who is clearly infatuated with the undeliverable promises of socialism, concludes his argument with what he apparently thinks is his articles mic-drop moment, proving once and for all that socialism works and that Trump is an idiot for thinking otherwise:
Most industrialized countries, for example, have implemented universal health care. Moreover, Norway was recently ranked the happiest country in the world, and it pointed to its strong state-support programs as crucial to achieving this accolade. Several other Scandinavian countries, including Denmark, Iceland and Sweden, were also among the top 10 happiest countries in the world, according to the most recent figures. The U.S., however, can't even make it into the top 10 happiest countries. Its ranked at No. 14.
Icelandic and Scandinavian happiness.
Lets drill down on this a bit and the inference that socialism is the reason for it. Norways designation as the worlds happiest country is based on a United Nations report. You might think that this ranking comes from simple yes or no responses to the question, Are you happy? It isnt. That is essentially what Gallup did and guess who dominated the top ten? Paraguay and Latin America. Neither Iceland nor a single Scandinavian country appeared in Gallups top ten.
So how did the guys at the UN produce entirely different results? After spending an afternoon reading the UN report, that is still is unclear to me. This is because their study is 184 pages of abstruse data and reads like this:
The U.S. corruption index rose by 0.10 between 2006/7 and 2015/6. With a coefficient -0.53 in the happiness regression, the negative effect on U.S. happiness is 0.054. Reversing the rise in perceived corruption would therefore raise happiness by 0.054.
Drilling down still more, we find that this report, as with any UN report Ive ever read, has a very definite political agenda. It concludes:
To escape this social quagmire, Americas happiness agenda should center on an expanded social safety net, wealth taxes, and greater public financing of health and education. [A]cknowledge and move past the fear created by 9/11 Trumps ban on travel to the United States from certain Muslim-majority countries is a continuing manifestation of the exaggerated and irrational fears that grip the nation.
So, from a haze of data on global happiness the report makes the illogical leap to America, Donald Trump, and the lack of a social safety neti.e., lack of socialismas the sources of unhappiness? They could have saved themselves time, money, and the clever use of dubious statistics and just interviewed Maxine Watersor Kim Jong Un.
Should we really be surprised that the UN, the body that commissioned this report, didnt like Trumps speech?
As for the myth that Iceland and Scandinavia are socialist utopias, it is interesting to note that these countries rank highest in the use of antidepressants. Iceland holds the top spot while Denmark, Sweden, and Norway are all in the top ten. It seems they rank high because they are, well, high.
While speaking at Harvards Kennedy School of Government, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen rejected the idea that his country is socialist even though it has a much larger social welfare system: I know that some people in the U.S. associate the Nordic model with some sort of socialism. Therefore, I would like to make one thing clear. Denmark is far from a socialist planned economy. Denmark is a market economy.
I am currently going around the world investigating the question of national greatness. In the last month, I have been in Japan, Singapore, and China. Traveling across Asia, you quickly discover that no one outside of Pyongyang has faith in the tenets of Marx and Lenin anymore. Not even China is truly socialistic. That is because they know socialism doesnt work.
No, the people who believe in that naive, unworkable, utopian ideology no longer live in Beijing, Moscow, or Hanoi. On the contrary, socialisms modern advocates reside in such places as London, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, and, increasingly, Washington.
Since we are using happiness as an indicator of socialisms emotional influence, lets look at Gallups least happy country: Ukraine. Ive spent a lot of time in that country. Indeed, Ive written a book on it, and I can tell you that Ukraine has been economically, intellectually, and spiritually assassinated by socialism. Five more socialist (or formerly socialist) countries make Gallups bottom ten.
Trump is right to say that wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure.
The failure of socialism is a wholly unjustified confidence in human government. It is, as Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky observed long ago, the tower of Babel built without God, not to mount to Heaven from earth, but to set up Heaven on earth.
Chinas announcement Saturday that it would halt exports of some petroleum products to North Korea and stop importing textiles from the rogue nation is just the latest evidence that President Trumps campaign to put economic pressure on North Korea is beginning to pay dividends.
As part of his efforts to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons and missile programs, President Trump issued a new executive order Thursday that turns up the heat on what he called a band of criminals in Pyongyang.
The executive order issued just 48 hours after the presidents scathing denunciation of North Korea at the United Nations imposes sanctions on any foreign financial institution that conducts or facilitates any significant transaction in connection with trade with North Korea.
In addition, the order bars ships and planes that have stopped in North Korea from entering the U.S. for 180 days afterward.
While the escalating war of insults thrown back and forth between President Trump and North Korean leaders is drawing international attention, the new executive order and other economic measures aimed at the North could have a greater impact.
Now North Korea is about to feel the full force of U.S. economic pressure, which caused Iran to buckle. Kim Jong Un will face difficult choices as his cash flow begins to wither away.
President Trumps executive order is part of a robust campaign that is producing results. It gives all governments, companies, and individuals that want to trade with North Korea a clear choice: do business with either North Korea or the United States but not both. Losing access to Americas $19 trillion market would be a stiff price to pay.
Although the new executive order has not yet prompted North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un to halt his provocations and escalating rhetoric, it puts more pressure on him to end to his nuclear and missile programs.
China, which accounts for about 90 percent of North Koreas foreign trade, is clearly getting the message of U.S. opposition to its economic support of the North.
Before it announced its new trade restrictions with North Korea on Saturday, China supported two United Nations sanctions resolutions imposing trade restrictions against North Korea. In addition, Chinas central bank issued a directive to the countrys banks to cease trade with North Koreans.
Chinas behavior bears close watching, since Beijing has a history of backsliding when the spotlight fades. In addition, it is not clear if the new banking directive covers financial activity conducted by Chinese individuals on behalf of North Korea.
President Trumps new executive order essentially tells Chinas leadership that half measures are not enough. While Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said the new executive order was not directed at China a statement that is technically true the order is certainly directed at precisely the kind of trade activities Beijing has persistently turned a blind eye to.
The new U.S. policy is modeled on a provision in the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions and Divestment Act of 2010 that targeted business with Iran. Those sanctions put pressure on Iran to negotiate the controversial agreement that restricted its nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions.
Kim Jong Un should be especially concerned because President Trumps executive order is broader than the sanctions imposed on Iran seven years ago, which targeted only specific Iranian entities and certain aspects of Iranian trade.
In contrast, President Trumps new executive order authorizes the Treasury Department to cut off access to the U.S. financial system or freeze the assets of any banks that knowingly conduct significant transactions for sanctioned people or companies that trade with North Korea.
Mistakenly, many Americans assume that comprehensive sanctions are already in place on North Korea. In fact, as of July, North Korea was only fourth on the list of countries with the most people subject to American sanctions up from eighth place in early 2016.
More importantly, massive loopholes in the sanctions on North Korea are now being closed. Until recently, sanctions on the North were lackluster because they rarely targeted the foreigners mainly Chinese and Russian who facilitate illicit trade.
For example, until now, foreign banks especially in China could process transactions for sanctions evaders without much concern they would ever pay a price. Now that should change.
President Trumps new executive order enables the Treasury Department to target foreign banks that are not asking the right questions about their customers customer. These banks now must find out if the transaction for a company in China, Hong Kong or elsewhere really hides trade for North Korea or a designated North Korean entity under the surface.
The new executive order is a warning shot before the Treasury Department unleashes significant penalties on banks that dont ask more probing questions about their customers customers.
Now North Korea is about to feel the full force of U.S. economic pressure, which caused Iran to buckle. Kim Jong Un will face difficult choices as his cash flow begins to wither away.
We can only hope that this economic warfare convinces the North Korean regime to step back from threats to explode a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific or take other provocative action that could lead to a shooting war with the United States.
President Trump accused Iran of collaborating with North Korea to strengthen their missile technology Saturday evening in a Twitter post criticizing the 2015 nuclear agreement between the U.S., Iran and five other nations.
"Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel," Trump wrote. "They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!"
Nonproliferation experts have long suspected North Korea and Iran are sharing know-how when it comes to their rogue missile programs. Earlier this month, CIA Director Mike Pompeo told Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier" that Iran would "certainly be someone who would be willing to pay" for that expertise.
"The North Koreans have a long history of being proliferators and sharing their knowledge, their technology, their capacities around the world," Pompeo said. "As North Korea continues to improve its ability to do longer-range missiles and to put nuclear weapons on those missiles, it is very unlikely if they get that capability that they wouldn't share it with lots of folks."
Trump posted the tweet hours after Iran claimed to have successfully tested a new ballistic missile capable of reaching parts of the Middle East, including Israel.
The missile, known as the Khoramshahr, has a range of 1,250 miles and is based on a North Korean design. A similar missile was tested in late January and blew up 600 miles after launch.
The Iranian test-launch constituted a direct challenge to Trump, who last month signed a bill imposing mandatory penalties on those involved in Iran's ballistic missile program and anyone who does business with them.
Trump has vowed repeatedly to take a tougher line toward Iran than his predecessor, threatening at various times to renegotiate or even dismantle the nuclear deal, and shoot Iranian boats out of the water if they provoke U.S. naval vessels in the Persian Gulf.
On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that he had made a decision about whether or not to pull out of the nuclear deal, but declined to say what it was.
Earlier this week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani vowed Iran would strengthen its missile capabilities without asking for any countrys permission, just days after Trump accused Iran in an address to the United Nations General Assembly of exporting violence to Yemen, Syria, and other parts of the Middle East.
In that speech, Trump criticized the nuclear deal as "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."
"Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States," the president proclaimed, "and I dont think youve heard the last of it, believe me."
The nuclear deal between Iran and world powers does not strictly prohibit Iran from developing missiles but after the deal came into effect last year, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution calling on Iran not to take any actions related to ballistic missiles "designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons" for eight years.
Iranian officials have argued that the measure only applies to missiles specifically designed to carry nuclear warheads.
Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Sunday defended her efforts to work with President Trump to protect young illegal immigrants, saying shell trust him on the issue and suggesting their next deal could be on infrastructure.
I trust the president on it, Pelosi told NBC's Meet the Press, about her framework deal earlier this month with Trump to protect young illegal immigrants in the United States that was later shouted down by activists from Pelosis liberal base.
Pelosi, of California, agreed to the deal at a White House dinner that also included Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, of New York.
The deal would be for Congress to pass the bipartisan, so-called Dream Act, which would enshrine into law protection for tens of thousands of young illegal immigrants now safeguarded from deportation by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA, that Trump ended earlier this month.
Pelosi said Sunday that she trusts Trump will keep his word that the act will include an eventual pathway to citizenship for those who fall under its protections.
Thats what he said. Well see. I trust him on it, said Pelosi, who also acknowledged concerns about Trump perhaps trying to include in the measure money for his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.
Pelosi also said Sunday that she understands the position of the dozens of activists who shouted down her town hall meeting over the Trump-immigration issue.
But she argued that she worked with Republican President George W. Bush on passing tax credits for the poor and a historic energy bill, despite him taking the county into the Iraq War on the basis of a false premise.
Pelosi, in Congress for more than 30 years and the top House Democrat for more than 12 years, said the relationship between Trump, a Republican, and congressional Democrats will be one issue at a time. However, she predicted that deal to improve the countrys aging infrastructure could be next.
It is necessary, she said.
The White House tried Sunday to garner public support for the Senates upcoming vote on Republicans latest plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare, with a top adviser to President Trump saying the pending legislation is still alive and that a vast majority of Americans will benefit.
Its not dead, Marc Short, the White House director of legislative affairs, told Fox News Sunday. Here we are, just days away from a final vote, and were trying to win over the support of the last couple of senators to get there.
Like previous Senate efforts this year to repeal and replace ObamaCare, the latest measure, the Graham-Cassidy bill, appears a few votes shy of passage.
The GOP-controlled chamber has until Sept. 30 to pass the legislation with a simple, 51-vote majority, under so-called budget reconciliation procedures.
However, at most 48 of the chambers 52 Republican senators appear to support the bill, which has no backing from Democrats.
We need to make sure that we win over the last couple Republicans, Short said. Thats our path to victory.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Friday that hell vote no. And Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told CNNs State of the Union on Sunday that she would have trouble envisioning a scenario in which she would end up voting for the bill.
Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz put the bill in even more jeopardy Sunday afternoon when he said its authors have effectively rejected proposed changes by him and Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a fellow Republican.
"Right now they don't have my vote, and I don't think they have Mike Lee's either," Cruz said.
Meanwhile, fellow Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, and Rand Paul, of Kentucky, appear undecided.
We hope we can earn his support, Short said about Paul, whom Trump tried to persuade Saturday in a tweet.
I know Rand Paul and I think he may find a way to get there for the good of the Party! Trump tweeted.
The Graham-Cassidy bill, sponsored by GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana, and Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, attempts to give states more flexibility in administering a federally-sponsored health insurance program by awarding them block grants to run their own, unique plans.
Short acknowledged that revisions continued to be made to the bills funding formula, but said no significant changes are being made, amid reports Alaska could get more money to sway Murkowski.
We want this to be handled back (in) the states, he told Fox News. The vast majority of Americans will benefit with lower costs.
The House this spring passed an ObamaCare overhaul bill. But the Senate has failed in at least two attempts, including a failed, final vote in August.
A hotel in the United Kingdom has reportedly told Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) that it will no longer rent rooms to its flight crew, in particular to its male members.
According to Pakistans Express Tribune, numerous female guests have told the unidentified hotel they feel insecure around male crew members. Apparently, the men have been pestering the female guests, including asking for their home phone numbers.
The refusal is just the latest in a long line of public relations mishaps for the airline this year.
In May, a pilot was accused of endangering the lives of passengers after he invited a Chinese woman to accompany him in the cockpit on a flight from Tokyo to Beijing. A correspondent for GEO News, Irfan Siddiqui, who happened to be on that flight recorded a video asking the woman if the pilot was a friend or relative and the video quickly went viral.
According to Siddiqui, the woman was in the cockpit with the pilot and co-pilot for more than two hours. At one point, she was alone with the pilot.
Although it is illegal for an unauthorized person to be in an airplane cockpit during a flight, a PIA spokesperson told GEO News that a single passenger in the cockpit was not a security concern.
Also in May, a pilot was caught napping in a passenger seat while allegedly leaving the aircraft in the hands of a pilot-in-training for more than two hours, according to The Telegraph. Although the pilot, Amir Akhtar Hashmi denied the allegations, he was suspended in September according to The Tribune Express. Hashmi is a former president of the Pakistan Air Lines Pilots Association (PALPA.)
The airline also raised international eyebrows that same month when an entire cabin crew was detained by U.K. authorities at Heathrow International Airport after drugs were found on board the flight. The crew was questioned on suspicion of smuggling drugs into the country by hiding them in airplane panels.
In February, the airline also received international attention when two pilots allowed up to 10 extra passengers to board a aircraft bound for Medina, Saudi Arabia from Karachi, Pakistan, forcing them to stand for the three-hour flight. Those pilots have also been suspended.
The airlines public perception hasnt been helped by the ouster of CEO Bernd Hildenbrand, a German national, who was suspended in April on charges of corruption after allegedly leasing Sri Lankan airplanes for inflated prices and costing the company millions.
While being investigated, Hildenbrand was placed on a no-fly list that prohibited him from leaving Pakistan. He later received a 30-day waiver to the travel ban and immediately left the country. He has not returned to face charges despite a summons.
Among the charges levied against Hildenbrand was the illegal sale of an older A-310 airplane to a German museum. The aircraft, valued at about 3.51 million dollars, was reportedly leased for around $50,000. The museum, however, denies ownership of the plane and in what has become known as the curious case of the missing PIA jet, no one in Pakistan is able to pinpoint what exactly happened to the plane after it was leased last year to a UK company for use in a movie production.
Some lawmakers have suggested Hildenbrand took the airplane with him when he left for Germany.
An abandoned "ghost boat" that washed ashore near Melbourne Beach was last registered in the name of a man who is jailed in Key West for attempted murder, kidnapping, and a variety of other charges.
Florida Today reports the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed that 47-year-old Jeffrey Ray Sundwall is being held at the Monroe County Detention Facility.
'GHOST BOAT' WASHES ASHORE ON FLORIDA BEACH
The abandoned 45-foot sailboat was reported Tuesday morning on the sand at an area beach. A magnet for visitors, the vessel may not be removed weeks because of its size. A photo also shows a female mannequin torso visible aboard the abandoned boat.
In an attempt to identify the owner of the sailboat, the paper emailed U.S. Coast Guard vessel registration information and Sundwall's arrest information to FWC officials.
The Army is putting together a series of new mental health, counseling and career management programs to shape stronger, more ethical leaders.
The move is an effort to help deal with an embarrassing number of misconduct and behavior problems among senior officers.
The programs stem from a broader worry across the military about the need to bolster professionalism within the officer corps while holding accountable those who abuse their power.
The Army plan appears to focus more on building character than on berating bad conduct.
Stumbles in recent years by general officers from one-star to four-star level have violated the military code of conduct they've lived under and enforced.
Some infractions involved extramarital affairs, inappropriate relationships with subordinates or improper use of government funds.
A California couple was arrested on Friday after they left their baby at home unattended to go to a bar, police said.
Alex Morawhitehurst, 30, and Krystal Williams, 27, were arrested after police were called to the Keg Room bar in Oroville about a fight just after 9:30 p.m., FOX40 Sacramento reported. Williams was taken into custody on suspicion of public intoxication.
As they were being held in jail, Morawhitehurst told officers that the couple had left their 1-year-old son in their house by himself. Officers went to the home and found the boy asleep in the living room, FOX40 reported.
GEORGIA MOM LEFT CHILD AT HOME TO GO CLUBBING, POLICE SAY
A sliding glass door into the house was left open.
The boy was placed with Childrens Services representatives. Morawhitehurst and Williams were charged with felony child endangerment.
Court documents show the mother of a 6-year-old who authorities say was shot and killed by his father in an apparent murder-suicide in Massachusetts had feared years ago that it would happen.
The mother of 6-year-old Anthony Scaccia wrote in a 2013 application for a restraining order against 49-year-old William Scaccia Jr. that his behavior made her afraid he was "thinking of killing Anthony and himself." The order was granted.
Prosecutors say Anthony died after he was found with a gunshot wound in Foxborough on Thursday. Police also found William Scaccia dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Prosecutors say police found a handgun, shell casings and a note, leading them to believe the shootings were a murder-suicide.
Police say Scaccia had recently been denied a gun permit.
Saturday passed without the world coming to an end, but we're not out of the woods yet.
The Doomsday writer who claimed that the world would end on Sept. 23 now says it will end October 21.
Christian numerologist David Meade predicted Sept. 23 as the date a mysterious Planet X would collide with Earth based largely on verses and numerical codes in the Bible.
But as the day drew nigh, Meade backed off on the prediction and said he was misunderstood.
Fox 13 Salt Lake City reported Friday that Meade was expecting nothing to happen in September.
The station reported that, according to The Washington Post, Meade says Sept. 23 is foretold in the Bibles Book of Revelation as the day a series of catastrophic events will begin.
DOOMSDAY IS NOT ON SATURDAY AFTER ALL, WRITER SAYS AFTER PREDICTING END OF THE WORLD
However, the author has since clarified that October will be the month of action and seven years of war and disaster will begin Oct. 21, according to the station.
It is possible at the end of October we may be about to enter into the seven-year Tribulation period, to be followed by a Millennium of peace, Meade was quoted as saying by the Sunday Express.
NASA on its website last week dismissed the Planet X theory as a hoax.
Various people are predicting that (the) world will end Sept. 23 when another planet collides with Earth, NASA said. The planet in question, Niburu, doesn't exist, so there will be no collision.
DOOMSDAY WRITER DAVID MEADE: WHO IS HE?
NASA went on to say that the story of Niburu has been around for years, as has the days of darkness tale and is periodically recycled into new apocalyptic fables.
The cold front that is expected to whisk Hurricane Maria back out to sea after it nears North Carolina will gradually trim the summerlike warmth out of the midwestern and northeastern United States this week.
Friday marked the official start of autumn, but summer decided to hang around longer across the eastern half of the nation.
Monday will bring yet another day of temperatures soaring well into the 80s and lower 90s. Moderate humidity levels will create slightly higher AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures.
Temperatures will be held down a few degrees east of the Appalachian Mountains on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, an increase in humidity as Maria approaches will make the air feel just as warm as Mondays highs.
Typically in late September, temperatures top out in the 60s in northern New England and the upper Great Lakes to the 70s elsewhere in the Northeast and Midwest.
Air flowing in from the Atlantic will keep Boston and the rest of the immediate East Coast cooler than inland areas.
However, beachgoers will need to use caution as Maria will cause surf and the threat for rip currents to gradually build to dangerous levels for swimmers and operators of small craft through midweek.
For those who have already put away window air conditioning units and/or are looking for true fall weather, a cold front will bring relief later this week.
"The same cold front responsible for eventually steering Maria out to sea will be the front that breaks this streak of warmth across the Midwest and Northeast by the end of the week," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said.
The front will begin to push into the central Great Lakes on Wednesday, ending what is expected to be a seven-day stretch of 90-degree heat for Chicago.
The cooler air will continue to advance to the south and east, trimming temperatures and humidity values along the I-95 by Friday. The front will also slash sticky air out of the South, down to around the I-20 corridor, to close out September.
Highs later this week behind the front throughout the Midwest and Northeast will be 10-20 degrees below what will be recorded on Monday.
Despite whisking Maria and the summer warmth away, the front will not dramatically end the dry streak that has unfolded amid this warm spell in most areas.
While raising the risk for flooding across the Plains, the front will struggle to produce meaningful rainfall as it crosses most of the Midwest and Northeast.
The exceptions will be around Lake Superior and the St. Lawrence Valley. If Maria tracks close enough to North Carolina, its moisture may interact with the front to cause an increase in showers and thunderstorms along the Northeast coast.
Abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions are occurring from the mid-Mississippi Valley to the lower Great Lakes, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
If Chicago does not receive any more rain this month, it would be the fourth driest September on record, AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun said. Chicago has only received 0.32 of an inch of rain this month.
In the fronts wake, a reinforcing shot of cooler air may be accompanied by showers across the Great Lakes but is likely not to produce a significant amount of rain.
Impressive statistics set as summer warmth hangs on
This extension of summer is actually proving to be the hottest stretch of weather this year in the Midwest.
"Many nighttime lows in the Midwest have been near or even above-average highs for late September," AccuWeather Meteorologist Bill Deger said. This includes Chicago, where temperatures have only dropped to the lower 70s the past few nights.
"This stretch of 90-degree heat in Chicago is now the longest this year, surpassing the streak from June 10-12," AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Greene said.
Chicago is in the midst of its second latest streak of three or more consecutive 90-degree days on record. The stretch that spanned Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 in 1971 sits at the top spot.
Saturday's high of 95 F in Chicago also tied June 12 as the hottest day of 2017 and marks the latest day in recorded history when a given year's hottest temperature was registered.
It is not just Chicago that is sizzling in the year's hottest weather.
Before temperatures are trimmed later this week, Pittsburgh is expected to record 12 consecutive days of highs in the 80s. The previous longest so far this year was the 10 days spanning late June to early July.
Until the summer warmth is erased later this week, daily records will continue to be challenged or broken in the Midwest and Northeast. Some of these records date back to the late-1800s.
People should exercise caution and restrict strenuous physical activity during the hottest conditions.
"Intake of non-alcoholic fluids and frequent breaks are a must under these conditions to avoid dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
Maria weakened to a tropical storm by Thursday morning as it continues to move away from the U.S. east coast.
Maria had been briefly downgraded to a tropical storm earlier this week before it regained strength and became a Category 1 storm on Wednesday. Forecasters do not expect much of a change in Maria's strength over the next few days, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm made landfall in Puerto Rico last week as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, destroying hundreds of homes and knocking out power to the entire U.S. territory of 3.4 million people. The storm's center passed near the U.S. Virgin Island of Saint Croix.
Here's what you should know about Marias path.
Where is Maria today?
Maria is approximately 275 miles east-northeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and 470 miles northwest of Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center's 8 a.m. ET advisory Thursday.
HURRICANE WARNING VS. WATCH: HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT?
The storm is traveling east-northeast at 8 mph with maximum sustained winds of about 70 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
What else should I know about the storm?
There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect. All storm surge warnings have also been discontinued as of Thursday.
North Carolina previously issued a mandatory evacuation for visitors to much of the Outer Banks. Officials said Thursday that they hope to lift the evacuation order on two islands in the Outer Banks soon.
Maria already ravaged the Caribbean nation of Dominica, leaving widespread devastation, according to Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
WHAT IS THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE?
"So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace," Skerrit said.
The confirmed toll from Maria jumped to at least 49 on Monday, including 16 dead in Puerto Rico. No injuries have been reported on the U.S. mainland from Maria after it lashed the Outer Banks with strong waves and rising waters.
When Maria hit Puerto Rico, it was the third-strongest storm to make landfall in the U.S., based on its central pressure. It was even stronger than Irma when it hit the Florida Keys.
Saint Croix, largely spared the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma just weeks ago, this time experienced five hours of hurricane force winds, U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp said.
Residents in Saint Croix told Fox News that the storm left them without power and turned roads into mudslides. Barges were also destroyed in the storm, residents said, causing concern not only for Saint Croix, but for nearby Saint Thomas and Saint John, which had been receiving aid from the larger of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Fox News' Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Zoe Szathmary and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Latest on a shooting at a church in Nashville (all times local):
10:30 p.m.
A man accused of killing one person and wounding several others at a Tennessee church has been charged with one count of murder.
The Metropolitan Nashville police tweeted Sunday night that 25-year-old Emanuel K. Samson, of Murfreesboro, will be charged later with "multiple additional charges."
Police say in addition to the two pistols Samson bought into the church, they recovered another pistol and a rifle from his vehicle.
Police say Samson fatally shot a woman who was walking to her vehicle and then entered the rear of the church and shot six others.
A churchgoer who confronted the gunman was pistol-whipped by the suspect, who then shot himself.
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6:50 p.m.
Federal agents have opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting at a Tennessee church.
FBI Supervisory Special Agent Joel E. Siskovic III says in a news release that the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office for the Middle District of Tennessee will investigate the shooting at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in the Nashville neighborhood of Antioch.
The statement says the FBI will handle the collection of evidence.
The shooting left one woman dead and eight others wounded, including the suspect, who is now in police custody.
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5:50 p.m.
Before a church shooting in Tennessee, a man with the same name and description as the suspect posted some bizarre messages on social media.
Nashville police say 25-year-old Emanuel K. Samson, of Murfreesboro, fatally shot a woman outside a church on Sunday, shot six others inside, and pistol-whipped a church usher before apparently wounding himself.
On Samson's Facebook page, a post in the hours before the shooting read, "Everything you've ever doubted or made to be believe as false, is real. & vice versa, B."
Another post read, "Become the creator instead of what's created . Whatever you say, goes."
And a third post read, "You are more than what they told us."
Samson also posted several shirtless photos of himself flexing his muscles. In some he wears a tank top that reads "Beast Mode."
Nashville police have not commented on the posts.
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5:30 p.m.
A Christian school says a pastor is among the wounded at a Nashville church shooting.
Metropolitan Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron identified two of those shot Sunday at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch on Sunday as 60-year-old David Spann and his 65-year-old wife, Peggy. Aaron said David Spann was in critical but stable condition, while Peggy Spann was stable.
Aaron says he didn't know whether David Spann was the church's pastor. But media outlets report Spann is the pastor and is known at the church by his nickname, Joey Spann.
In a statement on Facebook, Nashville Christian School says Joey Spann is a Bible teacher at the school. He's also a high school and middle school basketball coach.
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4:30 p.m.
Police have released the name of a woman who was fatally shot by a suspect at a church in Tennessee.
Metropolitan Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron says 39-year-old Melanie Smith of Smyrna, Tennessee, was shot Sunday outside the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in the Nashville neighborhood of Antioch.
Aaron says Smith was shot as she left the church, and the suspect then proceeded inside.
Aaron says the suspect, 25-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson, had two pistols when he entered the church. He says Samson came to the United States from Sudan in 1996 and was a legal U.S. resident "but not necessarily a U.S. citizen." Samson had a Tennessee driver's license.
Aaron says six others were shot, and the church's usher, 22-year-old Robert Engle, was pistol-whipped by Samson, who then apparently shot himself.
Aaron says church members indicated Samson attended the church one to two years ago.
Police say Samson will be charged with murder and attempted murder.
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3:40 p.m.
Police have released the identity of a suspect in a Tennessee church shooting.
Metropolitan Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron identified the suspect as 25-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson of Murfreesboro.
Aaron says Samson has been discharged from Vanderbilt University Hospital and charging warrants are being obtained.
Aaron says the gunman arrived in the parking lot as services were being let out Sunday at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ. Aaron says a woman who was walking to her vehicle was fatally shot.
Aaron says the gunman then entered the rear of the church and six people were shot. Aaron says a churchgoer who confronted the gunman was pistol-whipped by the suspect, who then shot himself.
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3 p.m.
A witness to a shooting at a Tennessee church is calling an usher who confronted a gunman "a hero."
Minerva Rosa has been a member at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in the Nashville neighborhood of Antioch for eight years. She was inside when a suspect opened fired Sunday.
Rosa says the suspect said nothing as he shot churchgoers. As the gunman made his way down the aisle, Rosa says the pastor started shouting, "'Run! Run! Gunshots!"
Metropolitan Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron say the usher was pistol whipped as he confronted the suspect, who then apparently shot himself during the struggle. Aaron says the usher then went to his own car to retrieve his gun, returned and stood over the suspect until police arrived.
Rosa says without the usher, the situation "could be worse."
Aaron didn't immediately identify the usher but calls him "an extraordinarily brave individual."
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2:15 p.m.
Nashville Mayor Megan Barry says a shooting at a church is "a terrible tragedy for our city."
Barry issued a statement Sunday afternoon after a suspect opened fire at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, killing a woman and wounding seven other victims at the church. Authorities say he also shot himself.
Barry says her "heart aches for the family and friends of the deceased as well as for the wounded victims and their loved ones. Their lives have been forever changed, as has the life of their faith community at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ."
Barry has dealt with her personal tragedy after her 22-year-old son died of an apparent drug overdose near Denver on July 29.
She says her administration "will continue to work with community members to stop crime before it starts, encourage peaceful conflict resolution, and promote non-violence."
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1:20 p.m.
Nashville police say a suspect in a church shooting apparently shot himself.
Metropolitan Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said at a news conference that the gunman arrived in the parking lot as services were being let out Sunday at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ. Aaron says the suspect fatally shot a woman who was walking to her vehicle.
Aaron says the gunman then entered the rear of the church and six people were shot. Aaron says a churchgoer who confronted the gunman was pistol-whipped by the suspect, who then shot himself.
Aaron said the suspect, who was in his mid-20s and was from Rutherford County, was taken to a hospital. Aaron didn't immediately release the suspect's name or condition.
Aaron says witnesses are still being interviewed.
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1 p.m.
Authorities in Tennessee say one person is dead and seven people sustained injuries after a gunman opened fire at a church in Nashville.
Metro Nashville Police Department says the gunman was wounded and was taken to a hospital. No details were available about his condition.
The police department said on Twitter that six of the injured were shot and one was pistol-whipped.
The alleged shooting occurred at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in the neighborhood in Antioch.
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Authorities in Tennessee say at least six people were injured in a shooting at a church in the Nashville area.
Nashville fire department spokesman Joseph Pleasant tells the Tennessean newspaper that at least six to eight people were hurt and were being transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center. The nature of the injuries weren't immediately known.
A dispatcher quoted by the newspaper said that the scene was still "active" at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ as of 11:40 a.m. Sunday.
A Nashville police spokesman didn't immediately answer a telephone call or respond to an email on the shooting.
Rightwing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos blew kisses, posed for selfies and addressed a few dozen supporters at the University of California, Berkeley, while a slightly larger crowd protesting his appearance was kept separate by police.
Yiannopoulos, wearing sunglasses and an American flag hoodie under a denim jacket, spoke without amplification Sunday on the steps of Sproul Hall. Fans hoping to hear his speech were herded through metal detectors, while demonstrators protesting it were kept behind barricades on Sproul Plaza. There were no indications of initial violence, Fox 2 reported.
Yiannopoulos vowed Saturday to appear at an unsanctioned rally despite the cancellation of a planned four-day event dubbed Free Speech Week.
The conservative student group Berkeley Patriot, which had been organizing the event with Yiannopoulos, told university administrators that they would cancel it, the university said. The group's representatives told the San Francisco Chronicle they feared for their safety.
"It is extremely unfortunate that this announcement was made at the last minute, even as the University was in the process of spending significant sums of money and preparing for substantial disruption of campus life in order to provide the needed security for these events," UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said in a statement.
Yiannopoulos said he was blindsided and "personally irritated" by the news, but he insisted on holding a rally with fellow rightwing commentators Sunday.
"We are going to be hosting an event come hell or high water tomorrow," Yiannopoulos said in a live video on Facebook and vowed to proceed with or without UC Berkeley's or the students' cooperation.
University officials said they had worked around-the-clock and spent more than $1 million to ensure there would be adequate security for the events.
Berkeley's reputation as a liberal stronghold and the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement has made the city and campus flashpoints for the country's political divisions since the election of Republican President Donald Trump. Since February, four political demonstrations have turned violent with masked anarchists rioting on campus.
Yiannopoulos' attempt to speak at Berkeley in February was shut down by masked anarchists who rioted on campus.
"Claims that this is somehow the outcome desired by the campus are without basis in fact," Mogulof said. "The university was prepared to do whatever was necessary to support the First Amendment rights of the student organization."
Campus Police Chief Margo Bennett said authorities were "going to be prepared and handle things that may happen when a speaker can just show up." She said anyone can come to the open plaza to speak, but they can't use amplified sound without permission or interfere with the business of the university.
Over the last few days, student bulletin boards on Sproul Plaza were papered with fliers calling on counterprotesters to "Shut Down Milo Yiannopoulos," saying his brand of inflammatory speech against Muslims, immigrants, women and transgender people was hateful and should not be allowed. The fliers advised supporters to bring bandannas to cover their faces in case police fire tear gas.
Later in the afternoon, Yiannopoulos left Sproul Plaza, reported KTVU on Twitter.
Click for more from Fox 2.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
One woman was killed and seven other people were hurt after a suspect identified as a Sudanese immigrant opened fire at a Tennessee church Sunday, police said, as the FBI confirmed it's launched a civil rights investigation into the shooting.
The suspect, 25-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson, immigrated from Sudan two decades ago, police said. He's suspected of bringing at least two pistols and a mask to the predominantly white Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, southeast of Nashville, before opening fire.
Metropolitan Nashville Police Department tweeted that Samson had been released from the hospital and will be charged with murder and attempted murder.
Photos from a Facebook page under Samson's name seemed to show him lifting weights and showing off his physique. A post earlier Sunday read: "Everything you've ever doubted or made to be believe as false, is real. & vice versa, B." Another post read, "Become the creator instead of what's created. What you say, goes."
Police have not commented on the Facebook posts.
"The Memphis FBI Field Office's Nashville Resident Agency, the Civil Rights Division, and the US Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee have opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee. The FBI will collect all available facts and evidence," FBI Memphis told Fox News.
An usher, identified as Robert Engle, 22, confronted the gunman at one point and was pistol-whipped, causing "significant injury around his head," police added. They said Engle went to his own car, grabbed a pistol and headed back into the church.
Law enforcement confirmed Samson is a legal U.S. resident who immigrated from Sudan in 1996.
It was initially reported that the gunman shot himself, although police said it's unclear whether he shot himself or the gun unintentionally discharged during his scuffle with Engle.
Police said that Burnette Chapel churchgoers recognized Samson as attending their church one to two years ago, but noted he hadn't attended services "in quite a while."
The woman who was shot and killed in the church parking lot, identified as Melanie Smith, 39, was walking to her car when she was hit, police said.
The gunman, with his blue vehicle still running in the parking lot, then entered the back of the church and shot six people three women and three men who were rushed to the hospital, police said.
Police identified those being treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and in stable condition as: William Jenkins, 83; Marlene Jenkins, 84; Peggy Spann, 65; and Linda Busch, 68. David Spann, 60, was also being treated at Vanderbilt, but was listed as in critical but stable condition.
Katherine Dickerson, 64, was in stable condition at Skyline Medical Center. Engle was also being treated at Skyline.
Nashville Christian School wrote on Facebook that David Spann, nicknamed Joey, is a Bible teacher at the school, in addition to working as a high school and middle school basketball coach. Spann is reportedly a pastor at the Burnette Chapel.
Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson called Engle a "hero" for his actions at the church Sunday.
Several witnesses claimed the shooter was wearing a clown mask when he opened fire, but police said what he wore more closely resembled a ski mask.
Megan Barry, mayor of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, said in a statement that the shooting "is a terrible tragedy for our city. My heart aches for the family and friends of the deceased as well as for the wounded victims and their loved ones."
Gov. Bill Haslam added that he and his wife, Crissy, were praying for the victims and "committed to supporting the Antioch community in the aftermath of this tragedy."
The church has a weekly service starting at 10 a.m. Sunday. The surrounding area was closed off as police investigated the situation.
Fox News' Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The heated immigration debate in Washington is shining a spotlight on a World War II-era agreement that allowed millions of Mexican immigrants to work in the U.S. as guest workers.
The Bracero Program grew out of a series of bilateral agreements between Mexico and the United States that allowed Mexicans to come to the U.S. to work from 1942 through 1964 under short-term, agricultural labor contracts. Bracero loosely translates to manual laborer.
The program was debated during a summit Friday and Saturday at the University of Texas at El Paso, hosted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
There were bosses that were stricter than others. Some treated braceros very harshly, others did not, said Francisco Uvina, who was a bracero for seven years.
Uvina described his time working on cotton fields to Fox News through a translator.
Braceros suffered a lot back then. Long nights. Picking while bent over. Hard work. Personally, I didnt have a boss that treated me badly, but other braceros did. They would be taken advantage of, said Uvina.
The first men crossed the border 75 years ago this September. Thats when braceros started what they said was difficult but worthwhile work for farmers.
One historian has said the braceros program was beneficial to many Americans -- but also started the pattern of bringing temporary workers into the U.S. and pushing them out when theyre done. Some braceros also became full-time residents and citizens of the U.S., starting families that are now multiple generations deep.
The fate of other programs that currently allow migrants to stay in the U.S., like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, remains up in the air.
In these times when immigration is in the news and its so debated and so contested, I think the more that we in the United States know about immigration policy, the better we can actually make decisions, said Yolinda Leyva, Director of the Institute of Oral History at UTEP.
One of todays closest equivalents to the bracero program would be the H-2A visa, which allows immigrants to work temporary or seasonal agricultural jobs. To qualify, employers must show there are not enough U.S. workers who are able to do the work.
But the visa program has its critics.
Such temporary work programs just provide a way for employers to control very low paid work force, said Leyva. I think thats a bad pattern to have. If we want workers we shouldnt just think of them as temporary people.
In todays society, a bracero-type program would play a very different role than it did 75 years ago. Machines have replaced many of the jobs braceros used to perform, so farmers need fewer hands for picking, but more skilled hands that are qualified to work machinery.
I probably wouldnt need more than 10 to 15 max, said Craige Miller, an owner of the Miller Farm.
Miller said he might be interested in a similar program. Id have to see what all the requirements would be before I could say yay or nay on the deal.
Miller was a child when he said some 400 braceros worked on his farm. He remembers working alongside braceros, packing cotton into the back of trucks. Miller said they were a big help, back when they picked the cotton by hand.
Harvesting the crop would have been a real challenge without the bracero program, said Miller.
But now Miller picks his cotton with a machine that he says can do as much work in a day as 500 men.
Coming to America gave many braceros their only opportunities to make a living, even if it wasnt much.
In that time, in southern Mexico, there was no work. So we decided to come on board as braceros. They paid a little more money, said Uvina. There was more poverty in Mexico.
Uvina said he used to make 50 cents an hour as a bracero, but back then he could live on $5.00 a week.
Uvina was brought into the United States through Rio Vista farm in Socorro, Texas. He said he worked on a cotton farm in Socorro for six years until he said he was fired for complaining about cold conditions. From there, Uvina said he went to a farm in California for six months, and then back to Fabens, Texas, for one more year.
Now decades after he first arrived to work a temp job, Uvina is an American citizen along with his children and grandchildren.
Filipino military officials say two Vietnamese fishermen were killed and five others were taken into custody after they were spotted fishing off the northwestern Philippines and a night chase ensued with a Vietnamese boat hitting a Philippine navy ship and gunshots being fired.
Philippine navy information officer Lt. Jose Covvarubias says the five Vietnamese, along with their two dead fellow fishermen, have been turned over to Filipino police authorities after the early Saturday incident off Bolinao town in northwestern Pangasinan province.
Covvarubias said Sunday that details remained sketchy and that an investigation was underway.
Covvarubias said the incident happened within the 200-nautical-mile (370-kilometer) Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines, a stretch of ocean where a coastal state has been granted exclusive rights to fish and exploit other sea resources.
A group of men sprayed a "noxious substance" at shoppers in London Saturday night, injuring at least six people, police said.
The Metropolitan Police said a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm at the Westfield Stratford Shopping Centre in east London, Sky News reported.
"So far we have treated at least five patients at the scene and taken three patients to hospital," said London Ambulance Service assistant director of operations Paul Gibson. "We remain on the scene."
Gibson later confirmed at least six people were treated for injuries, with three people hospitalized, according to Sky News. All the injuries were non-life threatening.
Two groups of men got into an argument when the attack happened, said Chief Superintendent Ade Adelekan, Newham borough commander. A witness said he saw one man screaming while his friends shouted, "It is an acid attack, his skin is burning!"
A man who gave his name as Hossen, an assistant manager at Burger King, said he saw a victim and his friend, a local homeless man, run into the restaurant's bathroom to "wash acid off his face."
"There were cuts around his eyes and he was trying to chuck water into them," the man said.
It's unclear if the incident is terror-related.
The shopping center opened in 2011 and is located near the site of the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard has displayed the country's sophisticated Russian-made S-300 air defense system in central Tehran.
This is the first time that the S-300 air defense system has been displayed in public.
The public show in Tehran's Baharestan square near the Parliament building square exhibited different missile systems, including ballistic missiles, solid-fuel surface-to-surface Sejjil missiles and the liquid-fuel Ghadr.
The IRGC prepared the show for the annual Defense Week, marking the 37th anniversary of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed in August a bill imposing mandatory penalties on those involved in Iran's controversial ballistic missile program and anyone who does business with them.
Rescuers in Mexico continued digging through rubble after another earthquake on Saturday threatened to sideline rescue efforts in the country, where more than 400 people died in two previous earthquakes.
The new magnitude 6.1 earthquake was centered about 11 miles south-southeast of Matias Romero in the state of Oaxaca, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The tremblor was an aftershock from the magnitude 8.1 earthquake that struck on Sept. 7 the strongest quake to hit the country in 32 years.
"I was frightened because I thought, not again!" Alejandra Catellanos told The Associated Press when she felt the tremors on Saturday.
A woman died when a wall of her home fell on her in the town of Asuncion Ixtaltepec, and a man died after a wall fell on him in San Blas Atempa, the government of Oaxaca state said. The region suffered significant damage after the Sept. 7 quake.
The new quake did not do much more damage to Mexico City, which saw the most deaths from last weeks magnitude 7.1 tremblor, Mator Miguel Angel Mancera said. However, two people died of apparent heart attacks during Saturdays disaster. At least 167 people died in the capital last week.
Four people were injured in Juchitan and three in Tlacotepec, but none of their lives were in danger. Another person suffered a broken clavicle in the town of Xadani. Three hotels and two churches were damaged and a highway bridge collapsed. The Federal Police agency said the bridge already had been closed due to damage after the Sept. 7 quake.
"Homes that were still standing just fell down," Bettina Cruz, a resident of Juchitan, Oaxaca, said. "It's hard. We are all in the streets."
Visitors at Mexico Citys Xoco General Hospital were urged to leave the building when the alarms sounded for the new earthquake. Some people clung on to the hospital beds with their loved ones, refusing to leave despite the danger.
"I was worried about him, Syntia Pereda, 43, said before leaving her boyfriends bedside and returning when the shaking stopped. She added it has become routine to hear the quake alarm at any moment.
You say, well, it is Gods will, she said.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto also assured residents there was no reported major damage after Saturdays quake, adding: A hug to its people who again lived difficult moments. He said the bridge of Ixtaltepec suffered the most damage.
The death toll from last weeks earthquake climbed to 305 by Saturday afternoon. Dozens of bodies have been pulled from the rubble of collapsed buildings, with at least 115 people rescued. Many of those rescued remain in hospitals and suffering from injuries including fractures, bruises and severe brain injuries. Claudia Ponce, 30, has been by his fathers bedside waiting for a better diagnosis of his condition.
"They tell you it's evolving. He's still in serious condition. If not, he wouldn't be here. But I have a lot of faith, she told The Associated Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
If North Korea's foreign minister hoped to draw a response from U.S. President Donald Trump with his Saturday speech to the U.N. General Assembly, he succeeded.
"Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N.," the president tweeted late Saturday. "If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"
The president was referring to Ri Yong Ho, who on Saturday called Trump "a mentally deranged person full of megalomania," and promised that a strike on the U.S. mainland was "inevitable."
"Little Rocket Man" was Trump's now-infamous label for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
With his tweet, Trump seemed to reiterate a previous asserton that any strike by North Korea against the U.S. or its allies would be met with an overwhelming response.
The address by Ri in New York City began as the Pentagon announced it had flown bombers and fighter escorts to the farthest point north of the Korean Demilitarized Zone by any such American aircraft this century.
"This mission is a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat," Defense Department spokesman Dana White said in a statement.
"North Korea's weapons program is a grave threat to the Asia-Pacific region and the entire international community. We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the U.S. homeland and our allies," White said.
The Pentagon said B-1B bombers from Guam, along with F-15C Eagle fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan, flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea on Saturday. Unlike on previous so-called "show of force" missions, the U.S. aircraft were not accompanied by South Korean or Japanese planes.
"While conducted unilaterally, this mission was coordinated with regional allies - namely the Republic of Korea and Japan - and was a strong testament to our ironclad alliance," U.S. Pacific Command spokesman Cmdr. Dave Benham told Fox News, using the official name for South Korea.
B-1 bombers are no longer part of the U.S. nuclear force, but they are capable of dropping large numbers of conventional bombs.
U.S. Pacific Command would not be more specific about many years it had been since U.S. bombers and fighters had flown that far north of the DMZ, but Benham noted that this century "encompasses the period North Korea has been testing ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons."
At the United Nations, Ri said that his country's nuclear force is "to all intents and purposes, a war deterrent for putting an end to nuclear threat of the U.S. and for preventing its military invasion, and our ultimate goal is to establish the balance of power with the U.S."
He also said that Trump's depiction of Kim as "Rocket Man" makes "our rocket's visit to the entire U.S. mainland inevitable all the more."
Trump on Friday had renewed his rhetorical offensive against Kim.
"Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn't mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never before!" the president tweeted.
On Thursday, Trump announced more economic sanctions against the impoverished and isolated country, targeting foreign companies that deal with the North.
"North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development is a grave threat to peace and security in our world and it is unacceptable that others financially support this criminal, rogue regime," Trump said as he joined Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a meeting in New York.
Hours later, Kim responded by saying Trump was "deranged" and vowed the president would "pay dearly" for threatening to "totally destroy" North Korea if the U.S. was forced to defend itself or its allies against an attack.
In a speech last week at the United Nations, Trump had issued the warning of potential obliteration and mocked the North's young autocrat as a "Rocket Man" on a "suicide mission."
Trump's executive order expanded the Treasury Department's ability to target anyone conducting significant trade in goods, services or technology with North Korea, and to ban them from interacting with the U.S. financial system.
Trump also said China was imposing major banking sanctions, too, but there was no immediate confirmation from the North's most important trading partner.
If enforced, the Chinese action Trump described could severely impede the isolated North's ability to raise money for its missile and nuclear development. China, responsible for about 90 percent of North Korea's trade, serves as the country's conduit to the international banking system.
North Korea has said it intends to build a missile capable of striking all parts of the United States with a nuclear bomb. Trump has said he won't allow it, although the U.S. so far has not used military force to impede the North's progress.
Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
As President Trump and North Korea launch threats at one another, inching closer toward taking military options that could lead to a catastrophic war, an expert said there are few options to dissolve the crisis in the Korean Peninsula.
We dont have a lot of good options, Im afraid to say, former CIA analyst Sue Mi Terry told Fox & Friends Sunday.
North Koreas foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, lambasted Trump on Saturday, calling him a mentally deranged person full of megalomania after the U.S. president mocked Kim Jong Un and threatened to totally destroy North Korea during his Tuesday address to the United Nations General Assembly. Terry said North Korea didnt expect this level of rhetoric from the U.S.
My only concern is, its going to escalate because North Koreans cant back down either. Kim Jong Un has spent on completing his nuclear program. [North Korean officials] said they have to perfect their degree of arsenal to achieve their ultimate capability to attack mainland United States with intercontinental ballistic missiles. And now, they will have to react too, Terry said.
TRUMP ON NORTH KOREA, FROM 'ROCKET MAN' TO 'FIRE AND FURY'
North Korea was riled up before, when former President George W. Bush called the Hermit Kingdom part of the axis of evil. The former CIA analyst predicts North Korea will respond to Trumps threats with another nuclear test or ICBM launch.
However, Terry said she still believes the bombastic threats wont lead to military action.
The military option would mean massive casualties, Terry said. I just dont see how we can avoid a big conflict on the Korean peninsula just because North Korea is really a nuclear power that puts Japan and South Korea under nuclear threat.
Terry said if the U.S. does choose to attack North Korea, Kim Jong Un will retaliate, threatening to cause major damage to neighboring countries.
Of course at the end, North Korea will be devastated and utterly be destroyed in an all-out conflict. And Japan will particularly take a big hit, Terry added.
She said an attempt to topple Kim Jong Uns regime would be a difficult option to pursue because North Korea is one of the most isolated countries on the face of this Earth.
TRUMP: NORTH KOREAN LEADERS 'WON'T BE AROUND MUCH LONGER' IF THEY STRIKE US
Trump continued to mock Kim as the little rocket man in a tweet Saturday night and warned the rogue regime wont be around much longer if it strikes the U.S. Ri promised a strike on the U.S. mainland was inevitable. Kim responded to Trumps U.N. General Assembly speech on Friday by calling Trump a mentally deranged U.S. dotard and vowing the U.S. would pay dearly for threatening to destroy his regime.
In a show of force, B-1B bombers from Guam and F-15 fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan, partook in a mission in international airspace over the waters east of North Korea Saturday, the Pentagon said.
Defense Department spokesperson Dana White said in a statement that the mission shows how seriously the U.S. takes what she calls North Korea's "reckless behavior."
The flights are a "demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message" that President Trump "has many military options to defeat any threat, White said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
In the midst of all the bad news making headlines these days, we need reminders of how many good people are out there.
Just as folks have lined up to donate bottled water and diapers, cleaning supplies and canned goods to hurricane victims, a couple of retired people in North Carolina have reached out to help a Spotsylvania County girl with cancer.
After reading a story in The Free LanceStar about Lauryn Newsome, a 6-year-old who has dealt with the effects of leukemia more than half her life, Sandy and Skip Wells offered the Newsomes the use of their beach cottage at the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Its the same house where my companion, Lou, and I have vacationed the last two years.
Sandy and Skip have relatives in the Fredericksburg area and are the kind of people you feel like youve known forever from the moment you meet them. During our two most recent visits to Hatteras Island, we saw them checking on the homes of out-of-town neighbors or feeding their cats, and it was clear that their community looked out for one another. Skip seemed to be its unofficial mayor.
He and his wife read our stories in December about Lauryn. Sandy, especially, was touched when Lauryns mother, Elizabeth, asked if readers could maybe send Lauryn and her siblings, Lily and Logan, a few cards to brighten their Christmas. It had been such a rough few years, the mom said, and the kids could use a special holiday.
Even though Lauryn dealt with the direct impact of cancer, including drugs that damaged her heart, liver and fertility, her brother and sister suffered along with her, their mother said. Their lives revolved around her treatments and appointments, and many other activities went on the back burner as the family focused on keeping Lauryn alive.
The community responded to the moms request, and then some. Cards and packages poured into the Thornburg post office.
And, the generosity lasted into late summer.
The Newsomes decided to make their first trip to the Outer Banks Sept. 14 so they could celebrate Lauryns sixth birthday at the beach. Looks like they picked the perfect time; Elizabeth said the weather was beautiful during their four-day visit. They were spared the rain and high winds from the umpteen hurricanes and tropical depressions that have battered the Eastern seaboard this month.
The group visited the most iconic symbol of the Outer Banks, Hatteras Lighthouse, where Logan found a painted rock left there by someone from Amherst County, Va. He planned to hide it somewhere in Spotsylvania.
Then, the Newsomes took the ferry to Ocracoke Island and watched a brilliant sunset from the top deck on the boat ride back.
They spent the next few days on the beach, running away from the huge waves and collecting as many seashells as we could carry, the mom said in an email.
The trip afforded them the chance to make some precious family memories.
Skip and Sandy Wells gave us an opportunity to break away from physical therapy, occupational therapy, blood draws and leg braces inserted in Lauryns shoes, Elizabeth said. We were free from the medical world for a moment.
But not totally removed.
Lauryn had to take breaks often because one of the chemotherapy drugs, nicknamed The Red Devil, damaged her heart and causes her to tire easily. She regularly sees doctors who monitor her heart and brain, looking for lingering issues, and she still wears legs braces because her knees were weakened from the cancer.
Her father, Josh, couldnt make the trip because he is still earning back vacation time and sick leave he used while Lauryn was gravely ill. It will take him a couple years to earn enough leave to attend family vacations.
Im sure hed echo his gratitude to a couple of strangers who freely opened their rental home to his wife and children so they could have a much-deserved reprieve.
On that note, Elizabeth Newsome points out that the government gives less than 4 percent of cancer research funds to those studying childhood cancer. She has joined with other groups, including St. Jude, St. Baldricks, Ellies Elves, the Fairy Godmother Project and Stillbrave, in spreading awareness of the fact that childrens cancer is not rare and that young patients react much differently to treatment than adults.
Maybe researchers could find a cure for childhood cancer if they were given more government funding, Newsome said. Maybe then better drugs will be discovered that wont leave such devastating side effects and cause deaths in children looking for a cure.
I know Halloween feels a long way off, especially given the Indian summer were languishing in.
But the night when ghouls and goblins rule will be here before we know it, so Im putting out a call for an extremely decorated house or two to feature in this space.
Because the intent here is to try and get at what motivates people to go all-in for Halloween, Im not talking about houses with just a few carved pumpkins or some spider webs in the bushes.
No, Im hoping to find a family or two who do all they can to transform their house and yard into an all-out Halloween scare-fest.
Ive found folks who do that all over our region in previous years, and hope to do the same this year.
The one thing thats been a constant in all the well-decorated Halloween houses Ive featured over the years has been the creativity and ingenuity that goes into many of these displays.
That shows up in the fact that much of what gets displayed in the yards, on the front porches and even up on the roofs of these houses is a mix of largely homemade pieces, whether were talking about ghosts, ghouls or other fright night accoutrements.
Homemade probably isnt entirely accurate, as the scary figures often start out with some store-bought parts and pieces, which are then added to and accentuated in ways that make them stand out.
Ive seen houses where rooms are set up in the yard, and houses where you walk through and find different nightmare scenes in every room. In most cases, its creative staging that takes weeks, if not months, to put into place.
So if you have one of those displays, or know a neighbor who does, and Ive not featured them in previous years, get in touch to tell me about it.
The best way is via email, at rhedelt@freelancestar.com. Attaching a photo from a previous year can give me an idea of what to expect.
When you get in touch, please include the name of the folks who own the house and put up the display, the address of the home and a telephone number where I can reach the scare-masters.
Once I look over the suggested houses, Ill pick the ones I want to feature and arrange to come out and take a look.
I know that many folks work right up until the day of Halloween to finish their displays, but Ill need to come out and talk to the Halloween display architects a week or two before the big day. Our photographers will visit a little closer to the witching night to capture images of the displays.
Ive been amazed over the years with the work, innovation and even the technology that many put into Halloween displays. Where scary figures once just hung up on stakes, now they often move, speak and more as visitors pass by.
People have learned to use molds and liquid plastics to cast everything from masks to the bodies of ghosts, goblins and monsters of assorted sorts.
So if you have one of those displays in the works and would like to share it here, get in touch. Ive got a lead or two already, but am looking to have a handful to pick from as the night of candy and scares approaches.
Lee Lewis does not need a stone to remind him of his enslaved ancestors.
So for him, the slave auction block in downtown Fredericksburg is nothing but a painful thorn.
That stone does not do anything for me than bring back sadness, resentfulness, and it doesnt help in healing the community, said Lewis, who thinks it belongs in a museum rather than on a sidewalk.
But Ira Weston, who said he is a descendant of George Triplettbelieved to be the last slave sold there in 1862said he proudly supports keeping the block at the corner of William and Charles streets as a way to openly and honestly deal with a national tragedy. Not only is the slave block personally important to my family, it is an artifact of the institution of slavery and part of a larger area discussion, he said.
Weston and Lewis were among 26 speakers at the City Councils public hearing Saturday morning to solicit opinions on whether the auction block should stay or go. Last months violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville rekindled a longstanding debate over the stone.
Thirteen speakers favored or seemed to lean toward leaving the block where it is, while seven indicated a desire to move it. Another six did not take firm positions on either of the City Councils options: Relocate the block to the Fredericksburg Area Museum or leave it and make the site a more prominent public space with interpretive panels and other improvements.
The City Council, which is scheduled to discuss the issue at a meeting Tuesday, will continue to collect comments at fredericksburgva.gov/slaveauctionblock until noon Monday. Nearly 500 people had submitted online comments as of Saturday morning.
There was a heavy police presence at the hearing, and attendees had to walk through a metal detector on their way to James Monroe High Schools auditorium. But tempers never flared as residents shared their views one by one.
Some white speakers said they thought the AfricanAmerican community deserved the most say over the blocks fate. Of the 11 black speakers, six thought it should stay and four wanted it moved. The other black speaker, Ronald Smith, did not express a firm position, but suggested a museum could tell a more complete story of the artifact.
Ann Ahearn, who is white, cried as she described the pain and horror the block evokes in her. Still, she said she thinks it should stay put, adding: I believe we ignore the cruelty of our history at our peril.
Robert Lamb said removing the artifact would violate what he called one of the basic tenets of historic preservation.
It is ironic and contradictory indeed that those who ill-advisedly would remove it at the same time profess a desire for a more open and honest conversation about race, said Lamb, who is white. Yet they would whisk it away to a museum that few people visit.
Former City Councilman Hashmel Turner, who first proposed relocating the block to a museum in 2005, said the artifact needs to go somewhere it will be treated with respect. He said he does not need a reminder that his ancestors were degraded, tortured and sold as if they were livestock.
Christi Newby, who is white, said she has walked and driven by the block countless times, but never realized it was a source of deep hurt for part of the community. She said the opinions of AfricanAmericans should carry the most weight, and apologized to them for what she called her ignorance to the issue.
It was their ancestors who stood on that block, she said, her voice cracking with emotion. It was their ancestors who were brutalized, it was their family.
Before the hearing, guest speaker and Fredericksburg native Nathan Speight described how slave auctions tore families apart, how men and women in chains would be poked and prodded against their will. He criticized what he described as sanitized history textbooks that ignore those harsh realities.
He did not take a position on the auction block, but described Fredericksburg as a battlefield in the war on how we tell our communitys collective history.
History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, Speight said. But if faced with courage, it need not be lived again.
A person died Saturday and another was hospitalized after a two-vehicle crash in Orange County, according to Virginia State Police.
The cause of the 1:11 p.m. crash on Route 522, near Route 611, is under investigation. Police did not release any other details.
A Spotsylvania man was arrested Friday after being accused of molesting an elementary school-aged child for the past year.
Carlos Geovany Cartagena-Reyes, 31, is charged with aggravated sexual battery. He is being held in the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond.
Sheriffs Lt. C.A. Carey said county detectives and Child Protective Service workers began an investigation Friday after learning about a juvenile who potentially was being sexually molested.
Detectives went to a county elementary school and, along with school staff and the school resource officer, interviewed the victim. Carey said police learned that the suspect was a friend of the childs family who had been living in the same home as the victim. Police also learned that the incidents had been ongoing for about a year.
Authorities then went to the childs home and took Cartagena-Reyes into custody without incident. Sheriff Roger Harris said the quick arrest was an example of how various county agencies work together to ensure the safety of children.
Aggravated sexual battery carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.
Nico Covert placed fourth in the nation in the Technical Computer Applications category at this years SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference, held in Louisville, Ky. Covert, a 2017 graduate of Courtland High School, attended the conference as a representative of Stephen Tates Computer Systems Technology program at the Spotsylvania Career and Technical Center. Technical Computer Applications requires students to have knowledge of computer maintenance, repair, computer programming, network design and troubleshooting, application of productivity software, communication skills and teamwork.
BROOKE POINT HIGH SCHOOL
Senior Leia Otterstatter, who also attends the Commonwealth Governors School Program at Colonial Forge High School, attended the prestigious NASA Student Enhancement in Earth and Space Science summer internship held at the University of Texas at Austins Center for Space Research. Leia was specifically selected for the Mid-American Geospatial Information Center Flood Response Team where she conducted research to improve warning times for victims of flooding.
Question: What do you call a congressman who votes against emergency aid for hurricane victims?
Answer: A piece of ...
Sure, the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce later apologized for that particular characterization of the libertarian-leaning Rep. Thomas Massie (RKy.), who was one of just three members of the House of Representatives brave or foolish enough to vote against the $7.85 billion Hurricane Harvey relief bill.
But generally speaking, this is how the public treats heretics who oppose blank checks during times of crisis.
Thats a shame, because the Scrooges have a point, even if you dont share their (and my) concern over a national debt that just zoomed past the $20 trillion mark. The fact is that existing government policy encourages too many people to live in harms way.
For nearly 50 years, the federal government has administered the National Flood Insurance Program, which allows millions of property owners in flood-prone areas to purchase protection against water damage at below-market rates.
More than half of the beneficiaries live inof all placesFlorida and Texas.
The NFIP, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was nearly $25 billion in debt even before hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Only through periodic bailouts can the fund keep its anti-actuarial promises.
And, as the Los Angeles Times delicately phrased it in a recent news article, The cheap rates have also confused some homeowners about the risk of flooding in their neighborhood.
Economists have been telling us for decades that prices are a way of conveying information, and individuals tend to respond to incentives. It doesnt require an advanced degree to reckon just how people will respond to the incentive of artificially inexpensive insurance rates in dangerous but attractive locales.
While there is an imperative for the government to provide assistance in time of crisis, Kevin Starbuck, the former emergency management coordinator for the city of Amarillo, Texas, asserted in a December 2016 Homeland Security Affairs paper, that assistance may change behavior; policies designed to limit risk may actually prolong or increase risk.
Welcome to the concept of moral hazard.
This being government, politics also tend to get in the way. No officeholder wants to be the one to tell existing property owners that their holiday from the free market is over.
For that reason, homeowners were grandfathered in at unreasonably low rates when FEMA first drew up its flood insurance rate maps and guaranteed access to coverage.
The result is as grisly as you would expect: 3.8 percent of policyholders have filed for repetitive losses, accounting for a disproportionate 35.5 percent of flood loss claims and 30.5 percent of claim payments, Starbuck said. Of those serial recipients, FEMA estimates that a jaw-dropping 90 percent pay grandfathered rates.
Every new calamity, and every new check-writing flurry from the feds, perpetuates a dumb system.
California is no stranger to government-insurance policies gone horribly wrong. In 1968, the same year that brought us the National Flood Insurance Act, Congress brought into existence Fair Access to Insurance Requirements, which made government the property insurer of last resort in places insurance companies wouldnt touch, such as riot-scarred inner cities.
Over time, almost as if to illustrate the concept of mission creep, FAIR policies in California clustered disproportionately in rich, fire-prone regions such as Malibu.
These backward incentives are glaringly obvious to almost everybody who has studied the governments disaster-area insurance guarantees. Yet they persist, mutate and even grow. Why?
Because nobody likes to be called a piece of ... .
So maybe its time to flip the script. Congress and President Donald Trump just extended the National Flood Insurance Programwhich had been scheduled to run out at the end of this monthuntil Dec. 8. That gives the legislature plenty of time to, at minimum, put an end to grandfathered rates.
But the longer-term solution is staring us right in the face. Let the market, not some hustlers trying to win re-election, determine how to price insurance in floodplains, fire belts and along earthquake faults.
Stop socializing other peoples siting decisions. Theres no compelling reason for South Dakota to bail out South Beach.
I dont think now is the time to debate those things, White House Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert told reporters in the midst of Hurricane Harvey.
But Bossert has it wrong. Because we tend to pay attention to catastrophes only when they happen, it behooves us in those moments to fix broken policy before the next one hits.
Make Harvey and Irma our last blank checks. From here on out, have people pay their own freight for living dangerously. Its time we separated our disaster policy from Shinola.
Thanks to legislation passed in 2015, Virginias two largest investor-owned electric utilities will pocket more than $1 billion in overcharges over the next seven years, according to the State Corporation Commission.
That extra $1 billion will come directly from the pockets of its customers, who account for 81.4 percent of all electricity consumers in Virginia.
The two Richmond-based utilitiesAppalachian Power Company and Dominion Virginia Powerare both government-approved monopolies. In the past, in return for being able to operate without competition, they have had to undergo base rate reviews every two years by the SCC, which has the power to approve or deny a rate increase.
The independent state agency can also order the utilities to refund money collected in excess of what the commission considers a fair return to shareholders.
For a century, the SCCs regulatory oversight worked well. It allowed utilities to recoup their costs and amply reward their investors, while making sure they did not use their monopoly status to gouge consumers.
That all changed in 2015, when the General Assembly passed, and Gov. McAuliffe signed, amendments to the 2007 Virginia Electric Utility Regulation Act that suspended the SCCs biennial review of APCOs base rate for four years and Dominions rate review for five years.
After subtracting the cost of providing electric service to its customers, Dominion reported a 12.87 percent earned rate of return on equity for calendar year 2016. But that exceeded the 9.6 percent most recently allowed by the commission, costing Dominion customers an extra $251.9 million, according to a Sept. 1 report to Gov. McAuliffe and the General Assembly.
APCOs 11.09 percent earned rate of return was also higher than the 9.4 percent the SCC determined to be fair, costing its customers an extra $27.9 million in 2016.
The end result of the rate freeze is that both utilities are currently charging their consumers much more for electricity than the SCC considers fair and, with Richmonds blessing, will continue to do so.
Why would the governor and state legislators override the SCC and do something so completely at odds with the best interests of their constituents?
According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Dominion was one of the top political donors in 2014-15, handing out $1.3 million to state candidates of both parties, while APCOs bipartisan donations totaled $225,493.
Since the utilities are now allowed to pocket a billion dollars in overcharges that should rightly have been returned to their customers, for them it appears to be money well spent.
A group of APCOs industrial customers filed a lawsuit arguing that the General Assemblys rate freeze was unconstitutional because it prevented the SCC from exercising its constitutional mandate to protect consumers. They cited Article IX, Section 2 of the voter-approved 1971 Constitution of Virginia, which gives the SCC authority to regulate electricity rates.
But the Virginia Supreme Court disagreed. In a 6-1 decision on Sept. 14, the court ruled that the state Constitution gives the General Assembly the power to regulate electricity rates, which it then delegates to the SCC, so the legislature is within its rights to override the agency.
The lone dissenter was Justice William Mims, himself a former state legislator, who pointed out that the majority failed to explain how that constitutional provision can possibly represent a delegation of power by the General Assembly, rather than by the people of Virginia who adopted it.
The court has spoken, but if the General Assembly has the power to freeze the SCCs electric rate reviews, it also has the power to unfreeze them to benefit the people of Virginia, who deserve much better from their elected representatives.
For almost 20 years, a powerful force has guided the way we think and enact laws that control the way we live, all to the disadvantage of the majority. Then Donald Trumps campaign agenda showed he would reverse this, encouraging Americans to elect him.
It was expected that the powerful would oppose him, but not to the extent that it has, with daily hatred and vengeance that is harmful to our country and squashing every executive order and enactment of law from Trumps agenda.
Most government reaction to the Charlottesville violence was hateful, and denounced specific citizens involved. Only President Trump met the violence with clarity, saying the actions of these people were wrong, sad and that both sides needed to work together for the good of the country. For this, he was maligned, and hints of impeachment surfaced again.
Make no mistake that if he is impeached, its most serious ramification would be the taking away of the right to vote in America and the constitutional right for the voice of the American people to be heard and legally binding. The better impeachment would be the removal of senators and representatives who vote against the good of the people and the good of the country.
If forces succeed in preventing the changes proposed by Donald Trump, then people like the president can move to another country and be welcomed for financial influence. That is something to think about.
Marion A. Steinbronn
Spotsylvania
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The Housing Opportunities Action Council has about a month to renovate a tire factory shop into a homeless shelter, and the Corvallis community is stepping up to the challenge.
Theres been a lot of community interest in this project, said Doug Davis, home repair initiative coordinator for Benton Habitat for Humanity, which is serving as the general contractor and volunteer coordinator for the shelter renovation.
The housing council, which is led jointly by Benton County and the city of Corvallis, announced Aug. 15 it had found a location for this seasons mens cold weather shelter, which will be at the former Hanson Tire Factory, 211 SE Chapman Place. The shelter will house up to 40 men on bunk beds at one time when it opens Nov. 1.
After acquiring the appropriate city permits, the group set to work rehabbing the warehouse and on Saturday, 12 Oregon State University students and faculty were onsite with screwdrivers and hammers.
To see a vanload of students show up here, it really means a lot, said Shawn Collins, program manager for the housing council.
The students involvement was part of a Fall into Service Day hosted by the Center for Civic Engagement, which had groups working on several community projects. At the shelter, the students spent six hours removing boards and work tables from the walls, taking down doors that will be replaced and sweeping debris from the floor.
Its really exciting because it doesnt look like much now but in five or six weeks it will look like a completely new place, said freshman Chloe Grover.
Ashlei Edgemon, a senior who works at the Center for Civic Engagement, said it was "awesome" to be involved in the shelters renovation. She said her family was nearly homeless at one point and had benefited from community resources.
So it hits home on a personal level, Edgemon said. Im glad to be in a position where Im able to give back at this point.
Broadleaf Architecture designed the renovation plans, which include adding a second bathroom and a shower. (Additional portable toilets and a temporary shower trailer will be accessible outside.) No existing walls in the 2,800-square-foot space have to come down, but shear walls will be added for stability and sheet rock will cover the exposed wood ceiling, Collins said. Ceiling fans will also be installed and the interior walls will need to be painted.
The majority of it is going to be done by volunteers, Davis said.
Although the shelter will open Nov. 1 for its five-month season, the renovations must be finished by Oct. 20 to ensure time for building inspections and staff training, he said.
Its a tough road to get to November 1, but a lot of people are lining up and committed to seeing it happen, Collins said.
The Hanson location came with a caveat: the housing council can use it for only one year because its owner, Devco Engineering, has plans to turn it into office space.
People are saying its a shame we only have it for one season, but its a great opportunity to see what its like to put together a new space, Collins said.
He said the housing council has already started reviewing properties for the future. But, he also wants to pursue more permanent, supported housing options.
This year buys us, as a community, the opportunity to step back and look at what model we need to pursue in the future, Collins said.
Chef David Upchurch served to a small group of about 30 people Tuesday a lunch featuring Asian pears raised as part of a research project to improve the particular fruit when grown in Virginia.
Upchurch is a member of the Sodexo company, which makes the food served at events by the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research as well as in its Megabytes Cafe.
He enjoyed working with the pears, which are firmer and crispier than European pears, have a longer shelf life and are available year-round.
And his guests, after dining on grilled chicken and pear salad, and a dessert of Marsala poached parfait, heard about how the project is doing after its first year of study.
Kedong Da, a scientist at the Institute, told the group that both European and Asian pears are grown in Virginia and the project is to increase the output of Asian pears as well as improve the quality of the fruit produced.
Like most fruits, pears attract birds and bugs, so part of the project was to find ways to make the fruit unavailable to them while still on the tree without using pesticides.
Da experiments with encasing the pears in bags while they are still on the tree, a method commonly used in Asian countries but rare in America.
The research team used plastic bags, white paper bags and black-lined brown bags to see if there were better results depending on the type of bag used.
Brown bags have produced the best pears, the team discovered, at least with both the trees planted at the Institute and at the two farms currently part of the project.
Agriculture is Virginias largest industry, with an economic impact of $52 billion annually and employing about 311,000 people, said Melissa Ball, special projects manager with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Pear trees are generally prone to an array of diseases they must be treated for, Ball noted, but the bags protect the fruit from being sprayed directly, and, overall the trees are producing more pears while using less irrigation, pesticides and fertilizers.
These pears are the most organic you can get, Ball said.
Bagging the fruit on the tree does not prevent them from getting nutrients from the soil, and protecting them from fresh sunlight has not been a problem since the trees and leaves still soak up those benefits and pass them on to the fruit, which, so far have been harvested with few bruises or damage from bugs or birds, are a uniform color, and taste good.
The bags are placed on the fruit as they begin to grow in May and remain until harvest.
Da said an average grower can bag about 2,500 pears per day, and the two growers who worked on the project with the Institute, Saunders Brothers Farm in Nelson County and Virginia Gold Orchard in Rockbridge County, netted hundreds more pears than usual.
The pears growing on the trees at the Institute also are huge at first glance, the round, yellow pears look more like grapefruit in size.
Asian pear ripen on the tree, while European pears require room ripening; both types of pears begin to be harvested in July, but Asian pears are harvested into October, while European pears generally are harvested by September.
The Asian pears also have a longer shelf life they can be stored for up to a year, while Asian pears generally have a shelf life of one to eight weeks.
The Institute was awarded a $25,771 grant last year, paid out over two years, from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services special crop grants program.
Da is looking for more growers to participate in the project during the next phase of the project. He can be reached via email at Kedong.Da@ialr.org or at (434) 766-6621.
UTSA dropped a three-set match (18-25, 24-26, 22-25) in its home opener to No. 6 Texas in front of a school-record 2,711 fans Tuesday night at the Convocation Center.The Longhorns (8-2) hit .365 and posted 14 total blocks to hand the Roadrunners (2-10) the loss.Micaya White led a trio of Texas players into double figures with 17 kills, while Lexi Sun logged a double-double of 13 winners and 11 digs. Yaazie Bedart-Ghani chipped in with 11 kills, while Ashley Shook handed out 37 assists and tallied 13 digs.Meanwhile, UTSA was held to a .198 hitting percentage on 126 attacks. Amanda Gonzales dished out 29 helpers, while Marijeta Runjic led the hosts with 10 kills. Emily Ramirez collected a match-high 17 digs and Brianna McCulloch added 14.Beginning the match, UTSA and Texas traded points through competitive rallies inside a raucous Convocation Center. Taking the opening set's first five-point lead at 13-8, drawing a Roadrunner timeout and again 17-10, the Longhorns absorbed the UTSA offense to claim the frame, 25-18.Texas continued its momentum with a 10-5 advantage in the second set, but a persistent UTSA surged back as consecutive aces from Gonzales fueled a 7-0 run for the host. Pacing competitive rallies, the teams would decorate the remainder of the set with seven lead changes and 13 ties. With the score knotted at 23, a McCulloch kill would edge the Roadrunners to set point at 24-23, but consecutive kills from Bedart-Ghani would secure the following points and the set for Texas at 26-24.Unyielding, UTSA set the pace in building a 15-10 lead in the third frame, but Texas again turned the tides with a decisive rally at the end of the set. With the score knotted at 22, the Longhorns used an 8-0 run to control the Roadrunners and finish the sweep.Up next, UTSA will open Conference USA play with a road match against Southern Miss on Sunday, Sept. 24. The match is set for 1 p.m. CT in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
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GREENSBORO No doubt each wants better things for Greensboro.
Both remaining candidates in the District 4 City Council race have long put in work behind their vision of how the city should move forward.
Their differences are in the details in getting there.
Voters elected incumbent Nancy Hoffmann, 75, who has a masters degree in education, to three terms on the citys governing council.
The corporate management executive-turned-politician not only speaks up from her seat in City Council chambers, but regularly to the public eye to eye literally. She holds regular Coffee and Conversation meetings (nearly 40 thus far) with anyone who wants to show up.
She is a former chair of the citys Human Relations Commission and her civic involvement and interests range from the adult literacy Reading Connections to the Institute of Political Leadership.
Challenger Gary Kenton, 67, the longtime community activist and an adjunct college professor, is often with the people wanting to be heard whether at City Council meetings or in City Hall, where earlier this year he was arrested on trespassing charges while demanding documents in a police misconduct case.
Kenton, a former Guilford County Schools special education teacher with a masters degree in communication, is a founding member of Democracy Greensboro and a board member of the League of Women Voters of the Piedmont Triad.
He has been elected to public office three times; twice to the Guilford County Soil & Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors, and once in New York state.
Kenton, who voted for Hoffmann when he moved back to Greensboro, says he took her on this term because shes out of touch.
Nancy has been out of touch on zoning issues, shes been out of touch on issues pertaining to law enforcement, and issues having to do with race, and issues having to do with money.
The zoning at Hobbs Road/Friendly Avenue is a clear betrayal, Kenton said, offering an example. She failed to listen to the people in her district when they were very clear.
Hoffmann agrees that some people in her district were upset by the third attempt at rezoning about 7 acres of high-profile land with dilapidated houses sitting on it. Actually, she said, they were in the minority.
I think people forget that or maybe they didnt realize the most immediate neighbors of that rezoned property were supportive, Hoffmann said. The most affected neighbors were involved in that project.
The third time brought changes to the size and scope of the project, which ended up including a smaller project with a mix of homes, pedestrian areas and shops. The developers, neighbors and the city were all involved, she said.
I knew that this was going to be very difficult and that it had the potential to become a serious campaign issue, but I did the right thing for Greensboro.
And she defends her record.
The efforts shes led or had a strong role in range from her urging the city to go after the touring National Folk Festival to helping bring food trucks to downtown.
For the latter, young people had come to her asking whether they could get the City Council involved.
We had to overcome some dissident voices, but now we take food trucks (being there) for granted, Hoffmann said. I like to grow things. I like to make things happen. Im not just a maintenance person. Im just going to be always working on the next good idea, the next good project.
Kenton says she remains silent on issues important to a progressive agenda.
She voted not even to look at the Jose Charles video, Kenton said of the release of police body cam footage of an altercation between a police officer and the teenager. I dont understand that.
Thats an abdication of her responsibility, Kenton said. While legislation limits who can watch body cam footage, the council could have.
The taxpayers paid a lot of money for those police cameras, Kenton said.
And she voted not to even look at that video.
Voters will actually see a third candidate on the ballot. Andrew Belford has dropped out of the race but his name will still appear on the primary ballot since he failed to tell the Guilford County Board of Elections before the July 18 deadline.
The primary is Oct. 10. Early voting started Thursday.
The two District 4 candidates with the highest number of votes will advance to the Nov. 7 general election.
It was an epoch-defining decision to place in Westminster Abbey, among statues of monarchs, priests and poets, a large one of James Watt, inventor of the separate-condenser steam engine. The statues inscription says Watt ranks among the worlds benefactors because he increased the power of man. The economist and historian Deirdre McCloskey believes this honor, conferred in 1834, signified societys endorsement of the dignity of practical people who apply science for human betterment.
The Great Enrichment is McCloskeys term for what, in a sense, started with steam and has been, she believes, the most important human development since the invention of agriculture 10,000 years ago. The development is the explosion of economic growth that began around 1800 and has, especially since reaching China and India, lifted billions of people from poverty. Today, however, the Great Enrichment might be running out of steam in the United States, which for two centuries has given propulsive energy to it.
In 1800, McCloskey says, the worlds economy was where Bangladeshs economy now is, with no expectation of change. Today, most of the jobs that existed just a century ago are gone. And we are delighted that this protracted disruption occurred. Now, however, the Great Enrichment is being superseded by the Great Flinch, a recoil against the frictions and uncertainties the permanent revolution of economic dynamism. If this continues, the consequences, from increased distributional conflicts to decreased social mobility, are going to be unpleasant.
Although America is said to be, and many Americans are, seething about economic grievances, Tyler Cowen thinks a bigger problem is complacency. In his latest book, The Complacent Class: The Self-Defeating Quest for the American Dream, Cowen, professor of almost everything (economics, law, literature) at George Mason University, argues that the complacent class, although a minority, is skillful at entrenching itself in ways detrimental to the majority.
For 40 years, Cowen believes, we have been building toward stasis, with a diminishing sense of urgency. Americans and American businesses are, on average, older than ever. Interstate migration a risk-taking investment in a hoped-for future has been declining since the mid-1980s. Although there is much talk about job churning, the percentage of workers with five or more years on the job has increased in 20 years from 44 to more than 50. Declining labor mobility is partly the result of the domestic protectionism of occupational licensing. In the 1950s, Cowen writes, only about 5 percent of workers required a government-issued license to do their jobs, but by 2008, that had risen to about 29 percent.
There is more pairing of like with like (economically homogenous neighborhoods, segregation by educational status), and the nation is losing the capacity and will to regenerate itself. In the 19th century and much of the 20th, travel speeds increased dramatically; since the 1970s, ground and air congestion has slowed travel. Fifty-two years ago, children played outdoors; today, the average 9-year-old spends 50 hours a week staring at electronic screens. Today, Cowen notes, campuses are where the complacent class exercises its strongest influences, doing so to preserve its status and consensus, slowing what economist Vilfredo Pareto called the circulation of elites.
Most alarming is American democracy becoming a gerontocracy. The Steuerle-Roeper Fiscal Democracy Index measures how much of the allocation of government revenues is determined by current democratic processes and how much by prior decisions establishing permanent programs running on autopilot. The portion of the federal budget automatically spent by choices made years ago is approaching 90 percent. An aging population is devouring an increasing portion of national resources federal revenues dispersed to provide Social Security and Medicare to the elderly, the nations past. This will worsen. Because government is more important to its elderly beneficiaries, a higher percentage of the elderly vote compared to any younger cohort.
For complacent Americans, a less dynamic, growth-oriented nation seems less like an alarming prospect than a promise of restfulness. In a great testimonial to capitalisms power, The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx wrote: All fixed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions, are swept away, all new-formed ones become antiquated before they can ossify. All that is solid melts into air. Complacent Americans have had enough of that.
For weeks now, weve all seen various groups, volunteers and the Red Cross rush to the aid of victims of hurricanes in Texas and Florida.
At the same time, the federal government will authorize money to help repair the damages from these unforeseen disasters, which individuals are often unable to afford alone. All taxpayers contribute to help. But I ask, where in the Constitution is disaster relief authorized per se? Yet all come to the aid of the few, and we cheer it on.
Medical disasters also occur, but mostly only to individuals, and they are similarly unforeseen. As an analogy, the Constitution also does not authorize health care per se. But if all contributed to a health care system, as we do to disaster relief, those in medical need would also get help and relief and not face economic disaster.
All other developed nations have single-payer, government-supported health care systems. None seeks to duplicate ours. We could afford it better by diverting expensive health care money to Medicare, the most cost-efficient system already in place. And yet many members Congress hope to deny health care to millions. Who benefits?
Disaster relief for all. Medicare for all.
James R. Jackson
Reidsville
With the Cassini spacecraft crashing Friday into Saturn after a spectacular 20-year voyage, and the wonder of the recent solar eclipse, my thoughts turned to a far corner of the Julian Curtiss School campus.
That is where one finds the towns very own observatory, the Bowman Observatory, built in 1940 by legendary Greenwich High School science teacher W. Alden Smith, and owned by the Board of Education since the 1970s.
Interest in, and money for, the Bowman has ebbed and flowed over many budget cycles; it is now at a very low point. In fact, several educators I spoke with were not even sure it was still owned by the school board. But it is, and there are no dollars specifically earmarked for the Bowman in the current school year budget, according to Kim Eves, GPS communications director.
The state-of-the-art, folded optical design telescope sits idle all but two nights a month, its telltale dome closed tight against the elements. On those two open evenings, the Bowman is manned by volunteers from the Astrological Society of Greenwich, one of whom is usually Rick Bria, a citizen scientist who is the groups vice president and chief astronomer.
Bria came to astronomy while a student in the early 1970s at Western Middle School; it is a passion that has taken him to many places around the globe in pursuit of new vantage points from which to study the stars. He also manages a private telescope on Round Hill Road and the observatory at Sacred Heart School on King Street.
By the early 2000s the Bowman Observatory had fallen into serious disrepair and was almost unusable. Then, in 2007, the town ponied up for a new, motorized, revolving dome to replace the original, fixed dome.
One of our donors saw the new dome being installed and called to see if we wanted a new telescope, Bria said. By 2010, according to Bria, several generous donors had raised about $30,000 allowing the astrological society to donate a RCOS Carbon Truss 16 Ritchey-Chretien f/8.4 telescope. Those in the know about astronomical instruments say that is one cool telescope.
One might think donating a $30,000 telescope to the school board would have been an easy task. But it was not. The town took about four years to accept the generous gift; officials were concerned that it would carry high annual maintenance and operating expenses. So as the budget battle continued with no end in sight, the telescope sat idle in its crate in one of the donors homes.
He eventually called us and asked us to take it out of his house, Bria said. The Havemeyer Building became its next repository, where Bria went looking for it after the school board accepted the gift in 2014.
It was like that scene in the Raiders of the Lost Ark when they were searching among all those boxes, Bria said, laughing at the memory. We couldnt find it at first among everything down in the Havemeyer Buildings basement. But we found it eventually. And then a few days later someone called and they had found a box of parts.
The town built a new concrete base to exacting specifications so the telescopes guidance system could function properly. It is computer-controlled and very sophisticated. It knows its exact location on Earth and it we can direct it via computer to the exact object we want to see. There is no more guess work, Bria said.
It is a fantastic telescope and one that any university would be proud to own. We are very lucky to have it in Greenwich, said the astronomer.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is a significant educational focus these days. And Greenwich has this valuable, somewhat unique resource that is not integrated into the GPS curriculum. No one seems quite sure why that is, and it is easy to understand how a relatively small building gets lost amid the debates about big new schools, racial imbalance and school start times. But this gem is hidden in plain sight, and it would be great to make it available to every student, or interested adult for that matter, in town.
Bob Horton can be reached at bobhorton@yahoo.com.
Week 38 in review: Google acquires parts of HTC as new Pixels leak
The past seven days brought confirmation of the ongoing negotiations between the troubled HTC and Google. The Android maker agreed to acquire parts of the Taiwanese company's smartphone business to boost its Pixel lineup in a deal worth $1.1 billion.
Meizu and Huawei announced a couple of mid-rangers - the M6 and Maimang 6, respectively. vivo had a couple of more interesting devices to show - the X20 and X20a.
In camp Apple the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus officially went on sale, while DxO completed its review of the iPhone 8 duo. The Sony Xperia XZ Premium also got its own DxO test published.
Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL leak in many colors, have prices revealed The smaller model will reprise the pricing of its predecessor, but the bigger phone is getting more expensive.
HTC and Google announce a $1.1 billion agreement for the future of Pixel HTC and Google have reached a deal where HTC employees will join Google and the company will have access to HTCs intellectual property.
Professional photographer's take on the iPhone 8 Plus camera This photographer shot hundreds of pictures with an iPhone 8 Plus while touring in India.
Nokia 8 with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage officially confirmed to be coming next month According to a new report, HMD has confirmed that the variant will be made available in Europe (Germany, specifically) next month on October 20
Just-in: Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact hands-on We saw it in a glance at IFA 2017 and now it arrives for our complete review.
Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro pricing leaks The regular version costs between $653 and $850, while the Pro can set you back up to $1100.
HTC reportedly has a huge announcement for tomorrow HTC will sell the phone division to Google, claim sources with insider info. Vive stays put.
Meizu M6 arrives with octa-core CPU, 5.2-inch display The handset carries a starting price tag of CNY 699, which currently translates into around $105.
Xiaomi sells over 1 million smartphones in India in 2 days "This achievement marks an industry first, and is a key milestone for Xiaomi India," the company said.
ZTE nubia NX595J promises to be a 5.73" bezel-less wonder ZTE calls this "Full View Display 2.1", suggesting that handsets like the Mi Mix 2 are slightly behind.
LG's new V30 smartphone begins shipping It'll first be available in the company's home country of South Korea, something which will happen this week.
Quad-camera Huawei Maimang 6 to be sold outside China as Mate 10 Lite, not G10 It's the first in the Maimang series to be rebranded Mate, but with its four cameras and near bezel-less front, it's probably worthy of that name.
Huawei Mate 10 Lite leaks in hands-on video, showing off its four cameras and 18:9 screen Just yesterday we saw a bunch of press renders for it, and now we're already treated to a video of a live unit.
Oppo R11 'King of Glory' edition coming next week The limited edition device will go on sale next week on September 29.
Haiti - Economy : CCIH calls for dialogue to avoid crisis
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti (CCIH), which brings together the Departmental Chambers of Commerce and Industry urges all sectors of national life to a moment of reflection.
"We have been living for some time in a dangerous situation where the political institutions of our country, whether the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary are being questioned. Their decisions are fiercely criticized and provoke reactions, sometimes violent and certainly reprehensible, ranging from the strike to street demonstrations, through virulent attacks through the press or social media.
The economic and social life of the Nation is disrupted and citizens are concerned. The specter of a crisis is looming on the horizon and the CCIH would like to invite all sectors of society to draw on their love for our common homeland in order to find the reasonable means to engage in a frank and constructive dialogue bringing lasting solutions to the many problems we face.
The CCIH hopes that its voice will be heard and declare its readiness to participate in any meeting aimed at seeking and implementing solutions that promote the emergence of a just society that respects the laws, promoter of economic progress and creator of jobs and wealth."
HL/ HaitiLibre
Published on 2017/09/24 | Source
First lady Kim Jung-sook cooks crab in the Cheong Wa Dae kitchen in Seoul before flying to New York with President Moon Jae-in. /Yonhap
First lady Kim Jung-sook on Wednesday visited a Korean-American center for the elderly in Flushing, New York on Wednesday and served homemade marinated crabs and kimchi to 300 elderly first-generation expatiates.
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She also treated them to Korean beef-bone soup ordered from a nearby restaurant. Cheong Wa Dae said Kim prepared the marinated crabs and kimchi herself and flew them to New York aboard the presidential airplane.
"I have great fondness for the elders who have gone abroad for the progress of our country", Kim said. "So I wanted to meet them more than anybody else during my visit. They have overcome language barriers and other difficulties of living in a foreign land; my heart is overwhelmed with emotions".
She said the reason she packed the marinated crabs and brought them to New York is because they are hard to find in the U.S. "I wanted to serve it to people who are homesick for Korean food".
The first generation of elderly Korean Americans started to settle in Flushing, a neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York, in the 1960s. It is also home to the biggest population of senior citizens in the city, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
Published on 2017/09/24 | Source
Prof. Yuji Hosaka speaks to reporters at Sejong University in Seoul on Tuesday. /Yonhap
An official Japanese government document proves Tokyo's involvement in the forced mobilization of Korean women as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II.
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Prof. Yuji Hosaka, who heads the Dokdo Research Institute at Sejong University, told reporters on Tuesday, "The Japanese government provided accommodation and support in the process of organizing comfort women", using the Japanese euphemism for the sex slaves.
Hosaka translated the document from the archives of the Asian Women's Fund set up by the Japanese government in 1994 to compensate the victims.
The Imperial Army fell under the direct control of the emperor and wielded tremendous power, and the Japanese government followed its orders.
"Imperial Japanese forces occupying China decided to mobilize comfort women and requested the cooperation of the Japanese Consulate General, which would then turn to the Interior Ministry to authorize their mobilization by individual police departments", Hosaka said.
Clinics operated by the consulates would conduct health checks on the mobilized women and hand them over to military police at designated ports for delivery to the frontlines.
A Japanese Interior Ministry document dated Feb. 7, 1938 contains testimony by a police superintendent that he provided "significant accommodations" to "an unofficial request to police by the Interior Ministry to mobilize comfort women".
The document also contains detailed information on the role played by the Japanese Consulate in Shanghai in mobilizing sex slaves and how it allocated different roles to individual entities as well as authorization by a high-ranking Interior Ministry official for the rounding up of women.
Hosaka said, "The forced mobilization started in 1938 and continued until 1945. It not only involved the Japanese military and private entrepreneurs but also the Japanese government. The Japanese government must take legal responsibility".
Hosaka was born in Tokyo but became a naturalized Korean in 2003 after researching Korea-Japan relations here. He has headed the Dokdo Research Institute since 2009.
Read this article in Korean
Published on 2017/09/24 | Source
Korea's exports grew at the fastest rate among the world's top 10 exporters in the first quarter of this year, propped up by robust shipments of semiconductor chips.
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Exports for the first seven months of this year reached US$328 billion, up 16.3 percent from a year earlier, according to a monthly report by the World Trade Organization on Tuesday.
Korea is now the sixth largest exporter among 70 countries, up two notches from last year.
The WTO forecasts that global trade will remain brisk in the next quarter. But the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy here said Korea's exports could slow down amid U.S.' protectionist policies.
Published on 2017/09/24 | Source
Korea will launch a massive campaign in Japan to lure more tourists after the latest North Korean nuclear test.
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Tourist numbers from Japan rose earlier this year as bilateral ties showed signs of improving but took a nosedive when the North started firing more and more missiles before conducting another nuclear test last month.
The Korea Tourism Organization will have a prominent presence at the Tourism Expo Japan 2017 in Tokyo from Thursday to Sunday. It brings together some 1,100 agencies from about 140 countries and regions. Korea is sending its largest ever delegation of 180 officials from 22 local municipalities and 17 travel agencies.
The Korean pavilion consists of 58 booths, including for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, regional tourism, and medical tourism.
Shin Sang-yong, the director of the KTO's Tokyo office, said, "We're going to turn this event into an opportunity to make a favorable impression of Korea on Japanese people who hesitate to come to Korea in the wake of North Korea's missile launches".
The government originally set a target of 18 million foreign tourists for the year but has now slashed it to 12.5 million amid an unofficial Chinese boycott, with Japanese tourists expected to dwindle from an estimated 2.5 million to 2.3 million.
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Published on 2017/09/24 | Source
Seven out of 10 male celebrities have postponed their mandatory military service, prompting the Military Manpower Administration to monitor individual cases. So far only the sons of high-ranking government officials were subject to such monitoring to ensure that they set an example for other young men.
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According to Liberty Korea Party lawmaker Kim Hack-yong of the National Assembly's Defense Committee, 587 out of 794 celebrities plan to postpone the draft this year.
Some 43.3 percent of 24,716 athletes have also postponed the draft this year, while 1,369 top earners have done the same (US$1=W1,129).
Among the sons of senior government officials, 47.5 percent on the MMA's watch list have also postponed the draft.
"Celebrities and athletes are arousing suspicions about their willingness to obey the mandatory draft", Kim said. "I hope that better monitoring will persuade them to do their duty".
We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us here
Chris Gillispie Old Colony
I am a licensed, full time Realtor with Old Colony of Huntington in OH and WV. I have been helping buyers and sellers for over 15 years. I have experience in all aspects of Real Estate including residential, commercial, multi-family, investment, property management and short sales. I find it very rewarding helping first time home buyers through the process. As a Chesapeake High School Alumni and lifelong resident of the Tri-State, I am knowledgeable about the area and connected to the people of the communities in which I serve.
Evangelical Christians across the U.S. reconfirmed their allegiance to conservative candidates and causes in the midterm elections. Catholic voters also continued to show how closely divided they are, even on abortion. AP VoteCast shows Catholic voters split about evenly on a high-profile ballot measure that enshrined abortion rights in Michigans constitution. VoteCast is an expansive survey of over 94,000 voters across the country. In Kentucky, 60% of Catholic voters cast No votes for a GOP-backed ballot measure aimed at denying any state constitutional protections for abortion. In contrast, about two-thirds of white evangelical voters in both Kentucky and Michigan voted against abortion access.
The high-profile meeting in Bali is the first since Biden became US President in 2021.
SALTVILLE, Va. Local residents recognized the service of two Revolutionary War veterans from Southwest Virginia on Saturday as Overmountain Victory Trail festivities continue in the region.
The two men, Gen. William Campbell and John Broddy, were honored during wreath-laying ceremonies. A large group of citizens gathered first at the Broddy Cemetery in Saltville for a ceremony and then at Aspenvale Cemetery in Seven Mile Ford.
In 1780, Campbell was colonel of the Washington County Virginia Militia, and Broddy was his manservant. When a call was issued for local militia to respond to British Maj. Patrick Fergusons threat that he would march his army over the mountains, hang their leaders and lay their country waste with fire and sword, men from all over the region moved into action.
Under the leadership of Col. Campbell, 400 Virginians set out to join patriot militia from modern-day Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. After a two-week campaign, the Overmountain Men fought the Battle of Kings Mountain with overwhelming success.
Thomas Jefferson said it was the turn of the tide of success which terminated the Revolutionary War, with the seal of our independence.
Ben Richardson, of the National Park Service, provided the keynote address Saturday.
Richardson said he was proud to recognize the two Revolutionary War veterans and speak about current efforts to further expand the Overmountain Victory Trail.
Current efforts are underway to develop a 35- to 40-mile trail from the Abingdon Muster Grounds in Virginia to Fort Watauga at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park in Elizabethton, Tennessee.
The National Park Service will only complete the project if local organizations and citizens participate in the development. He said the first planning meetings for the project will begin in October, after the Battle of Kings Mountain anniversary on Oct. 7.
Its part of our heritage, Americas history, Richardson said.
Planning for the project is expected to last about one year.
Events leading up to the battle anniversary are planned through Oct. 7. Re-enactors held festivities at the Abingdon Muster Grounds on Saturday, as well as a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the Wolf Creek Stream Bank Restoration project. The restoration focused on the stretch of Wolf Creek that runs through the Muster Grounds, a site certified by the National Park Service as the northern terminus of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.
The restoration project helped stabilize the stream bank, improve the hydrology, create habitat and reintroduce native species of plants.
Following Saturdays festivities, the Overmountain Victory Trail Association will begin their annual trek across the mountains to Kings Mountain. The organization will perform the story of the Overmountain Men to over 10,000 people.
John Wayne loomed large over my childhood. Even now, when a John Wayne movie is on TV, I stop and watch. As a kid, it never occurred to me that John Wayne somehow represented both sides of the Civil War as an ex-Confederate in The Searchers and a Union colonel in The Horse Soldiers in a way that honored the people who fought in it. I think there is something to that and something important especially given the new Civil War Military Park welcome sign in Blountville.
Last Monday, the Bristol Herald Courier reported that the new sign is intended to draw attention to a battle fought there in 1863 something that I wasnt fully aware of until just recently. In fact, there is a reenactment planned at the site Sept. 29 through Oct. 1, and I plan to attend. We all should.
After all, it is important for us and our kids to know the history of our community. But we need that knowledge to be accurate, truthful and balanced. This park gives us an opportunity to commemorate the history of our region and our country but in the right sort of way.
That may seem like a strange thing to focus on, but Ive visited several Civil War battlefields and museums over the last few years, and Ive seen our nations history represented poorly, and Ive seen it done well.
For example, last summer, my son and I had a wonderful but strange experience when we visited the battleground and museums in Franklin, Tennessee. Franklin was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War: In only a few hours, thousands were killed or wounded. The tour itself was remarkable, but two things stood out to me. First, at no point did anyone mention slavery, which seems strange given that no matter which perspective a person takes, it was an issue that either caused or influenced the war. Second, it was the first time in all my visits to Civil War battlefields that Ive ever heard a guide speak sympathetically even honorably of the Klans role after the war. Im still not sure what to make of that.
My family and I had a different experience when we attended the reenactment at the Muster Grounds in Abingdon in July. As part of the event, a display included a letter written by a former slave who witnessed the arrival of Union troops and the subsequent issues that followed. Not only did they present the battle between the blue and the gray, they made sure to include the uncomfortable issue of slavery as well, and that is so important.
Yes, I know that there were simply not that many slaves in our region. But how many are enough to make the subject worth talking about? Does the fact that they were few in number somehow negate it from our history?
The truth is, our community isnt immune from things that are happening in the broader world. In fact, on the very day that the county announced the new sign for the park, Rev. Jesse Jackson was a few hours away in Richmond calling for the removal of statues.
This only goes to remind us that we must remember there were and are more than two sides more than simply the blue and the gray. It is important for the sake of our children and grandchildren that as we tell the whole story in Blountville, we do not simply advance the cause of one perspective over another at the expense of people.
And frankly, I think we are off to a good start when the countys Department of Archives and Tourism chose a sign and not a statue. A statue often points to one side or another, but a sign says only this happened here and allows for multiple voices to tell our story.
This Civil War Military Park may seem like such a small thing for our community. However, it does give us a chance to show other communities how to honor their past all aspects of it without being defined or controlled by it any longer.
Comings & goings: Health bar, candle shop, fishing charter website
A health bar and candle-making shop will cut their ribbons in the next few weeks while a charter fishing company launches its website.
NEWTON North Carolinas 100 counties are represented by 44 prosecutorial districts, complete with 44 district attorneys.
Of those 100 counties and 44 districts, 31 counties contain public defender offices located in 17 districts.
Catawba, Caldwell and Burke counties comprise the 25th prosecutorial district and are represented by District Attorney David Learner.
The 25th district does not have a public defenders office, which means a local private attorney is appointed to all defendants in the district if they request court-appointed council in a case.
More than 80 percent (68.3 percent public defender, 13.7 percent assigned counsel) of felony defendants charged with a violent crime in the United States 75 largest counties were represented by publicly-financed attorneys in 1996, according to a U.S. DOJ Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report.
More than 65 percent of defendants in U.S. District Courts had publicly-financed attorneys in 1998, according to the report.
Learner noted the importance of having a public defenders office in the district, calling it a mirror image of the district attorneys office.
Every court-appointed lawyer would be available for court, and we could expedite the handling of smaller cases, he added.
In murder trials, or capital cases, resources are spread even thinner throughout the state.
North Carolina houses five regional capital defender offices comprised of 16 assistant capital defenders, who each fall under N.C. Capital Defender Robert E. Sharpe Jr. in the Durham office.
A capital defender is appointed to a defendant who requested court-appointed counsel and is charged with first-degree or undesignated murder and was 18 years or older at the time of the offense, according to the North Carolina Office of Indigent Services.
Assistant Capital Defender Victoria Jayne, from the Buncombe County regional office, said her cases span the entire western part of the state.
Theres sort of a rule. (The capital defenders office) really doesnt want us to have more than eight or nine cases at a time, Jayne said.
Death by natural causes
Thirty-one states, including North Carolina, utilize the death penalty as possible punishment for murder convictions with an aggravating factor, according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC).
North Carolinas 145 death row inmates place the state sixth in the nation as of April 1, according to DPIC.
The state ranks ninth in the nation with 43 executions since 1976, when the death penalty was re-implemented after a 10-year hiatus caused by United States Supreme Court Case, Gregg v. Georgia.
North Carolinas last execution was in 2006, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS). The number of death sentences in the United States has decreased consistently over the last 18 years, from 295 in 1998 to 31 in 2016.
Four death penalty verdicts were returned in the last five years in North Carolina, and 13 were returned in the last 10 years, according to the NCDPS.
Learner emphasized the difficulty of prosecuting a death verdict.
Its extraordinarily difficult to get a death verdict, Learner said. Those are two-part trials. The first part, the jury is selected and they are death qualified; in other words, that theyll consider the possibility of a death verdict.
The last person to receive a death verdict from Catawba County was Glenn Chapman, convicted Nov. 16, 1994. On Nov. 5, 2007, Superior Court Judge Robert C. Ervin ordered Chapman to receive a new trial on two of his death sentences, according to the NCDPS.
Chapmans two murder charges were dismissed April 2, 2008, and he was released from prison the same day.
Three men were convicted of murder and sentenced to the death penalty from 1993: Ronald W. Frye was convicted Nov. 15, 1993, and executed Aug. 31, 2001; and Nathan and William Bowie were convicted and sentenced to the death penalty Feb. 5, 1993, and remain on death row 24 years later.
Learner said he has personally tried two cases with the death penalty eligible as a possible punishment if convicted, with one resulting in a second-degree murder verdict and the other first-degree murder with life in prison without parole.
When you have experience of trying them, observing them, and looking at cases, you come to realize its very difficult for a jury seated in that box to say yes, you need to kill that man, Learner said.
Assistant Capital Defender Jayne shared similar sentiments when addressing the finality of the punishment.
Theres a huge difference between someone sitting on death row and someone serving a sentence of life in prison without parole, Jayne said.
Jayne also emphasized the importance of negotiations with clients and their families, in addition to the district attorneys office.
A lot of times, its just a person who has taken a wrong turn, and we have to explain the differences between the death penalty and LWOP (life without the possibility of parole), Jayne said. On rare occasions, weve also been able to explain that to the victims family as well.
Of the states capital cases during fiscal years 2007 through 2015, 58.1 percent resulted in a conviction of second-degree murder or less; 20.1 percent ended in a conviction of less than second-degree murder; and only 2.2 percent resulted in a death verdict, according to NCIDS statistics.
The absolute horrifying thing to me is that we have people sitting on death row or in prison because of faulty DNA or testing from 10 or more years ago, Jayne said.
A total of 262 inmates have been removed from death row, some of which posthumously, according to the NCDPS. Most received a resentencing or retrial and were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, but other defendants had charges completely dropped in a retrial.
Its easy to charge someone with first-degree murder, but it doesnt always mean thats what they should be charged with or that they should be charged at all, Jayne said.
Jayne said its a choice on the district attorneys part whether to pursue the case capitally or not.
And I havent seen any decrease in (district attorneys pursuing the death penalty), Jayne said.
This thing about, we need to execute him, the actual mechanics of the court system, its not happening, Learner said. I wouldnt be surprised if North Carolina eventually had a moratorium or completely dismantled the death penalty.
Importance of negotiations
A death penalty verdict cannot be achieved without going to trial. However, a conviction of murder of the first or second-degree can be reached through a guilty plea, which does not require a trial if the defendant agrees to plead guilty.
You have cases where you know what happened, but you dont know why it happened, Jayne said. And thats where you get into the clients mental health, provocation, and many times, those are the kind of cases you hope to be able to resolve without going to trial.
Jayne elaborated on a case recently she called client-driven where the defendant said, Please just save my life and get me to LWOP (life in prison without parole).
There are cases like that, but other cases you dont know what happened, Jayne said, citing the possibility of lost information, mistakes on a crime scene or witnesses recanting.
Jayne noted that despite improved resources with the North Carolina State Crime Lab, its not perfect.
We may be pushed for something to be tested and have our expert find out, they didnt do this right, because DNA is a complicated thing, Jayne said, adding that every expert the capital defenders office uses is approved by NCIDS.
And thats where negotiations can be so important, to be able to work with the DAs office and have an open mind to listen to your investigation, Jayne said. Its not a game.
There are various things that well look at from the standpoint of what do we need and decide, is this a case that we can go forward with, Learner said.
There has to be checks and balances, the system works when everyone does their job and represents who theyre supposed to represent, Jayne said. Its when people do underhanded things or are negligent that things dont work.
Learner stressed the importance of communicating with the victims family in murder cases; in several recent possibly capital cases in the 25th district, the defendant has pleaded guilty with a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole in an effort to take the death penalty off the table.
Learner discussed the case involving Sharman Odom, 34, who pleaded guilty to the murder, first-degree sexual assault and first-degree kidnapping of Maggie Daniels, 31, a Discovery High School counselor in 2014.
Odom received the sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole Jan. 5.
Learner said Daniels family was unanimous in taking the life in prison plea arrangement, but said (the victims family) did not necessarily desire the death penalty, but understood if the case went to trial, thats what we were going to pursue.
I met with the family 15 minutes before we went in (to take the plea) in this very conference room and said you understand everything with life in prison, Learner said. If theres anyone in this room that does not think this is the right thing to do, tell me right now and Ill shut it down, and well go to trial.
Learner also noted the only way to appeal a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole is through claiming defense attorneys did not provide competent assistance or citing prosecutorial misconduct.
This administration does it by the book; we give them everything we know to exist, and we meet with the defense counsel to do a review of physical evidence and compare item-by-item everything in discovery, Learner said.
In a recent case in Burke County, Justin Sullivan pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of John Bailey Clark and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty in federal court to one count of attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries.
Sullivan was sentenced to life in prison for that charge as well, with the sentences running consecutively. Learner noted that second sentence was essential in case Sullivan attempted to appeal the federal ruling.
Could we have tried him for the death penalty? Yeah, we could have, Learner said. Would a jury have convicted him? Of the murder, I have no doubt, but I dont know for sure if they would have given him the death penalty or not.
I believe that we did exactly what we should have done, and we met with the victims family; they were 100 percent on board with what we did, as were all the law enforcement agencies involved, he added. I feel good about the result we got, and we know for certain that (Sullivan) can never get to innocent people again.
Budget concerns
Both the North Carolina Attorney Generals Office and Office of Indigent Services have seen recent budgetary cuts that have caused each department to shift work.
A recent cut to the attorney generals budget shifted low-level appeals to district attorney offices around the state for the first time, in addition to cutting more than 40 staffers from North Carolina Attorney General Josh Steins staff.
Ive never been aware of a budget cut where its made this kind of impact, Learner said in a previous interview.
On the other side, Jayne said the roster and quality of capital defenders is healthy, but attorney fees have been cut in recent years.
In January 2011, hourly rates for capital cases for public defense attorneys went from $95 to $85, then $85 to $75 in May 2011, according to NCIDS statistics.
Indigent services doesnt seem terribly important a lot of times to those who dont have to use it, or that dont consider the legal system terribly important, Jayne said.
In addition, pursuing cases with the possibility of capital punishment comes with its own set of financial repercussions.
The average cost of a capital case amounted to $93,231 per case from the fiscal years 2007 to 2015, according to the North Carolina Office of Indigent Services. Those same fiscal years, the cost of a non-capital case averaged out to $21,022.
A repeal of the death penalty would have reduced state expenditures on murder cases by approximately $10.8 million per year, according to a Duke University study conducted in 2009.
The study took state expenditures from the fiscal years 2005 and 2006, and removed costs that included extra defense expenditures for capital cases in trial phase, extra payments to jurors, capital post-conviction costs, resentencing hearings, and extra prison system expenditures.
However, prosecutors have greatly reduced the percentage of capital cases, from 28.1 percent in the fiscal year 2008 to 11 percent in the fiscal year 2013, according to NCIDS statistics.
Realizing the reality of the death penalty in North Carolina through the court system, its really about worthless, Learner said.
Actor Diana Penty made a rather unconventional debut playing a demure and traditional Indian girl in the 2012 film Cocktail, which also featured Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone. Four years later, in 2016, her second film, Happy Bhaag Jayegi, saw her paired opposite Abhay Deol and Ali Fazal. And now, in the just released Lucknow Central, Diana shared screen space with Farhan Akhtar, Gippy Grewal and Ronit Roy.
Has working with big names in films ever given her jitters? It can be a little intimidating in the beginning but eventually, everything falls into place, says Diana, who would play the lead role alongside John Abraham in her next, Parmanu.
#1DayToLucknowCentral! Who's watching our film this weekend?! A post shared by Diana Penty (@dianapenty) on Sep 14, 2017 at 4:42am PDT
Recalling the time when she met the cast of Lucknow Central for the first time, Diana says, I had heard about all these great actors and seen their work before, but had never really worked with them. I felt nervous thinking about their energy. I am the most junior actor and the most inexperienced and been around the least, amongst the lot.
Diana admits that while working with senior and popular actors, one tends to put a certain kind of pressure on themselves. You feel that they might judge you or will I be able to match a certain standard of performance. But at the same time, theres so much you can gain from being in the same film as these talented actors and so much to take away, she says.
The 31-year-old adds that she is always on the lookout to pick newer things from her co-stars. Seeing them and perform alongside them, you get to learn and observe a lot. I feel, it enhances your performance automatically. So, there are more good things than there is to worry about, she quips.
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If there is ever a heaven on earth, its here, its here, its here. This phrase often resonates in our minds whenever one talks of Kashmir and its picturesque beauty. But in the wake of tension at the border, Kashmir doesnt always get the response from tourists it deserves. To negate this perception of Kashmir not being safe, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, on Saturday released a short film titled Warmest Place on Earth aimed at promoting Kashmir tourism. The video beautifully showcases the hospitable nature of Kashmiris and how tourists dont need to worry about their safety.
Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, who shot his films Rockstar and Highway in the valley, recalls his experience of how as a ninth grader, he was moved by the hospitality of a local in Kashmir, who went out of his way to welcome Ali and his family. Read on:
When I went to Kashmir for the first time, I was sure to be disappointed. I had heard so much praise that the real Kashmir could never live up to that. Even as a ninth grade student I knew that. Then I went to Kashmir. And it became the only place that was praised to the skies, and still turned out be better than I could ever expect. And now here I am, using the same age-old cliche to you Kashmir is the Heaven on Earth.
But you have to understand when they say that Kashmir is heaven on earth, they probably dont say it because of its scenery, they probably mean the people. Because its always the people that make the place.
I have a battle going on in my mind about which experience to pick out to give you an example of what I am saying. Let me pick the first one that comes to mind. Its from the first time I visited Kashmir.
The moment you set foot in Kashmir you get these words in your mind - "This is it. There is no place like this in the entire world". (I shot this picture on the camera phone with no filter, no app, and have done no correction in it) A post shared by Imtiaz Ali (@imtiazaliofficial) on May 12, 2017 at 12:40am PDT
We stayed in Srinagar at the Tourist Reception Centre. There was a clerk level young man there who was helping us make our plans in Kashmir. I think his name was Irshad. Irshad must be in his twenties. Dad interacted a lot with him and he, like all Kashmiris would, went out of his way to make our trip the best. And then he really went out of his way, as I later realized, all Kashmiris would.
Irshad invited us to his home for dinner. Dad reluctantly agreed because he would just not take no for an answer. We were going to Sonamarg that day and in the evening we would go straight to the address that he had given us of his house at the outskirts of Srinagar. Mom was sure Irshad would be waiting for us at the bus stop in the area he had mentioned. What we could never predict is that Irshad would take off from work for a day and come all the way to Sonamarg to fetch us. It would take more than three hours one way by bus to Sonamarg in those days. Irshad was sitting inside the bus that he had booked us on. He thought it would be just a bit more convenient for us if he did this.
A post shared by Imtiaz Ali (@imtiazaliofficial) on May 16, 2017 at 1:41am PDT
And when he said dinner we did not know what that meant in Kashmir. Irshad and his poor family had organized for us about which we had no idea before the waazvaan. Its the most lavish dinner you will ever have. And they were a poor family. I cant imagine how many months salary of poor Irshad went into feeding five strangers at his house. Strangers he would not, and did not meet again. His family flocked around us, feeding us, comforting us, thanking us for visiting them and eating at their home.
I never met all those people but I never forgot them. It is because of people like them that I always feel in front of the people of Kashmir that somehow I am in their debt.
If there is heaven anywhere on earth, it is here. It is the warmest place on earth.
Imtiaz Ali
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Lisa Ray may have charmed many with her acting skills in Bollywood, but few know that this actor is a self-confessed bookworm who keeps huge stacks of books by her side. And fuelled by the desire for the written word, she has decided to pen a book on poetry, which will be out by next year.
As a child, I was an introvert and tried to figure out a profession that would have the least possible human contact. Thus, I wanted to be a writer. But my life got diverted.
I think, Im a writer, who accidentally became an actor. Writing has always been my parallel passion. My father is Bengali, so reading has been part of my upbringing. In fact, as a child, I was an introvert and tried to figure out a profession that would have the least possible human contact. Thus, I wanted to be a writer. But my life got diverted, says the actor popular for her roles in films such as Kasoor (2001), Water (2005).
At an event, recently organised by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) in Delhi, Lisa said that like a true Bong she loves the Durga Puja celebrations. Reminiscing her childhood memories, associated with the festival, she says, I grew up in Canada, till I was 16. Thereafter, I ended up in Mumbai. Even though we were not in Kolkata for Pujo, we would celebrate it, while staying abroad. Bengalis in Toronto would get together and my favourite was the khichdi [at the pandal].
However, on her recent trip to Delhi, she decided to give pandal-hopping a miss. Ill be chilling with my friends here. Im taking a few days off and will go for a walk in Nizamuddin, she says.
I have to be honest, [Im] quite misunderstood in India. I genuinely have been someone who cherishes experiences, as opposed to a career. There is a reason I have always said no to out-and-out commercial projects, because it didnt resonate with me. And as a Bengali, money is not everything. We believe in art, discussing all the worlds problems, solving them.
Lisa was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2009, and is known for having fought back the virus. She says, Cancer has made me brave to pursue things that I wasnt brave enough to pursue before.
Recently seen in the supernatural flick Dobaara: See Your Evil (2017), she doesnt feel the need to take the pressure of working back to back. I am 45. I have seen how the world has evolved. And, I think, its important to ask questions. Just because now the definition of success is working 14 hours a day, it doesnt mean you have to accept it. To be honest, [Im] quite misunderstood in India. I have been someone who cherishes experiences, as opposed to a career. There is a reason I have always said no to out-and-out commercial projects because it didnt resonate with me. As a Bengali, I feel money is not everything. We believe in art and in discussing worlds problems solving them, she says.
And whats the secret of her cheerful state? The secret is to give time to ourselves. And its individual for everyone. For me, I need quiet time to reflect, do my yoga, meditate, and go on retreats. Harmony is not a leisurely thing for me, its a tactic to maintain my health now!
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With Newton getting selected as Indians official entry to the Oscars 2018, Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao has every reason to be happy. Speaking on the topic on Saturday, he said that, Newton is a real super hero, while adding, we need people like Newton in our society and system to bring free and fair elections in conflict-ridden areas.
While talking to media, the 33-year-old, Newton is a super hero, a real super hero, we need people like Newton in our society and system.
The Trapped star said that it is really nice that the movie is creating impact on the people and the government is using it as a tool to spread awareness.
Earlier on Friday, Rajkummar, who plays the lead role in Newton, took to social media to share the news that Newton is Indias official entry to the Oscars 2018.
Every country has corruption and problems, so everybody can connect their problem with Newton, he said.
He expressed hope that Newton will impress the international audience as well, like it is impacting the people of India.
Movies producer Manish Mundra expressed his happiness that they are super thrilled and excited about the nomination of the film in Oscars.
Rajkummar said that soon after the Newton was selected as Indians official entry to the Oscars, people started congratulating.
A lot many people called to congratulate and everybody is very supportive. A lot many people tweeted on social media to express their love for Newton.
After many years, a film has come, where everybody is saying that its worthwhile, the actor stated.
The movie, which also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil, Raghubir Yadav and Sanjay Mishra, is directed by Amit V Masurkar.
Here is the list of Indias last ten Oscar submissions -- Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007), Taare Zameen Par (2008), Harishchandras Factory (2009), Peepli Live (2010), Abu, Son of Adam (2011), Barfi! (2012), The Good Road (2013), Liars Dice (2014), Court (2015) and Visaranai (Interrogation) (2016).
Only three Indian films -- Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay! (1988) and Lagaan (2001) -- have been nominated for Best Foreign Language film.
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Members of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena, an organisation representing Rajputs, burnt posters of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis upcoming movie Padmavati here, accusing him of backtracking on a promise to screen the film before a panel of intellectuals before its release.
Karni Sena members also threatened to oppose the screening of the movie in theatres if the facts are distorted.
Activists of the group had in January vandalised the set of the movie at Jaigarh Fort here, alleging that the director was distorting facts.
Actor Deepika Padukone is playing the role of Padmavati and Ranveer Singh is playing Alaudin Khilji in the historical drama.
Narayan Singh Devrala, district president of the Karni Sena said, It was agreed upon that the Bhansali team will screen the movie before a panel of intellectuals and historians before releasing its poster. We had asked them to screen the film in Jaipur, which did not happen. So, the posters were burnt yesterday.
Karni Sena activists protest against director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming film Padmavati in Jaipur on Saturday. (PTI)
We want the movie to release but it should have facts, he said adding that they will oppose the screening of the movie in theatres, if the facts are distorted.
We do not believe them as similar things have happened at the time of Jodha Akbar (movie starring Hritik Roshan). If they want to show real history then they should screen the movie, he said.
Patron and founder of the Karni Sena, Lokendra Kalvi said that around 20-25 days ago someone from the Bhansali team wanted them to see the film but I asked him to show it to the panel of historians and intellectuals for NOC. After which we have not heard anything from them.
It was there in the agreement that the film will be shown to historians before announcing the date and poster release, he claimed.
In March some miscreants had broken the mirrors in the Padmini Mahal in Chittorgarh Fort where Alauddin Khilji is believed to have seen Rani Padmavati or Padmini.
Shri Rajput Karni Sena claims that the mirror was made years after Padmavati lived and therefore there was no truth in the story.
The members claim that in no book there is a mention that Alauddin Khilji, a powerful ruler of the Khilji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate in 13th-14th century, fell in love with Padmavati.
Rajasthan energy minister Pushpendra Singh had earlier this year assured a section of the Rajput community that the film will not be released in the state till it is screened to community members.
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On Thursday, Pakistani actor Mahira Khans photo with Ranbir Kapoor went viral on social media. Clicked in New York, the photo saw Mahira and Ranbir busy in an animated discussion while smoking.
As is option the case, social media didnt take much time in criticising Mahira Khan for her short dress and smoking. Ironically, not many pointed fingers at Ranbir Kapoor who was also holding a cigarette in his hand.
Later, many celebrities like Parineeti Chopra, Varun Dhawan and Ali Zafar came in support of Mahira. Ranbir also released a statement saying, Smoking and hate are injurious to health.
Ranbir Kapoor and Mahira Khans viral photos are from July.(Twitter)
The latest celeb to defend Mahira is Hate Story 3 actor Zareen Khan. She talked to Indianexpress.com about the incident. She says, Oh! She is a girl, she is wearing a short dress and she is a Muslim, she is from Pakistan I know all these things. But I think people should understand that everybody is an individual and rather than judging other people, you should take care of yours. If you like something, watch it. If you dont, then dont watch it.
She further says, Everybody has an opinion, everyone behaves as if they are out to take over the world and correct the world, they give out these statements thinking this is how they are contributing to correcting the world by catching hold of a particular human being and trying to make them feel bad.
Going by the support Mahira is receiving from all over the world, the people who criticised her are likely to eat their words.
Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh made an outstanding contribution to the countrys defence and air force. By far, his most exceptional role was in analysing the IAFs strengths and weaknesses, which showed up during the 1965 war, and applying necessary correctives. The major lesson learned was that the Service had been preparing for a medium to long-duration war. What was needed was a change in mindset, planning, logistics and operational dynamics for a short war of intense proportions. This was done through detailed planning and operational discussions. Personnel at all levels were briefed on the changed strategy for future wars. We saw that this worked perfectly in 1971 as the IAF achieved air supremacy over East Pakistan within three days and caused heavy attrition to the Pakistan Air Force in the West.
The Army had been crying itself hoarse about the lack of adequate air support with some reason. The reasons therein were analysed and solutions produced after joint consultations. Arjan Singh went down to micro-levels in this matter. He correctly deduced that the unreliability of World War-2 vintage wireless sets prevented forward air controllers from communicating with the aircraft and providing targets and feedback. Therefore, state-of-the-art communications equipment was sourced. The Army was thoroughly impressed with the ground support provided in East Pakistan in 1971.
Focusing on leadership at the higher level, Arjan Singh advocated joint planning with other Services, which was lacking in 1965. This paid rich dividends during the later confrontation with Pakistan. The IAF embarked on a concentrated period of modernisation, expansion and solidification. Many new fighter aircraft, equipment and systems such as the MiG-21, Sukhoi-7, HF-24 and SAM-3 surface-to-air missiles were inducted. Arjan Singhs foresight, hard work and strategic vision truly provided the underpinnings of our stirring victory in 1971.
1st Maharaja Yadvindra Singh lecture
Tony McClenaghan will deliver the 1st Maharaja Yadvindra Singh Memorial Lecture on the princely states contribution to World War 1 under the aegis of the Centre for Indian Military History at the CRRID auditorium on Tuesday, September 26. He is a world authority on the Indian States Forces and is currently the secretary of the Indian Military Historical Society.
Dograi Day commemoration
It was an emotional moment to represent my late father at his old formations Dograi Day commemoration, place a wreath on the war memorial and interact with officers and Jawans. Located in a neat and clean new military station, the formation organised the remembrance in the Armys usual style with grace and meticulousness. Defending a vital sector of the border, we can be rest assured that the conquerors of Dograi in 1965 will perform their tasks with the same aplomb and grit.
Womens AFPI
The Armed Forces Preparatory Institute for Women at Mohali has grown from strength to strength. The efforts of its dynamic director, General IP Singh and his staff are soon to bear fruit. Im informed that the first batch to appear for the Combined Defence Services examination will do so in November this year. The best of luck to them! The girls are currently studying for their graduation at MCM DAV College, Chandigarh.
Nathu La
Why is there no commemoration of the bloody nose given by our troops to the Chinese fifty years ago at Nathu La?
(Please write in with your narratives of war and military life to msbajwa@gmail.com or call/WhatsApp on 093161-35343)
There are many ways a government can assert its interests on the international stage. Some use military muscle. Others use subversion or bluster. In Asia, Africa, Latin America, and even in Europe, China is using investment to get what it wants from countries and governments in need.
The most obvious examples are in Asia. Pakistans relations with the United States have deteriorated sharply in recent years, for many reasons, and President Donald Trumps warmer ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have given Pakistans government and military good reason to invest more deeply in strong relations with China. In turn, Beijings investment in Pakistan has gathered momentum.
An infrastructure development project, the US$55 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, part of Chinas broader Belt Road Initiative, is generating growth and creating much-needed jobs in Pakistan. In return, China is developing the Port of Gwadar, which will provide China a stronger presence in the Indian Ocean.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte doesnt like criticism from the US and Europe, and Beijing has pledged to help him improve his countrys underdeveloped infrastructure. So far, China hasnt delivered much, but the promise alone has persuaded the Philippine president not to push hard against Chinas expansive claims in the South China Sea. He has also added the Philippines voice to a more pro-China stance from ASEAN, the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has also added to ASEANs tilt toward China and likewise backed off rival claims in the South China Sea, because his country also needs investment in roads, bridges, and especially rail linesand because the scandal involving misappropriation of funds from 1MDB, a sovereign wealth fund, leaves Najib and his government short of cash.
Chinas deep pockets have long bought influence in Africa, where President Xi Jinping has pledged billions more in investment in coming years. China is also amplifying its voice across Africa via StarTimes, a state-backed, though privately owned, Chinese media and telecoms firm that beams Chinese contentand a Chinese worldviewvia subsidiaries in 30 African countries into African households.
As a member of the BRICS group since 2010, South Africa has given China a gateway into the Southern African Development Community, which provides access to natural resources that support Chinas growth and boost its political influence across the region.
China is South Africas largest trade partner, and the two countries signed commercial deals in 2015 worth US$6.5 billion. South Africas government has rewarded Chinas willingness to invest by denying Tibets Dalai Lama, who is persona non grata in China, entry into South Africa on three separate occasions since 2009, though South African officials deny this.
Kenyas President Uhuru Kenyatta was one of just two African leaders offered a seat at the Belt Road Forum in Beijing earlier this year, and Kenya can expect to be a major recipient of Chinese infrastructure investment as part of the maritime route of the Belt Road project.
China has already built a high-speed rail connection between the Kenyan cities of Nairobi and Mombasa, and Kenyas government has expressed thanks with support for Chinas territorial claims in the South China Sea and for Beijings bid to persuade the International Monetary Fund to add Chinas currency to its Special Drawing Rights Basket.
China has also spent considerable time and money building its influence in Latin America. China has become the largest export market for Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Peru, and Uruguay.
But this is no longer simply a story of China buying commodities. These same countries plus Bolivia now import more from China than from anywhere else. Panama has also become part of the story, in part because Chinas investment in expansion of the Panama Canal has allowed Chinese mega-freighters to reach the Atlantic and eastern seaboard of the United States. Earlier this year, Panama announced it would no longer recognise Taiwan, providing China another diplomatic victory.
Beijing has even extended this strategy into Europe, where leaders still act as though the world is hoping to follow their lead. The most-recent Chinese investment is in cash-strapped Greece, a country fed up with imposed austerity and bitter criticism from the EU.
Greece has won Chinese investment through the Belt Road project. In particular, a Chinese state-owned firm now operates the Greek commercial port at Piraeus, the busiest in the Mediterranean. Earlier this year, Greece blocked an EU statement to the UN human rights council that criticised Xi Jinpings crackdown on domestic political dissent and joined Hungary to support Chinas South China Sea territorial claims at The Hague.
While the Europeans are acting towards Greece like medieval leeches, the Chinese keep bringing money, said a senior Greek official last month. Theres a lesson here for the United States, the European Union, and any other international player that would condition badly needed investment on domestic political behavior. Trump boasts of American power, but hes made clear he has no interest in writing large cheques. Now look at China from the recipients point of view. China offers good deals for governments and countries that need themand it doesnt demand risk and sacrifice in return.
The only question about this strategys future is where it will succeed next.
Ian Bremmer is the president of Eurasia Group and author of Superpower: Three Choices for Americas Role in the World.
(The views expressed are personal)
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Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh nurtures neither pride nor claim to nobilitys pursuit of the blood sport of shikar. He does not flash an engraved scroll of tigers and leopards shot. My forefathers (from the royal state of Bushahr) were fond of hunting but I never enjoyed shikar. An incident from my college days at St Stephens, Delhi, while pursuing history honours in the 1950s, stirred me. My college friends and I went deer hunting at Hauz Khas, which was then a jungle. A deer was wounded by a friend and it emitted piteous cries of pain like a human. I was asked to deliver the final shot. The wounded deers eyes haunted me. I never took up a gun again, recounts Singh, who is reckoned in inner circles as a soft-hearted soul.
In an exclusive interaction with this writer at the Kumarhatti Forest rest house on Wednesday, the Himachal CM took a nature ramble down memory lane. Just as late PM Indira Gandhi grew up playing with tiger cubs and Red pandas at Teen Murti House and later rendered a peerless contribution to securing Indias flora and fauna, Singhs rich exposure to wildlife during his childhood at Sarahan blossomed into a lifelong passion for conservation.
We would put out daana for birds in our lawns at Sarahan and even jangli kabootars would flock to eat. Musk deer would visit our estates. To date, we maintain the practise of putting out daana for birds. I am so happy that Himachal still has a population of house sparrows. I spot sparrows often in Shimla. However, for me, no bird or animal is a personal favourite, I love each and every creature, declares Singh in his gentle, measured tone that draws on an elephantine memory.
A yellow-billed blue magpie in the gardens of Virbhadra Singhs ancestral palace, Shanti Kunj, at Sarahan. (PHOTO: MOHIT S. BAJAJ)
Singh, a protege of Mrs Gandhi, was directed to lead Himachal as the CM in 1983, the first of his six tenures to date. Gandhi was so proactive that she ordered the then Punjab CM to inquire into news reports of partridges being served at a wedding hosted by a senior Punjab Police officer at Patiala and migratory ducks smuggled in the governors cavalcade following a tour of Harike! Her actions and vanguard policies established that political will at the apex level was a strategic imperative for conservation. Inspired by her fearless crusade, Singh plunged into battle against a tenacious forest mafia soon after taking charge in 1983.
Himachal was fast losing its tree cover. I first got sawmills removed from within forest areas. I stopped apple transport in petis (wooden boxes) and introduced cardboard boxes. This was stiffly opposed. They claimed apples could not be transported in anything but petis. I countered that by saying that if eggs could be transported safely in cardboard boxes, why not apples, Singh told this writer, his eyes twinkling with memories of the wit and intrepid initiative that fetched his maiden triumph for a green Himachal.
Forest cover and wildlife in Himachal have flourished ever since due to protection afforded and Sarahan has a project to breed the vulnerable species, Western tragopan. How should India navigate a future, riven by increasing wildlife-people conflicts? The CMs vision distilled from a stewardship of governance spanning four decades is that wildlife and peoples development require a delicate balance. Animals such as monkeys, wild boars, deer, nilgai, etc, must be stopped from entering crops. It is a dire necessity. Our government is heavily subsidising farmers to install solar/electric fencing that repels intruding animals with a shock effect, he adds.
Gharial hatchlings enjoy piggyback ride on dominant male (Chambal river). (PHOTO: NARIMAN VAZIFDAR)
MUMMY CALL, DADDY PIGGYBACK
Gharials may appear dumb, dangerous giant lizards but those who study these fish-eating crocodiles know they are harmless to human life, very intelligent and devoted parents. Lending fascinating insights into the breeding behaviour of this critically-endangered species at Chhatbir Zoo recently, Dr Shailendra Singh of the Turtle Survival Alliance pulled out a real nugget from his repository. Mummys call!
The female lays 30-40 eggs by digging a hole deep into river banks. When hatchlings are ready to emerge, they emit a low crok-crok call for mummy. That call signals to the lurking mother that she needs to dig up the hole and let hatchlings emerge. As they emerge from the nest, the female takes them to the river and looks forward to a breather from maternal duties.
The dominant male comes in to take charge. He lets the hatchlings climb onto his back and takes them around. They are safe with the male and get acclimatised to water. The mother, who is stressed and hungry due to her long vigil in the nests vicinity, is relieved of her charge and is free to feed and restore her health, Dr Singh told this writer.
Gharials mature to breeding age after 10 years. Females can mate with multiple males and store the varied semen to fertilise eggs later, even delaying it to next season if conditions are unfavourable. The female Gharials can possibly control the ratio of male and female hatchlings in a clutch by temperature choice. If temperature is 32 degrees Celsius in the soil, the clutch will be males and females equal. If it is above 32 degrees, then there will be more males. If below 32 degrees, say 29.5 degrees, then females will dominate in the clutch. The deeper the nest, cooler will be eggs temperature and female hatchlings dominate egg outcomes, Dr Singh explained.
The Gharial, which was found on the Beas river system in Punjab but went extinct in the 1970s, is slated for a soft re-introduction on the river in the near future.
vjswild1@gmail.com
(Views expressed are personal)
Be it at Kashmere Gate, which is arguably the oldest in the city and is organised by Delhi Durga Puja Charitable and Cultural Samiti since 1910 or the New Delhi Kali Bari started in 1935 by the babus, who shifted from Kolkata to Delhi the vintage Pujas of the Capital stress on traditions with minor necessary tweaks with time.
For Kashmere Gate Durga Puja organisers, following the tradition means sticking to the ritual of the idol being taken on a bullock cart for visarjan (immersion) every year.
The first puja in Delhi was organised in 1910 at Roshanpura Kali Mandir near Nai Sarak. With the passage of time, the Puja Samiti grew larger after getting space at a dharamshala located near Fatehpuri Mosque. In 1948, the Puja was shifted to Delhi Polytechnic in Kashmere Gate. From 1957-1967, the puja was held at the Womens Polytechnic. In 1968, it was shifted to Bengali Senior Secondary School on Shamnath Marg, Civil Lines, said Samarendra Bose, former president of Delhi Durga Puja Charitable and Cultural Samiti, which organises the puja.
However, some say that the first Durga Puja in Delhi was celebrated in Timarpur in 1909.
Timarpur organisers say that while Kashmere Gate was registered in 1911, the Timarpur Puja, on paper, dates to 1914.
Some believe that Durga Puja was celebrated in Delhi for the first time more than 300 years ago. Some Bengali traders had come to Delhi in 1714 in the durbar of the then Mughal Emperor and couldnt return. They were given permission to organise a puja here, Sukhangshu Chatterjee, president of the Timarpur Puja committee, said.
Chatterjee lives with his family in Vikaspuri but during week long puja celebrations, he becomes a Timarpur resident.
I have been born and brought up here and moved to Vikaspuri in 1990. However, during the Puja days I shift back. One unique ritual which happens in our Puja is instead of bullocks taking the carts towards the ghats, we do it. This has been going on since 1980s after an accident involving the bullocks. Our idol is also the last one to get immersed as we wait for people to come to Geeta Ghat and pay their respects, he says.
Durga Puja at Khari Baoli in 1976. (HT Photo)
Another vintage Puja of the city is the one at New Delhi Kalibari. This Puja started in 1935 and is not only one of the oldest but most popular venues of the city.
This area housed the government-servants, most of whom had come from Calcutta and other places. A puja started in rotation in Dalhousie Square, Edward Square, Baird Square and Sikandra Place. In 1935, it was shifted to the New Delhi Kali Bari and has been held here since then, Swapan Ganguly, secretary of the New Delhi Kalibari, said.
Many Puja organisers have taken to theme-based celebration over recent years but the puja at Mandir Marg stays firm on the traditional route.
Ours is no exhibition, it is real Puja. All the rituals are followed. Durga Puja is a lot of fun and frolic but primarily it is worshipping the Mother Goddess. Still thousands devotees come for darshan during the Puja days. People who used to live in the locality and are spread all over NCR come back here for the occasion, Ganguly says.
One such resident, Bijoy Choudhury, moved to Chittaranjan Park in 1973. For the Puja days, my address changes. I am back here. CR Park has many Durga Pujas, too. But this is home. And Durga Puja is Bengali homecoming, he said.
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The Spring/Summer 2018 catwalks have featured multiple wigs and hairpieces so far, from the deceptively simple to the downright ridiculous. In New York, Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid were transformed by their slinky cropped styles at Tom Ford; Laurence & Chico sent models down the catwalk in towering, sculpted wigs of various candy colors; and Teyana Taylor took to the stage at Phillipp Plein in a false platinum bob.
In London, Pam Hoggs show saw the models don frilly headdresses that resembled something that might have been worn at Versailles in the 18th century, while in Milan, Jeremy Scotts Moschino presentation saw the models sporting gamine, 1960s-style pixie-cut wigs. Karl Lagerfelds take on spring beauty for Fendi included clip-in bangs in mermaid shades of green and teal, fixed along the models partings and swept over to one side.
Tom Ford A post shared by Kendall (@kendalljenner) on Sep 6, 2017 at 9:04pm PDT
The trend echoes an off-catwalk movement that has been gathering pace for some time. While certain celebrities, such as Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry famously love switching up their look via their extensive wig collections, the accessory has crept into the mainstream lately.
Wholesome supermodel Gigi Hadid unveiled a photo of herself wearing a clip-in pink ponytail earlier this summer, Amber Rose shocked with a brunette wig on the red carpet of the MTV VMAs, and Emily Ratajkowski tried out a long, tousled wig with bangs for the Marc Jacobs show at New York Fashion Week earlier this month.
got to play dress up with @voguemagazine during NYFW A post shared by Kaia (@kaiagerber) on Sep 20, 2017 at 6:51am PDT
Wigs are also becoming popular for editorial use, with Bella Hadid sporting a shorter do for Vogue China, and Kaia Gerber dressing up in a rose-hued wig for a Vogue US shoot this month.
Will the trend filter down to the high street? While celebrity wigs come with a high price tag, the rising popularity of fun clip-in ponytails and bangs could see more accessible brands extend their hairpiece offerings. Watch this space.
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When counting ended around 8pm on Sunday, the independents emerged victorious in the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) polls 2017, winning 20 of the 35 seats. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was confident of bagging about 30 of the 35 seats, had to contend with just 14 seats while one seat has gone to the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).
Of the independent candidates, three were supported by the Congress. Two of these candidates were supported by the INLD as well.
As results came in, they brought in good news for the women of the city as well with 15 women candidates emerging victorious. Of them, 10 are independents, while five are from the BJP.
Haryana PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh told mediapersons that the mayor will be from the BJP and the party is also confident of gaining a majority in the house as the independents will support it.
Also read: Gurgaon civic polls: First-time voters excited to get inked, vote for better infra
Below are the highlights:
8.37pm Ashok Tanwar, president, Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, said, Result is a clear indication that if Congress had contested on the party symbol, the party would have won 25-30 seats and would have got the mayor post as well. The results spell the rejection of the BJP and the INLD, which were hobnobbing and fighting with each other.
8.30pm Mithlesh Barwal, independent, wins ward 1
8.29pm Hemant kumar Sain, independent, wins ward 28
8.27pm Here are some more results: Sunita Yadav, independent, wins ward 22
8.09pm Oath-taking ceremony to be held shortly
8.06pm Seema Pahuja, independent, wins ward 15. She is a former councillor and said she will resolve the remaining issues in her ward and will work towards women safety. I will open an office in my ward for dealing with women related complaints. I will also get CCTV cameras installed in my ward. Free self-defence courses will be provided to women, she said.
8.04pm Dinesh saini, independent, wins ward 8
8.03pm Ravinder yadav of the BJP wins ward 3
8pm Subhash fauji of the BJP wins ward 25
7.47pm Of the 15 candidates, 10 are independents while 5 are from the BJP.
7.40pm 15 women candidates emerge victorious in MCG polls.
7.24pm PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh says mayor will be from the BJP and the party will gain a majority as a number of independents will support the BJP.
6.59pm Naveen Dhaiya, independent candidate, wins ward 12.
6.58pm Madhu Batra of INLD wins ward 16.
6.54pm Praveen Lata, an independent candidate, wins ward 26.
6.50pmIndependent Promila Kablana wins ward 9. Her husband Gaje Singh Kablana was the former councillor from ward 5. After demarcation, the ward became number 9 and his wife Pramila Devi Kablana has won the seat.
6.45pm Independent candidates take early lead in 18 wards, BJP in 11.
6.34pmIndependent Kuldeep Bohra from ward 31 is leading now.
6.31pmBJPs Shakuntala Yadav from Ward 2 ahead of 5 other candidates.
6.30pm Rimple Yadav from BJP, wife of former city mayor Vimal Yadav, wins from Ward 5.
6.15pm Initial trend: BJP leading in 10 wards.
6.14pmTotal polling recorded 55.16%, polling closed on 309 booths.
6.12pmTotal polling recorded 55%, polling closed on 289 booths.
6.06pmSenior citizens and women came out in good numbers in urban villages while voters in urban areas preferred to remain indoors and not exercise their franchise.
5.44pm Voting comes to an end in 76 booths with polling percentage at 53%.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which bagged only four seats in 2011, won 14 seats in Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) elections held on Sunday.
A total of 12 seats were reserved for women and 15 women candidates emerged victorious. Twelve women candidates were elected councillors in 2011.
The tally, however, is a setback for the party leaders who are hopeful of bagging 30 out of 35 seats. The party had fielded candidates on all 35 seats, while the Congress did not field candidates on party symbol.
Loss of local MLA Umesh Aggarwals sister -in-law Himani Aggarwal from ward 9 and Pramod Mangla, son of Bhani Ram Mangla, from ward 19 has been another set back for the party. Bhani Ram is the chairman of Haryana cow protection commission has been another set back for the party.
Congress had supported 14 independent candidates, of which three won.
Indian National Lok Dal had fielded 20 candidates of which only one won. The party had supported 10 independents of which two won and those two were supported by the Congress as well.
Independent candidates have ruled the roost like 2011 when 26 independents emerged victorious.
The last MCG election recorded 63% voting, while the polling this year was down to 55.92% which is a bad sign of low turnout in posh areas of the city.
Last time Congress was in the power but it did not contest on party symbol and later, all independent candidates lent support to it.
There has been foul play in counting for wards 4, 6, and 34. We will meet the deputy commissioner to demand fair recounting, said Capt (retd) Ajay Singh Yadav, senior Congress leader.
Soon after the results were announced, Haryana PWD minister and MLA from Badshahpur, Rao Narbir Singh said all independent candidates are BJP workers.
BJP will have its Mayor and all winning independent candidates are BJP workers who could not get party ticket, said Narbir.
Ashok Tanwar, state Congress president, said, BJP fielded its candidates in all 35 wards and lost 22 seats, which is a clear sign that voters have rejected it. What else does one need to prove to the state that the BJP is fooling the people?
BJP won only five seats from wards 19 to 35, representing posh areas of new Gurgaon including DLF, Sushant Lok, South City, Ardee City.
Read I MCG elections Gurgaon: Senior citizens, women exercise franchise; urban voters refrain from polling
This is loss for BJP in my opinion. I feel people are aggrieved with the BJP. I am sure Gurgaon residents are unhappy with civic development, as nothing happened in the last five years, Sube Singh, former sapranch of Wazirabad, said.
The victorious candidates said they contested on local issues and would work for development of the city. The newly elected councillors said their aim is to improve civic amenities in their respective wards and thanked the voters for showing faith in them.
The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) elections largely went off peacefully on Sunday, with only minor brawls and few cases of fake voters being identified and reported to the police. Large police deployment across the city and an alert administration, which took adequate precautions, ensured that no major untoward incident happened on polling day.
Gurgaon police deployed around 3,600 personnel for ensuring free and fair elections. They accompanied the polling officials, manned booths and other sensitive locations across Gurgaon. Barring minor incidents that were reported in wards on both sides of the highway, the police said voting was more or less peaceful.
In Sector 56, there was a tiff between supporters of BJP and an independent candidate over voting slips with party symbols. This ward was later won by Mahesh Dayma, an independent candidate.
In DLF Phase 1, the police arrested two persons allegedly voting with fake identities after objections were raised by local residents. A tiff was also reported between polling agents of different parties over setting up booths within 100 metres of the polling booth. These were later removed by election officials.
A fight also broke out in Jharsa village after fake voters were spotted by supporters of a candidate, but the matter was resolved peacefully. A Gurgaon resident filed a complaint in Sector 40 alleging misuse of party symbol by supporters of a candidate.
In Sector 31, a brawl was reported between supporters of different parties, but it was resolved after some time, the police said.
On the western side of the highway, police had to intervene when a brawl broke out over voting between supporters of the BJP candidate and an independent.
In ward no 8, two persons were arrested by police after they were found to be in possession of fake documents, when they tried to vote. Police said their documents were being verified.
In ward no 5 also, one person was arrested for trying to cast a bogus vote. A police official said the matter is being probed.
In Daulatabad village, the police took INLD leader Rakesh Daulatabad into preventive custody after he went to the polling booth and requested the people to vote for INLD candidates.
Read I Live MCG polls:Final results: Of 35 seats, independents win 21, BJP 13, INLD 1
However, the police later arrested the INLD leader for causing obstruction to police work. A senior police official confirmed that a case was registered against him late in the evening.
His brother Mukesh Kumar, however, said that action against his brother was politically motivated and the case is being registered at the behest of the BJP.
Gurgaon police commissioner Sandeep Khirwar said that election was peaceful throughout the city and no untoward incident was reported. There were a few incidents. Some people were booked for bogus voting and police has registered cases against them, Khirwar said.
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At what point do you admit that something is seriously amiss. Its not an easy call to make, but developmental experts are saying that parental denial is hampering diagnosis, and treatment, of children with special needs.
Ninam was diagnosed with autism at 18 months; he is now nearly 3. His mother Sarita Lama is vehement that parents need to open up to the special needs of their child. Unless you change, society wont, she says.
Early signs that a child may need special care include babies not making eye contact, not responding to people by smiling or gesticulating, delayed speech, focusing intently on something to the exclusion of others for long periods, or making repetitive movements, such as rocking and twirling.
Four As awareness, acceptance, action and acknowledgement are the pillars crucial to supporting differently abled kids. It is very important to empower parents, especially mothers, as they are usually the ones taking care of the child all day, says Dr Deepak Gupta, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
Identifying the right therapy centre takes time as it is, so the quicker one acts the better.
Getting the right help at an early stage can change the trajectory of the childs development and future success in learning and socialisation, says Jackie Harland, clinical director at the London Learning Centre (LLC) in New Delhi. It is hard to see children whom you know would make significant progress with the right help, not receiving that support. With the right programme, all children can make progress.
Three young Delhi mothers share their journeys, from symptoms through diagnoses and finding the right therapy for their babies.
Sharing the news has helped
From the day her son Ninam was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder m Sarita Lama looped in her friends and family. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)
When Ninam was still not responding to his name at 18 months, Sarita consulted a paediatrician, who suspected autism spectrum disorder and referred her son to a psychiatrist.
I had no clue what autism was, so I went home and Googled to read up, says mother Sarita Lama. The next day, we went to a therapy centre to get a psychiatric diagnosis for our son.
While many prefer to keep such information to themselves, Sarita looped in her friends and family on the day of diagnosis.
I mailed them reading material so they would be sensitive to Ninams needs. Since I was proactive, my friends have also started forwarding interesting information they come across, says Sarita, who now actively uses Facebook and WhatsApp to spread awareness about autism.
I also regularly share updates on my sons progress. I know he will never outgrow it; some issues will always be there. I just want him to be as independent and self-sufficient as possible.
The biggest parenting challenge for her is that Ninam has trouble sleeping, which also affects her sleep. I thought it would pass but its been two years and eight months since I slept well, which makes me physically and emotionally exhausted. There are days when you feel very down but then you push yourself, especially when you hear about children whove overcome challenges, says Sarita, who gave up her job as a teacher in Delhis Nirmal Bharti School to spend time with her son.
With therapy, Ninam can now communicate his basic needs. He comes to the kitchen and says I want food, which is a huge achievement, she says.
Dont trust every diagnosis youre given
Priyanka Goswami s son Pratham suffered from tongue-tie and language delay. She says he has improved markedly with therapy. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)
For Priyanka Goswami too, help came after sharing her problem with those around her.
Her son Pratham, who turns four this November, was premature and had to undergo surgery to release his tongue from the floor of his mouth.
He couldnt speak at all until the surgery. After it was done, last December, I taught him the English alphabet at home, Priyanka says. Four months later, he was repeating everything she said, so she took him to a doctor.
Pratham had had a long day and was cranky, so the doctor diagnosed him with autism. My husband and I were shocked. After some online research, we concluded there was need for further assessment, she says.
Pratham turned out to not be autistic; being unable to communicate had made him weepy and asocial. He hit his five-year-old cousin once, in a fit of anger, when she did not understand what he was saying, says Priyanka, who quit her job as a teacher after his birth. He could understand and follow instructions, but couldnt speak.
A few months of joining a new therapy centre, there was marked improvement. Pratham has since joined a playschool, brushes his teeth on his own, forms sentences and communicates.
Earlier hed barely notice his dad; now he immediately tells me hes home, says Priyanka, with a smile. Pratham attends therapy sessions three times a week, and will continue to do so for 18 months.
Priyankas advice to other parents of children with special needs is simple: Try not to look at it as a problem; the more you do that, the more it will upset you and the child.
If you start late, everything will take longer
Kalpana Jacob realised that her son Zach, 4 , was suffering from language delay when he was 18 months old. Early intervention helped him meet development goals, she says. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)
Kalpana Jacob discovered that her son Zach was not able to form words when he was 18 months old. Zach was doing fine till the age of one, and then there was a big lag. He even stopped saying words he had said earlier. He turned hyperactive, running around as an excuse for not talking, Jacob says.
She adds that it helped that she had friends and family who didnt sympathise but rather supported. They are sensitive to his needs but are also firm when required.
Not being able to talk made him under-confident, which made him socially withdrawn. But since he is also a sensory seeker with sensory needs, certain things calm him down, like play dough. We let him play in the mud without worrying about his immunity. That helps, says Kalpana, who runs an organization that offers life skills and leadership training to teenagers though music and storytelling.
Her experience has taught her that early intervention is key to helping children meet their development goals and integrate socially.
As parents, you must watch for signs, however small, and track milestones, she says. You shouldnt listen when people say your child will catch up. If you start late, everything will take longer the child will learn to socialise late and may become withdrawn.
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Even as the recalcitrant dengue and chikungunia viruses have continued attacking the people in Bihar, the detection of fresh cases of Japanese encephalitis (JE) has added to the worries of the health planners and doctors in the state.
What has disturbed doctors the most that even persons who have been immunised against the JE virus, have been afflicted by the life threatening disease. Two such cases have been detected in Patna district, of which one patient succumbed to the vector-borne infection.
Confirming the development, district epidemologist Prashant Kumar told HT on Sunday that two JE patients one each from Maner and Masaurhi in Patna district- had already been immunized against the Japanese encephalitis virus. The afflicted girl child from Masaurhi later died of the disease, he added.
Corroborating the epidemologists statement, Patna district immunisation officer Dr SP Vinayak said both the patients had indeed been vaccinated and their death from JE subsequently was really disturbing. He, however, said the efficacy of the vaccince in malnourished children was relatively less.
State immunisation officer Dr NK Sinha, too, opined that immunity level in malnourished patients was often compromised and, as such, the efficacy of the vaccine was low. He suggested that to get the full effect of mmunisation against JE, the nutrition of children should be increased.
Notwithstanding, what the health mandarins claim, the fact is that even vaccinated children are developing JE infection. The two cases mentioned above are merely the test cases. There may be many more patients, who have received the JE vaccine but still developed the disease.
Significantly, JE vaccination has been made a part of routine immunisation in the state and as per official figures, the coverage of JE vaccination is roughly 85% in Bihar.
As per reports, 42 cases of JE have been detected across the state in the current year, of which three confirmed patients have been found in Patna district. Two of them died, while one survived, confirmed Prashant Kumar.
According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), JE is transmitted to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes of Culex species and there is no anti-viral treatment of patients suffering from Japanese encephalitis. The treatment is only supportive to relieve symptoms and stabilise the patients, the WHO says.
To prevent the infection, the WHO strongly favours immunisation against JE along with strengthening surveillance and reporting mechanisms.
Another mosquito-borne infection, dengue, has continued to attack the Patna citizenry. With 197 dengue cases detected in the district, the number of such patients is increasing with every passing day.
This can be established by the fact that just a month ago 33 cases of dengue had been detected in the district, which rose to 197, on date. However, no dengue patient has succumbed to the disease in Patna so far.
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Colleges are places of learning, discussion, debate and also a barometer of political climate.
Several Banaras Hindu University (BHU) students, many of them girls, were injured on Saturday night when the police allegedly used force to remove protesters from outside V-Cs residence and one of the campus gates.
The students were protesting since three days against alleged molestation of a university girl and the failure of the administration to act against the attackers.
Several universities and colleges have seen unrest in the recent past for various reasons, including anti-national slogans and the suicide of a Dalit scholar.
A list of some of the university and college campuses rocked by student protests :
Hyderabad Central University, Hyderabad
Rohith Vemula, a PhD student , hanged himself in a hostel room on the campus in 2016 after alleged caste-based discrimination, triggering protests in the university and campuses across India.
Vemula and four other Dalit students were suspended by the universitys following a clash with an ABVP leader. The five were protesting against the decision when Vemula committed suicide.
In a December 18, 2015 letter to vice-chancellor Appa Rao, Vemula said, Give us poison or long ropes to hang ourselves . In his suicide note, he blamed no one but himself to have been born in such a society.
Protests over the suicide spread to other cities as opposition parties mounted pressure on the Modi government to sack Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya for allegedly driving the scholar to end his life.
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
The Jawaharlal Nehru University found itself at the centre of a row in February 2016 over an event organised to commemorate Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
A group of students organised a cultural evening to express solidarity with struggle of Kashmiri people for their democratic right to self determination. The event was held despite university authorities cancelling the permission for it. The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) complained to the vice-chancellor and student groups clashed on the campus. An inquiry was ordered as the controversy snowballed into a political slugfest, with opposition parties accusing the government of suppressing dissent.
It was alleged that several students shouted anti-India slogans and sedition cases were slapped against JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others.
Ramjas College, New Delhi
On February 22 this year, Ramjas students led by AISA carried out a protest march against the cancellation of a seminar in which JNU student leader Umar Khalid, who along with Kanhaiya Kumar was charged with sedition, was slated to speak.
Protesters were demanding action against the ABVP members who allegedly heckled and threw stones at students gathered for the seminar. Several students, journalists and a Delhi University associate professor, Prasanta Chakravarty, were injured in the clash.
Jadavpur University, Kolkata
The south Kolkata campus turned into a battleground in 2016 following clashes between Jadavpur University students and ABVP supporters over the screening of the film Buddha in a Traffic Jam.
Local BJP leader dubbed the varsity a hub of anti-national elements after the incident. There were reports of female students being molested during the commotion over the screening of the movie.
The left-leaning Jadavpur University had hit the headlines earlier in the year as well after rallies were taken out in support of JNUs Kanhaiya Kumar and other students.
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
Tension gripped the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus in March following a clash between two groups of students .
Police sources said some BSc students were assaulted by another group and a student, Mohit, sustained serious head injuries .
Claiming that only students of a particular religion were being harassed, ABVP functionaries staged a sit-in in front of the SSPs office, demanding action against the accused.
The AMU Students Union (AMUSU) termed the clash as a petty confrontation between two groups of students and staged a peace march to protest the uncalled for interference by those looking to communalise the issue.
Film and Television Institute of India, Pune
FTII students held protests for 139 days from June to October 2015, one of the longest strikes in the premier film institutes history, and abandoned classes against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan, a television actor-turned-politician, as the chairman.
Students launched an indefinite strike on June 12 as they questioned Chauhans ability to lead the institute . Police stormed the institute after striking students gheraoed FTII director Prashant Pathrabe in August.
Chauhans tenure ended on March 3 this year.
BJP president Amit Shah took stock of the partys performance on Sunday at its national executive meeting that will conclude with Prime Minister Narendra Modis address in which he is expected to counter the oppositions criticism of the state of the economy.
After inaugurating the two-day national executive in New Delhi, Shah held a meeting with office bearers, state chiefs and organisational leaders to finalise agenda items, including resolutions, which the national executive is expected to discuss on September 25, the birth anniversary of Hindutva icon Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.
During the office bearers meeting, Shah reviewed the performance of the partys expansion drive in the last one year.
BJP president Amit Shah talks to Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, as national general secretary Ram Lal looks on during the BJP office bearers and national executive meetings in New Delhi on Sunday. (Vipin Kumar /HT PHOTO)
More than four lakh party workers covered the 4,100 state assembly seats to strengthen the party and shared the development measures initiated by the government, party general secretary Bhupender Yadav said.
It was also decided to take forward Prime Minister Modis Swachh Bharat mission and the resolve to establish a New India and make them a success, he said.
BJP general secretary Vinay Sahasrabuddhe also shared the details of Shahs countrywide tour during the meeting and said the party chief travelled 50,000km and interacted with 18,000 workers across the country to strengthen the BJP.
To mark the birth centenary celebrations of Upadhyaya, the party has also dedicated the year to the welfare of the poor and the government has taken various initiatives on this front while curbing corruption, Yadav said.
BJP leader Manoj Tiwari welcomes party president Amit Shah as general secretary Ram Lal looks on during the BJP office bearers and national executive meeting in New Delhi on Sunday. (Vipin Kumar /HT PHOTO)
A key highlight of the meeting will be the presence of the partys elected lawmakers -- close to 1,400 MLAs, 337 MPs and all MLCs, besides its core group leaders from states among others on Monday.
Modi, who will deliver the valedictory address on Monday, may use the opportunity to highlight his governments pro-poor measures and other policy decisions.
With the opposition parties attacking the governments handling of the economy by citing the fall in GDP rate and demonetisation figures, Modi is expected to take them on and highlight his dispensations successes in boosting transparency and curbing black money, party sources said.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi consistently attacked the government over the economy during his visit to the US.
The BJP sources said the partys resolution is likely to assert that the economy has been doing better under the NDA than it did under the previous UPA government.
The rollout of the GST has been described by the party as a major success of the government which, it has asserted, will integrate the countrys economy.
The Prime Ministers agenda of development is also expected be a key feature.
A senior party leader said the issue of Rohingya immigrants, whom the government has termed a threat to security, may also find a mention.
With the government and the party embracing Upadhyayas plank of antyodaya (upliftment of the last man), the executive is expected to cite a number of measures taken by the Union and the BJP-ruled states for the poors welfare.
Nearly three months after a network of northeast police NEPOL was announced to facilitate sharing of information between the states in the region in tackling insurgency and trans-border crime, the Assam Police has circulated a concept note in this regard.
As per the note, reviewed by HT, the network will comprise a central control room, mobile application, closed-user website, and timely alerts for seamless sharing of information on incidents of crime and smuggling among the NE states as well as Sikkim and West Bengal.
We have distributed (the note) to the rest of the six states in the northeast and to Sikkim and West Bengal. We have received replies from some of the states. We hope to sit with all stakeholders to decide on the actual structure of the network in a months time, said Mukesh Sahay, chief of Assam Police.
NEPOL, or North East Police Organisation, was first discussed in June this year during the two-day conference of police chiefs from the region.
Sahay said the idea is to share information with the right person at the right place on the right time in the right way. The network will connect top officials along with those on the ground. Cellphones of the police personnel may be equipped with an application through which they would access the information being shared.
We know policing is a state subject. Therefore, we want to create a network that takes care of the sanctity of police jurisdiction and, at the same time, facilitates sharing of information to gain results on the ground in a timely action, Sahay added.
The concept note emphasises on the need for urgent response in the wake of cross-border incidents of abduction, highway robbery, human trafficking, smuggling of narcotics and fake Indian currency notes or insurgency-related incidents.
Besides sharing information during the act of crime, police also require assistance from their state counterparts each other in locating and detaining or arresting suspects and then again at the time of prosecution when deposition of witnesses, certification of documents or personnels testimony in courts become essential to the case at hand.
There is an urgent need to evolve an effective joint mechanism that provides solution for the common problems of the region, involving all stakeholders, while respecting each others physical boundaries, reads the concept note.
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The Congress criticised the Narendra Modi government on Sunday over the visit of absconding don Dawood Ibrahims wife to Mumbai last year, terming it a failure of intelligence and a serious threat to national security.
This came to light few days back that Dawood Ibrahims wife Mehajabin Shaikh had visited Mumbai in 2016, for over 15 days and returned to Pakistan. The government which talks about bringing back Dawood, they did not have information that she had visited Thane and Mumbai and went back, said Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar.
Isnt it failure of intelligence and a serious threat to national security. Recently, their (BJP) minister in Maharashtra Eknath Khadse had to resign for alleged links with Dawood, he added.
BJP leaders also attended marriage of Dawoods relatives, Kumar alleged.
The Congress on Saturday said the Modi government should explain how Dawood Ibrahims wife managed to visit Mumbai last year undetected and added that it raises questions about the credibility of the Central and the Maharashtra government as well as the state and central security agencies.
Special measures have been undertaken by authorities of India and Bangladesh for Durga idol immersion at Kalindi and Ichamati rivers along the Bangladesh border in West Bengals Basirhat, which witnessed violent communal riots two months back.
Since the puja organisers from both West Bengal and Bangladesh opt for Kalinidi river at Hinganganj and Ichamati river at Taki, both under Basirhat sub- division, the Mamata Banerjee government and BSF sat with the Bangladeshi administration and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) in this precautionary exercise on Friday and Saturday.
A state home department official said that in case of Kalindi river at Hingalgunj, two separate dates for idol immersion have been allotted for the puja organizers from West Bengal and Bangladesh.
While September 30 has been allotted for organizers from Bangladesh, October 2 has been allotted for those from West Bengal, he said.
In case of Ichamati, it has been decided that the puja organisers from both West Bengal and Bangladesh will have to complete their immersion process by September 30, which is the last day of Vijaya Dashami.
In the meetings, both BSF and BGB agreed to increase monitoring during the immersion time, to ensure that no illegal crossover happens through the rivers.
At a high-level meeting with senior bureaucrats and police officers of the state on Friday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had told the police to be specially careful of the Indo- Bangladesh border area following information that some outsiders might try to create trouble in the area during the festival days.
After the meeting, the state police chief, Surajit Kar Purakayastha had cautioned about the possibility of attempt to create troubles by some outsiders.
The measures come after the Calcutta high court put a stay on the governments ban on Durga idol immersion on October 1, which Muslims observe as Muharram, the day of mourning.
Violence broke out in Baduria town of Basirhat over a controversial Facebook post by a 17-year old school student on June 30, turning the region into a virtual battlefield over the next few days until paramilitary forces and police intervened and cooled the temperatures.
The violence also resulted in a face-off between Mamata Banerjee and West Bengal governor Kesari Nath Tripathi.
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Former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, who has quit the Congress, is scheduled to meet BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi on Monday.
Rane quit the Congress earlier this week amid speculations that he was keen on joining the BJP.
The venue and time of the meeting are not known yet, but Rane will be meeting Shah in Delhi tomorrow, a source close to the Maratha leader told PTI.
He (Rane) will be inviting Shah to inaugurate a hospital at Padwe in Kudal in the Sindhudurg district, he added.
There has been no word from the BJP yet on whether Rane will be joining the party.
Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, when asked about the possibility of Rane joining the saffron party, had said that a decision in that regard would be taken by Shah as Rane was a former chief minister.
Announcing his decision to quit the Congress at his home turf of Sindhudurg district in the coastal Konkan region, Rane had accused the party of reneging on the promise of making him the chief minister of Maharashtra when he joined it 12 years ago after leaving the Shiv Sena.
The Maratha leader, who was the chief minister of Maharashtra in 1999 while he was in the Shiv Sena, said he had also resigned as a member of the state Legislative Council.
I have not yet decided where to go, he had said, referring to the speculations about his joining the BJP, and added that he would make an announcement before Dussehra, which will be observed on September 30 this year.
The former firebrand Sena leader had joined the Congress in 2005.
Speculations about Rane joining the BJP were triggered by reports suggesting he had met Shah in Ahmedabad a few months ago. During the recent Ganesh festival, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, also from the BJP, had paid a visit to Rane at the latters residence.
Rane, who enjoys pockets of influence in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, was expelled from the Sena by then party supremo Bal Thackeray for voicing displeasure over the latters son, Uddhav, gaining prominence in the party.
A tough-talking leader, Rane, who was handpicked by Thackeray as the chief minister when he decided to remove Manohar Joshi ahead of the 1999 Maharashtra Assembly polls, had recently claimed that he had received an offer from the Sena to return to its fold.
The recent threat by the Sena to pull out of the BJP-led coalition governments in the state and at the Centre is being seen in the political circles as an attempt to thwart Ranes entry into the saffron party.
A preliminary investigation has found that faulty ammunition was the reason behind the explosion on the Armys new long-range ultra-light (ULH) howitzer M-777 during a field trial in Pokhran earlier this month, official sources said.
The barrel of the US-manufactured gun had exploded when it was firing Indian ammunition on September 2.
A preliminary inquiry has found that the explosion took place due to faulty ammunition supplied by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and further probe into the matter was on, the sources said.
Asked about the findings of the probe, OFB spokesperson Uddipan Mukherjee said, Any such failure is attributable to a complex phenomena pertaining to internal ballistics as the shell moves at a very high speed inside the barrel.
He said these kind of failures can have multiple causes and the quality of the shell is not the only reason.
Without specifically commenting on the findings of the probe, Mukherjee said ammunition used in the M-777 gun had undergone the required quality tests.
India had received two M-777 ultra-light howitzers in May, each worth around Rs 35 crore, after a gap of 30 years since the Bofors scandal broke out, and the accident took place in one of them.
The field trials of the 155 mm, 39-calibre guns manufactured by BAE systems were being carried out at Pokhran in Rajasthan with an aim to collate various critical data like trajectory, speed and frequency.
Army sources had said the barrel of the gun was damaged in the explosion.
The Army had received the howitzers as part of an order for 145 guns. Three more guns are to be supplied to the Army in September 2018 for training.
Thereafter, induction will commence from March 2019 onwards with five guns per month till the complete consignment is received by mid-2021.
India had last procured howitzers in the mid-1980s from Swedish defence major Bofors. The alleged pay-offs in the deal and its subsequent political ramifications had severely crippled the Indian Armys procurement of artillery guns.
The defence ministry had struck a government-to- government deal with the US last November for supply of the 145 howitzers at a cost of nearly Rs 5,000 crore.
While 25 guns will come in a fly-away condition, the rest will be assembled in India by the BAE Systems in partnership with Mahindra Defence.
The Army has been pressing the government to speed up its modernisation programme.
The government will launch a 15-day campaign next month to promote development and cleanliness in rural areas and has urged all MPs to spearhead it in the villages they have adopted.
The Centre will conduct the Gram Samridhi Evam Swachhta campaign from October 1 to 15, in partnership with state governments, to give a boost to development activities in rural areas, rural development minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in a letter to all MPs.
He urged them to facilitate various programmes at the panchayat level for holistic development of villages.
The campaign will focus on educating villagers about hygiene and cleanliness through self-help groups, anganwadi centres and schools, and conducting training programmes.
The minister asked the MPs to emphasise on complete immunisation of children and special programmes to reduce the dropout rate among girl students.
Orientation programmes and job fairs should also be organised to inform the rural youth about the opportunities available, he said.
Tomar also suggested administering a pledge to villagers to make their surroundings open-defecation free.
Members should also initiate the drive to clean the village and remove encroachments, the letter reads.
They have also been urged to review the status of activities proposed under the village development plan and discuss them and their implementation at gram sabha meetings.
Special attention has been given to conducting training programmes on food processing, organic farming, and horticulture.
The minister also recommended creating awareness about government schemes through camps, cultural activities, and house-to-house campaigns.
Gujarat is eyeing over six crore tourist footfalls in the state by 2020 on the back of promotions and is mainly targeting the youth looking at short vacations.
The western state is looking at a whole range of tourist activities to achieve the ambitious target.
Last year, we received 4.2 crore tourists in Gujarat. We have set a target of six crore footfalls by 2020 for which we are promoting our festivals and developing new destinations. Our main focus segment is the young people with spending power who go for short vacations, Jenu Devan, MD of Tourism Corporation of Gujarat, told PTI in Gandhinagar.
He said for the youth Gujarat offers a host of attractions, including adventure, eco, beach, festivals, heritage and border tourism.
Foreign tourists comprises only 2% of the overall visitor footfalls in Gujarat, he said.
We are promoting Gujarat on the international platform, including Italy, east Europe, Japan and South Korea among others.
We have hoping to increase the inbound tourist footfalls to 5 per cent by end of 2020, he said adding the state will continue to strengthen its top source markets, the US and the UK.
Gujarat has attracted over Rs 9,000-crore investments for 220 tourism-related projects, the official said. We have received investment commitments of over Rs 9,000 crore for developing and creating infrastructure for 220 projects for the period 2015-2020.
The government spends Rs 200 core every year for promotion and branding of Gujarat tourism at various domestic and global platforms, Devan said.
Devan said Gujarat tourism is targeting metro cities like Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad besides tier II places like Pune and Indore, where there is a high level of young working population with good spending power.
We are looking at a mix of tier I and II cities, which have a good young population with spending power.
Devan also said Gujarat is developing two new circuits -- heritage and Buddhist -- to add to the existing offers for holiday-makers.
To attract travellers to visit Gujarat again and again, we keep developing new tourism products. We are developing two new circuits - heritage and Buddhist circuits.
Besides we are also mulling over creating several other circuits like Jain, Sufi and tribal, Devan added.
The state is also bullish on medical tourism and Bollywood, for which the tourism department will facilitate support in terms of incentives, including single clearance window and transport, among others, Devan said.
India on Saturday launched a campaign to woo Egyptian travellers and make them aware of magnificent holiday options in the country.
The month-long Incredible India! campaign has been organised by the Embassy of India in Cairo, in coordination with the India Tourism Office in Dubai, the Cairo Governorate, and the Cairo Public Transport Authority.
It was flagged off jointly by Indias ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya, Governor of Cairo Governorate Eng Atef Abdel Hamid and officials from Cairo Transport Authority.
As a part of the campaign, 12 buses of transport authority will showcase various tourist destinations in India, including culture, festivals, monuments, landscape, wildlife, people and food.
Each bus is uniquely exhibiting two tourist themes of India. The campaign will run on five routes in East, Middle, North, South and Giza parts of Cairo Metropolitan area.
We invite more and more Egyptian tourists to visit India, even as we support the growth in Indian tourists to Egypt.
India has variety of experiences ranging from historical sites to natural beauty, beaches to mountains, adventure to cultural events, yoga to medical tourism, wedding destinations to Bollywood tours, and many more, Bhattacharyya said while inaugurated the event at Cairo citadel.
This campaign also aims to connect tour operators of both the countries.
We have launched this campaign so that people around the city can see different part of India and its tourists delight. We are very keen to have greater tourism exchanges between India and Egypt, Bhattacharyya told PTI.
On Monday, the Indian Embassy, in association with India Tourism Office in Dubai, will organise Incredible India Road Show at Hotel Semiramis Intercontinental.
Tour operators from Indian and Egypt, officials from Egyptian Tourism department will attend the event.
The Embassy of India had previously launched Incredible India and Make in India campaigns at the metro in April where posters showing glimpses of India culture were displayed on the metro.
Earlier in April, a two-month-long campaign was launched in Cairo metro.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday responded to Pakistans allegations at the United Nations General Assembly that New Delhi was involved in state-sponsored terrorism and widespread human rights violations, calling it an export factory of terror.
Swaraj, who addressed the world leaders in Hindi, also spoke about the significance of mitigating global warming, international cooperation and demonetisation. (HIGHLIGHTS)
Here are the key takeaways from Swarajs speech in New York:
India an IT superpower, Pakistan an export factory of terror
India responded with irritation to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasis allegations of brutality in Kashmir, saying that while India had made substantial progress since Independence but all Pakistan had achieved was a reputation as the pre-eminent export factory for terror.
Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?... We have marched ahead, consistently, without pause and created IITs, IIMs and AIIMS and produced scholars, doctors, engineers and scientists.
Those listening had only one observation: Look whos talking!, Swaraj said, adding: A country that has been the worlds greatest exporter of havoc, death and inhumanity became a champion of hypocrisy by preaching about humanity from this podium.
Condemning terrorism has become a ritual
Without naming China in this context, Swaraj referred to Beijings efforts blocking the UN designation of JeM chief Masood Azhar and asked and asked, If even the UN Security Council cannot agree on the listing of terrorists, how can we fight together?
We have been the oldest victims of this terrible and even traumatic terrorism. When we began articulating about this menace, many of the worlds big powers dismissed this as a law and order issue. Now they know better. The question is: what do we do about it?
We must all introspect and ask ourselves whether our talk is anywhere close to the action we take. We all condemn this evil, and piously resolve to fight it in all our declaratory statements. The truth is that these have become rituals, she said.
Natures warning: Climate change
Swaraj said that it was not just mere coincidence that the world has witnessed hurricanes, earthquakes, rains that inundate storms which terrify. Nature sent its warning to the world even before the worlds leadership gathered in New York at the United Nations through Harvey, the external affairs minister said, referring to the deadly Hurricane Harvey that hit the US in August.
We must understand, this requires more serious action than talk. The developed world must listen more carefully than others, because it has more capacities than others.It must help the less fortunate through technology transfer and Green Climate Financing -- that is the only way to save future generations, Swaraj said.
US President Donald Trump had withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement in June, saying that countries like China and India are benefiting the most from the accord that was unfair to the US as it badly hit its businesses and jobs.
Demonetisation
On the podium, Swaraj spoke about Indias economic policies and said demonetisation was a courageous decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to challenge black money.
Demonetisation was a courageous decision to challenge one of the by-products of corruption, the black money that disappeared from circulation.
Nuclear proliferation
Swaraj also warned the international community that nuclear proliferation is again making headlines.
Nuclear proliferation is back in the zone of dangerous headlines. Cyber security has become a source of deep insecurity, Swaraj said in an apparent reference to the continued provocative behaviour of North Korea, which has been carrying out missile tests and nuclear tests in violation of the UN Security Council resolution.
(With agency inputs)
India is the mother of terrorism in South Asia and a racist and fascist ideology is firmly embedded in the Modi government, Pakistan has said in response to external affairs minister Sushma Swarajs speech at UN.
India sponsored and aided terrorism against all its neighbours, reports in the Pakistani media quoted its permanent representative to UN, Maleeha Lodhi, as saying.
Addressing the UN general assembly on Saturday, Swaraj tore into the neighbouring country, calling Pakistan a pre-eminent exporter of terror.
Earlier this week, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in his address had accused India of supporting terrorism and human rights violations in Kashmir.
Swaraj had hit back, saying while India was giving the world top-notch doctors and engineers Pakistan was producing terrorists.
Lodhi attacked the BJP and raked up Kashmir once again.
New Delhis current political luminaries belong to a political organisation that has the blood of thousands of Muslims of Gujarat on their hands, Lodhi said, referring to the 2002 Gujarat riots.
India was ruled by a fascist ideology and it should stop supporting across-the-border terrorism, she said exercising Pakistans right to reply at the UN.
The leadership of the BJP government was drawn from the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) that is accused of assassinating Mahatma Gandhi.
The RSS is the ideological parent of the BJP.
The Pakistani envoy also criticised Yogi Adityanaths election in Uttar Pradesh, saying the government has appointed a fanatic as the chief minister of Indias largest state.
It is a government, which has allowed the lynching of Muslims.
Lodhi also invoked Arundhati Roy to attack Swarajs speech and quoted the acclaimed Indian novelists 2015 statement: These horrific murders are only a symptom. Life is hell for the living too. Whole populations of Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, and Christians are being forced to live in terror, unsure of when and from where the assault would come.
Pakistan was open to resuming a comprehensive dialogue with India but it should include Kashmir, Lodhi said as she waved a picture of a woman whose face was scarred, with what looked like pellet-gun wounds.
Use of pellet guns that has left several young Kashmiris completely or partially blinded is an emotive issue, with security forces under pressure to look for alternative ways to control crowds.
The UN general assembly for years has been a battlefield for India and Pakistan, where Kashmir has figured prominently.
This years speeches have been more strident as relations between the two sides continue to deteriorate over some high-profile terror attacks in India, Pakistans sentencing to death an Indian sailor on charges of spying and internal turmoil in the neighbouring country that is due for elections.
(With IANS inputs)
Pakistan media reacted sharply to Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swarajs speech at the United Nations, with some calling it a vicious, strong and angry attack.
Other reports said Swarajs Saturday speech reflected Indias resentment towards Pakistan.
Swaraj tore into Pakistan as a pre-eminent exporter of terror in her rebuttal to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasis UN address, in which he accused India of sponsoring terrorism and human rights violation in Kashmir.
Here are some of the reactions to Swarajs UN address, described as insightful and strong by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Pakistani media:
The Express Tribune
A report said India responded with resentment to Pakistan PMs assertions of brutality in Kashmir.
The Tribune ran another report that quoted sources as saying that Pakistan was likely working with China to introduce a resolution in the United Nations to declare India a state sponsor of terrorism.
In an opinion piece published on Saturday -- Abbasis speech throws Delhi off balance - Kamran Yousaf wrote that the Pakistan Prime Ministers UN speech had left India reeling and Swarajs response was a proof of that.
Indias unsavoury knee-jerk reaction says it all. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasis maiden speech at the UN General Assembly has left New Delhi reeling.
Pakistan Today
A report said Swarajs speech was hard-hitting and a very sharp and strong attack on Islamabad.
Sushma Swaraj on Saturday unleashed a very sharp and strong attack on Pakistan and asked its leaders to introspect why India is recognised as global IT superpower while Islamabad is infamous as export factory for terror.
Another article by Tasneem Yaseen highlighted Pakistans focus on alleged human rights violations in Kashmir. It also said Abbasi spoke eloquently on the countrys commitment to fighting terrorism.
The Dawn
The newspaper published a story headlined: Swaraj launches vicious attack on Pakistan in UN speech. The article said the external affairs minister had devoted most of her speech to responding to Abbasis accusations.
Swaraj not only targeted Pakistans current rulers but questioned the commitment of the countrys founding fathers to peace and stability.
The article also said Kashmiri protesters were chanting slogans for freedom outside the United Nations headquarters as Swaraj addressed the general assembly.
The Nation
The Nation took note of Swarajs remarks on Islamabad derailing bilateral ties, headlining its report : Pakistan aborted peace process, claims India.
Relations between India and Pakistan have been tense in recent times, mainly over Kashmir, which is divided but claimed by both countries in full, the article read.
GEO TV
GEO TV carried multiple follow-up stories on its website . One of the reports was headlined India responds to Pakistan with barrage of accusations at UNGA while another quoted the countrys permanent representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi calling New Delhi the mother of terrorism. Lodhi went on to attack the BJP government as being fascist and said the party had picked a fanatic -- Yogi Adityanath -- as the chief minister of its biggest state.
Prime minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation through the 36th edition of Mann Ki Baat programme on Sunday.
The radio show completed its three years on Sunday.
In his 35th address to the nation, the Prime Minister had said that violence in the name of faith will not be tolerated referring to the violence in Haryana that broke out after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim was convicted of rape by a CBI court.
He also spoke about renewed campaign for cleanliness and called for increased participation in sporting activities.
Here are the highlights from Modis address:
- I congratulate Lt.Swati Mahadik & Lt.Nidhi Dubey-widows of soldiers who died on duty -for their determination to serve country
- Sardar Patel unified the nation. Let us always preserve this unity
- I congratulate 18-yr-old Bilal Dar who has been made brand ambassador for cleanliness by Srinagar municipal corporation.He has cleaned more than 12,000 kgs of garbage from the Dal Lake in a year
- For cleanliness to become a habit, an ideological movement is needed.
- Happy to see the support towards Swachhata Hi Seva movement. People are actively contributing to a Swachh Bharat.
- This Gandhi Jayanti, let us buy a Khadi product and light the lamp of prosperity in the lives of the poor
- I get so much feedback for Mann Ki Baat. Naturally, I am not able to refer to all of it but the inputs given help us in the government.
- I have tried to keep common man as the focus in Mann Ki Baat and kept it away from politics
- Mann ki baat has become a unique opportunity to connect with the masses
Stressing the importance of credibility in journalism, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said that the media has to avoid sensationalism.
Information with confirmation is more than ammunition. Any content that offends the sensibilities of the people is a matter of concern and self-regulation is the best way to address such a problem, he said in his address ay the 14th Shailikaar Prabhakar Samman ceremony, an official statement said.
The award that was instituted in memory of well-known Hindi writer, journalist and freedom fighter Kanhaiya Lal Misra Prabhakar has been bestowed upon Anuradha Prasad this year.
Recalling the pioneering role of journalism in freeing India from colonial rule and subsequently in strengthening democracy in Independent India, Naidu said that a vibrant electronic and print media were continuing to play an important role in moulding public opinion.
He also noted that news values appear to have changed over the years with what would not have been considered to be even a filler in the past is becoming Breaking News today and many a time, an off-the-cuff remark becomes a screaming headline. he said.
Naidu however asserted that he was not advocating any censorship.
The media because of its reach and impact has a huge responsibility in ensuring that the people are not swayed or agitated by controversies which are best ignored, he said.
He further said that the cinema too must avoid obscenity, vulgarity, violence and double meaning dialogues. Of late there was a tendency of mixing news and views, he added.
Referring to freedom of expression, the Vice President said that it is best utilized when the value of such freedom is fully appreciated.
He called upon newspapers and channels to refocus on developmental journalism so that different social and economic issues affecting the people and the country get highlighted and even bring about policy changes at the highest level.
He also said that we need to accord importance to mother tongue, while pursuing English as the link language.
In a crucial turn of events in the battle for supremacy in the Samajwadi Party (SP), Mulayam Singh Yadav is likely to announce a new outfit on Monday along with virtually defunct Lok Dal, and retain the samajwadi tag in its name, sources in the two parties have indicated.
The hint of an imminent split in the SP came on Saturday when Mulayam and his brother-aide Shivpal Yadav stayed away from a state convention of the party-- which they had founded 25 years ago -- saying they were not invited.
Mulayam will hold a press conference at the Lohia Trust office here tomorrow (Monday) to announce a new party with Lok Dal, Lok Dal president Sunil Singh said on Sunday.
Even as the SP prepared for the convention, sources said the two brothers pondered over formation of a secular front under the banner of Lok Dal, hinting fresh differences in the party weakened already by the factional feud which proved to be its nemesis in the Assembly polls earlier this year.
The strains were palpable ahead of its state and national convention, with Mulayam replacing Akhilesh Yadav-loyalist Ram Gopal with Shivpal Yadav as the secretary of the Lohia Trust.
Shivpal had announced in June that he would float the Samajwadi Secular Front to fight communal forces.
As there is no sign of any truce, it is a crucial time for Shivpal to decide his future course, a close confidant of Shivpal said.
Asked about Singhs claims that the two brothers will work under the banner of Lok Dal, another Shivpal-loyalist said, Mulayam might not like to shun the Samajwadi tag. The situation will be clear tomorrow when netaji (Mulayam) will disclose his future course of action.
The posters at the SP convention here on Saturday did not have pictures of Mulayam and Shivpal, giving ample hints about their place in the party.
The convention saw a realignment of forces within the SP as senior leader Azam Khan attended the event and lashed out at the people who have betrayed the party, in an apparent reference to Shivpal, his one-time friend and confidant.
Another surprise presence was that of SP MP Beni Prasad Varma, whose inclusion in the party last year was said to have triggered the battle within the family.
To top it all, SP president Akhilesh Yadav in his address on Saturday cautioned his supporters against fake samajwadis.
As in the past, Akhilesh, however, struck an emotional note when he said, Netaji (Mulayam) is my father and this party (SP) belongs to him. His blessings are with us and we will carry forward his legacy. My father has always been with us and will remain with us.
In Election Commission records, Lok Dal is a registered, unrecognised party that was formed by veteran socialist leader Charan Singh way back in 1980 and Mualayam was its founder- member.
Lok Dal has the old election symbol of farmer ploughing the field (khet jot-ta kissan). Fighting on the symbol, Charan Singh had become the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Mulayam, who was opposed to the SP-Congress alliance during the assembly elections, was offered Lok Dal symbol and presidents post by Sunil Singh.
A number of Shivpal loyalists had contested on Lok Dal ticket during the assembly polls and the party used Mulayams photographs for campaigns, terming him a true samajwadi, the Lok Dal president said.
The Yadav family feud came to the fore about a year ago and led to Akhilesh snatching the mantle of the SP national president from his father at an emergency national convention of the party here on January 1.
Taking full control of the party after being crowned as its head and alloted the bicycle symbol by the EC on January 16, Akhilesh has been going whole hog consolidating his grip over the party.
A Pakistani court conducting the trial of seven Mumbai terror attack suspects has ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to appoint a focal person to press for bringing 24 Indian witnesses to the country to record their statements in the case.
Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum are facing charges of abetment to murder, attempted murder, planning and executing the 2008 Mumbai attack.
The prosecution said the Indian witness statements are needed to conclude the trial which has been going on for more than seven years.
India has been urging Pakistan to complete the trial at the earliest, saying enough evidence has been shared with Pakistan to prosecute the accused.
India has also asked Pakistan to re-investigate the Mumbai attack case and put on trial Jammat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed who is currently under house arrest in Lahore under the anti-terrorism law.
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan held the hearing of the Mumbai terror attack case at Adiyala Jail in Rawalpindi last week.
It directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general to appoint a focal person to pursue the case of bringing 24 Indian witnesses here (Pakistan) to record their statements with the countrys interior and foreign ministries, a court official told PTI.
He said the FIAs focal person will ask both ministries to take up the matter with the Indian government to send the Indian witnesses to Pakistan.
It appear to a last effort to bring the Indian witnesses here. Otherwise like the defence, the prosecution will also request the court to announce the verdict without the statements of Indian witnesses, the official said.
A total of 166 people were killed in the attack carried out by 10 LeT men. Nine terrorists who carried out the attack were killed while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was captured alive and later executed in 2012 in Pune.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to dispel concerns over the state of economy and lay down his governments economic and political agenda as a two- day BJP national executive meeting begins here on Sunday.
The partys national office bearers, including its president Amit Shah, state chiefs and other key organisational leaders will finalise agenda items, including resolutions, which the national executive is expected to discuss on September 25, the birth anniversary of Hindutva icon Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.
A key highlight of the meeting will be the presence of the partys all elected lawmakers, including close to 1,400 MLAs, 337 MPs and all MLCs besides its core group leaders from states among others tomorrow.
More than 2,000 delegates will attend what has been described by senior party leaders as an extended national executive to mark the end of a year-long exercise to commemorate Upadhyayas 100th birth anniversary.
Modi, who will deliver the valedictory address on Monday, may use the opportunity to highlight his governments pro-poor measures and other policy decisions.
With the opposition parties attacking governments handling of the economy by citing the fall in GDP rate and demonetisation figures, Modi is expected to take them on and highlight his dispensations successes in boosting transparency and curbing black money, party sources said.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has consistently attacked the government over economy during his visit to the US.
BJP sources said the partys resolution is likely to assert that the economy has been doing better under the NDA than it did under the previous UPA government.
The roll out of the GST has been described by the party as a major success of the government which, it has asserted, will integrate the country economy.
The prime ministers agenda of development will also be a key feature.
A senior party leader said the issue of Rohingya immigrants, whom the government has termed a threat to security, may also find a mention.
With the government and the party embracing Upadhyayas plank of antyodaya (upliftment of the last man), the executive is expected to cite a number of measures taken by the Union and the BJP-ruled states for the poors welfare.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday thanked external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj for recognising his governments great vision of setting up IITs and IIMs during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) address.
Taking to his Twitter page, the Congress leader said, Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs.
Addressing the 72nd UNGA session in New York, EAM Swaraj on Saturday ripped apart Pakistan and said that India has established institutions like IITs, IIMs and AIIMS and Pakistan had created terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Haqqani network.
She added that India had produced scholars, doctors and engineers but the Asian neighbour produced terrorists.
EAM Swarajs fiery speech bashing Pakistan garnered attention from all the corners and several politicians including Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh hailed her befitting reply to the Islamabad.
Singh took to Twitter and said, Congratulations to Smt. @SushmaSwaraj on her powerful, measured and nuanced articulation of Indias stand on the issue of terrorism at #UNGA (sic)
He tweeted, Her measured responses in spite of provocations speak volumes of her maturity & tenacity. She has exposed Pakistans duplicity on terrorism.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi kicked off a three-day Gujarat campaign on Monday with prayers at the famous Dwarkadhish temple in Dwarka and was welcomed by Patidar protest leader Hardik Patel.
The campaign will focus on the politically crucial Saurashtra region, a Patidar community heartland that has been a stronghold of the ruling BJP for almost three decades. The state police have refused the Congress leader permission to hold an open-jeep roadshow, leaving him with a consolation to take out a bullock cart yatra.
Gandhi prayed at the temple and met some religious leaders in the morning and will address meeting later. He was also welcomed by Hardik, who has so far been quiet on possibly supporting the Congress in upcoming state elections.
Hardik Patel (@HardikPatel_) September 25, 2017
The decision to launch the campaign from Saurashtra, which sends 58 MLAs to the 182-member assembly, is seen as a cultivated strategy to court the Patidar and other backward class (OBC) electorate.
The two communities, which form the core of the BJPs support base, were giving jitters to the ruling party. State polls are due in Gujarat this year.
The region is the hub of the Patidar or Patel movement for reservation in education and government jobs, which the community has been demanding since July 2015. For their part, the OBCs are not willing to share their quota of benefits.
Gandhis itinerary includes Dwarka, Jamnagar, Morbi, Rajkot and Surendranagar areas that witnessed large-scale Patidar strikes. His journey ends on Wednesday.
With the police refusing him permission to cover the 135 km stretch from Dwarka to Jamnagar by an open jeep and stage roadshows citing security reasons, Gandhi would now be taking a specially done up luxury bus for him equipped with CCTV cameras. The open-jeep connect with the people might not be possible for now.
However, this does not seem to have dampened the spirits of the Congress workers, for instance, in Hanjrapar village some 25 km from Dwarka, Gandhi will enter in a traditionally decked up bullock cart.
Not only his welcome, but we have also made all sitting arrangements for everyone here, including that of Rahulji, in typical Saurashtra cultural style, Palbhai Ambaliya told IANS on Sunday night.
The Congress strategy appears refreshed after the nail-biting win of Ahmed Patel, the party presidents political adviser, in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha elections this August.
This is for the first time in nearly three decades that a tall Congress leader is campaigning non-stop for three days. In 1991, the late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi stayed in Gujarat for two days for campaigning, party spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said.
A modified bus kitted out with a bed and washroom will be taking Gandhi through cities and villages.
After the temple in Dwarka, he will hit the road for Jamnagar where a roadshow is planned in the evening. On the way he is likely to stop at Bhatiya and Khambhaliya.
The next morning, he will leave for Rajkot with likely halts at Tankara and Wankaner. He will meet traders and is expected to discuss problems caused by the newly launched good and services tax (GST) and demonetisation of high-value cash last November.
Gandhi is likely to visit Morbi, the regions worst-affected town during the 2015 Patidar stir.
On the final day, he will visit Surendranagar and offer prayers at two temples. He will first visit a hilltop temple at Chotila and then move to Khodaldham temple at Kagvad.
His visit to Khodaldham assumes significance as this is the most important shrine of financially and politically influential Leuva Patels.
In the run-up to the elections, Gandhi is expected to hold three more campaigns covering north, south and central Gujarat.
The Congress lost 14 MLAs before the Rajya Sabha elections. They resigned and some of pledged their allegiance to the BJP.
Gandhis route is planned in such a way that he can reach out to Patidars in areas of the legislators who defected recently.
(With inputs from IANS)
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Home minister Rajnath Singh will this week visit a Sino-Indian border area in Uttarakhand which has witnessed transgression by Chinas Peoples Liberation Army in the recent past, officials said.
During the tour to Barahoti, the home minister will interact with the personnel of the Indo Tibetan Border Police which guards the border outpost located at an altitude of 14,311 feet.
This is the first visit by a senior minister in the Narendra Modi government to China border after the resolution of the stand-off in Dokalam.
Singh will also visit ITBP border outposts at Rimkhim (altitude 12,500 feet), Mana (10,500 feet) and Auli (10,200 feet) during the four-day trip beginning September 28, a home ministry official said.
There were reports that on July 25, Chinese soldiers had entered 800 meters into the Indian territory in Barahoti, located in Uttarakhands Chamoli district, and stayed for sometime before returning to the Chinese territory.
The home minister will also address the probationers of the IAS, IPS and other services at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, besides interacting with central governments additional secretary rank officials there on the first day of the visit.
The home minister is expected to review the situation on the border, address a Sainik Sammelan and assess the progress in various infrastructure projects, another home ministry official said.
The 3,488 km-long India-China border stretches through Jammu and Kashmir (1,597 km), Himachal Pradesh (200 km), Uttarakhand (345 km), Sikkim (220 km) and Arunachal Pradesh (1,126 km).
The Chinese and Indian troops were in a face-off situation for more than two months in Dokalam in Sikkim sector after Indians stopped the construction of a road by Chinas army.
The Sino-Indian border is not fully demarcated and the process of clarifying and confirming the Line of Actual Control is in progress.
The area is characterised by high-altitude terrain and thick habitation which have resulted in inadequate development of infrastructure in these regions.
To redress the situation arising out of lack of infrastructure along border with China, the government has decided to undertake construction of 73 roads of operational significance.
Of these, 27 roads involving 804.93 km are being constructed by the home ministry in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh at an estimated cost of Rs 1,937 crore.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor praised on Sunday external affairs minister Sushma Swarajs speech slamming Pakistan during the UN General Assembly (UNGA) session and said she was justified in giving a befitting reply to Islamabad.
Speaking to ANI, the Congress leader said, It was a good speech. I think that Sushma ji was quite justified in turning the tables and giving Pakistan a fitting and strong response. If they are going to devote their speech by attacking us, we are not going to take it lying down. I thought that was a very effective point.
Reacting to Swarajs IIT remark, Tharoor thanked her for acknowledging the achievements of the Congress regime.
As a Congressman, of course, I particularly appreciate hearing a member of this government acknowledging the great accomplishments of the last 60-70 years, because we know that the Prime Minister of this country has said abroad that until he came to power, everyone was ashamed to be an Indian and nothing has happened in this country in the first 60 years of Congress rule.
It seems to me that Sushma ji has set the record straight by saying look we have created IITs, IIMs. These were all established by former prime minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, he added.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi also thanked Swaraj for recognising his governments great vision of setting up IITs and IIMs.
Taking to his Twitter handle, Gandhi said, Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs.
Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 24, 2017
Addressing the 72nd UNGA session in New York, Swaraj on Saturday ripped apart Pakistan and accused it of waging a war against India. She said that while India made institutes like IIT, IIM and AIIMS, Pakistan created terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and Haqqani network.
At least two Indian soldiers were injured on Sunday morning in Pakistan firing on an Indian post along the line of control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, intelligence and army sources said.
The Indian side retaliated and the exchange ended after half an hour. Pakistani foreign ministry said a 22-year-old woman was killed and two injured in Indian firing on Kotli sector of Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
India was assessing the damage to the other side, the army said.
Around 0300 hours (3am) havildar Saigan Rai and rifleman Vijay Rai of C company sustained multiple splinter injuries at Balakote forward post after a mortar shell fired by Pak army exploded near the post, an Intelligence official said.
Both the soldiers were moved to a garrison hospital in Rajouri.
An army officer at Nagrota-based 16 Corps, responsible for guarding the LoC south of Pir Panjal range, said, Pakistan violated the ceasefire at around 3.15am and fired eight to ten mortar shells.
No fatal or serious casualties on Indian side. Pak casualties being ascertained, he said.
There has been a sharp increase in ceasefire violations this year, forcing hundreds of people living along the border to flee their villages and take shelter at camps set up by the government.
Till August 1, there were 285 such violations by Pakistan compared to last years 228, Indian Army data shows.
The two countries had in November 2003 agreed to a hold their fire along the LoC but violations have intensified since 2016 as relations have nosedived.
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Karishma Prakash, 25, quit her engineering job in Bengaluru and Sanu Khan, 30, took a sabbatical from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Thiruvananthapuram. Both volunteer as teachers at the Haji Public School in Breswana village of Doda a district 160 km northeast of Jammu that was once a hub of militancy.
I feel people are too scared to come here and there is a necessity to teach the students here more than any other normal city in India, says Karishma, on her second 3-month stint in over a year.
Given the remote location of this village of about 1,600 residents and its troubled past, finding regular teachers was not easy for Sabbah Haji, 35, who runs the school. So she relies on volunteers from across the world, like Karishma and Sanu, who along with a group of locals, teach 400 children up to Class 8 -- mostly first-generation learners -- to think, to question and stay abreast of the world around them.
Coming here has been an eye-opening experience. The children despite the different kind of hardship they face are tremendously bright, says Dhamini Ratnam, 33, who quit her journalism job in Mumbai to teach class 7 students here.
Born and brought up in Dubai, Sabbah Haji returned to her native village in 2008 and decided to run the school in a bid to help the children of her ancestral place. (HT)
Situated at 7,500 ft above sea level, Breswana, was one of the many villages of Doda where almost every household was hit by militancy till 2004. The only government school, burnt down in 1992 and reconstructed in 2005, has just 150 students and 10 teachers. Militants used the terrain to engage in a guerrilla battle with the security forces. In 2008, the region was again in news due to unrest over the Amarnath land row.
However, set up a year later, the school is redefining education in a village where not more than 1% residents are educated beyond class 10th.
We are taught everything about the world, says Yasir, 13, in fluent English. The son of a carpenter, Yasir writes poems in English and Urdu. His mother tongue is Kashmiri. A class 8 student, Humaira Banu can read out the Quality of Mercy quote in William Shakespeares Merchant of Venice in one go. She lost her father a few years ago.
Delhi-based volunteer, Jaishish Kaushik, 25, was left in a quandary when class 7 girls wanted to know during a Geography class: Why do only men ride horses in Doda, why not women? Hyderabad-based Bharat Merugu was made to dance to Shape of You song on his last day at the school while Sanu was flooded with farewell messages from class 1 kids the day she left.
Born and brought up in Dubai, Sabbah did her higher education in Bengaluru where she later worked as a content editor. She returned to her native Breswana village in 2008 soon after the Amarnath land row led to unrest. Financed by her NRI uncle, the school started in 2009 with 30 kindergarten kids.
Today, at least 20 families from far away villages have relocated to Breswana to educate their kids. This, when the nearest motorable road is 8 km away.
I decided to do something to give back to my ancestral village after my relatives were affected in the riots after Amarnath land row, says Sabbah who plans to make it a higher secondary, and eventually a college, in the years to come.
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Hardik Pandya was once again the difference maker as he proceeded to hurt Australia yet again in this series as his fourth ODI fifty helped India defeat Australia in the third ODI at the Holkar Stadium on Sunday. (India vs Australia 3rd ODI: HIGHLIGHTS)
Pandya, who had smashed a magnificent 83 to bail India out of trouble in Chennai along with MS Dhoni, was promoted to No.4 after the quick wickets of Rohit Sharma (71) and Ajinkya Rahane (70). (India vs Australia 3rd ODI: SCORECARD)
The move was interpreted as Virat Kohli using Pandya to negate the spin of Ashton Agar in the middle overs and it proved to be effective. He got going with a slog sweep off Agar and he targeted the left-arm orthodox bowler for more punishment by slamming yet another six off him.
READ | Rohit Sharmas blazing fifty boosts India in Indore ODI vs Australia
India were pegged back slightly with the quick wickets of Virat Kohli (28) and Kedar Jadhav (2) but Pandya continued on his big-hitting ways. He blasted his third six off Agar and smoked a boundary through mid wicket.
The young all-rounder was fortunate though as on 41, he top-edged a lofted shot to extra cover. The ball was swirling in the Indore night sky but Australian captain Steve Smith put the catch down. Pandya made the Aussies pay as he blasted Agar down the ground for his fourth six. He brought up his fifty off just 45 balls.
READ | Ajinkya Rahane continues great form with fifty in 3rd ODI vs Australia
Earlier in the day, he had chipped in with the ball as well as he castled David Warner for 42 with an off-cutter. He finished with figures of 10-0-58-1.
Pandya finally finished on 78 as he was dismissed by Pat Cummins.
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Rohit Sharma blazed away to an aggressive fifty off 42 balls as India beat Australia by five wickets in the third ODI at the Holkar Stadium on Sunday. With this, India registered their third consecutive home series win against Australia, having won in 2010 and 2013. (India vs Australia 3rd ODI Highlights)
Rohit, who had managed scores of just 28 and 7 in the Chennai and Kolkata ODIs, smashed his 33rd fifty and fourth against Australia as India scored at a healthy rate. At the other end, Ajinkya Rahane looked in solid touch to dent Australia. (India vs Australia 3rd ODI Scorecard)
Earlier, Aaron Finch blasted his eighth century while Steve Smith slammed a smooth fifty as Australia posted 293/6 after opting to bat.
Rohit got going in grand style when he pulled Pat Cummins into the second tier of the stands at deep mid wicket. The right-hander then lofted Nathan Coulter-Nile over long off for his second six and meted out further punishment by slamming two more boundaries.
However, the highlight of Rohits knock so far was a massive 103-meter six off Kane Richardson which went out of the ground. Rohit brought up his fifty in grand style when he smashed his fourth six by depositing left-arm orthodox spinner Ashton Agar down the ground.
The right-hander continued to pile on the runs as he slammed Pat Cummins for two consecutive boundaries. However, Rohit top-edged a pull shot off Coulter-Nile to be caught at deep mid wicket for 71 off 62 balls.
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A 21-year-old law student of Chhattisgarh has accused an Alwar-based self-proclaimed sadhu of inviting her to lick his tongue as part of a ritual before sexually assaulting her.
The 60-year-old Kaushalendra Prapannacharya, or Falahari Maharaj as he is popularly known, was arrested on the womans complaint on Saturday and sent to jail for 15 days.
I am writing Om on my tongue with honey and you will have to lick it. This is how I have imparted knowledge to many people, the Maharaj told me. He then grabbed me, the woman alleged in her police report accusing the sadhu of rape.
According to the FIR, the woman went to his Alwar ashram on August 7 and planned to return that very day, but he asked her to stay the night.
At about 7.30pm, Baba called me to his room and after sending his disciples away he shut the doors and sat on the bed, the victim recounted in her complaint.
The godman then sexually assaulted the girl. I went blank and could not react. He told me that he has made many people IAS, IPS and MLA and will make me a judge but asked what I will give him in return.
Maharaj then made me lie on the bed and said he was doing all this on instructions from god.
The FIR comments on the womans younger sister.
He said you dont have a brother and your mother is too old now ... I can get you a son if you promise to sleep with me when you get married before consummating your wedding, the FIR reads.
The woman said he advised her to stay away from boys because young girls are easily misled.
During the assault, the woman wrote in the FIR, there was a knock on the door.
He hastily arranged his robes and threatened me with dire consequences if I disclosed anything to anyone. I went to another room and cried the whole night, she said in her complaint.
Next morning his disciples dropped her at the railway station.
After keeping quiet for weeks, the woman told the ordeal to her parents and they filed an FIR.
Sexual escapades of so-called holy men in India are making news after Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda quasi-religious sect, was convicted of raping two sadhvis this August in cases that date back to 2002.
On Friday, a sadhu was arrested on the charge of raping and impregnating a mentally ill woman from West Bengal at his ashram in Uttar Pradeshs Mathura district.
The suspect, Mohan Govind Das, of Radha Girdhari Ashram in Barsana town was taken to West Bengal where the case against him was registered.
The arrest sent shockwaves in Barsana as it happened barely a week after a cook and a guard in the towns popular Radha Rani temple were taken into custody for alleged raping a devotee from Odisha.
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Two years ago, Sapikul Ali Miyan was ecstatic.
The 21-year-old had just become an Indian citizen, one of 15,000-odd Bangladeshi immigrants living in enclaves in West Bengal whom India decided to formally accept as part of a landmark agreement.
Miyan and others looked forward to identity cards that would open doors to `formal education, jobs and a better life, free from the constant fear of deportation and persecution. Many in the enclave described the day as a second independence day.
But now, the same identity cards have come back to haunt them. Miyan, now 23, wants to join the army but is stuck the name of his father on his Aadhaar and voter identity cards doesnt match that on his school-leaving records.
The reason: Miyan is one of 1000-odd people who used names of their neighbour or family friend in place of their father on school records because they werent eligible to study in Indian schools.
Miyan, son of Asgar Ali Miyan of Poaturkuthi village, used the name of a family friend -- Lutfar Mallick of Patharda village in his school records because the latter was an Indian citizen.
He said he did it because the Bamanhat High School in Dinhata wouldnt admit a child from the enclaves, which were embedded in India geographically but didnt belong to any country. There are many in our locality willing to join the Army. However, there is no way one can even apply since we are all stuck with school leaving certificates carrying the wrong fathers name and address, says Miyan, 23.
Most of the 1,000-odd young men and women are in their 20s and 30s but forced to work as part-time labour, masons and agricultural labour. They say the government should have created some provision because forging fathers names was the only way they could access education.
Everybody born in the enclaves had to use fake fathers and addresses to get enrolled in schools. However, about 1,000 youths who are in the job market now face this problem, said Diptiman Sengupta, convener of the Bharat Bangladesh Enclave Exchange Coordination Committee that spearheaded the dwellers movement for citizenship.
In July 2015, India and Bangladesh swapped enclaves in each others territory as part of a historic agreement that took 40 years to finalise. India took in 14,856 people living in 51 Bangladeshi enclaves and Bangladesh accepted 37,369 living in 111 Indian enclaves -- 979 of whom chose Indian citizenship.
On the Indian side, the enclaves were strewn across West Bengals Cooch Bihar district comprising of expansive plains where the international border was often a paddy field or an electric pole with few patrolling soldiers.
Families in these areas had lived in harmony for several generations, and would effortlessly cross the open border. Locals said the fake fathers agreed to let enclave dwellers use their names out of empathy and some also paid visits to schools when guardians were called.
Sengupta argued the case was exceptional and needed the government to adopt a policy for allowing corrections. Otherwise, the past will continue to haunt them forever. The issue needs to be raised in the assembly but the local MLA is silent, said Sengupta.
Local Trinamool Congress leader and Dinhata MLA, Udayan Guha, said the administration was looking into the matter. Kaushik Saha, the district magistrate, told HT that he was not aware of the problem as he was new to the district.
I have been travelling from pillar to post and have written from the local block development officer, chairman of school education board to the chief minister and the President of India, requesting that we should be allowed to rectify our school records and certificates. We have no heard from anyone so far, said Rahaman Ali, son of Naskar Ali, who has the name of neighbour Shahar Ali as father in school documents.
A batch of students also met officials from the secondary and higher education boards in the state. Officials told them that the records cannot be changed without a bill passed in the assembly.
But Miyan isnt giving up hope. We fought for decades to get our citizenship. We will fight through this.
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The Uttar Pradesh government late Saturday evening decided to release 100 prisoners and undertrials lodged in various jails to mark the birth centenary of RSS ideologue Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
IG, Prison has directed the district jail officers to release the prisoners on September 25, birth anniversary of Upadhyaya. A list of the prisoners whom the state government has decided to release has been sent to the jail superintendents, a state government spokesperson said.
The governments decision is not unprecedented. During the Samajwadi Party government, the administration had ordered the release of elderly undertrials on the occasion of Independence Day and birth anniversary of SP ideologue Dr Ram Manohar Lohia. Similarly, Mayawati too had ordered release of 4,000 prisoners to mark the formation of her government in 2007.
The government spokesperson said among the 100 prisoners, 80 were the one who had completed their sentence but could not pay the fine slapped by the court. The remaining 20 prisoners were those whose mercy petition, probation act and nominal role had been approved by the authorities concerned.
While the 80 prisoners will be released from Lucknow, Varanasi, Faizabad, Mathura, Agra, Kanpur, Naini, Aligarh, Banda, Mirzapur, Orai, Hardoi, Maharajganj, Bahraich, Saharanpur and Gorakhpur jails, the remaining ones will be released from Bareilly, Varanasi, Agra, Fatehgarh, Naini and Gorakhpur jails.
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A 60-year-old man was extradited from Singapore for allegedly cheating 31 job-seekers of Rs40 lakh in 2006. The Mumbai police arrested him on Sunday morning.
The Economics Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police had issued a red corner against Mohammed Sultan Kadir, after which he was arrested by the Singapore police where he had been living. Kadirs wife Majeeda was arrested in 2007 for her involvement in the case while Kadir was wanted.
According to an officer, Kadir had promised jobs to 31 people in shipping companies and took around Rs 40 lakh from them in 2006. A month later, he took the people to Singapore and accommodated them into in a hotel. The next morning, he left for a meeting with the officials of the shipping company. He returned and promised that the firm would hire next month, the officer said.
He then returned to India with the victims, said the official.
After this, the victims claimed that Kadir had disappeared and did not attend their phone calls. They gave a written application after which a case was registered with the EOW, added the official.
In 2007, the police arrested Majeeda as she had also allegedly accepted money from a few victims. The officials then issued a red corner notice against Kadir.
In 2017, the EOW received a tip off that Kadir had been living in Singapore. In May, based on the red corner notice, the Singapore police arrested him. A team of four officials from EOW left for Singapore last week to complete the formalities to bring him back to India.
On Sunday, the police arrested Kadir and presented him before the Esplanade Court where he was remanded in police custody.
A 29-year-old woman, who was arrested on Friday for allegedly running a child selling racket, told the police that she purchased babies from poor parents. The police are verifying her claims.
Julia Fernandes was arrested when the police got a tip off that she had dropped off a newborn at a womans home in Sangam Nagar. The police then reached the spot and took the kid in their custody.
On being interrogated, the woman said Fernandes, who is her neighbour, had left the child in her care for two days. She added that Fernandes had told her that she worked for a nursing home and sometimes got newborns out of the hospital for getting them vaccinated.
The police arrested Fernandes when she came to pick up the baby.
Fernandes told us that she had bought this boy from a rickshaw driver and his wife in Govandi for Rs 20,000 and was going to sell him to a couple for Rs1.5 lakh, said police inspector Santosh Kokre from Wadala TT police station. The rescued baby has been sent to a welfare centre in Colaba.
Kokre added that Fernandes confessed to have been selling children to childless couples for the past six months now and that she bought them parents who have huge loans to repay. We are now finding out whether the kids parents are involved in this racket or Fernandes stole the kid. We are investigating further to get to her clients and see if she had sold children to NRI couples as well, added Kokre.
Fernandes, a resident of Worli, used to live in rented accommodations in different slum areas and befriend women there so that she didnt have to keep the babies with herself. She used to leave the child with these women and as soon as she would crack a deal, she would pick up the kid and give him or her to the client, said the police.
During the ten days of Navratri, Ashok Prabhulkar is a very busy man. After his shift with the E-ward of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) gets over around 2pm, he travels across the city to drape sarees for the deities, which includes apsara style, lavni saree, south Indian type, Gujarati pattern and so on.
After my working hours are over, I visit around five mandals daily, from day one till Dusshera. There are some who specially request me to come on some days. There have been times when I have draped around 10 sarees on a devi, said Prabhulkar.
With no formal training in saree draping, Prabhulkar has learnt the skills by just observing the look of deities in pictures. Though Prabhulkar studied only till 12th, he was always passionate about arts. He first visualises the look of the idol, on the basis of which he decides the type of saree that should be draped.
Ask him if he feels it is a female-oriented field, he says, I dont think that it is only a females work. I helped a drape a nauvari saree at her wedding. At times I help my wife too. Sometimes people even call me to help them with Ganpatis dhoti, he said.
With just a few safety pins, Prabhulkar uses five sarees to make the deity look like apsara, which takes him around one-and-a-half hour.
On Dussehra every year, a Lonavala-based politician Amit Gavali, who gets his deity from Mumbai, invites Prabhulkar to drape the saree of the deity before it is taken for immersion.
Festivals are no more just a reason for a holiday in city colleges. Of late, students as well as college management are taking extra effort to include everyone in celebrating various festivals on the college premises. Be it bringing in a Ganesha idol to the campus for five days of Ganesh Chaturti, or celebrating Garba and dandiyaraas for the students and staff of the institute, holding on to the culture and traditions of the society is taken very seriously by many city colleges.
In August this year, Vile Parles UPG College brought an eco-friendly Ganesha to the college campus during Ganeshotsav. We have many outstation students who have no idea what the festival is all about, so this helps in bringing all the staff and students together. Plus, the eco-friendly Ganesha also sends the right message, said Anju Kapoor, principal of the college. This was the second year that the college filed the ritual and on the last day of visarajan, the idol was immersed in a bucket within the college premises itself. Its great to see students and staff from different communities come together and celebrate a festival, she added.
R A Podar College in Matunga for years has been celebrating Navratri with great gusto. While Garba and dandiyaraas is just one part of the celebrations, students and staff also celebrate the age-old tradition of bhondla during the nine days of Navratri. Bhondla is a very traditional Maharashtian ritual where women get together and sing songs and dance around a rangoli on campus. Most students are not even aware of such traditions so we ensure everyone participates, said Sobhana Vasudevan, principal. She added that over the years, students as well as staff have shown more and more interest in such events, as it brings everyone together faculty, non-teaching staff as well as students. Simple joys of playing fugdi with students and teachers is what makes this event a hit amidst all, she added.
While maintaining tradition is one part of this exercise, colleges feel such events help break barriers amidst the disconnected generation. People have forgotten that the entire idea behind celebrating festivals is to have better communication between the community and with the growing culture of nuclear families, students are very disconnected from their roots. Our staff ensures that all festivals are celebrated with equal enthusiasm at the college and students also appreciate the effort, said Ashok Wadia, principal. The colleges also hosts events during festivals where students are encouraged to learn an Indian language other than their mother tongue.
For the growing community of students who are not from the city, such events help in getting over homesickness. Navratri is a big deal for us in Gujarat and ever since I moved to Mumbai for studies, I havent had a chance to go back home during this festival because we usually have exams in the period. Thankfully our college hosts a garba session for all and that way, I get to introduce my friends from Mumbai to our tradition from back home, said Akriti Parikh, a second-year student from R A Podar.
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The trial for the murder of former journalist J Dey has taken an unusual turn with the court ordering police protection for four witnesses after one of them claimed four men had turned up at his home and threatened him.
A man passing by when two men on a motorcycle shot dead Dey who was riding towards his home in Powai on June 11, 2011; a home guard who was on duty in the area, and two independent witnesses to the recording of the panchnama, who are called panch witnesses, are the four who are to be provided police protection.
The court order came after public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat moved an application under Section 19 of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) seeking protection for four witnesses.
This is not the first time witnesses have claimed they were threatened in this case in which underworld don Chhota Rajan is accused of ordering the hit on the journalist.
Two other eyewitnesses failed to appear before the court despite being summoned twice, saying they feared a threat to their lives.
The prosecution told the court the home guard had identified the shooters and their bike and therefore his deposition would prove crucial.
The court allowed the prosecutions plea and directed the police to protect all four witnesses. The witnesses would be brought before the court soon, the public prosecutor informed. The prosecution has so far examined 128 witnesses in the murder case.
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A man who used to work at a ration shop in Govandi and his accomplice were detained on Sunday for allegedly killing a 70-year-old woman, who owned the shop, and stealing gold and cash worth Rs4 lakh from her house, that has above the shop.
The Shivaji Nagar police said they received call from Sudarshan, victim Bhanumati Guptas husband, on Saturday saying one of their employees had found her lying in a pool of blood with her throat slit at the ration shop.
Bhanumati and Sudharshan run two shops in the area. A few days ago her son left for their village in Banaras and Bhanumati decided to sit at the shop. Sudharshan was at the shop till 4pm and then went to the other shop. Bhanumatis body was found around 5.30pm. Police said one of their employees entered the shop and when he saw Bhanumati on the floor, he alerted Sudarshan and they subsequently informed the police.
Officials said Bhanumati was stabbed in the neck with a sharp weapon. She was rushed to Rajawadi Hospital where she was declared dead.
The police said that after registering a case, they started investigating if she had enmity with someone. They found that a former employee Ashok who was fired two months ago, had come to the shop and fought with her over his salary a few days before the murder.
On questioning Ashok, he confessed to the crime and revealed the name of his accomplices as well.
The police have detained Ashok and Rahul for murder and robbery. We will arrest them soon, said an officer. The motive of the murder was robbery according to our investigation. The couple stays on the first floor while their shop is located on the ground floor. After the murder, Ashok and his accomplice went to her house and stole jewellery that she had kept for her granddaughters upcoming wedding, added the officer.
The state prisons department has launched Operation Tracking in jails across the state to track inmates who are violent, suicide prone to avoid violence in jails. The operation, which kicked off on September 14, will continue till September 30.
The department launched the operation after a convict, who was serving triple life sentence for kidnapping and killing an eight-year-old boy, was murdered by another inmate inside Nagpur Jail on September 11. Also, incidents of a few suicides and violence inside jails prompted officials to keep a track of each and every inmate to avoid untoward incidents.
In a circular issued by the jail department, a copy of which is with HT, jail officials have been asked to prepare a list of violent inmates, keep them in isolation and treat them.They have also been directed to track those who are suicide prone to counsel them and if necessary provide them with medical help.
Group clashes are a common feature in jails, especially the ones in Mumbai as they have many underworld goons lodged there. Jail officials have also been instructed to lodge violent inmates in separate wards/barracks and also beef up security there.
The circular, which was issued by additional director general of prisons BK Upadhyay, also directs all jail superintendents to submit a report on the list and steps they took by October 5.
This is not the first time jail officials are taking steps to deal with violence. Earlier this year, they had established self-help groups in various jails to counsel inmates with violent and suicidal tendencies.
Former director of police Praveen Dixit, who had in the past suggested prison reforms in the state, told HT that in jails the violent behaviour is mostly linked to physical ailments and mental tension. Operation tracking is fine but every month each inmate needs to undergo a medical check-up, he said while adding that many inmates are drug addicts and withdrawal symptoms inside jails makes them violent. Proper counselling and proper treatment will help them more, Dixit added.
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A 60-year-old businessman was allegedly duped of Rs12 lakh by a UK-based businessman who promised him high returns in herbal trade business. The alleged fraudster baited him through an email.
The businessman has been identified as Ramesh Singh, a resident of Sector 27.
The police said that in the first week of August, Singh had received an email from one Jacob Herry, who claimed to be a purchasing manager with Ozomedicherb, a UK-based company.
In the email, Herry was offering a partnership and to start a business of herbal seeds and had assured him of handsome earnings. Singh, who works in Delhi, fell into the trap and agreed to the partnership.
After agreeing to the deal, Singh claimed he was contacted by Herry, who said that his company had been importing herbal seeds from an Indian company and referred him to an Odisha-based woman, Wepang Moren, who provides quality herbal seeds.
Singh then contacted Moren and received some pictures of the herbal seed samples on his email. The pictures were sent to Herry, after which he approved the deal to purchase the seeds. He had placed an order for 10 packages, of 100 grams each.
Singh told the police that he bought seven packages of herbal seeds at a cost of Rs12 lakh through online payment and informed Herry of the same.
Meanwhile, Herry told him that he required 220 packages, which would cost around Rs50 lakh. He also assured of sending then send 9.46 lakh in dollars (Rs6 crore) as payment for the purchase.
Singh refused the deal, citing financial constraints, after which Herry and Moren stopped receiving his calls and did not respond to his emails.
Singh suspected foul play and found that these herbal seeds were available at cheaper rates, in comparison to the rates he procured from Odhisa. He later filed a complaint with the Centre for Cyber Crime Investigation (CCCI).
Vivek Ranjan Rai, inspector, CCCI, said, The case is being investigated by us on the details we have been given. The whole incident reflects that a racket is being operated by the gang. Email addresses and websites have been found to be fake.
The team is trying is to trace the location of the person through the IP address, he added.
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As the BJP gears up to improve its individual tally in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll and, by implication, likely to leave fewer seats for its allies, the JD (U), back to being its NDA ally in Bihar, is planning on some rearguard action of its own to retain or expand its electoral space.
At its state executive committee meeting here on Sunday, the JD (U) decided to brace its organisational set up in all the 40 LS seats in Bihar, down to the booth level, to fortify itself for a better bargaining position ahead of the 2019 parliamentary polls.
The party has decided to start working for strengthening its organisational structure for the upcoming parliamentary polls, on all the 40 LS seats, said party national general secretary and leader of JD (U) in Rajya Sabha RCP Singh.
The move to assumes significance against the backdrop of reports doing the rounds that the BJP intended to contest no less than 25 seats, out of the 40 in the state, despite having JD (U) as its new alliance partner in the NDA.
Armed with the requisite resource and an effective organisational set, the BJP has indicated that not more than seven (or a maximum of nine) seats will be spared for the JD (U), four for the Ram Vilas Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and two for the union minister Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok samata Party (RLSP).
The BJP had contested 31 seats out of total 40 seats in the 2014 Lok sabha poll and won 22. Its allies had won another nine (LJP-6 and RLSP-3).
Sharing the outcome of state executive committee meeting, Singh said that district level conferences in all 38 districts of Bihar would be held between November 15 and 18 and the task of appointing booth level agents would be completed in the next two months.
Concern over neglect of partys organisational set up in the districts, under the charge of ministers belonging to its erstwhile grand alliance partners, the RJD and Congress, was also raised at the meeting in the presence of national president and chief minister Nitish Kumar.
The meeting was attended by district presidents, MLAs, MLCs, MPs and ministers.
Fourteen JD (U) ministers, in-charge of overseeing governmental schemes and party activities in their respective districts, have now been asked to keep a tab also on organisational work in remaining districts, under the charge of BJP ministers, he said.
The sense of urgency to metamorphose the organisation into a well oiled battle ready outfit was evident from state JD (U) president Bashistha Narayan Singhs remark that several steps were beingtaken the last two months and Sundays meeting was more of a review of the outcome.
Though party spokesmen were scheduled to brief the media, the state president along with two national general secretaries, including Sanjay Jha, and senior minister Lallan Singh, took on the task upon themselves. We have made 1.54 lakh active members till date, the state president said.
Aware of the need to shore up party coffers, RCP Singh said, we have decided to seek voluntary contributions from party workers in November-December, on a yearly basis.
Also acutely conscious of the fact that the BJP would apportion its carefully crafted development agenda by playing out PM Narendra Modis achievements on a grander scale, the JD (U) is looking for a new niche. It has decided to build on the success of prohibition and tree plantation to project itself as a vehicle for social change.
Now, playing an active role in the roll out of the campaign against child marriage and dowry is high on its agenda.
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On Tuesday, three women were rescued from a prostitution racket during a raid at a five-star hotel in Pune. Of the three women, one was from Russia, another from Uzbekistan and the third from Delhi, according to the Social Security Cell of Pune police. Five men were arrested under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA) by the Social Security Cell.
While officials are still investigating whether the women were forced into flesh trade, HT found that the woes of those rescued did not end with the police operation. According to sources, it takes around two to three months for those rescued during the raids at prostitution rackets, to return to their country.
The struggle to go back to their native place begins right after being rescued. The procedures that happen between the rescue operation and them reaching their home country lasts for at least two-three months. The rescued women are sent to either of the two rescue homes in the city; The Rescue Foundation's home in Mohammedwadi, Hadapsar or the government-run rescue home for women in Mundhwa, according to one of the counsellors at the Mohammedwadi centre. The Rescue Foundation is a government-aided non governmental organisation (NGO), which receives monthly expenses for every woman they take care of, according to an official at the Social Security Cell.
Once rescued, the women are produced at the court and sent to a rescue centre, after which, they undergo medical tests at Sassoon Hospital in Pune. They are tested for HIV, STDs and skin diseases. Once that is completed, a request to acquire travel documents and permits for them is forwarded to the concerned embassy by the police, said police inspector Sanjay Patil of the Social Security Cell.
The ministry of external affairs and Home ministry, along with concerned government authorities, help the women acquire the travel permits and their journey to the respective airport , Delhi or Mumbai, is facilitated by the organisation.
The Rescue Foundation's rescue home, inaugurated in 2009, is now home to 47 such women. "We have women from Russia, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Thailand, Bangladesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Mumbai and other places," said the counsellor. When asked if there is a gap in communication due to the language difference among the women, the counsellor said that the Indians try to communicate in Hindi while the foreigners try to speak in English.
"They have no trouble. There's meat and fish cooked according to everyone's liking. They have all the basic amenities. We don't face any problems from them," mentioned the security guard posted outside the gates of the organisation. The tall gates remain locked from inside at all times and three layers of barbed wire protect the space above the gates. In October last year, cases of rescued women escaping the facility were reportedly widely.
Air traffic at the Chandigarh International Airport is set to drop substantially from next month due to runway repair. As many as 11 of the 36 flights operating from the airport have been cancelled to meet the new closure time of 4pm from October 3.
The airport is currently operating till 10pm.
The revised schedule will remain in force till March 31 next year, and there are chances of further extension, as the repair works are targeted to be completed in 20 months.
The airport will also remain closed on Sundays during this period.
As a result, Chandigarh-bound air travellers will be left with limited options, as already visible in the working schedule of various airlines.
For instance, SpiceJet that currently operates seven flights has cancelled four of them. These include the direct flight to Hyderabad at 8:50pm, Jammu flight at 6:10pm, and Delhi flight at 8:25pm.
SpiceJet had to cancel its morning flight (8:30am) to Jammu as well as the same aircraft was used for the Jaipur sector.
A local official of the airline told HT the airline had deployed a single aircraft from Jammu to Jaipur via Chandigarh. After the withdrawal of the Chandigarh-Jaipur flight, it was difficult to operate the Jammu flight alone.
It will definitely lead to loss in business besides connectivity issues from the airport, but the runway repairs are also important, he said. Hopefully the air traffic will grow manifold once the airport is modernised.
Evening connectivity to Delhi affected
The citys evening connectivity with Delhi has also suffered as Jet Airways has cancelled its three flights to the national capital at 6:05pm, 7:35pm and 9:35pm.
Indigo has also called off its important flights to Bengaluru, Srinagar and Mumbai.
Firm manager Varun Sanger said the cancellation of the Chandigarh-Bengaluru flight at 4:30pm affected the Srinagar flight, as they had a single aircraft on this route. Also, the Mumbai flight could not be advanced due to tight time slots before 4pm, he said.
Air India has already released its revised timings as reported by Hindustan Times a few days ago. Go Airs Chandigarh-Mumbai flight at 7:15 pm has also been cancelled. There has been no change in the schedule of other airlines, including Air Asia and Air Vistara.
Flights cancelled
As many as 11 of the 36 flights operating from the airport have been cancelled to meet the new closing time of 4pm from October 3. Restrictions to remain till March 31, 2018.
Here is the list of cancelled flights:
Limited options left
If anyone wants to travel to Jammu by air, the option is gone. SpiceJet used to operate the only flight to Jammu, which stands cancelled from next month.
SpiceJets Srinagar flight at 12:35 pm is the only flight connecting Chandigarh to the northern state with cancellation of Indigos flight at 1:35 pm.
Now, there is a single flight to Hyderabad at 2:15pm, as SpiceJets late evening flight to the IT hub has been called off.
Connectivity to Delhi and Mumbai has also been hit, and travellers will have to plan their itinerary before 4pm.
Revised schedule on Tuesday
A senior official at the airport said the revised schedule will be released on Tuesday, as they are in the process of compiling it. He said a review of the new closure time is not expected before February next year.
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Nearly destructed during Operation Bluestar in the Golden Temple complex in 1984, the Sikh Reference Library has since not only been revived, but it now has double the number of books, including rare manuscripts, than it did before the army action to flush out militants.
It was established by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in 1946, and in 1984 it was alleged that the army took all the items except some newspapers from the library. The SGPC has since moved the Union government several times to seek recovery of the items, including handwritten manuscripts of Guru Granth Sahib and hukamnamas (edicts) with signatures of the Sikh Gurus.
An employee cleaning a rare book for preservation at Sikh Reference Library in the Golden Temple complex on Sunday, September 24. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)
However, since the library hit headlines for the arson it faced in the operation, people started donating more documents and books, reveals data assessed by HT. Before 1984, it had 12,613 books, with 10% of those being manuscripts on general issues. Plus, it had 512 manuscripts of Guru Granth Sahibs birs (copies). The total stood at 13,125.
In the 33 years, 540 manuscripts of Guru Granth Sahib have been collected, besides 24,000 other books and documents, including 1,200 general manuscripts. Thus, the total number has risen to 24,540 as of September this year. The books are not only related to Sikh religion but Indian culture at large too.
A researcher finding a piece of writing in a Hindustan Times edition from 1965. Besides other newspapers, editions of Hindustan Times have been preserved at the Sikh Reference Library since 1955. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)
While the SGPC collected some books on its own, individuals too donated, prominent being Prof Surjit Singh, Prof Parkash Singh, and historian Sangat Singh, who donated 3,000, 450 and 750 books, respectively, said Bagicha Singh, the librarian.
Around 5,000 books were shifted from Guru Ram Das Library, also run by the SGPC near the Golden Temple, to this library. Many rare manuscripts were provided by Narinder Singh who collects such birs. This library is only meant for the research scholars, hence the material is not allowed to be carried outside, says its website.
Digital leap: 15% work done
More than 15% of the collections have been digitised since 2008. The SGPC had first assigned the project to a private agency, which did not work properly, and later restarted it on its own in 2013. Besides appointing technical experts, it set up a studio in the library that has two cameras, a scanner, four lights, and other equipment. The process is on for six days a week, 10am to 5pm, and turns six books into PDF format every day.
Technical staff scanning books for digitisation at the Sikh Reference Library in Amritsar on Sunday, September 24. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)
Of the 4,000-odd documents that have been digitised, 700 are general manuscripts and 290 are birs of Guru Granth Sahib.
Also, as the paper of manuscripts in particular is affected by micro-insects and moisture, the library has a treatment plant equipped with a fumigation chamber to preserve these. Guru Nanak Dev University too has installed such as chamber on its lines.
An SGPC employee keeping rare manuscripts and old books in a fumigation chamber at the Sikh Reference Library. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)
Plan for new building
Until 1984, the library was a small, two-storey building. With the stock having increased, the SGPC later expanded it to include a a sizeable adjoining portion. But now the need for more space is being felt, and the gurdwara body has recently resolved to build a new building at Bhai Gurdas Hall closer to the Golden Temple.
Outside the Sikh Reference Library situated near the Golden Temples entry gates. This building also houses the Sikh History Research Board. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)
However, no progress has been made on the ground. As the resolution in this regard has been passed, the project will be executed soon, said SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar.
In addition, a building for a Guru Granth Sahib Bhawan has already been proposed on the shrine premises for manuscripts of Guru Granth Sahib to be put up for public display too.
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Congress candidate for the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll, Sunil Jakhar on Sunday lashed out at the BJP government at the Centre, accusing it of adopting anti-people policies and pushing people into a state of regression.
Addressing party workers in the run-up to the October 11 byelection, he rubbished the AAPs claims that he is an outsider and focused on critical issues like farmers welfare, development and illegal mining. Vinod Khanna, the former MP, whose death has necessitated this byelection, was also an outsider, as was Capt Amarinder Singh when he defeated Arun Jaitley in Amritsar parliamentary constituency, the Punjab Congress chief said.
Jakhar claimed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has already conceded defeat and listed the glaring failures of the BJP-led government at the Centre and the SAD-BJP dispensation which misruled Punjab for a decade.
Lambasting the anti-people policies of the BJP government at the Centre, he said, Demonetisation and GST have broken the backbone of the common people while the spiralling prices of essential commodities, including diesel, petrol and LPG, continue cause unbearable suffering to them.
Hitting out at the Modi government, Jakhar said in contrast to the nation-building work undertaken by the Congress, the BJP government has pushed the people into a state of regression.
Exuding confidence about his victory, he said votes would be polled in the name of the Congress and CM Amarinder Singh, who has put the people of Punjab back on the path of progress.
Alleging that SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal had not given a single penny to the farmers when his party was in power in the state in alliance with the BJP, the state Congress chief said besides loan waiver for the farmers, Amarinder has strengthened the agrarian system of the state.
Jakhar said he would ensure all-round development of all sections of the society, including farmers, youth and ex- servicemen, and promised to take their issues to the Lok Sabha if he wins the bypoll.
He assured the Congress workers that he would ask state tourism minister Navjot Singh Sidhu to resolve the issue of dam construction near the Mukteshwar Dham temple.
About the alleged Rs 31,000 crore food grain scam during the Akali dispensation, Jakhar said he would aggressively pursue the matter in the Lok Sabha to ensure that every paisa comes back to the government exchequer.
The Congress leader said even though his term as a Lok Sabha member would be for just around 18 months the general elections will be due in 2019 he would make all-out efforts to ensure the development of the constituency.
Jakhar hit out at BJP candidate for the bypoll Swarn Salaria, saying he had failed to manage his own Chintpurni Medical College properly. He also accused BJPs Punjab chief Vijay Sampla of making false claims about the nations development under the partys rule at the Centre.
The Punjab Police team sent to Canada to take custody of Malkiat Kaur and Surjit Singh Badesha after the Canadian Supreme Court ordered their extradition to India in the case of honour killing of Jaswinder Kaur Jassi in Punjab is set to return home empty-handed.
Jassi, a Canadian resident, was murdered in 2000 by contract killers allegedly at the behest of her mother Malkiat and maternal uncle Badesha after she married Sukhwinder Singh Mithu of Kaunke village near Jagraon in Ludhiana district.
The British Columbia Court of Appeal, which is hearing the case, has not reached any conclusion and hence our team will board their return flight on Sunday, Sangrur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Mandeep Singh Sidhu told HT.
A three-member Punjab Police team led by SP (detective) Kanwarpal Kaur reached Vancouver on September 17 after Canadas apex court ordered extradition of Kaur and Badesha on September 8.
A senior police official involved in the extradition process said since the British Columbia court has not fixed the next date of hearing after the lawyer of the two accused filed a fresh application claiming that has fresh information in the case, there was no point in keeping the police team in a foreign country for long.
We have talked to the Indian foreign ministry officials in Canada and India and they also advised that the team should come back. The ministry has also assured us to take up the matter through diplomatic channel, he said.
Interestingly, the police team had completed all extradition formalities and had even reached the Toronto Airport to board a plane for Delhi but the Court of Appeal intervened at the last minute and stayed the extradition.
The latest legal gambit is based on new information, apparently related to social media posts which are at variance with the assurances given by India that the duo will get a fair trial and not be mistreated. It was on the basis of these assurances that Canada had agreed to the extradition. `
As per police investigation, the initial plan was to kill only Mithu but he survived the attack. The FIR registered at the Amargarh police station in Sangrur on June 10, 2000. As per police probe, Kaur and Badesha were in touch with the killers after the attack.
Eight accused in the case are already facing life imprisonment and trial of Kaur and Badesha could not be conducted as they were in Canada.
It was a rare case in which extradition was allowed in a case not related to terrorism.
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Senior journalist KJ Singh, 63, who along with his mother, Gurcharan Kaur, 92, was found murdered at his house in the posh Phase 3B2 locality of Mohali on Saturday afternoon had seen a suspicious man possibly conducting recce of his house on Friday.
Sources in the police said KJ Singh had informed his elder brother BP Singh on phone on Friday that he had spotted a person with a frail structure moving around his house between 4pm and 6pm. At one point, the man reportedly tried to open the gate of his house as well.
Singh used to stay with his mother in a one-kanal corner house, adjacent to a park. Police have also found some footprints along the railing in the park.
KJ Singh had last spoken to BP Singh, who stays in Sector 41, Chandigarh, around 7pm, said their nephew Preet Inder. The senior journalist had also exchanged some WhatsApp messages with his friends till about 8pm.
The double murder first came to light at 1pm on Saturday when KJ Singhs sister Yashpal Kaur reached his house along with her son Ajay Pal. They were there to give them lunch, said Alam Vijay Singh, deputy superintendent of police (city) Mohali.
The two found blood on the main door that was bolted from outside and the blood trail led to the rooms where the bodies were found.
Theft only a cover up?
Punjab Police have set up a special investigation team (SIT) under inspector general (crime) Shashi Prabha Dwivedi to probe the case.
Meanwhile, initial investigations suggest the attackers left the crime scene in the victims car.
But police have ruled out robbery as the reason behind the double murder, even as the motive remains unclear, said sources.
Besides KJ Singhs green Ford Ikon car (PB 65 0164) that used to be parked outside his house, his mothers and his mobile phones and an LCD television are also missing.
The senior journalist, who was freelancing for a Canadian magazine, had a studio with expensive recording equipment in the house. But nothing from the studio, including the laptop, is missing. Singhs gold chain was also intact.
Police are scanning footage from two closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed a couple of houses away.
Police said KJ Singh was stabbed in the stomach and neck. One of the slippers that he was wearing was found near the main door where he was first stabbed in the stomach.
His body was found lying on his bed while his mother was found dead with her legs hanging out of the bed in the adjacent room. She was apparently strangulated.
Blood was found all over the floor in the room, indicating that Singh had struggled with the attackers. Even the furniture of the house was disturbed.
Maid came at 9am, but returned
KJ Singhs domestic help Rekha used to come to the house in the morning.
I came around 9am and rang the bell at the gate, but no one answered, so I returned, Rekha told police. Rekha came back an hour later, but no one opened the door again.
Police said the victims family members, too, had been calling him, but he didnt return the calls.
The exact time of the death would be known after the postmortem, said DSP Alam Vijay Singh
Caring son, ardent reader
KJ Singh, fondly referred to as Kuku by his family, never got married and was taking care of his bedridden mother dedicatedly. His sister Yashpal Kaur used to stay with them till about five months ago, before shifting to her sons house. She still brought lunch for them.
Her son Ajay Pal said Singh used to cook breakfast and dinner for his mother and even slept in her room to assist her.
An ardent reader, he used to read a book before going to sleep. But to ensure his mother was not disturbed, he recently purchased a headlight. On Friday, he even received a parcel of an anti-slip mat for his mother.
Even the room in which his blood-soaked body was found had only his mothers pictures. The room had a few cassettes stacked neatly, books and a few medicines lying on the table.
Ajay Pal said he had talked to his uncle on Friday noon.
He wanted to eat chhole-bhature and we had brought it for him today, he said.
KJ Singh told his brother about a suspicious man outside his house on Friday; police rule out robbery as motive, SIT formed
Senior journalist KJ Singh, 63, who along with his mother, Gurcharan Kaur, 92, was found murdered at his house in Mohalis Phase 3B2 on Saturday afternoon was stabbed 14-15 times, say doctors at civil hospital Mohali after the post-mortem.
Doctors said he was attacked with sharp edged weapons, due to which his internal visceral organs were severely damaged.
Meanwhile, the senior journalist and his mother were cremated at 1pm on Sunday.
Singh, a bachelor, was a former news editor of the Indian Express, The Times of India and The Tribune in Chandigarh.
The double murder first came to light at 1pm on Saturday when KJ Singhs sister Yashpal Kaur reached his house along with her son Ajay Pal. They were there to give them lunch, said Alam Vijay Singh, deputy superintendent of police (city), Mohali.
The two found blood on the main door that was bolted from outside and the blood trail led to the rooms where the bodies were found.
At least five people were killed and five others were injured after a major explosion and fire in a house where illegal fire crackers were manufactured and stored in a village in Jharkhands East Singhbhum district, police said.
The fire that broke out around 4 pm caused a wall of the house located at Kumardubi village, about 85-km from Jamshedpur, to collapse, officer-in-charge of Barsole police station, Binod Paswan said. Some people are feared trapped under it, he said.
A few villagers were making crackers for the festive season but they suddenly burst killing five people and sparking a fire which also spread to the adjacent houses, Paswan said.
East Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar said the body of one Patit Pawan Das was found while two severely injured were admitted to a hospital.
Local people said that explosions continued till late in the evening. They alleged that fire tenders did not reach in time and so the fire caused greater damage.
Five fire tenders are at the spot and 80% flames were doused, the DC said.
Several people went missing after the incident to escape being arrested for illegal trade of firecrackers in the village. Few people are still trapped in the fire, the villagers claimed.
Local BJP MP Bidyut Baran Mahato, Ghatsila sub-divisional police officer Rajendra Dubey rushed to the spot to speed up the relief and rescue operations.
Filmmaker SS Rajamouli, whose Baahubali series had won over crowds of audience across the world, says he feels he is a better storyteller than a director. I am a fantastic storyteller. I narrate the character in the best way to my actors and they get interested in it. I also ask them how the character would react to a particular situation, he said.
Interacting with students of the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) held as part of their diamond jubilee lecture series at Manipal yesterday, he said mythology was in his blood.
He had grown up reading Balaramayana, Amar Chitra Katha comics and books on kings which were available in Telugu, he said.
The director said the character he liked the most in Mahabharata was that of Karna.
I used to get goose bumps and tears in my eyes reading his story, he said. To a question, he said story and screenplay were more important than cinematography in a film.
The importance of story in a movie would come around 80% and cinematography 20% , he said. With his experience, Rajamouli said he could now decide which actor should be doing the role of a particular character. Earlier, he used to select actors after doing the script.
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Festivity is in the air and with Durga Puja right here, Bengalis cant wait to go pandal-hopping. Popular TV actors are not far behind when it comes to making the most of this festive period. From getting decked up in their Durga Puja best to planning the menu for those five days Panchami, Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, and Nabami stars are going all out with creative ideas.
We asked some of the popular names from small screen about their plans for Durga Puja 2017 and the memories attached to it. Read on:
Pooja Bannerjee
This is the first time I will not be in Delhi to celebrate Durga Puja and that, too, at my parents home. Weve been having this Puja for the past 12 years and its mandatory for all family members to participate in the celebration. But this year, I will be shooting in Mumbai. This is my first Durga Puja after marriage (to swimmer Sandeep Sejwal), so its super-special. Ill cook bhog at home, and for the evening, wear a sari with gold jewellery to go pandal-hopping with my friends. I remember how every year, during Durga Puja, we used to get new clothes and also were allowed to eat our favourite food all five days no restriction and unlimited fun.
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Tinaa Dattaa
I will have to give up my plans of visiting Kolkata for Durga Puja this year, because Ill be travelling to various cities for Navratri events. That is actually fun, because Ill be able to celebrate Durga Puja this year in different cities and with different cultures. My mother, Madhumita Datta, and brother, Debraj Datta, will fly down to Mumbai to spend time with me, so Im looking forward to that and will take a day or two off. I wont miss Ashtami anjali. Earlier, during my younger days in Kolkata, I used to enjoy dhunuchi dance, pandal-hopping with friends and savouring junk food. And yeah, I cant forget how I used to check out boys with my girl friends.
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Rohit Roy
Good morning wala aise hi!! Red it is again!! May y'al have a red hot and happy week ahead! #nofilter A post shared by Rohit Roy (@rohitroy500) on Jun 11, 2017 at 11:00pm PDT
I cant think of missing Ashtami anjali during Durga Puja and this year wont be any different. But unfortunately, I would be shooting for my web series and a film for most of the [five] days. We usually celebrate the festival at the Durga Puja organised by Neelam Mukherjee (late actor Joy Mukherjees wife). My mother (Dolly Bose Roy) is a member of the Durga Puja committee. Two years back, my daughter Kiara was chosen for Kumari Puja and before that Ador (Bose Roy, daughter of brother Ronit Roy) was the one. I want to go to Kolkata to see how the city celebrates the festival but have never been able to. This year, my friend, director Agnidev Chatterjee, has invited me to his house for Durga Puja, which theyve been doing for the past 27 years. Growing up, my Durga Puja memories are from my Ahmedabad days, a city that has major Bengali settlements, which many dont know. Wearing new clothes, pandal-hopping and eating mutton chop, fish chop, and bhog are a few things that I miss doing.
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Debina Bonnerjee
Happiness is feeling beautiful in your favourite attire. A post shared by Debina Bonnerjee (@debinabon) on Aug 18, 2017 at 7:50pm PDT
This year, it would be a most different Durga Puja for me. My parents are not coming to Mumbai and Gurmeet (Choudhary, her husband) is also travelling for his shoots. So, I am planning to spend time with my friends in Mumbai and enjoy authentic Kolkata street food in Juhu. While growing up in Kolkata, I remember how during one of the five Durga Puja days, we would book a car and the whole family would go pandal-hopping at night. That used to be so much fun.
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Sayantani Ghosh
Me in my bangali elements ... A post shared by Sayantani (@sayantanighosh0609) on Aug 7, 2017 at 4:52am PDT
I will be in Mumbai, working. But I have taken an off on Ashtami for anjali, and will also go out with friends. This is the third year that Ive not been able to visit Kolkata for Durga Puja. This year, however, is special because I have just bought a house in Mumbai and it would be fun celebrating my first Durga Puja here. As kids, while in Kolkata, my siblings and I used to look forward to my paternal grandfathers ice-cream treat after Ashtami anjali. What followed was eating puchkas and chaats to our hearts content.
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More than 35,000 people have fled a menacing volcano on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali, fearing it will erupt for the first time in more than half a century as increasing tremors rattle the region.
The numbers on Sunday from disaster officials are more than double previous estimates and are continuing to rise, they say. It includes people who left voluntarily as well as those ordered to evacuate from a 9-12km zone around Mount Agung.
Authorities raised the volcanos alert status to the highest level Friday following a tremendous increase in seismic activity. Its last eruption in 1963 killed 1,100 people.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has praised the welcoming response of local communities on Bali to the flood of evacuees.
Thousands are living in temporary shelters, sport centres, village halls and with relatives or friends.
Truck driver Wayan Suparta said he and his family left their village 5km from the mountain several days ago, bringing just clothes and blankets to a temporary camp in Rendang. The 35-year-old said he sold the familys cow because they dont know when theyll be able to return.
Officials have said there is no current danger to people in other parts of Bali, a popular tourist island famous for its surfing, beaches and elegant Hindu culture.
In 1963, the 3,031-metre Agung hurled ash as high as 20km, according to volcanologists, and remained active for about a year. Lava travelled 7.5km and ash reached Indonesias capital, Jakarta, about 1,000km away.
The mountain, 72km to the northeast of the tourist hotspot of Kuta, is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia.
The country of thousands of islands is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
Muhammad Anwar, 8, was vomiting all night and had severe diarrhea. His father, Hajji Aslam, did not know what to do.
Most, and perhaps all, of the clinics in Oruzgan province in southern Afghanistan are shut, including the one in their village, Shawali Karez. The province remains largely controlled by the Taliban, who are tightening their noose around the provincial capital, Tirin Kot.
So Aslam carried his barely conscious child in his arms, hitchhiked on the back of a tractor and arrived Saturday in Tirin Kot at the gates of the only hospital said to be still open. The 100-bed facility is just down the road from the provincial administrative offices.
But the gates of that hospital, too, were shut. A crowd of people waited in vain.
I brought him from my village to the central hospital expecting treatment, but found it closed and the reason they said that is the Taliban are threatening them, Aslam said. Maybe God does not like our deeds and that is why we are put through such misery and suffering.
Aslam said he waited for 20 minutes, then left when he was told that the hospital would not open. He took his child to the house of a friend who lives in the city. He brought some medication for my sick son, Aslam said.
Officials in Oruzgan said that a rising Taliban threat in recent weeks had left the government no choice but to shut the clinics all of them, according to some accounts, or 46 of the 49 operating in the province, other reports said and then on Saturday the only remaining hospital. (Later in the day, the hospitals emergency services branch was reopened.)
The Taliban have closed all district health clinics and sent us threats to shut down the hospital, too, so the doctors decided to close it down for their own safety, said Khan Agha Miakhel, director of the provincial health department in Oruzgan.
Miakhel said the Taliban were demanding that the government select only health officials recommended by their insurgent movement, and that they select the locations of any new clinics. Other officials said the Taliban also wanted the government to send surgeons and medical supplies to district clinics to care for wounded insurgents.
In the face of the Taliban pressure, the provincial government seemed helpless.
We are working closely with elders and influential people around the province to convince the Taliban not to bring health affairs into politics, said Dost Mohammad Nayab, a spokesman for the governor of Oruzgan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, denied that the insurgents had made any threats and said the clinics had collapsed because of government incompetence and corruption.
All the clinics and the hospital in Oruzgan, they have no facilities no medicine, no doctors, no personnel, Mujahid said. They just keep some guards and cleaners for salary. There is nothing medical.
As the Afghan war continues to rage, with varying degrees of fighting in 20 of the countrys 34 provinces, health workers have found that the places where they can function are shrinking. They have repeatedly come under attack, forcing many clinics and aid groups to reduce their operations or limit their movements. This month, a physiotherapist working for the International Committee of the Red Cross was shot by a gunman in a wheelchair who had been treated for polio at the same orthopedic center in northern Afghanistan for 19 years.
In places like Oruzgan, where the governments control has been reduced to the capital and areas just beyond it in recent years, residents are stuck between an administration that cannot protect its population and deliver services, and a violent insurgency that cannot meet even their most basic survival needs.
Although official statistics in Afghanistan are often unreliable, figures from the Central Statistics Organization in 2012-13 put Oruzgans population at about 333,500. Nayab, the governors spokesman, said the number could be more than double that.
Aslam, the father of the child who was turned back from the hospital, said that although the fighting in Oruzgan had forced his family to move 15 times in less than a year, he had put up with it. But watching his son suffer in his arms was too much.
Now a minor illness can lead to death, he said. If the government is not able to secure the hospital, which is next to the governors house, how would they be able to secure us in the villages?
A report by Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, a New York-based advocacy group that works to protect children, said there had been more than 240 attacks on health workers or health facilities in 2015 and 2016.
Christine Monaghan, a research officer at Watchlist, said that without a hospital in Oruzgan, children who are already malnourished cant get basic services. She added that pregnant women cant get any type of services that they need.
The war not only threatens children who need immediate care, but also endangers those at risk of disease. Afghanistan remains one of the few countries still reporting cases of polio, and a crucial national campaign planned for this week to vaccinate children against the disease will have to be delayed in Oruzgan.
The polio drive is postponed until the issue has been resolved with the Taliban, said Amir Muhammad Barakzai, the leader of the provincial council.
Bangladesh has banned telecommunication companies from selling mobile phone connections to Rohingya refugees, citing security concerns for the latest restrictions, officials said on Sunday.
Bangladeshs four mobile phone providers were threatened with fines if they provide any of the nearly 430,000 newly arrived refugees from Myanmar with phone plans while the ban is in force.
For the time being, they (Rohingya) cant buy any SIM cards, Enayet Hossain, a senior officer at the telecoms ministry, told AFP today.
On Sundays decision to impose a communication blackout on the stateless Muslim minority was justified for security reasons, said junior telecoms minister Tarana Halim.
Bangladesh already prohibits the sale of SIM cards to its own citizens who cannot provide an official identity card, in a bid to frustrate the organisational capacity of homegrown militants.
We took the step (of welcoming the Rohingya) on humanitarian grounds but at the same time our own security should not be compromised, Halim said, without elaborating on what specific risk the Rohingya posed.
Bangladeshs telecoms authority said the ban could be lifted once biometric identity cards are issued to the newly arrived refugees, a process the army says could take six months.
It is just the latest restriction imposed on the Rohingya who have fled in huge numbers from violence in neighbouring Rakhine State into squalid camps in Bangladeshs southernmost Coxs Bazar district in the past four weeks.
The nearly 430,000 refugees have been herded by the military into a handful of overstretched camps near the border, where tens of thousands live in the open without shelter.
Many have been evicted from squatting in forest and farmlands by police and soldiers, who have been ordered to keep the Rohingya from seeking shelter in major cities and nearby towns.
Roadblocks have been erected along major routes from the camp zones, where a dire shortage of food, water, shelter and toilets is creating what aid groups describe as a humanitarian crisis.
Some 5,100 have already been stopped at these checkpoints and returned to the designated camps, police said.
We have set up 11 check posts across the Coxs Bazar highway to stop the Rohingya refugees from spreading further toward the interior, Coxs Bazar police chief Iqbal Hossain told reporters.
The exit of the UK from the European Union may give rise to Euro-English -- a new language tailored to the cultures and needs of continental European societies, a study claims.
The term Euro-English best suits those continental Europeans whose speech is characterised by influences from standardised English as well as their native tongues, researchers said.
Researchers from Gavle University in Sweden argue that when the English leave the European Union (EU), 98 per cent of the population will not have English as their native language, and the absence of native speakers will lead the language to develop against its own variant, Euro-English.
The departure of the British from the European Union will without doubt mark the beginning of a new era for the English language, said Marko Modiano, language researcher at Gavle University.
Europeans who speak English already show signs of developing their own words and phrases and their own way of speaking, said Modiano.
Researchers point out that with the British gone, nobody will be there to defend UK English for competition, not only from American English but also from other languages.
Moreover, when dealing with spellings, Europeans may debate the pros and cons of the US and the UK spellings without being influenced by native speakers of either variety, and it is conceivable that the US English spelling system may be deemed more utilitarian, researchers said.
Researchers also noted that the English grammar is changing. One example is the expansion of the -ing form in utterances such as I am coming from Spain, which, in standardised varieties of English would be I come from Spain.
Researchers also argue that Euro English provide its users with a sense of identity and is used as a medium of communication within the community at large, is something both logical and welcome.
After Brexit, the number of native speakers of English within the EU will about five million.
The study was published in the journal World Englishes.
Keeping with tradition going back more than 180 years, the city of Bristol paid tributes to the legacy of Indian social reformer Ram Mohan Roy, who visited England in the 19th century and died of meningitis in this city on September 27, 1833.
Standing in the shadow of the historic tomb in the Arnos Vale Cemetery, built in his memory by his aide Dwarkanath Tagore, a group of people from various parts of Britain and elsewhere gathered to remember the life and times of the leader widely considered to be the maker of modern India.
The gathering included local historian Carla Contractor, who has worked over the years to preserve Roys legacy in Bristol; AS Rajan, minister (coordination) in the Indian high commission; members of the Brahmo Samaj and the Unitarian church; Bristolians and others.
Lord Mayor of Bristol Lesley Alexander, who attended the event in traditional attire, recalled Roys association with the leading Bristolians of the time, Lant Carpenter and his daughter, Mary. The city, she said, cherished its links with Roy, whose life-size statue was installed in the city centre in 1997.
Just an indicator of the Rajas contribution to Bristol is his statue overlooking College Green in the Bristol city centre, Alexander said. The city also has a walk named after Roy, as well as a large portrait for which he sat during his visit here.
Roys tomb in Bristol has been an important centre for many visitors from India over the decades.
Bristol Lord Mayor Leslie Alexander addresses the gathering at the annual death anniversary event of Ram Mohan Roy in Bristol on Sunday. (HT Photo)
Flowers and wreaths were placed at the tomb and songs composed by Roy were sung by members of the Brahmo Samaj. Various aspects of the Roys life and work in India and during his stay in England were presented in the adjoining chapel after the brief ceremony. Speakers included Sumit Chanda, Peter Hardy, Swagata Ghosh and Contractor.
The tomb designed and built between 1842 and 1844 has become a prominent symbol of the cemetery. The canopy is a faithful replica of a Bengali chattri or a funeral monument. As desired by Dwarkanath Tagore, who erected and paid for the tomb in the 19th century, the original epitaph simply read: Rajah Rammohun Roy, died Stapleton 27th. Sept. 1833.
The epitaph, however, was moved to the back of the tomb in 1872 and was replaced by a longer one. It now reads: Beneath this stone rest the remains of Raja Rammohun Roy Bahadur, a conscientious and steadfast believer in the unity of Godhead, he consecrated his life with entire devotion to the worship of the Devine Spirit alone.
To great natural talents, he united through mastery of many languages and distinguished himself as one of the greatest scholars of his day. His unwearied labour to promote the social, moral and physical condition of the people of India, his earnest endeavours to suppress idolatry and the rite of suttie and his constant zealous advocacy of whatever tended to advance the glory of God and the welfare of man live in the grateful remembrance of his countrymen.
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US President Donald Trump dialled up the rhetoric against North Korea again at the weekend, warning the countrys foreign minister that he and leader Kim Jong Un wont be around much longer, as Pyongyang staged a major anti-US rally.
North Koreas foreign minister Ri Yong Ho told the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday that targeting the US mainland with its rockets was inevitable after Mr Evil President Trump called Pyongyangs leader a rocket man on a suicide mission.
Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they wont be around much longer! Trump said on Twitter late on Saturday.
Trump and Kim have traded increasingly threatening and personal insults as Pyongyang races towards its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States --- something Trump has vowed to prevent.
Analysts say the escalation in rhetoric is increasing the risk of a miscalculation by one side or the other that could have massive repercussions.
North Koreas state-run television KRT aired a video on Sunday showing tens of thousands of people attending an anti-US rally at Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang.
The Norths official KCNA news agency said more than 100,000 people gathered for the rally on Saturday and delivered speeches supporting comments made by Kim earlier in the week.
We are waiting for the right time to have a final battle with the US, the evil empire, and to remove the US from the world, KCNA quoted Ri Il-bae, a commanding officer of the Red Guards, as saying. Once respected Supreme commander Kim Jong Un gives an order, we will annihilate the group of aggressors.
This picture taken on September 23, 2017 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 24 shows a meeting of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, cabinet, ministries and national institutions at the People's Palace of Culture during an anti-US rally in Pyongyang. (AFP)
Unprecedented
In an unprecedented direct statement on Friday, Kim described Trump as a mentally deranged U.S. dotard whom he would tame with fire.
Kim said the North would consider the highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history against the United States and that Trumps comments had confirmed his nuclear programme was the correct path.
Kims comments came after Trump threatened in his maiden UN address on Thursday to totally destroy the country of 26 million people.
It was not clear from Trumps latest tweet if he was referring to Ri and Kim, or North Korea more broadly.
North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear bomb test on September 3, prompting another round of UN sanctions. Pyongyang said on Friday it might test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean.
It is only a forlorn hope to consider any chance that the DPRK (North Korea) would be shaken an inch or change its stance due to the harsher sanctions by the hostile forces, Ri told the UN General Assembly on Saturday.
This US army handout photo obtained September 23, 2017 shows Air Force and Marine Corps aircraft conducting a mission with the South Korean air force over the Korean Peninsula, on September 18, 2017. (AFP)
Bombers
US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighters flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea on Saturday in a show of force the Pentagon said indicated the range of military options available to Trump.
The US bombers flight was the farthest north of the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea that any US fighter jet or bomber had flown in the 21st century, the Pentagon said.
The patrols came after officials and experts said a small earthquake near North Koreas nuclear test site on Saturday was probably not man-made, easing fears Pyongyang had exploded another nuclear bomb just weeks after its previous one.
The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce and not a peace treaty.
The North accuses the United States, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, of planning to invade and regularly threatens to destroy it and its Asian allies.
In a small village in southern Bangladesh, hundreds of Hindu refugees from neighbouring Myanmar are being handed plates heaped with dal and rice, less than a mile from where desperate Muslim Rohingya beg for food and shelter.
The contrast captures the sharp religious and ethnic divides that have only deepened since a convulsion of violence in Myanmars Rakhine state unleashed a staggering refugee crisis.
The vast majority of those fleeing into Bangladesh are Rohingya Muslims, with more than 420,000 bolting from a campaign of violence that the United Nations has said amounts to ethnic cleansing.
Their arrival in less than a month has overwhelmed authorities and aid agencies, and many have received little or no official help since they arrived, leaving them without basic shelter, food and water.
A far smaller but still significant number of Buddhists and Hindus were also caught up in the communal violence, which erupted after Rohingya militants attacked police posts on August 25, triggering a ruthless military crackdown.
While most were displaced within Rakhine, an estimated 500 Hindus fled to Bangladesh, where they initially tried to find space in the overflowing camps dominated by Rohingya.
But communal tensions trailed them there, according to Hindu refugees who have since been given sanctuary by a local Hindu community nearby.
In the small Hindu village in Kutupalong they now call home, the refugees first described attacks on their homes in Rakhine that triggered their escape.
They came in black and they covered their faces, said Niranjan Rudro, 50, who worked as a barber in Myanmar.
In my village there were 70 Hindu families. They surrounded us for three days and we couldnt leave the house even to get food.
Many of the refugees told similar stories, although all are impossible for AFP to verify.
Some said they believed their attackers were from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), the Rohingya militant group behind the ambushes on police posts.
Since the latest eruption of violence, Rakhines ethnic groups have traded rival accusations over who is to blame for the carnage, exacerbating long-running mistrust between the communities.
Rohingya refugees have blamed the army and ethnic Rakhine Buddhist mobs for killings and arson attacks that have ripped through their communities, turning hundreds of villages into piles of ash.
Buddhist and Hindu groups, meanwhile, say they were terrorised by Rohingya militants whose raids on police posts tipped the region into crisis.
According to the Hindu refugees, tensions spilled into violence even after they arrived in Bangladesh.
Some said they were ostracised and attacked at the nearby Kutupalong camp, where they initially tried to cram in among the hundreds of thousands of newly arrived Rohingya refugees.
Three young men showed AFP bruises and scars that they said were inflicted by the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Puja Mollick, 18, said she came to Bangladesh after losing her parents and husband in the violence in Rakhine.
When she arrived in Kutupalong, men tried to force her into marriage against her will until she was rescued by an uncle.
But she and others have now found safety in the Hindu village less than a mile from the Kutupalong camp.
Local families have taken in around 200, while another 300 are crammed into a basic shelter nearby.
All receive regular meals, paid for mainly by donations from local Hindus.
We heard that Hindu people were here in Bangladesh, camping out in the forests. So we went to find them and brought them here, community leader Shapon Sharma told AFP.
We reached out to Hindu communities... all over Bangladesh to arrange for food and shelter for them.
Hundreds of people attended rallies in Australias major cities on Sunday to protest an advertisement the Indian community described as highly insulting in its depiction of the Hindu deity Lord Ganesha.
The India Forum Australia (IFA) arranged the protests in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth in response to a Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) advertisement, aired earlier this month.
The ad featured various religious figures including the Hindu god, considered vegetarian by followers, sitting down to a meal of lamb.
IFA president Nihal Agar said on Sunday the MLA had not listened to the Indian communitys earlier concerns when the ad initially screened.
To say something is legal is one thing, but its something else to touch the heart and that is how MLA has failed our community, he said.
This is not the multicultural Australia that we truly love.
Earlier this month, Indias High Commission in Canberra lodged a complaint with the Australian government asking for the ads removal.
The Advertising Standards Bureau dismissed complaints, saying Lord Ganesha was depicted positively and that the advertisements intent was to be inclusive.
Assistant Minister for Social Services and Multicultural Affairs, Zed Seselja, told Reuters on Sunday that he had met Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and leaders of Australias Hindu community because of the genuine hurt that had been caused.
Seselja said organisations needed to consider the impact on people of faith when they exercised their freedom of speech but cautioned against censorship.
An MLA spokesman said in a statement after the ad first aired that the organisation had undertaken extensive research and consultation while making the advertisement.
The industry association has a history of controversial campaigns, geared at generating discussion and promoting meat consumption. Another advertisement this year featuring indigenous Australians welcoming boat arrivals to a barbecue on a beach was described as insensitive while a previous campaign was criticised for promoting violence against vegans.
Iranian forces have launched war games in an area near the border with Iraqs Kurdistan region, Irans state media reported on Sunday, a day before a Kurdish independence referendum in the region.
Turkey also said on Sunday its aircraft launched airstrikes against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraqs Gara region on Saturday after spotting militants preparing to attack Turkish military outposts on the border.
Iraqs powerful neighbors, Iran and Turkey, strongly oppose the Kurdish vote as they fear could fuel separatism among their own Kurds. Iran also supports Shiite groups who have been ruling or holding key security and government positions in Iraq since the 2003 U.S-led invasion which toppled Saddam Hussein.
The Kurdistan Regional Government has resisted calls by the United Nations, the United States and Britain to delay the referendum who fear it could further destabilize the region.
Iranian State broadcaster IRIB said military drills, part of annual events held in Iran to mark the beginning of the 1980-1988 war with Iraq, are centered in the Oshnavieh border region. The war games will include artillery, armored and airborne units, it said.
Clashes with Iranian Kurdish militant groups based in Iraq are fairly common in the border area.
On Saturday, Turkish warplanes destroyed gun positions, caves and shelters used by PKK militants, a military statement in Ankara said. Turkeys air force frequently carries out such air strikes against the PKK in northern Iraq, where its commanders are based.
Turkeys parliament voted on Saturday to extend by a year a mandate authorising the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq and Syria.
The PKK launched an insurgency in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
The U.S. embassy in Iraq cautioned its citizens that there may be unrest during a referendum, especially in territories disputed between the KRG and the central government like the multi-ethnic oil-rich region of Kirkuk.
Three Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were killed and five wounded on Saturday when an explosive device blew up near their vehicle south Kirkuk, security sources said.
The explosion happened in Daquq, a region bordering Islamic State-held areas, the sources said.
Islamic States caliphate effectively collapsed in July, when a U.S.-backed Iraqi offensive, in which the Peshmerga took part, captured their stronghold Mosul, in northern Iraq.
The group continues to control a pocket west of Kirkuk and a stretch alongside the Syrian border and inside Syria.
Myanmars army said on Sunday that a mass grave of 28 Hindus had been discovered in violence- wracked Rakhine state, blaming the killings on Muslim Rohingya militants.
The announcement could not be independently verified in a region that has been seized by communal violence since Rohingya militant raids on August 25 triggered a sweeping security crackdown.
Security members found and dug up 28 dead bodies of Hindus who were cruelly violently and killed by ARSA extremist Bengali terrorists in Rakhine State, a statement posted on the army chiefs website said.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) is the group whose attacks on police posts triggered an army backlash so brutal that the UN believes it amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority.
More than 430,000 Rohingya have fled the region to Bangladesh in under a month.
Some 30,000 Hindus and Buddhists based in the area have also been displaced, with some saying were terrorised by Rohingya militants.
The army said that security officers found 20 dead women and eight men in the graves, including six boys under the age of ten.
Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay confirmed the discovery of the 28 bodies on Sunday.
A senior police officer in northern Rakhine told AFP they had been buried with 10-15 bodies in each hole.
The village where the army chief said the bodies were found, Ye Baw Kya, is near a cluster of Hindu and Muslim communities in northern Rakhine called Kha Maung Seik.
Hindus from the area have told AFP that militants swept into their villages on August 25, attacking people who stood in their way, killing many and taking others away into the forest.
Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan on Monday to face corruption and money laundering cases against him in the accountability court.
Sharif had gone to London to see his ailing wife who underwent three throat cancer surgeries.
Sharif, 67, was disqualified by the Supreme Court on July 28 in the Panama Papers case. His wife Begum Kulsoom is contesting on Lahores NA-120 seat that fell vacant in the wake of his disqualification.
The news of Sharifs return came amid rumours that he might not come back as he is facing corruption and money laundering cases.
Nawaz Sharif is travelling back home tomorrow (Monday) on a PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) flight and will face National Accountability Bureau (NAB) references in the accountability court Islamabad on Tuesday, PML-N Senator Mashidullah Khan said.
He said finance minister Ishaq Dar is also returning on Monday and he too will face a NAB reference against him.
The former premier had taken the decision to return to the country reportedly after consulting his younger brother Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in London.
Sharifs flight PK-786 is scheduled to land in Islamabad at 8 am on Monday.
On September 22, Pakistans anti-graft body (NAB) froze the bank accounts and seized properties of Sharif and his family members.
The accountability court in Islamabad has summoned Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar Awan on Tuesday.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) displayed the summons and property attachment notices on Sharifs Lahore Jati Umra Raiwind residence.
The NAB has written to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and commercial banks requesting them that since Mr Sharif and his children and son-in-law Safdar are facing the NAB references their bank accounts be frozen.
The NAB has also written to the commissioner Islamabad, deputy commissioner Lahore, federal board of revenue, excise and tax department and the chairman security exchange commission of Pakistan regarding attaching (seizing) of the properties of the Sharif family.
The NAB has already frozen the properties of Finance Minister Ishaq in income beyond his known sources case and the accountability court has issued his bailable arrest warrants. Dar is also in London at present.
NAB has filed three references of corruption and money laundering against Nawaz Sharif and his children - Hassan, Hussain and Maryam - son-i-law Capt (R) Safdar and one against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the accountability court Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.
The references are filed in connection with the investigation of offshore properties of the Sharif family members.
Muhajirs from Pakistan held a peaceful demonstration in front of the UN headquarters here against the alleged human rights violations in the country.
Displaying placards and banners calling the Pakistan Army generals war criminals, the protesters shouted anti-Pakistan slogans.
The protest was organised by the US wing of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). The protesters claimed that thousands of innocent people of their community have been killed in Pakistan over the last three decades and several thousands have been held under illegal captivity without a trial.
Joining the protesters from London over phone, MQM leader Altaf Hussain urged the UN secretary general to come forward and help Muhajirs and Balochs who are suffering in Pakistan.
MQM mainly represents Urdu speaking ethnic Muhajirs, who migrated to Pakistan from India during 1947s partition.
The MQM emerged as a largely ethnic party in the 1980s. It has political dominance in the southern Sindh provinces urban areas - notably in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur where a large number of Urdu-speaking people reside.
A panel weighing 4.3 kilograms fell from a plane shortly after take-off from a Japanese airport and smashed the window of a car being driven below, news reports and the airline said Sunday.
No one was injured but aviation authorities will send safety inspectors to the western city of Osaka to investigate, said national broadcaster NHK.
The piece fell on the vehicle shortly after the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 777 with 321 passengers on board took off from Kansai International Airport bound for Amsterdam on Saturday.
The panel damaged the cars roof and broke its rear window, NHK said.
The panel, 0.6 meters (two feet) long and one meter wide, is made of composite materials and fell from the base of the right wing, Kyodo News said.
It is believed to have fallen at an altitude of 2,400 metres or higher.
KLM said the aircraft landed safely at Amsterdams Schiphol airport Saturday afternoon.
KLM regrets this incident and has immediately launched an investigation into the causes, it said in a statement, adding that it is in close contact with Japanese aviation authorities and Boeing.
Bangladesh needs massive international assistance to feed and shelter the 436,000 Rohingya who have fled Myanmar in recent weeks, the head of the UN refugee agency said Sunday.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said there were immense challenges after visiting the overflowing camps around Coxs Bazar in southern Bangladesh.
I was struck by the incredible magnitude of their needs. They need everything -- they need food, they need clean water, they need shelter, they need proper health care, he told reporters.
Grandi said there had been an incredible outpouring of local generosity but that now needed to be beefed up by massive international assistance, financial and material.
Thats partly why I am here, to help... the government organise that response, he said.
The UN said Sunday that 436,000 Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority, had arrived from Myanmars Rakhine state since an outbreak of violence there a month ago.
Grandi said the influx had slowed in recent days but it was impossible to tell whether more would come.
He also said his office was providing technical assistance to help Bangladesh register the Rohingya, whom Myanmar considers to be illegal immigrants.
Bangladesh only recognises a tiny fraction of around 700,000 Rohingya living in camps near the border with Myanmar as refugees, referring to the rest as undocumented Myanmar nationals.
It has no plan for the time being to grant refugee status to the newly-arrived Rohingya, senior Bangladesh minister Amir Hossain Amu said on Sunday.
We want Rohingya to return to their own land, said Amu, who chairs a cabinet committee on national security.
Bangladesh has begun providing the new arrivals with identity cards and recording their biometric data, a process that began last week and is expected to take several months to complete.
Many hope that will allow them eventually to return to Myanmar. Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi said last week that those who had been verified as refugees from her country would be allowed back.
Grandi said he hoped the UNs role would give the registration the necessary credibility, which is so urgent not just for repatriation but for assistance.
At the moment, UN agencies say it is difficult to ensure aid is distributed evenly because refugees are undocumented and are still moving from one place to another.
Grandi said the scale of the influx -- which he called the fastest and most urgent refugee emergency in the world -- had made it difficult to assess needs quickly.
But he added: I think that the response is getting more organised.
UNICEF said Sunday that a plane carrying 100 tonnes of emergency aid from Europe, including water purifying tablets, sanitary items and plastic tarpaulins, had reached Bangladesh.
Russian air strikes have killed 45 members of a rebel group in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said on Sunday.
It was unclear why the strikes, which took place Saturday, targeted members of the Faylaq al-Sham rebel group, which has taken part in peace talks supervised by Moscow in the Kazakh capital Astana.
The strikes hit the group in the province of Idlib, which is part of a so-called de-confliction zone agreed in a deal between Syrian regime allies Russia and Iran, and rebel backer Turkey.
The Observatory initially reported a lower toll, but said the figure had risen as bodies were recovered after the strike on one of the rebel groups headquarters on the outskirts of the village of Tal Mardikh.
Faylaq al-Sham is an Islamist rebel group considered close to the Muslim Brotherhood movement.
It has fought against the former Al-Qaeda affiliate that now effectively controls nearly all of Idlib after chasing its former rebel allies from their positions in fighting this summer.
A spokesman for Faylaq al-Sham confirmed the groups headquarters had been targeted, despite their participation in the last round of talks in Astana.
Our participation in Astana does not in any way mean that Russia is a friendly or neutral country, Idriss al-Raed told AFP.
The Russian bombing is not surprising, since its policy since its intervention in Syria is based on criminality and killing, he added.
Russia began an intervention in Syria in support of ally President Bashar al-Assad in 2015, and has helped the regime win back large parts of the country.
Moscow also helped broker a deal for four truce zones, one of which includes Idlib province, in an agreement with Iran and Turkey inked in May.
The deal excludes jihadists, but is intended to otherwise halt fighting in the agreed areas.
The three other zones are around the capital Damascus, in southern Syria and in the centre of the country.
More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
A masked gunman killed a woman in the parking lot of a Tennessee church on Sunday morning and wounded six worshipers inside the building before shooting himself in a scuffle with an usher who rushed to stop the attack.
The shooter, identified as Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, walked into Nashvilles Burnette Chapel Church of Christ wearing a ski mask and opened fire, Metropolitan Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron told reporters.
As the church usher grappled with the suspect, he was struck in the head with the gunmans weapon before the suspect fired and wounded himself in the chest, police said.
Although injured, the usher, 22-year-old Robert Engle, then retrieved a gun from his vehicle, re-entered the sanctuary and held the suspect at bay until police arrived.
This is an exceptionally brave individual, Aaron said of the usher during a briefing outside the church in Antioch, about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of downtown Nashville.
About 50 people were worshipping at the church when the gunman entered. Samson was armed with two pistols and had another handgun and a rifle in his sport utility vehicle, according to a police statement.
Police had not determined the motive behind the shooting, but the spokesman said evidence was found that might establish why the man opened fire.
Church members told investigators Samson attended the church in the past, but not recently, Nashville police said in a statement.
Samson was charged with murder, and authorities planned to bring other charges against him, police said.
A churchgoer, Melanie Smith, 39, of Smyrna, Tennessee, was fatally shot in the parking lot, where she was found lying next to the suspects blue SUV.
All but one of the six people wounded by gunfire were 60 or older and were taken to nearby hospitals, said Nashville Fire Department spokesman Joseph Pleasant. At least some of the wounded were in critical condition, he said.
The churchs pastor, Joey Spann, was shot in the chest and was being treated at a hospital, WKRN television news channel reported, citing the pastors son. The Nashville Christian School, where Spann is a coach and Bible teacher, said Spanns wife also was injured.
Samson was treated at a hospital and transferred to a jail. In a photo released by police, he was shown walking in blue hospital garb, as police officers led him along a walkway.
Six US air strikes on an Islamic State desert camp in Libya killed 17 militants and destroyed three vehicles, the U.S. military said on Sunday.
U.S Africa Command said in a statement that strikes on Friday targeted a camp 150 miles (240 km) southeast of Sirte, a city that was once its stronghold in Libya. The camp was used to move fighters in and out of Libya, plot attacks and store weapons, the statement said.
ISIS and al-Qaeda have taken advantage of ungoverned spaces in Libya to establish sanctuaries for plotting, inspiring and directing terror attacks, the statement said, using an acronym for Islamic State.
Islamic State took over Sirte in early 2015, turning it into its most important base outside the Middle East and attracting large numbers of foreign fighters to the city. The group imposed its hardline rule on residents and extended its control along about 155 miles (250 km) of Libyas Mediterranean coastline.
But it struggled to keep a footing elsewhere in Libya and by last December was forced out of Sirte after a six-month campaign led by brigades from the western city of Misrata and backed by U.S. air strikes.
Islamic State militants have shifted to desert valleys and inland hills southeast of Tripoli as they seek to exploit Libyas political divisions after their defeat in Sirte.
The Vaticans first auditor-general, who resigned without explanation in June, has broken his silence, saying he was forced to step down with trumped-up accusations after discovering evidence of possible illegal activity.
Speaking to reporters from four media organisations including Reuters in the office of his lawyers in Rome, Libero Milone also said he believed that some in the Vatican wanted to slow down Pope Franciss efforts at financial reform.
He said he could not give details of the irregularities he had found because of non-disclosure agreements. Reuters was unable to independently verify his assertions, which the Vatican strongly contested.
The Holy Sees deputy secretary of state, Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu, told Reuters in an interview that Milones claims were false and unjustified.
He went against all the rules and was spying on the private lives of his superiors and staff, including me, Becciu said. If he had not agreed to resign, we would have prosecuted him.
Domenico Giani, the Vaticans police chief, told Reuters there had been overwhelming evidence against Milone. Neither Becciu nor Giani provided details to support their assertions.
The 69-year-old left the Vatican two years after being hired with great fanfare to introduce more transparency into the sometimes murky finances at the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.
At the time of his resignation, with three years left on his contract, neither the Vatican nor Milone, formerly chairman and CEO of the global accounting firm Deloitte in Italy, gave any explanation for his departure. A Vatican statement at the time said only that it was by mutual agreement.
I was in shock
Milone, who had also worked for the United Nations and the car giant Fiat, said Becciu had ordered him to resign on the morning of June 19. Milone was told that he was being dismissed on the basis of a seven-month investigation by Vatican police.
The facts presented to me on the morning of the 19th were fake, fabricated, he said. I was in shock. All the reasons had no credible foundation.
Both Becciu and Giani, the police chief, said Milone had been given a choice: resign or face public prosecution by the Vaticans courts. In a certain sense, we were protecting his reputation, Becciu said.
Milone said he had been accused of misuse of funds for hiring an outside firm to check the security of computers in the Vatican offices where he worked with a staff of 14, including two deputy auditors-general.
A document from the Vatican prosecutor authorising the search of his offices on the day of his resignation, which Milones lawyers showed to reporters, said he had carried out investigations in clear violation of the statutes of his department.
It was not clear which statutes were said to have been violated. Article two of the statutes says the auditor-general has full autonomy and independence, including to receive and investigate any reports on anomalous activities of Vatican entities.
My work has to be independent. It is very difficult to act with independence when departments blocked our activity or tried to control it, he said.
The search warrant also said he had looked into the affairs of high-ranking Church members without authorisation.
Milone said this referred to him looking into suspicions about the possible conflict of interest of an Italian cardinal, whom he declined to name. His investigation found nothing, but Milone said he believed he was being punished for starting it in the first place.
Computer infected
He said his troubles had begun on the morning of Sept. 27, 2015, when he suspected that his office computer had been tampered with. He contacted an external company that had done work for him before to check for surveillance devices because there are no such specialised people in the Vatican.
The company discovered that his computer had been the target of an unauthorised access, and that his secretarys computer had been infected with spyware that copied files.
Reuters was not able to independently determine which company had been hired or its findings.
Becciu said there was proof that the outside contractor had been helping Milone to spy on others.
Milone said that, after about 12 hours of questioning by Vatican police, he had decided to sign a resignation letter in order to protect my family and my reputation.
Asked why he had waited three months before telling his side of the story, Milone said he had wanted to think and let things settle.
I wrote to the pope in mid-July and gave him my point of view, explaining that the whole thing was a set-up, he said, adding that the pope had not replied.
Becciu said the pope had been told of the investigation and the evidence before Milone was asked to resign.
($1 = 0.8367 euros)
BEIJING - A 3.5-magnitude earthquake was detected in northern North Korea on Saturday afternoon, near the nation's known nuclear test site, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
But experts said seismic data suggested that it was probably not caused by a new nuclear test, although it could have been a delayed geological reaction to the last test nearly three weeks ago. There were no reports of radiation around the site.
"This event occurred in the area of the previous North Korean Nuclear tests," the USGS said on its website. "We cannot conclusively confirm at this time the nature (natural or human-made) of the event."
The earthquake-monitoring agency in neighboring China initially said it suspected that the North Korean quake, which occurred at 3:59 p.m. local time, was caused by an explosion, though the magnitude was significantly lower than a previous nuclear test this month. The USGS estimated the depth of Saturday's quake to be five kilometers (three miles).
But South Korea's meteorological agency said the incident appeared to be a natural quake.
An official from the agency, speaking to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity citing office rules, said an analysis of seismic waves and the lack of sound waves clearly showed that the quake wasn't caused by an artificial explosion.
Nuclear proliferation watchdog CTBTO said the quake was unlikely to have been man-made.
North Korea's last nuclear test - its sixth to date - was detected as a 6.3-magnitude earthquake Sept. 3 and was followed by a 4.1-magnitude quake that experts said could have been a tunnel collapsing after the nuclear explosion.
CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo tweeted seismographic graphs from Saturday's quake alongside those from the second quake on Sept. 3, with both data patterns looking broadly similar.
"Indication event natural and same epicentral distance," he tweeted.
He also said there had been a smaller quake nearly four hours earlier Saturday.
"Two #Seismic Events! 0829UTC & much smaller @ 0443UTC unlikely Man-made! Similar to "collapse" event 8.5 mins after DPRK6!," he tweeted.
Daryl G. Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, said he had spoken to Zerbo.
"While the data analysis is preliminary, the early indications strongly suggest that the smaller events today (which are in a seismically inactive area) are likely further geologic disturbances created by the Sept. 3 nuclear test explosion," he said.
"In other words, not another nuclear test but related to the high-yield Sept. 3 nuclear weapon test explosion."
In Tokyo, a Japanese government official told reporters: "We are gathering information but we haven't heard of any emergency meeting among senior government officials," Kyodo reported.
A meteorological agency official in Russia's Far East also told Kyodo that there were no abnormal radiation levels after the incident.
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As Hurricane Harvey drenched the Houston region, Scott Drawdy made a risky decision. He skirted a police barricade, plunged into waist-high floodwaters in Cinco Ranch and swam to his house through a stew of human waste, gasoline and oil.
It was Sunday, Aug. 27, and he was determined to start stripping out soaked carpets and dry wall.
After the floodwaters receded, Drawdy had a new mission: He wanted answers. He wanted to know why the local sewage treatment plant had crashed. He wanted to know when it would start up again. He wanted to know whether his local government could have done more to prevent the flooding.
That led to another question: Where was his local government?
As Drawdy discovered, Cinco Ranch, a master-planned community 25 miles west of downtown Houston, is governed by a patchwork of municipal utility districts - MUDs for short - obscure entities that sell bonds and collect taxes to pay for water systems, sewage plants, roads and other infrastructure.
The closest thing to a mayor for Cinco Ranch is G. Timothy Lawrence, 74. He's a semi-retired businessman and president of the board of the community's main MUD. He and his four fellow board members set the property tax rate and hire lawyers, engineers and financial advisers. Yet he has never lived in Cinco Ranch and did not set foot there during the flooding. His home is a 20-mile drive away, in the Royal Oaks section of Houston.
Drawdy and many of his neighbors had never heard of him.
MUDs have proliferated in the Houston suburbs, helping to power the region's runaway growth, because they offer developers an advantageous way to fund infrastructure. In unincorporated stretches of suburbia, they have evolved into permanent mini-governments largely invisible to the taxpayers they serve.
The devastation wrought by Harvey has stirred fresh questions about whether MUDs and similar special purpose districts are sufficiently transparent and accountable, and whether they're capable of putting the public interest ahead of developers' interests - particularly in protecting neighborhoods from flooding.
Typically, MUDs are created at the initiative of developers, who pick their initial board members, lawyers and other professional advisers. The districts sell bonds to reimburse developers for infrastructure costs. Residents pay off the debt through property taxes.
MUDs usually do not have websites, nor any physical presence in their communities. In Cinco Ranch, which is divided into 16 separate MUDs, there is no city hall and no civil servants. Water and sewage facilities are operated by contractors hired by the main MUD. That MUD's board members usually hold their monthly meetings not in Cinco Ranch, but in the offices of the district's law firm near downtown Houston.
"It's the difference between paying your monthly bills to a nameless organization with an acronym and a number versus someone you know, who could be held responsible for what happens in a crisis," said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston.
When Harvey hit, Drawdy, 51, was vaguely aware that he, his wife and their two children live in a MUD. He knew little about what it did or who ran it.
"All I knew is they sent us a water bill," he said.
Lawrence, who owns a company that sells promotional pens, caps, shirts and similar items, said the MUDs have done an excellent job of maintaining the quality of life and property values in Cinco Ranch. There is no need to change anything, he said in an interview at the front door of his brick ranch house in Houston.
"All of our districts - and our master district - are doing exactly what they are supposed to do, or otherwise those people wouldn't be out there living in those houses," he said.
Lawrence said it wasn't necessary for him to visit Cinco Ranch during the flooding because he was in regular phone contact with Severn Trent, the private contractor that operates the water and sewage plants. Residents with questions knew or should have known to call the company, he said.
Morgan Stagg, who serves on one of the Cinco Ranch MUDs, thinks residents deserve better. An engineer for Parsons Corp., she has lived in the community since 2004 and is board president of the Cornerstones MUD.
Stagg is pushing for Cinco Ranch to incorporate as a municipality, a move that would dissolve the MUDs. Stagg said the challenges facing the subdivisions, including flooding, can't be handled adequately by special purpose districts and the homeowners association.
"People truly deserve to have some self-government out here and be able to solve some of their own problems," Stagg said. "Unfortunately, it tends to take something like (Harvey) to bring it to a head."
----------------------------------
Texas has about 1,800 active water districts, including about 950 MUDs. There are about 620 in Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties alone. The Legislature or the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality can create districts.
Developers and their lawyers effectively control how MUDs are formed, assembling their boards and often handpicking the "electors" who vote to ratify the districts' existence and authorize bond sales.
In many cases, a mere handful of electors create MUDs and approve hundreds of millions of dollars in tax-exempt bonds to pay for water mains, storm drains, parks and other infrastructure. Without MUDs, developers would have to absorb those costs and price homes accordingly.
Builders say MUDs make it possible to construct affordable homes. Homeowners still end up paying the infrastructure expenses - through property taxes that pay off the bonds, with interest. MUDs set the tax rates.
Cinco Ranch, located in Fort Bend County and a sliver of Harris County, is home to 12,000 families. The first homes were sold in 1991, six years after the Legislature approved the original MUD, called MUD 1. The community was built in phases, and separate MUDs were created for each phase.
The original developers made MUD 1 the "master" district, supplying water and sewage treatment to itself and 10 other MUDs, known as "baby MUDs." Developers said the arrangement was designed for efficiency, so the other MUDs would not build duplicative utility plants. Property tax revenue flows from the baby MUDs to the master MUD to pay off bonds and cover their share of utility operating costs. (Five other Cinco Ranch MUDs operate independently of the master MUD.)
A hodgepodge of government agencies provides other services. Fort Bend County repairs the roads. Emergency service districts handle fire protection. The master MUD is the closest thing to a local government. Yet only people who live or own property within its boundaries can run for seats on its board.
MUD board members are paid up to $7,200 per year, depending on how many days of "necessary service" they perform. Lawrence, head of the master MUD, collected $6,000 in 2013, according to the most recent available data.
Dean Zieschang, 46, a Cinco Ranch resident, said the system is opaque. The MUD board serving his neighborhood meets on weekdays, when many residents are at work, and usually in the Houston offices of Allen Boone Humphries Robinson, known as ABHR.
He ran for a MUD board several years ago and said he was barred from campaigning in a gated neighborhood for residents 55 and older called Heritage Grand. Zieschang lost by a handful of votes. At the time, all five members of the MUD's board were residents of Heritage Grand, which Zieschang said bused voters to the polls.
Zieschang, a vice president at Community Bank of Texas, said he wants to run for the master MUD board because it makes decisions that affect most Cinco Ranch residents. He said board membership should be barred to those who live outside the community.
"We have a large enough, diverse enough, and educated enough group of residents to make that happen," Zieschang said.
B B B
On Saturday, Aug. 26, Tim Schauer and his wife, Angie, were home in Cinco Ranch's Saddlebrook Crossing neighborhood, watching TV news reports on the flooding. They decided to move valuables upstairs from the first floor. The next day, the street flooded outside their home.
By Tuesday, the situation was desperate, and they decided to evacuate on foot, pulling their two dogs behind them on inflatable rafts. Half a mile from their home, the water was up to their chest. The couple and their dogs were saved by volunteer rescuers in a boat.
Of 8,700 homes in Cinco Ranch, about 790 - 9 percent - sustained flood damage from Harvey, according to a preliminary estimate by the homeowners association. The South Wastewater Treatment Plant was swamped in 5 feet of water. The plant, which serves 2,223 homes and more than 500 businesses in two of the MUDs, was not fully operational again until Sept. 8.
But Schauer, president of the homeowners association, said he isn't convinced that scrapping the special purpose districts is the right response to the flooding.
"We inherited the neighborhood after the developer finished and moved on, so nobody who lives in this neighborhood helped design this screwy network of MUDs," said Schauer, a lobbyist.
"It would be nice if we had a single county government that did everything, but I don't think that's realistic because if one county government tries to do everything, they are going to do everything mediocre. I'd much rather have specific boards designated and directed to do specific things," he said.
A Cinco Ranch MUD board member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the MUD boards should discuss how to work together to mitigate flooding. The board member said the wastewater plant, completed in 1986, should have been built on higher ground, with levees. The plant is adjacent to Barker reservoir, which puts it at risk of inundation during extreme storms.
Severn Trent, the company that operates the plant, referred questions to the master MUD's law firm, ABHR. The law firm said in a statement that the plant "met all applicable design and site requirements" and is outside the 100-year floodplain.
ABHR said there were no "known releases of raw sewage" during the storm but that untreated waste appeared to have overflowed from collection systems that serve the plant. The MUD board has commissioned an analysis to determine whether its treatment facilities can be modified to withstand "extreme weather events," ABHR said.
The law firm specializes in representing MUDs. The Chronicle reported last year that ABHR ranked first in campaign contributions among law firms that do water district work, contributing $1.4 million since 2001 to legislators who have sponsored water district bills or served on committees that approve them.
Drawdy, who owns a firm that fills online orders for vitamin and supplements, said he wants the Cinco Ranch MUDs to work with a regional drainage district to find ways to prevent flooding. His expectations are measured.
"They are probably completely adept at dealing with water when you turn on the spigot and when you flush the toilet," he said of the MUDs. "When there is a disaster of this magnitude, they are as clueless as the rest of us."
The Norteno songs of Mexican artist Ramon Ayala filled the solitary car in the parking lot of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Bellaire. Teresa Naba, 21, rocked her head to the music, her eyes scanning the work permit and Social Security card in her hands.
Two hours later, she would be one of the first young adults to enter the building Saturday morning to renew her paperwork for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program.
"I wanted to get here early," Naba said. "I need this to be able to work. I didn't want to take any chances and get here late."
Under DACA, Naba and hundreds of thousands of young adults who immigrated to the U.S. as children gained a reprieve from deportation, the ability to get a driver's license and - pivotal to all - a renewable two-year work permit. Earlier this month, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the program will end in March, prohibiting the processing of new DACA applications and setting an Oct. 5 deadline for those eligible for renewal.
Volunteer attorneys and paralegals from various groups including Boat People SOS, Justice for Our Neighbors and the Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative, or HILSC, reviewed DACA filings and processed renewals free Saturday.
Through sponsorships, HILSC has been able to secure funding to cover the $495 DACA processing fee for several individuals, said Andrea Guttin, the collaborative's legal director. Several more free renewal sessions will be held this week.
The money order check prepared by HILSC that Naba signed was a godsend.
What money she had been saving up for her DACA renewal a few months ago all went to making ends meet immediately after Hurricane Harvey dumped 51 inches of rain onto the region.
Guttin noted that several young adults wanting to apply for DACA for the first time got shut out of the system as Harvey recovery efforts delayed their filing date until after the Sept. 5 deadline.
'Was a necessity'
News of the decision to end DACA has left families such as the Villalpandos rushing to get renewals in on time. While Genesis Villalpando, 24, and her three daughters are all U.S.-born citizens, her husband, Erik, is a DACA recipient. Fearing any delays in processing Erik's application for legal residency, and knowing he was eligible for DACA renewal, the family of five paid a visit to HILSC's event.
Having few community resources in the town of Tyler, Luis Garcia, 25, drove about 200 miles with his mother Luz and uncle Daniel to get to an HILSC attorney to review his paperwork.
While her son hasn't had much luck securing a job, Luz Garcia feels blessed to know he is eligible for one through DACA. She crossed the border from Mexico 17 years ago with then 8-year-old Luis and has made a living cleaning a furniture outlet store.
"Even though our jobs here aren't the best paid, it still affords us a better life than back in Mexico," Garcia said.
Joy Green, attorney for the nonprofit Justice for Our Neighbors, noted that critics of DACA often blame recipients' parents for not giving their children a choice in emigrating to the U.S. Yet the parents themselves are left with few, if any, alternatives.
"It wasn't for fun and games," Green said. "They came over for economic and humanitarian reasons. It was a necessity."
Making sacrifices
Currently working at a fast-food restaurant, Naba hopes to soon apply for college to become a nurse practitioner - a job she hopes can speak to her love of helping others while also allowing her to better support her 1-year-old son, boyfriend, mother and younger sister.
Naba immigrated at age 2. Knowing that her mother never got to finish high school, and knowing how hard it was for her to start over from scratch, Naba said she feels grateful rather than ashamed at her mother's decision to leave Mexico behind.
"The same sacrifices she was willing to make for me, I am willing to make 10 times over for my son," Naba said, struggling to hold back tears.
Robert Haines apparently didn't have a chance. Neither did Cathy Montgomery.
They were neighbors who may never have met, but they had much in common. Both of them were 71-year-old residents of the Memorial area who lived near Buffalo Bayou. Both of them apparently thought they were safe staying home on the fateful night of Aug. 27, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began releasing water from the Barker and Addicks reservoirs. As a result, both of them drowned inside their homes.
Tragic stories like theirs were all too common in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. So were the questions raised by grieving families and outraged neighbors driven from deluged homes, many of whom believe that, as one flood survivor put it, "the government really screwed up." We need to answer those questions with a definitive study of the events leading up to this catastrophe and the decisions made by local, state and federal officials. That's why we need nothing less than a congressional investigation into the disaster that befell the Houston area during and after Hurricane Harvey.
The chain of events that contributed to this calamity began decades before the storm blew ashore, when developers were allowed to build subdivisions the Corps of Engineers knew it might have to flood during a major storm. But that's just one of the many issues that merits the spotlight of a congressional investigation. Among the most important questions Congress needs to ask are the following:
Are the dams protecting Houston safe? Corps officials were clearly worried about a catastrophic failure of the dams that protect Houston, but exactly what that means and how close we came to such a disaster has never been defined. "Was there really a risk of failure?" asks environmental attorney Jim Blackburn. "And if there was, why in hell didn't we hear about it before?"
Was releasing water from the reservoirs justified? The Corps said it released floodwaters that inundated countless homes to prevent the reservoirs from overflowing amid unprecedented rainfall. That may well have been the right decision, but given the catastrophic consequences this matter deserves a thorough review under the spotlight of a congressional inquiry.
Why were so many people near reservoirs caught by surprise? The decision to open the reservoirs was made late at night, when many of the people living downstream were asleep. The releases started hours earlier than expected, prompted by heavy rainfall and runoff. Angry residents thought they deserved more notice, and some city officials candidly admit an early warning system should have been in place.
Did Harris County's flood control measures contribute to the disaster? Detention pond requirements designed to mitigate the threat of flooding have gone largely unchanged since the mid 1980s. Nonetheless, a Houston Chronicle investigation following last year's Tax Day floods found that developers routinely undercut detention rules and other flood control regulations. The Corps is currently reviewing the county's regulations to determine whether they're tough enough to neutralize the flood risk in a booming area.
How should FEMA redefine floodplains? Houston has seen so many "100- year floods" in the last few years, the term has become a punchline. The metrics used to determine where floodplains lie have repeatedly proven meaningless. Thus the regulations and insurance rates built on faulty floodplain maps are inherently flawed. Small wonder so many homeowners who thought their homes were safe now face financial ruin because they didn't carry flood insurance. It's become abundantly clear the federal government needs to overhaul the way it determines which areas lie in floodplains.
We owe something to storm victims like Robert Haines and Cathy Montgomery, who drowned in the floodwaters of Buffalo Bayou, as well as to our countless neighbors whose homes were damaged or destroyed during this catastrophe. We need a definitive and comprehensive report on what happened in the Houston area as a result of Hurricane Harvey. Congress, too, must shine a light on itself as the institution responsible for oversight of the Corps. We urge our lawmakers in Washington to launch a congressional investigation into not only what went wrong during Hurricane Harvey but also what we must do to minimize the damage and loss of life before the next disaster strikes.
Halfway around the globe, a storm is brewing that will pose a greater threat to our oil and gas industry than Hurricanes Harvey or Ike, or even a massive storm surge right up Houston Ship Channel.
The danger: China wants to stop buying gasoline. Specifically, at an automotive conference in Tianjin, the nation's vice minister of industry and information technology stated that the government is planning on a total phaseout of vehicles powered by fossil fuels. This announcement follows similar plans from Britain and France to ban sales of diesel and gasoline cars by 2040. That's decades away, but the world is undeniably moving towards a future where the internal combustion engine is a thing of the past.
Houston, this is the big one. As the auto industry approaches an electric revolution, we need to start considering how this will affect our petroleum-based economy.
We can't wait, because the future is already here. Tesla has started to deliver its first Model 3 sedans, with a goal of producing 500,000 electric vehicles next year. The new car has a sticker price of $35,000, and represents the luxury automaker's first foray into a mainstream U.S. consumer market.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk isn't the only one trying to build the Model T of electric cars. Chevy, Nissan and other manufacturers are preparing to sell long-range, all-electric vehicles in the $30,000 range. Volvo has also announced that all new models would be either hybrid or all-electric starting in 2019.
Don't expect the Southwest Freeway to be filled with the hum of an electric morning commute anytime soon. Battery-powered cars will probably account for 35 percent of new vehicle sales by 2040, according to Bloomberg. From the perspective of the driver's seat, that doesn't look like a major change. But from the view of the fracking fields, the rise of the electric car will deal a significant blow to the oil industry.
Demand for oil-based fuels could peak by the 2030s thanks to the rise of battery-powered cars, Total Chief Energy Economist Joel Couse said at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance's conference in April. Other oil companies, like Royal Dutch Shell, have moved their peak demand estimate up to the 2020s.
If Houston fails to confront the reality of this changing world, we may find ourselves in the same place as horseshoe salesmen and buggy whip manufacturers in the age of Henry Ford.
So how can we keep up?
Electric cars have to be charged one way or another, and we should ensure that natural gas is a major part of the energy mix. Approving more export terminals and promoting natural gas infrastructure across the globe will lay down the foundation for a long-term presence of a key Texas product. Rejoining negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will help open new markets for liquefied natural gas.
The oil industry and regulators alike should also be working to assure a world concerned with global warming that, yes, natural gas can be a green fuel. This means preventing methane leaks and investing in carbon-capture technology.
Houston also has to actively start promoting a diverse economy. Battery manufacturing, plastics research and biotech all have a natural home in Houston. We have to do a better job attracting venture capital and promoting startups.
However, some of the greatest opportunity rests on an undeveloped 300 acres owned by the University of Texas System near the Texas Medical Center.
"The world's most valuable resource is no longer oil," The Economist wrote in May, "but data."
Those 300 acres could be our 21st century Spindletop if local leaders work to fulfill a controversial plan to build a collaborative data science center.
Our city is still growing, and we have the opportunity to invest this growth into industries that will last during boom times and busts. Being the fourth largest city in the United States is no talisman against a harsh decline. Detroit can tell you that.
An economic storm is brewing for Houston. The time to start preparing is now.
Rebecca McEntee
The two fundamental responsibilities of universities are to train the next generation of citizens to serve society with their individual talents and to add to human knowledge. This mission involves the freedom to explore and evaluate unconventional ideas. The academic community is, in principle, a universal community with a responsibility to serve all of humanity. The challenge for the modern research university is to develop and finance its mission by creating an environment where questions requiring multidisciplinary research with sophisticated modern equipment can be explored.
I'll cite an early example of university involvement in targeted research. During World War II, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology participated in the development of radar. That relationship of the university with the government and the Cold War led to the establishment of the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, funded by the U.S. Air Force, for the development of a system connecting the detection of aircraft by radar with the monitoring of aircraft movement by digital computer.
"National security and climate change? My students just don't see the connection."
This is what a Harvard law professor shared with me late last year. As it turns out, his students are not alone. According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, only 56 percent of Americans see climate change as a major security threat.
Among security experts, however, there is no confusion about the national security risk from climate change. During the past eight years, I have spent thousands of hours working with senior leaders within the national security community on exactly that issue - first at the Department of Homeland Security and then on the National Security Council as the senior director of resilience policy.
A warming globe will have game-changing impacts - more extreme heat and rainfall, and more destructive droughts, storms and wildfires. This year has already given us a glimpse of what those changes look like on a national and global scale. Hurricane Harvey slammed Houston with 9 trillion gallons of rain, which led to never-before-seen flooding. The entire island of Barbuda evacuated in advance of Hurricane Jose - just after Hurricane Irma destroyed 95 percent of its buildings and left it "barely habitable." Hurricane Maria has left Puerto Rico with the prospect of no electricity for four to six months.
Recent flooding in Sierra Leone has killed over a thousand people and caused "unprecedented damage," according to the United Nations. World Health Organization scientists predict higher rates of mosquito-borne diseases thanks to hotter global temperatures and climate-related flooding in Latin America. Dozens of wildfires are blazing across the northwestern U.S., putting 2017 on track to become one of the worst wildfire seasons in memory.
Disappearing sea ice in the Arctic is opening up a new ocean and complicating geopolitical maneuvering for expanded maritime access, resource extraction and shipping routes. Recent floods put close to half of low-lying Bangladesh underwater, damaging almost 100,000 homes and over a billion acres of cropland. The relentless sea rise will likely displace millions of people as it continues to swallow the country, 25 percent of which is less than three feet above sea level.
Every U.S. secretary of defense since Robert Gates has recognized climate change as a threat to national security. As our current defense secretary James Mattis testified in writing before the Senate Armed Services Committee shortly after his confirmation hearing in January, "Climate change is impacting stability in areas of the world where our troops are operating today."
The challenges are manifold. To start, climate impacts increase demands on the military for humanitarian aid. In 2013, the U.S. was the first to respond to Typhoon Haiyan, the largest to ever hit the Philippines, which killed 6,000 civilians and left almost 2,000 more missing. In the last few weeks alone, the National Guard, the Navy, the Coast Guard and USAID workers provided disaster relief in the United States, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Barbados and the Bahamas.
Climate impacts also challenge our operational readiness. In 2016, climate variability created flash floods and erosion that destroyed Army training grounds in California, and sea level rise continues to threaten our naval stations. A recent study from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that three feet of sea level rise would threaten 128 coastal military installations in the U.S.
The Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security have identified climate change as a "threat multiplier" that exacerbates resource shortages and other stressors that worsen political and economic instability, and increase the likelihood of conflict.
These threats loom so large that the Republican-led House of Representatives labeled climate change a direct security threat in its most recent defense appropriations bill. Just last year, the National Intelligence Council cited "lack of preparedness" for climate impacts as "a primary cause of disruption" in the immediate future.
To head off the troubling times ahead, we need to build up our resilience. As a nation, we need to make sure our infrastructure investments will last the full length of their intended service life, often up to 100 years. We need to insist that our national security personnel have access to the best available science to inform their decision-making. We must ensure that military doctrine, plans and strategy consider projected climate impacts. And we need to seriously incorporate future climate risks into our building design and land use planning.
Responding to a changing climate with common-sense resilience efforts shouldn't be divisive. It saves money in the long run and protects people's homes, businesses and lives.
Alice Hill is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. She served as special assistant to the president and senior director of resilience policy for the National Security Council under President Barack Obama.
Adams Library Has Staffing Concerns
Library Director Holli Jayko updates the trustees on staffing concerns. ADAMS, Mass. With possible staff changes in the fiscal 2019 town budget, the library's state aid may be in jeopardy.
Library Director Holli Jayko told the trustees on Thursday that even though the library is meeting state material spending and hours of operation standards, the town's allocation for the library may not be up to snuff.
"We are low on our overall town appropriation and it is lower than it has been in a long time," Jayko said. "We may be making progress but we still may have to apply for a waiver."
Jayko said the town's allocation has decreased because, as the new director, she is lower on the pay scale. However, at a recent personnel subcommittee meeting with the Selectmen and the town administrator, they discussed cutting the children's librarian position into two part-time positions because the full-time person is leaving.
"Next year, if the budget drops and we have taken out a full-time position and replaced it with two part-time ones, we will see savings, but it could put us at a disadvantage when it comes to state aid," she said.
Chairman James Loughman, who attended the personnel meeting, said town officials were open to the library's concerns, which included having a librarian on staff who can cover if the director is out.
Jayko added that another problem was that even though the positions are generally competitive, it may be difficult to keep employees who little room to move upwards in the library.
"I understand they want to save as much money as they can but it creates challenges for us," she said. "We will be constantly training and it will be difficult."
Trustee Brian Bishop thought the library would only attract retirees and others looking for a second income because the part-time positions will not have a livable wage.
Jayko said the town administrator had a similar concern and suggested possibly increasing the salary in hopes of making the position more competitive. The library has the town's lowest salaries.
"We are the lowest paid department in town and we require master's degrees for some of our positions and bachelor's degrees," she said. "A lot of other departments just require a high school diploma."
In other business, the library will use $1,861.18 from a $5,000 Adams Community Bank donation to purchase a custom wood-carved sign for the library from Neathawk Designs.
The sign will also have the Historical Society's name on it and the society offered to cover some of the cost.
Jayko said the sign should need little maintenance.
"They said it will need very little maintenance and most have outlasted the businesses," she said.
With the same donation, Jayko said she plans to purchase 30 new chairs and some tables for the lower annex.
"Currently there are 26 old wooden chairs that are most uncomfortable and 38 plastic chairs that are cracking and pinching people's bums," she said.
Instead of purchasing something wooden and historic, she chose a more functional style with $60 mesh folding chairs that are cheaper and easier to move.
"Right now, most of my staff is over 60 and to move everything around can be difficult with the big wooden tables and chairs," Jayko said. "I think something more functional that looks nice would be better."
She said the summer reading program "Build a Better World" was a success and the children surpassed the $1,500 the trustees originally set aside.
"They read enough books to raise $1,795 and they exceeded your goal," she said.
One hundred and seven kids signed up for the program and 59 recorded 1,000 read books.
The money will be donated to Northern Berkshire Habitat for Humanity.
Although Habitat for Humanity does not have a project lined up in Adams, Jayko said the program may change that in the future.
"They were very grateful for the donation ... and they never participated in a program like this," she said. "So they are focused on Adams right now and encouraged by this so maybe this will get us a home here."
Jayko said the library will soon lend out mobile hotspots that will allow people to temporarily have internet in their home.
"We are going to move forward with that and I will let you know more when we get them," she said. "It would be great to be able to lend these out."
She said the library plans to purchase four units that will be lent out for up to six days after a three-day renewal.
She said if not returned, the library can turn them off and will charge $1 a day.
They will only be available to Adams residents.
She said it is part of a larger effect to lend out objects other than books and other typical library materials. She said this summer the library will lend out ukuleles for their summer reading program.
"Other libraries have told me they fly off the shelves and people love them," she said. "They are easy to learn too."
The library will be closed November 11, 25 and December 23.
Imperial Valley News Center
San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy Celebrates World Rhino Day with Historic Fundraising Campaign to Fight Extinction
San Diego, California - The San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy is making a major effort to turn things around for endangered wildlife this year by launching its biggest conservation fundraising campaign to date. The Lets Turn Things Around drive kicked off Friday (FSeptember 22) to commemorate World Rhino Day, with the goal of raising $1 million by the end of the 2017 calendar year.
Individuals can donate by visiting endextinction.org, where they can also learn more about the plight of numerous animal species on the brink of extinction, including the rhino. Money raised through the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy goes to fund the organizations worldwide efforts to stop the decline of animal populations due to poaching, illegal wildlife trafficking and other human interference.
"Wildlife is disappearing at an alarming raterhinos are being killed, penguin homes are being destroyed and elephant families are being torn apart, said Jeff Spitko, director of membership for San Diego Zoo Global. We need to act now, before it's too late to save these species. San Diego Zoo Global is leading the fight to end extinctionand through the Let's Turn Things Around campaign, we hope to inspire supporters to join us in that fight and ensure these incredible animals aren't lost forever."
San Diego Zoo Global has worked to develop a comprehensive conservation agenda, maintaining over 140 conservation projects in more than 80 countries. One of its most talked-about programs is its rhino conservation effort. Currently, the organization has one of the most successful rhino breeding programs in the worldwith total of 96 southern white rhinos, 70 greater one-horned rhinos and 14 black rhinos born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
To further its commitment to conservation, San Diego Zoo Global built the Nikita Kahn Rhino Rescue Center at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, establishing the Safari Park as a sanctuary to protect these rhinos and their offspringat a time when an average of three rhinos are killed each day in the wild by poachers. Taking a science-based approach, researchers at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, along with collaborators, are developing reproductive techniques necessary to preserve the genetics of various rhino species. Through such technical work, researchers were able to reach a monumental milestone this summer by performing the organizations first artificial insemination procedure on a rhino. This highly scientific approach is helping researchers learn more about rhino reproduction as they work toward the ultimate goal of successfully producing a northern white rhinothe worlds most critically endangered rhino, with only three individuals remaining in the world.
San Diego Zoo Global has also joined forces with conservation organizations that support the International Rhino Foundationa United States-based body that promotes on-the-ground programs around the globe. This support helps fund conservation and rhino protection units in every country where rhinos are found. For more information on San Diego Zoo Globals conservation efforts, including the organizations rhino projects, visit endextinction.org/rhinos.
Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes on-site wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents. The work of these entities is inspiring children through the San Diego Zoo Kids network, reaching out through the internet and in childrens hospitals nationwide. The work of San Diego Zoo Global is made possible by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and is supported in part by the Foundation of San Diego Zoo Global.
USS Fitzgerald to Change Homeport to Pascagoula
Washington, DC - The Navy announced that the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) will be changing homeport from Yokosuka, Japan to Pascagoula, Mississippi effective December 15 in support of repairs following the collision with Merchant Vessel ACX Crystal off the coast of Japan on June 17.
The Navy previously announced that it intends to award a contract initiating the restoration of USS Fitzgerald at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) in Pascagoula, Mississippi, before the end of the fiscal year.
The start date, scope, cost and the time required to fully restore the ship have not yet been determined.
The Navy chose this course of action following a review of the capabilities and workload of new construction and repair shipyards. Given the complexity of the work and the significant unknowns of the restoration, the Navy determined that only an Arleigh Burke-class shipbuilder could perform the effort. Only HII has the available capacity to restore USS Fitzgerald to full operational status in the shortest period of time with minimal disruption to ongoing repair and new construction work.
The Navy awarded a contract for the heavy lift of USS Fitzgerald to Patriot Shipping, based out of Houston, Texas. Heavy-lift will be completed by November 2017.
Deaths of Arouba and Hala Barakat
Washington, DC - The United States is deeply saddened by the deaths of Arouba and Hala Barakat. Hala served as a journalist for Orient News and we remember the courageous work of her mother, Arouba, a Syrian activist who reported on the Syrian regimes atrocities. The United States condemns the perpetrators of these murders and we will closely follow the investigation.
The United States continues to seek a peaceful, political resolution to the Syrian conflict that can be supported, owned, and led by the Syrian people.
U.S. Support for the UN Action Plan for Libya
Washington, DC - The United States welcomes the September 20 United Nations (UN) announcement of an action plan to advance political reconciliation in Libya and help the Libyan people achieve lasting peace and security.
We applaud the vigorous outreach by UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Libya Ghassan Salame to Libyan leaders and call on all Libyans to support and engage in his mediation efforts. The Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) remains the framework for a political solution to the conflict throughout the transition period. In this regard, we strongly support UN facilitation as the Libyan people carry out this critical transition, specifically by seeking to negotiate mutually-agreed limited amendments to the LPA, adopt a new constitution, and prepare for national elections.
The United States will not support individuals who seek to circumvent the UN-led political process.
The United States remains committed to working with Libya, the UN, and our international partners to help advance political reconciliation, defeat terrorism, and promote a more stable future for the Libyan people.
This Isnt Our Last Love Letter
Dear Don Don,
Way back in 92
I walked into the room and knew
Never felt this way before
I shook your hand while gazing into your eyes
And the feeling grew
As I took a seat I knew
A love that would have my heart
Forever
I knew
Way back in 92
They say love at first sight doesnt always last or isnt true
We were the exception to that rule
Our love had no where to hide
A spark set fire
As if this is how the universe started
I never doubted our love or what we could do
Together we grew
Forming a bond everlasting
That became our glue
My euphoria was YOU
Im eternally grateful for the love and life we shared
For how fortunate we were :
to have and to hold
through sickness and in health
Til death do us part
Until we are together again
This isnt our last love letter
I love you with all my heart and soul
Yours forever,
Deirdre (Mrs. Hank Snow)
Im fortunate to have fallen in love with, marry and make a life with the sharpest, coolest, funniest, most rare, bad ass, tender loving, loyal man on the planet, my husband Don Imus.
A True American Hero
I dont know why it has been so hard for me to write about my dear friend Don Imus.
I certainly know what he meant to me, my family, my charity, my hospital and the millions of fans that listened and loved him for so many years.
I keep reading all the beautiful condolences that people are writing about how much a part of their lives were effected by listening to him over the years.
But what most people dont talk enough about is what he did for all of us.
In every sense of the word, he was an American Hero. His work with children with so many different illnesses and his dedication to their future was unmatched by anyone I have ever known or heard about.
Besides raising over $100,000,000 for so many causes, he took care of young people for over 20 years in a state where he could not breathe. Along with his incredible wife Deirdre, he created a world where children were not defined by their disease. That was a miracle! He was a miracle.
I will miss him ever day for the rest of my life.
I was blessed to be a part of his and Deirdes life.
No one will ever do what he did.
I love you Don Imus - A TRUE AMERICAN HERO
David Jurist
IMUS IN THE MORNING
FIRST DAY BACK!
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Consider suppressed books and what do you think of? Someone carefully measuring out the ingredients for a bomb in their mothers cellar, poring over The Anarchists Cookbook? A 1980s Britain supposedly blissfully unaware of the revelations in Peter Wrights banned MI5 memoir Spycatcher, while the rest of the world laps up his allegations? Well-thumbed copies of Lady Chatterleys Lover being passed surreptitiously between filth-hungry readers?
Or do you perhaps think of the Great Poo Poo Head Incident of 2011?
Allow me to remind you of that one. Back then, Tammy and Randy Harriss son was six-years-old. He was given a one-day suspension from his school in Texas for deploying with wild abandon the phrase poo poo head.
Which might seem a bit harsh. But then Tammy discovered that the self-same epithet uttered by her son was also to be found in a book kept in the school library, to wit The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, a graphic novel from the same creators behind the hugely popular Captain Underpants series of prose books.
First published in 1971, Powells book was meant as a protest against US involvement in Vietnam (Conrad Bakker)
Was it fair that her son was sent home from school for saying poo poo head when those exact words were in a book on the school library shelf? So Tammy Harris demanded that the book be removed from the school.
Her demand was rejected at first, but following an appeal and a fresh investigation into the incident, an education committee upheld her complaint and The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby was duly banned from that Texas school.
So when we talk about book bannings, were not necessarily discussing Nazi-style bonfires of books though that still happens. A couple of years ago ISIS torched Mosul library and everything in it. But what is more common are incidents such as the Poo Poo Head one, in which parents take exception to something found in a book their child has procured from school, and immediately try to get it withdrawn from circulation.
It happens a lot in America, of course, and that is why Banned Books Week, which begins on 24 September, has been an annual event since 1982. A loose coalition of anti-censorship organisations band together for the awareness-raising event, and each year the American Library Association releases a list of the most challenged books across the States.
Philip Larkins poem Annus Mirabilis begins: Sexual intercourse began/In nineteen sixty-three/(which was rather late for me) /Between the end of the Chatterley ban/And the Beatles first LP (Penguin)
By far the biggest reason given for complaining about books is that they have characters who are lesbian, gay, transgender or bisexual, or stories which deal with these themes. And the complaints are not because LGBT characters or issues are dealt with poorly; its because theyre there at all.
The most-complained about book in 2016 was This One Summer, a graphic novel written by Mark Tamaki and illustrated by her cousin Jillian Tamaki. Its a coming-of-age story that was frequently challenged, according to the ALA, because of its LGBT characters, drug use and profanity, and it was considered sexually explicit with mature themes.
Alex Ginos 2015 novel George, which features a transgender lead character, was wanted off the shelves because sexuality was not appropriate at elementary levels, while The Fault In Our Stars author John Greens Looking For Alaska was challenged for a sexually explicit scene that may lead a student to sexual experimentation.
Simone de Beauvoir wrote The Second Sex in 1949; it was banned by the Vatican (Hulton Archive/Getty) (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
It isnt all redneck outrage against non-heterosexual relationships of course, though it mainly is. In the top ten of last years most complained about books was the Little Bill series written by Bill Cosby, by dint of the high-profile sexual assault allegations surrounding him.
Banned Books Week takes a Voltairean stance on book bannings; you dont have to like whats in the book to disagree with censorship. In 2015 someone wanted EL Jamess 50 Shades of Grey banned because it was poorly written; well, a lot of people might think that, but its not really a reason for it to be suppressed, nor is the fact that its full of kinky sex. The good thing about books is that if whats inside them is deemed offensive, you cant see it until you open the covers.
We might expect that book bannings are a particularly American thing, but this year Banned Books Week is a bigger thing in the UK than it ever has been before, largely due to the involvement of the non-profit campaign Index for Censorship.
Censorship isnt something that happens far away, says Jodie Ginsberg, the campaigns CEO. It has happened in the UK. In every library there are books that British citizens have been blocked from reading at various times. As citizens and literature lovers we must be constantly vigilant to guard against the erosion of our freedom to read.
All together now... Poo Poo Head! (Dav Pilkey)
Index is excited to be joining the coalition as the first non-US member. We have been publishing work by censored writers from around the world for 45 years and given all that is happening on the global political stage it feels more important than ever to be highlighting censorship and demonstrating just what it means when books are banned.
Charles Brownsein, chair of the Banned Books Week Coalition and executive director of the Comic Book Legal Defence Fund, which finances comic book creators and retailers court cases against censorship actions, is delighted that the primarily US event now has a foothold in the UK. He says, We are very excited to have the Index on Censorship join the coalition. Their work not only aligns with our mission, but will bring an international perspective and awareness to our annual celebration of the freedom to read.
There are a series of events taking place this coming week, many of them at the British Library in London, including on Tuesday a talk by Katherine Inglis and Matthew Fellion, authors of a new book on suppressed literature; an investigation into the Salman Rushdie Satanic Verses affair which saw the author go into hiding as his book was burned in Bradford (Thursday) and on Saturday 30 September a look at the controversial novel by JG Ballard, Crash, with Will Self and Chris Beckett, followed by a screening of David Cronenbergs movie adaptation.
Last years coming-of-age story prompted complaints about its LGBT subject matter (First Second Books)
The events show the breadth of work that has been banned, suppressed or called for removal from shops, libraries and schools. According to Lisa Appignanesi, chair of the Royal Society of Literature, Its an irony that the list of books banned over the last centuries, whether by religious or political authorities jealous of their power, constitutes the very best of our literatures.
From the Bible to Thomas Paine, Flaubert, GB Shaw to Simone de Beauvoirs The Second Sex and Rushdies The Satanic Verses, some of the greatest of our books have been banned somewhere. Luckily humans have a way of valuing the prohibited and cherishing liberty; and this as George Orwell reminded us, means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.
So if youre going to celebrate Banned Books Week, what should you be reading to show your support? Penguin Books has put together a handy list of the books they tried to ban (and in some cases did), and some of them might seem surprising.
Lady Chatterleys Lover by DH Lawrence weve already mentioned, and its publication in 1960 led to one of the most famous obscenity law trials in history. But what about George Orwells Animal Farm, banned in the Soviet Republic in the 1980s because of its portrayal of a brutal dictatorship. Well, if the cap fits And then theres Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales, the earthy wit and saucy humour of which found it out of favour in 19th-century America.
Spycatcher by Peter Wright (centre) saw its popularity rocket due to its banning (Patrick Riviere/Getty) (Patrick Riviere/Getty Images)
Pretty much any Roald Dahl book has come under the censors spotlights at some point, especially in the States. The BFG was once accused of promoting cannabilsm, but its The Witches that has proven especially notorious, with complaints levelled at it including that it contains Satanic themes, turns children towards the occult, and doesnt do a very good job of upholding moral values.
Or maybe you could just track down a copy of George Beard and Harold Hutchins The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, and spend the week shouting poo poo head at the top of your voice.
Because as anyone knows, and as Texan parents Tammy and Randy Harris learned swiftly, the moment you call for something to be banned, interest in it rockets. Back in the 1980s, more people were determined to get their hands on Spycatcher than ever bothered reading it just because theyd been told by the British government they werent allowed to have it.
As Randy Harris said, appearing somewhat mystified, when the couple were interviewed by US TV channel ABC13 on their successful bid to get Diaper Baby cleared from the school shelves, Every kid in that school knows about that book. And every kid wants to check that book out.
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1. Donnie Darko (2001)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Donald 'Donnie' Darko) and Jena Malone (Gretchen Rossin) in 2001's 'Donnie Darko' (Rex Features)
Jake Gyllenhaal was just starting to get on everyone's radar when he scored one of his first lead roles, playing a troubled teen who is tormented by visions of the future and a disturbing-looking bunny. "Donnie Darko" has become a cult classic, as it captured the angst of youth who, at the time the movie was in theaters, were coping with the confusion of a post-9/11 world.
2. "Bowling For Columbine" (2002)
Michael Moore's fourth feature film, which won an Oscar for best documentary, might be his best. The controversial director uses the events of the Columbine High School massacre to address the US's addiction to guns. Sadly, 14 years later the issues explored in this movie are still relevant.
3. "City of God" (2002)
This incredibly stylish look at the slums of Rio de Janeiro charts the lives of two boys as they grow up among guns and drugs. The cast is made up mostly of nonprofessional actors, which gives an authenticity to the movie. But what's most surprising about this extremely violent film is how much comedy is layered into it.
4. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004)
(AP)
What do you get when you combine director Michel Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman? One of the most original love stories of the past 15 years. In one of Jim Carrey's best performances, he plays Joel, who, after breaking up with his girlfriend (Kate Winslet), goes to a special doctor who specializes in erasing someone from your memory. What then unfolds, thanks to the visuals of Gondry and words of Kaufman, is near perfect.
5. "Super Size Me" (2004)
Morgan Spurlock used his outgoing personality and a hot-button topic to create a film that has defined his career. Examining the US's issue with obesity, Spurlock turned his camera to McDonald's and in the process changed the way we look at fast food. (In the movie he eats only from the McDonald's menu for one month.) This movie is a big part of why you see more healthy choices and no more "super size" option at McDonald's.
6. "No Country For Old Men" (2007)
The Coen brothers create a classic modern-day Western thanks to the adaptation of this Cormac McCarthy novel. Starring Josh Brolin as a man who stumbles upon a large suitcase of cash and Javier Bardem as a psychotic hit man, the movie gets better every time you see it.
7. "Ratatouille" (2007)
Rats entertainment: Remy in 'Ratatouille' (AP)
"Ratatouille" tells a compelling story through animation that isn't just for kids. Set in the posh Paris cooking world, "Ratatouille" follows a rat who fancies himself a chef. The movie could have been a disaster, but instead it showed that stories with lots of layers could be told well through cartoons and computer graphics.
8. "There Will Be Blood" (2007)
Paul Thomas Anderson delivers a film that is epic in so many ways, including its story, its music, and its photography. Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a performance that withstands the test of time as a maniacal oil baron.
9. "Zodiac" (2007)
David Fincher, who is known for his attraction to dark material, was perfect for bringing the story of the Zodiac Killer to the big screen. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a cartoonist for a newspaper who becomes obsessed with the case and takes over the detective work when the cops' leads dry up. Perhaps the best trick Fincher pulls off is building constant suspense, so that by the end, anyone could be the Zodiac.
Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up
10. "Man on Wire" (2008)
Before "The Walk," we got the story about the daring high-wire walk across the Twin Towers from the real people who did it in James Marsh's "Man on Wire." The Oscar-winning documentary is elevated thanks to the man who did the walking, Philippe Petit, as our narrator. Though the reenactments show viewers how incredible the feat was, it's Petit's masterful storytelling that keeps it engaging.
11. "WALL-E" (2008)
(Disney/Pixar)
Arguably Pixar's greatest work, "WALL-E" explores so many different issues that you can watch it a dozen times and enjoy focusing on each one. From a love story to commentaries on obesity and climate change, the movie is much more than the mere travels of a lovable robot (but that part is great, too).
12. "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
Quentin Tarantino's long-awaited Nazi-killing movie was worth the wait. Brad Pitt plays the leader of a group of Jewish US soldiers whose mission is to kill as many Nazis as possible in France. But along with great characters like "The Bear Jew" and incredible action sequences, the film is also a love letter to cinema.
13. "Inception" (2010)
The final scene from Inception, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio
Christopher Nolan always likes to mess with us, but "Inception" is one of his biggest mind tricks. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the leader of a group who enters people's dreams to steal information. For his latest job, however, he's hired to plant a memory. This leads to a dizzying chase through the deepest subconscious that you can't turn away from.
14. "Bridesmaids" (2011)
Featuring some of the funniest women in the business, "Bridesmaids" showed that the girls could be as funny and raunchy as the guys. Along with finally giving Kristen Wiig the lead in a movie, it also turned Melissa McCarthy into a movie star and Paul Feig into the go-to director for female comedies.
15. "Drive" (2011)
Director Nicolas Winding Refn takes his love of violence and combines it with Ryan Gosling and the music of Cliff Martinez to create a slick thriller that's in the vein of '80s movies like "Thief" or "To Live and Die In LA."
16. "The Interrupters" (2011)
Before Spike Lee looked at gun violence in Chicago with "Chi-Raq," documentary filmmaker Steve James showed the people who are trying to stop the violence in "The Interrupters." Following a group of former gang members who are trying to talk some sense into the youth, James' camera captures incredible interactions in which words do much more than any gun can.
17. "The Act of Killing" (2012)
50 years on: A still from The Act of Killing
This is one of those docs that feels too horrific to be true. Documentary filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer puts a spotlight on the genocide in Indonesia by befriending the leaders who were responsible for mass killings. He had them reenact their murders by filming them in the movie genre of their choosing.
18. "The Master" (2012)
Some of the best acting you'll ever see is in the exchanges between Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix in Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master." The movie follows a Navy veteran who befriends the leader of an organization. The mental gymnastics the two play with each other over the course of the film is thrilling to watch.
19. "Upstream Color" (2013)
Made on a shoestring budget and self-distributed, "Upstream Color" is an inspiring tale that shows us that there's more to life than our everyday existence. Seek out this movie.
20. "Boyhood" (2014)
Shot from 2002 to 2013, Richard Linklater's look at a young boy's life from adolescence to young adulthood is a special work that has rarely been attempted. The dedication by everyone involved is commendable, but the story itself is so powerful it rivals some documentaries in how realistic it is.
Read more:
A faulty Hotpoint fridge was the cause of Grenfell Tower's catastrophic blaze
Brexit one year on proves it has been a diabolical and costly waste of time
New poll finds the British public have turned against a 'Hard Brexit'
Read the original article on Business Insider UK. 2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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Colin Firth has accepted an honorary Italian citizenship, becoming a dual Italian and British citizen. According to The Guardian, the Oscar-winning actor reportedly made the initial application in response to the UK leaving the European Union.
Firth previously spoke to one Australian publication about Brexit, saying: Brexit does not have a single positive aspect for me. Many colleagues, including Emma Thompson, are like me enthusiastic Europeans. And we still cannot believe it."
The 57-year-old has been married to Italian environmentalist Livia Giuggiol since 1997. His agent has said the application for an Italian passport was a family decision. Colin applied for dual citizenship [British and Italian] in order to have the same passports as his wife and children, the agent said.
Firth has since offered an official statement, which reads: "A connection with Italy has existed for more than two decades now. I was married there and had two children born in Rome. My wife and I are both extremely proud of our own countries.
"We never really thought much about our different passports. But now, with some of the uncertainty around, we thought it sensible that we should all get the same. Livia is applying for a British passport. I will always be extremely British (you only have to look at or listen to me).
"Britain is our home and we love it here. Despite the enticements of my profession to relocate to more remunerative climes, Ive always chosen to base my career out of the UK and pay my taxes here. That hasnt changed."
The statement continued: "I married into Italy (and anyone will tell you when you marry an Italian you dont just marry one person; you marry a family and perhaps an entire country). Like almost everybody I have a passionate love of Italy and joining my wife and kids in being dual citizens will be a huge privilege.
Colin Firth's career in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Colin Firth's career in pictures Colin Firth's career in pictures Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones's Diary Firth sports a knitted Rudolph jumper in 2001's hit rom-com Bridget Jones's Diary Colin Firth's career in pictures Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice Colin Firth played Mr Darcy in a 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Women everywhere continue to swoon at 'that' white shirt lake scene. Rex Features Colin Firth's career in pictures Jess Clark in A Thousand Acres Firth played Jess in in this 1997 film loosely based on the story of Shakespeare's King Lear. Rex Colin Firth's career in pictures John 'Jack' Worthing in The Importance of Being Earnest Colin Firth with Frances O'Connor in 2002's adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest Rex Colin Firth's career in pictures George in A Single Man Firth got up close and personal with Matthew Goode in Tom Ford's 2009 directorial debut about a depressed gay professor living in Southern California in the early Sixties. Rex Features Colin Firth's career in pictures King George VI in The King's Speech Colin Firth won an Oscar for his role as the stuttering monarch in this 2010 film alongside Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush. AP Colin Firth's career in pictures Arthur Newman in Arthur Newman Colin Firth with Emily Blunt in 2012's Arthur Newman, about a former professional golfer who fakes his own death to escape a life of failure. Rex Colin Firth's career in pictures Harry Deane in Gambit Colin Firth gave comedy a go in this hit 2012 movie about two criminals who embark on a mission to steal a priceless antique. Colin Firth's career in pictures Eric in The Railway Man Firth starred alongside Nicole Kidman as Eric in Jonathan Teplitzky's 2013 war film about a British officer who is captured by the Japanese and sent to a POW camp to work on the Thai-Burma railway. Colin Firth's career in pictures Ron Lax in Devil's Knot The English actor starred as private investigator Ron Lax in this 2013 crime drama about three teenagers convincted for killing three young boys.
The Italian interior ministry in Rome said: The very famous actor, who won an Oscar for the film The Kings Speech, is married to a citizen from our country and has often declared his love for our land.
Firth and Giuggioli currently live in Chiswick with their two sons, and own a house near the Italian town of Citta della Pieve.
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Firths announcement came just hours after Theresa Mays speech in Florence, in which the Prime Minister conceded that Britain would have to accept EU free movement and stay in the single market for at least two years after Brexit.
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The Metropolitan Police will review controversial Form 696, after mounting pressure from critics who say it is used unfairly target grime, garage and bashment artists.
London mayor Sadiq Khan has asked for the form to be re-examined after meeting several DJs, artists and venue owners who raised concerns about its use.
The form, which was first introduced in 2005 as a risk assessment for live music to prevent violence, has long been used to target a disproportionate number of music events by black and Asian artists.
Khan said that the form shouldnt compromise the capitals vibrant grassroots music industry or unfairly target one community or music genre.
In March this year, Minister for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock, who has been a vocal critic of the form, published an open letter via The Independent to Khan asking him to address the issue.
Recommended Matt Hancock pens letter to Sadiq Khan over police form for live music
He said that he was concerned the form is not only potentially stifling young artists and reducing the diversity of Londons world renowned musical offering, but is also having a negative impact on Londons night time economy by pushing organisers and promoters of urban music events to take them outside of London.
He noted that grime has the same significance for todays young people as punk did in the 1970s, empowering them, creating a new generation of musical heroes and growing to become a worldwide phenomenon.
Form 696 is often completed voluntarily by promoters and licensees before hosting music events by DJs and MCs that use a backing track.
It reads: Our recommended guidance to music event organisers, management of licensed premises or event promoter on when to complete Form 696 is where you hold an event that is promoted/advertised to the public at any time before the event, and predominantly features DJs or MCs performing to a recorded backing track, and runs anytime between the hours of 10pm and 4am, and is in a nightclub or a large public house.
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Last year rapper Giggs expressed frustration after finding it almost impossible to perform in London.
"They need to work with us. If they think theres a threat then help us put some police out there and work with us rather than just shutting us down," he said.
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Police have denied accusations that the form racially discriminates against certain acts or audiences and said that no events in 2017 had been cancelled after form 696 submissions.
Yet J Hus, who was nominated for the Mercury prize this year, had to do a UK tour without a London date and performed a sold-out show in Hatfield instead, while Kojo Funds, who has beef with Hus, is said to have had a show at the Borderline cancelled due to police concerns.
In a statement, Khan said: "The safety of Londoners is my number-one priority. Its vital that live music events can take place safely and that the Met can help venues to lessen the risk of violent behaviour.
"This risk assessment shouldnt compromise the capitals vibrant grassroots music industry or unfairly target one community or music genre, which is why the Met is reviewing their Form 696 process, working together with Londons promoters, venues and artists to develop a system that makes sure Londons legendary music scene thrives whilst keeping Londoners safe."
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One of Nasas human computers, who helped plan the mission that saw an American astronaut orbit the Earth for the first time, has opened a new research centre named in her honour.
The key contribution of Katherine Johnson, 99, and other African-American women to the US space programme was recounted in the film Hidden Figures, which gave overdue recognition to their work. The film was the highest grossing Best Picture nominee at the Oscars.
The maths involved in the orbital mission was highly complex, and the computers of the day were prone to technical hiccups.
So as astronaut John Glenn was going through the preflight checklist upon which his life depended he insisted that Ms Johnson double check the calculations.
If she says theyre good, Ms Johnson remembered Mr Glenn saying, then Im ready to go.
The success of the flight, during which he orbited the Earth three times, was seen as a turning point in the space race with the-then Soviet Union, which had previously been ahead after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to leave Earth and enter outer space in 1961.
But, as Ms Johnson was helping the US triumph over its Cold War adversary, racist laws were still widely enforced the Civil Rights Act ending local and state segregation did not come into force until 1964.
She also had to overcome the sexist stereotype that women are inferior mathematicians to men.
But, at the opening of the Katherine G Johnson Computational Research Facility in Hampton, Virginia, Ms Johnson didnt seem to get what all the fuss was about.
You want my honest answer? I think theyre crazy, she said, when asked about the decision to name the facility after her.
She added that the decision gives credit to everybody who helped.
Others were happy to spell out what an important figure she was.
Terry McAuliffe, the governor of Virginia, said: You have been a trailblazer. When I think of Virginia and the history of what weve gone through ... youre at the top of that list.
Thank goodness for the book and movie to come out, so people got to understand what this woman meant to our country.
She really broke down the barriers.
And David Bowles, director of Nasas Langley Research Centre, added: Were here to honour the legacy of one of the most admired and inspirational people ever associated with Nasa.
I cant imagine a better tribute to Mrs Johnsons character and accomplishments than this building that will bear her name.
Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427 more commonly known as WR 124 and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region
The keynote speaker at the opening ceremony was Margot Lee Shetterly, author of the book Hidden Figures, on which the film is based, whose central character was Ms Johnson.
We are living in a present that they willed into existence with their pencils, their slide rules, their mechanical calculating machines and, of course, their brilliant minds, the writer said.
At every fork, her talent, her hard work and her character pulled her toward her destiny.
At every turn, she made a choice to become the protagonist in her own story and then of ours.
She told Ms Johnson that telling your story has been an honour and that she and fellow human computers Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan had been revolutionary simply by doing their jobs.
Your work changed our history and your history has changed our future, Ms Shetterly said.
Johnson had a fascination for numbers since her childhood in West Virginia, but said she never imagined where it would take her.
I like the stars, and the stories we were telling, and it was a joy to contribute to the literature that was going to come out, she said.
But little did I think it would go this far.
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A bride interrupted her wedding to join an anti-Brexit protest in Leeds.
The bride, who has not been identified, amused her guests as she picked up a protest placard and waved it outside her wedding venue.
In a photo, the bride can be seen with the sign that reads Stop Brexit, surrounded by smiling family and friends on the steps of Leeds Town Hall.
The banner was being carried by a passing group of protesters from the pro-EU group, Leeds for Europe.
Recommended Colin Firth becomes Italian citizen following Brexit
As she was getting her wedding photographs taken, she asked if she could borrow one of the placards to make a unique photo.
The group was just heading into the Town Hall for a Q&A session after the rally.
Leeds for Europe had protested throughout the city centre during the day, including a rally and speeches from Labour MEP Richard Corbett.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA
Event organiser Richard Wilson told The Yorkshire Post: "The fact that our numbers are continually growing and that there is strong interest in the city for our message that Brexit needs to be cancelled show that this matter is far from settled in the minds of the public.
"With prices rising in our shops and businesses putting investment plans on hold, the case for thinking again on Brexit is growing daily."
Leeds delivered a narrow victory for the Remain campaign in the EU referendum last June, with turnout of 69.6 per cent and 50.3 per cent voting to stay in, while the rest of West Yorkshire backed Brexit.
Certain politicians believe that Brexit can be stopped. Former Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg said MPs have a "moral duty" to vote for or against the Brexit deal next October in terms of what is best for their constituents.
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A scientific organisation intended to influence EU policy has called for tougher regulations of alternative medicine, branding homeopathy nonsense and warning the promotion and use of homeopathic products risks significant harms.
The statement was made by the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC), an umbrella organisation representing 29 national academies in Europe, including the Royal Society in the UK.
Supporters of homeopathy and herbal medicine include Prince Charles, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, are among MPs to have signed motions in favour of it. Celebrities who are reportedly fans of the treatment include Usain Bolt, Paul McCartney, Jennifer Aniston Hilary Clinton, David Beckham and supermodel Cindy Crawford.
The council did not mince its words in its condemnation of homeopathy, which works on the principles that like cures like and that water can have memory.
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In a 12-page statement, the group summarised extensive scientific research and concluded that homeopathy is scientifically implausible and produces nothing more than a placebo effect in patients.
EASAC is publishing this statement to reinforce and reiterate this extensive and well-founded critique, it wrote.
The EASAC said homeopathic remedies can be dangerous because they may delay patients from receiving conventional medical treatment.
The body recommended that EU states set up regulations to quash what it claims are misleading advertisements by homeopaths, remove homeopathic treatments from public health provision, and require that homeopathic product labels clearly identify ingredients and their amounts.
Homeopathy uses vastly diluted amounts of a substance that causes symptoms in the hope of curing a person.
The treatment has grown in popularity in the western world, with the homeopathy industry valued at around 1 billion in the EU in 2015 with an annual growth rate of around 6 per cent.
It is based on ideas developed in the 1790s by a German doctor called Samuel Hahnermann. NHS England says there is no good quality evidence that homeopathy is effective.
In spite of its belief there is no evidence it works, two NHS hospitals and a number of GP practices currently offer homeopathy. However, Simon Stevens, NHS Englands chief executive, called for this availability to end in June calling homeopathy at best a placebo and a misuse of scarce NHS funds.
In the past year, the NHS spent just over 90,000 of its approximately 123bn budget on homeopathy. Some who would like to see the option of aromatherapy retained have pointed out this represents just 0.009 per cent of the budget.
The plans to cut the funding for homeopathy and other treatments including herbal remedies are at the centre of a formal public consultation aiming to save the health service at least 250m a year.
Recommended NHS sets out plans to stop prescribing homeopathy to patients
Homeopathic remedies are taken by people hoping to treat a wide variety of disorders including anxiety and asthma.
Prince Charles once said of the treatment: It is rooted in ancient traditions that intuitively understood the need to maintain balance and harmony with our minds, bodies and the natural world.
In 2010, when he kept a much lower profile as a Labour backbencher, Jeremy Corbyn said on Twitter he believes that homeo-meds work for some people and that it complements conventional meds. They both come from organic matter.
A House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report on homeopathy found that homeopathic remedies perform no better than placebos, and that the principles on which homeopathy is based are scientifically implausible.
The EASAC made a wider point about alternative medicine in general, calling for parity of assessment with conventional medicine.
Last year, the US Federal Trade Commission announced it would start enforcing tough standards on homeopathic product labels, including making sure that the labels clearly state that there is no scientific evidence that the products work.
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Prince Charles sought a second opinion on troubled Princess Diana after the Queens doctor believed she had a dangerous mental disorder that could be passed on to her children, a letter revealed.
Sir John Batten was plainly scared by the supposed condition which he said he diagnosed while treating her and feared it could cause a dynastic disaster in the royal bloodline.
His efforts to treat Diana came a year after she threw herself down the main staircase at Sandringham, following a row with Charles, and landed at the feet of the Queen.
But the princess distanced herself from Sir Batten and his team of royal medics who tried to help her forcing Charles to go elsewhere to aid his troubled wife at the start of their marriage.
In the end he called on the advice of prominent psychiatrist Alan McGlashan who found that Diana was merely a very unhappy girl battling against what she saw was an oppressive royal family.
Mr McGlashan later wrote a letter to a common friend he had with Charles after he had been seeing Diana for twice-weekly therapy sessions over four weeks at Kensington Palace.
His correspondence to South African author Laurens Van der Post came after Mr Van der Post spoke with Diana at the behest of Charles and urged her to see Mr McGlashan.
She had been suffering from a variety of ailments apart from her supposed mental disorder, including bulimia and also suffered low self-esteem and was anxious and depressed.
In the letter from Mr McGlashan to Mr Van der Post revealed in the Mail on Sunday he told of the views held by Sir Batten and other royal medics who had tried to treat Diana.
Mr McGlashan wrote that Sir John and his team were plainly scared by her symptoms and overawed by the possibilities of dynastic disaster.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty
Sir Batten and his colleagues had been treating the princess with anti-depressants and behavioural therapy, Diana told Mr McGlashan in their sessions.
She was also being treated by Michael Pare, the head of psychiatry at St Bartholomews Hospital, London.
But Mr McGlashan believed Dr Pare took an unnecessarily gloomy and alarmist view of the case.
In his own sessions with Diana, he concluded: She is a very unhappy girl, facing situations on various fronts which she finds difficult to deal with, though making a courageous effort to do so.
It is not known how Charles reacted to Mr McGlashans findings, but the prince himself later spent 14 years in therapy with the psychiatrist, who died in 1998, and keeps a bust of him in Highgrove.
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Scotlands first deep geothermal heating system which will use the warmth emanating from the Earths magma-filled mantle is to go ahead after the Scottish Government awarded a 1.8m grant, the developers have announced.
A 2km deep well is to be drilled next year to enable water to be heated by the surrounding rocks, pumped back up again and then into properties in Kilmarnock.
Engineering firm Arup, which is involved in the project, said the renewable energy source would help reduce fuel poverty by providing heating at below market rates to homes being built at the former Johnnie Walker bottling plant, which is being redeveloped.
The site, called Halo Kilmarnock, will also include a new enterprise centre, an urban park, social housing for rent and leisure facilities.
Matthew Free, of Arup, said: It is fantastic that the Scottish Government is giving such strong support to the development of sustainable, low-carbon energy projects in Scotland.
There is a substantial geothermal resource beneath our feet and we look forward to developing the first deep geothermal system in Scotland.
The geothermal project is being developed by Geon Energy, a joint venture between Geothermal Engineering and Arup, and is due to be installed in the first six months of next year.
In a statement, Arup said: Water heated by the surrounding rock is drawn up from depth using a small pump. The heat is then transferred to water in the heating system.
This deep geothermal district heating network will supply sustainable, renewable heat for the entire Halo development, including its key worker and social rental housing, addressing fuel poverty in the process by providing heat at below market price.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA
The 1.8m grant comes from the Scottish Governments Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme. It is part of a 5.3m grant from the Holyrood administration to make the Halo project low-carbon.
Keith Brown, Scotlands Environment Secretary, said previously: As a responsible, progressive nation, Scotland must also continue to demonstrate strong leadership on climate change.
That is why Im pleased that the Scottish Government will also be able to support our first new geothermal heating system in almost two decades, allowing local residents to access low carbon energy at an affordable price.
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A 15-year-old boy has been arrested after six people were injured on Saturday night in what police suspect was a mass acid attack in Stratford, east London.
It came after a "noxious substance" was thrown in several areas including by the Westfield shopping centre and Olympic Park during a stand-off between two groups of males, police said.
Witnesses described how innocent victims caught in the crossfire screamed in pain after being hit with fluid, with one shouting: "I cant see, I cant see."
They said the attacks came after a brawl erupted inside the Stratford Centre between the youths and the trouble then spilled outside.
Police and emergency services rushed to the scene amid the panic in the aftermath of the fight that broke out shortly before 8pm.
Hundreds of shoppers were in the area amid the stand-off, who moved back and forth between the Stratford Centre and the larger Westfield Centre opposite.
Commuters were also streaming in and out of Stratford station when the dangerous liquid was thrown into crowds.
Six males were injured in the attack, with three hospitalised, emergency services said.
Police said the group of males fled after the attack.
Officers later arrested a 15-year-old male on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. He was taken to an east London police station for questioning before being released on bail.
Witnesses told of the horror after the attack. A man who gave his name as Hossen, 28, a Burger King assistant manager, said he saw a victim and his friend, a known local homeless man, run into the fast food outlets toilets to wash acid off his face.
He said: There were cuts around his eyes and he was trying to chuck water into them.
Another witness, Zak Abdi, who shared footage from Stratford train station, told the Mirror Online he saw a substance thrown at a group of men who looked like they were on their way to a club.
It didnt hit just one person, it hit a crowd of people. One guy had been hit in the face, he kept shouting I cant see, I cant see, I cant see.
I think he has lost his vision. He kept shouting, it was a scary moment for everyone.
Nate Higgins, 20, told The Independent he left Westfield shopping centre at about 8.30pm.
I was in Westfield and I came out and saw all the police and ambulances.
People werent panicking. It seemed like it was settled. But as I was leaving more and more ambulances and fire engines were showing up.
There were more fire engines than Ive ever seen in one place.
Inside the Burger King toilets, water could reportedly be seen all over the floor, along with toilet tissue and medical gloves.
Some victims received treatment in Stratford station, which is directly opposite the shopping centre and close to the Olympic Park.
The incident is not being treated as terror-related, Scotland Yard said in a statement.
Paramedics and firefighters were also called, and a wide cordon was put in place.
Paul Gibson, LAS assistant director of operations, said: We treated six patients in total and took three to London hospitals.
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David Davis has sought to calm Tory anger over Theresa Mays Brexit speech by saying the UK will not face a 40bn divorce bill as a result of leaving the EU.
Ahead on the next round of crunch talks with Brussels, the Brexit Secretary said reports around the final financial settlement were made up and claimed the power of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) would end in 2019 when Britain formally leaves the bloc.
Ms May used a landmark speech in Florence to propose a two-year transition period after Brexit with similar arrangements, prompting concern among Tory Eurosceptics over the prospect of staying in the single market and keeping freedom of movement.
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However cracks are already beginning to show at the top of the party amid reports Boris Johnson has demanded commitments Britain will not adopt any new EU rules during the transition period.
Mr Davis conceded that the UK would pay around 10bn a year to the EU up to 2019 but he rejected claims the final settlement could be far higher.
He told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "Things like pensions and other things, these are debatable to say the least.
"The last time we went through line by line and challenged quite a lot of the legal basis of these things and we'll continue to do that.
"That doesn't mean that we want to see our allies and friends in Europe massively disadvantaged in the next few years and that's what we're aiming not to do."
Asked about claims that the final settlement could be around 40 billion, Mr Davis said: "They sort of made that up too."
He added: "I'm not going to do an actual number on air, it would be ridiculous to do that, but we have a fairly clear idea where we're going on this.
Mr Davis also said that while the UK would be leaving the ECJ's jurisdiction in the long term, the existing arrangements would apply during the transition.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA
It comes as Mr Johnson reportedly intervened to demand assurances that EU rulings will not apply during the transition and that Britain would be allowed to sign trade deals during this period, according to The Telegraph.
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Diane Abbott has said the fire at Grenfell Tower was direct consequence of deregulation of fire standards and inspection, privatisation and outsourcing.
Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Brighton, the Shadow Home Secretary went on to demand justice for the survivors of the disaster.
We demand an immigration amnesty for former Grenfell residents so they all feel able to come forward for help.
We demand justice for the Grenfell survivors. They will not be forgotten.
In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Show all 51 1 /51 In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police have released images from inside the tower where at least 58 people have died Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A still from a video shared by polices what appears to be a stationary bicycle sitting among the ashes In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A still from a video shared by police shows the remnants of a burnt-out bathroom In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Picture showing the lifts on an unknown floor Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emergency crews outside the front entrance to the tower Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Fire crews inspecting flats in the burnt out tower London Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Grenfell Tower is seen in the distance PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A drone flies near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire 'Theresa May Stay Away' message written on the messages of support at Latymer Community Church for those affected by the fire Ray Tang/REX In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire An aerial view of the area surrounding Grenfall tower Getty In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Donated shoes sit in the Westway Sports Centre near to the site of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Messages of support for those affected by the massive fire in Grenfell Tower are displayed on a well near the tower in London AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A local resident stands on her balcony by the gutted Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Messages of condolence are left at a relief centre close to the scene of the fire that broke out at Grenfell Tower, EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A police officer stands by a security cordon outside Latimer Road station Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Firemen examine the scorched facade of the Grenfell Tower in London on a huge ladder AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A search dog is led through the rubble of the Grenfell Tower in London as firefighting continue to damp-down the deadly fire AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn comforts a local resident (name not given) at St Clement's Church in west London where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower David Mirzoeff/PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hugs councillor Mushtaq Lasharie as he arrives at St Clement's Church in Latimer Road, where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meeting staff and volunteers at St Clementis Church in Latimer Road David Mirzoeff/PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Firefighters with a dog walk around the base of the Grenfell Tower REUTERS/Peter Nicholls In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emotions run high as people attend a candle lit vigil outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Debris hangs from the blackened exterior of Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman speaks to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman holds a missing person posters near the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Sadiq Khan speaking with a resident James Gourley/REX In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Ken Livingstone walks near the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is confronted by Kai Ramos, 7, near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks to a woman outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers distribute aid near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People gather to observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People light candles as they observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A man distributes food from the back of a van near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A firefighter is cheered near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A T-shirt with a written message from the London Fire Brigade hangs from a fence near The Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A young girl on her way to lay flowers near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire The remains of residential tower block Grenfell Tower are seen from Dixon House a nearby tower block Getty In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers prepare supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block which was destroyed in a fire REUTERS/Neil Hall In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers move a car to make space for a lorry picking up supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People distribute boxes of food near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower bloc REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman touches a missing poster for 12-year-old Jessica Urbano on a tribute wall after laying flowers on the side of Latymer Community Church next to the fire-gutted Grenfell Tower AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A man looks at messages written on a wall near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Candles and messages of condolence near where the fire broke out at Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police carry a stretcher towards Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emergency services at Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police carry out a body from Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Rick Findler/PA Wire
Ms Abbot added: Labour in government will recruit 3,000 additional firefighters, and we fully support the campaigning of the Fire Brigades Union against the cuts.
Her remarks come after police investigating the tragedy said they might press individual manslaughter charges against those responsible for the fire.
Officers said charges relating to fraud, misconduct, breaches of health and safety and fire safety regulations were also a possibility.
At a briefing last week, Detective Chief Superintendent Matt Bonner told reporters: This isnt to be taken as indication that there is any evidence we have found that would support these types of offences We will keep an open mind, gather the material that exists and then make decisions once we have had an opportunity to fully review everything.
The police are also probing eight cases of fraud involving people who claimed money after the disaster, and four possible thefts from flats on the lower levels of the Tower while it was under 24-hour security, according to a spokesperson.
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Jeremy Corbyn is being urged to commit Labour to full and permanent membership of the single market after Britains exit from the European Union.
In an attempt to offer a distinct alternative to the Conservative party, 30 senior figures, including Labour MPs, have written an open letter calling for the party to alter its stance on the market and customs union.
Current party policy means a Labour government would keep Britain in the single market and customs union for a transitional period of two to four years after Brexit.
However the signatories to the letter published in The Observer, including former shadow cabinet members Chuka Umunna and Heidi Alexander, as well as one of Mr Corbyn's closest allies in his early days as leader, Clive Lewis, said the party should go further to protect jobs and workers' rights.
The letter, which was also signed by the TSSA union's general secretary, Manuel Cortes, former Northern Ireland secretary Lord Hain and Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson, said Labour needed to present an alternative to the Tories' destructive Brexit.
The supposed benefits of a clean break with the EU are a fantasy. The economic impact of leaving the single market would hit the most vulnerable in our society hardest, the letter said.
Recommended Postponing Brexit crunch for two years is better than rushing into it
So at our conference this week, Labour should commit to staying in the single market and customs union - ruling out no options for how to achieve this - and to working with sister parties and others across Europe to improve workers' rights, boost trade union membership and put an end to the exploitation of workers, not freedom of movement.
This would send a powerful message of solidarity to the rest of Europe, and to the millions of EU and UK nationals living in limbo here and across the continent.
The Labour leadership has so far resisted calls to remain in the single market permanently which would entail accepting free movement of labour - a move it fears would be deeply unpopular in many of its traditional heartlands where immigration is a key concern among voters.
Seizing on the letter as evidence of a divide within Mr Corbyn's party, the Conservative MP Luke Hall said: Labour are totally divided over Brexit. Just a few months ago, the Labour leader and Shadow Chancellor stated that it was Labour policy to leave the single market - as to do otherwise would be to disrespect the referendum result.
And yet now, large numbers of their MPs are telling them to do just that and defy the will of the people by remaining in the single market and customs union permanently.
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A Labour MP branded her own party a laughing stock after its conference voted not to debate Brexit, deciding eight other issues are more important.
In a victory for Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leadership avoided a conference showdown that could have triggered a pro-EU policy shift in favour of permanent single market membership.
But it came at the cost of accusations of a fix, after Corbyn-backing Momentum delegates were accused of working behind the scenes to block a vote on Brexit.
Recommended Corbyn urged to commit to permanent single market membership
The two MPs leading the Labour Campaign for the Single Market immediately hit out at the decision as an embarrassment and a disgrace.
Alison McGovern told The Independent: We needed to talk about Brexit. It's the biggest issue for our country and will be the biggest issue for whoever is the next government.
Those who organised against this debate need to ask themselves what they really believe about Labour Party democracy.
And Heidi Alexander, tweeted: I am gobsmacked. How can @UKLabour not have a full & proper debate on #Brexit policy at #Lab17? We will be a laughing stock.
Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP First Minister, weighed in, calling the decision an abdication of responsibility.
Instead, the Brighton conference will vote on: housing, social care, the NHS, rail services, workers rights, investment and growth, public sector pay and the Grenfell Tower disaster.
The eight issues scored more highly than Brexit in the partys priorities ballot of party members and trade union affiliates.
The bitterness is likely to linger after the grassroots movement Momentum urged its members to back other proposed motions.
Earlier, Andrew Gywnne, Labours election chief, warned Brexit divisions could tear the party apart, as he urged activists and MPs to settle their disagreements in a comradely fashion.
Over the summer, Labour negotiated a united policy to stay in the single market for a transitional period of between two and four years.
The party said it could support permanent membership but only if the EU agreed to restrictions on free movement of EU citizens.
But 30 Labour MPs have signed an open letter urging the Labour leadership to show the courage of its convictions by supporting staying in the single market after the transition.
Asked, at a HuffPost UK event, if he thought Brexit splits could spill over into a debate which could tear the party in two, Mr Gwynne replied: It could, if were not careful.
In TV interviews, both Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell sent out mixed messages about the single market membership, supported by an overwhelming majority of Labour supporters.
The Labour leader said he was prepared to listen to his pro-EU members and acknowledged there would be a lot of movement by EU workers after Brexit.
However, speaking on the BBCs Andrew Marr programme, he warned staying in the single market could prevent Labour implementing radical policies.
That has within it restrictions on state aid and state spending. That has pressures on it, through the European Union to privatise rail, for example, and other services, Mr Corbyn said.
Mr McDonnell, his shadow Chancellor, said Labour would be in favour of keeping a form of free movement after Brexit if a changed single market could be formed,
But he said it would be difficult to see how Britain could stay in the trading bloc because of exploitative freedom of movement rules that allow employers to undercut wages.
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Labour will push for Parliament to have the deciding say on any international trade deal including one with Donald Trumps US the Government wants to sign after Brexit, The Independent can reveal.
The party will launch a drive to ensure MPs and Lords have a commanding role in shaping free trade agreements and votes that could block them if there is a danger they might damage the country.
The move comes as the Government prepares to publish its Trade Bill setting out how the UK will negotiate deals, including ones already promised by Mr Trump, Canada and even a future one with the EU.
Currently all that has to happen for the UK to ratify a trade deal agreed by the EU is for the text to be laid in Parliament for 21 days no vote was held on the recent Ceta deal between the EU and Canada, for example.
But Shadow International Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner said that when the UK writes future deals, Downing Street must cede power to shape and approve them to Parliament.
He said: We need to know there is going to be a scrutiny process akin to the European scrutiny committee, so there is a power to hold the Government to account as well.
We need to know that the negotiations themselves are going to be transparent, that there is going to be the involvement of Parliament at all stages.
Ultimately we need to know that there will be a debate and vote in Parliament before any treaty comes through and, after that, there is on-going monitoring and review of our trade agreements and a clear mechanism for revising them, and ultimately if things go on and times change of withdrawing from them.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA
Mr Gardiner said the row around the EU (withdrawal) Bill with even many Tory MPs concerned about powers to change laws being granted to ministers had shown the need to ensure the Government did not pull more power to itself and sideline Parliament.
He went on: The Government may think that it had a fight on its hands over the EU (withdrawal) Bill over accountability.
Well unless they produce in the white paper something that is clearly going to create an accountable, transparent process for developing trade agreements, they will have an equally big battle on their hands.
Liam Fox rejects idea that potential reduction in meat safety is important factor in current trade negotiations
Ms May and her ministers have promised a raft of new trade deals after the UK leaves the EU, with the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and India said to be interested.
Trade deals between the EU and the US and Ceta have led to concerns that they could lower consumer standards and help deliver a greater amount of wealth into the hands of a small proportion of people, increasing inequality.
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A Labour MP has attacked the lie that party supporters in the north oppose immigration, while those in the south are relaxed about incomers.
Alison McGovern said Labour figures arguing tougher controls were now inevitable were wrong to believe northern voters fear immigrants, or hate immigration.
We are told that the Tory party is divided ideologically, the left and the right, on Europe and the Labour Party is divided geographically, she told a fringe meeting at Labours conference.
That somehow our southern voters are very pro-immigration and they think its fine, whereas up in the grim, northern wastelands we cant stand foreigners. Well, that is a lie.
I wont be told that northern voters fear immigrants or hate immigration and somehow the Labour Party has no choice.
The comments came as the Brighton conferences opening day threatened to descend into a battle between the Labour wing fighting to stay in the EU single market and the section opposed.
Corbyn-backing Momentum delegates have been accused of trying to block a conference debate on Brexit and a proposed pro-single market motion.
Thirty Labour MPs have signed an open letter calling for the party to support permanent single market membership which, the EU says, would mean accepting free movement of people.
Ms McGovern, a Merseyside MP, told the Labour Movement for Europe conference fringe event it was not freedom of movement that had led to pressure on wages for the low-paid.
Labour MP and pro-single market campaigner Alison McGovern (Rex)
It is an easy excuse to blame migrants and to blame freedom of movement when actually its the Tories and exploitative employers that are to blame, she added.
Meanwhile, Clive Lewis, a former key Corbyn ally, said opposition to freedom of movement within the EU is being driven by racism.
Appearing on Sky News, he clashed with fellow Labour backbencher Caroline Flint who said people did not want migration to the UK to be decided in Brussels.
It always comes back down to something the Left in this country has very much difficulty with, which is that it is ultimately about racism. It comes down to racism, Mr Lewis said.
Ms McGovern is co-leader of the Labour Campaign for the Single Market, which argues membership is the only way to protect jobs, tackle austerity and defend our rights.
Over the summer, Labour negotiated a united policy to stay in the trading arrangement for a transitional period of between two and four years.
The party said it could support permanent membership but only if the EU agreed to restrictions on freedom of movement.
Speaking on the Andrew Marr programme, Jeremy Corbyn said he feared staying in the single market would prevent Labour implementing radical policies.
That has within it restrictions on state aid and state spending. That has pressures on it, through the European Union to privatise rail, for example, and other services.
I think we have to be quite careful about the powers we need as national governments.
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Nigel Farage is planning to launch a new, pro-Brexit party if the anti-Islam campaigner Anne-Marie Waters wins the Ukip leadership election next week, sources have claimed.
According to the Mail on Sunday, Mr Farage has told friends he will set up the breakaway party because he believes Ukip will be finished if Ms Waters takes charge.
The proposed new party is not yet believed to have a name but talks are reportedly under way with Ukips former chief donor Aaron Banks.
Now the bookies favourite to become Ukips fourth leader in the last year, Ms Waters is a director of pressure groups Sharia Watch and Pegida, which stands for Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West. Both are widely described as anti-Islam organisations, although Ms Waters insists it is not factually correct to label her as a "far right" candidate.
Recommended Ukip leadership hopeful opens door to Tommy Robinson joining party
Ukip has seen its support fall away since the vote to leave the EU in June 2016. In the wake of this watershed moment, Ukip was largely seen as a party without a purpose, riven with infighting.
Speaking this weekend, Mr Banks said: If Ms Walters becomes Ukip leader, all we ask is that she gives the party a decent burial.
The country needs an effective political movement to stop May from selling out on the Brexit which British people voted for last year.
Former Ukip leader Mr Farage still regarded as the heart and soul of the party for many is said to have booked a room in Strasbourg for next Monday, where he could launch his new party.
There was speculation Mr Banks would form a new party with his close ally Mr Farage when he announced he had been suspended by Ukip in March this year.
Mr Banks said: Ukip started the ball rolling, but the world has moved on.
"With its remorseless infighting, and absence of a clearly defined mission, it is not fit to spearhead a great national movement in its current form. Its too traditional.
"Structurally, it is a mess, held together by rubber bands and by the extraordinary stamina of one man, Nigel Farage. It is clear that something new is required.
The proposed new party would be likely to target pro-Leave voters from both the Tories and Labour by providing a more radical vision for Brexit than either party is currently seen to offer.
Almost of all the partys 19 other MEPs would be likely to join Mr Farage in a new party if Ms Waters wins, with many expressing concerns the party could become a single-issue anti-immigration party under her leadership.
Some of the party's MEPs are still hoping Mr Farage will come back into the fold rather than start a new movement, with MEP Jane Collins saying on Twitter she would "immediately" stand aside in the leadership contest if he were to make another comeback.
Ms Waters has claimed millions of Britons agree with her view that Islam is evil and are worried about the creeping islamification of the UK.
Mr Farage has constantly criticised Prime Minister Theresa May since she came to power, accusing her of not having a clear vision for Brexit and of delaying the process through her desire for a transition period, which he believes is an attempt to keep the UK in the EU by the back door.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant 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Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. 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He was succeeded as Ukip leader by Diane James, who lasted just 18 days before she quit saying she did not have the backing of key figures in the party.
Paul Nutall then took over following a bitter battle, but lasted just six months following a disastrous performance at this years general election when the partys share of the vote tumbled from almost 13 per cent in 2015 to less than two per cent.
The result of the Ukip leadership contest will be announced at the partys conference next Friday, with former London mayoral contender Peter Whittle the second favourite behind Ms Waters.
Mr Farage was not immediately available for comment.
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A survey has found that two thirds of women are attracted to men who have tattoos. The research carried out by dating app Type, found that 64 per cent of women who stated a preference were looking to date men who have had some kind of permanent ink body art.
This also holds true for those who are looking for a same-sex partner, with women and men stating that they view some tattoos as an added attraction in a love interest.
Weve been surprised just how strong the trends are when it comes to tattoos. So many of our users are looking for someone with a bit of body art its clearly a turn on for both men and women, Benno Spencer, Types CEO said.
Previous research has also found that women tend to look more favourably on men with tattoos, associating them with "good health, masculinity, aggressiveness and dominance, according to one study.
Types recent survey also found that only 39 per cent of men were attracted to women with tattoos. However, the dating apps company Steve Bryson bucks this trend. Ive always fancied girls with tattoos ever since I dated a girl at college that had a massive tattoo across her back, he told Metro.
I think it says something about their personality that theyre fun, friendly and up for a good time," he added. "Ive only got one small tattoo myself, but I like girls that have lots of tattoos. It makes them unique no two tattoos are exactly the same.
Tattoos are losing their social stigma, a far cry from the belief that skin ink indicated a criminal nature, according to 19th-century criminologists.
Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins Show all 16 1 /16 Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins New Zealand Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins UK Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins Las Vegas Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins Las Vegas Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins Las Vegas Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins LA Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins LA Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins Japan Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins Japan Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins Japan Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins Japan Tattoos around the world featured in Needles & Pins Japan
Today, the most tattooed city in the UK is Birmingham, according to motorbike insurance brokers, Carole Nash.
One in five adults in the UK now have tattoos, with bastions of the British establishment having little qualms about visiting tattoo parlours. David Dimbleby was 75 when he had a scorpion indelibly inked on his shoulder. Dame Judi Dench had the Latin phrase carpe diem (seize the day) tattooed upon her wrist as a present for her 81st birthday.
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Anti-poaching patrols in central Africa have been accused of committing atrocities against local tribes in order to protect wildlife.
A report by Survival International, a UK-based group campaigning for tribal peoples' rights, alleges that wildlife guards funded by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and other conservation organisations "harass, beat, torture and kill" people of the Baka, or Bayaka, tribes.
WWF has rejected the charges in the report and said it was "shocked and saddened to hear of the violence and abuse of indigenous people."
Mike Hurran, a researcher at Survival International, told The Independent the report summarises "the history of human rights abuse that happens in the name of conservation in" the Congo Basin between Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.
Tiger nursed back to health in heartwarming WWF Christmas advert
Mr Hurran said: "When you think of conservation, you think of compassion, justice, progressive values, protecting the environment. But I've met so many people for whom conservation means nothing like that at all.
"It means hunger, it means violence, it means the horrible idea that it doesn't matter whether your child lives or dies so long as some wildlife are protected."
The report, based on interviews with dozens of people living in the Congo Basin, contains accusations that national parks and other protected areas were imposed on the indigenous tribes without their consent.
It said the Baka people had been accused of poaching when they hunt to feed their families and subject to harassment, including having hot wax poured onto exposed skin, beatings and maiming with red-hot machetes.
"The harrowing accounts we have gathered here almost certainly represent a small fraction of the real number of such cases the vast majority go undocumented," the report said.
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In one account from July last year, one Baka man told researchers: Even if a woman is pregnant, they beat her. Even if she has a child with her, they beat her. God created lots of things in the forest that our parents left to us. Now they are forbidden to us."
Another said guards searched his house "without finding anything." He said they then took his machete from under the bed and said: "We are going to slit your throat because youre hiding poachers here." The man added: "I was on the bed with my wife and children. I only had my underwear on. They dragged me outside and made me get on the ground, to kill me."
WWF has been operating in the region since 1991 and backed the creation of the Lobeke National Park to protect elephants, primates and leopards in 1999, which the report alleges led to the illegal eviction of several Baka tribes.
The report went on to say anti-poachers "supported by WWF routinely raze entire forest camps to the ground, both inside and outside national parks.
"The violence they visit upon the Baka and their neighbours knows no bounds: victims have included pregnant women, the elderly and infirm even small children. WWF has been aware of the persecution of the Baka by the guards it supports for over 15 years.
He said he hoped the report would "encourage these organisations" and their supporters "to sit up and take notice" of the allegations of human rights abuses.
A spokesperson for WWF said: We are shocked and saddened to hear of the violence and abuse of indigenous people. It is totally unacceptable.
"Protecting our planet is as much about respecting the rights of the people that depend on it as it is about protecting wildlife, and we do this by helping deliver access to education, healthcare and livelihoods to local communities through conservation projects.
"Contrary to reports, WWF does not employ eco-guards, in fact we have repeatedly asked Survival International to share information that could help us to push the authorities who employ those accused to act. Despite our many requests Survival International has refused to share this information.
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The first female Marine?
Not what you may think. Yes, women served as parachute riggers and welders, and eventually became drill sergeants and pilots. But the first woman to join the Marine Corps was the 39-year-old wife of an orchestra conductor.
Opha May Johnson joined up Aug. 13, 1918 -- before she was even allowed to vote.
Almost a century later, the Marines announced Thursday a woman has passed the grueling Infantry Officer Course, long the domain of the toughest male Marines, for the first time.
This still-unidentified woman was tested for 86 days on a course that washes out 25 percent of the men who try it. She hiked for miles in the Mojave Desert and in the mountains, swam laps in all her battle rattle, carried a load of up to 152 pounds for more than nine miles at a three-mile-per-hour pace, and came across a pile of springs, firing bolts, stocks and barrels and -- on the spot -- assembled them into foreign and American infantry weapons (under an undisclosed time limit). Among other horrors.
Her performance was so jaw-dropping, the Marines announced her halfway point in August.
A photo of Opha May Johnson shortly after enlisting. (Wikipedia Commons)
It was different for the first female Marine 100 years ago -- she did not have to hike in the desert. She did take a man's job.
It was close to the end of World War I when the Marine Corps decided to fill some of the gaps left behind by all the men fighting overseas. In 1918, Johnson was the first of 300 women who showed up to take one of those jobs. They made headlines in newspapers all across the country.
Johnson, born Opha May Jacob in Kokomo, Indiana, was a rapid-fire typist.
Her name is often misspelled, Kara Newcomer, a historian with the Marine Corps History Division, told the Quantico Sentry. Her middle name usually appears in books and on photos as "Mae," though it's spelled like the month, May, Newcomer said.
"We also believe she probably went by her first name alone, based on how she signed her name," Newcomer said.
Johnson was a graduate of the Shorthand & Typewriting department of Wood's Commercial College and was working in the Interstate Commerce Commission when the Marines issued a call for help. Johnson was first in line.
She was 39 and had left Indiana to follow her husband, Victor Johnson, to Washington, where he was the musical director of the Lafayette Square Opera House.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
Her new job had her clerking at the Marine Corps Headquarters in suburban Arlington, Virginia. Even though they were clerks, the women had to train and drill like other Marines. Drill sergeants made their displeasure clear, calling the women "Marinettes," according to Linda L. Hewitt's book, "Women Marines in World War I."
The female Marines were not amused by the nickname.
"Isn't it funny the minute a girl becomes a regular fellow somebody always tries to queer it by calling her something else? [. . .] Well, anybody that calls me anything but 'Marine' is going to hear from me," one of the female Marines wrote, in a letter in Hewitt's book.
The women were all in. Their time in the Marines was brief. After the end of World War I, all of the military branches began disenrolling the women who signed up, a pattern repeated in World War II. Johnson was let go in 1919.
During all her years in the nation's capital, she remained active in the first American Legion post dedicated to women. For decades, she met with new veterans, supporting women as their roles grew more prominent in the military.
She lived long enough to see Capt. Anne Lentz become the first female commissioned officer, to see women raising the colors at the Marine Barracks, to see Staff Sgt. Barbara Olive Barnwell become the first female Marine to be awarded the Navy and Marine Corps medal for heroism for saving a fellow Marine from drowning in the Atlantic Ocean in 1952.
Johnson died Aug. 11, 1955, and was buried in Rock Creek Cemetery on Aug. 13 -- 37 years to the day when she made Marine Corps history by signing on that dotted line.
Washington Post
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A police officer has been arrested after a teenager gave birth to his child.
Rafael Martinez Jr in New Jersey allegedly had sexual intercourse with the unidentified 15-year-old girl for more than a year at his home.
The girl gave birth August at a local hospital.
Recommended Metropolitan Police officer charged with sexually abusing children
Martinez allegedly admitted to being the father and signed the birth certificate, according to a social worker who was present.
The former officer was arrested after authorities took DNA samples from Martinez, the girl and the child, proving he was the father.
He was detained on 12 September and was suspended without pay.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
He had sex with the girl at his house between September 2016 and August 2017 in the Gloucester Township in Camden County, as reported by the Courier-Post newspaper.
It is unclear whether Martinez has a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
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Donald Trump has appeared to threaten regime change against North Korea, tweeting to say if the country's foreign minister echoed the thoughts of its leader they "won't be around much longer."
North Korea's foreign minister, Ri Yong-ho, had earlier said targeting the United States mainland with its rockets was inevitable after "Mr Evil President" Donald Trump called Kim Jong-un "rocket man."
Afterwards, Mr Trump took to twitter to say: "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"
Mr Ri had called the US President "a mentally deranged person full of megalomania and complacency" who was trying to turn the UN into a "gangsters' nest."
The mudslinging came as US bombers and fighter escorts flew to the farthest point north of the border between North and South Korea by any such American aircraft had this century.
The Pentagon said the mission, in international airspace, showed how seriously Mr Trump takes the North's "reckless behaviour."
"This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat," Defence Department spokeswoman Dana White said.
"North Korea's weapons program is a grave threat to the Asia-Pacific region and the entire international community. We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies," she added.
North Korean foreign minister: Trump is on a suicide mission
North Korea has said it intends to build a missile capable of striking all parts of the US with a nuclear bomb.
Mr Trump has said he won't allow it, although the US so far has refrained from using military force to impede the North's progress.
Last week, the US President announced more economic sanctions against the impoverished and isolated country, targeting foreign companies which deal with the North.
Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Show all 6 1 /6 Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters
In a speech at the United Nations last week, Mr Trump had issued the warning of potential obliteration and mocked the North's young autocrat as a "Rocket Man" on a "suicide mission."
His executive order expanded the Treasury Department's ability to target anyone conducting significant trade in goods, services or technology with North Korea, and to ban them from interacting with the US financial system.
Mr Trump also said China was imposing major banking sanctions, too, but there was no immediate confirmation from the North's most important trading partner.
If enforced, the Chinese action Mr Trump described could severely impede the isolated North's ability to raise money for its missile and nuclear development. China, responsible for about 90 per cent of North Korea's trade, serves as the country's conduit to the international banking system.
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Doctored pictures and video showing US aircraft bombarded by a Pukguksong missile have been released by North Korea.
The images were from a state-owned propaganda site, DPRK Today and released hours after US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers, despatched from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam flew close to North Koreas east coast.
The bombers were accompanied by US Air Force F-15C Eagle fighter escorts that came from Okinawa, Japan, according to Yonhap News agency.
Saturdays airborne mission was the furthest north of the demilitarised zone separating North and South Korea that any US fighter aircraft has ventured into this century.
The propaganda photos released by North Korea were from a video that also showed a Pukguksong-2 missile launched from a B-1B and a F-35. In computer-generated images, the two US jets explode in a huge firestorm.
In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Show all 15 1 /15 In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test A lab employee from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety's regional office in Gangneung, east of Seoul, checks for radioactive traces in the air, in Gangneung, soon after North Korea announced it successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test. The office in Gangneung is the closest one to the site of the North's claimed test. Officials said it will take three to four days to analyze air samples in detail for any traces of radioactivity, the Yonhap news agency reported EPA In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un signing a document of a hydrogen bomb test in Pyongyang In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test People watch a TV news program showing North Korea's special announcement at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea AP In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Getty Images In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Getty Images In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test South Korean people watch TV news at Seoul station EPA In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Japan's meteorological agency officer Yohei Hasegawa displays a chart showing seismic activity, after a North Korean nuclear test, at the agency in Tokyo Getty Images In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Ko Yun-Hwa, administrator of Korea Meteorological Administration, briefs reporters showing seismic waves from the site of North Korea's hydrogen bomb test, at his office in Seoul Getty Images In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test North Korea's border county of Kaepoong is seen from a South Korean observation post in Paju near the Demilitarized zone dividing the two Koreas as North Korea announced it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test Getty Images
Also in the video, there are scenes of a North Korean submarine-launched missile scoring a direct hit on the USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered supercarrier.
North Korean foreign minister: Trump is on a suicide mission
The film issues a stern warning to the United States, with subtitles stating: Should F-35, B-1B and the Carl Vinson lead the US attack, they will head to the grave in that order.
North Korea has a long history of creating propaganda videos using computer-generated technology. These include a simulated attack on the White House and one of President Trump standing in a graveyard.
Computer-generated image released hours after US aircraft flying close to east coast of North Korea (Yonhap News)
Anti-US sentiment remains strong in Pyongyang, where a huge rally was held on Saturday, according to AP.
Tens of thousands gathered in Kim Il Sung Square to hear speeches from officials. Demonstrators shouted out total destruction, while students held signs with slogans saying death to the American imperialists.
North Koreas official news agency KCNA said that more than 100,000 people attended the mass protest.
We are waiting for the right time to have a final battle with the US, the evil empire, and to remove the US from the world, said Ri Il-bae, a commanding officer of the Red Guards, reported KCNA. Once respected Supreme commander Kim Jong-un gives an order, we will annihilate the group of aggressors.
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Europe is set to seek a 50bn (44bn) divorce bill to break the stalemate as Britain haggles over a deal to leave the European Union, according to senior European diplomats.
This financial settlement is at least twice the amount offered by Theresa May, which is reported to be in the region of 20bn. The UK needed to issue an agreement in-principle in order to start trade talks, EU sources told The Sunday Telegraph.
The Prime Ministers speech in Florence on Friday stated that Britain will honour commitments agreed when it was an EU member.
Ms May did not mention a specific amount that the UK would pay into the EU for the two years after it leaves in March 2019.
EU officials are pushing for more detailed information concerning the rights of EU citizens, as well as the monetary deal.
French president Emmanuel Macron said: Before we move forward, we wish to clarify the issue of the regulation of European citizens, the financial terms of the exit and the question of Ireland.
He warned: If those three points are not clarified, then we cannot move forward on the rest.
According to EU sources, Ms Mays Florence speech will be discussed during talks scheduled in Brussels on Monday 25 September, which will be attended by 100 UK officials.
The EU remains steadfast in its demands that Britain continues to pay into the European Union budget for a transitional two years in 2019 and 2020.
Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA
This is just a payment for the remaining financial framework period, Ales Chmelar, the Czech secretary for European affairs told the BBC.
This is not a payment for all the legacies that we see, including for example the pensions and the legacies in terms of grants and funds.
EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said he would look into the concrete implications of the UKs pledge that no member state would have to pay more as a result of Brexit, adding: We shall assess ... whether this assurance covers all commitments made by the United Kingdom as a member state of the European Union.
European negotiators are pushing for a much higher figure than offered by Mrs May, believed to be about 40bn- 50bn.
Speaking on the BBC Andrew Marr Show, Brexit Secretary David Davis attempted to allay fears over reports that the UK divorce bill could be as much as 40bn.
Mr Davis said that Britain would be paying roughly 10bn a year into the EU budget during the two-year transition period.
However, the Brexit secretary would not be drawn on the final amount, saying that would be a matter for negotiation. When questioned about the 40bn settlement suggested by EU officials, Mr Davis said: They sort of made that up too.
Im not going to do an actual number on air, it would be ridiculous to do that but we have a fairly clear idea where we are going on this.
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Angela Merkel has pledged to listen to the concerns of people who voted for the far-right AfD party in a bid to win back their support.
In a victory address following initial results that saw her returned for a fourth term as Chancellor, Ms Merkel spoke of "illicit migration" and "internal security" two areas the AfD has made inroads.
The CDU party leader said she would solve the "problems" and also address the "fears" of people who voted voted for the far-right.
The AfD Alternative for Germany won around 13 per cent of the vote, according to election-night projections. While Ms Merkel's CDU party won the most votes it was down on 2013 levels.
"We got where we wanted to be, we wanted to be the strongest power. It is down to us to form a government, and against us, no government can be formed," she told CDU supporters assembled an election night party in Berlin.
"After 12 years of being responsible for the government, the result we had today is really not something you can take for granted. Naturally, there's a challenge facing us for the future, and that is that the AfD has made it into parliament.
"We will have to win back those who voted for the AfD by solving their problems, by taking on board their concerns their fears in some cases but also by demonstrating good policymaking.
"In recent months we have fought for a Germany that we want to live in well, and now we need to set the course to ensure that in five and ten years' time it's still the case."
Though popular in Germany, Ms Merkel has faced some criticism from the right for her commitment to helping and taking in large numbers of refugees.
German election 2017 Show all 14 1 /14 German election 2017 German election 2017 German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) poses for a selfie with a boy before addressing an election campaign rally of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Kappeln Odd Andersen/AFP German election 2017 German Social Democrat (SPD) and chancellor candidate Martin Schulz speaks during an election campaign stop on September 20, 2017 in Gelsenkirchen. Schulz trails Chancellor and Christian Democrat (CDU) Angela Merkel by double digits Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images German election 2017 Sahra Wagenknecht, top candidate of the left-wing Die Linke party for upcoming general elections, gives a speech during a session at the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) in Berlin on September 5 John MacDougall/AFP German election 2017 Top candidate for the Greens for the 2017 German federal elections, Cem Ozdemir, speaks during an election campaign rally of the Alliance '90/Greens in Stuttgart, southern Germany on September 20, 2017, during the final days before Germans head to the polls Thomas Kienzle/AFP German election 2017 Leader of the Free Democrats (FDP) and main candidate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, Christian Lindner gives a speech during the party congress in Berlin on September 17 Odd Andersen/AFP German election 2017 Alice Weidel and Alexander Gauland, co-lead candidates of the right-wing, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, speaking to the media on Islam, immigration and crime next to an AfD poster that reads: 'Crime Through Immigration, The Refugee Wave Leaves Behind Clues!' on September 18, in Berlin Tobias Schwarz/AFP German election 2017 People listen to German Chancellor and Christian Democrat (CDU) Angela Merkel speak at an election campaign stop on September 19, 2017 in Schwerin Getty German election 2017 Refugees from Syria prior to the arrival of German Chancellor and Christian Democrat (CDU) Angela Merkel at an election campaign stop on September 19, 2017 in Schwerin Sean Gallup/Getty Images German election 2017 The audience cheers whilst listening to German Social Democrat (SPD) and chancellor candidate Martin Schulz speaking during an election campaign stop on September 14 in Munich Joerg Koch/Getty Images German election 2017 German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds up a tomato as she addresses an election campaign rally of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Lingen on September 13 AFP/Getty Images German election 2017 Alexander Gauland, top candidate of Germany's anti-Islam, anti-immigration AfD (Alternative fuer Deutschland) party for upcoming general elections, walks past supporters as he attends an election campaign event in Nuremberg Daniel Karmann/AFP German election 2017 British politician and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage speaks at an event held by the German right-wing, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party as AfD leading member Beatrix von Storch looks on on September 8, 2017 in Berlin Sean Gallup/Getty Images German election 2017 Martin Schulz (C), chancellor candidate of the German Social Democrats (SPD), looks on in a fest tent at the Gillamoos amusement fair on September 4, 2017 in Abensberg, Germany. Politicians, among them elections candidates, from Germany's major political parties are attending the fair today in what is an an annual tradition Johannes Simon/Getty Images German election 2017 An Alternative for Germany (AfD) campaign poster is vandalised in Berlin. Germans go to the polls on September 24th, with the AfD widely expected to garner enough votes to enter the federal parliament. Campaign poster reads: 'New Germans? we'll make them ourselves.' AFP
At this year's elections, the AfD ran an explicitly anti-Islam campaign, arguing that "Islam is not a part of Germany".
Initial results suggest Ms Merkel's CDU won 32.5 per cent of the vote, while the centre-left SPD crashed to a historically low 20 per cent. The AfD won 13.5 per cent, while the liberal FDP won 10.5 per cent. The Greens won 9.5 per cent and the left-wing Die Linke won 9 per cent.
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About a thousand protesters poured into Berlins streets on Sunday night as exit polls revealed a huge gain for anti-immigration party Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD).
But cheers and applause erupted inside the Traffic Club on Alexanderplatz, where supporters and representatives of the anti-immigration Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) discovered the polls had set the party on track to win 13.5 per cent of the votes and enter the German Parliament for the first time.
A few hundred people selected by the party were allowed inside the venue, in the centre of Berlin.
With media from around the world watching, supporters of the far-right populist AfD were in the mood for celebration and sang the German national anthem as the first results were announced.
Speaking to supporters, Beatrix von Storch, a leading member of the AfD and the granddaughter of Hitlers finance minister, hailed the results a revolution, while Alexander Gauland, one of the partys top two candidates, thanked the crowd for their trust and support and pledged we will take back our country and our people.
Goetz Froemming, a candidate for the AfD in Berlin and the partys campaign organiser in the German capital, told The Independent: This is a historic moment and a turning point for our party. Its one thing to be part of local councils but now that we are going to enter the Bundestag, we will have more influence than ever and we will be able to be the real conservative opposition to the government.
This was a really hard-fought campaign and our rivals have been unfair to us by calling us Nazis and against the constitution, which is not true but the results are in line with our estimates.
In the last leg of the campaign, the AfD, which capitalised on an anti-immigration sentiment across Germany following Ms Merkels open door policy that enabled more than a million refugees and migrants enter the country, saw its popularity rise to reach 13 per cent in the polls on the eve of the election.
The early results mean the party, which already has representatives in 13 out of the countrys 16 local states, could win more than 80 seats in the Bundestag and become the third biggest political force in Germany.
Timm Westmark, a 23-year-old AfD supporter who travelled from North Rhine-Westphalia to celebrate the results, said: I was hoping we could do 14 per cent but Im still really happy. We are now the third biggest force in the Bundestag. There is a bright future ahead and we will fight back against the Antifa and far-left extremists.
Recommended German far right to win MPs for first time in half a century
But if inside the club overlooking Germanys capital the mood was one of celebration, outside the venue thousands of people arrived to protest against the rise of the far-right party.
Riot police formed a human chain preventing the protesters from approaching the venue.
Barriers blocked the entrance to the club but protesters, who were moved on to the opposite side of the street by a heavy police presence, chanted: Nazi pigs, Say it loud, say it clear refugees are welcome here and The entire Berlin hates the AfD".
Jorg Reichel, a Berlin resident who lives close to the club, said he came to show his opposition to the AfD, which he said does not belong in the Berlin community.
He said: The AfD is not part of our community. The community here votes for the SPD and the greens, we vote for democracy. It is 70 years since a far-right party entered Parliament and we should be ashamed. Its my right as a citizen to stand here and say this is not okay.
The police came and asked for my ID, he adds. I wont be charged, but how is this for democracy?
Commenting on the fact the AfD would enter Parliament for the first time, he added: There will be hard times ahead. Its going to be tough for many of us, people on the left, but also homosexuals and people from ethnic minorities.
Earlier in the day, AfD voters in Franzosisch-Buchholz, an area in Berlins eastern electoral district of Pankow 1 where the AfD took a large 22 per cent of the vote in last years local election in Berlin, were hopeful the party would receive at least 13 per cent of votes.
On his way to cast his vote, Jens Birkholz, 56, an AfD supporter who has always voted for nationalist parties in Germany, was unabashed about his support for the far-right group.
He told The Independent: This is an important day for Germany. The government must go, today we are optimistic. The AfD could be the main opposition to the government.
The problems [facing Germany] are Islam, Europe and the capitalist system. Islam as a religion is a problem. The Islamists want to wage a war against our civilisation and we must fight that.
Christel Silg agreed. The 78-year-old, who has lived in East Berlin her entire life, describes herself as a nationalist. I will vote AfD against Islam, she said. Thats the problem.
At a primary school, which had been turned into a polling station, there was a calm atmosphere as parents with children and elderly people joined the small queues to cast their vote.
Kathi, 49, a voter in the area, did not believe the AfD would surge beyond the predicted 13 per cent in the polls.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. 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Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. 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Speaking to The Independent before the results, she said: I dont think the participation rate will be higher this year than previously and I dont think the AfD will gain as many votes as some have said. I am definitely not afraid of that.
One man, who asked not to be identified, added: Today is an important day. Its like we are back to the years before the war and the rise of Hitler. The fact the AfD could enter Parliament is a repeat of what happened with Hitler.
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A British general in Iraq has said the deaths of innocent people caught up in coalition air strikes against Isis are the price you pay for defeating the extremists.
More than 5,000 civilians have been killed in attacks by the US-led mission against militant strongholds in Iraq and Syria, independent figures suggest. Officials put the number at about 700.
Major-General Rupert Jones said it was impossible to target the evil extremists, who are holed up in densely packed cities, without collateral impacts that included the loss of women and children.
RAF fighter planes and drones were deployed in the successful mission to wrest back control of Mosul in Iraq, with the last west Mosul neighbourhood liberated in July.
Kurdish intelligence officials previously told The Independent that as many as 40,000 died in the battle for Mosul alone, most from a combination of international air strikes and artillery strikes on the ground.
Amnesty International described the nine-month campaign that levelled whole neighbourhoods as a civilian catastrophe.
It came as coalition forces battle on against some 2,000 Isis fighters in its former stronghold of Raqqa in Syria, in strikes that have turned swathes of the city into rubble.
Mr Jones said military chiefs go to the greatest lengths possible to minimise the loss of civilians in the missions, but added there is a price you pay for targeting extremists in cities.
He laid much of the blame for the death toll of innocent victims on the battle strategies used by the radicals ahead of an air strike.
They herd people into buildings, lock them into buildings and then go and pop a single sniper on the roof, Mr Jones told The Sunday Times, knowing that we will target him if we dont know there is a whole stack of civilians in there.
But they know that we will use low-collateral weapons, which means we probably wont kill all the people inside the building.
So what they do is wire the building with explosives, knowing that a low-collateral weapon might cause a detonation that kills everybody. Thats the sort of enemy youre dealing with.
The coalition has said at least 685 civilians have been killed by its strikes in Iraq and Syria since it began its mission against the Isis strongholds there three years ago.
The independent monitoring group Airwars, which is based in the UK, estimated that 5,343 innocent people have been killed in the coalition attacks.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
Mr Jones explained the problems it encountered when targeting Isis in Mosul.
There are a number of things. The first is: wars hell, he said. Mosul is a city of 1.75 million held by one of the most brutal enemies to ever take the field of battle. Theyre evil.
Can you defeat them in a city like Mosul? Tragically, without civilian casualties, no. Welcome to warfare. Is that squeamish, is that a bit unpleasant? Yes it is.
Nobody feels that more keenly than the military, because its the military who have to hold on their conscience if there are civilian casualties.
Allan Hogarth, Head of Advocacy at Amnesty International UK, hit out at what he called the coalition's "race to the bottom" to target Isis at all costs.
He told The Independent: No one should underestimate the ruthlessness of the tactics of so-called Islamic State or the difficulty of mounting a military engagement with its fighters without endangering civilians, but that makes it even more important that measures are taken to protect women, men and children caught up in the fighting.
Rather than engaging in a race to bottom, Major-General Rupert Jones' time would be better spent calling for adherence to the Geneva convention and talking about how more needs to be done to protect civilians.
More than 3,000 Isis militants have been killed in strikes against extremist targets in Iraq and Syria, figures showed.
There was no credible evidence that these strikes have killed civilians, the Ministry of Defence told The Sunday Times.
It added: That isnt the same as saying we have not or will not do so.
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So what do you think about Sinn Fein? About Wales and Scotland? the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) official asks, looking over the paperwork that lays out this reporters Celtic roots.
He goes on to show an impressively detailed grasp of Irish politics. Many people in the KRG the autonomous Kurdish area of northern Iraq follow independence movements around the world very closely.
Their own chance for self-determination has been a long time coming: on Monday 25 September, the KRGs residents will take part in a vote that is supposed to turn the KRG into an independent state.
Iraqi woman solving uniform shortage for Kurdish fighters
The vote could have far-reaching implications for Iraqs future. The central government has refused to recognise it as a legitimate vote; the US, fearing further rifts between Baghdad and Irbil, has pleaded with KRG President Masoud Barzani to delay it until Isis has been defeated in the country.
Last week, Iraqs Supreme Court issued a ruling ordering the referendums suspension. There are growing fears that the likely yes outcome will lead to violence between local Arab militias and the police.
None of that, however, has deterred Iraqs 8.4 million Kurds, who are united in their excitement over the upcoming vote.
In Irbil this week, the capital of the KRG , there are even more KRG flags around than usual. The orange, white and green horizontal tricolour, with a bright yellow sun in the centre, is draped from practically every building.
Around the 7,000-year-old citadel, pick-up trucks carrying huge speaker systems blare out referendum slogans and Kurdish pop songs. Many children are decked out in traditional dress, as are members of the peshmerga, rifles swinging from their shoulders.
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
Every phone background is a flag with the number 25, with a hand making the V for victory sign superimposed on top of it. Every radio station plays repeats of President Barzanis recent rallies.
Although they cannot vote, the many Syrian Kurds who live in the KRG are also wholly enthusiastic, hoping the result could set a precedent for their own dealings with President Bashar al-Assads government as the war next door winds down.
But for the local Arab population, the situation is not as straightforward. The area that the vote encompasses includes towns such as the multi-ethnic Kirkuk: an oil-rich province also claimed by Iraqs Arabs.
Peshmerga Forces Provide Much-needed Help to Fight ISIS in Kobani
If Kirkuk is a litmus test for what could happen in other areas that were narrowly dragged into the referendum vote, the signs so far are not good.
In the last few days, several violent incidents between Shia and Turkmen militias and Kurdish police in Kirkuk have been reported; rumours are swirling among Irbils large NGO worker population that the government may even close down Iraqi airspace.
Worried by the increasing unrest, evacuation plans have been put in place; staff have been told to work from home for the next few days and obey a curfew.
Recommended What the Kurdish referendum means for the future of Iraq
In Nineveh, the campaign to oust Isis from Hawija, one of its last strongholds in Iraq, has just got underway, the timing of which many Kurds have grumbled is a attempt by Baghdad to minimise the independence votes importance.
Baghdad, in turn, has accused the KRG of needless posturing over the non-binding vote, which it sees as an attempt to wrest control of Iraqs oil away from the government and sow new divisions after Isis destabilised the already fragile peace.
The Kurds know that international support for the administration will wane once Isis is defeated; Mr Barzani himself has said in multiple interviews that the referendum is in no small part symbolic, showing Baghdad and the US that Kurdish co-operation cannot be taken for granted.
Whether the inevitable yes result gives the Kurds greater bargaining power in Baghdad or sparks regional conflict after the successful Arab-Kurdish cooperation to dislodge Isis from Mosul in July remains to be seen. It could be a high price to pay.
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A far-right party has won seats in the German parliament for the first time in half a century, in an election that saw Angela Merkel returned as chancellor for the fourth contest straight.
The German chancellor pledged to address the concerns of people who voted for the anti-Muslim and anti-immigration AfD after initial results showed it winning 13.5 per cent of the vote at the higher end of what was expected.
Meanwhile, the centre-left SPD the current coalition partners of Ms Merkels CDU and a titan of German politics for 150 years have hit a historic low of just 20 per cent, the social democratic partys worst showing since the Second World War.
Small parties in general did well in the election and were all up on their 2013 results, with the the liberal FDP re-entering the Bundestag with 10.5 per cent of the vote, the Greens on 9.5 per cent, and the left-wing Die Linke on 9 per cent. Turnout and voter participation also appears to have climbed since the previous election, which was held in 2013.
SPD leader Martin Schulz immediately ruled out going back into coalition with Ms Merkel, leaving the Chancellor likely to go into coalition with the liberals and the Greens the so called Jamaica Coalition because the colour of the parties matches the countrys flag yellow, black, and green flag.
Such a coalition has not been formed at German national level before though it does sometimes occur in Germanys state parliaments, such as in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein where it currently operates.
Ms Merkel could alternatively try to form a minority government if she is unable to secure the formal backing of other parties with coalition negotiations expected to take weeks or even months.
The result is a huge blow for Mr Schulz, a former president of the European Parliament who became SPD leader earlier this year and once hoped to unseat Ms Merkel from the Bundeskanzleramt. His appointment as leader in March saw the SPD spike in the polls, but his honeymoon quickly faded.
Speaking after exit polls were released, Ms Schulz attacked right-wing extremism of the AfD and told supporters assembled in Berlin: What is depressing for us tonight is the result of the AfD.
For the first time with them there will be far-right representation in the Bundestag.
Martin Schulz, the SPD leader, suffered a terrible defeat (Getty Images)
One of the largest cheers of the night from Mr Schulzs address was his announcement that he would drop the coalition with Ms Merkel a pact that has cause rifts within the SPD. Mr Schulz himself did not serve as a minister in the government, he says, because he wanted to replace Ms Merkel as chancellor.
In a speech following the exit poll, Ms Merkel attacked illicit migration and said internal and domestic security would be one of the focuses of coming months an apparent nod to the AfDs priorities.
She told assembled CDU supporters: We got where we wanted to be, we wanted to be the strongest power. It is down to us to form a government, and against us, no government can be formed.
After 12 years of being responsible for the government, the result we had today is really not something you can take for granted. Naturally, theres a challenge facing us for the future, and that is that the AfD has made it into parliament.
We will have to win back those who voted for the AfD by solving their problems, by taking on board their concerns their fears in some cases but also by demonstrating good policymaking.
Angela Merkel pledged to assuage AfD voters fears and win them back (Getty Images) (Getty)
In recent months we have fought for a Germany that we want to live in well, and now we need to set the course to ensure that in five and ten years time its still the case.
Alexander Gauland, the lead candidate for the AfD said: The government, whatever it will look like, should get ready for tough times. Well chase them. Well take back our country and our people.
The campaign was dominated by the AfDs messaging on the refugee crisis and Muslims in particular, with the partys anti-Islam posters littered all over German cities and towns.
The closest the Bundestag has come to having far-right MPs since the Second World War was the Deutsche Rechtspartei, or German Right Party, a hard-right national conservative outfit that attracted former Nazis and won five seats in the 1949 federal election. It lost those seats at the next election.
Other than the AfD, the most notorious contemporary German far-right party is the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD). The NPD has previously won scattered representation in local state parliaments but has failed to ever win any seats in the Bundestag.
German election 2017 Show all 14 1 /14 German election 2017 German election 2017 German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) poses for a selfie with a boy before addressing an election campaign rally of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Kappeln Odd Andersen/AFP German election 2017 German Social Democrat (SPD) and chancellor candidate Martin Schulz speaks during an election campaign stop on September 20, 2017 in Gelsenkirchen. Schulz trails Chancellor and Christian Democrat (CDU) Angela Merkel by double digits Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images German election 2017 Sahra Wagenknecht, top candidate of the left-wing Die Linke party for upcoming general elections, gives a speech during a session at the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) in Berlin on September 5 John MacDougall/AFP German election 2017 Top candidate for the Greens for the 2017 German federal elections, Cem Ozdemir, speaks during an election campaign rally of the Alliance '90/Greens in Stuttgart, southern Germany on September 20, 2017, during the final days before Germans head to the polls Thomas Kienzle/AFP German election 2017 Leader of the Free Democrats (FDP) and main candidate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, Christian Lindner gives a speech during the party congress in Berlin on September 17 Odd Andersen/AFP German election 2017 Alice Weidel and Alexander Gauland, co-lead candidates of the right-wing, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, speaking to the media on Islam, immigration and crime next to an AfD poster that reads: 'Crime Through Immigration, The Refugee Wave Leaves Behind Clues!' on September 18, in Berlin Tobias Schwarz/AFP German election 2017 People listen to German Chancellor and Christian Democrat (CDU) Angela Merkel speak at an election campaign stop on September 19, 2017 in Schwerin Getty German election 2017 Refugees from Syria prior to the arrival of German Chancellor and Christian Democrat (CDU) Angela Merkel at an election campaign stop on September 19, 2017 in Schwerin Sean Gallup/Getty Images German election 2017 The audience cheers whilst listening to German Social Democrat (SPD) and chancellor candidate Martin Schulz speaking during an election campaign stop on September 14 in Munich Joerg Koch/Getty Images German election 2017 German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds up a tomato as she addresses an election campaign rally of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Lingen on September 13 AFP/Getty Images German election 2017 Alexander Gauland, top candidate of Germany's anti-Islam, anti-immigration AfD (Alternative fuer Deutschland) party for upcoming general elections, walks past supporters as he attends an election campaign event in Nuremberg Daniel Karmann/AFP German election 2017 British politician and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage speaks at an event held by the German right-wing, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party as AfD leading member Beatrix von Storch looks on on September 8, 2017 in Berlin Sean Gallup/Getty Images German election 2017 Martin Schulz (C), chancellor candidate of the German Social Democrats (SPD), looks on in a fest tent at the Gillamoos amusement fair on September 4, 2017 in Abensberg, Germany. Politicians, among them elections candidates, from Germany's major political parties are attending the fair today in what is an an annual tradition Johannes Simon/Getty Images German election 2017 An Alternative for Germany (AfD) campaign poster is vandalised in Berlin. Germans go to the polls on September 24th, with the AfD widely expected to garner enough votes to enter the federal parliament. Campaign poster reads: 'New Germans? we'll make them ourselves.' AFP
The AfD was founded in 2013 as an anti-euro party, when it won 4.7 per cent of the vote in that years federal elections, narrowly missing the 5 per cent threshold for winning seats in the Bundestag. It has since taken a more explicitly anti-immigration and anti-Islam stance and seen its popularity grow pledging to ban mosques, minarets and face veils. The party says it wants to take Angela Merkel to court for accepting refugees and campaigned under the explicit slogan Islam is not a part of Germany.
The party previously sat in the same European Parliament group as the British Conservative Party the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) but it was expelled after signing a cooperation agreement with the Austrian Freedom Party, a far-right populist outfit.
Early seat projections suggest that the CDU will hold 218 MPs in the coming session of the Bundestag, and the SPD 138.
The AfD is set to take 88, the FDP 69, the Left 58 and the Greens 60.
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A strong showing for the far-right AfD party in the German elections may be contained by a surge in liberal urban voters turning out to stop them, early indications suggest.
The anti-immigration and anti-Islam Alternative fur Deutschland is expected to be the first far-right party to win MPs in the Bundestag for half a century when polls close today but the party may not fare quite as well as expected if early turnout figures are to be believed.
Numbers released by the German federal returning officer in the early afternoon show turnout across the country was roughly static at 41.1 per cent, compared to 41.4 per cent in the most recent previous elections in 2013.
Recommended German far right to win MPs for first time in half a century
But the overall national picture appears to be disguising a shift on the ground, with voters turning out in force in many wealthier urban areas, while poorer and more rural areas associated with the AfD see lower turnout.
The state of Hesse, which contains the city of Frankfurt, the well-to-do financial capital of continental Europe, saw turnout substantially up, from 40 per cent at 2pm on election day 2013 to 45.9 per cent at the same time this year.
Meanwhile Thuringia, the so-called green heart of Germany, saw turnout as of 2pm down to just 50.9 per cent. It was 55.6 per cent at the same time the same year.
Turnout in wealthy the wealthy port city of Hamburg was up, while the former coal mining and industrial area of Saarland saw a fall in turnout.
The German capital Berlin which is poorer than the rest of the county appeared to buck the trend of urban areas having significantly higher turnout. It was roughly static at 27.2 per cent, up just 0.1 per cent on the last time as of 2pm.
Turnout in cities like the wealthy finance capital Frankfurt is markedly up on the 2013 elections (Reuters)
Higher turnout in urban areas would likely favour more established parties such as the liberal FDP and Greens, who do well in cities barring a major reversal of previous trends.
AfD sources in Berlin said they expected their results to average between 11.4 per cent and 14.6 per cent with stronger showings in former East German areas.
With polls open until 6pm local time there is still plenty of time for voters in other areas to get turn up at polling stations, however, and the picture could change.
German election 2017 Show all 14 1 /14 German election 2017 German election 2017 German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) poses for a selfie with a boy before addressing an election campaign rally of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Kappeln Odd Andersen/AFP German election 2017 German Social Democrat (SPD) and chancellor candidate Martin Schulz speaks during an election campaign stop on September 20, 2017 in Gelsenkirchen. Schulz trails Chancellor and Christian Democrat (CDU) Angela Merkel by double digits Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images German election 2017 Sahra Wagenknecht, top candidate of the left-wing Die Linke party for upcoming general elections, gives a speech during a session at the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) in Berlin on September 5 John MacDougall/AFP German election 2017 Top candidate for the Greens for the 2017 German federal elections, Cem Ozdemir, speaks during an election campaign rally of the Alliance '90/Greens in Stuttgart, southern Germany on September 20, 2017, during the final days before Germans head to the polls Thomas Kienzle/AFP German election 2017 Leader of the Free Democrats (FDP) and main candidate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, Christian Lindner gives a speech during the party congress in Berlin on September 17 Odd Andersen/AFP German election 2017 Alice Weidel and Alexander Gauland, co-lead candidates of the right-wing, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, speaking to the media on Islam, immigration and crime next to an AfD poster that reads: 'Crime Through Immigration, The Refugee Wave Leaves Behind Clues!' on September 18, in Berlin Tobias Schwarz/AFP German election 2017 People listen to German Chancellor and Christian Democrat (CDU) Angela Merkel speak at an election campaign stop on September 19, 2017 in Schwerin Getty German election 2017 Refugees from Syria prior to the arrival of German Chancellor and Christian Democrat (CDU) Angela Merkel at an election campaign stop on September 19, 2017 in Schwerin Sean Gallup/Getty Images German election 2017 The audience cheers whilst listening to German Social Democrat (SPD) and chancellor candidate Martin Schulz speaking during an election campaign stop on September 14 in Munich Joerg Koch/Getty Images German election 2017 German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds up a tomato as she addresses an election campaign rally of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Lingen on September 13 AFP/Getty Images German election 2017 Alexander Gauland, top candidate of Germany's anti-Islam, anti-immigration AfD (Alternative fuer Deutschland) party for upcoming general elections, walks past supporters as he attends an election campaign event in Nuremberg Daniel Karmann/AFP German election 2017 British politician and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage speaks at an event held by the German right-wing, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party as AfD leading member Beatrix von Storch looks on on September 8, 2017 in Berlin Sean Gallup/Getty Images German election 2017 Martin Schulz (C), chancellor candidate of the German Social Democrats (SPD), looks on in a fest tent at the Gillamoos amusement fair on September 4, 2017 in Abensberg, Germany. Politicians, among them elections candidates, from Germany's major political parties are attending the fair today in what is an an annual tradition Johannes Simon/Getty Images German election 2017 An Alternative for Germany (AfD) campaign poster is vandalised in Berlin. Germans go to the polls on September 24th, with the AfD widely expected to garner enough votes to enter the federal parliament. Campaign poster reads: 'New Germans? we'll make them ourselves.' AFP
German politicians, including the president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, urged voters to go to the polls this morning.
"It has perhaps never been as clear that the elections are about the future of democracy and Europe," he wrote in the tabloid newspaper Bild.
"If you don't vote, others decide."
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Fly to France for under 5, and to much of the rest of Europe for less than 10: that is the offer from Ryanair as it seeks to get flight bookings back on track after the worst week in its history.
The budget airline, which is the biggest in Europe, is having to pay compensation to tens of thousands of passengers whose flights were abruptly cancelled because of a shortage of pilots.
As predicted by The Independent, Ryanair has launched an unprecedented fares war which threatens to unsettle its rivals.
The airline has put one million seats for October through to February on the market at 9.99 one way. But research by The Independent has found some fares are even lower. Seats on the service from Ryanairs main base, Stansted, to Lorient in Brittany and Grenoble in the Alps available for 4.99 for many flights in October. Seats from Stansted to Strasbourg, East Midlands to Dinard and Luton to Beziers are being sold at 7.99.
As is the case with all air fares sold in the UK, these include tax and airport charges.
For every passenger taking up the offer, Ryanair will have to pay 13 in Air Passenger Duty though the airline will hope to make up the difference, and move into profit, selling ancillaries such as baggage and advance seat selection. It has a strict yield passive, load-factor active policy, which means the airline will cut fares to whatever level is necessary to entice passengers on board.
Fares under 10 are available even on mainstream, bread-and-butter routes such as Manchester to Frankfurt and Gatwick to Alicante, putting intense pressure on rival carriers.
While Ryanair has only one flight a day between Manchester and Frankfurt, compared with four on Lufthansa, the German airline is selling one-way fares for more than 10 times as much; the lowest found by The Independent is 118 one-way.
From Gatwick to Alicante on 1 November, Monarch is charging 35 while easyJets cheapest flight is 37.99, compared with just 9.99 on Ryanair.
Even some of the airlines longer routes are priced at below 10, including Aberdeen to Faro, Belfast to Gdansk, Birmingham to Corfu, Manchester to Naples and Newcastle to Malaga.
Peak school holiday flights, however, are far more expensive. Flying from Bristol to Malta on 22 October, back a week later, currently costs 291 return.
Seven years ago, the Ryanair boss told The Independent that he was not interested in passengers plaudits for the way that his airline had transformed aviation across Europe.
We don't particularly want their appreciation, said Michael OLeary. We just want their bums on our seats.
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Often enough have we blamed colonisation and Western influences for the devastation and suffering seen in the Middle East. And rightly so. But we should similarly not shy away from criticising those in the Middle East when their democratic integrity is compromised.
One example is tomorrows referendum on Kurdish independence, and the fact that many countries in the Middle East seem united in not granting the Kurds their independence, presumably out of fear that the Iraqi Kurdish referendum would boost pro-independence movements in neighbouring Turkey and Iran.
When Scotland planned to hold a vote on its independence, the UK Governments chief priority wasnt avoiding independence movements in Wales and Northern Ireland at all costs. Instead, the Scots right to a vote on their own independence was accepted. This is a core tenet of democracy: the right of people to decide their own destinies.
Tomorrow Iraqi Kurds will vote on this exact question. The referendum, initially set in 2014 following disputes over the sharing of oil proceeds between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi Government, is set to go ahead despite opposition from its neighbours and a lukewarm reception by Western governments.
Turkey and Iran have condemned the vote and Iraqs Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has called it a challenge to the constitution. Turkey has even kicked off military drills on the much disputed Turkey-Iraq border to flex its muscle ahead of the referendum.
Kurds capture Isis fighter
The US and the UK have also been rattled by the referendum in an effort to appease allies in the region, defence secretary Michael Fallon has even visited Iraq to try and dissuade the Kurds from holding the vote.
Neither the US nor the UK have hesitated to ally themselves with the Kurds in the fight against Isis. This comes as no surprise to the Kurds, a people used to betrayal, especially from the US. In 1991, George W Bush told the people of Iraq to rise up against Saddam. When the Kurds rebelled against the Iraqi dictator, the US abandoned them, leading to a humanitarian crisis and thousands of deaths.
The Kurds, with an estimated population of 35 million, are one of the largest minority groups without a state. They were intentionally scattered across four nations by Britain and France following the First World War. The Iraqi Kurds and the Arabs are distinct ethnic groups, but are counted as one under the Sykes-Picot Agreement. The renowned Arab traveller Ibn Battutah even noted the differences as he travelled through Kurdish lands and saw Kurdish villages on his journey to Persia in the year 1327.
The Kurds have long fought for their freedom, and have faced unimaginable oppression as a people. I am a Kurd, so you could argue that my views are biased. Nevertheless, my family and I have witnessed the struggles of the Kurds.
We fled Saddams oppressive regime, which wished to ethnically cleanse the Kurds as part of his Arabisation programme. Every Kurd I know dreams of a peaceful life, and each of us would choose safety and stability over having our own independent state. However, we have realised that the only way to free ourselves from oppression is independence. Too many times have the Kurds worried about their future due to the actions of those around them.
Of course, the Kurds arent perfect. Questions have been asked of the leadership and their treatment of captured Isis fighters. It would be naive to think that the Kurds, destroyed and ravished by war for decades, would have the same juristic and political standards as the West. But Kurdish leaders have condemned terrorism and have built universities, airports and infrastructure worthy of any sovereign state.
The other Alan Kurdis: Refugee children who survived the journey Show all 8 1 /8 The other Alan Kurdis: Refugee children who survived the journey The other Alan Kurdis: Refugee children who survived the journey Basheer Basheer, a 3-year-old Syrian boy, lying on his father leg, lives with his family in a rent-free house as part of NRC's shelter programme in the village of Bair-Ras, in Irbid governorate, northern Jordan. Photo 11 October 2015 NRC/Hussein Amri The other Alan Kurdis: Refugee children who survived the journey Hisham Mustafa has fled from Aleppo, and is currently at Idomeni in Greece. Here he is playing with his nephew Hisham, 3 NRC/Tiril Skarstein The other Alan Kurdis: Refugee children who survived the journey Ahmaydi Bouchra Little Ahmaydi, 3, and her family of eight fled from fighting in Mali to the Goudebo camp in Burkina Faso in 2013. Neither of her two older sisters went to school in Mali. The whole family lives in a tent that is approx. 7m x 6m. The family bed is stored outside to make space inside the shelter during day time. In the evenings, they carry the bed back in. NRC/Ingrid Prestetun The other Alan Kurdis: Refugee children who survived the journey Farah Farah, 4, lives with her family in Irbid in a rent-free apartment. She stays home with her mother as her four sisters and three brothers leave for the day to their various schools. Photo 11t October 2015 NRC/Hussein Amri The other Alan Kurdis: Refugee children who survived the journey Batane Yacouba Batane Yacouba, 4, lives with his two older sisters and his mother in the Goudebo camp in Burkina Faso. A Tuareg family, they were forced to flee Mali fearing for their lives. Their father is dead NRC/Ingrid Prestetun The other Alan Kurdis: Refugee children who survived the journey Hassan Syrian boy Redor, 12, plays with Hassan, 3, after arriving at the port in Chios, Greece NRC/Tiril Skarstein The other Alan Kurdis: Refugee children who survived the journey Fatin Fatin, 4, and her family fled Syria to Irbid, northern Jordan. Her father has issued a birth certificate for her, in order for her to have access to health centres. NRC/Hussein Amri The other Alan Kurdis: Refugee children who survived the journey Born a refugee Alice Digama (24) sits on the tent floor with her two-week-old baby. Her son is one of many children born a refugee. Alice was heavily pregnant when she escaped South Sudan and crossed the border into Uganda, after her husband left her for another wife NRC/Sofi Lundin
In order to achieve a successful and self-sustaining Middle East, we need to support those willing to make a difference. While Kurdistans neighbours are busy building weapons, the Kurds are taking in refugees. Kurdistan has taken in an estimated 1.5 million Iraqi refugees and 250,000 Syrian refugees.
Iraqi Kurdistan has taken in the largest number of displaced people outside of Syria, representing 25 per cent of the Kurdish population. Imagine the outcry from almost any other country if it took in nearly two million refugees. Imagine the chaos as people complain about the refugees effects on their economy, healthcare system and housing market. Instead, the Kurds have embraced the refugees and integrated them, remembering their struggles as they help those most in need.
Recommended What the Kurdish referendum means for the future of Iraq
In Iraqi Kurdistan, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Assyrians, Yezidis and many other ethnic and religious minorities live together in harmony. British MP Robert Halfon said that he sees Kurdistan as one of the most progressive Muslim regions in Middle East. Tell me which other country in the Middle East has a Jewish quarter and they are preserving it, said Halfon as he visited Sulaimaniyah, a city in Kurdistan.
Furthermore, Kurdish women play a significant role in society. They have important roles politically and militarily, unlike the Kurds neighbours. Hero Talabani, a female politician, leads one of the largest political parties in Kurdistan. Militarily, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Iraq are estimated to be 160,000 strong, with roughly 30 per cent being women.
The Kurds have no friends but the mountains, says an old proverb which reflects the struggle the Kurds have faced for centuries. Its the dream of every people to determine its own destiny, and the Kurds struggle to even hold a referendum has shown the problems in the Middle East. The Kurds are at the forefront of progress in the region, and should be supported on their road to independence so that every Kurd can have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
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I have voted Labour all my life (I am 68) with two exceptions, 1982 and 2017. I am an unashamed Blairite and make no apology for it. Right now I cannot bring myself to vote for a Corbyn-led Labour government. Only one thing could make me change my mind and that is if Labour were to commit unequivocally to staying long-term in the single market and customs union.
I feel this issue transcends all others. It is about the long long term futures of my children and grandchildren.
I felt betrayed by Corbyn's equivocation during the referendum and vowed never to vote Labour while he was leader. I now ask him to help me change my mind.
Jack Liebeskind
Cheltenham
I suspect that the clue to whether or not Corbyn will be successful in the longer term is what exactly he means by the "ordinary people" whose voices will be heard.
If he means only the party membership and all the young supporters who see him, with justification, as a sort of saviour, then it would be worth considering that there might be quite a lot of ordinary people whose aspirations are equally important but not exactly aligned with those of his closest supporters.
David Buckton
Cambridge
The potentially positive side to Brexit
We live in a world riven by global anxieties, rising insecurity and far-right sentiments, widening inequality, entrenching climate calamities and splintering communities, all requiring prudence and statesmanship to carry us upon the tides towards safer shores.
It is unwise to ever think that Brexit will save us from mega hurricanes, cut NHS waiting times, and help us pour more money towards vital medicines and public services. It also remains too early to predict whether Brexit is the most disastrous national self-immolation in modern times as pessimists want us to believe.
But Brexit could herald a new dawn of transformative politics where affordable and scalable solutions could be found to enable us to leapfrog to a cleaner climate, more resilient economies more efficient renewable energy and healthier lives.
Dr Munjed Farid al Qutob
London NW2
Theresa Mays Brexit speech was completely underwhelming
As I listened to Theresa May in Florence, I waited in vain for her tablets of stone that would give us hope. Alas, there was an inevitable disappointment with the realisation that the one thing missing from the speech was the detail.
The only real item of note from the speech was the acceptance of a two year transition period that most of us had already come to the conclusion was inevitable. Hardly a seismic shift.
Vague comments about Britain paying what is due without any shift towards agreeing what is due did little to cause or confirm any shift in position.
What appeared to be the main thrust of this speech was a plea direct to the individual nations to be imaginative and let the UK have an unprecedented deal. The Tories attempting to pass the EU and speak to each individual nation. Can the Conservatives only work on a divide and rule basis? If they think it will work in this situation I think the speech can only be considered one of fantasy.
Whilst we have seen diplomatic responses from the EU, we have seen nothing to suggest it is going to be the groundbreaking speech it was billed to be.
The only significance appears to be the response of Cabinet Members to the bill. They now show themselves to be fully behind what Theresa said. I get the feeling that the purpose of the speech was more to find a way to show the Tories as united under one position than making any progress in negotiations.
Sean Willis
Grimsby
PM May's "transition period" has effectively delayed the Brexit finale for up to four more years. This sounds like a soap opera where two ill-matched people still can't break up completely and haven't really started working what do do with their shared assets. It's over, let's just get out of here.
It won't be a matter of "we'll still have Paris" as the EU passports won't work anymore.
Dennis Fitzgerald
Melbourne, Australia
Children should not be allowed to cycle on pavements
Janet Street Porter is right that the pavement is becoming as dangerous as the road, and that a growing menace is self-righteous parents who accompany, but do not control, their children.
They apparently justify such action as teaching and protecting their child, whom they permit to charge ahead into shoppers carrying heavy loads. I have often seen people just missed and upset by what is a form of bullying. It is indeed time that dangerous driving offences were extended to cyclists.
Vanessa Martin
London
Plant and animal species could become extinct in both parts of Ireland because of Brexit, environmentalists warned.
A fifth are already threatened and a hard environmental border could undermine common standards and water down protection of those most at risk, campaigners added.
Lobby groups from Northern Ireland and the Republic visited Brussels on Monday to voice concern.
Chairman of Northern Ireland Environment Link, Patrick Casement, said: "Our small island forms a single and unique unit in terms of our natural environment and our plant and animal species do not recognise the existence of a border.
"Many of these species are currently at risk of extinction on the island of Ireland and any dilution of protection will place them in further danger.
"Any future divergence or lowering of standards on either side of the border would be bad for the environment, bad for citizens, and also bad for business."
More than 650 pieces of EU legislation aid environmental protection in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The north/south green coalition said the island has benefited hugely from this common set of environmental standards.
They created a more coordinated and consistent approach to addressing cross-border environmental issues like the conservation of species and habitats on an all-island basis, the lobbyists added.
Coordinator of Ireland's Environmental Pillar, Michael Ewing, said: "It is only by avoiding a hard environmental border that we can ensure our joint efforts to protect and enhance the environment for the benefit of all is not undermined."
Negotiations and discussions have been focused solely on the economy, with little mention of the potential negative impact on natural heritage, he warned.
"Our time in Brussels gives us the perfect chance to highlight the challenges Brexit brings for environmental protection and to articulate how these issues can be averted through continued cross-border cooperation and the maintenance of high environmental standards both North and South."
The low-cost carrier is currently cancelling about 50 flights a day because of what it described as a significant management failure in our rostering department. Photo: Collins
Beleaguered Ryanair must hire 3,300 pilots if it is to hit ambitious growth targets that it has set for itself, according to senior aviation sources.
The low-cost carrier is currently cancelling about 50 flights a day because of what it described as a "significant management failure in our rostering department".
But the airline remains confident it can carry at least 200 million passengers a year by 2024, when it will have increased its fleet from the 400 Boeing 737s it flies today to 520, effectively a 4pc increase in aircraft capacity each year.
Up to 5pc of Ryanair pilots leave for other airlines each year. It is also increasing the crew ratio on its aircraft to protect against the type of cancellations it has forced on more than 300,000 of its passengers this autumn.
This means Ryanair, which has 4,200 pilots, will need to hire more than 3,300 pilots between now and 2024 - or close to 500 pilots every year, according to industry sources with experience of rostering and flight planning.
"It is important for Ryanair that this issue is portrayed as a once-off, but that does not make sense," said the source. "It looks to me like there is a systemic flaw in the model as it grows and grows. The focus has always been on the ability to steadily introduce new aircraft to match growth, but capacity is not just about the number of planes. You need the crew to fly these planes."
Chief executive Michael O'Leary - who denied to this newspaper that the airline's operation was failing to keep pace with its remarkable growth - has pledged to hire 600 pilots by next May.
But the most recent training class of 100 newly-recruited pilots has been delayed for weeks because of the rostering crisis. "All our flight simulators are full 20 hours a day just to keep up," said a well-placed company source.
Ryanair also faces a mounting industrial relations crisis as pilots - many of whom are not employed directly by the airline - seek better contracts.
At Dublin Airport and at least three other key hubs, the airline has been forced to offer a 12,000 bonus to pilots in return for giving up some annual leave entitlements, which the pilots have rejected.
It has been reported that rival Norwegian has poached up to 140 pilots from Ryanair in Dublin, with speculation that Ryanair pilots have also gone to other airlines. Ryanair, which did not respond to a query on its future hiring needs, has denied that it is haemorrhaging pilots.
Belfast-based software firm Anaeko has won a multi-million pound contract to develop and integrate leading-edge cloud services for a major cloud provider in the United States.
Invest Northern Ireland provided in-market support to help with introductions and client meetings which led to securing the contract.
Expand Close Re-Gen managing director Joseph Doherty. / Facebook
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For the past decade Anaeko has provided innovative solutions to global technology companies in the fields of mobile computing, social media, cloud computing, big data analytics and the Internet of Things.
Invest NI's director of trade, Alison Gowdy, described the contract as a "significant boost for the company".
Re-Gen Waste investment
Re-Gen Waste has made a 2m (2.25m) investment in its Newry plant, with another 7m (7.8m) to be spent within three years.
Thirty jobs will be created during the construction phase and 12 full-time positions will be created to support the recovery of the highest grades of recycled paper, taking the total workforce up to 205.
This new investment will enable the company to significantly increase paper exports so that they can continue to serve customers across the world for years to come.
"We have significant plans for the continued growth and evolution of our business with a clear strategy to target local contracts and expansion in the UK and European markets," Re-Gen's managing director, Joseph Doherty, said.
Japanese edtech launch
RoboDone, a primary school computing, coding and robotics online learning programme, is coming to Ireland. It is being led by Wexford man Trevor Murphy after he became the first Irish person to engage in a partnership with RoboDone outside of Japan.
Mr Murphy is the lead mentor and principal at KidsCoderClub.ie, Alignment.ie and Computingatschools.ie. These entities provide extra-curricular computing classes to primary and post-primary children, and also specialise in aiding primary and post-primary school-implemented computer sciences in classrooms.
2007 There are signs that all is not well in the property market - new developments aren't selling out, buyers are pulling out of sales and a daft.ie report indicates a slowdown in prices in the second quarter of the year. But vested interests are still talking a buoyant game and not everyone is happy with those who question the strength of the market. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern puts it bluntly: "Sitting on the sidelines, cribbing and moaning is a lost opportunity I don't know how people who engage in that don't commit suicide."
2008 Even before the stock market crash of September, the writing seems to be on the wall for Irish property. The days of housing developments selling direct from plans are already consigned to history and much of the media commentary is about slowdown. When it arrives in the autumn, the global crash is nothing short of a hammer-blow. Much of the crisis emanating from the US was built around mortgages being handed out too easily and at repayment costs that many people simply couldn't afford. The effects are immediately felt here.
2009 Property prices tumble and the cranes that once pockmarked the skylines of our cities are nowhere to be seen. Huge numbers employed in the construction trade find themselves out of work and facing the prospect of emigrating to Australia or Canada. House prices plummet. Dublin city centre is especially hard hit with property prices down on average 42.5pc from the peak. The Government is forced to take stark action. The National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) is established.
2010 There are some extraordinary bargains to be had for cash buyers. Dublin docklands apartments that commanded close to 500,000 during the boom are selling for less than 200,000. But young people hoping to get on the property ladder can only look on with envy. Banks are playing a very cautious game as stipulated by Central Bank guidelines. The credit supply that great swathes of the population took for granted simply dries up. It's the year of the Troika - the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund - who have descended on Dublin; and the start of painful austerity measures.
2011 It takes an average of four months to sell a home in Dublin - and anywhere up to 13 months for a property in the Ulster counties. It's a bad time for those looking to buy, but a happier environment for those wanting to rent. Two-bedroom apartments are easily obtainable in Dublin for under 1,200. There's plenty of supply to meet the demand.
2012 Almost 30pc of mortgages are in arrears and there are regular newspaper reports of people who worry about losing their homes. There are some signs of recovery, but the property market remains deflated. It's estimated that more than 45,000 incomplete homes - many of them in so-called 'ghost estates' - are dotted throughout the country, but there's no appetite among developers to finish them.
2013 Finance Minister Michael Noonan starts to meet private equity vulture funds. For the vultures, there are many rich pickings to be had in Ireland, and they are quick to swoop. For the first time in decades, evictions become a feature of Irish life again. There are several heart-rending stories of people losing property that's been in their families for generations. And it's not just homes - farms are also seized. A resistance movement soon gets under way to challenge these evictions - and some, buoyed by social media, receive national attention.
2014 The Government publishes a six-year strategy, Social Housing Strategy 2020. It's committed to providing 35,000 new social housing units at a cost of 3.8bn. But the big news is the rapid increase in both property prices and rents, and in Dublin the cranes start to populate the skyline again. The rising tide is not felt in other parts of the country however. And, behind all the talk of 'recovery', homeless charities say the numbers sleeping rough is on the increase.
2016 New housing minister Simon Coveney announces another ambitious plan. 'Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness' pledges 200 rapid-build homes to be completed by the end of 2016 and another 800 by the end of 2017, while 130,000 new social housing units are promised by 2020. Meanwhile, the Government is urged to close the tax loopholes enjoyed by vulture funds. Christmas is marked by the occupation of the NAMA-owned Apollo House, Dublin, by homeless people and those campaigning on their behalf.
2017 Eoghan Murphy takes over as Housing Minister in June. It's revealed that the average home rent nationwide is more than 10pc higher than at the apex of the Celtic Tiger. A Maynooth University study argues that the property market has not peaked yet and may continue to "escalate" over the next five years. There's much talk about the office buildings shooting up in the capital - some of which will accommodate firms lured here thanks to Brexit. But there's a pressing concern: just where will all these high-flying staff live when they get here?
The tech giants campus in Cork is in the sights of the European superpowers. Photo: Bloomberg
So France and Germany want to relocate Apple, Google and Facebook from Ireland to Paris or Berlin. Indirectly, that is.
A battering ram of new tax proposals from EU countries and the European Commission will try to leverage the continent's top two countries into tech's riches, one way or another.
If the digital giants won't move their headquarters into Europe's biggest countries, they should cough up some other way.
And if Ireland risks losing its most important industrial pillar along the way... well, that'd be a shame. But it's necessary for the greater good of Europe.
"The growing challenge of ensuring that the digital economy is fairly taxed has still not been adequately addressed, primarily due to a lack of international consensus and the multidimensional nature of the challenge," said the European Commission last week, outlining new initiatives to make tech firms pay more tax in the bigger countries.
The basic argument is that tech companies are too good at using the single market to base their tax liabilities in the area with the lowest rates. From there, the same companies use loopholes in international tax law to pay either tiny rates on their European income or nothing at all, by deferring tax payments in their ultimate taxable domicile, the US.
Nobody really likes this. The question is what to do about it?
The answer, says the Commission and the big EU countries, is to sidestep international tax considerations and just slap down some new, no-quibble, tax rules on any big tech firms doing business in the EU.
In so doing, the biggest markets - Germany, France, Italy and Spain - might reap billions.
Even better, if there's no significant tax advantage for a tech giant to locate in Ireland, they might as well locate in Paris or Nice or Berlin.
So at a stroke of a tax pen, Apple, Google and Facebook might be legislated away from Dublin and Cork into central Europe, where political power is now hardening.
While there are strong moral and fiscal arguments in favour of the Franco-German-cum-Commission position, there is another perspective.
There are hundreds of thousands of people in Ireland with some reliance on the jobs or commercial activity from companies like Apple, Google, Intel and Facebook. The ecosystem built up here through this sector is an absolute core part of our ability to keep higher proportions of young people from emigrating.
It is also core to many Irish companies getting off the ground with local founders who have graduated through this ecosystem.
We don't yet have the infrastructure, universities, cities and home-grown companies to stand alone against metropolitan powerhouses a short flight away.
In other words, this is a national interest.
What would Germany do if its car industry was threatened? Or France with its oil and aerospace interests?
I'm not sure they would go along with it quietly.
The French are past masters in mixing statecraft, international relations and their own commercial interests, as anyone who has followed the contemporary histories of firms such as Elf or Airbus will know.
Germany is not far behind. One of the primary jobs of any German chancellor is to place the interests of the car industry - of which it is the biggest global player, per capita - at the heart of German influence in international deals and treaties.
To those suggesting that Ireland is adopting an amoral position on defending its existing tax law, isn't it natural for it to defend its national interest?
No one can blame France and Germany for wanting a bigger cut. Those potential extra tax revenues might be crucial to maintain the world-class hospitals, pensions, social benefits, roads and railways their countries are famed for. Anyone who has spent any time in France or Germany knows how good this infrastructure is. But most of it is heavily subsidised and it's really expensive. How can they keep it going if the fastest-growing sector chooses other places to operate from?
I recently spoke with one French journalist who argued that not having the same high standards of healthcare and transport, Ireland wouldn't miss it.
In other words, the big European centres of civilisation are core while peripheries (like Ireland) are not.
What's peculiar about the current tax proposals is that they're being advanced in the name of furthering a single market.
The same proponents sometimes put the US forward as an ideal for a single market.
But in the US, competing for big corporate bases is an everyday occurrence. At present, Amazon has published a tender request document, asking cities to bid for its next headquarters. It promises 50,000 jobs averaging $100,000 in salary. It's fairly explicit in asking applicant cities to outline - in detail - what financial incentives they'll be offered to locate their business there.
They also invite suggestions as to what laws might be written or amended for them, should the need arise.
Certainly, this might seem a little dystopian. Yet we must give the US one thing - it largely acts as a single market. And even within this, it has the facility to give regions power to compete using hefty financial incentives.
What the EU appears to want is something much more static. Rich regions of the market (such as France and Germany) should not be supplanted by poorer regions (like Ireland) based on financial instruments such as tax.
A single market is all well and good when it comes to selling German or French cars without import duties. But tech services from a poorer part of the market? Sorry, that's got to be checked.
The talks for a tie-up come as all three companies are facing increased competition for contracts from industry leader CRRC Corp of China, formed from a 2015 merger of the countrys two main regional train-makers.
French multinational Alstom has confirmed it is in talks with Germany's Siemens about a possible combination of their rail businesses, a tie-up that would bring together two former European arch-rivals and leave Canada's Bombardier exposed to cut-throat competition from China.
"No final decision has been made, discussions are ongoing and no agreement has been reached," Alstom said yesterday. Siemens, based in Munich, acknowledged the statement and also said that no decision had been reached.
French president Emmanuel Macron's government signalled hours earlier that it supported deeper Franco-German corporate ties, suggesting a potential deal had political backing. The announcement also comes ahead of German elections today, which Chancellor Angela Merkel has run on a platform of political and economic stability and closer ties across Europe.
An agreement between the makers of the French and German TGV and ICE high-speed trains criss-crossing the countries adds a surprise twist to negotiations in the global train industry seeking to consolidate assets.
Montreal-based Bombardier, which employs around 4,500 people in Northern Ireland, had also been in talks with Siemens about combining the companies' rail divisions.
Talks had centred on two joint ventures, one on the signalling operations and one on rolling stock, people familiar with the negotiations have said. Bombardier did not respond to requests for comment.
The talks for a tie-up come as all three companies are facing increased competition for contracts from industry leader CRRC Corp of China, formed from a 2015 merger of the country's two main regional train-makers.
During the past few months, Alstom, Bombardier and Siemens executives have spoken about the need for consolidation in the industry, while declining to comment specifically about any possible agreements.
"We're watching French-German talks," French cabinet spokesman Christophe Castaner said last week when asked about Siemens and Alstom. "We have to see the terms, but it is important to reinforce our industry with Franco-German unity."
The model for such co-operation between the eurozone's two biggest economies is Airbus. The Toulouse-based aircraft manufacturer, founded in 1970, was formed from companies from four European countries that went on to become the biggest competitor to Boeing.
Macron has repeatedly said that cross-border co-operation in the region offers the best way to tackle issues ranging from industrial development to immigration and defence.
Closer ties could be in the offing in the banking sector, as well, with French lender BNP Paribas among the European banks that could buy Germany's Commerzbank, according to reports.
Bloomberg
The deal is the first step in Unilevers broader exit from its shrinking spreads business, a move it promised earlier this year following an unsolicited $143bn takeover offer from Kraft-Heinz. Photo: Getty Images
Unilever has agreed a $900m (753m) deal with South African investor Remgro, buying Remgro's 26pc stake in its South African subsidiary in exchange for its southern African spreads business and a cash payment.
The deal is the first step in Unilever's broader exit from its shrinking spreads business, a move it promised earlier this year following an unsolicited $143bn takeover offer from Kraft-Heinz.
The Anglo-Dutch consumer goods maker, owner of Dove soap and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, said it would buy Remgro's 25.75pc shareholding in Unilever South Africa in exchange for the spreads business in South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland, plus 4.9 billion rand (310m) in cash.
The deal values the spreads business at 7 billion rand, a multiple of 13.4 times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation. A recession, unemployment of around 27pc and weak growth prospects have constrained consumer spending in Africa's most advanced economy, with Unilever rivals Tiger Brands and AVI reporting slower profit growth.
Unilever's overall spreads business, which includes brands such as Flora and Country Crock, is expected to fetch about 6bn. It has been in decline as consumers eat less bread and margarine, but has strong profit margins.
That makes it attractive for private equity firms, several of which have already been forming bidding consortia, sources said.
Unilever said it planned to distribute financial details about the business to prospective buyers by the end of autumn.
It hopes to clinch a deal by the end of the year, or in early 2018.
Reuters
Power wears a uniform: Costume and charm were essential assets in the seduction of Dublin by Byrne, shown here on OConnell Bridge
In October 1930, at the age of 48, Alfie Byrne completed a collection of political titles that remains unique to this day, adding Lord Mayor of Dublin to councillor, alderman, Westminster MP, Dail Deputy and Senator. By the close of his stellar career, he had notched up another record that will never be broken, serving 10 terms as First Citizen of Ireland's capital.
Such was the far-flung celebrity of this poor inner-city boy made good, that he was often referred to as 'Lord Mayor of Ireland', attracting fan mail and begging letters from around the globe.
In the first of two 1927 general elections, Byrne was the country's biggest vote-getter. The feat was the more remarkable as he had no party machine behind him. When he first became mayor, The Belfast Newsletter nailed one secret of his success - he was the clientelist politician par excellence.
The Newsletter observed: "What he stands for is difficult to say; everybody agrees that he is a 'decent sort' and all classes give him their votes. He is not really much concerned with party politics... but will nearly wear the shoes off his feet in worrying government on behalf of any poor man whom he considers a deserving case - and he exercises a wondrous charity in his interpretation of the word 'deserving'."
Trevor White, the author of Alfie: The Life and Times of Alfie Byrne, adds: "Byrne presented himself as a simple man with simple tastes. All he wanted was jobs, housing, a united Ireland, more playgrounds, Mass on Sunday and a full dance card."
Take away the thick wad of notes, the biobliography and the index at the back, and White's biography is a slim enough volume, but it makes for hugely entertaining reading. Stories, myths and legends about Byrne lie scattered in memoirs and histories, but this is the first proper account of his life, and it's bolstered by White's access to the Byrne family's private papers.
Byrne was born into a large inner-city clan that hit hard times when his docker father was sacked for attempting to organise a union. At 13, he left O'Connell School where his contemporaries included James Joyce and future President Sean T O'Kelly. Making a buck always took priority over having fun, and at the age of 26, the multitasking Byrne bought his first pub, the Verdon on Dublin's Talbot Street. Although no-one doubted his credentials as a workaholic, people wondered where the hefty 500 purchase price had come from. Suspicions over Byrne's income streams would persist, with his bitter political rival 'Big' Jim Larkin branding him 'Alfie Bung'.
According to White, Byrne's time pulling pints was his entry into the world of politics. Besides educating himself on the hot issues, he came to understand how a barman could rule his own roost.
As a dispenser of drink, warmth and shelter, he grasped "the mechanics of power and influence in a community: how to flatter and win trust, how to tell a story, how to settle arguments, how to exude authority".
He put these life-skills to early use, winning a Westminster seat for Redmond's Nationalist Party in a 1915 by-election, and a TD post in the first Free State election of 1922. By the early 1920s, he was already immersing himself in property speculation. He loved the pomp and ceremony of Westminster, and in the words of White, discovered there "that power often wears a uniform".
The author says: "Returned to Dublin, this short undistinctive man dressed for a role in a costume drama, or even a comedy by Oscar Wilde. The top hat lent height, while a cane is always a useful symbol of authority. Costume and charm were essential assets in the seduction of Dublin."
Seduced they may have been, but Dubliners weren't blind to Byrne's preposterous side. He was the target of endless parody by Maureen Potter at the Gaiety, where Jimmy O'Dea nicknamed him 'The Shaking Hand of Dublin'. O'Dea told a joke about a cyclist up in court for failing to signal a turn. The defendant said he'd been afraid to put out his hand in case Byrne shook it.
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An obsessive-compulsive political stuntsman, Byrne would happily risk life and limb flying in bad weather or clinging to a speeding fire engine, just so long as it got his name out there. He threw lavish children's parties, and cut a Willie Wonka figure, raining down sweets and lollipops on the city's urchins. As White reports: "A seminal figure in the history of pester power, he used children in a way that would raise concerns today, urging them to canvass their parents at the table. At one election, kids stood outside the voting booths with photos of Byrne around their necks."
In 1922, Byrne was manipulating blind children as he began a life-long intimacy with dodgy lotteries. As Deputy Lord Mayor, Byrne emceed a big draw to raise funds for the Mater Hospital. Blind boys drew the tickets as a vouchsafe that the operation was clean. It wasn't. The organiser, Richard Duggan, went on to found the superlottery known as the Irish Sweeps, illegal everywhere in the world beyond Ireland.
By 1937, Byrne was leading the New York St Patrick's Day parade as goodwill ambassador for the Sweeps. The business model was bribery and corruption, and Byrne did very well - most likely in some ways we'll never know - as the promoters' favourite pet politician.
Having taken up permanent residence in Dublin's Mansion House, in 1937, Byrne set his sites on becoming Ireland's first President. He was frozen out, and remained bitter to his dying day in 1956, aged 73.
Unintellectual, unimpeded by any ideology, fixated with making a bob and his property portfolio, and somehow able to get away with supporting both Bohs and Rovers, Alfie Byrne was the prototype role-model for many modern Irish politicians.
Trevor White presents him in a broadly sympathetic light. Unbelievers might prefer to enjoy this engaging book as the lively biography of a gombeen man.
Just two out of 15 permanent heads of Government departments are women sparking calls for the Government to publish gender pay data across all bodies.
The secretary generals of each of the 15 Government departments are civil service officials who earn between 171k and 190k per year.
Women hold the high-earning post in just two departments: The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, led by Minister Frances Fitzgerald and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht under Minister Heather Humphreys.
The newly formed Department of Rural Affairs has also selected a woman as acting secretary general.
Across the wider civil service women make up just 23pc of roles of the equivalent grade to secretary general.
The figures show that in many of the higher paid grades men outnumber women across several departments - despite the number of men and women employed there overall showing parity or in some cases more women working in the department.
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, has said that his department are working to address the issue of gender equality, acknowledging that the department has faced its own challenges in this area.
In the department while a man holds the position of secretary general, of the five Deputy secretary generals (a job with a 157,000 pay packet) only one is a woman.
This Department has faced its own challenges in advancing gender equality and ensuring that women are represented fully in our senior management teams at home and abroad, Minister Coveney said.
Work is underway in the department he said including a working group, a sub committee and an action plan all focused on the issue of gender equality.
In the Department of Finance there are no women working at secretary general or assistant secretary roles. At principal officer level [a position with a salary scale of 77k to 102k per year) there are six women out of 25 people in that position.
Women only outnumber men in the lower paid executive clerical and staff officer roles.
Meanwhile, in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) women outrank man in all listed grades below secretary general level.
Children's Minister Katherine Zappone said she believes her department's policies are more progressive because they are informed by people from diverse backgrounds.
"More must be done to ensure not just our civil service, but all aspects of Irish public life reflect the communities which it is supposed to represent," she said.
Bleak
The gender breakdown of top earning officials in each department was provided to Sinn Fein Deputy Leader Mary Lou McDonald in a raft of replies to parliamentary questions.
The Dublin Central TD said:
Despite Fine Gaels commitment to deliver 50:50 gender balance in appointments at senior levels figures from across the departments show that there is still roughly a 2:1 ratio of men holding senior posts across the civil service.
"The picture becomes even bleaker when you hit the top with just two women holding the post of secretary general across the all departments," she said.
"It is important that the discussion on gender balance in the public sector not be limited to those occupying the highest ranks. The lower you go down the chain of responsibility the higher the number of women employees with the majority of women working in the civil service holding Clerical Officers positions, the lowest grade and the lowest paid."
"Civil service reform on gender targets will not happen overnight but... you have to wonder how committed Fine Gael really is to delivering gender balance.
"Where government had a chance to demonstrate a meaningful commitment to gender balance was amongst its own ranks just one in five of Leo Varadkars Ministers and Ministers of State appointments were women.
Orla O'Connor, director of the National Women's Council of Ireland, said the Government should be publishing a more detailed breakdown of gender figures.
"We are seeing the same kind of statistics each year so what its being done to change things? I know there is work being done but we need to look at the pace of change and then this also clearly feeds into the gender pay gap.
"All the research shows that when you have diversity at senior level you get better decision making.
"When you see the figures it makes it very clear why there is a gender pay gap," she said.
Glass ceiling
The glass ceiling is still "a realty", Ms O'Connor said.
Ms O'Connor said the issue of "gender segregation" which shows a lack of women in financial or economic portfolios in Government departments and on state bodies also needs to play a part in the gender pay gap review the Government is undertaking.
A dearth of women in top positions has an impact on young women who are entering the workforce or choosing their education, Ms O'Connor said.
"Each department should be publishing a clear gender breakdown of each of the grades within the department and the numbers of women at each grade and also stating clearly what actions they are going to take to get a greater gender balance,2 she said.
"It has to be more than just producing the stats."
The Civil Service Renewal Plan, launched in 2014, sets out targets for gender balance. Some of which have been exceeded such as a target of 27pc of principal officers to be women - at the moment 40pc of POs are women.
At present 23pc of secretaries general/head of office and equivalent grades
Minister Paschal Donohoe, whose department oversees the civil service acknowledged that there is "some way to go" to achieve gender balance in the civil service.
"There is still some way to go and, in recognition of this, the Civil Service Management Board (CSMB) recently agreed proposals which include a range of new measures designed to ensure the composition of the workforce of the civil service reflects a better gender balance in the future, particularly at senior levels," he said.
"These initiatives include: supporting women during and after maternity leave, extending flexible working, encouraging career progression, raising awareness of gender inequality and unconscious bias, and monitoring trends as we progress towards a more equal workplace."
A group of 80 Irish people were stranded in France last night, when their flight back to Dublin was unexpectedly cancelled by Ryanair.
The group had been on a mission to Lourdes with Oblate Youth Service when their 3:15pm flight back to Dublin was cancelled, though it was not included on the airlines list of flight cancellations.
Fidelma Roe, whose son was a member of the group, told Independent.ie that the group was pretty much abandoned.
She said the group had been in contact with various media outlets because they were desperate to get home, and believes the extensive coverage surrounding the groups situation is the reason they were accommodated on a flight back today.
According to Oblate Youth Services Facebook page, the group were told to make their own travel arrangements back to Ireland.
They said: After a very challenging yet rewarding week caring for the sick and elderly in Lourdes, we were making our way home when our flight was cancelled by Ryanair.
"They have been extremely unhelpful and have only offered us 30 seats on a flight from Carcassonne on Tuesday and have told us to make our own travel arrangements which is next to impossible with 79 people which includes 45 17 and 18-year-olds.
They added that they were extremely disappointed with the complete lack of assistance and dismissiveness shown by Ryanair.
Some members stated on Facebook that they had no access to food or water apart from a single vending machine.
Oblate Youth Service later posted that they had been accommodated in hotels close to the airport and had been notified of a flight home this morning.
A number of people in the group are believed to be Leaving Cert students.
In a statement, Ryanair said:
"This flight from Biarritz to Dublin (23 Sep) was regrettably cancelled after the inbound aircraft was unable to land at Biarritz Airport due to the closure of the runway. Customers were provided with refreshment vouchers and overnight accommodation and boarded a replacement flight this morning. Ryanair sincerely apologised to all customers affected by this cancellation, which was entirely beyond our control."
Up to 400,000 passengers will be affected by flight cancellations in the coming weeks, which will extend until the end of October.
The cancellations are due to pilot shortages and have spurred a week of controversy surrounding roster changes and staff complaints.
General view of gardai at scene of Volvo car crashed at laneway behind Greenhills Community College, beside Temple Manor Close. Photo: Caroline Quinn
A man who died in an incident that involved him crashing his car into a steel barrier and breaking into two homes, allegedly believed he was being chased by criminals.
Daniel Morris (35) from Tallaght crashed his car into a barrier and then broke into two homes in Temple Manor Driver, Greenhills, Dublin shortly after 9pm on Friday.
Gardai arrived at the scene and when Mr Morris became aggressive, gardai were required to arrest and restrain him.
As he was being removed from the house he became unresponsive and medical assistance was called.
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Mr Morris was taken to Tallaght Hospital and was later pronounced dead. A post mortem examination will be carried out today by the State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy.
According to the Sunday World, Mr Morris believed he was being chased by criminals prior to him crashing his car.
It's alleged he tried to make his way into the homes to get resident's car keys in a bid to escape the criminals he believed were chasing him.
A source told the Sunday World that toxicology tests as part of the post-mortem investigation will play a "crucial role in the investigation".
The matter have been referred to the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission.
The crash scene and the house where the man was arrested have been sealed off for a technical examination by Garda Crime Scene Examiners and Garda Forensic Collision Investigators.
Gardai are appealing for anyone who witnessed the initial crash on Limekiln Ave or who may have been in the Templemanor area between 9pm and 10pm on 22nd September to contact them at Crumlin Garda Station on 01 666 6200.
When a 2017 Maybach limousine is registered you know someone, somewhere, is doing very well for themselves.
An Irish person has just become the proud new owner of a Mercedes-Maybach, one of the most expensive cars on the island. The so-far anonymous buyer spent 250,000 on the S-Class model in recent weeks and up to 250,000 on extras, a motor industry source told the Sunday Independent.
There have only ever been three Irish Maybach owners. Coolmore stud owner John Magnier and property developer Johnny Ronan are both Maybach owners, while songstress Enya has a chauffeur to drive hers.
There is speculation that UFC fighter Conor McGregor has added the car to his eye-watering luxury collection, which includes a BMW i8, Mercedes-Benz S-Coupe, Rolls-Royce, Range Rover, Lamborghini and Cadillac Escalade. Such a move would bring him in line with Floyd Mayweather, who added the Mercedes-Maybach S600 to his fleet before his 120m fight with Manny Pacquiao.
Whoever the mystery Irish owner is, they can enjoy the luxury touches of an exclusive in-car Maybach perfume called 'agarwood' and two silver-plated champagne flutes.
The car also comes with a panoramic sliding sunroof - which claims to create the feel of open-top motoring even when the roof is closed; electric sun blinds, ambient lighting around its chrome-plated speakers, and two vanity mirrors in the rear, clad in diamond-quilted leather. The owner also has the option of a minibar.
Enya is known to enjoy privacy curtains at the back windows of her limousine, and a massive faux-fur lining for the rear seats. Her manager Nicholas Ryan recently joked to a visiting US reporter in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the downturn: "There were only two in all of Ireland but then the other one crashed, so it's one of a kind."
Maybachs are popular in the showbiz world. Rhianna paid homage in song - and more than 700 other rap tracks pay tribute to the vehicle. A Maybach also features in Jay Z and Kanye West's video for the track Otis.
The long list of famous owners includes Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Ja Rule, Sean 'Puffy' Combs, 50 Cent, Samuel L Jackson and Jay Z Combs gave the car to his son as a present for his sweet-16 party; Busta Rhymes was charged with allegedly assaulting a rival who showed 'disrespect' to his vehicle; Ja Rule went to prison for two years when a search of his Maybach revealed a loaded weapon. The main competitor of Rolls Royce and formerly under the Daimler brand, the Maybach is the longest and heaviest car in production.
But decades earlier, the company's V-12 engines powered something even longer - airships built for the US Navy.
One person has been hospitalised following a fire on Macken Street on Dublin's southside.
Three fire engines from both Tara Street and Donnybrook attended the scene of the fire, Dublin Fire Brigade confirmed.
More to follow
Ryanair communications manager Kenny Jacobs posted the eyebrow-raising photograph on social media late on Friday night before quickly deleting it
Ryanair has defended its marketing boss after he posted a shocking photograph of himself sitting on a toilet, while holding a tabloid newspaper in the place of toilet roll.
Ryanair communications manager Kenny Jacobs posted the eyebrow-raising photograph on social media late on Friday night before quickly deleting it.
The photograph was accompanied with the caption: "Winding down after a shit happens week."
The bizarre tweet comes only days after Mr. Jacobs boasted of taking ten flights in a week and said he was enjoying a 'deserved' pint of Guinness as hundreds of thousands of Ryanair customers had their trips cancelled.
It is unknown what caused Mr. Jacobs to remove the post but when contacted for comment, Ryanair defended their communications director.
In a statement the airline said: "This was posted in jest in response to the barrage of coverage from the [newspaper]... during a week when his full focus was on re-accommodating customers."
Last week, Mr. Jacobs told Facebook friends of his 'busy week' jet-setting across Europe and posted an image of his half-drunk Guinness with the caption 'somedays a pint of plain is your only man' - a reference to the famous Irish poem 'The Workman's Friend' about taking comfort in beer during testing times.
Mr Jacobs is one of Michael O'Leary's most trusted advisors.
In May he is reported to have told a trade magazine that he is 'a bit of a bad boy in the industry'.
The 43-year-old joined Ryanair in 2014 because he 'loves discount brands' after 20 years working for Metro Cash & Carry, Tesco and Moneysupermarket.com.
As the crisis continued this weekend, Ryanair has confirmed it will book passengers whose flights are cancelled onto rival airlines.
Ryanair last week announced it plans to cancel 40-50 flights daily for the next six weeks - to the end of October- to improve its punctuality. The airline says its punctuality has fallen below 80pc in the first two weeks of September.
The family of a US tourist who was killed in a car accident in Co Cork earlier this month has thanked the Irish people for their "prayers, helpfulness and donations".
Tourists James Baker (62) from Columbia City, Indiana and Peggy Sue Adams (59) from Delphos, Ohio were both fatally injured when they were involved in a collision with a truck at the Waterloo Junction on the main N20 near Blarney, Cork.
Their hired Skoda Octavia being driven by Ms Adams' husband, Jack (67).
While the crash claimed the lives of James and Peggy Sue, their partners Debbie and Jack were left with a broken collarbone, a shattered radius and ulna, a dislocated elbow pushed up the humorous, multiple broken ribs on the right side and a punctured lung.
The daughter of James and Debbie Baker has thanked the Irish people for their support in the aftermath of the tragic holiday.
Writing on GoFundMe, Brenda Baker wrote that she is "proud" of her Irish heritage.
"Everyone in Ireland has taken amazing care of both Mom and Dad. In addition to all the family and friends from the USA who have donated to this campaign, we are all so touched by the support of the Irish people through prayers, helpfulness and donations. I am proud of my Irish heritage as are the Bakers."
The GoFundMe page has raised over $35,000 to help cover medical costs and to get James' body home.
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Brenda Baker said that her mum Debbie is "continuing to heal" as they laid their dad and husband James to rest.
"Mom is continuing to heal physically. She is detached from the IVs and sensors now and has only the chest tube. Yesterday she was allowed to walk mostly unassisted and this morning when I arrived she was able to use the restroom without having to ring for assistance.
"As the days pass, the shock is going away and the reality that Dad is gone is becoming more acute. Flashbacks have become sort of the norm now and Mom tries to decipher what she is seeing and deal with the flooding emotions," Brenda wrote on GoFundMe.
She added that her parents were together 46 years and that they were childhood sweethearts.
"Mom will get to see Pop for the first time since the accident--probably the longest span of of time they've ever been apart. These two were high school sweethearts. Pop loved to joke that Mom "robbed the cradle" because he was only 16 and she a year and a half older. 46 years together is a long time, yet, not long enough. So thankful that Pop was a believer in quality over quantity. He left us with long lasting memories that will make us smile and warm our hearts for a very, very long time. Love you Pop."
Gardai are investigating if a satellite navigation device directed them to cross the outbound lane of traffic from Cork as the shortest way to get to the tourist village of Blarney, the Corkman reports.
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Garda inquiries have revealed a previous collision at the same location where motorists escaped serious injury after they were impacted when using a sat nav on the same route.
The possibility the Americans were using a sat nav for directions is just one line of inquiry into their investigation into the cause of the collision.
Both Mr Baker, who was a front seat passenger, and Ms Adams, who was sitting behind him in the rear seat, were fatally injured when the left side of the car took the brunt of the impact and Mr Adams and Mr Baker's wife, Deborah (60) received serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The car was travelling from Mallow towards Cork and was turning right across traffic coming from Cork to descend the Kiln Hill towards Waterloo when it was in collision with the truck which was coming from Cork towards Mallow.
#suitcase murder suspect Justice minister orders extradition of 'suitcase' murder suspect to New Zealand South Korea's justice minister on Monday ordered the extradition of a woman believed to be the mother of two children whose bodies were found in suitcases in New Zealand in August,...
#KBO KBO sets salary cap for 1st time In an unprecedented move designed to ensure a level playing field, the top South Korean baseball league announced Monday it has set a salary cap for the next three seasons. The ...
This is Dublin's grand dame, dahling... Dating from 1824, mixing old-school opulence with the business swank of Marriott's Renaissance brand, and set to star in a six piece RTE series this summer, the old girl is back at the top of her game.
HIGHLIGHTS: To be ushered into the Shelbourne is to be ushered into a state approaching intoxication. The valet takes our car. A vibrant Louis le Brocquy tapestry hangs over the lobby fireplace. Smoked salmon nibbles are offered at check-in. The location is excellent, the spa a super addition, there's a cool little barbershop in the basement, and the Saddle Room restaurant has come on hugely in recent years, with head chef Garry Hughes overseeing pre-theatre, tasting and a la carte menus in a room full of luxurious nooks and crannies. Its intrinsic elegance, modern creature comforts, famous bars and classy staff would easily cut it in London.
LOWLIGHTS: Though hardly surprising for a five-star, incidentals do add up at The Shelbourne. Valet parking costs 25, a pint of Guinness via room service set us back 10.30 including tray charge and the buffet breakfast is priced at 29. Some of the upper floors may be due a touch-up, too we noticed several scuffs and slivers of tiring wallpaper, and the iPod dock didn't take iPhone 5s (now almost two years old). On balance, however, the premium is worth paying for that exquisite feeling of simply being looked after in The Shelbourne.
CONCIERGE'S CHOICE: We asked for old and new bar recommendations, and the concierge delivered by tipping Doheny & Nesbitt's and O'Donoghue's, as well as No. 37 on Dawson Street and the hip South William Street strip. Nice one.
ASK FOR ROOM NUMBER: Queen rooms offer the best rates (albeit with the least space) and Heritage Park View rooms come with smashing views over Stephen's Green. However, guests looking for a treat should go straight for one of the 19 suites named after famous guests like JFK and Princess Grace.
GUESTS OF HONOUR: Michelle Obama and her daughters overnighted here last year, the Irish Constitution was drafted on the first floor, and famous guests have ranged from Charlie Chaplin to Charlize Theron. But our favourite story involves Peter O'Toole, who is said to have bathed in champagne during his stay. Hic!
RATES: The best of several specials on The Shelbourne's website has B&B from 190 per room (the hotel is 190 years old this year).
CONTACT: 01 663-4500; theshelbourne.ie
Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner attend NBCUniversal's 74th Annual Golden Globes After Party at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 8, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Loreen Sarkis/Getty Images)
Kylie Jenner seen on a night out with boyfriend Travis Scott at Nobu Berkeley St restaurant on July 3, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Ricky Vigil/GC Images)
Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Kris Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Tyga and Corey Gamble are seen at church for Easter on April 05, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Kylie Jenner attends the Alexander Wang February 2017 fashion show during New York Fashion Week on February 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Tyga and Kylie Jenner attend the Kanye West Yeezy Season 4 fashion show on September 7, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 4)
Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, and Kendall Jenner attend the Kanye West Yeezy Season 4 fashion show on September 7, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 4)
Kylie Jenner attends the "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for People.com)
Insiders in the Kardashian circle have expressed concern over Kylie Jenner's pregnancy, describing her as "very naive".
The reality tv star (20) reportedly wanted a baby, which her family tried to discourage and she first expressed her desire to have a child with ex-boyfriend Tyga, who has a four-year-old son King Cairo. On Friday, it was revealed that the lip kit mogul is expecting her first child with rapper Travis Scott, who she has been dating since April.
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"Kylie is very naive. Spending time with other peoples kids is obviously completely different than being a mom 24/7. Kylie of course has no idea about all the hard work and sleepless nights," a source told People.
"With Tyga, whenever things were good, Kylie said she wanted a baby. Between spending lots of time with her nieces and nephews, and being around Tygas son, she claimed she was ready. Her family would beg her to protect herself. They were very concerned."
"They still think Kylie is too young to have a baby."
Jenner previously expressed her desire to be a young mother, saying she felt 30 was "too old" to start a family. Her mother, Kris Jenner, who played coy when asked by the Hollywood Reporter about her daughter's pregnancy at the Bottega Veneta show in Milan.
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"It definitely took some getting used to. But Kylie has always been very headstrong, shes always wanted to do her own thing despite what Kris says. Of course Kris just wants the best for her daughter and loves and supports her no matter what," a source added.
Meanwhile, sources told Us Weekly that Kylie feels "more prepared than ever" to have her first child and is happy her baby will have friends among all her young cousins.
Vogue Williams has described herself as a "brat" as a teenager, acting out after her parents divorce and even getting suspended from school.
In her new book 'Everything', the RTE star (32) recalls her "monster years" as a teenager living with her mother Sandra and her stepfather Neil in Howth, before she moved with her father Freddie who was "way less strict". Williams, who is planning a move to Battersea, London, with her boyfriend of eight months Spencer Matthews, shared tidbits from her debut lifestyle book with the Daily Mail's You Magazine.
Expand Close Vogue Williams (L) and Spencer Matthews (R) attends the Dolce & Gabbana show during Milan Men's Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2018 on June 17, 2017 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage) / Facebook
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Whatsapp Vogue Williams (L) and Spencer Matthews (R) attends the Dolce & Gabbana show during Milan Men's Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2018 on June 17, 2017 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage)
She rose to public prominence with a starring role on Fade Street in 2010, which was dubbed 'Ireland's answer to The Hills', or at least it was an attempt at it, and has managed to transfer successful modelling career into enviable presenting gigs the small screen both at home and in the UK.
These days, her near-every move is documented evenly by her social media accounts or the paparazzi, regularly sharing loved-up posts with her other half. But there's one topic off limits - the fact that her boyfriend's sister-in-law is Pippa Middleton after Spencer's big brother James wed the royal-by-association in a lavish ceremony in May of this year.
"Theyre quite private and they dont want to be the topic of conversation, so I steer clear of it. I dont say anything about it at all," she said, when asked about her thoughts on the couple (Vogue was notably absent from the ceremony as Pippa had reportedly enforced a 'no ring, no bring' rule).
"Im obsessed with his family. His dad [David, a self-made millionaire] has a great work ethic, and Id happily remain friends with his mum, Jane, even if I never saw Spencer again. Im totally keeping his parents."
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And family is on the brain for the rising star, who said that she hopes to have a family one day, minus the marriage part after her first marriage to Brian McFadden ended in divorce in 2015 after less than three years.
"We havent discussed having children together, were only seven months in," she explained. "But its important to know what somebody wants, even if its not going to happen right now. I dont think Id be with somebody if they didnt want to have children."
"Im not one hundred per cent sure I want to get married again. It used to be important to me, but it doesn't mean the same thing it used to. But if youd asked me eight months ago, it would have been an absolute 'no'. I am softening to the idea as time goes on."
Model Olivia Tracey wears a floral print dress from Max&Co (259) while Anastasia Kuchynskaya models a rust suede jacket by Selected Femme, (200) and a black floral print dress (145) by the former Made in Chelsea star, Millie Mackintosh at the Arnotts AW17 womenswear show. Photo: Kieran Harnett
Olivia Tracey is a long-standing style icon among a generation of women.
After her 1984 Miss Ireland win, the Dubliner shot to prominence and thanks to the fact that Ireland is finally taking note of a more diverse fashion industry, we've seen a lot more of her this year. Notably, she stole the show at the Arnotts Autumn/Winter fashion show last July and thus earned a new legion of fans.
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When it comes to ageing, Tracey (57)has access to the best. She has been based in LA for the last number of years, jetting home to Dublin for select jobs with her Irish agency, Morgan. Most recently signed with Ford Models, one of the premier agencies in the world, which she joined in her 40s - no easy feat.
And she has the most refreshing attitude to ageing, we're considering embroidering her quotes on pillows.
"I suppose what I would say to younger people is you don't have to do everything by the time you're 30. It's not all over when you hit 30. There's a lot left," she told Irish Country Magazine.
"In many ways, in this time of my life, I feel like this is a time for looking forward. I think I was always like that. I always dreamed big. I still get excited about working in the business. I still love it. Please God, I'll still be working as model when I'm 80!"
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Tracey said she thinks of age as a milestone and not a misfortune, adding: "From the time I was 30, I'd say, 'I'm just going to make a decision now that I'm never going to complain about my age, because there's not a damn thing you can do about it'. Just go with it. People apologise for being a certain age. They think, 'oh they're over 40, it's not to be discussed, like you're maimed for life. I think of it as an achievement."
The silver-haired star has never been shy about discussing her mantras on ageing, embracing her true self while living in the vainest land in the world - where women are considered 'too old' for men their own age.
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"I feel perfectly fine about ageing. The hardest time for me in terms of ageing was 29 going on 30," she told the Irish Independent in 2014. "The idea of 30 has a sense of maturity around it, but after my 30th birthday I said to myself, 'I feel the same as I felt two days ago, before I was 30.' There's nothing I can do about it. My mother is 93 and thinking how young I look.
"I'd be robbing myself of the opportunity to enjoy life if I was worrying about ageing. It's a waste of time."
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Last weekend, a young mother in a refugee camp on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border lifted her child's shirt to show me an untreated burn. The large, gaping wound covered more than a quarter of her two-year-old's back. When the Myanmar military set their house on fire three weeks before, she explained, a burning piece of plastic fell from the ceiling and pierced her child's body before she could reach him.
She and 11 members of her family fled their village that night, as the houses of everyone they knew burned to the ground. They joined the more than 420,000 Rohingya people who have fled Myanmar's northern Rakhine state in the past month, some walking for more than 15 days to escape the military's brutal offensive on Rohingya villages.
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I visited the border region where hundreds of thousands are now camped, hoping to speak with Rohingya human rights defenders - the experts on the subject - about the violations they had documented in Rakhine and the risks they continue to face. Today, spread out over a few kilometres along the muddy border, thousands of people are packed together on steep hills, camping under tarps they bought themselves.
Conditions are wet and unsanitary. Food, shelter, and medical care are desperately lacking, especially given the severity of some of the injuries we saw arriving across the border. These included deep burns, bullet wounds and severe rashes on children. Some even lost limbs when they stepped on landmines in Myanmar.
Refugees have told me they watched the military set their villages on fire; most saw their homes burn down. Some reported seeing entire families in their neighbourhood killed, locked inside a burning home. Others told me about civilians dragged to the ground by soldiers and shot while lying face down.
The types of injuries showing up in Bangladesh corroborate stories of civilians shot from behind as they fled. The UN has called the military's brutal campaign a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".
An estimated 60pc of the refugees living in muddy fields on the border are children. Walking through the makeshift camps, the majority of infants and toddlers I saw were naked, their parents having fled with only one set of clothes, which the near-constant rain makes impossible to keep clean and dry.
Hunger and medical care are top concerns for mothers watching their children become thinner by the day. One lifted her daughter's shirt to show me an untreated bullet wound on the five-year-old's stomach. Another woman had given birth on the journey; her 20-day-old daughter had yet to see a doctor or be properly cleaned.
Local Bangladeshis living in border towns are doing what they can to keep people alive. Groups of well-meaning volunteers are throwing packages of food and clothing from the tops of trucks, but the need is so great that hundreds rush to the moving lorries. I saw children and the elderly being stepped on as hundreds of hungry people rushed to one of the food trucks. Last week, a mother and two children died trying to reach an aid vehicle.
Local Bangladeshi human rights defenders are putting their work on hold to provide first aid to dehydration and minor injury cases, and to provide a safer, more systematic response to distribution.
One human rights group based in port town Cox's Bazar rented out a wedding hall and turned it into an emergency kitchen. Others are driving people to hospital.
In addition to the restrictions placed on international aid groups, the Bangladesh government has also begun restricting the work of locals trying to help. Last weekend Bangladesh police issued an order prohibiting Rohingya refugees from taking shelter in the homes of their friends or acquaintances - and locals have been asked not to rent houses to refugees.
Myanmar's government says its security forces are not indiscriminately murdering civilians, but rather are carrying out clearance operations against insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which it has declared a terrorist organisation.
The group attacked several Myanmar military bases in mid-August, to which the military responded with its most recent crackdown.
Myanmar's de facto leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi cancelled a scheduled appearance at the UN last week, but in a televised address from Myanmar said her government does not fear international criticism. She claimed there have been no conflicts or clearance operations in Rakhine since September 5. This directly contradicts the first-hand accounts of refugees I have been hearing this week.
After Aung San Suu Kyi's speech, the UN Human Rights Council called for access to Rakhine, to investigate the abuses.
International access to Rakhine - for both investigations and aid - is critical, but the accounts of human rights defenders who have recently fled, and those still inside, should not be discounted. These are the people who have been documenting the situation on the ground in Rakhine state for decades, who know the patterns of abuse and systemic oppression of the Rohingya people.
Despite their expertise in the subject, they are also the voices hardest to access because of the Myanmar government's near-complete denial of access to Rakhine for rights workers and journalists.
Colleagues from Front Line Defenders and I who have visited Myanmar in recent years have all found it either incredibly risky or impossible to meet with Rohingya human rights defenders in the country.
Physical access to their region is denied by the military, and even speaking to activists about the subject in the capital of Yangon is too dangerous for them.
We work with HRDs in the country who are not Rohingya themselves but support the cause. Many have asked us not to publicise this fact because even showing solidarity for the Rohingya people is dangerous in Myanmar.
Human rights defenders on both sides of the border need to be protected, and their opinions elevated in all conversations about resettlement, repatriation, and protection for one of the world's most persecuted peoples.
Erin Kilbride is the media coordinator of Front Line Defenders, a Dublin-based NGO
German Chancellor and leader of the Christian Democratic Union CDU Angela Merkel votes in the general election (Bundestagswahl) in Berlin, Germany, September 24, 2017. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
German Chancellor and leader of the Christian Democratic Union CDU Angela Merkel votes in the general election (Bundestagswahl) in Berlin, Germany, September 24, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
Members of the media wait at a polling station where German Chancellor and leader of the Christian Democratic Union CDU Angela Merkel will vote in the general election (Bundestagswahl) in Berlin, Germany, September 24, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bench
German Chancellor and leader of the Christian Democratic Union CDU Angela Merkel votes in the general election (Bundestagswahl) in Berlin, Germany, September 24, 2017. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Turnout slipped slightly in Germany's election despite politicians warning that apathy could boost the far-right, expected to return to parliament after a half century's absence, overshadowing Chancellor Angela Merkel's predicted victory.
After shock election results last year, from Britain's vote to leave the European Union to the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, many look to Merkel to rally a bruised liberal Western order, tasking her with leading a post-Brexit Europe.
Exit polls suggest Angela Merkel's conservative bloc finished first in the German election, with around 33 percent support.
Exit polls also suggest the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany party will enter the federal parliament for the first time.
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Whatsapp German Chancellor and leader of the Christian Democratic Union CDU Angela Merkel votes in the general election (Bundestagswahl) in Berlin, Germany, September 24, 2017. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Some 41.1 percent of voters had cast ballots by 1200 GMT, the Federal Returning Officer said in a statement, down from 41.4 percent at the same time four years ago, suggesting not all had heeded the advice of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
"It has perhaps never been as clear that the elections are about the future of democracy and Europe," he wrote in mass-market newspaper Bild am Sonntag, amid polls showing that as many as a third of Germans were undecided.
"If you don't vote, others decide."
In Germany's proportional election system, low turn-out can boost smaller parties, such as the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), giving them more seats from the same number of votes.
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Whatsapp German Chancellor and leader of the Christian Democratic Union CDU Angela Merkel votes in the general election (Bundestagswahl) in Berlin, Germany, September 24, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
In regional elections this year, Merkel's conservatives suffered setbacks from the AfD, which profited from resentment at her 2015 decision to open German borders to more than one million migrants.
But with the migrant issue under control this year, Merkel has overcome earlier doubts over running and thrown herself into a punishing campaign schedule, presenting herself as an anchor of stability in an uncertain world.
Visibly happier, Merkel campaigned with renewed conviction: a resolve to re-tool the economy for the digital age, to head off future migrant crises, and to defend a Western order shaken by Trump's victory last November.
The overall fall in turnout masked great regional variation. North Rhine-Westfalia, Germany's most populous state, reported a 3 percent increase in turnout, while the city of Munich saw a 10 percent increase. In some of the eastern states where the AfD is strong, turnout held steady.
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Whatsapp Members of the media wait at a polling station where German Chancellor and leader of the Christian Democratic Union CDU Angela Merkel will vote in the general election (Bundestagswahl) in Berlin, Germany, September 24, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bench
Both Merkel and her main challenger, Social Democrat leader Martin Schulz have warned that low turnout could help extreme parties, especially the AfD, whose arrival in parliament could signal a break from the steady, consensus-based politics that has marked Germany's prosperous post-war period.
Schulz, who on Friday described the AfD as "gravediggers of democracy", on Sunday told reporters he was still optimistic that his party, a distant second in polls, would pick up the votes of the undecided.
Merkel, escorted under an umbrella into the polling station by her scientist husband Joachim Sauer, smiled as she voted in Berlin, but said nothing.
An INSA poll published by Bild newspaper on Saturday suggested that support was slipping for Merkel's conservatives, who dropped two percentage points to 34 percent, and the SPD, down one point to 21 percent. The two parties now govern Germany in an unwieldy "grand coalition".
The anti-immigrant AfD, whose leaders have called for Germany's World War Two army to be honoured, rose two points to 13 percent in the latest poll, putting it on course to be the third-largest party.
"I hope that our democracy can deal with a party that has said, in my view, intolerable things in the media," said Kathrin Zimmermann, voting in Berlin. "I hope the right-wing pressure doesn't get too strong."
Should she win a fourth term, Merkel will join Helmut Kohl, her mentor who reunified Germany, and Konrad Adenauer, who led Germany's rebirth after World War Two, as the only post-war chancellors to win four national elections.
Coalition-building after the election could be very lengthy as potential partners are unsure whether they really want to share power with Merkel. All major parties refuse to work with the AfD.
Electoral arithmetic might push Merkel to renew her grand coalition with the SPD, or she might opt for a three-way alliance with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and environmentalist Greens.
Voting opened at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) and will continue until 6 p.m. (1600 GMT), when exit polls will give a first indication of the outcome.
Campaigning: German chancellor Angela Merkel arrives at the harvest festival in Lauterbach, Germany, on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen yesterday ahead of the German Federal elections today. Photo: Jens Buettner/AP
Angela Merkel is all but certain to win a fourth term in power in German elections today, unless the polls have got it spectacularly wrong.
But if she does remain chancellor, it will be at the helm of a Germany that is deeply divided.
In Weimar, you can see the crack that runs through German society.
Two of Germany's greatest writers, Goethe and Schiller, lived here. So did the composer Bach. The city was also where the ill-fated Weimar Republic of the inter-war years was proclaimed, in the National Theatre.
If any city can claim to be the epicentre of German culture, it is Weimar.
But while Mrs Merkel enjoys some of the highest personal approval ratings in Europe, Weimar is seething with discontent.
"It's the refugees," a flower seller in the market square who gives his name only as Harry says.
"She brought all these people in and now we'll never get rid of them."
Weimar and the surrounding state of Thuringia lie in the heartlands of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party (AfD).
In third place nationally, with around 13pc support, the AfD is second here with around 18pc.
The national polls look good for Mrs Merkel, but on a regional level the picture is different. For 45 years Weimar lay behind the Iron Curtain, in communist East Germany, and the pattern is repeated across the former East. In Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, the AfD is on 22pc.
The best it has managed anywhere in the former West is 8pc.
More than 25 years after reunification, Germany remains divided along Cold War lines.
Four years ago, Mrs Merkel could claim she had finally banished the divide.
The first chancellor to have grown up in the East, she won commanding majorities across the country in elections.
But this time it is different.
"Things were better in East Germany," says Harry's wife, Heike. "We had a lot of problems, but people were happier. Harry has to work seven days a week, and we still can't pay the bills."
Ostalgie, nostalgia for the old communist East, and resentment of poorer living standards compared to the West have played a role.
The Left Party, the democratic successor to old East German communist party, attracts a strong protest vote here. But this year voters are turning from the former communists to the nationalist AfD. Alexander Gauland, its lead candidate, has called for Germans to "reclaim their past" and "feel pride in the achievements of German soldiers in two world wars".
Mrs Merkel has opened up a flank, both on the political Right and in the geographical East.
West of the old Iron Curtain lies a different Germany. Frankfurt, with its Manhattan-like skyline, is a symbol of Europe's economic powerhouse, and a city of immigrants. Beneath the skyscrapers, Turkish restaurants jostle for space with Arab hairdressers.
"Frankfurt is a global city with a long tradition of co-existence with immigrants, and a good social integration policy," says Matthias Zimmer, a CDU MP who is running for re-election in the city.
"We've had immigration since the 1960s, which led to the modernisation of West German society. That has never happened in East Germany: what it's experiencing now are the birth pangs of catching up with modernity."
During the migrant influx, for a short time the small town of Giessen north of Frankfurt hosted the largest number of asylum-seekers anywhere in Germany. Helge Braun, the local MP, says the town was able to cope because of its past.
"We have a lot of experience with this sort of situation in Giessen," says Prof Braune, who is also a minister in Mrs Merkel's government in charge of the migrant issue.
"The Giessen refugee camp accommodated displaced people at the end of the Second World War, and refugees from East Germany during the Cold War."
By contrast, until Mrs Merkel's decision to open the borders to asylum-seekers in 2015, many East German towns and cities had never seen large-scale immigration.
But Carsten Koschmieder, a political scientist at Berlin's Free University, believes the divide goes deeper.
"In large part it's about identity," he says. "People in the former East have been though enormous changes in the last 20 years. Talented young people are moving to the West in search of jobs, and that makes it harder for those who get left behind.
"When people face that sort of upheaval, they look for an alternative stability in their national identity."
It is an issue that has been at the heart of the AfD campaign. When Aydan Ozoguz, the national integration commissioner, said there was no unifying German culture beyond the language, Mr Gauland pounced. Ms Ozoguz is of Turkish heritage, and he called for her to be "disposed of in Anatolia".
The election has opened a national debate on whether Germany has a Leitkultur - in English a dominant culture - and the AfD has not hesitated to invoke the cultural giants of Weimar's past. "German culture is Goethe, Schiller, Bach," Mr Gauland has said.
But many of the party's pronouncements have been more controversial. "Not everyone with a German passport is German," Mr Gauland has said.
The AfD's regional leader in Thuringia, Bjorn Hocke, has called for a "180-degree turn" in Germany's attitude to the Second World War and an end to guilt over the crimes of the Nazis.
Prof Zimmer, the Frankfurt MP, is one of those in Mrs Merkel's party who believes there is a Leitkultur but he argues it is one of tolerance, not chauvinism.
"The hard core is the law and the language," he says.
"The special relationship with Israel is also part of German culture.
"Anti-Semitism is not a mere expression of opinion in Germany, it's incompatible with our self-image and culture.
"Other key things are equality between men and women, tolerance of homosexuals and freedom of religion."
The mix of high culture and nationalism is nothing new in Weimar.
Under Hitler, the city was glorified as a shrine to German culture.
On a hill just outside the city lies a reminder of the dangers of such politics: Buchenwald concentration camp, where more 56,000 Jews, gypsies, Poles and Soviet prisoners-of-war were murdered by the Nazis
The original gate is still standing, a Nazi slogan picked out in the wrought iron reads Jedem das Seine: each to his own.
Telegraph
Adel Jamil and Omed Mohammed had always made a point of not discussing politics.
Mr Jamil, the manager of a jewellery shop, would drink sugary tea and talk about his favourite soap opera each morning with his old friend, who runs the neighbouring barbers in the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq.
Now, the subject has become impossible to avoid.
Residents of Kirkuk and Iraqi Kurdistan will go to the polls tomorrow for a controversial referendum on independence, which if they vote "yes" as expected, will begin the process of turning their autonomous enclave into an independent state.
Mr Jamil (50) an Arab, wants his shop to remain in the federal republic of Iraq and plans to vote "no". Mr Mohammed, a Kurd, wants his to be part of a new Kurdish nation.
For generations Mr Mohammed's family and others like his have dreamt of this day, when they can right a historical wrong they believe was committed when Britain and France carved up the Middle East in a post-World War I deal, which left the Kurds without a homeland.
With some 35 million scattered across Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria, Kurds are the largest stateless ethnic group in the world.
At the heart of the contest is Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic city claimed by both Iraq and the Kurds which lies on an ocean of oil. Kurds feel a deep, historical connection with the city, which is just an hour's drive from Kurdistan's capital Erbil. They make up just shy of 50pc of Kirkuk's one million population, while Arabs account for 30pc and Turkmen 20pc.
Of the Kirkuk council's 41 members, 23 last month voted to take part in the referendum, all of whom Kurdish. The remaining Arab and Turkmen members abstained, denouncing the vote as unlawful.
But Iraq's parliament says the city, home to some four pc of the world's oil reserves, is rightfully theirs, under its constitution and has authorised Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi to "take all measures" to preserve national unity.
The Kurdish flag, with its red-white-green tricolors and blazing golden sun, festoons just about every building in the city. Billboards exhort "the time is now - say 'yes' to a free Kurdistan!"
"Baghdad doesn't care about the Kurds," Mr Mohammed (45) says as he shaves a tick into his customer's hair, a symbol showing which way he intends to vote. "We can't just wait for them to start treating us as equals, we must demand it."
Kirkuk was taken over by the Peshmerga, Kurdistan's official military force, in 2014 after Iraqi forces withdrew in the face of a fierce assault by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) militants. It gave Kurds sudden de facto control of a place they have long claimed.
Since then the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has managed affairs in the city, bypassing Iraq's central government to sell crude pumped from the oilfields to international buyers.
Under the terms of an arrangement set up after the removal of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the Kurds are supposed to receive 17pc of government revenues. But Kurdish officials believe Baghdad has consistently short-changed them of this constitutionally mandated share.
Kirkuk was meant to have a census under Iraq's new constitution drawn up in 2005 but ethnic and religious tensions meant that it never actually went ahead.
The Kurds were brutally repressed under Saddam, whose troops arrested, tortured and killed hundreds of thousands in an attempt to ethnically cleanse the region. Tens of thousands more were forcibly displaced from Kirkuk and surrounding areas. They have been returning in recent years but campaigning for the referendum has opened old wounds.
Some worry the vote has turned into an emotional one and that behind the nationalist fervour there is no coherent plan for an independent state.
"The Kurdish parliament hasn't convened for two years and [Kurdistan President Masoud] Barzani doesn't even have a mandate [which expired in 2015]," says Mr Jamil. "They haven't shown us what this state would actually look like. People haven't been paid proper salaries since 2014, no one comes into my shop any more because no one has the money to. And now they are preparing for a war over this."
He says that while his friendship with his "brother" Mr Mohammed is strong enough to weather what comes next, he fears that the referendum could divide the city irrevocably.
A "yes" vote would not mean immediate independence for the Kurdish region since the referendum is non-binding, meaning it does not have legal force.
But Kurdish officials say they will use it to pressure the Iraqi government in Baghdad to come to the negotiating table and formalise their bid. If they do break away, it would be the most significant redrawing of borders in the region since the creation of Israel in 1948. It will split Iraq, tearing away a Switzerland-sized chunk.
Critics of the vote, or at least the timing of it, include the UK, US, UN, EU and even members of the 5.5 million-strong Iraqi Kurdish population, who say pursuing independence represented too great a risk while Iraq is still fighting Isil.
They have pushed Mr Barzani for a delay and even offered him a diluted alternative, to no avail.
Mr Barzani, a 71-year-old guerrilla leader-turned-politician who heads the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), is striking while the iron is hot.
He knows Iraq is militarily weak as it reels from the nine-month offensive to retake Mosul.
And the West is indebted to him for his army's help in the fight against terror.
"Now is our time," he told a 100,000 -strong crowd in Erbil on Friday. "No one can stop us achieving our dream."
Telegraph
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
A US student was trapped in a cave for three days without food or water after he was left behind on a group excursion.
Lukas Cavar, a first year student at Indiana University, was on a spelunking trip when he became separated from the rest of the group.
The terrified 19-year-old survived by licking the moisture off the cave walls and left messages to his family and friends on his phone fearing he wouldnt make it out alive.
When the forgotten student reached the entrance of the cave he found it was padlocked shut. He couldnt get any reception on his phone and shouted for hours trying to attract the attention of passers-by.
I managed to get some water from the cave walls, by basically licking the moisture off the wall, he told Reuters.
My biggest worry was not making it out alive. I was afraid I would never see my friends or family again.
The teenager was eventually rescued after 60 hours when other members of the caving club and his parents reported him missing.
He didnt require any medical attention and said the first thing he wanted to do after being rescued was eat and drink and put on some warm clothes.
The university Caving Club told the Indiana Daily Student said there had been a failure in our leadership to follow the safety protocols.
We have a series of rigorous protocols in place that are supposed to prevent situations like this, but they are only effective if followed.
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
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Just a few days back, Deepika Padukone's first look from the much awaited Sanjay Leela Bhansali film Padmavati was released, and it seems like Karni Sena was prepping up to blow a thunder. The group that has been, for long, protesting against the Ranveer-Shahid starrer movie, burned the posters of the movie threatening to stop the film's release.
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The Shri Rajput Karni Sena, an organisation of the Rajput community, on Saturday burnt posters here of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's much-awaited 'Padmavati' which is slated for a December 1 release.
A group of protesters gathered in front of Rajmandir Cinema Hall and shouted slogans against Bhansali and burnt posters of the film.
PTI
"While shooting in Jaipur Bhansali had promised to show the film to us and historians before releasing it. But since then no one has contacted us, nor has the film been shown to us," Narain Singh Divrala, district president Jaipur of the Shri Rajpur Karni Sena, told IANS.
"We want him to show the film to the core committee of Shri Rajput Karni Sena and various organizations, including historians, before releasing it," Divrala said adding, "Till then we will not allow the film to be released."
"If the Karni Sena core committee and historians don't have any problems only then will we allow screening of the movie," he added.
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"We have come to know through media reports that facts and history have been distorted in the film, and it is unacceptable," Divrala said.
In January, activists of the Shree Rajput Karni Sena had protested, manhandled and misbehaved with the crew of Bhansali's "Padmavati" claiming that he was distorting historical facts in the movie. They had also damaged some cameras and other equipments. Bhansali had to stop shooting.
The Karni Sena claimed that they have got a big library and that in no book is it written that Alauddin Khilji, a powerful ruler of the Khilji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate in 13th-14th century, fell in love with Padmavati or that he was her lover.
BCCL
"They are trying to defame Padmavati by distorting historical facts. It is not acceptable," an activist of Karni Sena said.
In March some miscreants broke the mirrors in Padmini Mahal (palace) in Chittorgarh Fort where Ala-ud-din Khilji is believed to have seen Rani Padmavati or Padmini. Shri Rajput Karni Sena claims that the mirror was invented years after Padmavati lived and therefore it is a completely untrue story.
As citizens of this planet, we have failed miserably.
Mountains of toxic garbage, large-scale deforestation, contamination of water, eroding mountains, ravaging the earths core, we have done everything fuelled by greed and the urge for profit. We've tested our planet's limit, produced beyond our capacity and caused irreversible damage.
While climate change has been a problem for decades now, policymakers continue to deny it or relegate it to the back burner, and the countdown to doomsday may have officially begun.
Dont believe us? Here are some scary facts about the world you now live in.
LIBERTATEA.RO
You can thank global warming for waking up ancient viruses and bacteria that have been lying dormant for centuries.
Although we have been around bacteria and viruses for as long as mankind has existed, our body is still susceptible to viruses that existed some 1,000 years ago. With the earths surface warms up and melts the permafrost, these viruses that have been buried for thousands of years are being released in the air.
BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has recently released a video showing a massive crack in the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica. The video confirms perilous effects of global warming on this shaft and how it is breaking into pieces.
Owing to climate change, it snowed in the Sahara Desert for the first time in 38 years.
A little #GlobalWarming fell in the Sahara Desert today. First time in 37 years.
In other news: @AlGore is still chasing #ManBearPig. pic.twitter.com/XPcwseYG2V Dr. Milton Wolf (@MiltonWolfMD) December 20, 2016
Arguably, the biggest problem in the world right now is climate change. Whether we talk about it or not, it's slowly seeping into our lives and there's no way you can ignore it any further.
AFP
Now you may wonder how can global warming cause farmer deaths. Well, 60,000 farmers have committed suicide since 1980 because of a direct effect on their livelihood. Climate change results in crop failure which led to suicide. Suicide is a heart-breaking indicator of human hardship, and the finding that this phenomenon is affected by a changing climate implies that it is essential to quantify its effect and consider this relationship as we build climate policy for the future.
REUTERS
We recently learnt that ice in Antarctica has shrunk to an unprecedented level as a result of the extreme human activity.
Around February, floating ice in the region does melt to its smallest size for the year before expanding again as the autumn chill sets in. However, this year sea ice extent contracted to 2.287 million square kilometres (883,015 square miles) on February 13, according to daily data from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
ADVENTURE NATION
Home to myriad waterfalls, can you imagine people in the mountains running short of water? With a backdrop of the snow-capped Himalayas stretched out across a brilliant blue sky, the world's highest village in Spiti is suffering acute water shortage for the first time.
REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE
Rising temperatures caused by global warming will make it difficult for aircraft to take off in coming decades, according to a new study. During the day, with temperatures soaring, 10-30% of fully loaded planes may have to remove some fuel, cargo or passengers, or else wait for cooler hours to fly, researchers said.
GETTY IMAGES
Southern Spain, the most recent victim of climate change is going through a terrifying transformation. Once thriving with mighty reservoirs and water bodies, the region is now slowly turning into a dry-dotted-landscapes. Water levels are constantly dropping, resulting in a dramatic change.
THEBLACKVAULT
Australia's vast kelp forests are being devastated by heat waves - all thanks to the escalated global warming. Once thriving in that area, the kelp has now been completely wiped out. The situation is getting worse by the day and it has almost come to a point where the disappearance of the natural reserve is not far.
HICOMM
In what looks like irreversible damage, Greenland's climate change has led to a drastic and terrifying effect. The coastal glaciers and ice caps have officially melted past the point of return.
AP
Home to some awe-inspiring locations, the planet is standing at the threat-pedestal of climate change. The list clearly states 15 places that won't be around in the next 10 decades, all due to climate change.
SUNDERBANS
A recent study by scientist revealed that mangrove forest in the Sunderbans in India are depleting at a rapid pace due to climate change. The study also revealed that from 1986 to 2012, more than 124 sq.km of mangrove forest cover has eroded.
REUTERS
Other than accidents, starvation, predictable calamities and natural causes, people will die from global warming. The death toll from weather disasters is expected to increase 50 fold, especially in Europe. Over 150,000 people a year will die by 2100 if steps aren't taken to counter climate change.
REUTERS
With climate change comes rampant over production and changes in crop schedules. A study claims that climate change will drop the production of rice in Punjab but will weirdly increase the production of potatoes.
BCCL
Not only will production plummet, but to be able to keep up with growing demand, India will spend $9-10 billion annually. If farmers do not adapt to the disruptions caused by climate change and alter their practices, there will be huge losses.
BCCL
We have already learnt that climate change has been contributing to the melting of glaciers, and here's one more example to validate that. Antarctica, the white desert, is supposed to the largest ice mass on Earth, and now global warming is the ice melting into lakes. A clear sign of change has been observed in the region, between 2000 to 2013.
Global temperature is likely to rise more than 2 degrees Celsius by 2100, two different studies have revealed. There is only 5% chance that the Earth will not heat, but if it does, we are doomed.
Another study claims that there is a 95% chance that Earth will warm more than 2 degrees at the century's end, and a 1% chance that it would be below 1.5 degrees.
Another day, another gut-wrenching case of domestic violence. The ground reality remains the same, it is a problem that cuts across race, culture, religion and economic status.
According to the World Health Organisation, globally almost one-third of women report experiencing some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner.
Picture for representation
The worst part? Authorities fail to address the issue and ignore those in dire need. This is what happened to a woman named Baljeet Kaur from Amritsar, a victim of domestic violence.
A Twitter user shared her entire story and it will leave you seething in anger!
1. The woman named Baljeet Kaur has been facing the wrath of her abusive husband Rashpal Singh for a while. In the video, she cries for help and says her life is a living hell!
Thread:
This lady needs help. Baljeet Kaur from Amritsar. Her abusive husband is Rashpal Singh. Shes filed numerous police complaints.. pic.twitter.com/zk2fRwS0wF Jas Oberoi (@iJasOberoi) September 21, 2017
2. She has lodged numerous complaints, but police have refused to help her. Why? Because her husband seems to have a hand with the authorities!
2. but to no avail. Her husband beats her & the son everyday. He has friends in the local police force who make sure that he isnt booked. Jas Oberoi (@iJasOberoi) September 21, 2017
3. Despite being an earning member, but her husband insults her by destroying things she buys for the house!
3. The lady works & earns for the house. Whatever grocery she brings home he either destroys it or burns the food she cooks. pic.twitter.com/RARdkw4hdQ Jas Oberoi (@iJasOberoi) September 21, 2017
4. He forced her to sign divorce papers!
4. He forcibly took her signatures & registered divorce in court. He also got all the property transferred to his name by threatening her. Jas Oberoi (@iJasOberoi) September 21, 2017
5. The man even beats up his son who tries to protect his mother!
5. Now he wants her & the son to go away from the house without any alimony support. When they refuse to, he beats them and abuses them. pic.twitter.com/E8GSBTO4t9 Jas Oberoi (@iJasOberoi) September 21, 2017
6. Baljeet Kaur is so exhausted with all abuse, that she even considered committing suicide!
7. In the end the lady is requesting for help & stating how shes completely broken up. She clearly states that she might commit suicide. pic.twitter.com/AGAEfoK5Se Jas Oberoi (@iJasOberoi) September 21, 2017
7. As a last resort, she has requested Captain Amarinder Singh, CM, Punjab and politician Navjot Singh Sindhu to rescue her.
8. The victim lady has explicitly requested @capt_amarinder & @sherryontopp to help her get out of this mess & abuse. Jas Oberoi (@iJasOberoi) September 21, 2017
Like Baljeet Kaur, there are thousands suffering the same kind of abuse and insult, day in and day out. While some get help, most are forced to live in his misery and it's heartbreaking to say the least!
Billionaire businessman Sajjan Jindal is officially the first tycoon to undertake a project cleaning up ghats in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency.
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The Centre has cleared a multi-crore renovation project by the magnate's firm, Jindal Steel Works (JSW), to repair, clean and restore Harishchandra ghat, a site on the bank of the Ganga here frequently visited for Hindu funeral rites.
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According to its detailed project report (DPR), the billionaire's firm will replace the flooring at Harishchandra ghat with sandstone and construct a crematory platform. It will also be responsible for checking permissible levels of smoke and silting.
The firm will check the flow of "puja samagri" into the river, control the flow of sewage, and create basins and "kunds" for ancillary cremation activities. The firm will also be responsible for the reconstruction and repair of existing wall stone joints.
bccl/representational image
At present, wood used for pyres is left in random piles on the ghat's steps, the benches are inconsistent and the electricity poles are either damaged or not functional, the DPR had pointed out.
The firm will also be responsible for the reconstruction and repair of existing wall stone joints. At present, wood used for pyres is left in random piles on the ghat's steps, the benches are inconsistent and the electricity poles are either damaged or not functional, the DPR had pointed out.
The initial cost of the repair work to be undertaken by JSW will be Rs 3.5 crore annually. Clearance was given after a committee set up by the Allahabad high court and headed by the Union ministry of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation submitted its report and clearance to JSW.
Dawood Ibrahim, India's most wanted, is presently in Pakistan, a senior police officer has quoted the don's brother Iqbal Kaskar as saying. Kaskar has given some four-five addresses used by Dawood in the country.
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Pakistan consistently denies that the global terrorist is holed up there. Kaskar's claim backs up the dossier India has handed to Pakistan, listing over nine addresses of Dawood in Karachi and other cities.
Kaskar, 60, the only one of Dawood's brothers to be based in Mumbai now, and two of his aides were arrested on September 18 by the Thane police's anti-extortion cell, which is investigating an extortion racket that allegedly runs in nexus with some local politicians.
Kaskar is also understood to have told the investigators that Dawood has avoided speaking to him and other relatives in India for the past three years over fears of his phone being tapped.
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He has, however, claimed to be in touch with Anees Ahmad, another brother who helps Dawood run his crime empire, a couple of times in the past. Kaskar said Anees has called him from international numbers on his mobile phones on Eid and other occasions.
Kaskar, accused of having collected around Rs 100 crore from developers and jewellers in the Thane region in the last three years and channelling them to D-Company, denied that Dawood was involved. He denied being involved in any extortion racket and claimed he was doing business with the builders. "Kaskar is not cooperating in the investigations and is hardly speaking. But yes, he has admitted he was in touch with his elder brother Anees Ahmad, involved in the 1993 serial bomb blast," said an officer.
The senior officer said they are taking all of Kaskar's claims with a pinch of salt and he is suspected to be in touch with his brothers. "All the statements given by Kaskar during the interrogation are presently being verified and are likely to be used by the agencies against the fugitive Dawood," said a senior police officer.
bccl
Asked about Chhota Shakeel, a close aide of Dawood, Kaskar said he does not have good relations with him; in fact, he claimed to hate him. The police, interrogating Kaskar regularly during his eight days in their custody, are trying to get the names of businessmen, including Bollywood personalities, who are in Dawood's good books.
In Thane, a few more complainants are coming forward against the racket that Kaskar is accused of running in Dawood's name. The police expect at least a dozen victims to open up. Already, a builder and a jeweller have lodged complaints.
Sources said a police team has been sent to Bihar, from where shooters were hired to scare victims. It is learnt that a builder from Navi Mumbai was slapped by these Bihari shooters and threatened. "He was so scared, he left town," said an investigator.
It's the holy week of Navratri and the wrong time to provoke religious sentiments. But a Delhi University assistant professor has landed in hot waters after allegedly posting a caustic remark against Goddess Durga.
Kedar Mandal, an assistant professor of Hindi at Dyal Singh College, had allegedly updated his Facebook status where he wrote on his Facebook, "Durga is the very much sexy prostitute in the Indian mythology.
An FIR shd be filed against, Kedar Kumar Mandal for his filthy and atrocious remark. It hurts Hindu sentiments @vhpdelhiorg pic.twitter.com/qUnawodkvB
Amarjeet Singh Deo (@amarsdeo) September 23, 2017
Soon after his post went viral, student organisations like Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and The National Democratic Teachers Front (NDTF), a BJP-affiliated teacher's body, filed a complaint against him.
In their complaint, the teachers accused him of making a mischievous attempt to hurt peoples feelings, The Times of India reported. This is a disgusting attempt at cheap publicity especially at a time when everyone is revelling in the festivities of Navratri, the newspaper quoted one of the complainants VS Negi, the general secretary of NDTF, as saying.
The alleged post has been removed from his Facebook page and after the controversy, Mandal has been incommunicado.
"We demand his suspension and we request the student community to boycott his classes." ABVP's Dayal Singh College unit said in a statement.
42-year-old Jacintha Mendonca has finally returned to India after a harrowing experience in Saudi Arabia, where she was forced to work as a "slave" in a household.
Jacintha, a victim of human trafficking, was duped by a Mumbai-based recruiting agency which had promised to get her a well-paying job in Qatar.
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She was first taken to Dubai from where she was flown to Saudi Arabia without her knowledge and made to work in a household at Yanbu, where she had been virtually "enslaved" for the last 14 months.
Talking to reporters at A V Baliga hospital at Udupi yesterday, Jacintha narrated her harrowing experience.
"I had a hellish experience in Yanbu... I was made to work day in and day out at three mansions belonging to the employer's mother, his three wives and their children...I was tortured like an animal," she alleged, adding the children called her 'gaddama' (slave).
Jacintha further alleged that she was confined to the house and not allowed to venture outside.
Mangalorean.com
She tried to escape in November last year, but was caught by the police who sent her back to the employer.
The escape bid brought more hardship as she was badly beaten up and her head banged against the wall. Her employers did not even give her water when she pleaded with them.
Jacintha is finally back home now, thanks to the efforts of Human Rights Protection Foundation of Udupi, who contacted the head of the NRI Forum Rodrigues in Saudi Arabia in April this year.
She reunited with her family in Mundrangady in Udupi district on September 22.
A Lufthansa passenger jet that was hijacked to Somalia 40 years ago at the height of a far-left militant group's campaign against West German authorities has returned home. The dpa news agency reported that most parts of the Boeing 737 arrived today in the city of Friedrichshafen, where they will be reassembled and displayed at the Dornier Museum.
Reuters
The remainder is due to arrive on Wednesday from Brazil. The aircraft ended up in a Brazilian carrier's fleet and had been sitting decommissioned at the country's Fortaleza Airport for years.
A Palestinian group demanding the release of members of West Germany's Red Army Faction hijacked a Mallorca to Frankfurt flight in October 1977.
AFP
The hijacking marked the peak of the "German Autumn" of leftist violence.
German commandos stormed the plane in Mogadishu, Somalia.
The Supreme Court expressed its helplessness when a petitioner sought its directions to "abolish" mosquitoes from the country.
The apex court said, We are not Gods. Don't ask us to do things which only the God can do."
Reuters
We cannot go to everybody's house and say there is a mosquito or a house fly, so remove it," a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said.
"What you are asking us to do, only God can do. Do not ask us to do things which only God can do. We are not Gods," it said.
The bench rejected the petition and refuted the petitioner saying that theres a way to file a petition.
Reuters
When Leshdhan sought framing of "unified guidelines to abolish mosquitoes which cause mosquito-borne diseases", the bench said, "we do not think any court can pass such direction to the authorities to eliminate mosquitoes from the country".
The petitioner also said that the government authorities should be made accountable for the loss of life due to such diseases.
While stories of elected representatives being apathetic towards the general populace are common, here's something that will cheer you up.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Mejor Sunil Dutt Dwivedi carried an accident victim on his back to the Lohia hospital in Farrukhabad. The accident had occurred on Farrukhabad-Fatehgarh road when three men on two motorbikes and a bicycle crashed into each other near Bhimsen market and were lying unconscious in the middle of the road.
ANI
The MLA of Sadar assembly constituency of Farrukhabad was on his way home when he saw the injured people from his car. He immediately stopped his vehicle to aide these men in need and took them to a nearby hospital. MLA himself carried a victim on his back inside the emergency ward of Lohia hospital, while the others were taken inside the hospital on the available stretchers.
The victims were identified as Arvind Singh Chauhan from Nagla Pritam village, Rishab from Nagla Deen and Rameshwar Singh from Awas Vikas Colony.
Sushma Swaraj did not hold back at UNGA when she accused Pakistan of state-sponsored terrorism.
She minced no words and that is the way she has always spoken. Here are the highlights of what she had to say:
* India is resolved to fighting poverty, but our neighbour Pakistan is only interested in fighting us.
AP
* If we continue to differentiate between good terrorists and bad terrorists, how can we fight together? If even the United Nations Security Council cannot agree on the listing of terrorists, how can we fight together?
* We produced scholars, doctors, engineers. What have you (Pakistan) produced? You have produced terrorists.
AP
* When Pakistan PM accused India of state-sponsored terrorism, those listening had only one observation: "Look, who's talking!"
* A country that has been the world's greatest exporter of havoc, death and inhumanity became a champion of hypocrisy by preaching about humanity from this podium.
Veterans For Peace Sends Joint Letter Calling for Peace Negotiations Now By Veterans For Peace September 23, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Dear President Trump and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, You have both made your point. The world has seen that neither of you will back down before the threats of the other. For the sake of the worlds people, it is now time for good faith negotiations. President Trump, you have engaged in reckless rhetoric and threatened to totally destroy North Korea with fire and fury like world has never seen. We can tell you right now that you do not speak for millions of veterans in this country. We know firsthand the horrors of war, and we dont want to see them again, not even from a distance. Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, your threats to target Guam and the United States with nuclear weapons are deeply disturbing. We understand that you must defend your nation from threats of U.S. intervention. However, your words and actions, like President Trumps, are causing a very unstable and dangerous situation. You both have shown the other, and the world, that you have the capability of causing calamitous destruction in a distant country. You have also shown that through the strategy of deterrence, which holds millions of people hostage to the threat of nuclear war, you have so far been able to fend off an attack by the other. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter The point has been made. Now is the time to start backing off. It is time for each side to clearly state its conditions for negotiations. Not conditions that are deliberately designed to be impossible for the other side to accept. But conditions that are negotiable. There should be no unilateral pre-conditions for talks to begin. The people of the world are demanding peace. The name-calling and bluffing game must stop, before someone, somewhere, makes a tragic mistake, a mistake that could never be undone. Millions of people would die a horrible death, not only in Korea, the U.S. and Japan, but also in Okinawa, Guam, China, Russia - and who knows where else. Millions of lives are in the balance, as is the future of the human species. For the sake of our mutual survival, it is time for diplomacy. It is time to negotiate. It is time for peace. As veterans of too many wars, we beg you to start talking now. Please let us know if we might be of assistance. We will help in any way we can. Peace for All Koreans! Peace for All the People of the World! Most sincerely, Veterans For Peace This article was first published by Veterans For Peace -
The Crazy Imbalance of Russia-gate
Exclusive: If the U.S. government and mainstream media are really concerned about foreign influence in American politics, they might look at Israel and other nations with much more clout than Russia, notes Robert Parry.
By Robert Parry
September 23, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The core absurdity of the Russia-gate frenzy is its complete lack of proportionality. Indeed, the hysteria is reminiscent of Sen. Joe McCarthy warning that one communist in the faculty of one university is one communist too many or Donald Trumps highlighting a few bad hombres raping white American women.
Its not that there were no Americans who espoused communist views at universities and elsewhere or that there are no bad hombre rapists; its that these rare exceptions were used to generate a dangerous overreaction in service of a propagandistic agenda. Historically, we have seen this technique used often when demagogues seize on an isolated event and exploit it emotionally to mislead populations to war.
Today, we have The New York Times and The Washington Post repeatedly publishing front-page articles about allegations that some Russians with links to the Kremlin bought $100,000 in Facebook ads to promote some issues deemed hurtful to Hillary Clintons campaign although some of the ads ran after the election.
Initially, Facebook could find no evidence of even that small effort but was pressured in May by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia. The Washington Post reported that Warner, who is spearheading the Russia-gate investigation in the Senate Intelligence Committee, flew to Silicon Valley and urged Facebook executives to take another look at possible ad buys.
Facebook responded to this congressional pressure by scouring its billions of monthly users and announced that it had located 470 suspect accounts associated with ads totaling $100,000 out of Facebooks $27 billion in annual revenue.
Here is how the Times described those findings: Facebook officials disclosed that they had shut down several hundred accounts that they believe were created by a Russian company linked to the Kremlin and used to buy $100,000 in ads pushing divisive issues during and after the American election campaign. (It sometimes appears that every Russian all 144 million of them is somehow linked to the Kremlin.)
Last week, congressional investigators urged Facebook to expand its review into troll farms supposedly based in Belarus, Macedonia and Estonia although Estonia is by no means a Russian ally; it joined NATO in 2004.
Warner and his Democratic counterpart on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam B. Schiff of California, have been increasingly vocal in recent days about their frustrations with Facebook, the Post reported .
Facebook Complies
So, on Thursday, Facebook succumbed to demands that it turn over to Congress copies of the ads, a move that has only justified more alarmist front-page stories about Russia! Russia! Russia!
In response to this political pressure at a time when Facebook is fending off possible anti-trust legislation its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg added that he is expanding the investigation to include additional Russian groups and other former Soviet states.
So, it appears that not only are all Russians linked to the Kremlin, but all former Soviet states as well.
But why stop there? If the concern is that American political campaigns are being influenced by foreign governments whose interests may diverge from whats best for America, why not look at countries that have caused the United States far more harm recently than Russia?
After all, Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Wahabbi leaders have been pulling the U.S. government into their sectarian wars with the Shiites, including conflicts in Yemen and Syria that have contributed to anti-Americanism in the region, to the growth of Al Qaeda, and to a disruptive flow of refugees into Europe.
And, lets not forget the 8,000-pound gorilla in the room: Israel. Does anyone think that whatever Russia may or may not have done in trying to influence U.S. politics compares even in the slightest to what Israel does all the time?
Which government used its pressure and that of its American agents (i.e., the neocons) to push the United States into the disastrous war in Iraq? It wasnt Russia, which was among the countries urging the U.S. not to invade; it was Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Indeed, the plans for regime change in Iraq and Syria can be traced back to the work of key American neoconservatives employed by Netanyahus political campaign in 1996. At that time, Richard Perle, Douglas Feith and other leading neocons unveiled a seminal document entitled A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm , which proposed casting aside negotiations with Arabs in favor of simply replacing the regions anti-Israeli governments.
However, to make that happen required drawing in the powerful U.S. military, so after the 9/11 attacks, the neocons inside President George W. Bushs administration set in motion a deception campaign to justify invading Iraq, a war which was to be followed by more regime changes in Syria and Iran.
A Wrench in the Plans
Although the military disaster in Iraq threw a wrench into those plans, the Israeli/neocon agenda never changed. Along with Israels new regional ally, Saudi Arabia , a proxy war was fashioned to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
As Israels Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren explained , the goal was to shatter the Shiite strategic arc running from Iran through Syria to Lebanon and Israels Hezbollah enemies.
How smashing this Shiite arc was in the interests of the American people or even within their consciousness is never explained. But it was what Israel wanted and thus it was what the U.S. government enlisted to do, even to the point of letting sophisticated U.S. weaponry fall into the hands of Syrias Al Qaeda affiliate.
Israels influence over U.S. politicians is so blatant that presidential contenders queue up every year to grovel before the Israel Lobbys conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. In 2016, Donald Trump showed up and announced that he was not there to pander and then pandered his pants off.
And, whenever Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to show off his power, he is invited to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress at which Republicans and Democrats compete to see how many times and how quickly they can leap to their feet in standing ovations. (Netanyahu holds the record for the number of times a foreign leader has addressed joint sessions with three such appearances, tied with Winston Churchill.)
Yet, Israeli influence is so engrained in the U.S. political process that even the mention of the existence of an Israel Lobby brings accusations of anti-Semitism. Israel Lobby is a forbidden phrase in Washington.
However, pretty much whenever Israel targets a U.S. politician for defeat, that politician goes down, a muscle that Israel flexed in the early 1980s in taking out Rep. Paul Findley and Sen. Charles Percy , two moderate Republicans whose crime was to suggest talks with the Palestine Liberation Organization.
So, if the concern is the purity of the American democratic process and the need to protect it from outside manipulation, lets have at it. Why not a full-scale review of who is doing what and how? Does anyone think that Israels influence over U.S. politics is limited to a few hundred Facebook accounts and $100,000 in ads?
A Historical Perspective
And, if you want a historical review, throw in the British and German propaganda around the two world wars; include how the South Vietnamese government collaborated with Richard Nixon in 1968 to sabotage President Lyndon Johnsons Paris peace talks; take a serious look at the collusion between Ronald Reagans campaign and Iran thwarting President Jimmy Carters efforts to free 52 American hostages in Tehran in 1980; open the books on Turkeys covert investments in U.S. politicians and policymakers; and examine how authoritarian regimes of all stripes have funded important Washington think tanks and law firms.
If such an effort were ever proposed, you would get a sense of how sensitive this topic is in Official Washington, where foreign money and its influence are rampant. There would be accusations of anti-Semitism in connection with Israel and charges of conspiracy theory even in well-documented cases of collaboration between U.S. politicians and foreign interests.
So, instead of a balanced and comprehensive assessment of this problem, the powers-that-be concentrate on the infinitesimal case of Russian meddling as the excuse for Hillary Clintons shocking defeat. But the key reasons for Clintons dismal campaign had virtually nothing to do with Russia, even if you believe all the evidence-lite accusations about Russian meddling.
The Russians did not tell Clinton to vote for the disastrous Iraq War and play endless footsy with the neocons ; the Russians didnt advise her to set up a private server to handle her State Department emails and potentially expose classified information; the Russians didnt lure Clinton and the U.S. into the Libyan fiasco nor suggest her ghastly joke in response to Muammar Gaddafis lynching (We came, we saw, he died); the Russians had nothing to do with her greedy decision to accept millions of dollars in Wall Street speaking fees and then try to keep the speech contents secret from the voters; the Russians didnt encourage her husband to become a serial philanderer and make a mockery of their marriage; nor did the Russians suggest to Anthony Weiner, the husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, that he send lewd photos to a teen-ager on a laptop also used by his wife, a development that led FBI Director James Comey to reopen the Clinton-email investigation just 11 days before the election; the Russians werent responsible for Clintons decision not to campaign in Wisconsin and Michigan; the Russians didnt stop her from offering a coherent message about how she would help the struggling white working class; and on and on.
But the Russia-gate investigation is not about fairness and balance; its a reckless scapegoating of a nuclear-armed country to explain away and possibly do away with Donald Trumps presidency. Rather than putting everything in context and applying a sense of proportion, Russia-gate is relying on wild exaggerations of factually dubious or relatively isolated incidents as an opportunistic means to a political end.
As reckless as President Trump has been, the supposedly wise men and wise women of Washington are at least his match.
Investigative reporter Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for The Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. You can buy his latest book, Americas Stolen Narrative, either in print here or as an e-book (from Amazon and barnesandnoble.com ).
This article was first published by
Consortium News
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North Korea Addresses United Nations Responds to US President Trump's Speech Watch North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho is addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York Saturday, after a week of fiery barbs traded between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stoked tensions over North Korea's nuclear program. Moments before Ri was set to speak, U.S. Air Force bombers flew in international airspace east of North Korea. The Pentagon said it's the furthest north any U.S. fighters have flown in the 21st Century. The speech comes after Ri threatened to test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific, and Mr. Trump issued an executive order targeting countries that trade with North Korea . At a Friday night rally for Republican U.S. Senate contender Luther Strange in Alabama, Mr. Trump derided "little rocket man" -- his new favorite term for Kim -- and emphasized that North Korea would be dealt with. Earlier in the day, the president tweeted that he Kim is a "madman" who will be "tested like never before." In Mr. Trump's speech to the U.N. this week, the president said he would "totally destroy" North Korea if the U.S. is "forced to defend itself" or any allies. Kim, in a rare statement earlier this week, called the president "mentally deranged" and a "dotard," pledging to strike as needed. "Whatever Trump might have expected, he will face results beyond his expectation," Kim said in the statement. "I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged U.S. dotard with fire." Follow below for live updates from the North Korean foreign minister's speech. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter 2:46 p.m. Ri ends his speech, to applause from the North Korean delegation The handful of members of the North Korea delegation offered their applause as Ri walked off stage, uneventfully. 2:44 p.m.: It's foolish to think "barbaric" sanctions will deter North Korea, Ri says Although the U.N. and U.S. have imposed tougher sanctions on North Korea and its trading partners, Ri said that won't matter. North Korea is close to completing its nuclear weapons program, he said. 2:41 p.m.: Ri says North Korea doesn't intend to threaten countries that don't join U.S. Ri said countries that don't join the U.S. in its nuclear attempts have no reason to worry. 2:40 p.m.: Ri says North Korea is a "responsible" weapons state Ri said North Korea isn't eager to use its nuclear weapons capabilities, comparing the current situation to the "weapons of mass destruction" claims former President George W. Bush made to justify engaging in the Middle East. 2:34 p.m.: Ri says U.S. should "think twice" before threatening DPRK Ri said "hopefully" nuclear power won't be necessary, and that's not their "first option." But Ri said U.S. and its allies should "think twice" before threatening North Korea. 2:33 p.m.: Ri says DPRK has entered a phase of completing its nuclear force Ri says North Korea has nearly completed its nuclear weapons goals, including a hydrogen bomb. Ri said the weapons are intended to be a "war deterrent" 2:31 p.m.: Ri says the U.S. is the real threat "The very reason the DPRK had to possess nuclear weapons is because of the U.S.," Ri said. 2:27 p.m.: Ri: "None other than Trump is on a suicide mission" Ri said Trump will pay "dearly" for his speech. "Trump might not be aware what is uttered from his mouth," Ri said, adding North Korea will be "sure" he pays. 2:25 p.m.: Ri says Trump "tainted" U.N. with his comments Ri said he feels compelled to respond to comments from Mr. Trump, saying he poses a threat to international security. "Due to his lacking of basic common knowledge and proper sentiment, he tried to insult the supreme dignity of my country by referring it to a rocket," Ri said. Ri said Trump is, "mentally deranged and full of megalomania."
Syria's Deputy PM Speech At UN General Assembly
Video and Transcript
Sept 23, 2017 23 September 2017 The Syrian Government has spared no effort to put an end to the war that has besieged the country for the past six years, but the bloodshed continues owing to the aggressive policies by some States, Deputy Prime Minister Walid Al-Moualem told the United Nations General Assembly today. No people has suffered at the hands of terrorism more than the Syrian people, who, for six years now, has fought against terrorists pouring from all over the world, supported by parties from the region and beyond, said Mr. Al-Moualem, who is also the countrys Minister for Foreign Affairs. Since March 2011, Syria has been in the throes of a conflict that has forced more than half of all Syrians to leave their homes. An estimated 5 million Syrians have fled the country and more than 6 million are internally displaced. The crisis, described as the worst humanitarian disaster of our time with more than 13 million people in need of assistance, has caused untold suffering for Syrian men, women and children. The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has been working to bring the parties to the negotiating table and an end to the war. Mr. Al-Moualem stated that since day one, the Syrian Government has positively considered all initiatives to put an end to the war. However, these initiatives eventually failed after States that supported and fueled terrorism decided to persist in their aggressive policies against Syria and its people. He noted that the so-called Geneva process has yet to bear fruit in the absence of a genuine national opposition that can be a partner in Syria's future, and as countries with influence over the other party continue to block any meaningful progress. It is truly unfortunate that these countries that block a solution in Syria are members of this international Organization, including permanent members of the Security Council, he added. Certain countries, the Prime Minister said, have boasted about fighting terrorism in Syria and having the interests of Syrians at heart. They have established coalitions and held dozens of conferences under deceiving titles, such as friends of the Syrian people. It is quite ironic that those are the same countries that are shedding the blood of thousands of Syrians by supporting terrorists, bombing innocent civilians, and destroying their livelihoods. Syria was, however, encouraged by the Astana process and the resulting de-escalation zones and hoped that it will result in an actual cessation of hostilities and separate terrorist groups, such as ISIL, Al-Nusra and others, from those groups that have agreed to join the Astana process. This will be the real test of how committed and serious these groups and their Turkish sponsors are, said Mr. Al-Moualem. So far, Turkey under Erdogan has persisted in its aggressive policies against the Syrian people and has continued to labor under the illusion that terrorism will help serve its subversive agendas in Syria and the countries of the region. Turkeys position stands in stark contrast to the positive and constructive role played by Russia and Iran, he added. Full statement available here No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter
The Federal Government on Sunday rolled out its plans on how to handle the cases suspected Boko Haram terror group members, totaling 2,541, currently detained at Wawa Barracks in Kainji, Niger State, and Maiduguri prison in Borno State. The Federal Governmentrolled out its plans on how to handle the cases suspected Boko Haram terror group members, totaling 2,541, currently detained at Wawa Barracks in Kainji, Niger State, and Maiduguri prison in Borno State.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, said in a statement that a special prosecution arrangement already put it in place would commence the trial of 1,670 of the detainees in Wawa Barracks, Kainji, Niger State, in October.
The statement signed by the AGFs Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Salihu Isah, stated that after exhausting the cases in Kainji, the cases of 651 suspects currently detained at Maiduguri prison, would be taken up by the special arrangement.
It added that due to lack of evidence for any successful prosecution, 220 other suspects detained in the Kainji detention facility would be released and subjected to de-radicalisation programme.
The AGFs spokesperson stated that the 220 suspects constituted one of the four categories of terrorist suspects detained in the Kainji facility.
According to Isah, they were Boko Haram suspects who were hitherto investigated by the Joint Investigation Team set up by the Defence Headquarters otherwise known as DHQ/JIT and case files transmitted to the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and after a careful review of the cases based on their individual merit, it was discovered that they have no prima facie cases that will sustain a charge against them in any court of law hence were recommended for release and handed over to the Office of the National Security Adviser for rehabilitation and/or de-radicalisation.
Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has blamed the poor situation of power supply in Nigeria on inaccurate billing system resulting from insufficient metering machines.
Osinbajo made the remarks on Saturday in Onna local government area of Akwa Ibom while inaugurating an Electric Metering Factory as part of activities marking the 30th anniversary of Akwa Ibom creation.
The vice president said that Nigerias economic development hinged on effective power supply, lamenting that Distribution Companies (DISCOs) had not been able to collect tariffs because of non-availability of meters.
The electric metering factory is an important project. Inadequate power is the major obstacle to full economic development in Nigeria.
We have also identified the facts that DISCO is unable to collect tariffs effectively from consumers because we are unable to afford the cost of metering.
I think that there is an important policy innovation as there is no restriction on those who can actually produce meter for our consumers, Osinbajo said.
He commended the Akwa Ibom governor for establishing the metering factory, saying that the Federal Government was looking forward to other several factories across the country.
The country is open up for this kind of enterprise and we are looking forward to a lot more activities.
But we are looking at 2.7 million units of meters annually here and this is absolutely fantastic.
I know that job opportunities here will be substantial for a start, Osinbajo said.
In his speech, the Akwa Ibom governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, said that his administration was partnering with private sectors to put the state on the path of industrialization.
Emmanuel said that the factory would manufacture an average of one million meters per year and thanked the investors for their confidence in the state.
The essence of this industry is to ensure power for all. Once you can buy recharge cards, you can have electricity, it is available for all.
The capacity can be doubled from 2.7 to 5.4 to enable us pay for the power that we generate.
The project is a private initiative for the betterment of all Akwa Ibom people and for Nigeria at large, Emmanuel said.
Vice President Osinbajo also inaugurated a syringe manufacturing company constructed by a Turkish firm in partnership with the state government.
The company is expected to produce 2ml, 5ml and 10ml disposable syringes respectively at an annual production capacity of 350 million units.
The Etinan General Hospital refurbished by Gov. Emmanuel was also inaugurated by the vice president, who was the special guest of honour at the 30th anniversary of Akwa Ibom creation.
The hospital had witnessed a facelift with modern facilities and wards fitted with new electrical beds, well equipped theatres to manage all kinds of surgeries and fully stocked pharmacies.
Source: ( PM News)
The United States government has said it does not consider the Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB ) a terrorist organisation.
The Federal High Court in Abuja earlier last week, gave a judicial backing the executive order of President Buhari, outlawing the group and its activities in the country. The court granted the order to proscribe the group on Wednesday.
It declared that the activities of the group constituted acts of terrorism. The FG also accused France and the United Kingdom of aiding IPOB activities
The spokesman for the American Embassy in Nigeria, Russell Brooks, however, told Punchng, on Friday, that the US government does not view IPOB as a terrorist group.
He said this in response to an email which asked if the United States sees IPOB as a terrorist organisation. Brooks stated further that the US was committed to Nigerias unity and would support a peaceful resolution of any crisis in the country.
He said, The United States Government is strongly committed to Nigerias unity. Important political and economic issues affecting the Nigerian people, such as the allocation of resources, are worthwhile topics for respectful debate in a democracy.
Within the context of unity, we encourage all Nigerians to support a de-escalation of tensions and peaceful resolution of grievances. The Indigenous People of Biafra is not a terrorist organisation under US law.
Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has announced that on Tuesday September 26, 2017 he will unveil a new iconic statue of the late sage and nationalist, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
The imposing bust located on Obafemi Awolowo Way by the Lagos Television (LTV) junction in Ikeja, is a befitting replacement to the old Awolowo statue that was removed from the Allen Avenue round-about in Ikeja.
The new Awo which will stand at 20 feet, will be unveiled by Governor Ambode alongside notable dignitaries across the State.
The unveiling ceremony is also expected to be witnessed by members of the Awolowo family and Awoists across the country, with minimal traffic disruption between 11am and 12noon on Tuesday.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde in a statement on Saturday said that Tuesdays ceremony will reinforce Governor Ambodes commitment to acknowledging the contributions of patriots whose deeds and ideals were instrumental to making Lagos State in particular and the South-West region in general a formidable political and intellectual force within Nigeria.
It has always been Governor Ambodes desire to honour patriots and nationalists like Chief Obafemi Awolowo whose impeccable record and immense contribution to regional and national development inspired new generation of brilliant and forward-looking politicians like the Governor himself, Ayorinde said.
He added that erecting the bust on the same road that was named after the former Premier of Western region several years ago and beside the television station that was the first to be owned by a State Government is a unique way to keep the Awo legacy alive in Lagos State.
Designed and produced by Hamza Atta, the Awo bust symbolizes and projects his true value and reminds visitors and history enthusiast about the legacy of the foremost statesman.
Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo was the first Premier of Western Region after playing a key role in Nigerias Independence in 1960. He led what was regarded as the most efficient Civil Service in West-Africa, which led to the transformation of major sectors in Nigeria especially the Western region.
As the Asiwaju Omo Oodua, Chief Awolowo integrated and seamlessly developed the then Western Region through the construction of modern and sustainable infrastructure and industries which expanded trade and improved the economy of the region.
His free education scheme in the region, which was first of its kind in Africa, remains a point of reference till date.
It was the late politician that set up Nigerias first industrial complex and commercial housing estate in Ikeja and Ibadan which has remained a sustainable driver of the regions economy.
His contributions towards responsive governance in the then Western Region, particularly Lagos, remain one of the bedrock of the state development.
Source: ( PM News )
Emmanuel, the brother of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has insisted that Imo state governor Rochas Okorocha is not Igbo.
He condemned the governors comments against IPOB, accusing him of working against the interest of the Southeast.
Rochas Okorocha is trying to run for the office of the president; thats the number one thing you should understand. Somebody is writing the script that he is acting for him, he told Punch.
From his utterances, you can tell that he is not a Biafran. He is not behaving like an Igbo man. No true, full-blooded Igbo man will speak the way Okorocha speaks. If truly Rochas Okorocha is a Biafran, he wouldnt be making such comments.
What I am trying to say here is simple; no Biafran can call us (IPOB members) miscreants, nobody except those who are not in touch with reality like Rochas Okorocha. He has never protected the Igbo interest before and I wont be surprised if he refuses to change.
Emmanuel Kanu also condemned the declaration of IPOB as a terrorist organisation, describing the recent proscription as laughable.
When a group is unarmed and doesnt kill and has never asked anyone to kill, why would the government label it a terrorist group? They have the herdsmen who are busy killing people every day; they have not declared them as a terrorist group. They are calling us terrorists. Are they saying the Igbo are terrorists?
On insistence by Nigerian government that looters of the countrys treasury are the ones funding IPOB, Emmanuel dared the authorities to be specific.
I expect the Federal Government to be specific when they speak. I dont understand why the government is keeping people in suspense concerning the looters funding IPOB activities.
They were not specific in their claims. They did not identify anybody in particular. So, what they are saying is baseless and it doesnt make any sense to me.
Source Dailypost
At least five people were confirmed injured in Stratford, after a reported acid attack, police were called to Stratford Centre, opposite Westfield, just before 20:00 BST. A man has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.
According to reports, the Metropolitan Police said there had been reports of a group of males spraying people with a noxious substance.
Those reported injured are believed to be in a number of different locations.
At least five patients were treated at the scene, and three of them were taken to hospital, Paul Gibson of the London Ambulance Service said.
London Fire Brigade said it was assisting police, and a number of emergency response vehicles were at the scene.
A police spokeswoman said a cordon was in place at the shopping complex.
According to BBC, witnesses at the scene said an argument had broken out among a group of people.
A man who gave his name as Hossen, an assistant manager at Burger King, said a victim had run into the fast food chain to wash acid off his face.
The 28-year-old added: There were cuts around his eyes and he was trying to chuck water into them.
Source: ( PM News )
A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has found a five-man patrol team of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, also known as SARS, guilty of extrajudicial killing of two friends.
The SARS operatives were led by one Samuel Chigbu while the victims of extrajudicial killing were Michael Akor and Michael Igwe in Oyigbo Local Government Area of the State.
Michael Akor (28) and his friend, Michael Igwe, were said to have been arrested while going about their businesses on June 22, 2009 by the security agents, who eventually killed them in a bush in Oyigbo the next day.
Apart from finding the SARS operatives guilty, the court ordered the Nigeria Police to pay a N50 million compensation to the families of the victims.
The judge, Justice Adolphus Enebeli, gave the order in an enforcement of fundamental human rights suit that was brought before the court, even as he asserted that ASP Chigbu and his men intentionally killed the two men.
Justice Enebeli noted that no investigation or trial was carried out by the security agents before shooting and killing the two young graduates, adding that their action was contrary to some sections of the Constitution.
Explaining that the alibi that the deceased were hit by bullets during a crossfire between the police and a group of hoodlums were not substantiated, the judge insisted that it was not a coincidence that the two victims were shot at the same part of their bodies.
The judge added that victims of extrajudicial killing died at Briathwaite Memorial Hospital and buried at the same place and at a similar time.
He specifically said that SARS in the state had acquired the notoriety of extra-judicial killings, adding that this was destroying the image of the State Police Command.
It will be recalled that Chigbu and four other erring SARS operatives had since been dismissed from the Police Force after the incident.
The five SARS operatives are also standing trial for murder and extra-judicial execution before Justice Margaret Opara of the State High Court in Port Harcourt.
Speaking after the judgement, the counsel for the late victims, Mr. Johnson Ejekwu, maintained that a death sentenced for the offending SARS operatives would have been better than a N50 million compensation.
Ejekwu, however, thanked the court for the ruling, even as he suggested that relevant authorities should intervene and help to stop the extrajudicial killings by men of SARS in Rivers State.
But the mother of one of the deceased, Mrs. Catherine Akor, lamented that no amount of compensation would bring back her son.
She added that the murder of her son had also caused her spouse memory loss, adding that her husband was currently experiencing a terrible health condition as a result of SARS operatives action.
In recent interview with Wolverhamptons magazine WLV Life, Soon to Wed Actress, Adesua Etomi reveals why she returned to Nigeria after her stay in the UK.
Not limited to that, she also discussed the things she finds rewarding about acting, and, ultimately, her goals.
Described her experience, studying in the university, Adesua Etomi said:
It is the foundation upon which my career has been built.
The actress had for a long time known she wanted to be in the arts, wanting to be become an actor but also wanting a course that would focus not only on the practical side of the arts, but also on the theoretical side, too.
On moving to Nigeria, Adesua said she had planned, when she left the UK, to stay only for 3 months.
But she arrived in Nigeria and fell in love with the budding film industry, and wanted to be known as one of the people who helped shape it.
Everything boils down to love, she said. Love for the arts, love for Nollywood, and love for Nigeria.
Adesua said her proudest achievement so far has been winning the Best Actress in a Drama award for the movie, Falling, at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.
Of course, like every other actor, Adesua would love to win an Oscar.
I would love the opportunity to put Nigeria and the UK on the map,
she said.
Waking up to a job she loves every single day is the most rewarding part of her job, she added.
It is a blessing because not many people get the privilege to do what theyre passionate about every day and get paid for it.
Source: Naijaloaded
Three weeks after an ambush on a military houseboat that killed two in Southern Ijaw creeks in Bayelsa, Suspected militants have attacked a tugboat in the same area and killed three crew members,just three weeks after an ambush o a military.
Suspected Niger Delta militants had on Aug. 28 ambushed a houseboat operated by the Joint Task Force and killed a soldier and a civilian crew member.
An oil services vessel with a combined team of security escort on board and civilians was attacked on Friday by suspected sea pirates at Ekebiri Waterways in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that two of the victims of the incident which occurred on Friday were security escorts and a civilian crew member of the tugboat towing a vessel.
Mr Asinim Butswat, Police Public Relations Officer for Bayelsa Command who confirmed the incident said that one police operative was still missing as his remains has yet to be recovered.
He said a response team dispatched to the crime scene rescued eight occupants of the ill-fated boat while efforts are underway to arrest the suspected armed men.
On Sept. 22, at about 18.45hrs, a Tugboat, towing a Barge with a combined team of policemen from the Nigerian Inland Waterways, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and civilians on board was attacked by suspected sea pirates.
The incident took place at Ekebiri Waterways in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa.
A reinforced team arrived shortly and rescued one policeman, three NSCDC personnel and four civilians.
However, a policeman, one NSCDC personnel and a civilian were shot dead by the sea pirates; one policeman is still missing, Butswat said.
He further said the remains of the victims had been recovered and deposited at the Federal Medical Centre Mortuary, Yenagoa, for autopsy.
According to him, a search party has been deployed to find the missing policeman while all security operatives in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area have been alerted, while efforts are ongoing to arrest the culprits.
The winner of Miss Turkey 2017 was stripped of her crown hours after winning the competition over a controversial tweet.
Itir Esen,18, won the competition in Istanbul on Thursday night and was meant to represent the country in the Miss World competition in China.
Hours later, organisers of the competition forced her to hand back her crown after it emerged she tweeted about a 2016 failed coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In the already deleted tweet, Esen was said to have compared the bloodshed in her menstrual cycle with that of the 249 people who lost their lives during the failed coup that are now celebrated in Turkey as martyrs.
She wrote:To celebrate July 15 Martyrs Day, I began the morning by getting my period. I am celebrating the day by bleeding representing the martyrs blood,
The organisers who saw the tweet after the beauty contests results were announced were forced to hold an hours-long meeting to reach a conclusion on the controversial tweet.
In a statement later released by Can Sandikcioglu, the head of Miss Turkey, he confirmed the tweet was posted by Esen.
The Miss Turkey organisation, whose objective is to promote Turkey in the world and to contribute to its image, cannot accept such a post, he announced.
Esens title was handed to Asli Sumen, who came second and who will now represent Turkey in the Miss World contest in China on November 18.
Taking to Instagram, Esen said her post was not politically motivated.
I want to say that as an 18-year-old girl, I had no political aims while sharing this post, she wrote, saying that she only shared her innocent thoughts during a sensitive time.
My family raised me by teaching to respect our homeland and nation. I do not have a character that could show disrespect to our martyrs, she said.
Source:( Linda Ikeji )
The Indigenous People of Biafra, has been declared a non- terrorist organisation, by the US government punchng reports.
Following President Buharis attempt at squashing the group alongside a judicial backing by a Federal High Court in Abuja, outlawing the group and its activities in the country, it seems IPOB isnt relenting.
Speaking with Punch on Friday, the spokesman for the American Embassy in Nigeria, Russell Brooks, revealed that theUS government does not view IPOB as a terrorist group.
He said, The United States Government is strongly committed to Nigerias unity. Important political and economic issues affecting the Nigerian people, such as the allocation of resources, are worthwhile topics for respectful debate in a democracy.
Within the context of unity, we encourage all Nigerians to support a de-escalation of tensions and peaceful resolution of grievances. The Indigenous People of Biafra is not a terrorist organisation under US law.
Source Miss Petite
Governor, Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state has denied Allegation by APC that his one of the sponsors of IPOB, In a new statement he claimed that he is interested in the unity of Nigeria.
He said,
Nobody wants Nigeria to divide. Im not for division. Nobody is promoting disunity or anarchy. But, the Federal Government should engage in more of dialogue [with agitating groups]; it should use the carrot and stick approach rather than guns.
In every family, there are both the good and bad people. Agitation is normal in every society, but the way to go about it is to tread cautiously. Buhari should know that this is not 1984 [when the President ruled as a military dictator].
Using brute or suppressive force is not democratic. Running a democracy should not be by propaganda. Democracy is not autocracy. The issue is beyond IPOB. What this government needs to do is to restructure and this matter should not be handled by the APC. It should not be a party affair. Having said that, I am not promoting IPOB, but Buhari should lead Nigeria with equity and justice. Let brute force become the last option in matters of agitation. Battles can be won without the use of force.
Source Ebiwalismoment
The Federal Government may have discovered more sources where funding of the operations of Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People Biafra (IPOB), going by the revelation of a top Presidency official.
Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, had last Wednesday, declared that the sources of funds for IPOB had been traced to France and the United Kingdom.
But Senior Special Assistant to the president on Diaspora Affairs, Honourable Abike Dabiri, who spoke with Sunday Tribune at the sideline of the ongoing 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, disclosed that foreign sources of funds for the secessionist group were more than the two already named by government.
According to her, it is now easier for government to trace the groups sources of funds and block them, unlike before the government declared it as a terrorist organisation.
Dabiri noted that the declaration of the group as a terrorist organisation followed a meticulous investigation by the federal government.
She revealed that these sources had been known to the Federal Government for over a long period, adding that now that government had acted decisively by declaring IPOB a terrorist group, the funding countries had no choice but to cut off the support.
According to her, the issue was the focus of discussion between the Federal Government and Nigerians in the Diaspora during recent meeting in the United Kingdom.
She said: These sources of funds have been known for a long time to have been coming from the Diaspora. But I think after proper investigation, Nigeria has always known that the issue has been from abroad, the funding was from abroad.
But now, the Federal Government has finally nailed it. Knowing is the first line of success. So, now, it is tracing those funds and working with those countries.
Now that IPOB has been declared a terrorist organisation, it will be easier to block its sources of funding, because, for any terrorist organisation, you need to deal with that.
It was difficult before. Now that it is a terrorist organisation and you know its funding is coming from abroad, the next step is to block the sources of funding.
We actually addressed this issue in London, because it was obvious that support was coming from abroad.
In fact, Nigerians in the Diaspora spoke about this and they themselves started their investigation and research.
So, now that Nigeria has been able to nail it, and you also know that this is a terrorist organisation, those countries where the funds are coming from need to support us in tackling this issue.
Dabiri maintained that countries that are the sources of funds for IPOB may not have been aware of the questionable ventures they were utilised for.
Asked why such countries would be involved in IPOBs funding, the presidential aide stated: I wouldnt know but now that they know, maybe they didnt know. Now that they know, it is important for Nigeria to now talk to them.
Two countries have been identified and I believe it is even much more than that. Now that they know, they need to work with Nigeria, to support us and stop another form of terrorism.
On stopping individuals abroad who may be remitting money to the group, Dabiri said that was left for the financial institutions to tackle.
She further said: I think the financial institutions know how to do it. It is easy to trace money and to know where it is going to.
So, that will be left for the institutions to deal with. Once you know and you know where this is going to, I think it is easy to deal with.
But now that it is official, the next step is to block the source of funding.
Source Dailypost
A concerned fan of one of Nigerias finest indigenous rappers, Reminisce pens a review article on his latest release Ponmile and its reference to a major issue causing debate in Africa at the moment, Domestic Violence.
Read below;
Just when I thought my song of this month is Cardi Bs Bodak Yellow, I stumbled on one that blew me out of the water.
Ponmile by Reminisce is great. The audio, cool and then I saw the video. I was enjoying it until it got to a point and I hated the song. I hated the song not because the song was not good and all but the video passes a subtle message that made my entire body revolt.
It featured Adekola Odunlade and Lota Chukwu, great acting by the two of them except for some flaws.
1. When he slapped her in 2:58, I am pretty sure he slapped her left cheek so why was she holding her right cheek? Oh wellmaybe reverbration happened but the second issue is my main issue.
2. The song goes
I love you no more, ko ma kin sese ooooo (I love you no more is not a sin)
If you dont love me again, please let me know
Malo je kin ka e mo corner pele brother Samu (dont let it be that I find you cheating with some guy)
Olewu ooo; its very dangerous
For a song that carried such words, I didnt expect it to have a domestic violence scene. Yeah yeah, he had a disclaimer in the end about how he doesnt believe in DV but isnt it weird that all through the song, the man was keeping in the madness his wife was throwing at him. He was keeping his demons chained until it got to the part where Reminisce said cheating for her will be dangerous.
You are in a country where domestic violence (especially against women) is high and you come out to do a video that subtly promotes it (the disclaimer doesnt do it please).
I told a friend that I will prefer if the video showed that the man imagined the entire domestic violence part and he just snapped out of it and decided to look at her and say I need a divorce not end where the man raise a machete, and changed his mind about killing her.
We know the man never actually proved that she was cheating just suspicions and he started acting weird which was what made the woman go psycho.
Before you go but it is just a song; an artistic impression, please I have heard where peoole use songs to relate to their personal lives and musicians should try harder to make things better not make it look okay and then do a disclaimer.
Olamides Story for the gods and the date rape all over the song is another source of concern but issue for another day.
By the way, here is a video of the song
Have a great day
source: 36ng
The trial of suspected terrorists in Nigeria will continue in October, trial of various cases of alleged terrorism were suspended since the annual vacation of judges across the country began in July.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Shehu Malami, said the trials will now begin on October 9.
All is now set to begin the arraignment of suspected Boko Haram suspects in various detention facilities in the country, he said through a statement by his media aide, Salihu Isa.
It is slated to kick-start tentatively on Monday, October 9, 2017.
According to the statement, Mr. Malami has approved a list of prosecutors to handle the cases, while the Legal Aid Council has also released a list of defence counsel to stand in for the detainees/defendants.
The proposed prosecutions of over One Thousand, Six Hundred (1600) detainees held in Kainji will commence by early October, 2017 after the opening of the new legal year.
Currently, four (4) judges have been deputed by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to sit on the cases at Kainji and dispose of them expeditiously.
It is expected that the special prosecutions will start with the detainees in Kainji followed closely by the disposal of the cases of the detainees in Giwa Barracks, Maiduguri until the cases are exhausted.
The statement added that 13 terrorism cases had so far been concluded, from which nine convictions were secured.
The statement said there were 33 terrorism cases already taking place in courts across the country.
The statement said 33 cases are ongoing trials at various Federal High Court divisions, while 116 charges had been filed and are awaiting trial in Kainji.
It said 220 detainees had been recommended for release and deradicalisation for want of evidence.
Detainees profiled at the Kainji detention facility awaiting judicial proceedings and deradicalisation programme are 1,670.
Detainees remanded at the Federal High Court, Maiduguri and transferred from Giwa Barracks to Maiduguri Prisons are 651.
The statement highlighted the challenges of the trial to include poorly investigated case files due to pressure during the peak of conflict at the theatre, over reliance on confession-based evidence, lack of forensic evidence, and absence of cooperation between investigators and prosecutors at pre-investigation stages.
Other challenges mentioned were poor logistical facilities to transport defendants from detention facility to court fortrial, scarcity of skilled/trained forensic personnel to handle investigation of complex cases, inadequate security for counsel handling terrorism cases and converting military intelligence to admissible evidence.
According to the statement, the Office of the National Security Adviser is expected to help by providing the deradicalisation programmes where necessary.
This is the report of the on-the-spot assessment of the facilities and other incidentals preparatory to the commencement of trial of the over 1600 suspected Boko Haram terrorists detained in a military detention facility located in Wawa Barracks, Kainji, New Bussa, Niger State following successes recorded by the Nigeria Army and other security agencies in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria.
A team comprising representatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Federal High Court and the Office of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation were dispatched to Kainji from the 12th to 14th of September, 2017 to carry out the assessment and to discuss with relevant authorities and organisation in final preparation of the all-important national assignment.
According to the statement, the various suspects have been categorised into four different groups.
Boko Haram suspects who were hitherto investigated by the Joint Investigation Team set up by the Defence Headquarters otherwise known as DHQ/JIT and case files transmitted to the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and after a careful review of the cases based on their individual merit, it was discovered that they have no prima facie cases that will sustain a charge against them in any court of law, hence were recommended for release and handed over to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) for rehabilitation and/or de-radicalisation.
The second category is the set of suspects that the Honourable Attorney-General found prima facie cases against them and charges already filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division who are also mostly in the detention facility under reference and may be willing to plead guilty for a lesser sentences.
The other category are the suspects whose case files are either recommended for further investigation or that have no investigation conducted on them at all hence they do not have case files that will warrant the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation to form any opinion in respect of their case.
Lastly, the fourth category is the suspects whose cases were reviewed and a prima facie werefound and may be willing to opt for a full trial.
Source: ( Premium Times )
The Pentagon has confirmed that US bombers have flown close to the Eastern part of North Korea coast to demonstrate the military options available to defeat any threat that is been put up against them.
It said the flight was the farthest north of the demilitarised zone between the Koreas that any US fighter jet or bomber had flown in the 21st Century.
BBC reports that tensions have risen recently over Pyongyangs nuclear programme.
At the UN, North Koreas foreign minister said US President Donald Trump was on a suicide mission.
Ri Yong-hos comments to the General Assembly mimicked Mr Trumps remarks at the UN on Tuesday, when he called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a rocket man on a suicide mission.
Mr Ri added that insults by Mr Trump who was, he said, mentally deranged and full of megalomania were an irreversible mistake making it inevitable that North Korean rockets would hit the US mainland.
Mr Trump, the foreign minister said, would pay dearly for his speech, in which he also said he would totally destroy North Korea if the US was forced to defend itself or its allies.
Shortly before his address, the Pentagon announced that the show of force underscored the seriousness with which the US took North Koreas reckless behaviour, calling the countrys weapons programme a grave threat.
This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat, it said in a statement.
We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies.
US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam, escorted by Air Force F-15C Eagle fighters from Okinawa, Japan, flew in international airspace, the Pentagon added.
The flight follows a week of heated rhetoric between the leaders of both countries after Mr Trumps comments, Mr Kim called him mentally deranged and a dotard.
Mr Ri did not comment on the Pentagons announcement.
North Korea has refused to stop its missile and nuclear tests, despite successive rounds of UN sanctions. Its leaders say nuclear capabilities are its only deterrent against an outside world seeking to destroy it.
After the Norths latest and most powerful nuclear test earlier this month, the UN Security Council approved new sanctions on the country.
But speaking at the UN, Mr Ri repeated that the restrictions would not make the country stop its nuclear development.
Meanwhile, a shallow magnitude 3.4 tremor was detected near North Koreas nuclear test site on Saturday morning, but experts believe it was a natural earthquake.
The quake was recorded at a depth of 0km in North Hamgyong province, home to the Punggye-ri site, South Koreas meteorological agency said.
The US Geological Survey also said it occurred in the nuclear test area, but added that its seismologists assessed it as having a depth of 5km.
South Korea said no specific sound waves generated by artificial earthquakes were detected.
Chinas Earthquake Administration said the quake was not a nuclear explosion and had the characteristics of a natural tremor. The agency had initially said it was a suspected explosion.
Analysts from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), the UN-backed monitoring group, said the quake was unlikely man-made.
CTBTO executive secretary Lassina Zerbo tweeted that the quake had occurred about 50km from prior tests.
The most probable hypothesis currently is that it is the consequence of the previous event which could still have further repercussions, Mr Zerbo told the AFP news agency, referring to North Koreas massive nuclear test on 3 September.
North Korea which has recently carried out a series of nuclear tests has so far made no comment.
In a separate development, China moved to limit the North Koreas oil supply and stop buying textiles from the country, in line with the latest UN sanctions.
China is North Koreas most important trading partner, and one of its only sources of hard currency.
The ban on textiles Pyongyangs second-biggest export is expected to cost the country more than $700m (530m) a year.
Clothing has often partially been made in North Korea but finished in China, allowing a Made in China label to be legally sewn onto the clothing, BBC World Service Asia-Pacific Editor Celia Hatton says.
China also said its restrictions on refined petroleum products would apply from 1 October, and on liquefied natural gas immediately.
Under a UN resolution, China will still be able to export a maximum of two million barrels of refined petroleum to North Korea annually, beginning next year.
North Korea is estimated to have imported 6,000 barrels of refined petroleum daily from China in 2016 the equivalent of nearly 2.2 million in total for the entire year, BBC reports.
French President Emmanuel Macron's party is hoping to secure half the seats in the Senate elections today,
His centrist Republic on the Move! party, created just last year, won a large majority in the lower house of parliament in June elections, but is unlikely to do the same in the Senate.
Polls suggest the conservative Republicans party will consolidate its dominance of the chamber's 348 seats instead.
Mr Macron's party is likely to seek alliances in the Senate with other centrists and moderate Republicans and Socialists to approve his business-friendly economic reforms.
The senators are not chosen by the public but by some 75,000 elected officials - mayors, legislators, regional and local councillors - casting ballots in town halls across the country.
Results are expected tonight. Nearly 2,000 candidates are running for 171 Senate seats.
It is the first time Mr Macron's party is competing in Senate elections since he created it to shake up French politics and attract voters tired of the status quo. The party is hoping to win 50 seats.
The election also comes as Macron's popularity is on the wane, just four months into his presidency.
Tens of thousands of people massed in Paris yesterday to protest changes to labour law that they fear are dismantling the French way of life - and more protests and strikes are ahead.
Truckers plan blockades of streets and fuel blockades on Monday.
Mr Macron insists the changes, which reduce union powers and hand companies more freedom to lay off workers, are needed to create jobs and compete globally.
- AP
Swiss, which operated the service for the first time this year, with two weekly flights, will more than double capacity on the route, from 9,000 seats to 20,140, next year. The airline will now operate three flights a week Monday, a new Wednesday service, and Friday commencing in early May and running until the end of October, 2018. That is an almost 25-week summer season. The flight will be operated by Bombardier CS100 and CS300 aircraft.
Niall MacCarthy, managing director at Cork Airport, said they are delighted with the news.
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RALEIGH In September, the GOP officially became the third-largest group of registered voters in North Carolina, as the number of unaffiliated voters surpassed Republican registration for the first time.
In September, the North Carolina Republican Party continued to add registered voters while the Democratic Party continued to lose them, continuing a long-term trend of GOP gains and Democratic decline.
Both of these statements are true. But which one did you hear the most about? Many state media outlets went with the Republicans in trouble theme, a theme consistent with national reporting about the wobbly start of the Trump administration and consistent with, lets face it, what most of the reporters and editors who staff these media outlets expected to be true.
The latter statement, the nothing much new here theme, more accurately reflects the partisan trends in North Carolina. Unaffiliated voters have consistently grown as a share of total registrations. Democratic voters have consistently fallen as a share of total registrations. The GOP has continued to add voters each year, at a pace that has almost but not quite maintained its share.
Lets get more specific. Just in the past eight years, from September 2009 to this month, Democratic registration in North Carolina has dropped by about 128,000 voters. Republicans have gained 124,000 voters during the same period. The Libertarians have gained 28,000 voters. And the ranks of the unaffiliated have shot up by 687,000 voters.
In that first fall of the Obama administration, registered Democrats made up 46 percent of the North Carolina electorate. Republicans accounted for about 32 percent. Unaffiliated voters made up 22.5 percent. Today, in the first fall of the Trump administration, the shares are 39 percent Democratic, 30 percent unaffiliated, 30 percent Republican, and a trace of Libertarians.
This is not simply a case of former President Obama weakening his party down the ballot (although he manifestly did so during his tenure). Since the beginning of this year, Democratic registration in North Carolina has dropped by thousands. Republicans have gained thousands. Unaffiliated registrations are up by tens of thousands.
North Carolina has a fascinating, complicated, and competitive electorate. As we have seen in recent years, either major party can win statewide races given the right combination of candidates, resources, messages, and timing. Republicans have won more often than Democrats and this even includes the statewide tallies for legislative races, so its not merely a reflection of district maps but Democrats won crucial races for governor and attorney general last fall.
Basic math suggests that unaffiliated voters couldnt possibly have broken evenly between the two major parties. If they had, Republicans couldnt have won the races they did, even if you add in some conservative Democrats who are operationally Republicans. Exit polls from 2012, 2014, and 2016 confirm the basic math. In the top races, North Carolina independents have voted more Republican than Democratic, sometimes by hefty margins.
My intention here is not to reassure North Carolina Republicans that all is well. They ought to be concerned about President Trumps abysmal approval ratings and the current Democratic edge in polling for the 2018 midterms, although its far too early to make any firm predictions about those contests.
Rather, my point is that the party-registration numbers themselves are not some big red flag for the GOP, or signs of hope for the Democrats. Unaffiliated voters have been growing as a share of the North Carolina electorate, mostly at the expense of Democratic registrations, for a very long time. In fact, Republicans have been just below a third of registered voters in our state for decades. The real story is the precipitous decline of the Democratic Party from what had been a majority party not too long ago.
The decline of party registration is part of a larger decline in formal group identification, it seems to me. Its like attending a church but not asking for membership. Political candidates have adjusted accordingly, by emphasizing issues or themes rather than party identity. In short, calm down.
Ben Brantley, a self-professed outcast when growing up in Winston-Salem in the early 1970s, now wields one of the mightiest pens in the land and has the battle scars to prove it. Theater and screen stars James Franco and Alec Baldwin are among those who have raged against him, with Franco calling him a little bitch a few years ago.
You develop a pretty thick skin, Brantley, the chief theater critic for The New York Times, told Cris Wileys10th grade history class at R.J. Reynolds High School, an arts magnet school, Monday. People should be allowed to say whatever they want to say about me. But I dont have to listen to it.
A few of them, even among fellow arts students, might feel as alienated now as Brantley, class of 1972 at Reynolds, felt then. I know I often felt that way at their age, and remembered that Monday as I sat in the classroom and listened to Brantleys warm exchanges with the students.
But one subtle message he conveyed to them is that art sustains, whether through the best of the Broadway plays or, although he didnt say it, writing like his that is art. All arts for me are some kind of poetry in the broadest sense, he told the students.
The arts, he said, try to make sense of the world, especially in this current time in American history. He loves the play Hamilton, which depicts in brilliant rap the rise and fall of the first treasury secretary, who came to this land as an immigrant.
Art, Brantley said, is an incredibly civilizing influence. It allows us to see the world through someone elses eyes. Theres no way to go through the world happy without empathy. It just makes your mind wider.
He was in town as part of the inaugural class of Reynolds Arts Hall of Fame. Its hard coming back, Brantley, wiry and wide-eyed, told me after speaking to the class. He said the countercultural ethos made it OK to be a freak. But high school has always had its hard times for artsy students who live in their own wild dreams. While he spoke highly of the lessons he learned at Reynolds on grammar, journalism and acting, he told the students, I really wanted to get out of Winston-Salem.
Id long loved his writing and knew he was a son of Wake Forest University stalwarts, but not much more about him. After the class, back at the paper, I looked through the clip file the Journal and its defunct sister paper, the Sentinel, had kept on him.
One clipping in particular resonated. At 14, hed written a 1969 column for the Sentinel about adopting two orphaned baby mockingbirds and naming them Oliver and Dodger. The strongest line: They still havent learned to fear anything, except instinctively, or to quit opening their mouths and squawking for food. But theyre learning.
Hed been writing journalism for several years by then. In high school and during college, he wrote more for the Sentinel, and has praised Journal-Sentinel editors, including Jim Laughrun and Jo Dawson, for their tough but caring editing of his work.
And always, at some level, theater criticism was calling.
His grandfather, a Wake Forest professor, read Shakespeare to him. And, Brantley told the students, From the age of 5, going to the theater was the most glorious thing in world.
At some level, he indicated during his visit here, hed always wanted to be a theater critic. But first came Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and writing for the Village Voice, Womens Wear Daily, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. In 1996, he secured his dream job, that of chief theater critic for the Times.
In reviewing Broadway plays, he indicated to the students, he doesnt go easy, because customers are paying high ticket prices. He said that he judges plays on if they are consistent, if they create a vision that makes sense, and if they are valid and interesting.
Hes widely respected for researching before his reviews, but he told the students, Youve got to be a virgin, sort of waiting to be seduced when you go in.
He added: The other system is my gut. I think the gut is the most important thing. Sometimes, he said, plays have made him cry. If its done well, it just breaks your heart.
That line might be cold comfort for some actors. In a 2014 instagram post, James Franco called Brantley such a little bitch for his less than favorable review of a play Franco was starring in, Steinbecks Of Mice and Men, adapted from his novel.
It was loaded language, considering that Brantley is gay. The critic took it in stride, telling the New York Observer, I like Francos work on film a lot, and he didnt disgrace himself on stage. I hope he returns to Broadway some day. And of course hes entitled to say whatever he likes about me, as long as its not libelous, and somehow I dont think little bitch qualifies.
After he got his top job, Brantley acknowledged to the Journal that he remembered those two baby mockingbirds he wrote about when he was 14. Unlike his prophecy for them, Brantley is still fearless. And hes still squawking. Thats a good thing.
Correspondent of the week
AL GOREMAN, Winston-Salem
The scientific pattern
Shortly before Hurricane Harvey struck, President Trump eliminated Obama-era building requirements that would help mitigate the effect of floods. They sure would come in handy in the future.
Some say Trump is determined to completely obliterate President Obamas legacy, even if his legacy includes common-sense changes that help the American people.
The powerful hurricanes weve seen recently fit the pattern scientists have identified as the effects of climate change. Everything thats happening fits the pattern of what scientists said would happen because of climate change.
I never understood why weather and climate would be politicized until I realized that they had been monetized. Denying climate change allows oil companies to drill in the newly-ice-free lands in the north. But they cant say theyre willing to change the whole planets climate for profit, because the American people wouldnt support it. So they have to pay politicians to gaslight the country about the science instead.
I still dont understand why working-class conservatives are so willing to let themselves be fooled by rich fat cats who want more and more money even though it winds up harming American families.
PERRY JERNIGAN, Elkin
A poor example
In the Sept. 13 article Student concerned about new Wake code, it was not the comments in the Twitter post of Melissa Harris-Perry that were troubling. She has every right to comment (free speech) on matters regarding her employer, Wake Forest University. It was the lewd gesture accompanying the post that was so disturbing.
What a poor example to set for students and other staff. What a way to denigrate the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair. I wonder what a business employer would do in a similar situation. Im afraid it wouldnt be good.
***
DUKE ISON, Winston-Salem
The public good
Why does deregulation horrify progressives? Thats a question John Hood raised for me in his Sept. 10 column Rules limp off into the sunset. I think he answered it in his last sentence when he mentioned the public good.
Last year my best friend, The Rev. Lee Dukes, represented his small board, Fee-based Practicing Pastoral Counselors, in Raleigh. It seems that Rep. Andy Wells (R-Catawba) wanted to close down all small boards as part of his deregulation efforts. I guess Hood might put it that Wells sees them as privileged special interests over the public good.
The board Lee represented licenses pastoral counselors, which ensures they have the credentials and qualifications to receive third-party payments (insurance) for clients. This enables their clients to receive lower-cost quality counseling with insurance help from competent pastoral counselors. The board also provides oversight for complaints, just as the bar association does for lawyers and the AMA does for doctors.
The board does not cost the state any money.
Lots of small boards were represented that day, including librarians, marriage and family therapists and acupuncturists. The best reason for why these boards are needed was given by the person representing the acupuncturists. He held up a long needle and asked, Do you want someone unlicensed sticking this in you?
Not all regulations are evil, as Hood seems to imply. And one has to ask what kind of evil is given free reign when you dont have regulations.
***
DARREN MAY, Winston-Salem
Creating jobs
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is either mistaken or lying when he says that illegal immigrants are stealing jobs from Americans.
Illegal immigrants create jobs.
They buy the same things everyone else buys food, cars, houses, electronics. That means we need to produce more of those things. That means jobs. (Supply and demand, a concept President Trump should examine.)
They work in construction and on farms, supplying goods that are then sold.
And they pay taxes that they will never recoup.
If all 12 million or so illegal immigrants disappeared overnight, our economy would collapse.
This isnt to argue for open borders. I believe we need to protect our borders. But a serious conversation about illegal immigration needs to be based on facts, not lies.
Please submit letters online to Letters@wsjournal.com or mail letters to: The Readers Forum, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102. Letters are subject to editing and are limited to 250 words. For more guidelines and advice on writing letters, go to journalnow.com/opinion/submit_a_letter.
Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car
I dont know if perfect is attainable, especially considering weve got the world of options when it comes to modern vehicles. Were spoiled and, as such, we have very specific needs and wants. Driving-wise, the 2022 Acura MDX is one of my favourite ...
A statue immortalizes techniques of sesame chip making at the Xiaogan Museum of Sesame Chips & Rice Wine in Xiaogan city, Hubei province, Sept 23, 2017. [Photo by Bi Nan/chinadaily.com.cn]
When talking of Xiaogan city in Hubei province, most people will recall its most famous snacks, sesame chips and rice wine. Reporters participating in a large-scale cultural event on intangible cultural heritage paid a visit to the Xiaogan Museum of Sesame Chips & Rice Wine on Saturday, an establishment showcasing the history and evolution of the renowned foodstuffs.
Sesame chip, a kind of candy made of sesame, is one of the most famous snacks in Hubei province, enjoying much fame as early as the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The making of sesame chips has four steps: sesame selecting, sugaring off, sugar pulling and candy slicing.
Rice wine is also called dessert wine, and is a specialty of the Han people. According to historical records, rice wine was developed in Xiaogan and originated from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The making of rice wine also goes through four steps: steaming sticky rice, laying out the rice, fermentation and enclosing the wine into jars. The wine was listed as a provincial intangible cultural heritage item in 2015.
The city of Xiaogan got its name from a story of filial piety. Xiaogan in Chinese means "filial piety" and "pity"; as legend goes, a man named Dong Yong sold himself to pay for his father's burial and a god took pity on him for this filial deed.
SCOTTSBLUFF Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting over.
That quote, attributed to everyone from Mark Twain to Will Rogers, is as old as the American West.
In Washington D.C., however, a different fight over water the Environmental Protection Agencys Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule is coming to a head.
The WOTUS rule was rolled out by the Obama Administrations EPA in 2015, and greatly expanded EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) regulatory authority to what critics said was beyond the scope of what Congress had approved under the Clean Water Act.
The clean water act established the basic rules for regulating pollutant discharges into the waters of the United States and gave EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs, such as setting wastewater standards for industry.
However, WOTUS significantly expanded the definition of navigable waters, to include everything from ditches, streams, wetlands and puddles. In one of the most egregious examples provided as testimony against WOTUS, A Wyoming rancher was fined $37,000 per day by EPA inspectors for digging a hole on his own property to water his cattle after it was determined that the whole qualified as an incidental wetland.
WOTUS was challenged by 31 states and 53 non-state parties. The legal challenges led to stays being issued by both a federal district court and a federal court of appeals, and WOTUS was never fully implemented.
In February, President Trump issued an executive order directing the EPA to review the role and if possible to eliminate it.
The EPAs so-called Waters of the United States rule is one of the worst examples of federal regulation, and it has truly run amok, and is one of the rules most strongly opposed by farmers, ranchers and agricultural workers all across our land, Trump said before signing the order. Its prohibiting them from being allowed to do what theyre supposed to be doing. Its been a disaster.
In June, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers said it would be abandoning the rule, and federal officials would go back to enforcing a guidance document from 2008 when deciding whether a waterway is subject to federal oversight for pollution control purposes. The announcement opened a public comment period which ends Wednesday, Sept. 27.
We are taking significant action to return power to the states and provide regulatory certainty to our nations farmers and businesses, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a statement in June.
This is the first step in the two-step process to redefine waters of the U.S. and we are committed to moving through this re-evaluation to quickly provide regulatory certainty, in a way that is thoughtful, transparent and collaborative with other agencies and the public.
During the week, ag groups were mobilizing farmers and ranchers, asking them to urge the EPA to kill WOTUS before the agencys public comment period ends. On Sept. 20, agriculture industry groups from National Cattlemens Beef Association to the American Farm Bureau, took to Twitter under the hashtag #ditchtherulechat to share information about the WOTUS rule.
We need a new rule that provides a clear & reasonable definition of navigable within the limits set by Congress, Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau, tweeted Wednesday.
Should the EPA move forward and ditch the WOTUS rule once and for all, many are saying it will have to go back to the drawing board and write a new rule that protects water quality without infringing on the rights of landowners, businesses and the states.
Rolling it back completely hasnt been advised by a lot of Federal Clean Water Act Attorneys, Jessie Harrmann, director of legal and regulatory affairs for Nebraska Cattlemen, said Wednesday. In three years, if theres a new president, and they want to bring the rule back, it could happen if they dont rewrite it.
Herrmann said the lack of clarity as to the definition around waters of the United States, which needs to be codified into law.
That was what the Obama administration was trying to do, she said. The problem was how they did it was completely terrible.
Herrmann said that the rule cant just go away completely.
Everyone understands that regulation is a fact of farming and ranching, she said. We just want to make sure its written correctly.
Producers were just expected to know if a WOTUS existed on the property, she said. If thats the case, then we need to have a clear rule so landowners can make that reasonable determination.
Most of the regulations fall under what Herrmann described as a waters of the state.
If you have surface runoff or whatnot, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has jurisdiction over that, she said. If were going to talk about being regulated, wed definitely like to be dealing with the DEQ than the federal government.
The states are already equipped to handle this and are doing a good job. Were working with them to manage our water quality that way. Its not the Federal Governments job to step in and control that.
To submit comments on the WOTUS rule repeal, producers can visit https://goo.gl/ZFLvqD
MITCHELL About 150 area students spent the last full day of summer, Sept. 21, learning a full gamut of rural safety and health information at the Scotts Bluff County Fairgrounds Pavilion.
Many in agriculture know someone whose life has been affected by a farm-related injury or death. According to the National Childrens Center for Rural and Agricultural Heath and Safety, every day about 33 children are injured in an agriculture-related incident, and every three days, a child dies in an agriculture-related incident, of which 25 percent of deaths involve machinery, 17 percent involved motor vehicles and ATVs, and 16 percent involved drowning.
Those statistics are sobering.
However, the overall numbers of farm injuries are declining, thanks to the Progressive Agriculture Foundations Progressive Agriculture Safety Day program, which has brought its crusade of training and resources to farming communities in need since 1995.
John Dillman, regional sales manager for Betaseed, said that this was the seventh year the safety day has been held at the fairgrounds. By the end of the day Thursday, Dillman said about 1,100 students have taken part in the program in Mitchell since 2010, and 280 volunteers have helped with the station. In total, Dillman said Progressive Agriculture has held 6,600 safety days with 328,000 volunteers helping 1.2 million students across 37 states and nine Canadian provinces.
Thats a pretty huge impact, Dillman said.
The safety day featured a number of demonstrations from Nebraska State Troopers, the Scottsbluff Fire Department, Roosevelt Public Power District, Pathfinder Irrigation District, HorizonWest, Farm Credit Bureau, First National Bank, Western Sugar, Panhandle Research and Extension Center and others.
Students from the Scottsbluff FFA chapter were among the volunteers that followed along with the groups and helped keep watch over the students.
The volunteers do such a great job of keeping things organized, Dillman said.
According to the Progressive Agriculture Foundation, evaluations have shown that safety day participants decreased their risky behavior following participation in a safety day to a greater extent than children who did not participate in a safety day, and self-reported injuries decreased among safety day participants.
There were also significant increases in safety knowledge and decreases in exposure to risk for both boys and girls. The increases in knowledge were apparent for both farm and non-farm children.
I dont know how many kids are actually farm kids anymore, Dillman said. But hopefully this will help them keep safe, too.
MILFORD A new federal crop insurance policy called the Margin Protection Plan may help farmers experiencing a difficult year, and can protect their margins for the 2018 crop year, according to Nick Glanzer, managing partner at Crop Insurance Solutions.
Glanzer said the history of crop insurance has evolved from yield and price protections, and that the increase and decrease of expected costs are now protected.
Its an area based policy, so it doesnt care what your farm does, Glanzer said. Your farm could experience the best year ever, but if the county as a whole experienced a loss, based on this policy, it would trigger a payment and you would get paid.
Glanzer said the reverse is also true for people who had a difficult year even though the rest of the county was better off on the whole.
We can buy up to 95 percent coverage, Glanzer said. Its the highest coverage, to my knowledge, that any federally subsidized product has ever had.
Glanzer said the program is currently only available to corn and Ssybean growers in Nebraksa.
Its still a pilot program, so they still want to see how it works, Glanzer said. I think were going to see different groups like wheat growers, and sorghum growers as well, coming together and saying. We want Margin Protection for our crop as well.
Glanzer encourages farmers to start looking at how they can use this new policy to their advantage in the new year. The Margin Protection Plan for the 2018 crop year is being sold now and the closing date is Sept. 30. This policy is especially critical in the wake of a difficult year for the agriculture industry.
While Glanzer said that the news about the crop insurance provisions included in the new farm bill changes daily, hes certain that the right story is being told to lawmakers in Washington.
However, when it comes to the gap between rural and urban communities, he was unsure.
I think when people look at 200 bushel corn, and when the price of corn was $4, $5, or $6, that was all they see, he said. There was no concept of what you have to spend to make that much. The inputs are high, and just like in any business theres a lot of risk. Theres the chance to lose it all, but they also have the chance to do well.
Glanzer said crop insurance is not a government handout, a misconception he said that many people have.
When we say the word subsidized, its kind of the wrong word to use, he said. What we ought to be saying is cost-sharing, because as a farmer I dont receive that money, I still have to pay the bill. I just get some of the bill covered from somewhere else.
Glanzer said the higher the level of coverage an individual buys, the less cost-sharing they receive and the more the individual has to pay. Crop insurance is also vital for younger producers, who are often independent of the traditional family support nets that were present in past generations. Today, the young farmer simply does not have as wide of margins to make mistakes as their predecessors.
If a guy just starting out, he gets stuck with the county key yield to insure against, Glanzer said. ECY, which is expected county yield, is often times higher than the county key yield, so if its just a bushel higher, youre able to ensure more dollars, and then you can buy a much higher level of coverage.
Its still county based, but youre getting protection that youve never had the chance to have.
SCOTTSBLUFF Looking at the UNL CropWatch report, By the Numbers: Whos Paying How Much in Cash Rent?, (Sept. 11), a friend of mine who farms and ranches near Whitney joked on Facebook that hed happily pay $28 an acre to rent non-irrigated crop land in Dawes County.
In Nebraska the highest range of irrigated cash rental rates was from $282 in Knox County to $312 in Dixon County. The next highest range was from $236 in Kearney County to $278 in Seward County, the report reads. The highest level of non-irrigated cash rental ratesall in eastern Nebraskaranged from $188 in Pierce and Butler counties to $266 in Dakota County.
The highest range of pasture cash rental rates was from $56 in Platte County to $73 in Pierce County.
However, after reading, I wondered exactly how the USDAs National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) got those figures.
Randy Ingerson, Agricultural Statistician with the Northern Plains Regional Field Office in Lincoln, was happy to clear it up for me.
First, the Nebraska rates are based on a random sample of nearly 16,000 producers who were surveyed from March through June.
Its a large sample, Ingerson said.
The survey takes place over several months, and the preparation starts in late January/early February, when the office begins mailing out surveys.
We ask how many acres do you own, rent from others and rent to others, he said. They can respond online or mail it in, and if they dont respond eventually we start phoning to collect the data.
Ingerson said the only people who the NASS records rents from are people who are actually renting acres from somebody else.
If you just own land and are not renting from anyone, youre not going to report any rents youre not going to report what you hear in the coffee shop or anything like that, he said.
The acres are arranged by types; irrigated, non-irrigated and pasture land. Those acres are then weighted by rent.
Its a big survey and a big data collection effort, he said.
Ingerson said that the survey had gone from being conducted annually in previous years to being done once every other year. However, NASS scheduled the 2017 survey due to crop prices and uncertainties in the commodity markets.
Were scheduled to do it again this coming year, but were typically supposed to be doing it every other year, he said. I dont know what the future will hold with budgets and things like that, because it does cost money.
For more, visit crop watch at https://cropwatch.unl.edu/2017/usda-nass-numbers-whos-paying-how-much-cash-rents
US pediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp, a parenting and sleep expert, is shown in a handout photo. Any parent will recall the sleep-addled days of having a newborn, and the fears, depression and anxiety that often comes with suddenly being responsible for a vulnerable life. Many of those moms and dads turned to the books of renowned pediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp, a U.S. sleep expert who rose to fame by igniting a swaddling movement and championing a five-step method of calming even the most collicky baby. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Tamara Leigh MANDATORY CREDIT
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Michael Hornburg, who's son Nate was the 71st Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan, speaks about his son at his home in Calgary on March 4, 2014. The family of a father who fell ill following a hiking trip to Spain to memorialize his soldier son says they were faced with a massive medical bill -- despite having travel insurance. Michael Hornburg made the trip last fall to mark the ninth anniversary of the death of his son, Cpl. Nathan Hornburg, a Calgary reservist who was killed in Afghanistan on Sept. 24, 2007, at the age of 24. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
French President Emmanuel Macron signs documents in front of the media to promulgate a new labor bill in his office at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. Macron has signed Friday five decrees paving the way to the implementation of labor measures aimed at boosting growth, his first major reform since his election. (Philippe Wojazer/Pool Photo via AP)
Fireworks explode in the sky as Iraqi Kurdish men celebrate in the streets after the polls closed in the controversial Kurdish referendum on independence from Iraq, in Irbil, Iraq, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. The vote is not binding and is not expected to result in independence any time soon, but was hailed as historic by Kurdish leaders spearheading the campaign. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
PLEASANT PRAIRIE Nakia Hughes has big dreams dreams that include attending Marquette University, studying biomedical science and, one day, becoming an orthopedic surgeon.
Hughes, 16, is quick to credit where these dreams were created: the Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha.
Hughes, named the organizations Youth of the Year, was one of several people who spoke of the positive impact the local chapter has had in its quarter-century existence in Kenosha during a gala celebration Saturday at Ulines corporate headquarters in Pleasant Prairie.
Its given me the courage to try new things, said Hughes, who began attending programs through the organization in 2011. Being a club kid has gotten me involved in a lot of positive activities. This is only the beginning of my journey.
During the event, attended by more than 100 people, a video highlighting the past 25 years was shown. It chronicled the rapid growth of the local organization.
When the Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha laid roots in the community in the early 1990s, it was serving about 130 youth. Today, more than 8,000 take part in that program.
The gala served as a platform for celebrating the organizations successes and the reasons behind the growth. Strong collaboration was cited as one of the main drivers behind the growth.
Kenosha County, the city of Kenosha and the Kenosha Unified School District have played an important role in the organizations rise, speakers noted. So, too, have a number of private organizations and businesses throughout the area.
In the video highlighting the groups growth, staffer Jennifer Dooley discussed some of the monumental moments, including the development of an 80,000-square-foot facility.
It is something to be proud of in this community, Dooley said. It is a fun place to be.
Wally Graffen, a 19-year veteran and founding member of the Kenosha chapter, returned to familiar stomping grounds during the Saturday event. Graffen in 2012 left the organization after being selected to join the Boys & Girls Club of America.
Graffens credit during his longtime leadership role within the local organization included a vigorous capital campaign that resulted in the construction of the new facility. To date, it remains one of the largest facilities in the nation.
But Graffen shined the spotlight on Dennis Bedford, who has played a pivotal role in youth outreach within schools. Maytag has recognized Bedford for his accomplishments, honoring him through the companys Dependable Leaders awards program.
For years, Bedford has been credited with instilling positive, inspiring messages into the youth in his midst. He is retiring at the end of the year after 17 years within the organization.
Bedford, who laid roots in Kenosha, said he could not imagine serving in any other community.
Kenosha taught me about diversity, he said. And this is an organization that is not afraid to roll up its sleeves.
Time Line
October 12, 1978 - Margaret Frame Margaret Frame, 36, was raped and murdered in Stanmer Park, Brighton Her body was found to have been dragged through the Stanmer Woods and buried in a shallow grave. She was not found until 10 days after her death. An investigation showed she had been attacked from behind, hit on the head, stabbed in the back and then raped. An attempt had been made to decapitate her and her throat had been slit though no murder weapon was ever found.
January 16, 2004 - Orville Donovan Gordon Orville Gordan was found dead inside a plastic barrel beneath cliffs at Beachy Head near Eastbounre. He had been bound and gagged, had his face slashed, and was found to have been stabbed in the back with a screwdriver. An inquest into his death revealed that he died from a stab wound in the back that had ruptured his kidney. Police investigators spent six weeks attempting to identify him, but were only able to confirm his identity after an unrelated Metropolitan Police investigation into a robbery at a cafe in Brixton uncovered a "heavily bloodstained chair". DNA forensics later confirmed the blood matched Gordon's records and it is believed he was murdered in the cafe. Three men were arrested in 2004 but no one was charged or convicted.
January 22, 2005 - Jennifer Kiely Jennifer Kiely was 35 when she was found dead in a seafront shelter at the Holywell end of Eastbourne. An investigation revealed she had been sexually assaulted, stabbed, and set on fire. A detective is reported to have commented: "I can say from her injuries that this attack was sustained with a high degree of ferocity." Police viewed more than 1,800 hours of CCTV footage in a bid to find her killer, leading to the arrest of two suspects. However not enough evidence was found to make any charges and the suspects were released.
August 3, 2009 - Marek Pudlowski Mr Pudlowski was found dead lying on a bench in Bognor Regis town centre. An examination revealed he had been assaulted extensively in the moments leading up to his death. The case is still unsolved. Mr Pudlowski's daughter (pictured) appeared in a video appeal from Sussex Police.
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Police have said the M20 has reopened following this afternoon's crash.
Officers were called to the motorway following a crash involving one vehicle.
Both sides of the M20 were closed at one point to allow the air ambulance to land.
A police spokesman said at 3.50pm: " Kent Police is currently attending a report of a single-vehicle collision on the Londonbound M20 near Ashford .
"Following a report a car had collided with the central reservation at 2.09pm on Sunday 24 September 2017, officers and paramedics were called to the scene on the Londonbound side of the M20 between Junctions 11 and 10.
"Both lanes were closed for recovery but have now reopened."
"Drivers are warned there may still be delays in the area."
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The Kent school kitchens with poor food hygiene ratings have been revealed.
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is scheme run by the Food Standards Agency along with local authorities to inspect food hygiene standards at businesses and schools.
Food safety officers give a rating based on the hygienic handling of food its preparation, cooking and storing, etc as well as food management and the condition and cleanliness of buildings.
After an inspection, a rating will be given ranging from 0, meaning urgent improvement is required, to 5, meaning standards are very good.
The following schools received an overall rating of 2 or below in their most recent inspections.
Bennett Memorial Diocesan School, Royal Tunbridge Wells
(Image: Google)
Location: Royal Tunbridge Wells
Date of inspection: 21 March 2017
Rating: 2, improvement necessary
The hygienic food handling at Bennett Memorial Diocesan School was found to be to of a good standard but the cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building was deemed to need improvement.
The school was asked for a comment and said: "A Food Hygiene inspection in March 2017 identified some issues for improvement in the school kitchen. These were addressed as a matter of priority by our catering contractor. We are fully confident that the kitchens meet the highest standards of food hygiene and have asked for a reinspection to verify this. This reinspection has not yet taken place."
Caterlink Ltd. at St Katherine's County Primary School
(Image: Google)
Location: Snodland
Date of inspection: 19 July 2017
Rating: 2, improvement necessary
The management of food safety at this school had a good rating and the hygienic food handling was viewed to be very good, however the building and facilities' cleanliness and condition had an "improvement necessary" rating.
The school has been contacted for comment but had not responded by the time this story was published.
Dartford Primary Academy (Infants)
(Image: Google)
Location: Dartford
Date of inspection: 30 November 2016
Rating: 2, improvement necessary
Dartford Primary Academy (infants) had a 'good' rating for the cleanliness and condition of its facilities, however its hygienic food handling required improvement.
The school has been contacted for comment but had not responded by the time this story was published.
Hartsdown Academy
(Image: Google)
Location: Margate
Date of inspection: 18 May 2017
Rating: 2, improvement necessary
This school had a 'very good' rating for its hygienic food handling and a satisfactory rating for its food safety management but the cleanliness and condition of its facilities and buildings needed improvement.
The school has been contacted for comment but had not responded by the time this story was published.
Oakwood Park Grammar School
(Image: Google)
Location: Maidstone
Date of inspection: 15 September 2016
Rating: 2, improvement necessary
Improvement was seen as necessary in the cleanliness and condition of Oakwood Park Grammar School's facilities and buildings. However, its hygienic food handling was rated 'good'.
The school has been contacted for comment but had not responded by the time this story was published.
Weald Community Primary School
(Image: Google)
Location: Sevenoaks
Date of inspection: 30 March 2017
Rating: 1, major improvement necessary
Weald Community Primary School was the only school in Kent to receive a rating of 1 from the Food Standards Agency.
The agency found that improvement was necessary in the school's hygienic handling of food and food safety management and that major improvement was necessary in its management of food safety.
Headteacher David Pyle said that the catering at the school is handled by Kent County Council.
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The debate about the future of health care rages stronger than ever. As someone who grew up and trained in a country with probably the most centrally controlled medical system in the worldthe United Kingdom with her NHSmy views have admittedly done a 180 over the last decade. I am no longer as strong a believer in socialized health care as I once was, and actually believe the future for America lies somewhere between the extremes, with a potential hybrid-type system, as I wrote about.
Unthinkable as it was only a decade ago, the current mainstream political discourse appears to include serious consideration of a single-payer system. The momentum may eventually become unstoppable, whether one agrees with this in principle or not (and there are many forms such a universal access system could take). In the passionate and often heated debate, those who are more gung-ho about a European-style government controlled health care system, frequently use the line: But every other developed country in the world has socialized medicine, why cant America?
There may indeed be a lot of merit in that argument, but there are also a lot of problems.
Lets start off with the counter-argument: But America is different from every other developed country in the world. Put quite simply, and speaking as someone who has traveled the globe (and it must be immediately obvious to anyone else who has done so), Americans and their collective psyche are quite unlike any other society. Much of this likely goes back to the founding of the republic itself, and the unique character of the nation. Founded on anti-authority and rebelliousness, Americans rightly or wrongly have a centuries-old deep-rooted suspicion of government and centralized control. A unique focus on individualism and self-reliance is also inherently ingrained in the culture, that doesnt quite gel with the concept of socialized anything.
Many of the health care systems that exist in European countries, sprung up from the ruins World War 2 a situation that fortunately did not apply to the American homeland. Today, America is probably the most consumer-oriented society in the world, with the typical societal expectations of choice and freedom that come with a free market economy. From what Ive experienced during my time in the States, many Americans simply wouldnt put up with the restrictions and paternalism that are inherent in a socialized health care system. I remember one of the things that first struck me when I started working in the United States, aside from the patient-centered nature of the health care, was the uniquely American mentality of wanting to do everything possible and basically throwing the kitchen sink at any clinical scenario, never wanting to give up. Id never seen that before. Of course, one could argue the outrageous unsustainable costs and futility of having this attitude, but on a human level, theres something to be admired about this too.
Its been said before that America, being a nation of immigrants, is blessed with a peculiar gene pool, the majority having descended from ancestors who had the ambitious adventure gene. People who upped and left, often at great risk, in search of a better future.
Despite the setbacks along the way and the transient daily politics, America still holds a special place in the global consciousness. Everyone knows whats happening in America, and the countrys tumultuous ongoing story captivates billions around the world.
Americans today may not fully appreciate this, but go to any country in the world and the embassy with the most people lining up outside trying to get a visa, is invariably the embassy of the United States.
So yes, American health care has its fair share of problems and challenges to overcome. We need to do better to expand access and reduce costs. Theres enormous work to do. But in answer to that question about why every other Western developed country can do universal health care, but America cant. My answer is always: No other country is like America, and Americans are unlike any other group of people the world has ever seen.
Suneel Dhand is an internal medicine physician and author of three books, including Thomas Jefferson: Lessons from a Secret Buddha. He is the founder and director, HealthITImprove, and blogs at his self-titled site, DocThinx.
Image credit: Shutterstock.com
JOHANNESBURG, Sept 23 (Reuters) - South Africa's Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) said on Saturday another member of its leadership had been shot dead, execution-style, this time at a Lonmin owned-mine on the platinum belt in the west of the country.
A senior official of the union was shot and killed outside an Impala Platinum (Implats) mine two weeks ago, and the union said five of its members had been killed since July. AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa said Mvelesi Biyela, a health and safety officer at Lonmin's Wonderkop mine near Marikana in Rustenburg, was shot on Friday evening in front of his wife and six-year-old daughter while they were on their way home.
"This is the fifth killing of one of our members since about the end of July," Mathunjwa said.
"We will not fight back with bullets, guns and anonymous hit men but with mass action," AMCU said in a press statement.
Lonmin confirmed that Biyela was employed at its Rowland Shaft, and that it was informed by police late on Friday that unknown assailants had shot and killed him.
"We have no idea at all what is behind these killings but it is very concerning, especially when it happens in such a brutal manner. For now we are leaving it to the police to find out the causes," said Lonmin spokeswoman Wendy Tlou.
A resurgence of violence in the same area that saw South Africa's longest strike in 2012 and 34 AMCU members gunned down by police has unnerved investors in the ailing sector.
Labour and social strife in South Africa's platinum belt, the source of more than 70 percent of known reserves of the precious metal, has piled pressure onto an industry already hit by depressed prices.
(Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
SEOUL/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump dialed up the rhetoric against North Korea again at the weekend, warning the countrys foreign minister that he and leader Kim Jong Un wont be around much longer, as Pyongyang staged a major anti-U.S. rally.
North Koreas Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday that targeting the U.S. mainland with its rockets was inevitable after Mr Evil President Trump called Pyongyangs leader a rocket man on a suicide mission.
Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they wont be around much longer! Trump said on Twitter late on Saturday.
Trump and Kim have traded increasingly threatening and personal insults as Pyongyang races toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States - something Trump has vowed to prevent.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Sunday tried to dial back Trumps comments.
The president doesnt want to be in a nuclear war and we will do everything we can to make sure that doesnt occur, he said on ABC News. On the other hand, the president will protect the American people and our allies.
Analysts say the heated rhetoric is increasing the risk of a miscalculation by one side or the other that could have massive repercussions.
North Koreas state-run television KRT aired a video on Sunday showing tens of thousands of people attending an anti-U.S. rally at Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang.
The Norths official KCNA news agency said more than 100,000 people gathered for the rally on Saturday and delivered speeches supporting comments made by Kim earlier in the week.
We are waiting for the right time to have a final battle with the U.S., the evil empire, and to remove the U.S. from the world, KCNA quoted Ri Il-bae, a commanding officer of the Red Guards, as saying. Once respected Supreme commander Kim Jong Un gives an order, we will annihilate the group of aggressors.
UNPRECEDENTED
In an unprecedented direct statement on Friday, Kim described Trump as a mentally deranged U.S. dotard whom he would tame with fire.
Kim said the North would consider the highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history against the United States and that Trumps comments had confirmed his nuclear program was the correct path.
Trump threatened in his maiden U.N. address on Tuesday to totally destroy the country of 26 million people if North Korea threatened the United States or its allies.
It was not clear from Trumps latest tweet if he was referring to Ri and Kim, or North Korea more broadly.
North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear bomb test on Sept. 3, prompting another round of U.N. sanctions. Pyongyang said on Friday it might test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean.
It is only a forlorn hope to consider any chance that the DPRK (North Korea) would be shaken an inch or change its stance due to the harsher sanctions by the hostile forces, Ri told the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday.
BOMBERS
U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighters flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea on Saturday in a show of force the Pentagon said indicated the range of military options available to Trump.
The U.S. bombers flight was the farthest north of the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea that any U.S. fighter jet or bomber had flown in the 21st century, the Pentagon said.
Officials and experts said a small earthquake near North Koreas nuclear test site on Saturday was probably not man-made, easing fears Pyongyang had exploded another nuclear bomb just weeks after its previous one. [L4N1M409X]
The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce and not a peace treaty.
The North accuses the United States, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, of planning to invade and regularly threatens to destroy it and its Asian allies.
(For a graphic on Nuclear North Korea click tmsnrt.rs/2n0gd92)
(GRAPHIC - A tally of nuclear tests: tmsnrt.rs/2wJIxW0)
Michael Craig-Martin stands next to his work "Untitled (can fragment)" on display at Gallery Hyundai in central Seoul through Nov. 5. / Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Colorful lines and faces make up a fragment of ordinary objects. They are just lines and faces, but the viewers immediately relate the image to objects they know.
Irish-British artist Michael Craig-Martin, known for his conceptual works, said he never draws anything not immediately recognizable.
The artist's major works are on display at his solo exhibition "All in All" at Seoul's Gallery Hyundai through Nov. 5.
The exhibit features 30 of Craig-Martin's colorful paintings depicting familiar objects such as a book, a light bulb and a trainer. The pool of subject matter expands to more up-to-date gadgets such as a mobile phone or a memory stick.
Some of the objects are seen from the front, while others are seen from the side, creating an effect of passing through the canvas. However, they are all easily identifiable. The mass-produced objects are found all over the world and thus Craig-Martin's works resonate with people across the globe.
"I'm trying to find all the lines necessary to understand the objects. I'm not a cartoonist so I don't abbreviate or generalize objects," the 76-year-old artist said. "It is amazing that I give you so little, but you understand so much."
"Untitled (memory stick fragment green)" (2017) by Michael Craig-Martin / Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Hyunda
In fact, there are no sunglasses, but just colors and lines on a canvas, not scaled right.
"But you fill in the part I left out and you know what the object is for. I just trigger this information through an image and everybody comes with a lot of information.
"I draw an object as simple as possible, but the message is as complicated as possible. Complexity happens in conception. It's not a puzzle and there is no secret or hidden message. I just draw something to stimulate your imagination."
In his early works, Craig-Martin depicted real objects, but he soon realized the limitations.
"There are very limited things to do with objects because you lose certain imagination. Images are much easier to manipulate," the artist said. "However, I don't draw objects. I just take what is there and create images."
Unlike many contemporary artists who mix their own colors, Craig-Martin sticks to basic, simple ones.
"I work in the world of images and color gives possibility to the image," he said. "I just use ordinary colors, not mix them up. I use objects with names and colors with names such as yellow, blue and red. It's a surprising thing that I'm the only one using the basic palette."
"Commonplace (with chaise)" (2017) by Michael Craig-Martin / Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Hyundai/
Most of Craig-Martin's works are large in size, over two meters wide or high. The artist said the scale of the works in relation to the viewers is important to him.
"When my works are reproduced, they tend to be seen as graphic designs because reproduction takes away the physicality of the artworks, which is an important aspect," Craig-Martin said.
Craig-Martin also occupies a prominent place in the emergence of the Young British Artists (YBAs) of the 1990s. He was a tutor at the department of art at Goldsmiths College and had an influence with the YBA generation, including Damien Hirst.
"I discovered my artistic language in my 50s. However, they discovered their own at much earlier ages," he said.
For more information, visit www.galleryhyundai.com or call 02-2287-3500.
Conglomerates scrambling to prevent chairmen from being summoned
By Lee Hyo-sik
Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK and other conglomerates are on alert as lawmakers are moving to summon their leaders as witnesses during the National Assembly audit of government agencies next month.
Business groups are scrambling to find ways of getting their chairmen or CEOs off the list of those to be summoned; but the Assembly is poised to call in a record number of businesspeople for questioning over a wide range of controversial issues.
The Assembly audit was initially intended to inspect whether ministries and other government bodies performed their duties properly. But over the past few years, lawmakers have opted to summon and grill heads of large businesses, instead of policymakers, to attract more attention from voters.
According to the National Assembly Secretariat, Thursday, 119 businesspeople were summoned during last year's audit. This year's number is expected to exceed it.
In the past, the ruling party attempted to block business tycoons from being summoned as witnesses, as opposition parties used them as a tool to criticize the president and Cabinet members.
But this time, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) seems to be more eager to publicly embarrass chaebol owners than opposition parties, according to chaebol watchers.
The Moon Jae-in administration has been spearheading efforts to change the governance structure of conglomerates and force them to treat their small business parties better, as well as penalizing their inter-subsidiary dealings.
"We are mobilizing substantial resources to prevent our top managers from appearing before lawmakers during the Assembly audit in October," said an official at one of the nation's top conglomerates, who declined to be named.
"In the past, we were able to interact with assistants to lawmakers and convey our opinions to them. But it has become harder to do so after the Choi Soon-sil corruption scandal," the executive said. "There isn't much room for us to maneuver but we will do what we can. If our chairman or CEOs are summoned, we will have them ready for lawmakers' questioning."
Lawmakers belonging to the Trade, Industry and Energy Subcommittee and the Environment and Labor Subcommittee, among others, have requested dozens of chaebol owners and their subordinates to attend the audit, scheduled to begin Oct. 12.
In particular, Rep. Park Yong-jin of the DPK has vowed to summon Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo over the carmaker's recall of vehicles equipped with the Theta 2 engine. Park claims Korean consumers were treated unfairly in the recall as Hyundai offered better compensation packages to American motorists.
"It is lawmakers' given right to summon businesspeople for questioning. But they shouldn't use that right recklessly because it could adversely affect companies," said an executive at a major business association, who declined to be named.
"Many seem to want to question chaebol chairmen to gain greater public attention, but they should refrain from doing so because it doesn't do any good to anyone. If they really want to deal with what is at issue, they can call in company executives or others familiar with the matter."
Asian, European officials meet to stand against protectionism
By Park Hyong-ki
Hopes for a possible breakthrough in resolving the trade dispute between Korea and China have been dashed at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Economic Ministers' Meeting here.
This is because China did not send its top trade delegate to the two-day conference, which kicked off at the COEX convention center in Seoul, Thursday.
China's Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen attended the event, instead of Korea's Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Paik Un-gyu's counterpart Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng.
Even Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko could not make it to the meeting. Instead, Kosaburo Nishime, state minister, came.
Paik sought to meet Gao on the sidelines of the conference, as he told the press last week he officially requested a meeting with his counterpart to seek ways to ease tensions.
However, China has apparently rejected Korea's offer, with observers expecting China's economic retaliation against Korean companies to continue as long as the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system remains in the country.
Lotte Group recently decided to pull its discount chain stores out of China, and Hyundai Motor is facing difficulties operating there.
With the absences of the top brass from China and Japan, the two biggest economies in Asia, the ASEM meeting will likely be half-baked, with a general statement on standing against trade protectionism and promoting cross-border investment to be presented Friday.
This is in spite of the ASEM Economic Ministers' Meeting being reopened for the first time in 12 years.
The last ASEM meeting was held in the Netherlands in 2005 and was stopped due to conflicts among some of its members. Korea proposed the resumption of the meeting.
Nevertheless, Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon will be giving a keynote speech at the conference Friday for 250 delegates from 51 countries.
The meeting will be held under the theme of "Reconnecting Asia-Europe: Innovative Partnership for Inclusive Prosperity."
On the first day, working-level officials gathered to draft a statement, and Asian and European ministers and vice ministers then met for a gala dinner. Only 12 out of 53 member countries sent their trade ministers to the event.
On Friday, ASEM will hold sessions on global trade, investment and growth.
Established in 1996, ASEM has 53 Asian and European members.
Asia and Europe account for 64 percent of global trade as of 2015.
ADB Institute dean advises on policies to boost economy
By Yoon Ja-young
Governments around the world use monetary and fiscal policies to maintain economic growth, but they become ineffective when their countries faces the problem of an aging population.
Korea should thus focus on structural change, promoting female participation in the labor market and adopting performance-based payment, according to Naoyuki Yoshino, dean of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Institute.
"Following the implementation of monetary policy, the economy goes well and wages go up. Those who are working at companies will benefit since their salary will go up, and they will consume more," he said in an interview with The Korea Times.
"All people who are receiving pensions and social welfare, however, are outside of the effect of monetary policy. If that population becomes bigger, then the effectiveness of monetary policy diminishes."
The professor emeritus of Keio University visited Sejong to give a special lecture at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management for its 20th anniversary.
He said that the mainstream U.S. economics could not understand the problem stemming from an aging population since they are not facing such a problem thanks to immigration.
"That's why Japan's monetary policy did not do enough. Japan started implementing a zero interest policy, but it didn't work either. Then Japan started quantitative easing, which means the money supply has been increased. Now it is negative interest policy. All those monetary policies are not very effective because of the aging population," professor Yoshino said.
He cited an economist who pointed out that central banks can only print money, but not babies. "Japan's problem is structural. The Korean economy's long-term problem is just like Japan, an aging population," he added.
Korea is facing an unprecedentedly rapid pace of aging. Korea is categorized as an aged society as senior citizens aged 65 or older now take up more than 14 percent of the population. The ratio is expected to surpass 20 percent in 2026.
He said that Korea should learn from Japan which wasted time sticking to monetary and fiscal policies without tackling the fundamental problem.
"Korea first should increase females in the labor force. Also, wages have to be based on productivity rather than seniority. Japan's problem is that as one gets older their salary goes up, regardless of productivity."
Regarding the current administration's policies over income-led economic growth, which tries to increase household income and thereby pull up economic growth, Yoshino said it would only affect the working population.
The government plans to open doors to immigration to tackle the problem of the aging population, but Yoshino said society needs thorough preparation for this, citing terrorism in Europe.
"If Korea and Japan want to open their doors to more foreign workers, they should help them integrate into society," he said.
He also suggested Korea, China and Japan should coordinate in developing the Northeast Asian economy. He said that as manufacturing powerhouses, they can create a big market together in the region.
"On top of the free trade agreement (FTA), free flow of capital is also very important. In order to do this, however, China has to change its basket exchange rate policy," the professor said.
He said Korea's government debt could become a problem if it goes beyond domestic savings.
"Japan had very huge savings. If domestic savings can support government debt, that's fine. If domestic debt is beyond domestic savings, then it would become like Greece because they have to borrow from outside," he said.
"It is the same with the 1997 financial crisis in Korea and Thailand. They borrowed too much from abroad. If the debt goes beyond that limit, Korea would have to borrow from abroad, and that is very dangerous."
By Park Hyong-ki
Park Ju-hyung, vice president of Kumho Petrochemical's purchasing and finance
Park Ju-hyung, vice president of Kumho Petrochemical's purchasing and finance, has recently increased her stake in the listed resin materials company.
Park recently purchased 1,000 shares at 77,400 won per share, bringing her ownership in the company to 0.77 percent.
She is the daughter of Kumho Petrochemical Chairman and Chief Executive Park Chan-koo.
The chairman is the younger brother of Kumho Asiana Group Chairman Park Sam-koo.
Park Ju-hyung is the only female executive on Kumho Petrochemical's management team, according to the company's 2016 annual report.
Her share increase is considered significant, given she held 0.54 percent when she started working for her father in July, 2015.
Even when compared to her older brother and cousin, who are both executives at the company, observers say she seems to be increasing her managerial influence as her father approves of her skills, just as Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee's daughter Lee Boo-jin, the chief executive of Hotel Shilla.
Park Ju-hyung joined the company and took up a key post when the company uncovered malpractices in the purchasing and finance department.
Her older brother Jun-kyung is the vice president of Kumho Petrochemical's synthetic resin overseas sales.
Her cousin is Chul-wan, the vice president of its synthetic rubber overseas sales. Chul-wan is the son of Chairman Park Chan-koo's older brother Jeong-koo, the late-chairman of Kumho Group.
Her brother and cousin's stakes in the company remained unchanged since 2015.
Jun-kyung has a 7.17 percent share, and Chul-wan has a 10 percent share. Chairman Park Chan-koo has a 6.69 percent share, according to its disclosure.
Kumho Petrochemical's biggest single shareholder is the National Pension Service with a 12.62 percent share.
The company drew the line over her share purchase, saying it was not part of a sibling rivalry, as reported by many news outlets.
"The vice president's share increase is to further give herself the responsibility and contribute to the management of the company," a Kumho Petrochemical spokesperson said.
Park Joo-hyung entered Daewoo International, the trading arm of steelmaker POSCO, in 2010 and worked there until June, 2015.
She graduated from the department of special education at Ewha Womans University in 2013 and went to New York for a training program at Parsons School of Design.
Kumho Petrochemical and Kumho Asiana have no equity ties. They are "totally different and separated," the two companies said.
Park Chan-koo and Park Sam-koo had been at odds during the restructuring of the group their father started.
What caused sales manager's death?
This is the second of a three-part series analyzing management of Prudential Life Insurance Korea after the death of the firm's ex-sales manager this month. -- ED.
By Nam Hyun-woo
Notes and letters left by a former sales manager of Prudential Life Insurance Korea who died in an apparent suicide are throwing doubts on the insurer's personnel management.
Yang Man-seung, 58, a former agency manager of the insurance firm, jumped from 21st floor of the company's head office in Gangnam, Seoul, on Sept. 3 after failing to meet the company's CEO Kurtis Jang to complain about the termination of his contract with the firm.
Yang had been claiming his termination the previous month was unfair and aimed at dismissing old employees like himself.
According to Yang's July 26 letter sent to Jang, he said his agency, named the Olympic branch, was evaluated unfairly in the first half of this year.
Prudential Life Korea assesses the agency in two standards of productivity and recruiting agents. In the letter, Yang said his branch posted earnings well above the average of other contracted Prudential agencies.
Yang said there were problems in evaluating agent recruitment -- he said the company's senior executives have prevented the branch from hiring new agents in the first place so Yang's agency could not get a fine score.
Since April, Yang's branch has had three candidates interviewed by the headquarters' senior executives.
One candidate, surnamed Chang, initially received an acceptance call from a senior executive at the head office, but the executive reversed the decision an hour later, telling Yang that Chang, 48, was too old.
In May, two other candidates, surnamed Kim and Oh, were interviewed by the executive and they told Yang they were "insulted" by the executive.
"They told me the interview was like a meeting to find out why they could not be Prudential agents, not an interview for hiring," Yang said in the letter.
Yang said they were qualified candidates and it was the first time he saw three candidates okayed by the agency manager get rejected by head office executives during his 16-years career as a Prudential Life agency manager.
After the rejections from the head office, Yang's agency scored 68.3 points in agency evaluation, which requires a minimum 70 points. Yang said it was mostly because of poor scores in recruiting and he could not accept the "distorted evaluation."
Following the evaluation, the agency was disbanded and merged into other agencies. Yang was also not allowed to work for Prudential.
On Aug. 10, he wrote a letter on the insurer's intranet, claiming he is not asking for his job back, but punishment of related executives and the continuity of his branch.
According to Yang's colleagues, he had been asking the company to arrange a meeting with CEO Jang, but the company refused to reply.
In an Aug. 31 letter, Yang said the company lacks communication, with his three requests to meet the CEO refused. He questioned whether there is trust between the management and agents.
On Sept. 3, Yang went to the headquarters building in a botched attempt to meet Jang, but was stopped by company officials. Then, he jumped out of a window, according to colleagues.
Though the company said the bereaved family has expressed their gratitude to the company for taking care of Yang's funeral and efforts to recover his reputation, his colleagues say the company has not changed and "never listens to fieldworkers' voices."
Reportedly, an executive on the day of Yang's death sent a text message to other agency managers and agents that read: "Do not be disturbed and do your job."
"When you write something on the intranet bulletin board, you get a call ordering to delete the posting or the comment. This is the weird reality of Prudential Korea these days," a Prudential employee said.
Prudential Life Korea head office in Seoul
Kurtis Jang, Prudential Life Korea CEO
Kurtis Jang pressed to take responsibility for death of sales agent
This is the final of a three-part series analyzing the management of Prudential Life Insurance Korea after the death of the firm's ex-sales manager this month. ED.
By Nam Hyun-woo
Prudential Life Insurance Korea CEO Kurtis Jang is facing strong calls for his resignation, amid controversy over his mismanagement of agents, which cmae to light after an ex-agency manager's death.
Yang Man-seung, 58, a former agency manager of the insurance firm, jumped from the 21st floor of the company's head office in Gangnam, Seoul, on Sept. 3 after the CEO failed to meet him to discuss the termination of his contract with the firm.
Before the suicide, Yang had claimed his termination the previous month was unfair and was aimed at dismissing old employees like himself.
Also, his agency was under "extreme pressure from the head office" (Prudential Korea) to show a better performance, his former colleagues said.
According to letters that Yang left on the insurer's intranet and sent to his former colleagues, the two executives at the head office were behind the pressure on performance, forcing not only Yang's agency but also others with "excessive requests."
In Yang's July 26 letter sent to Jang, he claimed that the two executives exploited their power to "influence the evaluation score of Yang's agency" so that they could sever the contract Yang's contract.
Not only Yang, but also other Prudential Korea agents have been complaining about the two executives' coercive push.
"The two figures have lost trust among agents and seemed to be evading their responsibilities for Yang's death," said a Prudential employee. "The two are not regarded as leaders anymore and should leave the company."
On the day of Yang's death, one of the two at issue reportedly sent a text message to other agency managers and agents that read: "Do not be disturbed and do your job."
Prudential Korea said it discharged the two executives from their duties soon after Yang's death. Also, Jang sent a message to Prudential employees the following week and the company set up seven memorial alters at the company's branches across Korea.
"As it takes time for a Korean office of foreign companies to make decisions, Prudential Korea's measures after the incident seems to be unusually quick," an insurance company official said.
Despite the company's prompt measures, voices are growing that those measures are deemed "a lizard cutting off its own tail."
"If those claims are true, those pushes might have been made in part for the company's growth strategy, which is not possible without the CEO's consent. Hence, Jang can also be seen as responsible," an insurance company official said, asking not to be named.
"If Jang was not aware of those executives' practices and does not take responsibility for the incident, it also raises questions about Jang's grip on the company."
Multiple insurance sources said there have been rumors alleging that Jang is "not in full control" of the company, while several executives are exerting their influence to "squeeze" agents for better performances.
According to Prudential Korea, its U.S. headquarters is auditing this case.
On Sept. 19, a civic group comprised of insurance agents and the Insurance Planners' Union held a press conference at the National Assembly and called for improvements in their rights as employees.
"Not only Yang but also other agents or agency managers cannot enjoy legal protection as laborers," an official at the group said, calling for a regulatory revision to regard insurance agents as employees.
Flyers mocking United States President Donald Trump found in Incheon, Gyeonggi Province. / Screen captured from online community
By Chyung Eun-ju
Several versions of flyers mocking United States President Donald Trump have been found in Incheon, the city's Nambu police have confirmed.
A netizen who claimed to be a school student uploaded a post on Monday, saying: "Did you see the anti-South Korea flyers that North Korea are spreading?" The student said about 900 flyers were found near his school.
One, titled "War Madman," depicts a cartoon of Trump saying: "If there is a war, it will happen in the Korean Peninsula." His ears are pricked up as if they are those of a horse.
Another flyer illustrates the South Korean government kneeling to the U.S., pleading: "We will initiate dialogue with North Korea only after receiving U.S. approval, and we will install THAAD whenever the U.S. wants." This is a reference to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery that is being installed to fend off possible North Korean missile attacks.
Flyers promoting North Korea's nuclear missles found in Incheon, Gyeonggi Province. / Yonhap
Another flyer criticizes the Liberty Korea Party, saying the opposition party is killing the nation by supporting the South Korean-American alliance. Drawings promoting North Korea's nuclear missiles and showing an emaciated Trump lying on a hospital bed are on other flyers.
The flyers were also uploaded to Instagram.
North Korea released propaganda photos of Carl Vinson on its propaganda site, DPRK Today, Sunday. / Yonhap
North Korea on Sunday released propaganda photos of a US bomber and a supercarrier under attack, hours after the same type of aircraft flew in international airspace off the country's eastern coast.
A state-owned propaganda site, DPRK Today, unveiled a doctored photo in which Pyongyang's Pukguksong missile strikes a U.S. strategic bomber B-1B.
DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's full name.
The photo was released merely hours after the U.S. military announced U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers, deployed from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, flew with F-15C air superiority fighters from Kadena Air Base on Okinawa. It was designed as a show of force against North Korea amid an escalating war of words between Pyongyang and Washington.
North Korea released propaganda photos of F35 Stealth fighters on its propaganda site, DPRK Today, Sunday. / Yonhap
The photo was part of a video that also portrayed U.S. President Donald Trump, seen speaking at the celebration of the U.S. Air Force's 70th Anniversary at Joint Base Andrews, as "a mad man."
Then the North's Pukguksong-2 missile, a medium-range ballistic missile, is seen launched toward a B-1B and a F-35, and the photo captures the two jets engulfed in computer-generated fire.
Also in the video, a North Korean submarine-launched missile strikes the USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered flattop.
The subtitle of the film says, "Should F-35, B-1B and the Carl Vinson lead the U.S. attack, they will head to the grave in that order." (Yonhap)
NK foreign minister warns of 'merciless preventive action'
By Jun Ji-hye
Military tension surrounding the Korean Peninsula is escalating dangerously, with Washington and Pyongyang intensifying their war of words and the United States flying B-1B Lancer bombers off the North Korean coast.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho has said missile attacks against the U.S. mainland would be inevitable as U.S. President Donald Trump has kept insulting the dignity of the Kim Jong-un regime.
In an address to the United Nations General Assembly, Sunday, Ri angrily responded to Trump's earlier speech Tuesday, in which he referred to Kim as "rocket man." At the time, Trump also threatened to "totally destroy" the North if the U.S. was forced to defend itself or its allies against a North Korean attack.
Ri said Trump's insult makes "our rocket's visit to the entire U.S. mainland all the more inevitable," calling him a "mentally deranged" person who used "reckless and violent words."
Ri also said his country will take "merciless preventive action" if Washington shows any signs of a "decapitating operation on our headquarters or a military attack against our country."
"None other than Trump himself is on a suicide mission," Ri said. "In the case innocent lives of the U.S. are harmed because of this suicide attack, Trump will be held totally responsible."
Pyongyang's top diplomat also downplayed the latest U.N. sanctions imposed on the North for its sixth nuclear test as "unjustifiable." On Sept. 11, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved the new sanctions resolution, targeting oil supplies to the impoverished state for the first time.
Trump responded to Ri's speech on Twitter, saying, "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"
By Kim Jae-kyoung
SINGAPORE _ A growing number of nations are downgrading diplomatic ties with North Korea to deepen the Kim Jong-un regime's isolation following its sixth nuclear test on Sept. 3.
Most recently, on Sept. 18, Spain asked the North Korean ambassador in Madrid to leave the country by the end of September, becoming the first European country to expel a North Korean diplomatic envoy.
The move followed in the footsteps of Mexico, Peru and Kuwait. It came as the United Nations passed a resolution that imposed a ban on the country's textile exports and capped its crude oil imports.
Against this backdrop, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member nations need to play a more active role in reining in North Korea by taking action rather than just talking.
Following the North's nuke test, ASEAN foreign ministers issued a joint statement to condemn Pyongyang, using strong words such as "deplore" and "grave concern" numerous times. A few of them issued a separate statement of condemnation.
However, among the 10 ASEAN member states, the Philippines, chair of ASEAN this year, is the only county that has taken actual measures against the North's nuclear threat by suspending trade with Pyongyang.
No other country from the 10-member bloc, which also consists of consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, has followed the Philippines' example.
Amid growing nuclear threats from the North, ASEAN member nations' more active roles are particularly important in two aspects.
First, some of the countries have maintained long, friendly relations with North Korea. Although their overall volume of economic interaction is much smaller than China's, the North's relationship with this region is deep and extensive.
Vietnam and Laos share the communist ideology while Cambodia and Myanmar have traditional friendships with North Korea. Malaysia, even after the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, half brother of Kim Jong-un, at a Malaysian airport, still maintains diplomatic ties with Pyongyang.
Secondly, the ASEAN region has emerged as a hub for North Korea's illegal trade in the wake of China's tightening of sanctions against the North. In other words, ASEAN is becoming a source for the North to evade sanctions and earn hard currency.
"North Korea has manipulated diplomatic ties with and regulatory loopholes in Southeast Asian countries to overcome U.N. sanctions through illicit activities such as counterfeiting, money laundering, drugs and arms trade," Hoang Thi Ha, lead researcher at the ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, wrote recently in ASEAN Focus.
In this regard, any ASEAN member suspending bilateral trade or expelling a diplomatic envoy will have a bigger impact on the North, intensifying its isolation and thus making Kim Jong-un rethink his strategy.
See Seng Tan, deputy director at the Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies of Nanyang Technological University's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said ASEAN member states need to consider taking steps similar to the Philippines.
"Southeast Asia has been in the news lately regarding its trade ties with North Korea, which, in the view of some observers, are not in step with U.N. resolutions against North Korea," he told the Korea Times.
He pointed out the Philippines' decision to suspend trade with the North has to do with the country being the current chair of ASEAN and intending to lead by example.
"Most ASEAN countries have condemned Pyongyang's provocations. If they are serious about sending a message, then following Manila's example is not a bad idea," he said.
If ASEAN nations view North Korean provocations as serious threats to regional peace and stability, it is time for them to make more proactive efforts not only to comply with U.N. resolutions but also to take more stringent individual actions against the Kim Jong-un regime.
Soldiers from the Army's 2nd Corps reenact a battle fought in Chuncheon at the beginning of the 1950-53 Korean War, in front of Chuncheon Station, Gangwon Province, Sunday. The battle took place from June 25 to 27, 1950, in which local forces halted the North Korean invaders advance into the South, gaining time for the U.N. allied forces to participate in the conflict. / Yonhap
This US Air Force handout photo obtained September 23, 2017 shows an Air Force B-1B Lancer receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker near the East China Sea, on September 18, 2017.
US bombers accompanied by fighter jets flew off the east coast of North Korea on September 23, 2017 in a show of force designed to project American military power in the face of Pyongyang's weapons programs, the Pentagon said. It was the furthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) any US fighter or bomber aircraft have flown off North Korea's coast in this century, Pentagon spokesman Dana White said. / AFP-Yonhap
U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by F-15C fighter jets on Saturday flew in international airspace off North Korea's eastern coast in a show of force, the U.S. military announced.
"This is the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft have flown off North Korea's coast in the 21st century, underscoring the seriousness with which we take (North Korea's) reckless behavior," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement.
In this photo made available by the Department of Defense, a U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer, assigned to the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., prepares to take off from Andersen AFB, Guam, on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. The Pentagon says B-1B bombers from Guam and F-15 fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan, have flown a mission in international airspace over the waters east of North Korea. / AP-Yonhap
The bombers were from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam and the fighter jets were from Kadena Air Force Base on Okinawa.
The mission is clear message that the U.S. has many military options to defeat any threat from North Korea, the statement said.
"We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the U.S. homeland and our allies," it added. (Yonhap)
By Kim Rahn
Seoul has officially expressed regret to Tokyo over some Japanese media outlets' "distorted" reports of the former's humanitarian aid plan for Pyongyang discussed at the recent trilateral talks among Seoul, Tokyo and Washington in New York.
The U.S. also expressed concerns that such distorted reports could rupture the three nations' cooperation in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile issues, according to a Cheong Wa Dae source.
Their responses came after some Japanese media, including Nippon TV, reported Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denounced the Moon Jae-in government's plan to offer $8 million in humanitarian aid to North Korea during their trilateral meeting in New York earlier in the day. The media outlets quoted a senior Japanese government official as saying that Trump was extremely angry.
"We expressed regret to the Japanese government through a diplomatic channel over the erroneous reports by Japanese media," a foreign ministry official said Sunday.
"The regret was expressed to the Japanese government, not the media outlets, because the outlets quoted a senior official who accompanied Abe at the trilateral talks and we thought the Japanese government needs to take proper measures regarding this."
Presidential press secretary Yoon Young-chan also expressed strong regret over the media outlets in question and the Japanese government over the "malicious reports."
"According to South Korean officials who attended the trilateral talks, the reports were not true and seem to have been distorted intentionally," Yoon said in a briefing Friday.
"It is a diplomatic custom not to mention what is discussed at a summit besides official announcements. But the Japanese media have reported this, which is far from truth, by quoting government sources. We expressed strong regret and hope such activities will not happen again."
Yoon said such reports are feared to have negative influences on the Seoul-Tokyo relationship.
The U.S. has shown similar concerns.
According to a source at Cheong Wa Dae, a high-profile official at the presidential office had a phone conversation with an official at the White House Saturday to discuss how to respond to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's threats and Trump's planned visit to Seoul in November.
The official talked about the distorted reports on the talks by the Japanese media outlets, and the White House official answered that such reports could cause a rupture in the three nations' cooperation and that was what North Korea hopes for.
The U.S. official expressed disappointment and concerns and said Washington would deliver these concerns to Tokyo.
This was not the first time for a Japanese media outlet to release a distorted report.
Earlier this month, the Fuji News Network reported that in a phone conversation between Trump and Abe, the former criticized the Moon government for continuing to seek dialogue with North Korea despite the North's continued provocations. According to the broadcaster, Trump told Abe that the South Korean government was "begging" for dialogue.
Regarding the report, presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said that officials at the Korean Embassy in Japan contacted the Japanese foreign ministry and confirmed the report was untrue. Cheong Wa Dae expressed strong regret at that time as well.
By Kim Bo-eun
A committee will be launched today to investigate the plan under the former Park Geun-hye administration to introduce a system of single state-authored history textbooks.
The disputed plan failed due to resistance from most education offices and schools nationwide, and was officially scrapped in May with the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in administration.
The plan was controversial as it would have imposed a single view of history on students _ that of the conservative Park administration _ with the government-authored textbooks as the only available sources.
The plan also came under attack as it was viewed as a means for former President Park to glorify the achievements of her father, former President Park Chung-hee, while downplaying the human rights violations that occurred under his authoritarian regime.
The investigation committee will begin work today at the Korea Press Center in Seoul.
The 15-member committee is comprised of scholars, middle and high school teachers, legal experts, civic activists, and officials from the National Institute of Korean History and the education ministry.
It will be led by former Mokpo National University President Ko Seok-kyu, who has been a faculty member of the department of history there since 1995.
For six months, the committee will look into any violations of the law in finalizing the policy and carrying it out, as well as how the budget for the plan was drawn up and allocated.
It will also compile a white paper on the plan to have the state author a single history textbook.
"I hope that through a fair and neutral investigation the truth about the plan will be brought to light so that it can serve as the first step to restore democracy in education in Korea," Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Kim Sang-kon said.
The state-authored history textbook was published in January and was to be used starting in the spring semester at schools which volunteered to take part in a pilot program. Only one school signed up but was unable to use the book due to a suit filed by parents of children there.
The Moon administration has banned the use of state-authored history textbooks at middle and high schools.
Koreans donated an average of 108,000 won to non-profit foundations last year, according to data released Sunday.
Data from a non-profit foundation evaluation firm, Guide Star Korea, and the National Tax Service, showed that 8,049 non-profit foundations received a total of 5.565 trillion won in donations last year. Given that Korea's population was 51,269,554 in November, this is 108,534 won per person.
According to sectors, social welfare foundations received the largest amount of donations, followed by the education sector, academia and scholarships, the arts and culture, and health care.
The Community Chest of Korea topped the list in amount of donations with 574.2 billion won, followed by the UniKorea Foundation, World Vision, KOFCA, the Korean Committee for Unicef, Child Fund Korea, Samsung Life Public Welfare Foundation and Good Neighbors International, all of which received more than 10 million won each.
All of the foundations received more donations than the previous year.
Among the top 20, were the school foundations and development funds at Sungkyunkwan, Korea, Seoul National and Yonsei universities.
When it comes to transparency, Community Chest Korea and Korean Red Cross received the highest ratings _ scoring over 90 points _ last year. The Child Fund Korea, World Vision, Korea Food for the Hungry International and the Korea National Council on Social Welfare scored over 70 points. Good Neighbors International and the Korean Committee for Unicef scored below 50.
By Yi Whan-woo
Kim Kwan-jin Cho Kuk Chung Eui-yoThe rival parties are selecting witnesses for next month's National Assembly inspection of the government, who could highlight shortcomings of the Moon Jae-in administration and also his predecessors.
All parliamentary standing committees will begin bipartisan negotiations this week over who should testify at the audit slated for Oct. 12 to 30. As this is the first such inspection since President Moon took office in May, the ruling and the opposition parties are vying to have the upper hand in criticizing each other by picking the right witnesses.
Sources said Sunday that the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is considering summoning aides of the two former conservative presidents - Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye - to highlight their maladministration.
Among the candidates are Lee Byung-kee, a former presidential chief of staff and National Intelligence Service (NIS) director under the Park administration; Kim Kwan-jin, a former National Security Office (NSO) chief under Park and defense minister under both Lee Myung-bak and Park; and two former Cyber War Command directors, Ok Do-kyung and Yeon Jae-wook under the Lee Myung-bak administration.
The DPK lawmakers plan to question these witnesses regarding the influence-peddling scandal surrounding Park, the NIS's meddling in the 2012 presidential election in favor of Park, the surveillance of civilians by the Lee administration, as well as the blacklisting of artists, entertainers and journalists under both governments.
They also seek to call former Korea Racing Authority (KRA) Chairman Hyun Myung-kwan, who was the Samsung C&T chairman before joining the KRA, as a witness to testify whether he played a middleman role between Park's confidant Choi Soon-sil and Samsung. In the corruption scandal involving Park, it is alleged that Samsung offered a horse to Choi's daughter Chung Yoo-ra who was a dressage competitor.
The DPK is considering asking some celebrities to testify about the alleged creation of the blacklist and the censorship of media and movies under the Lee and Park governments.
To counter this, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and minor opposition parties are targeting Cheong Wa Dae officials who are allegedly accountable for the Moon government's "bungling" of personnel management and security affairs.
They include senior presidential secretary for civil affairs Cho Kuk and NSO chief Chung Eui-yong.
For Cho, the opposition bloc is expected to point to a failure to thoroughly screen candidates for top government jobs and for recommending unqualified nominees. Moon recently failed to win parliamentary endorsement for his Constitutional Court President-nominee Kim Yi-su, and SMEs and Startups Minister-designate Park Seong-jin.
The opposition parties also plan to blame Chung for the Moon administration's "security affairs" and his failure to coordinate gaps on these among some of the President's aides.
Tak Hyun-min, a Cheong Wa Dae official known as Moon's "event planner," could also be summoned. Lawmakers and civic groups have demanded Moon sack him over his offensive remarks about women in the past.
A wall of the Hanmi Global headquarters in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, displays words that reflect the company's philosophy on keeping employees happy. / Courtesy of Hanmi Global
Hanmi Global chairman claims 'happiness management'
By Yun Suh-young
This is the sixth in a series of articles on companies with innovative work cultures. ED.
How many Korean companies have you heard of that send employees on a two-month "paid" sabbatical leave? Not even one, for me, until I came to know of Hanmi Global.
Hanmi Global is a construction management company which takes on projects that overlook and manage the construction of a building from beginning to end. For a company that's part of a rough and tough industry, Hanmi Global is a mutant _ and a very good one.
Employees of Hanmi Global are allowed to go on a paid "refresh vacation" for one month every five years and a two-month paid sabbatical leave every 10 years. For the executives, the rewards are better. They take a two-month paid break from work every five years.
"My boss's attitude on work changed after he came back from a sabbatical recently. The team atmosphere is softer and he gave us much good advice," said Bae Yu-jin, PR administrator at Hanmi Global.
"He stressed the importance of a program like this and told us to experience and feel as much as possible."
Bae says the program is what she was most surprised by when she entered the company two years ago. "It's the program that employees love the most," she said, adding that colleagues are supportive about those who take the leave despite having to take on their work, because they know they'll also get their turn.
"It was amazing to be able to spend so much time with family. My mother and my children were really happy about it and I felt proud to be part of a company that gives us such benefits. Which company would send you on a paid leave for so long? The program makes you feel more loyal to the company," said Jung Ik-gyo, an associate PR director at Hanmi Global, who recently came back from a sabbatical in Vietnam.
"I think this program is very necessary for employees. I scoffed when people who've been on it said they wanted to come to work after a month and I didn't believe them, but it's true. After a while you feel like you have to return, and want to. Then you start doing the same work but with more appreciation and care. Work becomes proactive and an incentive to go on your next sabbatical."
But this isn't what solely defines the work culture at Hanmi Global. It has a variety of employee welfare programs, ranging from one-year maternity and paternity leave for both parents, flexible working hours, graduate school support programs, financial support for language and personal development studies, an individual budget rewarded for book purchases, full educational support for employee's children from elementary school to college, even for adopted ones, regardless of the number of children, and free massages at work, to name a few. There are also non-material aspects that the company emphasizes and fosters, such as appreciation and communication between employees and social volunteer work for the disabled.
Word of mouth spread that the company strives for employees' happiness. As a result, the company has been ranked one of the country's 100 best companies for nine years, four of which it won gold prizes for and one, the top prize.
Hanmi Global Chairman Kim Jong-hoon
"It's the leader that matters," says Kim Jong-hoon, founder and chairman of Hanmi Global, during an interview with The Korea Times describing how such a work culture can be established.
The chairman has given numerous seminars, workshops and talks to CEOs in various companies. He wrote two books on his company's work culture _ "We Go to Work in Heaven" (2010) and "Passion for Perfection" (2016), the latter catered toward a younger audience.
By Aeran Kim
In the principal house of our congregation in Seoul, the whole community of sisters is divided into seven small groups. Each group consists of twelve to fifteen sisters and has its own nickname such as joy, love, docility and peace among others.
I belong to the peace group. One day during the community gathering, the presider of recreation asked us to ponder one possible way to remain peaceful in the community.
Each of us in our group replied to that question. Among them, the most recommended way to remain in peace was to smile wholeheartedly even showing our teeth. Several sisters suggested concretely to "smile loudly" from the bottom of our hearts as often as we can. Smiles were recommended strongly. Whatever the situation is, trying to smile is certainly the best way to peace.
Another sister suggested keeping silent to be peaceful. Still another recommended praying further and expressing ourselves properly. Other ways were to be positive, to be grateful, to be simple, to love as it is, just to accept, to walk on and on, and to exercise.
Peace is a virtue that we are yearning sincerely without end. "Peace on earth!" was also a catchphrase of the angels to announce people the good news.
One of the titles of God is also peace. We pray to God of peace, Jesus, the so-called King of peace, and Mary the queen of peace.
When we ask people, "Why do you want to go to the church?" most of them reply shortly, "to have peace in my heart." To be peaceful in one's heart has become the goal of our life.
Living in peace and with peace is the motto that St. Paul also urges in the first letter to Thessalonians (5, 13).
"Peace be with you!" Every day during the Mass, we greet one another with the wish for "peace".
Truly, peace is such a great dream for which we are looking constantly. We need peace more than ever. Especially living in a most challenging and dangerous country where the North and the South are confronting each other in much tension, we are desperately praying for the peace of the world.
The war causes another war, and the violence brings more serious violence. We still remember most clearly the disastrous and miserable situations caused by the Japanese colonization, 5.18 democratic uprising, and the Korean War.
Since the Korean War in 1950, the North and the South are continually struggling within a heartbreaking line of division. We develop and enlarge the military forces more and more; having more nuclear weapons has become a hot issue. However, if the third world war ever happens, all of us in the world would be destroyed together in the fatal hurricanes of bombs.
Even though it is emotionally difficult and painful, it would be much wiser to look for some way to reconciliation, forgiveness, collaboration, and sharing. The inward hurts always last long. Sometimes the hurts seem inactive, but the suffering and sadness caused by those hurts endure a long time.
Jesus advises us to forgive "not up to seven times but up to seventy times seven" (Mt 18, 22). How can we forgive again and again, and forget everything when many of us are eager to remember even the last bit of wrong behavior. Being narrow-minded in some ways, we close our hearts against wrongdoing.
One of the things that I don't like much is to keep remembering the past wrongdoings and talking about them again and again in a negative way with stiff-necked prejudice. I found out there are usually one or two persons at least in each group, who are prone to complain, criticize, and point out the defects of others.
Peace comes from forgiveness. We might not forget everything at one time, but we can pray for the healing of wrongdoing and keep silent to reconcile and begin again more in a constructive way.
The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul (Figlie di San Paolo) living and giving the good news to the world by means of social communications. Learn more about the congregation at fsp.pauline.or.kr.
By Anne-Marie Slaughter and Nina Jankowicz
WASHINGTON Shortly before taking office, US President Donald Trump took to Twitter to outline his vision for his country's relationship with Russia. "Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing," he declared in one tweet. "When I am President," he proclaimed in another, Russia and the US "will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!"
Of course, Trump is not wrong to try to improve relations with Russia. (The last several US presidents all sought the same goal.) But he must recognize that achieving that objective is not worth selling Russia's pro-democratic activists down the river.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively eliminated popular dissent in Russia. In 2012, soon after Putin's return to the presidency, the Duma enacted the so-called foreign agent law, which focused on silencing organizations that receive funding from abroad and engage in anything that can be labeled "political activity."
Since then, Russia's government has unilaterally declared 88 organizations to be "foreign agents" a term that sounds a lot like "spy." The list includes a respected election-monitoring group, human-rights activists, pollsters, and even some scientific research groups. Their mandates vary, but the government's message to them and others is clear: be critical of the Kremlin, and you will be silenced.
Russia's government has taken several more steps to suppress dissent over the last five years, including labeling as "undesirable" several international organizations that have supported democracy activists and criminalizing Russian citizens' involvement with them. It has also expanded the security agencies' authority to track citizens' online activities and curtail their right to free speech, while intensifying discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals and persecuting religious groups. And Kremlin critics have been arrested and even assassinated.
Such activities have apparently not fazed Trump. Even after the detention of thousands of anti-corruption protesters in more than 100 cities across Russia in March, the Trump administration issued only a tepid statement. On his visit to Moscow the following month, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson mirrored this approach, eschewing the State Department tradition of meeting publicly with civil-society activists, despite urging from the US Congress.
Trump and Tillerson, it seems, are fully willing to ignore the Kremlin's repression of its opponents not to mention its interference in America's own democratic election, new evidence of which emerges almost daily if it means avoiding uncomfortable conversations with Putin. They evidently believe that this approach has yielded results most notably the fragile Syrian ceasefire that the US and Russia brokered in July.
But Russia took that deal out of self-interest, not because of the Trump administration's obsequiousness. In fact, it is American interests that are being undermined by the Trump administration's determination not to poke the Russian bear.
Whatever short-term "win" Trump might be able to secure by pandering to Russia, it means little compared to America's long-term interest in the life, liberty, and equality of all human beings, as well as in the safeguarding of self-government. This is not to say that the US should not engage or collaborate with governments that operate on different principles. But we must be clear about what we are not willing to accept beginning with the quashing of political dissent.
Upholding America's core principles is not just the right thing to do; it is smart strategy. Putin's authority may appear unshakeable, but it is actually propped up by propaganda and fear. When the US betrays its own values to avoid challenging Russia, it strengthens Putin's hand considerably. Meanwhile, the perception that he has the US on the ropes enables Putin to continue silencing his opponents.
In the run-up to next year's presidential election, Putin will not hesitate to take advantage of the leeway foreign leaders give him. Already, he has ensured that the opposition leader Alexei Navalny was convicted of embezzlement, giving the government an excuse to bar him from the ballot.
But Navalny, who has already withstood years of Kremlin pressure, will not give up so easily; nor will other opposition activists. Just last Sunday, more than 200 Putin opponents won seats on local councils in Moscow's municipal elections. Anti-corruption protests have continued throughout the year. And Navalny has just released a new expose on Putin's secret dacha near the border with Finland.
To be sure, Putin is expected to win a fourth term in office easily. But he will not lead Russia forever. Until then, the entire Russian population deserves to participate in democratic elections. Yet none of those held during Putin's long tenure has been assessed as free or fair by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. By extending public support to election monitors and activists working to uphold democratic principles, the Trump administration could hearten the Russian opposition and advance a different vision for Russia's future.
In the short term, a little hypocrisy may seem like a small price to pay for a quick victory. But both US foreign policy and America's national narrative are long games. And, in the long term, the US would be much better off engaging with a democratic Russia where human rights were protected and political dissent tolerated.
Russia's 2018 elections represent an important opportunity for Trump to advocate for such an outcome, and prove that American values are not up for negotiation. The US would not stoop to Putin's level and interfere covertly in Russia's electoral processes. But it should stand up for democracy and human rights and stand with those who aspire to build free societies. The world must know that the US still has a soul.
Anne-Marie Slaughter is president and CEO of New America. Nina Jankowicz, a George F. Kennan fellow at the Wilson Center, is a 2017 Foreign Policy Interrupted fellow. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate.
Left to their own devices, the leaders of the United States and North Korea have ended up only escalating their rhetorical war. The world is holding its breath for fear of another war on the Korean Peninsula, this time, a nuclear war. It is time for all nations to engage and find a part to play in the North Korean crisis that could be a disaster for all.
It was made clear beyond doubt that U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un cannot solve the global problem on their own. Trump showed maturity in his U.N. speech but it fell short of moving Kim. Trump talked about his preference for a peaceful resolution of the North's brinkmanship and its mad rush to develop nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Kim ignored that and chose to pick a fight over Trump's bellicose statement _ the North facing total destruction if it continues on a suicidal mission to threaten the U.S. and its allies.
Now the North's ICBMs, apparently in the final stage of development, have thousands of kilometers in range and can strike Europe, Russia and China as well as the U.S.
Besides the two antagonists, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia have been engaged in an elusive effort to find a solution. Despite the potential of becoming the biggest victim in the case of war, Seoul has been sidelined; Japan siding with the U.S. to add to tension; China avoiding using its influence as the North's only benefactor and Russia taking the North as leverage against the U.S. All told, there is emerging a replication of the Cold War standoff _ Seoul, Tokyo and Washington on one side against Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow on the other.
This time, the confrontation can be more dangerous because of the Thucydides' trap pitting the old power, the U.S. and the new power, China, in a small theater such as the Korean Peninsula and the South China Sea.
Countries that are interested in keeping the peace should seek a role. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are worth praise for their bid to help resolve the North Korean crisis peacefully. The world as a stakeholder in preventing a nuclear war in Korea should stop letting the U.S. and the North unilaterally decide its fate.
By Tong Kim
North Korea dominated the 72nd session of the U.N. General Assembly last week, but a peaceful solution South Korea is searching for was not in sight. The leaders of the U.S., Japan, and South Korea agreed to apply maximum pressure on North Korea, which is committed to complete its final phase of nuclear armament.
Through a bilateral summit, the U.S. and South Korea agreed to strengthen their joint deterrent capability: The U.S. will expand deployment of its most advanced military assets to Korea and the region, and South Korea will acquire advanced equipment from the U.S.
On Sept. 22, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued an unprecedented statement in the capacity of the chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK that said, "We will consider exercising of a corresponding, highest level hard-line countermeasure in history." This was Kim's rebuke of Trump's threat on Sept. 19 to "totally destroy" North Korea, "if the U.S. is forced to defend itself or its allies." He also said Kim was a "Rocket Man" who is "on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime."
Trump's speech to the General Assembly became instantly controversial at home and abroad for its belligerent language of "total destruction," and branding the North Korean regime as a "band of criminals." North Korean foreign minister Ri Young-ho said, "It would be a dog's dream if he (Trump) had intended to scare us by the sound of a dog barking." Kim's statement also employed an analogy to a dog: "A frightened dog barks louder."
Kim also said Trump's remarks convinced him that "the path I chose is correct," promising that he will make "the U.S. pay dearly for Trump's call for totally destroying the DPRK." He called Trump "a mentally deranged dotard," "a rogue and gangster who is fond of playing with fire." Ri told reporters that his leader might order "a detonation of the most powerful H-bomb in the Pacific."
Trump's passage that sounded like an ultimatum was not on tweets or improvised off the script. The speech must have gone through a process of review at the White House before it was presented to the President, who may have made some revision or probably added his own words. The question was whether it reflected the Trump administration's decision to give up diplomacy to take military action.
According to an AP report, President Moon Jae-in, who has turned to a harsh stance against the North since its recent nuclear and missile tests, complemented Trump's "very strong statement," saying "it would help change North Korea." If the report was correct, Moon was wrong.
However, Moon deserves credit for his resolve to keep peace and to prevent war, while pursuing the denuclearization of North Korea. Recently, Moon's language sounded like that of his conservative predecessors _ Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, when he said, "North Korea will fall to an irrecoverable level, if it continues its provocations."
The latest warning from Trump came after increased talk of military action in Washington, following North Korea's launch on Sept. 15 of a second Intermediate-range Ballistic Missile that flew over Japan for 3,700 kilometers at an altitude of 770 kilometers. On Sept. 3, North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test, for which the UN Security Council imposed additional sanctions. On Sept. 21, Washington imposed more sanctions to curb trade with North Korea.
National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster defended Trump's language as "completely appropriate" in that it gives clarity, defining the point of "being forced to defend" as "if or when North Korea attacks." U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said Trump does not want war. Haley said a few days earlier that if diplomacy fails, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis "will take care of it." "We have a whole lot of military options."
Mattis recently mentioned a military option that would not risk destruction of Seoul, without revealing what that option is. The range of options ready and available for now should include a preventive strike, cyber-attack on missile launchers, intercepting a missile on trajectory, and a decapitation operation to remove Kim Jong-un.
Any of these and other military options entails the risk of all out retaliation from the North, which will likely escalate to a major war that will not exclude the use of nuclear weapons, spreading to the entire region. This is why a peaceful resolution is imperative. What's your take?
Tong Kim is a Washington correspondent and columnist for The Korea Times. He is also a fellow at the Institute of Korean-American Studies. He can be contacted at tong.kim8@yahoo.com.
S-Oil CEO Othman Al-Ghamdi gives a lecture on the refiner's business and the global oil industry at Seoul National University, Friday. The Saudi-born urged MBA students to work hard to become a passionate leader capable of coping with unexpected changes. / Courtesy of S-Oil
Korean firms praised for dedication to tech leadership
By Yoon Sung-won
Zhao Houlin, ITU secretary general
Facing the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, concerns have risen around the globe that introduction of cutting-edge technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) may undermine societies by forcing people out of jobs.
Zhao Houlin, secretary general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), said both the public and private sectors should expedite preparations for the changes that future technologies will bring.
"There is no doubt technologies such as AI and machine learning have great potential to change and improve lives across the world. But societies and citizens must be prepared for the changes that will come, and for the new skills that will be required," the ITU chief said in an interview with The Korea Times, Sunday.
"Given the pace at which technology is advancing, governments, international organizations and the private sector will need to start working together now to help steer the right course through the Fourth Industrial Revolution."
Zhao also said global organizations such as the ITU have an important role of bringing key players to discussions to build consensus on how to deal with the changes and tackle consequent social issues.
"Even today, more than half of the world's population is still offline, unable to benefit from the positive impact that information and communication technology (ICT) could have on their lives. The ITU, together with its members and partners, is committed to leaving no one offline," he said. "In addition, I have sought to bring more focus and attention to the key role of both small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and academia to finding new and innovative solutions in today's digital world."
The secretary general is visiting Korea to participate in the ITU's global fair, dubbed Telecom World 2017, scheduled for Sept. 25 to 28 in Busan. Besides the exhibition, multiple international forums and ministerial meetings will be held on industry-critical topics such as digital literacy and skills for the smart era, digital resilience and cybersecurity, he said.
"ITU Telecom World 2017 will focus on smart digital transformation and the global opportunities this offers," he said. "This year, we will also be including a dedicated business matchmaking service, enabling nations, organizations and SMEs with powerful services to connect with investors to take their business to the next level."
Born in 1950 in Jiangsu, China, Zhao graduated from the Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications. He acquired his master's degree in telematics from the University of Essex in Britain in 1985.
Zhao has worked for more than three decades for the global telecommunication organization. He became the deputy secretary general at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in January 2007 and was elected the ITU secretary general later in October 2014.
Zhao said telecom technologies have become the source of a wide range of services that have improved people's lives in the past decades.
"Even a decade ago, smartphones brought a whole new meaning to a popular adjective. But smart' has not stopped there from smart fridges to smart cars and smart cities, we are living in an ever-smarter world," he said. "This is one of the key differences: It's no longer just about connecting people, ICT is now about providing a wide range of services to improve people's lives."
Korea's contribution
Zhao said Korean companies including the three major telecom companies SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus as well as Samsung Electronics and LG Uplus deserve applause for their dedication to developing innovative new telecom technologies.
In particular, the secretary general noted that KT's s GiGA wired and wireless internet services, which are based on ITU's global standards, are improving the quality of services that millions of subscribers use.
"We congratulate Korea for frequently being ranked No. 1 on the ITU's ICT development index for the past few years," he said. "The contribution of leading Korean ICT companies to the work of the ITU is most appreciated."
Regarding the global standardization of 5G systems, which many Korean telecom firms are pushing for, Zhao said the ITU's work will be essential in the near future.
"5G technology is forecasted to provide 100 times faster data speeds than the current 4G long-term evolution technology. The scale of the infrastructure that must be built or upgraded will be huge and expensive," he said. "We are going to need to develop public-private partnerships that cut across industries and sectors, in particular in those hard-to-reach areas with no internet access where topography and demography too often defeat market viability."
Visitors to the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Unpacked event take a look at the 6.3-inch premium smartphone at New York's Park Avenue Armory on Aug. 23. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
By Lee Min-hyung
BUSAN Samsung Electronics' flagship Galaxy Note 8 is expected to take the limelight as the most sought-after mobile device at this year's global telecom fair.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World kicked off Monday with much fanfare in Busan. For this year's four-day event, the Korean tech titan plans to showcase its latest portable devices and systems encompassing consumer-oriented mobile gadgets and business-to-business (B2B) telecom devices such as network equipment.
Samsung is one of the world's few tech giants, boasting full-scale high-tech products both for corporate clients and individual consumers. For example, the Seoul-based company is well-known for its leadership in the global memory chip industry used not just for mobile devices, but also telecom equipment.
The 6.3-inch jumbo smartphone, unveiled last month in New York, is the talk of the nation's mobile business, setting record pre-orders of 850,000 in eight days this month. This is more than double its predecessor, the Note 7, for which pre-orders reached 380,000 in two weeks last year.
The company aims to demonstrate its competitive edge in the mobile industry through the global gathering of influential clients and business leaders here.
"Samsung plans to go all-out to promote a variety of the Note 8's key functions at the event," a Samsung Electronics official said. They include its upgraded S pen, which features the much-hyped Live Message feature. This allows users to send animated live messages in their own handwriting using the S pen.
On top of that, the device offers "screen-off memo," enabling users to take or revise notes simply by popping out the S pen while the screen is off. The Note 8 can save up to 100 memos.
A Samsung Electronics booth is set up at the Mobile World Congress Americas 2017 in San Francisco, which took place from Sept. 12 to 14. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
By Kang Seung-woo
BUSAN -- As the telecommunications industry ushers in the fifth-generation (5G) era of high capacity, high-speed, low-latency networks, Samsung Electronics is pushing the envelope to develop next-generation technology.
The tech giant is the world's largest smartphone maker. And it is also expanding its presence in the network business, committed to delivering the most compelling technology to date.
"Samsung has been developing 5Grelated technologies since 2011," Kim Woo-june, vice president of Samsung's Next-Generation Business Team, said in a recent interview.
"We have invested significant resources in 5G technologies like millimeter wave channel models and radio frequency (RF) integrated circuits. This includes RF key technologies for smaller chipsets, multi-set handover with millimeter wave frequency and network virtualization technologies."
In recent years, there has been a significant growth in the volume of mobile traffic thanks to the proliferation of smart phones and new mobile devices. And the emerging 5G is expected to enable a data transmission speed that is 40 to 50 times faster than the current networks.
"5G is different from previous mobile standards. It is much more than just an interface for mobile devices. It is completely new network architecture and it will be found in a much more diverse set of devices including consumer electronics and industrial devices," Kim said.
Global cooperation
According to Kim, Samsung's key strategy to commercialize 5G is to work with global operators and the plan has been making some progress.
In May, Samsung and Verizon, the largest U.S. wireless carrier, delivered their first customer trial of 5G technology for home broadband services in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Since then, they have tested it in five more cities.
According to Samsung, these trials highlight the company's readiness for key 5G technologies aimed at paving the way for the deployment of commercial 5G networks.
By Kang Seung-woo
BUSAN -- Samsung Electronics is gaining traction in the internet of things (IoT) industry on the back of its advanced mobile communications technologies amid the proliferating connected-device technology.
The global tech powerhouse supplied Korea's top mobile carrier SK Telecom with the LoRaWAN solution to help the company hail the internet of small things (IoST). The company also teamed up with smaller operators KT and LG Uplus for commercialization of the narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) network service.
LoRaWAN stands for "long-range, wide-area network" and NB-IoT is a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standardized cellular-based low-power, wide-area technology.
Samsung agreed with SK to deploy the LoRaWAN network in June last year. As the new IoT technology is much more energy efficient, LoRa is often cited as the best alternative network system to transmit small amounts of data over long distances at a cheaper price.
Samsung also provided NB-IoT systems with KT and LG in April for a two-month pilot service before they launched the world's first commercial NB-IoT network in June.
POSCO Chairman and CEO Kwon Oh-joon, fifth from left, poses with Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, fourth from left, and U.S. Congressman Trey Hollingsworth, third from right, during completion ceremony for POSCO wire rod processing center in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Saturday. / Courtesy of POSCO
By Jhoo Dong-chan
POSCO has completed building a wire rod processing center in the United States, gearing up to make inroads for its products into the world's largest market. The annual capacity of the new facility is 25,000 tons. Wire rods are steel products widely used in various fields including the automobile, electronic and construction industries.
POSCO said Sunday that it held a completion ceremony for the company's new processing center in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Saturday. POSCO Chairman Kwon Oh-joon took part in the event along with about 150 others including Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, U.S. Congressman Trey Hollingsworth and Korea Consul General in Chicago Lee Jong-kuk.
A number of officials from POSCO's local partners in the U.S., including Nissan, Fontana Group, Taeyang Metal Industrial and Semblex, also participated in the ceremony.
"POSCO will supply its high-quality wire rod products to the world's largest wire rod market, forming a mutually beneficial relationship with its local partners in the U.S.," Kwon said during the ceremony.
"I also hope the center will help Korean parts manufacturers enter the market."
POSCO invested $20.9 million to build the facility where wire rods will go through various processes such as heat treatment and purification, to satisfy customer needs in terms of thickness and strength.
It is also POSCO's second overseas wire rod processing facility following one in Mexico.
"I expect the facility will not only enhance competitiveness of the local automotive and parts firms but also stimulate the local economy," Governor Holcomb said.
"Also, I will fully cooperate to stabilize the facility's operation early on."
POSCO said it will concentrate its on producing value-added products such as auto parts and bearings as well as improving its customer service division through strict quality control and the development of new steel products.
Wire rod products produced at the Jeffersonville center are expected to be supplied to Korean companies doing business in the U.S. such as Semblex, Taeyang as well as local Nissan and the Fontana Group.
It is also a joint venture operation with JP Steel, a small-sized wire rod processing company in Korea, which will process wire rods procured from POSCO.
JP Steel has 30 years of experience and know-how in the related industry.
POSCO also said it has sought similar joint ventures with small- and medium-sized enterprises when tapping into overseas markets.
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Dear Liz: Im 40. We own our house and have a young daughter. Through my current employer, Im able to contribute to a regular 401(k) and also a Roth 401(k) retirement account. My company matches 3% if we contribute a total of 6% or more of our salaries. Are there any reasons I should contribute to both my 401(k) and Roth, or should I contribute only to my Roth? My salary and bonus is around $80,000 and I have about $150,000 in my 401(k) and about $30,000 in my Roth. Thanks very much for your time.
Answer: A Roth contribution is essentially a bet that your tax rate in retirement will be the same or higher than it is currently. Youre giving up a tax break now, because Roth contributions arent deductible, to get one later, because Roth withdrawals in retirement are tax free.
Most retirees see their tax rates drop in retirement, so theyre better off contributing to a regular 401(k) and getting the tax deduction sooner rather than later. The exceptions tend to be wealthier people and those who are good savers. The latter can find themselves with so much in their retirement accounts that their required minimum distributions the withdrawals people must take from most retirement accounts after theyre 70 push them into higher tax brackets.
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Thats why many financial planners suggest their clients put money in different tax buckets so theyre better able to control their tax bills in retirement. Those buckets might include regular retirement savings, Roth accounts and perhaps taxable accounts as well. Roths have the added advantage of not having required minimum distributions, so unneeded money can be passed along to your daughter.
Given that youre slightly behind on retirement savings Fidelity Investments recommends you have three times your salary saved by age 40 you might want to put most of your contributions into the regular 401(k) because the tax break will make it easier to save. You can hedge your bets by putting some money into the Roth 401(k), but not the majority of your contributions.
Freezing your credit reports is a good response to the huge Equifax data breach, but it will cost you at Experian and TransUnion. Equifaxs freeze is free. (Mike Stewart / Associated Press)
How to protect your financial data in the wake of the Equifax breach
Dear Liz: Do I have the right to notify the credit bureaus that I do not want any of my financial information stored in their files? They dont seem to be that secure. I rarely borrow money and the three financial institutions I deal with have all the data they need to lend me money if I need some. I do finance a car on occasion, because if they want to lend me money at less than 1%, why not?
Answer: The short answer is no, you have no right to stop credit bureaus from collecting information about you. You also cant prevent them from selling that information or keeping it in inadequately secured databases.
One thing you can do is to freeze your credit reports at all three bureaus to prevent criminals from using purloined information to open credit accounts in your name. But that will cost you.
The only bureau currently waiving the typical $3 to $10 fee for freezing credit reports is Equifax, the credit bureau whose cybersecurity incident exposed Social Security numbers, dates of birth and other sensitive identifying information for 143 million Americans. The other bureaus, Experian and TransUnion, are still charging those fees.
Youll have to pay an additional $2 to $10 each time you want to lift those freezes, which youll probably need to do if you apply for new insurance, apartments, cellphone service, utilities and, of course, credit. Financial institutions may indeed have plenty of information about you, but probably wouldnt lend you any money without access to your credit reports or scores. Freezes also are a bit of a hassle because you need to keep track of a personal identification number, or PIN, to lift the freeze.
Just in case you werent irritated enough by this state of affairs, understand that freezes wont stop other types of identity theft, such as someone getting medical care in your name or giving the police your information when theyre arrested. Still, instituting freezes is probably the best response to the most devastating breach yet.
Liz Weston, certified financial planner, is a personal finance columnist for NerdWallet. Questions may be sent to her at 3940 Laurel Canyon, No. 238, Studio City, CA 91604, or by using the Contact form at asklizweston.com. Distributed by No More Red Inc.
Anais, A Dance Opera Multidisciplinary work explores the life and times of famed diarist Anais Nin. Musco Center for the Arts, Chapman University, 1 University Drive, Orange. Thu., 7:30 p.m. $40-$50. (714) 744-7677.
Sur les traces du Dinozard (In Search of Dinozord) Congolese choreographer Faustin Linyekula and Studios Kabako present this dance-theater piece exploring war, devastation and hope. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., L.A. Thu.-Sat., 8:30 p.m. $20-$30. (213) 237-2800.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago The company celebrates its 40th anniversary with pieces choreographed by William Forsythe, Robyn Mineko Williams and Nacho Duato. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. Sat., 8 p.m. $55-$150. (949) 854-4646.
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Tzu Chi Thousands of Helping Hands Concert China Disabled Peoples Performing Art Troupe presents the Buddhism-themed dance work My Dream; musician Daniel Ho and the All-American Boys Chorus also perform. Microsoft Theater, 777 Chick Hearn Court, L.A. Next Sun., 7 p.m. $58-$198. (888) 929-7849.
Trainer Bob Baffert refers to Mike Smith as Big Money Mike for the Hall of Fame jockeys uncanny ability to deliver one smart ride after another when purse money and pressure are equally as great.
After Smith threw in a rare clunker in the $1-million Cotillion Stakes on Saturday at Parx Racing, he responded with an impeccable performance as streaking West Coast romped by 7 lengths against ill-fated Irap in the $1-million Pennsylvania Derby.
Irap, trained by Doug ONeill, broke down shortly after the finish with what was initially diagnosed as a life-threatening fracture of his left-front sesamoid. ONeill announced on Twitter that the colt was resting comfortably and will be taken to nearby New Bolton Center on Sunday morning and undergo surgery Monday.
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Smith admitted to making a premature move aboard heavily favored Abel Tasman that led her second-place finish behind It Tiz Well in the Cotillion
Smith said he wiped those thoughts from his mind as he stood alone in the paddock in the minutes leading to the Pennsylvania Derby.
I have no choice, he said, especially when the next race is worth $1 million.
He hustled West Coast out of the starting gate from post four and placed him in a perfect stalking position, all but attached to the right flank of early leader Outplay. The son of Flatter took command around the final turn, spinning into the stretch with a four-length advantage. He continued to widen his margin with every stride in completing the mile and an eighth in 1:49.91.
West Coast extended his winning streak to five races, the last two commanding Grade 1 triumphs. He rolled by 3 lengths in the Aug. 26 Travers before this. He and Always Dreaming, the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby winner, are the only 3-year-olds with two Grade 1 victories on dirt.
The success of Always Dreaming seems like a distant memory, though, because he followed the Kentucky Derby with a lackluster eighth-place finish in the Preakness, ran third in the Jim Dandy, and was an up-the-track ninth in the Travers.
West Coasts emergence is reminiscent of what occurred last year, when late-developing Arrogate burst onto the scene for Baffert with a record-setting Travers en route to year-end honors as the top 3-year-old male. Arrogate went on to defeat eventual horse of the year California Chrome in the Breeders Cup Classic.
Baffert suggested the best is yet to come with West Coast. The blossoming youngster is likely to be pointed to the $6-million Breeders Cup Classic on Nov. 4 at Del Mar. Owners Mary and Gary West plan to keep him in training next season.
He is just learning how to run, Baffert said. To have a 3-year-old at this time of year and the way he won the Travers and now this race, he is going to be a horse to reckon with.
Smith suggested West Coast towers above the other horses in the division. Hes just better than they are, he said. As a matter of fact, he was getting bored.
L.A. County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis and Mexico City pop-rock band Elefante plan to team up with other special guests Saturday evening for a concert in East L.A. to raise money and support for victims of three recent earthquakes in Mexico.
While the free concert at Belvedere Park Lake part of the CDMX in Los Angeles initiative has been planned since earlier in the year, the focus of the event shifted this month, when an 8.1 temblor off the shore of southern Mexico killed nearly 100 people. Less than two weeks later, a 7.1 earthquake jolted central Mexico, killing more than 300 people, and Saturday morning the country was hit again this time it was a 6.1 aftershock centered in the state of Oaxaca.
Solis spokeswoman Jessie Gomez said other celebrities, including actor Fernando Allende, will attend the event, which was slated to begin at 4 p.m.
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It will be like a live telethon minus the phone line, Gomez said, adding that there will be laptops set up at the concert where people can donate money.
Solis issued the following statement:
I want to express my most sincere condolences to those who have lost a family member, friend, or loved ones, the supervisor said. I have been deeply moved watching the images of children and other survivors being rescued from the rubble. That is why today, as we celebrate Mexico, we also show solidarity with our neighbors to the south, and we urge our attendees to make an online donation to la Cruz Roja Mexicana, the Mexican Red Cross.
Those interested can visit la Cruz Roja Mexicana on Facebook or cruzrojamexicana.org.mx and click donate. Los Angeles County is one of the most important economic and cultural centers in the world, and the Mexican influence can be seen everywhere -- in the arts, in our culture, in our businesses, and in our community. We must continue to support our neighbors abroad.
marisa.gerber@latimes.com
For more news from the Los Angeles County courts, follow me on Twitter: @marisagerber
Hawthorne police are searching for suspects involved in two separate stabbings that left three victims injured, including two outside a church carnival, authorities said Sunday.
The first incident occurred about 9 p.m. outside St. Josephs Catholic School at 118th Street and Acacia Avenue, where an annual carnival was being held, said Hawthorne police Sgt. Gabe Lira. Several people were fighting on a street outside the church before two boys were stabbed, he said.
The second stabbing, involving another boy, happened nearby on Imperial Highway, just over a mile from the church, he said. The victim was found in the parking lot of an Auto Zone store.
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All three victims believed to be in their teens were transported to a local hospital. Their conditions were not known.
Police have not determined if the two incidents are related, Gira said.
anh.do@latimes.com
Twitter: @newsterrier
Dr. Mitchell Katz, tapped by Los Angeles County seven years ago to lead the nations second-largest public healthcare system out of a period of instability and mismanagement, has announced he will leave his post at the end of the year.
Katz oversees the countys Health Agency, the umbrella health organization with a budget of approximately $8 billion and 32,000 employees. He will return to his native New York to take care of his two elderly parents and to become chief executive of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp., which operates the citys public hospitals, clinics and nursing homes.
Katz, who has two developmentally disabled siblings, said he had struggled during the last year knowing his parents needed his help but not wanting to leave a job he loves.
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This is an opportunity for me to do the work I love and take care of my parents, he said.
Katz formally notified the Board of Supervisors by email late Friday and spent Saturday making calls to his staff.
Im incredibly sad, he said. I love Los Angeles County. Its been extremely good to me, Ive had only positive experiences and Im incredibly proud of how different the Department of Health Services is today than it was seven years ago.
Katz was hired away from San Franciscos public health department in 2010 to lead L.A.s Department of Health Services, which operates the countys four hospitals and network of outpatient clinics. At the time, he inherited a department with a $270-million budget deficit, management instability and a history of poor oversight.
During his tenure, Katz, a primary doctor who continued to see patients himself, helped shift the department away from its reliance on emergency and hospital care. Weve transformed that into a system where most of the care is being delivered in the outpatient system, as it should be, he said.
He oversaw the countys implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which added millions of new patients to Medi-Cal rolls, and established a Housing for Health division to find permanent supportive housing for people with intense mental and physical health needs who make disproportionate use of county health services.
He also presided over the reopening of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital and oversaw the successful transition to an electronic health record system. He built up the departments financial reserves so that today is it has a $660-million reserve, he said, and worked to improve morale among front-line employees.
The atmosphere that he created was night and day different from what [front-line workers] had ever had, said Bob Schoonover, president of the union that represents healthcare workers. There is genuine respect for him.
In 2015 the Board of Supervisors moved to consolidate the departments of Health Services, Mental Health and Public Health under one agency and nominated Katz to lead it. Detractors at the time worried that the agency would be unwieldy, give short shrift to public health and take money away from mental health for hospitals.
I think everyone would agree the formation of the Health Agency has been successful and has not caused any of those problems, Katz said. It hasnt done everything as quickly as people would like it to, but thats because it takes time.
Representatives for the county, who in public meetings frequently praise Katz, described him as an innovator whose leadership would be missed.
Its an incredible loss to the county, Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said. [He has] so increased the professionalism, outreach and treatment modalities in every aspect of public health and strengthened all three departments while allowing them to remain unique in their missions.
He has been pretty exceptional. I would even say transformative in many respects, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said, calling the Housing for Health program a forerunner of what the county seeks to do with Measure H.
A search has already begun for a new director of health services, as Katz had continued to fill both roles but recently urged the board to separate the two positions. Ridley-Thomas said the county will conduct an additional search for the Health Agency position.
Katz said he hopes that person will continue the effort to integrate mental, physical and public health services; empower staff to identify and solve problems; and keep up pressure on the federal government to maintain its commitment to Medicaid.
Katz will begin his new job at the Health and Hospitals Corp., the nations largest public healthcare system, in January. Known in L.A. for riding his bike to work and continuing to see patients of his own, he said he plans to continue doing both in New York.
nina.agrawal@latimes.com
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Its hard to miss the wooden sign hanging from the trees, right on Main Street between the courthouse and the hospital in this small Sierra Nevada town.
BERNIE it proclaims in neon-orange letters. Yes, that Bernie.
Maybe a tribute to Bernie Sanders is of little surprise in California, the liberal bastion that President Trump once said in many ways is out of control. But this is Plumas County, part of a bloc of red and rural Northern California counties that voted for Trump in November.
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So someone who still feels the Bern here is likely to stick out.
We do get noticed, said Wayne Cartwright, 70, who hung the homemade sign outside his home after Trump was inaugurated and half a year after Sanders ended his presidential campaign. Were different, in a good way. I think we have to keep the flame burning.
The sign has elicited honks, middle fingers and a few shouted four-letter words. It even popped up in the sheriffs blotter in a recent edition of the Feather River Bulletin newspaper.
In Quincy, a caller reported what he called an offensive Bernie (Bernie Sanders) sign He wanted a deputy to contact him to see if something could be done about taking it down, the blotter states.
The residents of Plumas County, which is comprised mostly of tiny, unincorporated Gold Rush communities nestled among the pine forests, cast 56% of their votes to elect Trump president. The population here is shrinking down 7% since 2010, to about 18,600 and is 83% white, making it a growing anomaly in a state where Latinos now outnumber whites.
Were different, in a good way. I think we have to keep the flame burning. Wayne Cartwright
Its not uncommon to see the flag for Jefferson, the long-proposed 51st state comprised of counties in Northern California and southern Oregon, where rural conservatives say they are unfairly represented in states where they are outvoted and outnumbered by liberal urbanites. The secessionists green and yellow flag includes a pair of Xs known as the double cross, which represent their sense of abandonment from both state governments.
Its in this environment that a cadre of liberals, who say they are the outnumbered ones here, has gathered outside the Plumas County Courthouse every week come snow, rain and sun to protest the president.
On a recent, sweltering Friday, nine people, including Cartwright, posted up on the corner of Main and Court streets.
Marilyn Irish, 71, left. and Londa Lehman, 71, stand near the Plumas County Courthouse in Quincy every Friday afternoon to protest President Trump. Plumas County voted for Trump. (Hailey Branson-Potts / Los Angeles Times)
Cheri Smith, of nearby Graeagle, held up signs that read MIA Integrity and Enough. Change the Channel. Her husband, Chris, held up a sign with a smiley face thanking firefighters battling a nearby wildfire because, hey, thats important, too.
This shows there are other voices to be heard, Cheri Smith said. There are rural pockets like this that are conservative, and the conservatism is fine. But people need to be able to be heard.
The protesters say they felt more open disdain when they first started showing up. People would yell at them, saying Trump won and they needed to just get over it. The driver of a truck with a Confederate flag hanging off it would drive by and squeal his tires. A sheriffs deputy in a marked car even flipped them off before quickly driving away, Smith said.
People have been nicer lately, though. On this afternoon, a man in a giant white pickup truck rolled down his window and shouted, My horns broke, but Ill wave!
Chris Smith, whose father was a career foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department, grew up overseas and keeps up with international news. He said he was protesting because he was appalled by the way Trump dealt with world leaders and by the presidents heated rhetoric over a nuclear threat from North Korea.
Im aghast at whats going on now, Smith said.
My father would be rolling in his grave if he werent in the Monterey Bay, he quipped. (His late father was cremated.)
Smith and Wayne Cartwright traded liberal badges of honor.
I keep up with the BBC, Smith said.
I read the Guardian! Cartwright responded.
A group of liberal voters stands outside the Plumas County Courthouse in Quincy every Friday, snow or sun, to protest President Trump. (Hailey Branson-Potts / Los Angeles Times)
Londa Lehman and Marilyn Irish roommates who are both 71-year-old retired teachers from East Quincy did not mince words (by the standards of proper-speaking, retired teachers). Resist! Impeach Trump, read Irishs sign.
We thought by voting for Hillary Clinton wed have a woman leading the world, Lehman said. We do. Its Angela Merkel.
Lehman said they dont talk about politics with neighbors because they know theyre conservative. The nation has a misperception of California, she said.
They think we all live on the beach and were all liberal, she said.
Almost on cue, a man driving a sport utility vehicle slowed down, rolled his window down and pumped his fist out the window. Go, Trump! Go, Trump! Go, Trump! he shouted.
Cartwright hoisted a sign stating Make Our Planet Great Again. He really took a shine to making signs since hanging his BERNIE placard at home, he says.
Cartwright moved to Quincy in 1999, after spending years working for the United Nations in war-torn countries, supplying food to refugees. The area, he said, has long been conservative.
Ive had some moments of feeling like, Do we really want to identify ourselves? Susan Allen
Its a resentment of the urban elites, he said. Its, were out here in the countryside, were hardworking people. You people think youre so smart. Youre oppressing us, youre regulating us.
Cartwright initially hung an official Sanders campaign sign from his tree last year. Hed known about Sanders for years and respected the Vermont senators positions on healthcare and income inequality. (While Sanders did not get to face Trump in the general presidential election, he introduced a new plan to cover all Americans with Medicare last week. On Monday, he and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar will participate in a debate on CNN against Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy about their latest effort to overhaul Obamacare.)
Almost as soon as Cartwright hung his campaign sign last year, someone stole it.
Last September, Cartwright and his partner, Susan Allen, took a road trip through eastern California, Oregon and Washington. At the time, Clinton was leading all the polls. But the couple were stunned by what they did not see: Clinton campaign signs.
We saw one Hillary sign that said Hillary for Prison, Allen said. All the rest were for Trump.
In eastern Oregon, they drove past a mans shrine to Sanders, full of handmade signs. Cartwright was inspired.
After the election, Cartwright was depressed and bitter. He kept thinking back to that mans signs and talked and talked about making his own. People thought I was crazy, he said, because at this point, everything was over.
He made his Bernie sign from an old piece of plywood and some leftover greenhouse paint and hung it this spring. The colors not so obviously political have given Allen some comfort.
Ive had some moments of feeling like, Do we really want to identify ourselves? said Allen, who splits her time between Quincy and ultra-liberal San Francisco. I think the fact that its green and orange makes me feel a little more comfortable. [Bernie] could be our name.
Cartwright has no plans to take the sign down. The elections long over, but hes still waiting for a revolution.
If it happens in Plumas County, vast and sparsely populated, there will be lots of elbow room.
hailey.branson@latimes.com
Twitter: @haileybranson
A prostitution ring shut down in Compton included several child and adult victims of human trafficking, authorities said.
A raid by law enforcement officers on Wednesday resulted in 36 arrests, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.
Three children were released to the care of the Department of Children and Family Services, officials said. Investigators also identified five women as victims of human trafficking; these individuals accepted what authorities described as ongoing services.
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The tally of those arrested included four women on suspicion of soliciting undercover deputies for sex acts, and 13 women on suspicion of loitering for the purposes of prostitution. Each of the women was offered services from the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking.
Also arrested were 16 men, on suspicion of soliciting undercover deputies for sex acts, authorities said. In addition, three men were charged with felony pandering after they allegedly attempted to recruit an undercover deputy to work for them as a prostitute. The men are: Demario Bell, 27, of Moreno Valley; Damon Thomas, 25, from Los Angeles, and Damien Henry, 37, of Long Beach.
The raid was the work of the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department and district attorneys office, the FBI and the California Highway Patrol.
howard.blume@latimes.com
@howardblume
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An Ontario man was killed Saturday when a backyard tunnel he was digging collapsed, burying him underneath the debris, authorities said.
Police responded to a call about 5:50 p.m. from a neighbor who said the man was trapped in a tunnel he was digging in his backyard in the 1700 block of East Yale Street, police said in a prepared statement.
When police arrived, they found the man was dead. The 65-year-old victim has not been identified.
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The man had apparently been digging for rocks, police said. A resident in the same house was watching the man for a while but left.
That person returned, saw that the tunnel had collapsed and tried to rescue the man but he was already dead, police said.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Ontario Police Department at (909) 986-6711.
#UPDATE: Ontario man dies after backyard tunnel collapses. https://t.co/gswcgwUdSD #NBC7 San Diego (@nbcsandiego) September 24, 2017
carlos.lozano@latimes.com
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The decision by one of the states major water players to opt out of Californias $17-billion replumbing project was a surprise to many. The reasons for it were not.
California WaterFixs financing plans have assumed that the Westlands Water District and other agricultural districts would cover a large funding gap that has hung for years over the proposal to build two massive tunnels under the center of the states waterworks.
The Westlands board uttered an emphatic no to that idea last week, voting 7 to 1 not to join a project the district has long supported.
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The move by Californias largest irrigation district threw the future of the tunnel proposal into question and placed enormous pressure on proponents to devise another financing plan to lure Westlands back.
It also underscored the degree to which Central Valley growers who have enjoyed more than half a century of cheap, federally subsidized water deliveries are loath to jack up their irrigation costs.
Planned for a decade and backed by Gov. Jerry Browns administration, WaterFix is intended to halt a decline in southbound deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta east of San Francisco.
From the beginning, planners have said the largely urban customers of the State Water Project and the largely agricultural customers of the federal Central Valley Project that get delta supplies would pay for the tunnels.
But there have always been two exceptions on the CVP side: Wildlife refuges that under the law receive delta deliveries. And a set of irrigation districts known as the exchange contractors that hold senior water rights and receive delta water to replace deliveries they lost when the CVP dammed the San Joaquin River in the 1940s.
More than a fifth of the average delta exports go to those two groups, leaving a gaping hole in tunnel funding that a 2015 consultants analysis pegged at nearly $4 billion.
The U.S. Reclamation Bureau, which manages the Central Valley Project and delivers water to the refuges and senior contractors, has said it will not cover that tab.
We do not have the legal authority to fund the construction of [WaterFix], David Murillo, the reclamation bureaus regional director, said in a statement after the Westlands vote.
That means somebody has to subsidize the refuge-senior contractors share, said Doug Obegi, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group that opposes the tunnels.
The way Westlands was looking at it, they were going to be on the hook for it, he said.
In a report to the board, the Westlands staff argued that tunnel costs should be spread across all of the CVP deliveries south of the delta including the refuges and the senior rights group.
I think theyve got a fair point. This shores up reliability for everybody, said Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, whose board is scheduled to vote early next month on a $4.3-billion tunnel buy-in.
But the Westlands approach is a non-starter for another set of CVP contractors.
We would not support that proposal, said Jason Phillips, chief executive officer of the Friant Water Authority.
Friant represents irrigation districts that get dammed San Joaquin River water, so they are required to pay for the exchange contractor deliveries.
In the event of a steep cut in delta exports, Friant is also obligated to supplement the exchange deliveries with its own supplies from Millerton Lake.
To avoid that, Phillips said, the authority may be willing to invest in a small fraction of the tunnels.
Paying for more than that is completely off the table for us, he said.
In an interview a few weeks before the board vote, Westlands general manager Tom Birmingham suggested another funding source.
I think it would be a perfectly legitimate public policy decision for taxpayers dollars to be used to design and construct this project, he said.
But that would abandon the user-pays premise that has driven WaterFix.
Regional reclamation bureau officials say they are not asking for funding authority to help pay for the tunnels, and Phillips said he knew of no such proposal in Congress.
Still, Westlands has a reputation as a tough negotiator with ample political connections in Washington.
Im not sure to what extent [the board vote] is really a rejection of the project versus a tactical decision to try to get more money and try to pay less, Obegi said.
State officials have argued that Westlands cant afford not to join WaterFix because declines in delta exports have hit the district especially hard.
I dont see a path forward for Westlands to function absent the tunnels, Kightlinger said. Youd have to have a dramatic reduction in [crop] production. I dont see another solution for them.
If more money doesnt materialize on the federal side, Kightlinger said there are two options. Let WaterFix die or turn it into a smaller project that would solely serve the State Water Project districts who pay for it.
bettina.boxall@latimes.com
Twitter: @boxall
As parents and students start writing checks for the first in-state tuition hike in seven years at the University of California, they hope the extra money will buy a better education.
But a big chunk of that new money perhaps tens of millions of dollars will go to pay for the facultys increasingly generous retirements.
Last year, more than 5,400 UC retirees received pensions over $100,000. Someone without a pension would need savings between $2 million and $3 million to guarantee a similar income in retirement.
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The number of UC retirees collecting six-figure pensions has increased 60% since 2012, a Times analysis of university data shows. Nearly three dozen received pensions in excess of $300,000 last year, four times as many as in 2012. Among those joining the top echelon was former UC President Mark Yudof, who worked at the university for only seven years including one year on paid sabbatical and another in which he taught one class per semester.
The average UC pension for people who retired after 30 years is $88,000, the data show.
The soaring outlays, generous salaries and the UCs failure to contribute to the pension fund for two decades have left the retirement system deep in the red. Last year, there was a $15-billion gap between the amount on hand and the amount it owes to current and future retirees, according to the universitys most recent annual valuation.
I think this years higher tuition is just the beginning of bailouts by students and their parents, said Lawrence McQuillan, author of California Dreaming: Lessons on How to Resolve Americas Public Pension Crisis. The students had nothing to do with creating this, but they are going to be the piggy bank to solve the problem in the long term.
At a UC Board of Regents meeting this month, university officials began discussing next years budget and broached the possibility of another tuition increase. Pensions and retiree healthcare topped their list of growing expenses, but its unclear whether regents would approve another hike.
Public pension funds are in crisis across the country, and particularly in California. The underlying cause is essentially the same everywhere. For decades, government agencies and public employees consistently failed to contribute enough money to their retirement funds, relying instead on overly optimistic estimates of how much investments would grow.
UCs pension problem, while not unique, is distinctly self-inflicted. In 1990, administrators there stopped making contributions for 20 years, even as their investments foundered, leaving a jaw-dropping bill for the next generation which has now arrived.
After setting aside about a third of the new money for financial aid, university officials expect this years increased tuition and fees for in-state students to generate an extra $57 million for the so-called core fund, which pays for basics like professors salaries and keeping the lights on in the classrooms. But they also expect to pay an extra $26 million from the fund for pensions and retiree health costs, according to the universitys most recent budget report.
UC spokeswoman Dianne Klein said its impossible to say precisely how much of the tuition increase will go toward retirement costs because the university pools revenue from a variety of sources, including out-of-state tuition and taxpayer money from the state general fund, to cover expenses.
The steep rise in six-figure pension payments over the last five years was driven by a wave of retiring baby boomers with long tenures at high salaries, Klein said. UC, as you know, has an aging workforce.
University officials have attempted to control costs by increasing the retirement age and capping pensions for new hires, but those are long-term fixes that wont yield significant savings for decades. And the current budget promises $144 million in raises for faculty and staff, a move that will send future pension payments even higher.
The top 10 pension recipients in 2016 include nine scholars and scientists who spent decades at the university: doctors who taught at the medical schools and treated patients at the teaching hospitals, a Nobel Prize-winning cancer researcher and a physicist who oversaw Americas nuclear weapons stockpile.
The exception is Yudof, who receives a $357,000 pension after working only seven years.
Under the standard formula 2.5% of the highest salary times the number of years worked Yudofs pension would be just over $45,000 per year, according to data provided by the university.
But Yudof negotiated a separate, more lucrative retirement deal for himself when he left his job as chancellor of the University of Texas to become UC president in 2008.
Thats the way it works in the real world, Yudof said in a recent interview with The Times.
The deal guaranteed him a $30,000 pension if he lasted a year. Two years would get him $60,000. It went up in similar increments until the seventh year, when it topped out at $350,000.
Yudof stepped down as president after five years, citing health reasons. Under the terms of his deal, his pension would have been $230,000. But he didnt immediately leave the university payroll.
First, he collected his $546,000 presidents salary during a paid sabbatical year offered to former senior administrators so they can prepare to go back to teaching. The next year he continued to collect his salary while teaching one class per semester, bringing his tenure to seven years and securing the maximum $350,000 pension.
In 2016 he got the standard 2% cost-of-living raise, resulting in his $357,000 pension.
Asked if he was worth all the money, Yudof said it would be more appropriate to ask the members of the universitys Board of Regents, who agreed to the deal.
Richard C. Blum, who was chairman of the board in 2008, did not respond to requests for comment.
Six of the top 10 pensions recipients last year each of whom got more than $330,000 were doctors who taught at the medical schools or treated patients at the teaching hospitals.
For decades, university officials have argued that the generous pension plan is essential to compete with other top schools, especially private ones that offer higher salaries.
Rival medical schools in California, including Stanford and USC, do not provide doctors guaranteed, lifetime pensions. Instead, they offer defined contribution plans in which the employer and employee each pays into the employees personal retirement account. When the worker retires, he or she gets the money and the employer is off the hook no lifetime of continuing payments.
The vast majority of doctors in the U.S. who dont work for public universities are offered such plans instead of pensions, as are the vast majority of other professionals working in private industry.
Three physician recruiters told The Times that they thought persuading top doctors to work at UC would be easy, given the prestige of the institution and the fact that the hospitals are located in some of the nations most desirable places to live.
I think I could sell it against a higher-paying job in the private sector, even without a guaranteed pension, said Vince Zizzo, president of Fidelis Partners, a national search firm based in Dallas. Working for a university is a protected world of guaranteed this and guaranteed that, Zizzo said. In private practice, doctors are paid based on the number of patients they see and how much they bill. Its a much harder life; you eat what you kill.
Most of UCs top pension recipients did not respond to requests for comment on this story.
Two interviewed by The Times said they were grateful for the pensions, but the retirement plan played no role in their decision to take jobs at the university early in their careers.
Nosratola Vaziri, a former kidney and hypertension specialist at UC Irvines medical school, collected a $360,000 pension last year. He went to work at UCI after finishing a fellowship at UCLA in 1974 and stayed for the next 37 years, contributing to more than 500 scientific articles. Despite offers from other institutions, he never left because he loved the work, Vaziri said.
Neither salary nor pension were the reason for my choice, Vaziri said.
Radiologist Lawrence Bassett spent 41 years working at UC hospitals after finishing his residency at UCLA. He specialized in the emerging field of breast imaging and said UC was a great place to benefit from leading research. Asked whether the pension had been a factor in his decision to take the job initially, or stay over the years, Bassett said, No, honestly it wasnt. Bassetts pension was $347,000 last year.
McQuillan, the author and Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, a nonpartisan think-tank in Oakland, said it would be simpler, more transparent and ultimately cheaper for UC hospitals and medical schools to compete with other institutions by paying higher salaries.
Pensions involve a guess about how much the employer will have to invest today to pay a retiree a guaranteed amount later. Its common for public officials to guess low, saving money in the short term, and leaving their successors to figure out how to make up any shortfall.
Thats what has been happening at UC for decades, McQuillan said. At least with a big salary, there isnt this ticking time bomb thats going to explode 30 years down the road.
Like most public employee pensions theyre rare in the private sector these days due to the cost UCs is funded through regular paycheck contributions from employers and employees. The money is invested in stocks, bonds and real estate around the world with the hope that it will grow enough over time to cover the guaranteed payments in retirement.
As is often the case, the UC pension funds financial trouble didnt begin when there was too little money; it began when there was too much.
In 1990, after years of strong investment returns, university officials determined the fund had accumulated more than it would owe retirees into the foreseeable future. So they took what was supposed to be a temporary holiday from making contributions to the fund. They let employees do the same.
The policy was popular and difficult to overturn even as the fund started slipping into the red.
By the time contributions were reinstated in 2010, the fund had fallen billions of dollars behind.
Since then, university administrators have been scrambling to catch up, borrowing and transferring $4 billion from other university accounts to plow into the pension fund. They also raised the minimum retirement age from 50 to 55.
In 2015, Gov. Jerry Brown offered a $436-million gift of state taxpayer funds in exchange for an agreement from UC President Janet Napolitano to cap the amount of salary that can be used to calculate a pension at $117,000 a move that will save money decades from now, but does little in the short term.
The deal also required Napolitano to offer new employees the choice of a defined contribution plan.
Despite all these efforts, UCs pension hole hasnt shrunk since 2010; it has grown by billions, according to the universitys most recent valuation. Thats because the return on investments has not kept pace with the growth in staff, salaries and departing employees pension payments. This years stock market gains will help but have not yet been included in the published valuations.
As the university struggles to deal with the problem, Napolitanos office has become a jealous guardian of pension information.
In December, the nonprofit California Policy Center sent a public records request to UC for an update of a 2014 spreadsheet listing pension payments to the universitys retirees. A school administrator responded with an email saying UC had provided the previous spreadsheet as a courtesy and was no longer willing to do so.
When the nonprofit pressed the information is indisputably public under the law, and other California government agencies routinely provide pension data without delay the administrator sent an email claiming that the employee who created the 2014 spreadsheet had since retired and nobody could find the query he had used to extract the information from a larger database.
They lost the computer program? Thats not my problem, said Craig P. Alexander, a Dana Point attorney representing the nonprofit. The university finally turned the pension data over in May, but only after the Alexander threatened to sue.
Napolitanos staff also initially refused when The Times requested the pension information in February. It took until June for them to provide usable data which showed the dramatic rise in six-figure pension payments and revealed for the first time the full amount of Yudofs pension.
jack.dolan@latimes.com
Follow on Twitter at @JackDolanLAT
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Days after Hurricane Maria ravaged this mountain town, leaving whole neighborhoods without power, water and communications, the rain was still falling. A team of volunteers carried 89-year-old Delia Pineda and her oxygen tank across first a cracked highway, then a river and a sea of mud to safety.
Among them was Edwin Vidal, a brawny retired U.S. Army Special Forces soldier. All day, he had been aiding neighbors from Salto Arriba, a hillside area of about 1,000 people, clearing roads with a chainsaw and ferrying disabled residents out on a makeshift stretcher.
When he found a utility worker who had broken his leg trying to fix electrical lines in the dense jungle, Vidal rescued him, too, hauling him out on a borrowed sofa.
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We help each other, said Vidal, 61.
Across this island of 3.4 million, communities like Utuado, 65 miles southwest of the capital, were living on the edge this weekend, struggling to survive without even the most basic necessities. Already, at least 13 have died in the strongest hurricane Puerto Rico has seen in 85 years, including three elderly bedridden sisters killed by a landslide in Utuado.
About 70 people had to be evacuated from the town Friday night after the ground under their houses began to give way.
The Spanish colonial town, built in 1739, still sits at the heart of islands interior mountain region known as La Cordillera Central, its name derived from the native Taino word otoao, between mountains.
1 / 11 In the mountain town of Utuado, Puerto Rico, residents are struggling to recover after Hurricane Maria. There is no running water, so people are collecting water from mountain springs. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 11 Edwin Vidal, 61, a retired member of the U.S. Army special forces, far left, and other men carry Delia Pineda, 89, from Salto Arriba as they evacuate her from an area cut off from Utuado. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 11 Delia Pineda, 89, is evacuated from Salto Arriba, an area cut off from Utuado following Hurricane Maria. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 11 A family fills as many plastic containers as they can find with water from a mountain stream. Millions of people are without running water in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 11 In Utuado, Puerto Rico, rushing water from Hurricane Maria tore down trees and stripped them of their branches. The main north-south road is washed out, leaving people cut off. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 11 Highway 10, a major north-south connection through Puerto Rico, was washed out by Hurricane Maria. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 11 At the scene where three women died in a mudslide, a young women comes to check on her family members. Anxiety is high because there is no phone communication in most parts of Puerto Rico. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 11 As the river rages through Utuado, citizens try to clear a road completely blocked by a mudslide cutting off people who live beyond. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 11 The mayor of Utuado, Ernesto Irizarry Salva, right, comforts a man who stopped at a local command center. Like many, the politician lost everything in the hurricane, but he is trying to help residents. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 11 At the command post in Utuado, reinforcements arrive daily, but the demands are overwhelming. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 11 In the mountain town of Utuado, Puerto Rico, residents are struggling to recover after Hurricane Maria. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Utuado is surrounded by dense forest of native ceiba, Asian teaks, and West Indian and Honduran mahogany where parrots roost. There are also massive dams on man-made lakes to the east and west, and it wasnt clear how they had fared after the storm.
The landscape was what drew people to Utuado, where coffee haciendas were built by black gold in the 19th century, funding the islands first electric light system run by a hydraulic power plant. Then the U.S. occupied the island in 1898, when plantations shifted to cultivating sugar cane, and Hurricane San Ciriaco arrived, damaging the coffee farms.
Utuado remains one of Puerto Ricos top producers of coffee, along with fruits and livestock. The construction of Highway 10 in recent years opened a gateway to the region, cutting the three-hour drive to the capital in half.
But landslides this week damaged the highway and other major arteries, trapping residents in surrounding hills. The Vivi River was gushing, muddy and swollen with downed trees and other debris. The 49-bed Metropolitan Hospital of the Mountain was open only for emergencies, its four doctors and nine nurses working in shifts to care for about two dozen patients. Some had storm-related injuries, including a man who arrived Friday with a metal roof fragment embedded in his ankle.
Many elderly people with chronic medical needs couldnt make it to the hospital due to blocked roads, and although there were emergency plans to care for them, without phone or internet service it was impossible to know their condition, said Jorge Salazar, who coordinates home care in the area.
At Utuados spare, waterlogged National Guard headquarters, officials attempted to survey damage and prevent further casualties. Among them was Mayor Ernesto Irizarry Salva, dressed in borrowed fatigues, who evacuated with his 4-year-old daughter after his roof blew away and his family lost everything.
The former high school agriculture teacher described those who live in his town of 33,000 as humble, country people who unite in a crisis. He tried to reassure them, going on the AM radio station once it was restored Friday one of only 70 towns in the area with radio access to alert them about landslides and other risks. He walked across the entire town to ensure people were safe.
I need all the people working hard to help restore communications, he said. Were waiting, waiting for help.
Residents were on edge, unsure where to shelter. Safe havens in town that had survived even Hurricane Irma earlier this month had been destroyed by Hurricane Maria, including the two-story house where a landslide buried the three elderly Gonzalez sisters.
The sisters lived across town on a flood-prone street, and had moved temporarily to the two-story concrete hillside home before the storm. They had done the same before Hurricane Irma, said brother Wilfredo Gonzalez.
We thought we were protecting them. Nothing happened during Irma. Even the windows were fine. We thought it was secure, Gonzalez said.
He said Irees Gonzalez Collazo, 74, had just returned from having an operation on her foot at a hospital. Sister Carmen Gonzalez Collazo, 73, had rheumatoid arthritis, and the third sister, Sara Gonzalez Collazo, 72, suffered from Parkinsons disease. All three were single, close-knit, Pentecostal evangelicals who mainly ventured out to attend church services, he said.
Gonzalez said the family had to postpone the funeral procession and burial because his sisters bodies remained trapped in the house Friday, guarded by police who said they were waiting for heavy equipment to retrieve them.
For all of Puerto Rico, it is the same, he said as he stood outside his concrete ranch house Friday, next to the home of a disabled minister who had lost his roof. There are lots of disasters.
Neighbor Julio Roman was next door when the hillside behind their block gave way Wednesday morning, knocking out the sisters first-floor window and burying them where they lay on mattresses spread across the concrete floor.
We heard a rumbling. That was when the mountain hit the back of the house, he said.
They lived with a fourth sister, Hilda Gonzalez Collazo, 69, who was sleeping in a separate room near the front of the house and survived, screaming and fleeing to the street where neighbors found her in shock.
She had tried unsuccessfully to open her sisters door, and pleaded with Roman to go wake them. But when he entered the house and managed to wedge the bedroom door open, he found dirt piled nearly to the ceiling, and no sign of the sisters.
His wife tried to tell Hilda Gonzalez what had happened, but she was in shock.
Maybe my sisters will wake up, she said, and the couple explained that was impossible.
The area was cordoned off with yellow police tape Friday, and officers said it could be days before the bodies were removed. Roman and his family were staying until they ran out of water or were ordered to leave, he said, despite the risk that more of the muddy hillside would collapse.
We feel somewhat secure. Theres not that many places you can go. Im sure the shelters are packed, he said.
Several neighbors were missing after the storm, with at least two presumed dead, officials said.
Dayanera Rodriguez came to Romans street looking for her missing cousin, Enid Jorenz, afraid she might have died in the mudslide. Her house was unscathed, but there was no sign of Jorenz, 35. Rodriguez left to continue searching.
Other neighbors used scarce gasoline to drive to a hillside spring where they believed the water was potable, carrying it back to their homes in plastic bottles and buckets. Those who lived in the surrounding mountains were forced to hike several hours to get water, food, batteries and whatever else they could scavenge from relatives and the few businesses that opened with generator power.
A line formed outside Walgreens, although it, too, had run out of water. Burger King opened briefly, along with a convenience store near the National Guard command post. But McDonalds and most other businesses in town remained shuttered, dark, damp and powerless.
Among those trapped in the hills accessible only on foot was Maria Gonzalez Soto, 65, who had sheltered half a dozen neighbors during the storm. They were stuck without water or phone service, although they have a generator.
We need electricity and water as soon as possible. At least we need the emergency services to be able to pass, she said from her balcony overlooking the road, which was blocked by downed trees, power lines and mud.
Late Friday, Zahira Torres, 26, was making her way across the river with her husband and two sons, trying to avoid the broken road and make it home with supplies gathered from relatives in town.
A small crowd had gathered on the other side of the break of the road as darkness fell. Raul Gonzalez Salva, 34, was among them. He had sheltered with his uncle in town during the storm, then hiked out Friday to check on his house in the hills. Four bridges had been washed out, one of them destroyed, he said. More than two dozen small landslides blocked the road. It took him four hours to reach his house, which it turned out had suffered only minor damage.
By the time he made it back, he was exhausted. It had begun to rain again, with flashes of lightning and bursts of thunder.
Gonzalez, who recruits for a local high school equivalency program, said it will take years to repair the highway. He wasnt sure how long his community could live without it. One of his neighbors is holed up on the other side with 10 people, half of them children.
We have been communicating mountain to mountain by yelling, Hey, are you all right? Yes, were here, Gonzalez said.
You can only yell so far. His grandmother had fled about 15 miles north to coastal Arecibo before the storm, where she was supposed to have a leg amputated. Gonzalez had no way to reach her or his mother, who accompanied her.
We dont even know if theyre alive, he said.
A neighbor wearing a backpack full of supplies stopped to hug and laugh.
We have to celebrate that we are living, Gonzalez said after they parted, and he began to sob.
He stopped himself.
If I get sad, I cant work. We have to struggle to keep living, he said.
Then he left on his long trek home.
To read the article in Spanish, click here
molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com
Twitter: @mollyhf
ALSO
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A masked gunman opened fire at a church in Antioch, Tenn., on Sunday, killing one person and wounding six others, according to police. He also used a gun to badly beat an usher who confronted him and managed to stop the shooting, they said.
The shooting took place about 11:15 a.m. as morning services drew to a close at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, about 12 miles southeast of downtown Nashville, police spokesman Don Aaron said at a news conference.
Police identified the suspect as Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, a native of Sudan who congregants said had attended the church a year or two ago. He was taken into police custody Sunday afternoon after being treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Authorities, who are still investigating potential motives for the shooting, said they will charge Samson with murder and attempted murder.
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After fatally shooting Melanie Smith, 39, a churchgoer who was walking to her vehicle, the gunman entered the rear of the brick church and shot three men and three women, police said.
The shooting came to an end after a 22-year-old church usher, Robert Caleb Engle, physically confronted the gunman, who shot himself, possibly by accident, during their struggle.
Engle, who suffered serious injuries from being pistol-whipped, managed to leave the sanctuary, grab his own firearm from his vehicle and stand guard over the shooter, who was wearing a neoprene mask, until emergency officials arrived on the scene, police said.
Hes the hero, Steve Anderson, the Metropolitan Nashville police chief, said at an afternoon news conference. Hes the person who stopped this madness, and so were very, very grateful to him.
The six victims who were shot and wounded inside the church are in stable condition at local hospitals and are expected to recover, Aaron said.
1 / 3 Law enforcement officials investigate the area around the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tenn. (Joe Buglewicz / Getty Images) 2 / 3 People console each other outside of the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ Sunday in Antioch, Tenn. (Getty Images / Getty Images) 3 / 3 Law enforcement officials continue to investigate the shooting rampage at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ on Sunday in Antioch, Tenn. (Joe Buglewicz / Getty Images)
Engle, who was released from Nashvilles TriStar Skyline Medical Center later Sunday, issued a statement urging people to pray for the victims, including the shooter and the shooters family and friends.
They are hurting as well, he said. I pray that through all of this that people will come to know Christ and I ask our nation to reflect on Romans 8:31: If God is for us, who can be against us?
Engle said he did not wish to be labeled a hero.
The real heroes are the police, first responders and medical staff and doctors who have helped me and everyone affected, he said.
Meanwhile, officials were attempting to piece together the shooters motives.
We have learned from church members, now that the name of the suspect is known, that he actually had attended this church a year to two years ago, Aaron said. They said he hasnt been here in quite a while but they actually knew him. They did not know him this morning when he arrived, because, remember, he was masked.
On Sunday afternoon, David Boling, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Nashville, said his office and the FBIs civil rights division have opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting.
The FBI will collect all available facts and evidence, Boling said in a statement. As this is an ongoing investigation, we are not able to comment further at this time.
The churchs minister, Joey Spann, and his wife, Peggy, were both injured during the shooting, according to a statement on Facebook from the Nashville Christian School. Spann is a Bible teacher and basketball coach there.
Run! Spann shouted as the gunman entered the church, congregant Minerva Rosa told The Tennessean newspaper. As church members started to flee, some were shot from behind, she said.
Our church is senior people, she said. They didnt make it out.
The Nashville Fire Department described the incident as a mass casualty situation on its Twitter account. All of the wounded have been transported to area hospitals, the department said in a statement. The majority are older adults.
Joe Love, 67, who lives across the street from the church, said he and his wife, Donna, heard loud pops from inside their home but assumed it was a car crash.
As Love got up and walked toward his front door, a man and a woman ran up to his front porch shouting: Help us! Help us! Somebodys shooting us in the church!
The shooting had stopped, so Love put on his shoes, called 911 and followed the couple back to the church.
I walked up on all the chaos before the police even arrived, Love said in a telephone interview.
One woman was dead in the parking lot, he said. There were bodies throughout the sanctuary. One man had been knocked off his walker at the front door. I looked and I said Damn! In a church?
As emergency responders sealed off the area, Love said he could not imagine why anybody would attack Burnette Chapel.
This was just an old country church, he said. Good people who never bothered a soul.
The church, which has a weekly 10 a.m. Sunday service, describes its congregation on its website as a friendly, Bible-based group of folks who love the Lord and are interested in spreading His Word to those who are lost.
Nashville Mayor Megan Barry described the shooting as a terrible tragedy for our city.
My heart aches for the family and friends of the deceased as well as for the wounded victims and their loved ones, she said in a statement. Their lives have been forever changed, as has the life of their faith community at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ.
The area around the church was closed off Sunday afternoon while police interviewed witnesses.
Nothing like that has ever happened here, said Debra Garland, 58, who lives across the street from the church and was away from home during the shooting.
Its a really good Christian church, with older and younger people, of all races, she said. Everyone seemed to get along. I dont know of any reason anyone would do that.
Jarvie is a special correspondent.
UPDATES:
5:50 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from Engle.
4:50 p.m.: This article replaces a breaking news post about the shooting with a more detailed account of what is known so far.
11:28 a.m.: This post has been updated with the gunmans injury.
11 a.m.: This post has been updated with one person killed, seven wounded and the suspect captured.
This post originally published at 10:25 a.m.
A long list of healthcare experts says the Republican bill to dismantle most of President Obamas health insurance program would be a disaster. The American Medical Assn. is against it. Insurance providers are against it. Patient groups are against it. Sen. Bill Cassidys bill, coauthored with Sen. Lindsey Graham, would cut federal spending on Medicaid by amounts one consultant called jaw-dropping. If the bill passes, 21 million fewer people would have health insurance in 2026 than under current law, according to a study by the Brookings Institution and USC.
To which Cassidy says, in effect: Pay no attention to the experts. More people will have coverage, he promised last week. And we protect those with preexisting conditions another claim many have contested.
It would be nice if we could turn to a trusted, nonpartisan referee to sort out these conflicting claims something like the Congressional Budget Office, whose director was appointed by Congress Republican leaders to provide nonpartisan advice in just this kind of situation.
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But Cassidy and Graham threw their proposal together so quickly that the CBO hasnt had time to study it. The budgeteers are scrambling to deliver a bare-bones report next week, but it wont include estimates of the bills effect on insurance coverage, premiums or the federal deficit which was pretty much the main point.
Cassidy and Graham threw their proposal together so quickly that the CBO hasnt had time to study it.
Congress normally waits for those numbers before voting on an important bill like this. It also usually holds hearings to ask experts what they think. But with a Sept. 30 deadline under the rule that allows them to pass a bill with only 50 votes, Senate leaders decided to dispense with the niceties and plunge ahead.
As one GOP senator acknowledged, this bill is important mainly as an act of political symbolism never mind that it would reshape the healthcare of millions of people.
You know, I could maybe give you 10 reasons why this bill shouldnt be considered, Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, a crusty GOP elder, told reporters with disarming candor. But Republicans campaigned on this so often that you have a responsibility to carry out what you said in the campaign. Thats pretty much as much of a reason as the substance of the bill.
On one level, this is just another story of partisan polarization and the erosion of the Senates tradition of slow, bipartisan legislating the regular order Sen. John McCain complained was missing when he announced Friday that he would vote against the bill.
Its another step, as well, in the creeping marginalization of the CBO, which Republicans have grown to hate because its nonpartisan experts often deliver unwelcome news. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has derided the budget office as corrupt and called for its abolition, even though its current director is a Republican appointee. That conflict will continue as the Trump administration tries to steer a big tax-cut bill through Congress this fall.
In a broader sense, this is also a story about what some scholars have dubbed the death of expertise: the increasing willingness of politicians and ordinary citizens not only to dismiss what experts say, but to brand it as partisan claptrap if they disagree.
Thats not entirely a new phenomenon. The historian Richard Hofstadter wrote about it in his 1963 classic Anti-Intellectualism in American Life. But it has clearly escalated in recent years as partisan think tanks on both right and left have joined older, nonpartisan institutions in the battle of ideas, and as partisan cable networks have broadcast each sides arguments more widely with little regard to objective reality.
President Trump has contributed too, by rejecting propositions most other people consider to be facts. He once claimed that climate change was a hoax invented by China; and he has insisted that millions of people voted illegally on election day.
In this environment, it makes a certain kind of sense that a nonexpert has become the most effective spokesman for the fact-based healthcare opposition: ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel, whose infant son underwent open-heart surgery on his first day of life.
He argued on his show that Cassidys bill flunked the Kimmel test that it would not guarantee healthcare to any child who needed it, regardless of family income.
Cassidy said Kimmel was wrong, and some on the right told Kimmel to leave policy to the policy wonks. But as if that werent ironic enough (given that Republicans have done their best to ignore the experts), the wonks have generally sided with Kimmel against Cassidy.
More people will have coverage, Cassidy promised.
Quite the opposite, say almost all of the nonpartisan experts.
We protect those with pre-existing conditions, Cassidy added.
Except his bill includes a provision under which states can allow insurers to charge higher prices to people with health problems.
As Cassidy noted in a March op-ed column, its important to get the facts right. Ronald Reagan said that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts, the senator wrote.
Actually, Reagan didnt say that. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the Democratic senator from New York, did. But it was still the right idea.
doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com
Twitter: @DoyleMcManus
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
To the editor: I find the current anti-wall activity of state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and his cohorts to be so ridiculous that it is nearly insane. (California again steps up to Trump, this time to stop the border wall, Sept. 20)
They will use every hook possible to prevent or delay the wall (and keep feeding the lawyers).
My argument is to simply consider the situation south of San Diego at Tijuana and points east, and then consider what it would be like without the existing walls. Perhaps Becerra and others like him should call for dismantling the walls already in place to see what happens.
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George W. Zeissner, Fountain Valley
..
To the editor: This may be the last straw for citizens in California. In addition to this latest action, citizens will soon have a sanctuary state and huge gas and auto registration tax increases thrust upon them.
Some good news will be coming, though. One day, Democrats will be shocked to find that they have lost everything. It may take time, but California voters will thank them for turning the state red again, with a Republican governor and Legislature.
It may happen sooner than we think.
Arline George, Reseda
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
To the editor: Thousands of travelers fly daily between Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. They clog the freeways to get to the few airports available, ride in cramped seats inside a polluting and inefficient flying machine, and arrive at their final destination about four hours from the time they left home. (Californias bullet train isnt just fast transit, its a way to bridge the divide between rich and poor, Opinion, Sept. 19)
For trips less than 500 miles, this mode of transportation will be economically unsustainable in the future. Japan, China and much of Europe have already built high-speed rail systems to address these issues. Japan has had a highly successful bullet-train system for more than 50 years.
Despite advice from railroad experts, the California High-Speed Rail Authority chose a route that will never meet the sub-two-hour time mandated by voters. California has two major north-south rail routes and much of Interstate 5 that could be used as the basis of a more direct line.
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If the airlines and freight railroads participate financially, we could have a cost-efficient system. Airlines would eliminate flights in favor of train trips on their mutually owned rail systems. The economic value to the San Joaquin Valley would be enormous.
Dennis Arntz, Laguna Niguel
..
To the editor: In geometry, we learned that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
If you go from L.A. to San Francisco, nobody drives through Fresno. That tells you why the politicians turned a good idea, a high-speed train, into a lobbyists dream and a taxpayer nightmare.
Californians have chosen cars over trains time after time. If you cant fill local commuter trains, high-speed rail has no chance. Our system will die a slow death as operating losses mount and planned ridership never materializes.
Robert Bubnovich, Irvine
..
To the editor: It used to be that America led the world, but with the bullet train were following other countries in steel-on-steel high-speed rail, an old technology.
Would it not be ironic if, when the bullet train is finally ready, over schedule and over cost, Elon Musks hyperloop could perform the same function at three times the speed and a lower cost?
Richard Jackson, Arroyo Grande
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
California, which has used the Affordable Care Act to extend health protections to millions of its residents and cut in half the number of people without health insurance, stands to lose more than any other state under the latest Republican plan to roll back the 2010 law.
The GOP plan, which Senate leaders want to bring to a vote this week, would slash more than $100 billion in federal funding for the state over the next decade and tens of billions more in the years that follow.
For the record: An earlier version of this article identified Dustin Corcoran as the president of the California Medical Assn. He is the groups chief executive.
That would force unprecedented cutbacks to the state safety net, hobble hospitals and clinics across California and likely leave millions of Californians without access to regular medical care, government and health officials warn.
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For the first time, weve been able to create a path to ensuring everyone has basic health benefits here, said California Health and Human Services secretary Diana Dooley, who has worked in the states healthcare system for more than two decades. This would strip all that away and leave us with a series of terrible choices about who we could afford to help.
Although prospects for the repeal bill took a hit last week when Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced he would oppose it, state officials remain deeply concerned that congressional Republicans are continuing to push ahead and could make more attempts to revive the legislation even if it doesnt advance this week.
Obamacare 101: A primer on key issues in the debate over repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
The current Republican plan will hit California particularly hard because it shifts federal healthcare aid away from states that have expanded coverage and moves it to states most of them Republican that rejected the current law, such as Texas.
Those hit hardest in such a shift would likely be Californias most vulnerable residents, many of whom have gained insurance in recent years. To take away health security from these people is particularly cruel, California Medical Assn. chief executive Dustin Corcoran said.
Ken Rogers, a psychologist at a clinic in Sacramento that sees many patients whove been able to acquire insurance in recent years and now are getting treatment for addiction and pain, predicted many of those people would slip back into the shadows.
People are going to go back to doing what they were doing before using illegal opioids on the street, he said. And were going to end up paying for it one way or another.
Despite McCains announcement Friday, GOP lawmakers and the Trump administration still were trying to round up votes over the weekend ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline, after which Senate Republicans no longer will be able to advance repeal legislation with only 50 votes.
Under Senate rules, the threshold then rises to 60 votes, although congressional Republicans could try other tactics afterward to try to fulfill their years-long campaign to roll back the healthcare law, often called Obamacare.
The GOP repeal effort has always represented a major threat to California, which has done as much as any state to take advantage of the current laws tools for expanding coverage and improving medical care.
Between 2013 and 2015, the share of working-age adults in California without coverage shrank from 23.7% to 11.1%, according to federal data. Only three states saw greater reductions over the same period.
California still faces challenges under Obamacare, including rising costs. Like consumers elsewhere, some Californians, particularly those who make too much money to qualify for government healthcare assistance, have seen substantial premium increases and narrowing networks of healthcare providers.
But the new coverage has dramatically improved many patients access to medical care and reduced financial strains, research indicates.
More than three-fourths of newly insured Californians said their health needs are now being met, a survey by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation found.
By contrast, less than half said they were getting needed care before they got coverage through the health law. At the same time, Californians who gained coverage reported fewer worries about paying not just for healthcare, but also housing, transportation, even food.
People [who] actually need help are being served, said Dr. Ilan Shapiro, a senior physician at AltaMed, a large network of Southern California clinics that serve low-income patients.
The gains are no accident.
State leaders, including former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, decided soon after President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act in 2010 that California, which at the time had among the highest uninsured rates in the country, would aggressively implement it.
That meant expanding eligibility for the states Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal, and creating a robust insurance marketplace that would set high standards for health plans and actively negotiate to control prices.
Most states, instead, allowed the federal government to run their marketplaces. And 19 states, all with GOP governors or legislatures, still have not taken federal aid made available by the health law to expand Medicaid.
These states have much lower levels of insurance coverage, and patients there have worse access to medical care, studies show.
Even with Medicaid expansion in California, the state remains among the least reliant on federal assistance, ranking 43rd in a recent measure by the nonprofit Tax Foundation.
But under the latest GOP repeal plan authored by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) Californias large coverage expansion makes it the biggest target.
The centerpiece of the Graham-Cassidy bill is a new system of federal healthcare financing that both redistributes money made available through the 2010 law and puts new caps on Medicaid funding that the federal government has provided to states for more than half a century.
That threatens to further squeeze states like California, where some 13.5 million people rely on Medi-Cal, including more than 3.8 million who have gained coverage since the expansion.
Estimating the full impact of the Graham-Cassidy plan is difficult given its complexity and uncertainty about how it would be implemented, but analyses by the Kaiser Family Foundation, consulting firm Avalere Health and the state itself indicate California would lose at least $112 billion in federal aid by 2027.
In Kaisers analysis, only six states lose a larger percentage of federal aid available through the current health law over the next decade: Connecticut, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Oregon and Vermont.
Even the Trump administrations own analysis, first reported by Axios, estimates that California will see a 45% cut in federal healthcare aid in 2026, as funding is reduced more than $20 billion.
State officials, who calculated that California would see $138.8 billion in federal cuts by 2027, called the Graham-Cassidy bill the worst of the three leading repeal plans congressional Republicans have tried to advance this year.
They also warned that not only would coverage likely be scaled back, numerous other initiatives to improve care would be jeopardized, including expanded home-based services for the disabled, which serves nearly 500,000 Californians, and family-planning services, which serve more than 600,000 low-income people in the state.
The impacts are serious and will be devastating to not only our Medi-Cal program, but the larger healthcare delivery system that all Californians rely on, state analysts concluded.
Times staff writers Soumya Karlamanga in Los Angeles and Sarah Wire in Washington contributed to this report.
noam.levey@latimes.com
@noamlevey
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In an effort to avoid an embarrassing repeat of the Senate election in 2016, when no GOP candidate appeared on the November ballot, the California Republican Party may change its rules and pick sides in the primary.
Party leaders hope that creating an endorsement process for statewide candidates would allow GOP voters to unite behind a single person in a multi-candidate primary field, increasing the chances that a Republican wins one of the top two spots in the primary and makes it to the general election.
Last year, then-state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris won her partys endorsement in the race to replace Barbara Boxer in the U.S. Senate. That endorsement came with a flurry of mailers, an army of volunteers and, most importantly, the ability to raise millions of dollars through a joint fundraising agreement. The California Democratic Party didnt attack Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez, but Sanchez received none of the benefits of state party support. The two women prevailed in the top-two primary, thanks in part to nearly a dozen little-known Republican candidates who divided the vote.
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Democrats provide guidance by endorsing early, before the primary. One reason [for Republicans] to do this is to put us on equal footing and give us as good a chance as possible to make sure our nominee gets on the November ballot, said Harmeet Dhillon, the states Republican national committeewoman and the author of one of two proposed bylaw changes that would allow a candidate to receive the endorsement if he or she is backed by 60% of delegates at a state party convention.
The proposals will be up for a vote in October at the California Republican Party convention in Anaheim.
The effort faces concerns about its effectiveness in a state where GOP voter registration is at a historic low of 25.9% more than 18 points behind the Democrats as well as potential backlash from activists who already are weary of establishment Republicans influence on the state party.
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Party Chairman Jim Brulte, perhaps the embodiment of the GOP establishment in the state, suggested that he prefers such decisions be made at the ballot box rather than in the convention hall.
I think theres value in discussing endorsements, he said. But as a general rule I trust voters more than I trust party insiders.
The proposals are an attempt to blunt the effect of Proposition 14, which changed Californias election system so that only the top two vote getters in a primary advance to compete in the general election even if they are both from the same party. Previously, a nominee from every political party represented in a race appeared on the November ballot. Last years Democrat-versus-Democrat Senate race was its first real test of the new procedure statewide, and some Republicans fear a repeat performance in the 2018 gubernatorial contest.
Voters approved Proposition 14 in 2010 at the behest of then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and others who argued that it would loosen the grip that the states most partisan voters have on government. It applies to all elections except presidential contests.
The California GOP tried to create an endorsement process for statewide elections in 2011, when they voted to conduct a mail-in nominating system that would survey all registered Republican voters before a primary. But the effort was scrapped two years later because of expense and unwieldiness.
The renewed push comes as some Republican leaders are concerned that not having a GOP gubernatorial candidate on the ballot could dampen their partys voter turnout, which could harm their efforts to protect California House Republicans, whom Democrats are trying to oust to win back control of Congress.
There are signs that some Republican voters did sit out the 2016 Senate race because their party did not have a candidate on the ballot. Half of the states likely Republican voters said they wouldnt vote for either Harris or Sanchez in a poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California. Ultimately, nearly 2 million more voters cast ballots in the presidential race than in the Senate contest, according to the secretary of states office.
In related fallout, delegates at the convention will consider a resolution to support the repeal of Proposition 14. Its a symbolic move since any real reform could only occur at the ballot box, but it too is causing a public spat.
Four former GOP legislative leaders are arguing that the top-two primary system should remain in place because it results in costly Democrat-on-Democrat races that drain resources they could otherwise spend against Republicans.
Since when is a 200-million-dollar civil war among Democrats a bad thing? former Republican Senate Leader Bob Huff and former Republican Assembly leaders Robert Naylor, Sam Blakeslee and George Plescia wrote in a letter to delegates.
Former state GOP Chairman Ron Nehring countered that their arguments were bizarre.
Proposition 14 should be repealed immediately so every voter in California has the opportunity to vote for a Republican in general elections, he wrote to delegates. He described the choice between Sanchez and Harris as similar to choosing between vanilla and French vanilla. A choice between two Democrats is no choice at all.
The endorsement issue has a greater chance of causing a dust-up at the convention, in part because of the makeup of the nearly 1,500 delegates who would ultimately vote on endorsements if the effort is successful. Elected officials and their appointees make up a large share of the delegates, buttressing the concerns of GOP activists.
Kim Sprague, a Republican volunteer from Ladera Ranch, opposes the effort because she believes it gives too much power to those who have overseen the dramatic decline of the GOP in California.
I have not only zero trust in the establishment, but I blame them for a lot of our issues, so they are not the people I want making decisions for me, Sprague said, adding that she was sympathetic to the proponents desires to boost Republican prospects in the top-two primary. Thats a legitimate issue, but we cant solve that between now and November.
Others question whether a party endorsement would have any real impact.
There would be a post-convention bounce and the accompanying media coverage shortly before absentee ballots are mailed to voters. The state party also communicates its preferred candidates to its members, and candidates could tout the endorsement in mailers and voters guides, as the Democrats do.
Jon Fleischman, an influential conservative blogger and former state party official, supports the effort but called it milquetoast.
Its really a glorified straw poll at convention, the bonus being able to say in the secretary of states brochure that youve been endorsed by the party on Page 27 that no one reads, he said. [T]his is really kind of an exercise in rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic anyway.
seema.mehta@latimes.com
For the latest on national and California politics, follow @LATSeema on Twitter.
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Trump Jr. to speak privately to Senate staff on Thursday
(Richard Drew / Associated Press)
President Trumps oldest son is expected to meet privately with a Senate committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, several senators said Wednesday.
Donald Trump Jr.'s appearance Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee would probably focus on a meeting he had with a Russian lawyer and others during the final stretches of last years campaign. Emails released in July show that Trump Jr. was told the session at Trump Tower in New York was part of a Russian government effort to aid his father, the Republican nominee.
Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating that meeting, also attended by Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. A grand jury has heard testimony about it.
Trump Jr. has also agreed to appear in the coming weeks before the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting its own investigation.
Separately, President Obamas national security advisor, Susan Rice, was meeting on Wednesday with the House Intelligence Committee, according to a person familiar with the interview. This person wasnt authorized to discuss the committees confidential work and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
That committee has subpoenaed the Justice Department and the FBI for documents related to a dossier of salacious allegations involving Trump and possible ties to Russia.
As for Donald Trump Jr., some Democratic senators said they planned to attend his session though tradition dictates that senators cannot ask questions at such interviews conducted by committee staff.
Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said they would be there. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) was considering it.
I go in with an open mind, Durbin said. I want to hear his answers to questions there are plenty of questions about the involvement of the Trump corporation as well as the Trump campaign with the Russians and other foreigners, and I just want to hear what Mr. Trump has to say.
Durbin said he would be shocked if questions werent asked about whether Trump Sr. knew about the Trump Tower meeting.
The critical part of his testimony will be following the financial dealing, Blumenthal said. He said he also wants to find out what Trump Jr. may know about potential obstruction of justice, adding there may have been conversations between the two about the firing of FBI Director James Comey and other matters.
Blumenthal and Coons said the private interview is no substitute for a public hearing, which the committee chairman, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), has promised will happen.
This meeting is far less important than his public testimony, under oath, before the American people, Blumenthal said.
Grassley would not say on Wednesday whether he would issue a subpoena for Trump Jr. if he refuses to testify publicly.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department is reviewing subpoenas from the House intelligence committee.
In a letter Friday that was obtained by the AP, the committee wrote that it had served subpoenas on Aug. 24 to the department and the FBI for documents related to the committees investigation of Russian meddling. The Justice Department and FBI had missed the original Sept. 1 deadline, so the committee extended the deadline to Sept. 14.
The letter was signed by the committee chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who stepped back from the Russia investigation this year after he was criticized for being too close to the White House. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) took over the leading role, but his name does not appear on the letter.
As chairman, Nunes retains subpoena power in the committee.
According to the letter, the original subpoenas requested any documents related to the dossier and sought information about whether the department was involved in its production.
If the documents are not produced, the committee is seeking to compel Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, who has withdrawn from investigations examining connections between Trump and Russia, and newly installed FBI Director Christopher Wray to testify in an open hearing. The committee issued two additional subpoenas to Sessions and Wray on late Tuesday.
Resort to compulsory process was necessary because of DOJs and FBIs insufficient responsiveness to the committees numerous Russia-investigation related requests over the past several months, the letter said.
If the committee is unable to obtain documents or testimony, Nunes wrote, the committee expressly reserves its right to proceed with any and all available legal options, including a House vote to hold Sessions and Wray in contempt.
The Justice Department confirmed it was reviewing the subpoenas but declined further comment.
The dossier attracted public attention in January when it was revealed that then-FBI Director Comey had briefed Trump, soon before he was inaugurated as president, about claims from the documents that Russia had amassed compromising personal and financial allegations about him.
Its unclear to what extent the allegations in the dossier have been corroborated or verified by the FBI because the bureau has not publicly discussed it.
Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said Tuesday evening on MSNBC that the subpoenas were issued over the objections of Democrats. Schiff said Republicans are working harder to discredit those who compiled the dossier than to find out if the allegations in it are true. He said Republicans should be more focused on getting documents from the White House.
The subpoenas were first reported by the Washington Examiner.
Maria de Jesus, 35, has two legs in casts, deep scrapes on her arms and fresh stitches that run from the back of her head to just above her left eyebrow.
From her bed at Balbuena General Hospital, where she was airlifted after her neighbors house crumbled during last weeks earthquake in Mexico City and buried her in rubble, she explained that she was lucky.
The good thing is it happened to me and not my daughter, she said Sunday. But here I am, alive, thank God.
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Five days after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake, some survivors were starting the long healing process in hospitals.
The nationwide death toll was at least 320 as of Sunday. In Mexico City, where at least 182 people were killed, rescuers continued to dig through the ruins of buildings, including at an office building in the Roma neighborhood and at a school where 21 children and four adults died in the southern part of the city.
Experts say the chances of finding survivors decline sharply three days after an earthquake, but rescuers and the Mexico City government have vowed to press on.
The search and rescue of living people that is what is important, Carlos Valdes, director of the National Center for Disaster Prevention, said Saturday.
Thirty-five people remain hospitalized in Mexico City, 11 in serious condition. At Balbuena, Dr. Fidel Castellanos said 60 patients had arrived since Tuesday and 11 remained. He said the hospital received more earthquake victims than any other facility.
Most still there had fractures. Two had burns. The victim with the most severe injuries, the doctor said, was a volunteer who was bringing aid from the state of Hidalgo to Morelos when she fell out of the truck bed she had been riding in. She remained in intensive care.
Susana Coronel Flores, whose nephew Adrian Moreno is missing in a collapsed building, sheds a tear as the search continues for victims buried under the rubble in Mexico City. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
One of the burn patients was Manuel Hernandez, 38, who was helping neighbors shut off a damaged gas tank when it exploded, causing second-degree burns on his face and arms. He expects to be released by the end of next week.
At the Dalinde Medical Center in the city center, relatives said that Ernesto Sota Cisneros, 74, and his son Ernesto Sota Lopez, 45, were working at their accounting firm when the earthquake struck and that they saved themselves by huddling under a beam in the office.
When the building collapsed, they had the great fortune that one of the slabs that fell from the ceiling left a gap, letting air in, said a cousin, Maria Cisneros.
When they tell us what happened, their eyes fill with tears, she said. They cant believe they are alive. Its really a miracle.
Rescuers search for victims buried under the rubble along Avenida Alvaro Obregon in Mexico Citys Roma neighborhood. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
During a tour of the town of Jiquipilas in the southern state of Chiapas, President Enrique Pena Nieto urged people to be strong as they begin efforts to rebuild.
United together in all of Mexico, we will face this task of reconstruction and see that things return to normal, he said.
Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said the city has received 11,200 requests for property inspections and has completed almost 70% of them. Almost 550 schools have been inspected, with 61 deemed safe to reopen.
Rescue efforts were briefly paused after an aftershock hit Saturday morning, with a magnitude of 6.1. It was centered about 325 miles southeast of Mexico City in the state of Oaxaca, the region that took the brunt of an earlier magnitude 8.1 quake Sept. 7.
Mancera told Mexican television Saturday that rescue attempts would continue, with crews concentrating on eight collapsed buildings around the capital in search of an estimated 30 people who could still be alive amid the rubble.
Also found alive was Lucas, a green and red parrot. Mexico City firefighters dug Lucas out from a pile of rubble in the Lindavista neighborhood north of the city center Sunday as he squawked loudly. He was returned to his owner.
So far, at least 69 people in the city have been rescued. The Mexican navy said it has rescued 115 people and recovered 102 bodies.
Relatives say the downed office building in Roma has some of the most people still trapped inside. Dario Hernandez, 27, has lived in a tent outside the building since Tuesday. His boyfriend, 26-year-old Adrian Moreno, who had started working at an accounting office there a month ago, is one of the people still trapped.
I am desperate, Hernandez said. They havent given us any information. No authorities come by. This anguish is terrible. I have great faith; I dont lose hope of seeing Adrian alive.
Sanchez is a member of The Times Mexico City bureau.
andrea.castillo@latimes.com
@andreamcastillo
UPDATES:
9:55 p.m.: This article was updated to include remarks from hospital patients and new death toll numbers.
This article was originally published at 11:25 a.m.
On a map roughly drawn on scraps of cardboard, the volunteers used bottle caps to mark the places they needed to search.
There are many families asking us for help in these areas, said one volunteer, tracing streets drawn in Sharpie with his finger. But theyre really dangerous to get to.
Nonetheless, the volunteers continued to plan. Such are efforts in Jojutla, an impoverished town south of Mexico City, where volunteers from in and outside the community are spearheading efforts to aid those traumatized and left destitute by this weeks powerful earthquake.
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A group of about 200 people drove down from Mexico City on Thursday night, said organizer Elena Escandon. They werent needed in the capital but had heard they could be useful in Jojutla.
The volunteers set up a command center in a gazebo near the crumbled town hall, and Escandon organized them into groups. Some would clean rubble off streets, some would deliver food to affected neighborhoods and others would disperse medicine to aid centers.
There was no shortage of work, she said, and they could use more help.
Some of the worst devastation from Tuesdays magnitude 7.1 earthquake was in Jojutla, a rural town of 57,000 residents in the state of Morelos. While aid has flooded the Mexican capital, residents here said government assistance was slow to arrive, despite a visit Wednesday by President Enrique Pena Nieto.
In Mexico City, officials blocked access to the dangerous areas. But all over Jojutla, old one- and two-story buildings, some made of adobe, looked ready to fall. Walking through the open streets, people paused to photograph the destruction: a pancaked two-story house, a shattered bodega with dusty soda bottles strewn across the floor, a red Volkswagen Jetta flattened under chunks of concrete.
The scene was in stark contrast to the capital, where volunteers packed the streets and some offers of food or aid were turned down because they werent needed.
But as volunteers set up in Jojutla, people lined up for hot meals, groceries and medical attention. Walking home with some necessities, Adela Gonzalez, 38, complained that the aid was stretched too thin. She took out a sandwich bag filled with a small amount of shampoo. Strapping a baby to her back, her sister said the three diapers she was given wouldnt last long.
The women said the economy had taken a big hit with the earthquake. Their husbands were volunteering instead of working, and the only markets open sold food at high prices.
Where is the government? Gonzalez asked. They only came for a photo op.
Officials said the search for survivors here ended Thursday with 17 people dead. Three of the deaths occurred at the historic gold-trimmed town hall, now marred by a gaping hole and a collapsed bell tower.
Teams of engineers went out Friday to assess the damage and determine whether other structures, though still standing, would need to be demolished.
Among the emergency responders visible around town were police, military, firefighters and members of the civil defense agency. But many residents complained that more personnel were needed. Across town, people left signs on their homes asking the civil protection agency to inspect their dwellings.
After the earthquake, Isabel Martinez, 49, managed to get her furniture, refrigerator and some clothes out of her cracked but standing red house before authorities forbade her from reentering until they could assess the damage. Just outside her mothers house, where she was staying for the time being, Martinez got into a heated conversation with neighbors.
I know its painful and that you never in your life thought it would happen, one man said.
No, I didnt, Martinez said. We dont even have the governments help.
It cant happen from night to day, said another man of relief efforts. Help is arriving. Keep calm and wait.
But Martinez, a preschool teacher, couldnt wait. She was desperate to get back into her house to retrieve her photos and other mementos. Plus, she worried that more buildings would fall whenever she went outside. It was overwhelming.
Hundreds of people are sleeping in five shelters around town; the biggest has 350 people.
Others, like Jesus Quintero Salazar, 65, are sleeping in the toppled remains of their homes.
Salazars home, built 200 years ago out of adobe and passed down through generations of his family, was already damaged from age. The earthquake fractured the structure, which was divided into three apartments, where 12 members of his family lived. Its outer walls fell a day later.
The women and children of the family opted to sleep at neighbors homes. But the men stayed to protect what little they had left. Salazar works as a street vendor, selling dried fruits, avocados and other snacks. The yellow tricycle he uses to transport the food is now his most valuable possession.
Its sad, he said, to see that in just a little while, your life of almost 70 years has been ruined.
Huddled under what remained of the tin roof in what used to be a garage, Salazar and his relatives got soaked by rain at night. But he was grateful that the losses were only material.
Still others, such as Laura Elena Quevedo Jimenez, 55, are sleeping on the street. Her home was one of six buildings in a row that were shaken from their foundations in Tuesdays earthquake.
Jimenez slept under a tarp on a mattress in front of her neighbors house just across the street. Worried about robbers, she wanted to be present when authorities came to demolish the structure and save whatever she could. It had taken two days for authorities to put up caution tape and tell her she should not enter.
She tried not to focus on the loss of her childhood home, which leaned haphazardly against the house next door, its garage gates twisted. Chunks of a wall had toppled, exposing the interior. Her 82-year-old mother, who was home when the quake hit, escaped with only scrapes and bruises. That was blessing enough.
Less fortunate was Jimenezs other neighbor, Leodegaria Comonfort Ramirez.
Leodegaria Comonfor Ramirez, 49, center, whose home collapsed in the recent quake, killing her daughter, has a fractured shoulder and now shares a home with her neighbors. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
The earthquake brought the top floor of a duplex crashing onto Ramirezs first-floor home. Standing at the doorway, her daughter, Dalia Aro Comonfor, 33, was killed instantly. Ramirez suffered a fractured shoulder.
I will heal with time, but no one will bring my daughter back to life, she said Friday, wincing as she touched her swollen arm that lay in a sling.
Unable to bring herself to leave the area, Ramirez, 49, slept at the neighbors house with Jimenez. The neighbors united around Ramirez, eating meals together and chatting to pass the time. They didnt talk about their losses. Sitting across from the broken homes, it was useless to state the obvious.
Thats how us Mexicans are, Jimenez said. Why be sad? Instead we can laugh. If were sad well start crying, and who will be able to stop us?
On the neighbors patio, Ramirez calmly recounted her daughters death. Comonfor had been staying with Ramirez every so often after the sudden death of her father three months ago. Comonfor had just arrived at her mothers house with her husband and two young children.
Her 8-year-old son rushed into the kitchen right as the shaking started. Ramirez ran inside to get him. Comonfor ran after her mother, screaming for them both to get out.
Ramirez handed the child to Comonfor, who passed him at the doorway to her husband outside. Just then, the buildings main support beams snapped, slamming the second floor down onto her. Ramirez, who was deeper in the house, got buried in rubble but could see her daughters leg sticking out.
Help from authorities never arrived. It took neighbors an hour to dig Ramirez out. Afterward, they worked with Comonfors husband to remove his wifes body, placing it on the sidewalk until it could be taken away.
andrea.castillo@latimes.com
@andreamcastillo
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A fundraising effort is underway for the family of the 12-year-old Palmer Township girl who died after being struck by a vehicle Friday night near her home on Route 248.
Emma Raymondo was a standout student who always displayed a sense of happiness and positivity, a gofundme.com page seeking to raise money for the family's expenses says.
Family members gathered Saturday afternoon at her home to mourn. They did not immediately wish to speak about Emma when approached by a reporter.
Emma's mother, Kayleen Raymondo, was too distraught to talk, her brother said in a brief phone interview later in the day. He noted Emma's academic achievements, which included earning top marks as a seventh grader at Easton Area Middle School and receiving the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence.
Kayleen's brother, Mike Bilyk, said Emma loved school, but also had an interest in karate. She was a second-degree yellow belt. She also enjoyed drawing anime, he said.
The gofundme.com page says Emma was walking home with her brothers and sister when she was struck by a vehicle.
"Emma was just starting her journey in life, and it was tragically cut short at only 12 years old," the page says. "Nothing will replace such a loving and ... gifted young soul."
The incident happened shortly after 8 p.m. Friday on the southbound shoulder of Route 248 near its intersection with Kingston Road. Police said the preliminary investigation indicates Emma was walking from the Sheetz convenience store, which is only several hundred feet from her home.
After she was struck, an ambulance took her to Easton Hospital and she was later transferred to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, where she was pronounced dead at 10:38 p.m. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office has yet to rule on a cause and manner of death.
Police are not identifying the driver whose vehicle struck Emma because the investigation is still active. They said the driver remained at the scene and was cooperative.
Visit Emma's gofundme.com page here.
Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
So, another group of Lib Dem Conference highlights with a shamelessly self-indulgent look back at the fringe meetings I spoke at.
The Child Poverty Action Group fringe
.@caronmlindsay speaking about appalling impact of period poverty on teenage girls in the UK at @CPAGUK event #LDconf pic.twitter.com/sHI8YhfKQL Shona Cleland (@ShonaCleland) September 18, 2017
On Monday I spoke at a fringe meeting run by the excellent Child Poverty Action Group. The work of groups like CPAG is so important in highlighting the impact of poverty and its great that they speak up, even when what they have to say is uncomfortable for us as Liberal Democrats to hear.
The theme of the meeting was around achieving social justice. What would that look like?
The botched implementation of Universal Credit was a major aspect. Along with the appalling family cap, it was cutting the incomes of the poorest families by 3000-5000.
We had passed policy that very morning that tackled several of the concerns that CPAG had like restoring a second work allowance and restoring the cuts announced by George Osborne the minute we left the Coalition.
Starring in a video with Malala and Jo Swinson
What a line up!
Thank you @joswinson & @caronmlindsay for speaking at our #LDconf reception inspiring pic.twitter.com/IcWXVZKDkw ONE Campaign UK (@ONEcampaignUK) 18 September 2017
When I stay starring, we will be in there with 129,999,997 others. The One Campaigns Count Girls In video aims to highlight the 130 million girls denied an education globally. Thats twice the population of this country a sobering thought.
As Jo Swinson told the meeting, educating girls is like a silver bullet in terms of economic development, sustainable population and individual freedom. There is no bad aspect to it.
I also spoke at that fringe. I get a bit nervous about public speaking because my gob doesnt have a backspace key. Often Ill have my notes with me to refer to but it didnt work in this situation because it was a stand-up reception and I had to hold a microphone. I just had to pretend I was good at this stuff and speak from memory which I think worked. The only thing is, Jo is a zillion times better and more natural and more polished than I am.
I talked about how it had recently been the 45th anniversary of my first day at school and how there had never been any doubt about the fact that I would go to school. Thats not the case for so many girls. I talked about the wider benefits of education not just about reading and writing but about learning about your place in the world and how you dont have to put up with being abused by parents or married off without your consent at a ridiculously young age. To that end, the aid projects that the Tories and the tabloids hate so much do a huge amount of good.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 489th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere Featuring the five most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (17-23 September, 2017), together with a hand-picked seven you might otherwise have missed.
Dont forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox just click here ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging.
As ever, lets start with the most popular post, and work our way down:
1. We lost. Well keep fighting by Andrew Hickey on Head of State.
Not the EU Referendum, but the Conference debate on Europe. Lets hope his pessimism is misplaced.
2. Two Liberal Democrat gains from Labour in the Midlands by Mark Pack on Mark Pack.
And in my old stomping ground in the East Midlands too.
3. Have the Lib Dems reached a Battle of the Marne moment? by Matthew Green on Thinking Liberal.
And yet Vince Cable persists in treating his audiences as if they are intelligent human beings.. A candid appraisal of the partys fortunes.
4. Not the Leaders Speech UPDATED by Jennie Rigg on I spend ages hanging around the Rue Morgue in a Gorilla suit and what do I get?
Made me laugh again reading it. Vince goes where Clegg and Farron didnt dare to go.
5. Dillie Keane of Fascinating Aida sings her anti Brexit song at Lib Dem Glee Club by Iain Brodie-Browne on Birkdale Focus.
And there is even video. Those of us who walked in at the word that rhymes with fronts will be eternally grateful.
And now to the seven blog-posts that come highly recommended, regardless of the number of Aggregator click-throughs they attracted. To nominate a Lib Dem blog article published in the past seven days your own, or someone elses, all you have to do is drop a line to [email protected] You can also contact us via Twitter, where were @libdemvoice
6. You can, apparently, never start too early by Mark Valladares on Liberal Bureaucracy.
I hope Mark is dusting off his flak jacket. Selections dont always bring out the best in Liberal Democrats.
7. Liberals have no defining philosophy? Woah! by Michael Meadowcroft on Peer Wrigleys Keynsian Liberal
Michael Meadowcroft challenges Matthew Parriss assertion that we have no defining philosophy.
For instance, the Liberal Democrats were the only party to have a 100% attendance of its MPs to vote against the Iraq invasion, not because of any pragmatic opinion on weapons of mass destruction but because the party rightly believed that it was against international law, and that was enough; we have been in favour of an united Europe since 1955 because the party is internationalist and sceptical about the relevance of borders; we are in favour of devolution because we are aware of the dangers of centralism and its predilection towards authoritarian government; we are in favour of land value taxation because we believe that it is immoral to exploit land ownership rather than looking towards the common good; and we favour co-operatives in industry because we believe that to set management against labour is counterproductive and deleterious to productivity and is unnecessarily divisive..
8. Yesterday at #ldconf. What I did and how I voted by Jennie Rigg on I spend ages hanging around the Rue Morgue in a Gorilla suit and what do I get?.
The first of several informative and amusing posts from Jennie about Conference.
9. Vince Cable needs to learn a lesson from the Leave campaign by Ben Rathe on The Gripes of Rathe.
The tuition fees thing needs to be handled carefully.
10. Sal Brintons speech was a rouser by Jane Chelliah on Feminist Mama.
A good analysis of Sals speech to Conference.
11. Emotions in politics and Brexit by Louise Ankers on From one of the Jilted Generation.
Does our self image influence our vote?.
12. Off the fence. Bi Vis in the village by Jen Yockney on Either/And.
A bit of very welcome insurgency ahead of Bi Visibility Day yesterday.
And thats it for another week. Happy blogging n reading n nominating.
Featured? Add this to your blog post!
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
So, Uber, a company whose business practices have been, thus far, somewhat suspect, have been told by Transport for London that, unless they sharpen up their act, theyll lose their licence. Cue the more libertarian tendency, who have claimed that millions of people use them and that 40,000 people will lose their jobs.
Time for some perspective.
According to Uber, and lets assume that their figure is accurate here, 52 million journeys were made in London using their service last year, and that they had 3.4 million users in that time.
That works out as being just over six journeys per Londoner during that period, assuming of course that only London residents used it a pretty unlikely scenario given its popularity with young people who travel abroad. You wouldnt describe it as a core part of Londons transport infrastructure at that sort of level, compared to say the 1.35 billion journeys made on the Tube, or the 2.3 billion journeys made by bus or even the 117 million journeys on the DLR, and thats before you consider the surface rail network, cyclists, car users, those who walk or use other private hire vehicles.
So, Uber isnt vital, really. Its convenient, true, but not essential.
As for the job losses, 52 million journeys, divided by 40,000 Uber drivers, works out at five per day per driver, based on a five day week. If the average Uber driver is living off of that, Id be amazed. There will be, obviously, some full-time drivers, but exaggerating the numbers in support of Uber does nobody any favours. And besides, if Uber passengers are displaced to other travel options, potential jobs are created there.
The hyperbole aside, this is an issue about regulation the balance between freedom and protection, if you like. You can even argue that its a question of choice. Few would argue that the emergence of Uber in particular has not driven improvements in its competition, with new online options for booking taxis popping up, and that makes for more accessible options for potential travellers.
But there has to be a level playing field to ensure that choice continues to exist, and that means a degree of regulation to ensure minimum standards of safety in transportation. It also means that the regulatory body must reasonable access to compliance data, something that Uber have a poor attitude towards, their use of Greyball being just the most prominent example.
Uber are being offered a straightforward choice, comply with those regulations deemed to be appropriate, or not have a licence. For, if their service is financially competitive, it will survive having to obey the same rules as its equivalent competitors. If not, perhaps it isnt worth the $65 billion it is currently valued at.
A final note. I live in a small village in rural Suffolk. It has no scheduled public transport and, funnily enough, having tried Uber this afternoon, there were no cars available. For those of us without the amazing diversity of choice that London offers, and who have seen swingeing cuts in rural bus services over the past decade, the irony of such uproar over a minute fraction of the overall transportation choice available to Londoners is not lost.
Londoners get a vastly larger share of transport spending than any other part of the country. Perhaps some support towards better transport options in the rest of the United Kingdom is a higher priority?
* Mark Valladares is a regular user of public transport and supports his local minicab firm.
SYRIANS separated from loved ones by civil unrest were forced onto the councils housing waiting list, despite wishes to live with their resettled family in Limerick.
Last year, a number of resettled Syrian refugees applied to the Department of Justice to have family members flown from overcrowded camps in the Lebanon to Limerick. This was done through the family reunification programme.
But one family was told that they had to wait in line along with 3,250 others on Limerick City and County Councils waiting list, according to internal correspondence received under Freedom of Information.
In an e-mail to the Department of Justice, a council official said that a family made a presumption that they can move in with the existing family.
Just as an advisement, this categorically cannot happen and will not be facilitated as it will lead to overcrowding. In this circumstance, a permission to reside form has to be submitted to be the LA [local authority], wherein the LA will determine if it is possible for this to happen.
Given how difficult it was to find the existing units for each particular family and their specific profile it is highly unlikely that there is any room at the inn, so to speak, the official wrote on January 24 last.
The official added: Given that this is the likely scenario, the other family members will have to apply for social housing - they, I presume, do not have the same status attached to them as did the original family and will have to wait in line, along with 3,250 on our current waiting list. You might advise me on your perspective on this.
The official wrote that the family could apply for Housing Assistance Payment and that she wanted to ensure that there is no confusion about what we can and cannot do.
It is understood that individuals arriving in Ireland, under the programme, do not have refugee status, but are granted the same rights and entitlements as their resettled family members.
Resettled refugees are entitled to equal access to mainstream services, such as healthcare, education and housing.
In response to the councils e-mail, an official with the Department of Justice replied:
Yes, I understand the situation has been explained to families. The family should be advised to look for accommodation for them under SWA [supplementary welfare allowance]. The DSP [Department of Social Protection] would have to decide on eligibility.
Fiona Finn, CEO of the Irish Immigrant Support Group, Nasc, said that the housing crisis cannot become the means for the Government to limit or even refuse family reunification rights to refugees.
These are families that are particularly vulnerable, having come to Ireland seeking safety from violence and persecution, and we would certainly be looking for local authorities and state agencies to be doing as much as they can do to safeguard these families from homelessness while also ensuring that families have housing suited to their needs.
The Limerick Leader contacted Limerick City and County Council, which chairs the resettlement programme locally, but it has yet to issue a response.
OVER the course of the last week, we have again seen Limericks first citizen let himselfand all of usdown in his handling of the media.
After a report on a spate of quad bike thefts, which also highlighted Mayor Stephen Keary's involvement in a meeting, he launched into an attack on this reporter, using the words poor journalism to describe a story that he didnt like.
This behaviour is unfortunately all too common in todays global political climate.
It really begs the question, does Cllr Keary know what journalism is?
After other councillors criticisms you shouldn't have held a meeting Cllr Keary employed a political dodge she shouldn't have reported on it.
Yes, this journalist was invited by farmers, and then asked to leave, and the story was nevertheless written after interviews were conducted separately from the meeting.
But that point aside, is there really such thing as a truly private meeting, when carried out by a mayor in the name of those who elected him or her? A meeting's contents can often be kept under wraps, but the very fact of a meeting taking place should hardly be secret information.
It was poor journalism and unprofessional of the journalist, the mayor said, about a story that highlighted an issue that is negatively impacting dozens of rural farmers, and one that is clearly in the publics interest to know.
Following the mayor's comments, some lovely and concerned people wondered if the comments had left me sad, angry or hurt.
Others wondered why we would seek an apology, suggesting that journalists ought to lump it. Dealing with politicians is, after all, part of the job.
This was a personal attack on the professionalism of someone just doing their job, by a grown man and a public representative. But to focus on any personal offence caused is to take attention away from the real problem at the heart of the comments.
After being confronted by his angry council colleagues, whose invitations surely got lost in the post, Cllr Keary publicly vented his disquiet over his failed attempt to control or even nip the storywhich was ultimately about the concern around quad bike theftsin the bud.
Mayor of Limerick needs to apologise to a fine young @Limerick_Leader journalist, @mariaflan, after verbally abusing her for doing her job pic.twitter.com/XU2tZYCORC Alan English (@AlanEnglish9) September 14, 2017
Our role as the press is to act as the eyes and ears of the public. In instances where a politician attempts to control a story, the free press is compromised.
Anyone who cares about the important role the press plays in an open democracy should take offence to this attempt to stifle it.
And our highlighting of this matter, as well as the editors call for a public apology from Cllr Keary, should serve as a statement about how we ought to be reacting to politicians attempts to chill our freedom to report the most important Limerick stories to you, our readers.
A LIMERICK vet is hoping to save the seriously injured leg of a stray dog, which was caught by animal welfare volunteers during the week.
In a post on social media on Friday evening, John ODwyer Small Animal Hospital, based in Henry Street, informed the public that the injured dog was now in his care.
During the week, a number of social media users had published images of the pet roaming around William Street, in search for the owner.
He has been caught by a Limerick Animal welfare volunteer and brought in to us this evening. He has a broken leg that someone tried to splint themselves but did it very badly, with no padding under the pieces of wood which did not even cover all the original fracture, the hospital stated on Facebook.
The clinic added that the circulation in the dogs leg had been compromised because the bandage was too tight and was not padded, with gangrene starting in the mid-leg area.
It concluded: The next few days will show whether this leg can be saved.
A MAN has been banned from driving for four years after he veered into oncoming traffic in Limerick during a St Patricks Day sulky parade.
At Limerick District Court, the court heard that William OReilly, 27, of Bay 7, Ballyvillane halting site, was seen driving a sulky near Ballysimon Road in a very aggressive manner, crossing the centre of the roadway.
The court heard that gardai were alerted to the scene of a sulky race on March 16 last, at which the accused was seen as very agitated and aggressive.
However, solicitor Ted McCarthy told the court that it wasnt a sulky race; it was an annual sulky parade that is celebrated every year around St Patricks Day.
Insp Paul Reidy said that when gardai turned on the blue lights and indicated the driver to pull in and stop, he told the officers in the patrol car to f*** off. Mr OReilly drove to Ballysimon Road and stopped at a car park, where gardai approached him, the court heard.
This was the start and finish line of the parade, Mr McCarthy told the court. He said that the horse which Mr OReilly was driving was young and he had difficulty keeping it in a straight line.
Mr McCarthy said that the accused said that the gardai were causing a distraction.
The defending solicitor added: He accepts that he caused an inconvenience. He was concerned that the horse was difficult to handle.
Judge Mary Larkin said: This gentleman was in charge of the sulky and he had a horse that was difficult to handle. He had to veer into oncoming traffic.
For the Section 53 dangerous driving offence, Judge Larkin imposed a four-year disqualification and a 500 fine, to be paid within six months.
For Section 6 public order offence towards the gardai, the judge handed down a fine of 500.
If you wanted to explain the situation, you could have used other language. The gardai were trying to do their job, she said.
The Webb County Sheriff's Office is donating items to the victims of an earthquake that killed more than 270 people in Mexico City and its surrounding areas.
On Friday afternoon, Sheriff Martin Cuellar presented Mexico's federal police loads of food, water, hand sanitizer, wipes and dog food, among other items.
Latest updates from UC Berkeley on an appearance by right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos and protests against him.
1:50 p.m. Expensive selfies: Yiannopoulos 15-minute appearance on the steps of Sproul Hall cost UC Berkeley an estimated $800,000 in security and related expenses, campus spokesman Dan Mogulof said. He called it the most expensive photo op in the universitys history.
1:30 p.m. Yiannopoulos complains: Yiannopoulos complained about the crowd size to The Chronicle after his brief appearance at Sproul Plaza. In a text message he said, I hope youre reporting that the police kept HUNDREDS (400-500) of supporters outside to make the crowd look tiny. There were 500 people waiting to get in. They let in 75.
1:25 p.m. Protesters on the move: Several dozen anti-Yiannopoulos protesters marched down Telegraph Avenue from Bancroft Way to Durant Avenue and turned east. A handful of Yiannopoulos supporters marched alongside, even as the protesters chanted at them, No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA.
1 p.m. Sproul Plaza empty: Sproul Plaza was mostly empty less than an hour after Yiannopoulos made a brief appearance Sunday. Police remained in the area, as Yiannopoulos supporters in Make America Great Again hats lingered in the area and used the plaza as backdrops for selfies. Police disassembled a metal detector that people had to pass through to watch Yiannopoulos.
12:50 p.m. Protester arrested: One person was arrested during a protest just off campus. Keith Sherman, 30, of Oakland was arrested for allegedly carrying a banned weapon and wearing a mask during the commission of a crime, Berkeley police said.
12:40 p.m. Yiannopoulos gone? After chatting with supporters, taking selfies and chanting, USA! Yiannopoulos jumped over the double barriers restricting access to Sproul Plaza and left with his entourage.
His appearance lasted about 15 minutes. It was unclear whether he planned to return.
Thats a question only he can answer, UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said.
12:31 p.m. Berkeley Patriot waits in line: Leaders of the Berkeley Patriot, the student group that had invited Yiannopoulos but then cancelled the event, waited in line with hundreds of others trying to get into Sproul Plaza. They were still waiting as Yiannopoulos sang and signed autographs inside.
12:25 p.m. Yiannopoulos sings. Yiannopoulos launched into a rendition of the National Anthem and blew kisses to the crowd as protesters yelled at him. He ignored them and shortly after was escorted away from the steps and behind Sproul Hall.
12:15 p.m. Yiannopoulos snapping selfies at Sproul. Yiannopoulos was standing on the steps of Sproul Plaza snapping selfies with fans and autographing their protest signs.
Some people are hugging him and waving banners in support. He was wearing an American flag scarf around his neck.
12:10 p.m. Based Stickman on campus. President Trump supporter Kyle Chapman, who calls himself Based Stickman, has arrived at UC Berkeley.
Chapman, a 41-year-old Daly City man, became a cause celebre for many on the far right after a widely circulated video appeared to show him beating a demonstrator with a stick at a March 4 protest in Berkeley.
A judge ordered Chapman to stay away from a right-wing gathering last month in downtown Berkeley. He has pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of possessing a leaded cane.
12:05 p.m. Yiannopoulos arrives. Yiannopoulos and an entourage have arrived at the campus, officials say.
Noon: Yiannopoulos has to stand in line. Yiannopoulos will be required to go through metal detectors like everyone else, university officials said.
11:45 a.m.: Sproul Plaza opening: UC Berkeley officials are opening Sproul Plaza in anticipation of right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos arrival.
Authorities set up a metal detector at the entrance to Sproul Plaza. Several hundred people were in line for the metal detector and were milling around on Bancroft Way.
In a statement, UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said Yiannopoulos and members of the public would be held to rules that include, No bags. Consistent with the already-posted security restrictions, nothing that UCPD determines to be of a size and weight that would allow it to be used as a weapon. No amplified sound.
11:35 a.m.
As the number of protesters and Yiannopoulos supporters grew in anticipation of his arrival, police officers have moved into position between the two sides. Demonstrators were shouting at each other, but there was no violence.
Meanwhile businesses along Bancroft Way began shutting down in anticipation of the arrival of Yiannopoulos advertised noon arrival.
Accompanying him as speakers were far-right commentators Pamela Gellar and Mike Cernovich, pro-President Trump street artist SABO, conservative author Lisa De Pasquale and former UC Irvine College Republicans President Ariana Rowlands, according to Yiannopoulos organization.
Tyler DeChance, a 22-year-old Berkeley City College student studying computer programming, sat off to the side of the crowd. He was wearing a Trump-Pence Make America Great Again shirt and said he was passively protesting.
It's crazy its gotten this hyped up over a Republican speaker, he said.
DeChance said he was slightly concerned about his safety, but that hes been hit and threatened at these protests before. People should be able to speak regardless of their views, he said.
11:10 a.m. The crowd gathering at the south entrance to campus has swelled to about 200 people, where Sproul Plaza remains blocked off.
Businesses on Bancroft Way on the south edge of UC Berkeley were still open, and owners stood in their doorways watching the events unfold across the street. Dozens of police officers wearing helmets and with sticks on their belts waited on the sidewalk and behind barricades.
Protesters opposing and supporting Yiannopoulos yelled at each other, but there was no violence.
A woman shouting into a megaphone chanted, No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA, adding, We will not let Berkeley become another Charlottesville.
Nearby, others held signs that said, Milo is love, Milo is life, Milo is liberty. Some people wearing Make America Great Again baseball caps shouted, USA, at the woman.
10:40 a.m. Two dozen protesters chanted outside Sproul Plaza as an equal number of supporters of President Trump gathered nearby, several wearing Make America Great Again caps.
No Milo, no ICE, Berkeley is a sanctuary, the anti-Yiannopoulos protesters yelled.
The two sides occasionally exchanged verbal barbs, sparring over communism and other issues.
University officials were in contact with Yiannopoulis organization and said there were plans for if and when he shows up, said Dan Mogulof, a UC Berkeley spokesman. He declined to provide specifics.
10:10 a.m.: Dozens of police officers filed off charter buses to stage near Sproul Plaza as a handful of protesters milled outside the south entrance to campus on Telegraph Avenue.
Yiannopoulos still vowed to show up at noon, saying on social media that he wont accept failure or defeat ... and they better not try to stop me.
Jaime Abad of Union City, a Yiannopoulos supporter, showed up before 10 a.m. with a shield, megaphone and umbrellas, but was turned away by police, who banned such items from the area.
He said he was super excited to see Yiannopoulos.
I've done a 180, said Abad, 50. I used to be one of these Down with America guys.
9:40 a.m.: Concrete and plastic barricades blocked access to UC Berkeleys Sproul Plaza on Sunday as the university prepared for a promised appearance by ultraconservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and a planned protest rally.
Police officers from as far away as UC Davis sipped coffee and waved pedestrians away from the plaza, which was empty.
Just off campus, a group of volunteers set up folding chairs in an empathy tent, offering attendees a calm alternative to a potentially volatile confrontation later in the day.
Yiannopoulos said his noon appearance was still on despite the cancellation of all Free Speech Week events by conservative student organizers Saturday.
Protesters were planning to gather starting at 10 a.m. to counter Milos attempts to spew his poison, according to organizers with the group Resist Fascism.
With Sproul Plaza under lockdown, it was unclear where Yiannopoulos or the protesters would gather.
Lizzie Johnson, Kimberly Veklerov, Nanette Asimov and Evan Sernoffsky are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com, kveklerov@sfchronicle.com, nasimov@sfchronicle.com and esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @lizziejohnsonnn, @KVeklerov, @NanetteAsimov, @EvanSernoffsky.
Nine classrooms at Salinas Elementary School had elevated levels of mold, according to results from a limited indoor air quality assessment for mold.
In early August, Salinas Elementary students and staff began the new school year amid concern of apparent mold on campus. United Independent School District, which released the results Friday, hired SERVPRO to conduct an indoor air quality test. The company assessed 17 classrooms at the school on three different occasions.
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Laredo Community College may need to expand its taxing district to generate more revenue.
Mercurio Martinez, LCC board of trustees president, introduced the idea that LCC should become a countywide community college. The suggestion arose during a finance and audit committee meeting this week.
At the meeting, trustees were presented with enrollment and financial considerations in preparation for an upcoming reaccreditation review. LCC will be up for review by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in March 2019. The college was last accredited in 2010.
The financial stability of an institution was noted as an important factor for the upcoming reaccreditation. David Arreazola, director of institutional effectiveness and assessment at LCC, showed trustees a forecast of the college's revenues and expenses. Arreazola used historical data to predict LCC's financial future.
RELATED: $57 million budget proposed for Laredo Community College
Expenses are projected to exceed revenue near the 2019 fiscal year, Arreazola predicted, if LCC were to maintain the current property tax rate. He said the possibility of a budget shortfall poses a problem because it would coincide with the reaccreditation review.
If the tax rate increased, however, LCC would not face a possible budget shortfall, Arreazola said.
Martinez was quick to remark that negative publicity surrounds tax rate hikes. He proposed expanding the college district's taxing authority as opposed to increasing the rate.
Martinez said he believes it's important for the community as a whole to consider the creation of a countywide community college district. The process, known as annexation, is the extension of a community college district boundaries by annexing territory located within its state-designated service area.
READ MORE: Despite $2.1 million deficit, Laredo Community College proposing salary raise for employees
According to the Texas Education Code, service area refers to the territory within the college's taxing district and to the territory outside, which the community college district provides services. LCC's district service area encompasses Webb, Jim Hogg and Zapata counties in addition to the area within city limits.
Expanding LCC's taxing district would mean a major reduction in taxes for taxpayers currently residing within the district, Martinez said. However, he said he realized that a formal vote from both the landowners outside and within the district is needed before anything can come to fruition.
"I would like to plant this possibility to our community hoping that we would get a positive response," he expressed.
LCC President Ricardo Solis and trustee Henry Carranza expressed their support. Solis said a more dedicated effort should be made to include the topic on meeting agendas.
WASHINGTON - The Republican senators at the forefront of the latest effort to undo the Affordable Care Act plan to release a revised version of their bill Monday sending more health-care dollars to the states of key holdouts, as hardening resistance from several GOP senators left their proposal on the verge of collapse.
According to a summary obtained by The Washington Post, Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., will propose giving Alaska and Maine get more funding than initially offered. Those states are represented by Republican senators Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, and Susan Collins, Maine, who have expressed concerns about the bill but have yet to say how they would vote.
The Cassidy-Graham legislation would overhaul the ACA by lumping together the current law's spending on insurance subsidies and expanded Medicaid and redistributing it to states in the form of block grants. Alaska would get 3 percent more funding between 2020 and 2026 than under current law, and Maine would get 43 percent more funding during that time period, according to a summary obtained by The Post.
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The plan was distributed among Republicans late Sunday, with party leaders just one "no" vote away from defeat and as Republican senators from across the political spectrum were distancing themselves from the prior draft.
Aides to Murkowski and Collins did not immediately respond to requests for comment late Sunday. Republicans close to the process have long counted Collins as an eventual "no," with some predicting that little could be done to the bill to change her mind.
The fresh discord over a signature Republican promise added turbulence to the start of a critical week for President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. In addition to health care, both are watching Tuesday's special-election primary runoff in Alabama, a high-stakes intraparty fight between establishment Republicans and conservatives that could set the tone for the midterm elections next year. GOP leaders also are expected to unveil their most detailed blueprint yet of tax cuts they hope to pass by the end of the year.
"Eventually we'll win, whether it's now or later," Trump said of the health-care effort Sunday as he prepared to board Air Force One to return to Washington after spending the weekend at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Collins, a moderate Republican who has opposed previous efforts that cut Medicaid and eased coverage requirements, said in a TV interview earlier Sunday that it was "very difficult" to envision herself voting for the health-care bill.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a conservative who has advocated a more far-reaching repeal of the ACA, commonly called Obamacare, said he and at least one other conservative colleague do not back the measure "right now."
And Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has stated definitively that he opposes the current measure, showed no signs of backing down without dramatic changes to the bill's core approach that probably would come at the cost of other Republican votes.
Graham and Cassidy pledged to keep trying to pass their bill - but the White House and McConnell gave differing accounts of the path ahead. White House legislative affairs director Marc Short predicted a Wednesday vote, while a McConnell spokesman declined to publicly embrace that timeline.
Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Collins cited concerns about how the Cassidy-Graham legislation would affect Medicaid recipients and people with preexisting medical conditions, among other things.
"It is very difficult for me to envision a scenario where I would end up voting for this bill," Collins said. "I have a number of serious reservations about it."
Collins voted against a repeal bill in July, and she is a key vote in the current dynamic. She said she chatted at length with Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday, but it wasn't enough to sway her. She said she wants to see the limited analysis due out this week from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office before making a final decision.
Two Republican senators - Paul and John McCai, Ariz. - have already said they will vote against Cassidy-Graham. A third would be enough to defeat the bill, since no Democrats are expected to support it. Republicans hold a 52-48 advantage in the Senate and can lose only two votes from their own party and still pass legislation with the help of a tiebreaking vote from Pence.
Trump said Sunday that the senators opposed to or leaning against voting for the bill, including McCain and Collins, would benefit from the block grants included in the proposal.
"Every state you're talking about, it happens to be particularly good for," Trump said.
The bill has been roundly rejected by influential national groups representing physicians, hospitals and insurers. Over the weekend, six such organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association, issued a joint statement urging the Senate to reject the measure.
While the CBO plans to release a "preliminary assessment" early this week, officials there have said they will not be able to provide estimates of how Cassidy-Graham would affect insurance premiums or the number of people with coverage "for at least several weeks." Trump and McConnell are trying to bring the bill to a vote by the end of this week to take advantage of a procedural rule allowing the plan to pass with just 51 votes.
It remained far from clear Sunday that they could get even close to that number.
Addressing Cassidy-Graham at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Cruz said: "Right now, they don't have my vote. And I don't think they have Mike Lee's either," referring to one of Utah's senators.
Cruz said that he and Lee met with Graham and Cassidy last week to propose changes to the measure that would get them to yes. Their changes were not included in the latest draft.
Conn Carroll, a Lee spokesman, said Sunday: "We want some technical changes. We are working with Cassidy, but we haven't committed to anything yet."
Graham and Cassidy appeared on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," where they defended their plan and vowed to keep up their efforts to shepherd it to passage.
"We're moving forward. And we'll see what happens next week. I'm very excited about it," Graham said.
The South Carolina Republican mentioned Collins and Paul as he made his pitch. "Rand Paul objects to the taxes," he said. "But when you look at the bill, Rand, we save a lot of money over time for Medicaid. We put a cap on Obamacare growth."
Paul said in a Sunday interview that he broadly opposes a keystone of the Cassidy-Graham plan: turning funding for the ACA into block grants for states.
"The problem I have with block grants is that looks like I've affirmatively said I'm okay with 90 percent of Obamacare as long as we reshuffle it and give it to Republican states," he said. "That's a horrible message."
Paul said he is willing to listen to suggestions about how that element of the bill could be constricted. "Would I talk to them if they said they wanted to make the block grants half as much? I might," he said.
Paul presents another challenge as well: Winning him over would probably alienate Republican senators who oppose a more aggressive repeal. That left GOP leaders no better off in their quest to secure enough Republican votes to pass Cassidy-Graham.
The proposal, which would also dramatically cut Medicaid spending over time, has drawn concerns from Republicans from states that have expanded Medicaid under the ACA. In an interview on CBS' "Face The Nation," Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., whose state expanded Medicaid, said he needs more information before he will take a position.
"I think the CBO will have a role to play in this," Gardner said. "I believe there's information that will be coming through a committee hearing on Monday and additional text changes that will add additional information."
McConnell is also keeping a close eye this week on the Senate race in Alabama, where Republican Sen. Luther Strange is trying to get past insurgent primary challenger Roy Moore, a controversial but popular former judge. Trump and McConnell both back Strange, but supporters and associates of Trump, including former chief White House strategist Stephen Bannon and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, have praised Moore.
A Moore victory would be a blow to both McConnell and Trump, who have put their powerful political operations behind Strange. Some Republicans also say that outcome would embolden conservative insurgents to challenge other Republican senators in 2018.
Also this week, the "Big Six" negotiators from the White House, the Senate and the House are expected to unveil more details of their tax overhaul plan, which, like the health-care talks, could spark messy disagreements among Republicans.
Some of the elements of the plan have already started to take shape. Republicans are targeting a corporate rate of 20 percent in their overhaul, according to three people familiar with the emerging blueprint - a number that represents a substantial cut from the current 35 percent rate but falls short of the 15 percent Trump has advocated.
But for Senate Republicans, the first order of business this week is resolving the health-care push, one way or the other. Even the bill's champions have started pondering the prospect of failure.
Asked on "This Week" what he will tell people if he comes up short, Graham responded: "That I did everything I could to get money and power out of Washington to give you better health care closer to where you live, and I'm not going to stop fighting."
He also held up the possibility of using health care as a negotiating tactic in future legislative talks.
"I'm on the Budget Committee," Graham said, adding, "we're not going to vote for a budget resolution that doesn't allow the health-care debate to continue."
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The Washington Post's Robert Costa and Carol Morello contributed to this report.
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MOSCOW - An aluminum magnate who survived the gangster capitalism of the 1990s and the financial crisis of 2008, Oleg Deripaska is a shrewd self-made billionaire who has managed to stay on the right side of power, whether by marrying into "the family" of Russia's first president, Boris Yeltsin, or by making himself indispensable to its current one, Vladimir Putin.
As my Washington Post colleagues reported last week, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort allegedly offered to provide Deripaska, 49, with personal briefings about the 2016 presidential election less than two weeks before Trump accepted the Republican nomination. The emailed offer, said to have been sent to a Russian colleague of Manafort's, is among tens of thousands of documents that have been turned over to investigators looking into possible collusion between Trump associates and Russia as part of an effort by the Kremlin to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election.
It is unclear whether such an offer reached Deripaska, and a spokesman for the businessman denied that it did. But Manafort's apparent readiness to share information with an oligarch known to be part of a trusted circle of businessmen near Putin is one of the most concrete revelations to emerge from the probe into Trump's Russia links.
Deripaska's relationship with Manafort began in the mid-2000s, when Manafort was a consultant for a Ukraine-based oligarch, Rinat Akhmetov, an associate of ousted president Viktor Yanukovych. The Associated Press reported in March that Manafort signed a $10 million annual contract with Deripaska in 2005, a report that Deripaska denied and later contested in a lawsuit against the AP. In 2008, Rick Gates, a partner of Manafort's, wrote in a memo that Deripaska was considering partnering with the two men to buy the Drake Hotel in Manhattan. But the relationship later soured. By 2014, Deripaska had filed a petition in a Cayman Islands court accusing Manafort and Gates of taking $19 million intended for investment then failing to account for the funds or return them.
Deripaska, now worth about $6.5 billion, according to Forbes, has always stayed close to power. He married the daughter of Yeltsin's chief of staff, part of "the family," the coterie of influential advisers around Yeltsin. Under Putin, he survived near-bankruptcy to later invest more than $1 billion in Putin's pet project, the 2014 Sochi Olympics. A Russian state bank helped Deripaska with billions in loans, Russia's foreign minister has lobbied to help him get a U.S. visa, and a 2006 U.S. diplomatic cable disclosed by WikiLeaks said he was "among the 2-3 oligarchs Putin turns to on a regular basis" and "a more-or-less permanent fixture on Putin's trips abroad."
After graduating from Moscow State University with a degree in nuclear physics, Deripaska began his career as a metals trader in the mid-1990s before buying a stake in a Siberian aluminum smelter, which eventually grew into the Sibirsky Aluminium Group. The group, now called Basic Element, owns a 47 percent stake in Rusal, one of the largest aluminum-producing companies in the world, along with the hydroelectric power producer EuroSibEnergo, the GAZ automotive group, infrastructure, construction companies and the Russian insurance company Ingosstrakh.
The metals business in 1990s Russia, where the legacy of Soviet industry was up for grabs, was notoriously rough-and-tumble . In a 2008 lawsuit heard in a London court, a man named Michael Cherney claimed that he was a former business partner of Deripaska's and was owed compensation for a 13.2 percent, or more than $1 billion, stake in Rusal. Deripaska said in court that the two had not been partners, but that he had been pressured by violent criminal groups in the 1990s into a "krysha," or protection, arrangement with Cherney. The two settled out of court in 2012. Deripaska alleged that Cherney was in league with another man, Anton Malevsky, who died mysteriously in a parachuting accident in South Africa.
The business also made Deripaska fantastically wealthy. In 2008, Forbes listed him as the richest man in Russia and the ninth-richest man in the world, with a net worth of $28 billion. By this time Deripaska was meeting with a string of high-profile Western politicians, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Deripaska helped spark a scandal in British politics in 2008 when it was revealed that he had hosted the Conservative Party's chief spokesman on finance, George Osborne, on his $150 million yacht in the Mediterranean.
In 2005, the U.S. State Department revoked a visa issued to Deripaska, possibly because of alleged ties to organized crime, according to reports in the Wall Street Journal. But The Washington Post has reported that Deripaska's connections to Putin, or at least the Russian government, have been sufficiently close that as recently as 2016, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had lobbied on behalf of Deripaska for the United States to admit him.
Deripaska's business was blindsided by the financial crisis and collapse in commodity prices of 2008, and he was forced to refinance loans, according to some reports, with support from the Kremlin. In a $50 billion bailout, the state-run Vnesheconombank, or VEB, gave Deripaska one of the largest loans, $4.5 billion, to pay off foreign banks and avoid surrendering stakes in companies he had put up as collateral. When a Financial Times reporter asked him in 2010 how close he had come to going out of business, he replied, "Very close."
That also brought political trouble. In 2009, workers in the town of Pikalevo (population 22,000) began protesting after Deripaska's alumina refinery there halted production, triggering layoffs and pay cuts. The protests attracted the attention of Putin, who flew out personally to show that he was engaged in solving an economic crisis that was repeating itself across the country. In a dressing-down of the factory owners later broadcast nationwide, Putin berated Deripaska and forced him to sign a contract restarting the plant. As Deripaska walked away, Putin said: "And give me back my pen."
Yet Deripaska rebounded, surviving the financial crisis in large part thanks to generous government loans that were extended months after the Pikalevo incident. By 2014, he was investing more than $1 billion in the Sochi Olympics, including building the Olympic Village, a 26-mile road around the Olympic venues and an expansion of the city's airport. According to Russia's Vedomosti newspaper, Deripaska received an award from Putin for his investments in the Olympics.
Deripaska was seeking millions of dollars in recompense from Manafort and Gates as recently as August 2015, according to court records from the Cayman Islands, and at one point hired a private investigator to track the two men down. For now, Manafort's motives for suggesting that briefings be provided to Deripaska remain unclear.
Tension between the United States and North Korea remained high Sunday as Pyongyang released propaganda videos showing U.S. planes and an aircraft carrier under attack.
The violent videos came after President Donald Trump derided North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, by calling him "little rocketman" and vowing at the United Nations to "totally destroy" North Korea if it threatens the United States or its allies.
U.S. officials were more restrained in their words Sunday. Treasury Secretary Seth Mnuchin repeated the insistence that all options, including military force, remain on the table. But he lingered more on discussing how he has greater authority to punish countries, companies and individuals who trade with North Korea under an executive order signed by Trump last week. And he downplayed the likelihood of nuclear war.
"The president doesn't want to be in a nuclear war," he said on the ABC show This Week. "And we will do everything we can to make sure that doesn't occur."
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And Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., who has pushed stronger sanctions against North Korea and those who trade with it, said there is still room for diplomacy and tougher sanctions that aim to bring North Korea to the negotiating table.
"We have a long ways to go to continue to ratchet up the economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea and the enablers of North Korea," he said on CBS' Face the Nation.
"Our No. 1 goal with North Korea as it relates to North Korea must and always will be peaceful denuclearization of the North Korean regime," he said. "But we have a lot of work to do on the diplomatic and economic side before we think of any other option."
In Pyongyang, however, the rhetoric and the images evoked the possibility of war on the horizon.
Photoshopped pictures from a state-owned propaganda website, DPRK Today, purported to show a North Korean missile making a direct hit on B-1B Lancer bombers and an F-35 fighter jet. In the doctored shots, the planes were engulfed in flames.
Another falsified video on the website showed a missile launched from a North Korean submarine strike the USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered supercarrier. Like the planes, the ship explodes in a firestorm.
The fake news targets were apparently chosen because B-1B bombers escorted by Air Force fighter jets flew in international airspace off the coast of North Korea on Saturday in a clear demonstration of force. And the Carl Vinson led one of two carrier strike groups that conducted joint exercises with South Korea and Japan earlier this year.
As the war of words escalates, North Koreans are being bombarded with militaristic and tit-for-tat messages. Kim himself went on TV to declare Trump is "mentally deranged" and a "dotard" and vowed to make him "pay dearly" for his insults. Kim said he was considering ordering the "highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history." On Saturday, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said Trump's remarks made it an inevitability that his country's rockets would hit the U.S. mainland.
And in a government-orchestrated display of North Korean anger, what appeared to be tens of thousands of people attended a huge rally Saturday in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square, a large public plaza named after Kim's grandfather and founder of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Demonstrators chanted "total destruction," and "decisive revenge," according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, which pegged the crowd size at 100,000. It said some people carried signs with the slogan "Death to the Amerian Imperialists."
"We are waiting for the right time to have a final battle with the U.S., the evil empire, and to remove the U.S. from the world," said Ri Il-bae, a commanding officer of the Red Guards, KCNA reported. "Once respected Supreme Commander Kim Jong Un gives an order, we will annihilate the group of aggressors."
Other countries have watched with alarm as tensions have escalated.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a televised interview Sunday that he doubts the United States will militarily strike North Korea because of its nuclear weapons.
"The Americans won't strike because they know for sure -- rather than suspect -- that it has atomic bombs," Lavrov told Russia's NTV television. "I'm not defending North Korea right now, I'm just saying that almost everyone agrees with this analysis."
Early this month, North Korea conducted an underground test on what it said was a hydrogen bomb much larger than the one that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.
Asked how the confrontation could be defused, Lavrov replied, "Only with caresses, suggestion and persuasion."
Lavrov warned that without a diplomatic approach, "we could drop into a very unpredictable nosedive and tens if not hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens of South Korea but also North Korea, of course, and Japan will suffer - and Russia and China are nearby."
Selling painkillers in Japan used to be like pulling teeth. That was until baby boomers discovered how analgesics could take the sting from arthritis, diabetic nerve damage and the ravages of cancer.
Now demand is taking off and drugmakers are introducing new products to a market where per-capita opioid consumption is the fourth-lowest in the developed world. Sales of drugs prescribed for chronic pain in Japan will jump 62 percent to 188 billion yen ($1.7 billion) in the seven years through 2024, Fuji Keizai Co., Tokyo-based market research firm, said in a report in November.
Unlike the U.S., where President Donald Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency, Japan has had an aversion to narcotics because of restrictive laws and the stigma of addiction. But chronic-pain sufferers are demanding relief, and authorities are doing more to help them, especially since workers aren't economically productive when they are agonized by aches. A 2015 study estimated chronic pain costs Japan about 1.95 trillion yen annually.
"People suffering from pain these days are less tolerant of it compared with the older generation," said Tsutomu Suzuki, emeritus professor of addiction research at Hoshi University in Tokyo. "Some of the newer products are opioids, but they aren't categorized as narcotics, which makes people feel more relaxed about using them."
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe committed to improving chronic-pain treatment as a part of his economic growth plan announced in June last year. That led the health ministry this year to fund specially designated clinics and hospitals focused on managing patients in chronic pain.
Shionogi & Co., which sells OxyContin in Japan, filed an application for the drug to be used for chronic pain in November following a request from a health ministry panel, and antidepressant Cymbalta was approved as a treatment for chronic back pain in March last year. The Osaka-based company bought rights to sell Methapain, or methadone, from Teikoku Seiyaku Co. in February and won approval for Symproic to treat opioid-induced constipation in March.
"Most doctors in Japan feel strongly about keeping opioid usage to a minimum because they believe patients may not be able to quit taking them once they have been on them long term,'' said Masashi Katsumata, senior director Shionogi's pain management business. "That's why the risk of abuse and addiction is much lower than in the U.S., and that's an ideal situation.''
Daiichi Sankyo Co. began selling a generic version of OxyContin in March and won approval to sell the cancer painkillers Narurapid and Narusus in Japan in June following a government-funded program to support patients. Daiichi Sankyo, which also sells fentanyl, has a potential treatment for diabetic nerve damage, mirogabalin, in late-stage patient studies, the Tokyo-based company said in July.
Pfizer's Lyrica won approval as a treatment for pain after shingles and peripheral neuropathic, or nerve damage, pain in 2010. In 2012, regulators allowed it to be sold as a treatment for pain associated with disorder called fibromyalgia, and as a treatment for neuropathic pain the following year. That helped it become the fifth-bestselling medicine in Japan in the year ended March, according to QuintilesIMS, a marketing research firm.
Endo International's local partner Nihon Shinyaku Co. began selling Tramal, or tramadol, for cancer-related pain in 2010. It was approved for chronic pain in 2013, the same year that Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit was given approval to sell Tramset, tramadol combined with acetaminophen, for non-cancer pain and post-surgical tooth ache.
It's all adding up to less anguish for sufferers of chronic pain, more than half of whom receive no treatment, according to a 2015 study funded by New York-based Pfizer.
Part of the problem is that pain isn't well understood by doctors, according to Kazuro Wakazono, who runs a patient group called Goodbye Pain.
"Medical professionals tell them their pain is imagined or is being used as an excuse to get out of doing rehabilitation," said Wakazono, whose wife suffered from paralysis and pain after a car accident injured her spinal cord 15 years ago, leaving her to search for 18 months for appropriate care. "They are told to put up with it, which leaves them in despair.''
Still, newer treatments such as Lyrica and tramadol are giving doctors and patients greater confidence about using painkillers that aren't subject to strict narcotic controls, said Hoshi University's Suzuki, who is also a member of World Health Organization's expert committee on drug dependence.
While opioid drugs have been widely used for non-cancer pain in the U.S. since at least the mid 1990s, in Japan drugs like OxyContin were made available in 2003 and only for cancer-related pain. Japan approved tramadol in 2010, 15 years after it was introduced in the U.S., and hasn't allowed combination opioid drugs like Percocet and Vicodin.
When Japan's health ministry asked drugmakers to develop modern versions of morphine in response to WHO cancer-care guidelines in 1984, none of the country's pharmaceutical companies authorized to manufacture narcotics accepted the request.
Kotaro Shiono, Shionogi's former chairman, saw a pressing social problem, and agreed to obtain rights to develop Mundipharma's MS Contin, which was introduced in Japan in 1989, followed by OxyContin in 2003.
Shionogi had to educate doctors and nurses about MS Contin to resolve misunderstandings, and it took the company 14 years to achieve peak sales of about $100 million, said Katsumata. The company is part of a group of health-care companies in Japan promoting public awareness about palliative care, he said.
Sales of OxyContin fell 3 percent to 9.7 billion yen in the year ended March, and Katsumata is cautious about it sales prospects because of doctors' concerns that long-term use may lead to dependence problems.
Still, he points to a large, unmet need for pain relief, with many cancer patients reporting dissatisfaction with current levels of palliative care.
A San Antonio police officer received a one-day suspension in July for laughing at former City Councilman Alan Warrick, who passed out on a park bench outside City Hall after a night of drinking at a bar, according to suspension records obtained by the San Antonio Express-News.
Officer Abel Garcia, who has been with the department for 18 years, was en route to a call at 6:30 a.m. May 26 when he saw Warrick standing outside City Hall. Garcia told internal affairs investigators that he was alarmed that Warrick was at City Hall so early, so he went to check on him.
The national attention has largely turned to other storms, and the emergency response to Hurricane Harvey has passed. But the grim reality is that Houston and the Coastal Bend will be grappling with Harveys aftermath for years.
The storm still touches all aspects of daily life. In quickly releasing five interim charges guidance to House committees in preparation of the next legislative session House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, shows he is focused on the right issues for Texas.
His five recent interim charges focus on federal spending, education and flood control.
Straus has asked the Houses public education committee to recommend any measures needed at the state level to prevent unintended punitive consequences to both students and districts in the state accountability system as a result of Harvey and its aftermath.
Translation: He doesnt want students and schools punished for having their lives disrupted by this mammoth storm. This is a direct shot at Education Commissioner Mike Morath, who has said he has no plans to delay the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness tests, also known as STAAR.
This would be a mistake. Many families have lost everything. Lives have been disrupted. Teachers have used precious teaching time to comfort students. Some schools have started late. A Pearland Independent School District teacher has launched a Change.org petition calling for the cancellation of this years STAAR tests.
Some degree of accommodation is in order. There are plenty of options between canceling the tests and not pushing back the date. Students and teachers shouldnt be penalized in high-stakes testing for having survived a life-altering storm.
Straus has also called for studying damages to schools and how to help districts absorb displaced students.
The House Committee on Natural Resources has been tasked with studying flood control issues. This includes the need for new flood control projects and infrastructure, but also understanding dam and reservoir operations. Its a particularly crucial question after the controversial release of water from the Barker and Addicks reservoirs in Houston. The release came with little warning, and two residents died.
Federal funds are also on the to-do list. The House Committee on Appropriations will examine federal funds flowing through state agencies and ways to leverage those funds to mitigate future natural disasters.
Harvey is a mind-boggling cataclysm. Recovery from the storm and preparation for future disasters will take years and dedicated perseverance. These charges reflect a serious start to that journey.
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So here at MFM, we love that she wanted to share a little mum support with our own favourite princess.
Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece has had her fair share of parenting ups and downs she is a mum of 5 after all!
Speaking exclusively to us in Cologne last week, designer Marie-Chantal revealed she really feels for the Duchess of Cambridge, who is pregnant for the 3rd time, and suffering from a severe form of morning sickness.
I think Kate is having a tough time right now and shes doing a wonderful job, said the Crown Princess, who has been collaborating with nursery brand Silver Cross on a new range of products, to be released early next year.
I wish her well, she added.
We couldnt agree more Marie-Chantal is so right about parenting and pregnancy being tough, even if youre a royal.
(Even when you're not struck by seriously bad pregnancy sickness!)
Having struggled with hyperemesis gravidarum while expecting both Prince George and Princess Charlotte, poor Kate has been forced to cancel official engagements again this time round.
The extreme vomiting can even mean a stay in hospital for some women, including Kate, who spent 3 days being treated at the King Edward VII hospital.
But it hasnt stopped Prince William from getting excited about becoming a dad again and he may have even revealed when royal baby no. 3 will make an appearance ?
Have your say
We'd love to know your best advice for Kate when no. 3 comes along. Let us know in comments or over on Facebook
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Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > This Pain Should Become Anger!
by Varavara Rao
Shocking news! How much shock it would be for friends of Gauri Lankesh in Bengalurua friend enquired whether I knew the news tweeted by Rajdeep Sardesai. Immediately I tried to contact Babayya, another friend from Bengaluru. But couldnt get him on phone, perhaps sharing his agony with other friends. He returned the call after two hours. But what happened is not quite unexpected. Since the destruction of the Babri Masjid, she has been fighting against the saffron brigade. She is a brave woman in the heroic tradition of Lohias followers fighting against the dominant ideology since the days of Nehru.
What is fascism if not this? This is worse than the murders of Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi. For she fought as much against Hinduisation as globalisation with equal determination. The followers of Lohia fought against mining at Kudremukh and Bangalore-Mysore Expressway along with AIPRF. They also participated in the activities of Joint Action Forumof Indian People (JAFIP) and Mumbai Resistance 2004. It is heart-rending to remember the privilege of enjoying the support of democrats like her in Bengaluru in connection with our struggle against state repression and fake encounters in Andhra Pradesh.
We felt enraged hearing of the murders of people like Akhlaq and Kalburgi by the Sangh Parivar. We might not have heard about Akhlaq and Junaid before they were murdered. Even Najib of JNU, who disappeared after kidnap by the Sangh Parivar, might be living somewhere amidst us. We might have felt respect for Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi because of their activities in various fields and the news of their assassination might trigger rage in us. But without any acquaintance, if we respect somebody just because of their participation in movements, our response tends to be objective. If we get acquainted as part of the movements and that develops into friendship, the response would turn to be subjective also. There will be a tender bond. We feel proud in claiming that we personally know this activist. We recall the experiences only to convert this pain into anger. This is not a time to shed tears. It is a time to march against the fascist forces.
Ole Soyinka called his jail diary Man Died. The condition of an active individual is described as death when he is rendered unable to speak. Gauri Lankesh did not care the threats to her life. To the well-wishers who cautioned her, she replied: Our silence is the strength of the reactionaries. She was the lone figure in the crowd. She lived alone in her house in a posh locality of Rajarajeswari Nagar in Bengaluru. The enemy very well knew when she goes to office and returns. She was an easy target. As in the case of Kalburgi, she was also fired from point-blank range. The bullets that pierced her head and chest felled her on the ground where she bloomed like a flower in blood. The Congress Government of Siddaramaiah knows that death warrants are issued against all secular, democratic and active intellectuals like Gauri. She became Gauri Lankesh as she was fighting for those who are in trouble, unmindful of her own situation. Even Siddaramaiah was a follower of Lohia once. Now what is the use of grieving the loss of a valuable friend?
I met her the last time when I happened to visit Bengaluru in 2005 after the encounter killing of Saket Rajan, the State Secretary of the CPI (Maoist). He was senior to Gauri in Bangalore University. She wrote a long essay on him at that time. I went there along with Gaddar to receive the body of Saket. By the time we went there the body was secretly cremated and we were given his ashes only. In those two days all of us, including her, moved together. She had also come to Hyderabad to participate in such movements. I started from Mumbai on December 1, 1992, to reach Sringeri the next day to participate in a cultural workshop. I took with me the documentary He Ram produced by Anand Patwardhan to show at the workshop there. Ekatmata Yatra, undertaken by Advani in 1984, culminated in the destruction of Babri Masjid on that December 2. If that was an attempt to destroy a faith, the violence planned and executed by Modi from Gujarat to Muzaffarnagar and Karnataka is its extension. In the cultural workshop of Sringeri it was revealed that the next target of the Sangh Parivar is a Dargah at Baba Budangiri. After destroying Babri Masjid in the north to secure Hindu votes, this Dargah was selected in the South. Baba Budangiri is a place named after the Sufi saint who reached the hills in Chikmagalur district about 500 years ago. The movement to protect Baba Budangiri might not have prevented the BJP led by Yeddyurappa from coming to power. But for the present, minorities, Dalits, socialists and revolutionary forces in Karnataka could prevent the Sangh Parivar from occupying the Dargah in the name of Dattatreya Peetham. They fought many struggles against caste and Hindu fanaticism. Death warrants were issued against many of them. We do not like to advertise the list lest the names be known to the reactionary forces. Because of the legacy of Lankesh, the paper run by Gauri has become the centre for those agitations. That is why it has become the target of enemies.
Immediately after hearing of the assassination of Gauri, the name of Snehalata Reddy came to my mind. She was the companion of Telugu poet Pattabhi (of Fidel Raagaala Dozen fame) and played the lead roles in Samskara based on U.R. Ananthamurthys novel as well as in Chandamaruta based on the Naxalite movement. There is a strong group of intellectuals in Bengaluru dedicated to Lohias ideology. It was very active being led by George Fernandes. It is from that group that activists like Pattabhi, Lankesh and Ananthamurthy originated. But now we are facing an undeclared Emergency. It would target you if you prefer to speak out like Gauri instead of keeping mum like a living corpse. It is a clandestine mystery of darkness that could come to annihilate you as per plan. It cannot tolerate light, transparency or democracy. That is fascism. As Kaloji said, it is the force that will silence any voice that does not conform. But how many voices can they silence if all the dissidents join together?
During the Spanish Civil war, students, intellectuals and writers, who fought with arms against Fascism, were eliminated mercilessly. They did not even leave democrats who were hiding without fighting. Imperialism itself is enemy, war and death. Similarly fear, silence and sense of insecurity are also death. This Fascism of Brahminical Hindutva is just the beginning of that imperial Fascism. Shall we search for any safe place left where at least we can talk freely about Gauri Lankesh!
(Translated from the original Telugu published in Andhra Jyothi daily, September 9, 2017)
A well-known Telugu poet, the author belongs to the revolutionary stream of the communist movement in the country.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Assassins of old were honest, modern ones are cowardly. But the cowards are (...)
IMPRESSIONS
In the days of Nathuram Godse, things were straightforward and honest. When he shot Mahatma Gandhi there was no attempt to hide his identity. The courage of his conviction emboldened him to say bluntly, I did fire the shots... I do not desire any mercy to be shown to me. His final statement before the court was an eloquent defence of the Hindutva view of history.
Courage of conviction similar to Godses was seen again in 1984 when Beant Singh and Satwant Singh shot Indira Gandhi dead. They were her bodyguards, professionally committed to protect her. But their ideological commitment proved stronger. Again, there was no attempt to escape from responsibility. In fact, according to some reports, they shouted Sikh slogans as they fired their weapons. When Rajiv Gandhi was blown up by a bomb in 1991, it was known that the LTTE was behind it; soon after the horror they informally admitted it, too.
Times have changed and ideologically motivated killings are done these days in cowardly fashion. Godse and others were proud of their ideologies and therefore had no problem coming clean on their killings. Todays ideologues are different. They are ready to use the violence demanded of them, but they lack the conviction to own it up. They kill in clandestine operations, then run away into the safety of darkness. In that darkness, obviously, hide protectors powerful enough to protect them. The protectors also are cowards who hide themselves.
Thus, the killers of Narendra Dabholkar in Pune have remained untraced since the murder in 2013. Three years after the event, the CBI arrested ENT doctor Virendrasinh Tawade who is still in jail. But CBI suspects that the killers are Vinay Pawar and Sarang Akolkar. There is no trial yet and no answer to the question: Who killed Dabholkar?
Govind Pansare was shot in 2015 in Kolhapur and died four days later. Sameer Gaikwad was arrested seven months later. In June this year he got bail. A Special Investigation Team took into custody Virendrasinh Tawade already in jail in the Dabholkar case. Vinay Pawar and Sarang Akolkar are also wanted in the Pansare murder case. Nearly three years after the event the question remains: Who killed Pansare?
Six months after Pansare was silenced, ideology-driven murderers turned their attention to Karnataka. They killed M.M. Kalburgi in Dharwad. That was on August 30, 2015. To this day neither the Karnataka Police nor CBI have been able to make a single arrest. The States authorities, evidently more incompetent than their counterparts in Maharashtra, cannot answer the question: Who killed Kalburgi?
Interestingly, though, there are some strange parallelisms among these unsolved murders. All three victims were free thinkers and rationalists, opposed to conventional beliefs including religious. Dabholkar campaigned against superstitions. Pansare, a Communist, carried on a war against caste. Kalburgi fought idol worship. On the other side, Tawade and Sameer Gaekwad were members of the Hindu Rightwing Sanathan Sanstha. Vinay Pawar was a friend of Gaekwad. Add to these inter-connections the fact that all three killings were carried out by motorcycle riders. Two cyclists shot Dabholkar on a public road, two cyclists shot Pansare and his wife in their house, two cyclists entered Kalburgis house posing as students and shot him.
Two (or three) motorcyclists entered Gauri Lankeshs compound and shot her. She, too, was a rationalist. She, too, opposed superstitions and conventional religious beliefs. As a journalist, she also had clear political views; she fought the very concept of the Hindutva. This and the similarities with the earlier killings of rationalists have spread the impression that Gauri too was felled by the Hindutva forces. Trollers strengthened the impression by suggesting that she deserved death for her anti-Hindu views.
Partisans turned the whole thing into a vicious political war on social media, indicating the depths to which bigotry has dragged the country. What is certain as of now is that India has become a dangerous place for independent thinkers. Even the barbarous practice of lynchings is condoned. Gauri was not as powerful an opinion-maker as Kalburgi or Dabholkar. Even then she would not be allowed to live. Intolerance has reached levels that threaten Indias basic values. The outpouring of protests across the nation, sensational in itself, is reflective of a fear complex that has seized the people. Are we losing the dream? If Gauris killers are not punished, there will be more Gauris because assassins will feel safe in our system. Gauri herself will remain an exemplara journalist who was killed for her journalism.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > The Eloquence of Silence
by Samantak Das
About a month ago, a US-based cousin was driving back home from work when the car in front of her braked in such a way that she was forced to pull over. The driver of the car, a large White woman, got off her vehicle, came up to my cousin, said, You f***ing black w****, go back to your own country! then turned on her heel and walked away. In her 20 years in the US, my cousin, a university professor who works with poor, marginalised and dispossessed groups of people (including many illegal immigrants), had never had to face such visceral racial hatred. She has worked in areas where there are poor Whites who might legitimately feel deprived and upset, whose anger could easily have focused on hera woman of colour, doing what many feel is a White persons joband turned violent. But it never had. Until now.
The change, of course, is due to the election to the countrys highest office of a man who wears his racism, sexism and bigotry as a badge of pride, who makes no bones about the fact that he sees the United States of America as an essentially White, Christian, masculine nation, where all other ethnic and religious groups (not to speak of women) are present on sufferance. Donald Trumps narrowness of vision, stridently racist, anti-immigrant rhetoric, his characterisation of Blacks and Mexicans as drug dealers, rapists and thieves, are not just disturbing and deeply scary in themselves, they also embolden others of his ilk to express thoughts and perform actions they might otherwise have kept to themselves. Witness, for example, the open display of Confederate flags and Nazi swastikas in rally after rally or the murderous car attack on anti-racism protestors in Charlottesville last month.
Perhaps an even bigger tragedy than his own bigotry is Trumps repeated refusal to even acknowledge, let alone condemn, that of others. The American media, especially online journals, have noted time and again the ways in which such wilful blindness and calculated silence regarding acts of racism, sexism and other kinds of bigotry have led others to spout hate speech and commit hate crimes; how the once-defunct and all-but-forgotten Ku Klux Klan is once again in the news; how violent crimes against non-Whites and incidents of gender and racial discrimination have grown since Trump assumed office.
These thoughts have been provoked by the news that a prominent Bengaluru law firm has served legal notice on behalf of a Bharatiya Janata Party politician seeking an unconditional apology from the noted historian and writer, Ramachandra Guha, for daring to suggest that the killers of Gauri Lankesh may have had Hindutva links. The legal notice states, quite accurately, that no evidence has been unearthed so far linking Gauri Lankeshs killers with the BJP or any of its associated bodies and goes on to add, for good measure, that the murders of other anti-Hindu-fundamentalist writersNarendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M.M. Kalburgitoo, are still under investigation. But therein lies the rub. That the murderers of Dabholkar (killed four years ago), Pansare (killed in February 2015) and Kalburgi (August 2015) have still not been identified undoubtedly speaks volumes about the efficiency of the investigative arm of our executive but, equally, they point to a conspiracy of silence on the part of our rulers regarding hate crimes committed against those considered anti-national or anti-Hindu (the two are rapidly becoming synonymous). Why have politicians, who profess to be patriots, not raised a hue and cry over the delay in these investigations? Why has our Prime Minister not once mentioned, leave alone condemned, the brutal gunning down of Gauri Lankesh, in his prolific Tweetery? Why have the gau goondas, who lynch those they suspect of trading in cow flesh, received tacit approval from those professing love for the cow and Hindu dharma?
This climate of silenceof a refusal to speak up and condemn such heinous acts, or to speak up just a little too late and say too little, perfected to a fine art by our nations supreme leaderis just as pernicious and soul-destroying for India as Trumps calculated silences and equivocations are proving to be for the US. And it applies not just in the cases of urban, urbane, cosmopolites such as Lankesh and her like; silence in the face of mob violence, or the lynching of alleged beef-eaters and cow-transporters is just as shameful and condem-nable.
The verbal racial violence faced by my cousin is a very far cry from the killing of an anti-racism protester or the physical assault launched on Mexicans post-Trump, butand this is really the pointit is merely a difference of degree, not of kind. And something eerily similar seems to be happening here, too. People, otherwise perfectly normal, apparently sober and decent people, people like you, dear reader, and me, are no longer afraid to express sentiments they would have been ashamed of articulating even a short while ago. The tide of venom against minorities, women, Dalits, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes that seems to have engulfed social media like a tsunami of hate and bigotry has to be seen and read to be believed.
Equating the 2002 Gujarat pogrom and the murder of Lankesh with the killing of street dogs is as nothing when compared to the kinds of things being said about those who condemn the killings and beatings by cow vigilantes or ask for more proactive measures from the government to protect dissenting voices. The ruling partys troll army is a well-organised, well-oiled piece of sophisticated machinery that can and will use all means to stifle and silence voices that question or condemn their masters motives and machinations and our natural propensity to kowtow to power will ensure that we either fall in and join our voices to this chorus of abuse and hate or, at best, keep quiet and justify it to ourselves in the name of peace or busy-ness or a sense of being above such pettiness or what have you. To speak up will invite reprisal and to keep quiet will make us complicit in the rapid unravelling of whatever ideals India still stands forthat seems to be the stark choice facing each one of us. The question each one of us needs to ask is: which side will I be on?
The author is a Professor of Comparative Literature, Jadavpur University, and has been working as a volunteer for a rural development NGO for the last 30 years.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > The Politics of Sangh Parivar has Seeds of Violence in it
The Prime Ministers birthday was celebrated by dedicating the Sardar Sarovar dam to the nation. There are 244 villages and one town that are going to be submerged by this dam. The cost of the dam is nearly Rs One lakh crore. Of this an estimated Rs 1500 crore was embezzled in the process of rehabilitation. An enquiry commission headed by Justice S.S. Jha was established to look into the corruption in rehabilitation. The government is not ready to make the report public.
Because of closure of sluice gates of the dam, 40,000 families faced submergence at once. The Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal had ordained that any family before being submerged should be rehabilitated at last six months in advance. However, these 40,000 families are being made to evacuate like rats by flooding their homes. This is akin to inflicting violence on people. Hence the birthday of the PM resulted in violence against the people.
On the other hand, Medha Patkar and 37 other people affected by the dam were standing in the Narmada water protesting the observance of the PMs birthday. Earlier she was on fast with others and was sent to jail on false charges of causing damage to government property. Till the PMs birthday not a single official of either the Madhya Pradesh Government or the Central Government met Medha Patkar. This demonstrates the Bharatiya Janata Partys lack of faith in democracy and their tendency to curb all dissent with brutal force.
This should not come as a surprise because the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, BJP etc., members of the larger Hindutva family, have always used violence to promote themselves. The assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948 is probably their most gruesome and cowardly act which is still justified by some Sangh Parivar members. The rath-yatra of Lal Krishna Advani, which culminated in demolition of the Babri mosque in 1992, was responsible for the birth of the problem of terrorism in India. First, serial bomb blasts took place in India in 1993 in Mumbai. People have been convicted for this but not for the incident of demolition of the Babri mosque which instigated the Mumbai bomb blasts of 1993. Even though it was Indira Gandhi who carried out the first nuclear tests in 1974, it was only after the 1998 tests carried out by the Atal Behari Vajpayee Government that India declared its possession of nuclear weapons and initiated a nuclear arms race with Pakistan. In any case because of the BJPs foreign policy Indias relationship with neighbouring countries has been adversely affected.
The 2002 communal violence took place in Gujarat when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister and in that over a thousand people were killed. This will always remain a blot on his name. After Narendra Modi took over as the PM several incidents of public violence against people suspected of being involved in cow slaughter has led to the killing of over twenty people including Mohammed Akhlaq and Pehlu Khan. Rationalists and intellectuals like Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M.M. Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh have been targeted and murdered. Even an innocuous looking programme of the PMthe clean India campaigntook the life of one Zafar Khan in Rajasthan in an incident related to open defecation when government employees beat him to death.
It is quite logical that as Narendra Modis stature has grown, hell need bigger sacrifices with more devastating impact to move ahead. Inauguration of the Sardar Sarovar Dam has made 40,000 people landless and homeless in one stroke. The Government of Myanmar is expelling the Rohingya Muslims from their country because of political vendetta but what was the fault of 40,000 families, all legitimate citizens of India, when they were expelled in a similar manner from their homes? Do they not enjoy the fundamental right to life enshrined in our Constitution?
The Sangh Parivar is enamoured of the Indian culture in which the value of sacrifice is held very high. Who can be a better symbol of this than Medha Patkar? The BJP governments of MP and the Centre are indulging in humiliation of Medha Patkar by ignoring her. The moral force of Medha Patkar is bigger than most of the so-called leaders. To become a leader by winning an election is one thing and quite another to be accepted by the people as a leader because of her participation in peoples struggles. Whether it is the arrogance of Narendra Modi or that of Shivraj Singh Chauhan, the Sangh Parivar cannot escape the blot of submerging 40,000 people forcibly. Once again it has been proved that violence is in the seed of the Sangh Parivars ideology.
The personality of Narendra Modi, by misuse of the office of PM, has in this one event emerged as an arrogant, self-centered, patriarchal, feudal, insensitive person appearing like a dwarf before the 32-years-long historic struggle of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. His concept of development is purely materialistic in which there is no scope for human feelings. His lonely family life is an example of this. It is unfortunate that in India, which has a tradition of rich and towering intellectual and political leadership, there is now a person at the helm of affairs who is very parochial and insecure. He would like himself to be juxtaposed alongside Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel or Vivekananda but he is so selfish that hell take the whole country down with him.
Noted social activist and Magsaysay awardee Dr Sandeep Pandey is the Vice-President of the Socialist Party (India). He was elected to this post at the founding conference of the party at Hyderabad on May 28-29, 2011.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Murder of Gauri Lankesh: An Attack on Media or Ideology?
The Press Club of India did not have space to even stand yesterday (September 6, 2017). The outpouring of grief and anger in the street as well as on the social media on the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh compelled many veterans to join hands and speak up against the culture of intimidation and violence against those who differ with the current dispensation and their politics of Hindu nationalism. There were political leaders of the Left, though Rahul Gandhi and leaders of other political parties too had condemned the murder elsewhere, who participated and spoke against the violent assault on the freedom of expression. All of them wanted us to stand united and fight against it. In Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee too joined the protest.
Immediately after speaking at the forum, Ms Barkha Dutt and Rajdeep Sardesai said that the journalists should not allow politicians to capture the space and that we should not become such helpless to get political support. Of course, immediately after Barkha Dutt, another activist journalist countered her and said that it was a war in which we know who are the people involved and we need to name them. While we know political parties have not much love with ideas and journalism, one just wonders whether both of them could have said things if there were BJP leaders or Sangh leaders on the platform. Why is this effort to look non-political when we know who might have been the killer of Gauri Lankesh and why she was killed? It is again very pertinent to check weather Gauri Lankesh was killed for being a journalist or an ideologue which was critical of Hindutva?
Gauri Lankesh came from a well-established family. Her father P. Lankesh was the editor of Lankesh Patrike and her sibling Indrajit was into film-making and became the owner of Lankesh Patrike after the demise of their father. Gauri and Indrajit had developed sharp ideological differences which compelled her to start her own Gauri Lankesh Patrike in Kannada. Her father was said to be influenced with Gandhian idealism but Gauri was more into rationalism. A moving tribute by her former husband, Chidananda Rajghatta, Foreign Affairs Editor, The Times of India, said how both of them became friends reading Abraham Covoor. So, it was clear that Gauri was a thorough rationalist and a constitutionalist as she believed in the rights of minorities, Dalits and Adivasis. There is more to the story too. She had been speaking at various platforms of the human rights groups including Amnesty International and had been persistent in her criticism to brahmanical Hindutva.
We should not forget the events which led to the further growth of tensions in Karnataka as far as the Hindutva project is concerned. On August 22, 2017, there was a huge rally in Belagavi in which seers and political leaders of the Lingayat community had participated and demanded in absolutely unambiguous terms that their community was not a part of brahmanical Hinduism and that they should be declared a separate Lingayat dharma. Now this demand is not old because political philosophers like M.M. Kalburgi as well as Prof Bhagwan have spoken about it in detail. Prof Kalburgi was brutally murdered at his home and Prof Bhagwan lives in the shadow of police protection for his alleged blasphemy of the brahmanical gods. The Hindu covered the rally and reported that all the seers and political leaders warned RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to desist from interfering in their communitys affairs. One of them, Jayabasava Mrutyunjay Swami, said: I want to tell Mr Bhagwat that we believe in Ambedkars Constitution and not that of the Manuwadis. We live according to modern principles of democracy and not Vedic ideologies. We will ask the leaders who are trying to divide us to give up the Lingayat faith. There is little doubt that Gauri Lankesh has been supportive of this view that Lingayat was a faith different from that of the Hindus.
In an article reproduced by The Wire on September 5, she said: Lets be clear about a couple of things at the outset. Though many people believed for a long time that Lingayats and Veerashaivas were one and the same, and that the words were interchangeable, they are very different. Lingayats are followers of Basavanna, the 12th-century social reformer who rebelled against Hindu society and established a new dharma. Veerashaivism, as the name suggests, is an order of the Shaiva faith, which in turn is one of the two major Vedic faithsthe other one being the Vaishnava faith. Both Shaiva and Vaishnava followers constitute the sanatana dharma. The essential difference between the Lingayata dharma and the Veerashaiva is that the latter accepts the Vedic texts and practices like caste and gender discrimination, while Basavanna not only protested against these, he offered an alternative that is an anti-thesis of sanatana dharma. This debate assumes a larger significance these days when Hinduism is being equated exclusively with sanatana dharma, in contradiction to the origin of the word Hindu, which included Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs. Shaivites, like Vaishnavites, are a part of the Hindu system of faith. And therein lies the difference. [Making sense of Lingayat verses Vairashaiva debate: The Wire (https://thewire.in/167389/karnataka-lingayat-veerashaive-debate/)]
Karnataka is top on the radar of the BJP as it is their entry-point for the South. The Lingayat community constitutes over 17 per cent of the total population in Karnataka and with its biggest leader, Yeddyurappa, the BJP and its top brass had been quite sure about their return but the events unfolding there have made things a bit more difficult. Yeddyurappa remained a mascot of Hindutva in the State but the religious leadership of the Lingayat are now open and categorical to clearly chart their own path and delink themselves from brahmanical Hinduism which certainly is not a positive signal for the community just before the elections. It seems the party has realised the huge loss of goodwill in the community in the aftermath of Gauri Lankeshs death which seems to have antagonised the liberals, who were supportive of it, parti-cularly after the attempt to justify the murder. As usual, the paid media gang has been brought to start the vilification campaign in multiple ways but in a careful manner. The Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ravi Shankar Prasad, condemned those who were celebrating her death, the trolls continue to vilify her through whisper campaign on twitter as well as on whatsapp platforms while the Mughals of the media vampire would create more confusion and bring new angles to the issue. And what else could you expect than bringing a brother with whom she had dissociated long back and who has openly, in defiance of his familys political thoughts, now wishes to join the BJP!
According a report published in The New Indian Express on July 10, 2017, Indrajit Lankesh said that, After 25 years of journalism and being in the film industry, I have earned a lot of love and affection from people. Indrajit opined: This (politics) is in another place, I want to know if I can fit in. As of now I am just known to be aligned to the BJPs ideology, of course, Yeddyurappa and Narendra Modis leadership has inspired me to join politics. It is just a thought now, and it is too early to give any kind of confirmation. But films will go on, and I will be announcing my next project details very shortly.
The media has shamelessly tried to deviate from the issue and brought the issue of her differences with her brother as well as possible Naxal connection into the subject. Two rabid Sanghi channels, The Republic TV and Times Now, have brought her brother Indrajit on the show suggesting that there could be a Naxal angle into the case. Times Now went on to suggest that she had just put CCTV cameras at her residence a fortnight ago which means that she might have felt threatened. The problem in this case is that she had her own differences with her brother who, as we place on record, is willing to join the BJP, shown his appreciation for Narendra Modis leadership. Even when the entire Lingayat community today stands together in their attempt to get an identity separate from brahmanical Hinduism, her brother wants to go back to them. There are other things which are visible on the social media and need to be seriously looked into. It needs to be elaborated as to who were rejoicing at her killing? Who said that she was a commie as if being a Communist is a crime. Who are those who said that the Lefties are crying on the death of a bitch? When nothing works then they say, we kept quiet on the deaths of so many RSS cadres in Kerala and Karnataka. There is no doubt that many States have witnessed the political violence whether it is Kerala, Bengal, Karnataka where cadres of the parties indulge in violence but why to ignore the violence against the common people by the Hindutva- sponsored goons in the State where they are in power. How can you ignore the violence against Dalits, minorities and adivasis in the name of their food habits as well as cow protection? Secondly, the pattern of violence against Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M.M. Kalburgi and now Gauri Lankesh provide the same clue.
If anybody has doubts then one can also read the statement by sitting BJP MLA and a former Minister from Karnataka, Mr Jeevraj, who said that, Her vitriolic writings against Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in her tabloid, Gauri Lankesh Patrike, might have cost journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh her life. Mr Jeevraj says that Gauri Lankesh had written a report headlined, Chaddigala Marana Homa (the slaughter of RSS). If only she had refrained from such writings, she would probably have survived. Gauri Lankesh was like my sister and she might have written against us which is acceptable in a democracy, he says. (Asian Age : http://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/070917/writing-against-rss-cost-gauri-lankesh-her-life-bjp-minister.html
While the police and investigating agencies would do their work, there is a lot for the media to introspect on this. Today, each one of them want to own Gauri for her courageous and principled stand against the Right-wing but most of them remained at high position when the newsrooms and editorial board rooms of the media became suffocating gas chambers for those like Gauri Lankesh. Frankly speaking, people like me were unaware of her writings and I am not sure how popular she was with the common middle class people in Karnataka. If she were a much-sought-after columnist who worked with various newspapers, it is because of her privileged background. She was more into social movements and against the politics of Hindutvas hateful ideology. So was she killed for being a journalist or was she killed for pursuing an agenda which the Hindutva forces felt would be an obstacle in their way.
Does it not look surprising that with 90 per cent TV channels reporting according to the wishes of Amit Shah and Narendra Modi, a few of them attempting to balance things and in the name of dissent most of them cant go beyond the Congress party or a few mainstream Left? The print is showing some dissent but the dissenters there are the core group of privileged journalists or academics of their own biradari many of whom may be socio-culturally secular but econo-mically Rightwing. How many of them had the courage to publish her article or keep her as a regular columnist in their dailies? The Hindutva is not afraid of the media because it has almost made it virtually redundant. It is not even crawling at the moment as Advani famously said during the Emergency for our media. It is now completely spineless and working as the Public Relations Agency of the ruling party but its role does not end here. It is not merely reporting news but cooking it also in their editorial offices. That is more dangerous. If a news anchor can celebrate the death or another bring new revelation on her death making her story similar to any other crime news, then it reflects how much we have lost in these three years. In the coming years, they can go further to dilute the entire issue and make it a crime sex story so that the killers who tried to silence the opponents continue to do so looking for other preys.
One is surprised that despite overwhelming percentage of electronic media and print media writing stories as per the whims and fancies of the ruling party, its leaders still want to control all forms of voices and are very disturbed with those who can unmake their agenda. This shows the power of dissent. The megalomaniac leaders, habitual of prostrating public relations officers, always fear the dissenters even if they have limited reach and that is why smaller publications based on sound convictions of freedom, social justice and socialist are far superior and influential than those who claim to represent all yet have been merely converted to providing us information. Gauri Lankesh and others like her are not in the profession to be public relations officers or supply information being generated in the newsrooms but they are among those very few who give us food for thought. It is these ideas of democratic dissent which believe in human rights of all and speak against all forms of discrimination, that is, racial, religious, caste, gender, region and physical appearance, which the dominant narratives in most of our societies consider as obstacle in their progress that has kept the hope of all the oppressed people.
Countering and challenging the carefully built and Sangh Parivar-influenced narrative of victimisation among the powerful and dominant castes in India to suit their political goals that keep the oppressed and marginalised on the toes and divide them further on their caste lines, is essential for a healthy secular socialist republican democracy. Yes, to be candid, Gauri Lankesh died for a secular democratic cause. She became victim of hatred. She did not die because she was a journalist but because she fought against the Hindutva hatred in India. There are journalists who are killed for exposing the mafias, taking on the political establishment but none spoke for them. Therefore it is important for us to understand that it is not the issue of Gauri Lankesh being a mediaperson but belonging to a particular ideology that threatens Hindutva and the Sangh Parivar.
The fact is that the Rightwing is not afraid of the media but of a counter ideology and they grew because of the political vacuum created by the Centrist parties functioning just to govern without any emphasis on the ideological perspective on issues that confront us today. The legacy of Dr Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and M.M. Kalburgi and now Gauri Lankesh is clearly one of humanism, reasoning, human rights and standing head on against the forces of hatred and divisiveness.
Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a Radical Humanist and a human rights activist based in Delhi.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Myanmar : Persecution of Rohingya Muslims
by Ram Puniyani
Massive protests are being witnessed in many countries, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India among others, against the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (September 2017). This time around violence seems to have been triggered due to the attack by militants (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) on police and military posts. As per UN estimates, nearly 1000 Rohingyas have been killed and over 2.5 lakh Muslims have fled to Bangladesh to escape the violence. The UN has said that the extent of violence indicates that it is a crime against humanity. His Holiness Pope Francis said that he is following the sad news of the religious persecution of the Rohingya community... he asked that the members of the ethnic group be given full rights.
The suppression of the Muslims of the Rakhine province of Myanmar has created a grave situation. What seems to be going on is a sort of slow genocide, ethnic cleansing. India has also witnessed the protests against this suppression in many cities in India. Here in India there is an added problem as there are thousands of Rohingya Muslims living in different parts of the country and there is a demand from the Hindu Right-wingers to expel them from the country.
These Rohingya Muslims are mainly concen-trated in the Rakhine province of Myanmar. The government says that they are illegal immi-grants while their history in Mynmar is very old. As such the Muslims in Myanmar are very diverse as most of them have come from different parts of India, when Myanmar was a part of India. In particular the Rakhine province earlier had a Muslim ruler, which fact attracted many Muslims to settle there. As such it is after the military dictatorship that they have been deprived of their citizenship rights and have been the target of persecution and atrocities, particularly after the 1982 Law, which does not recognise their citizenship rights. Earlier they even had a Minister at the Cabinet level apart from many elected representatives.
The problems related to communalism have so many parallels in different South Asian countries. We see in South Asia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India that religious minorities are subjected to persecution and the pretexts are very similar. After the military dictatorship took over power in Myanmar, the fleeing of Muslims went up in large numbers and many of them came to India also. These reasons are purely humanitarian, but here in India it is being presented as if it is a security threat. Indian laws permit giving shelter to persecuted communities. As per that, the Tamils from Sri Lanka, Buddhists from Tibet and Hindus from Pakistan have been given shelter here. Since Rohingyas happen to be Muslims, the Hindu Right-wing is opposing them and has stepped up campaigns through the media to expel them. As such in India the communalists have been harping on Bangladeshi immigrants, while the fact is that most of the Muslims, being accused of being Bangladeshis, have migrated earlier through the human plantation policy of the British, which encouraged Bangladeshis (then residents of Bengal) to settle in Assam. In the aftermath of the 1971 war also many Hindus and Muslims fled Bangladesh to settle in different parts of India, depending on where they can get some opportunities to survive.
In the aftermath of 1992-93 violence, the campaign to step up the expelling of Bangldeshis from Mumbai and other cities picked up. In one of the studies done in Mumbai by Shama Dalwai and Irfan Engineer, it was found that most of the immigrants (Bengali-speaking Muslims) have been engaged in low-end employment, as maid servants, as zari workers (artisans) etc., who had been putting long hours for mere survival. In popular perception, the issue is presented as a nationalist one related to security and this has been one of the major propaganda planks around which the BJP has been making inroads in the North-Eastern States, particularly Assam.
In Myanmar, the process of democratisation is very slow and painful. The military takeover in 1962 worsened the process. The military had the strong backing of feudal elements and the many Buddhist sanghas (organised priesthood). The hold of feudal powers in Myanmar is a great obstacle for democracy to deepen itself. As in Pakistan (Military-Mullah), the hold of the sanghas and military is strong here also. In Pakistan we witness that irrespective of the democratically elected Prime Minister the military wields great power and the Military-Mullah complex keeps asserting itself, affecting the policies even of the elected representatives. In Myanmar while the major Buddhist organisation, Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, has called for a humane approach, Buddhist monks like Ashin Wirathu, very much like the Sadhvis and Sakshi Maharajas in India, are the major figures spreading hate against the Muslims. In Myanmar, the battle between these two tendencies (military and a section of the Buddhist Sangha) is strong and Prime Minister Suu Kyi is forced to yield to the military bosses and is part of the decision of supporting the inhuman military action, which is like genocide there. Suu Kyi is hankering for power rather than upholding the principles of human rights which a Nobel Laureate should do. At places campaigns are on to take back her Nobel Prize, as the Nobel Prize should stand for the defence of human rights.
In India, with the high communal polari-sation, Rohigyas being Muslims is reason enough to attribute to them the motives of militancy, and to try to link them with terrorism. These scums of the earth need a soothing touch as major humanitarian agencies are asking for justice for these persecuted people in Myanmar. In India, this is an add on issue for the Hindu communalists who have been baking their political bread in the name of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The latest in this is to try to formulate a law where the Hindu immigrants will be granted shelter while Muslim immi-grants will be expelled by the state. Narendra Modi on his recent visit to Myanmar has been silent on this crucial issue of violation of human rights for tactical and ideological reasons, that is, due to his political ideology.
The author, a retired Professor at the IIT-Bombay, is currently associated with the Centre for the Study of Secularism and Society, Mumbai.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Gauri Lankesh, Plight of Rohingyas
MUSINGS
Gauri Lankesh shot dead in front of her Bengaluru home. Yes, murderedthis firebrand activist-writer-editor. Upright and bold and vocal she was; taking on the Right-wing political mafia in one of those ongoing and determined ways.... As Im filing this column just hours after the news of her murder, so unable to detail the possible whys but quite obviously the various goon brigades stand in the suspect category. In fact, her murder has shocked each one of us. Theres anger amongst activists and writers: Why cant we write or talk about the Right-wing mafia and the top brass... will we be all murdered, one by one, if we speak out and expose the rulers of the day?
Today strains of utter hopelessness are spreading out not just in Bengaluru but also here in New Delhi. After all, amongst the new additions in the Modi Cabinet (expanded last SundaySeptember 3, 2017) is one Ananthkumar Hedge. Yes, he is the same politician from Karnataka who was last year charged with hurting religious sentiment after he said at a press conference: As long as there is Islam in this world, there will be terrorism. He has not just a communal aspect to him but he is also known for getting violentin January he was caught on camera slapping a doctor over his mothers treatment. In the CCTV footage from the TSS hospital in Sirsi, around 400 km from Bengaluru, he was seen grabbing a doctor by the throat and slamming him against a wall. He was seen hitting the doctor. Another doctor was also assaulted by him. These doctors, who were hit by him, displayed scars and gashes.
Tell me, whats in store with such rulers!
Rohingya Refugees FearsWill be Massacred if Deported Back!
With the government of the day all set to deport thousands of the Rohingya refugees who had fled here to India from Myanmar, after facing the worst forms of brutalities in their home country, these refugees are asking: Does the Indian Government want us to be massacred... do they realise that we will be killed, if thrown back to our home country? Why did we flee and reach here? Only and only to save our lives. See our living conditions, we are living worse than animals but at least we are alive!
Yes, it will be human rights violation as these hapless men and women and children fled Myanmar in the worst of conditions and are living here in sub-human conditions; yet even that seems getting snatched from them. To quote Amnesty International India on this
Any measures taken by Indian authorities to forcibly return Rohingya refugees and asylum-seekers to Myanmar, where they are at risk of serious human rights violations, would be a flagrant violation of international law... Sending Rohingya Muslims back to Myanmarwhere the community has faced horrific abuseswould not just be a violation of Indias commitments under international law, but also a blemish on Indias history of supporting those fleeing persecution... Rohingya Muslims, who are among the most persecuted minorities in the world, have faced years of discrimination, repression and violence in Myanmar. In December 2016, Amnesty International documented a brutal campaign of violence against the Rohingya by security forces in Myanmar, which could amount to crimes against humanity. The organisation found evidence of a wide range of human rights violations in Myanmars northern Rakhine State, including unlawful killings, multiple rapes, and the burning down of hundreds of Rohingya homes and buildings. Forcing Rohingya asylum-seekers and refugees back to Myanmar would violate the international principle of non-refoule-mentwhich is recognised in customary inter-national law and is binding on Indiathat forbids states from forcibly returning people to a country where they would be at real risk of serious human rights violations. India is also a state party to other international treaties which recognise this principle, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Indian authorities know very well the abuses the Rohingya community have been facing in Myanmar. Deporting them and abandoning them to their fates would be unconscionable.
In fact, Amnesty International India has also highlighted a very significant factor. I quote
As a country aspiring to a larger global role, India needs to urgently sign the Refugee Convention and put in place a robust domestic framework to protect refugee rights...Despite being home to thousands of refugees, India is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, and does not have a domestic legal refugee protection framework. The treatment of refugees falls largely under the Foreigners Act of 1946, which makes no distinction between asylum-seekers, refugees and other foreigners. The Act makes undocumented physical presence in the country a crime. The Indian Government has mandated the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to register and provide assistance to refugees from non-neighbouring countries and Myanmar. According to UNHCR, there are around 14,000 registered Rohingya people in India, including 3000 asylum-seekers and 11,000 who have been granted refugee status by the organisation. However the Indian Government does not officially recognise these people as refugees. In February, the UN Office of the High Commi-ssioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published a report which documented the human rights violations against Rohingya people. In March, the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar presented her latest findings on human rights violations in Myanmar. Reports of the Special Rapporteur, the OHCHR, Amnesty International and other organisations have found that Rohingya women and girls have been raped, hundreds of people forcibly disappeared and an unknown number killed by security forces in Myanmar. Tens of thousands of Rohingya people have been displacedmany after their homes were burned to the ground by state security forces... In March, India, at the UN Human Rights Council, also supported through consensus the creation of an international fact-finding mission to look into human rights violations in Rakhine State.
Are the biased and politically charged barriers coming in our way from reaching out to these refuge-seekers? Today more and more Right-wing governments are hardening their stand. Sadly, even the United Nations has not been able to give the required cushioning to hundreds of refugees in deep distress, desperately looking for refuge, just about somewhere and anywhere... Whats their future and where do they go, running from one country to the next? How many perish whilst trying to flee?
Leaving you with these lines of Baba Farid Shakarganj ...
These lines of Baba Farid Shakarganj (1173-1265 AD) hold out for the administrators, politicians, cops of the dayFarid, the earth questioned the sky, Where have the mighty captains gone?
In their grave they rot, was the reply.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Rohingya Crisis and BJP Government
EDITORIAL
Speaking at a seminar in New Delhi today Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh stated: Rohingyas are not refugees... No Rohingya has applied for asylum. They are illegal immigrants. This was his clear-cut position with regard to the Myanmarese Rohingyas who had lately entered Bangladesh while some of them had come to India earlier.
Meanwhile Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina has strongly countered Myanmars attempts to label the Rohingyas as illegal immigrants, something Rajnath was parroting without comprehending the nature and magnitude of the catastrophe that has befallen the Rohingya community. According to Hasina, historical records clearly suggested that the Rohingyas were living in the Rakhine State of Myanmar for centuries. She also affirmed on the basis of the ground reality in Myanmar that the government there was forcibly driving out the Rohingya Muslims through a planned and organised process.
Following her visit to the refugee camps in Chittagongs Coxs Bazar, she drew a clear analogy with the situation in 1971. According to her, when the Pakistani forces burned down our houses and killed our people, around 10 million people crossed the border into India. Now they (the Rohingyas) are in danger and we definitely need to give them shelter.
It is in this context that Rajnath Singhs words need to be measured. Without saying so Hasina wants India to do for the Rohingyas today what it did for the Bangladeshis in 1971. Did the Government of India delay help to the Bangladeshis entering this country at that time on the plea that it had to ascertain how many were legal refugees and how many illegal immigrants? Then why this double-standard in the case of the Rohingyas now?
Basically the answer lies in the fact that the Rohingyas are Muslims for whom the BJP/RSS members and activists have little or no sympathy. One would have witnessed a totally different attitude from the representatives of the Union Government had they been overwhelmingly Hindu in their religious persuasion.
No doubt security concerns must be addressed. But should those concerns override humanitarian considerations? And can all the civilians leaving Myanmar be described as militants?
Against this overall backdrop democratic opinion in our country must assert and force the Narendra Modi Government to adopt a humanitarian approach to this humanitarian problem without resorting to any attempt to compel the asylum-seekers back to Myanmar (where they fear they would be liquidated).
September 21 S.C.
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Equipped with a gleaming new building in one of the cities most scenic locations, Missoula College launches a bold new initiative preparing people for not only employment but a lifetime of opportunities.
After three years, and nearly $30 million, Missoula College is completely open for business in the mouth of Hellgate Canyon. The milestone comes after the pouring of tons of concrete, the erection of steel and wood, and installing state-of-the-art systems.
"Theres immense value in creating more than just even the building, the culture, where students are are aware of what their potential can be," Gov. Steve Bullock (D-MT). said.
"But long after all of us gather, years and years and years later, will be dreams being created and opportunities made because of the commitments of so many of you all here. The commitments of legislators," Gov. Bullock added. "The commitments of those in the private sector that helped create this opportunity."
By Dennis Bragg
http://www.kpax.com/story/36436762/missoula-college-praised-as-place-of-opportunity-for-decades-to-come
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"They (Hoffman) have done great work for us," Honeycutt said. "The Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development is innovating like it hasnt in decades."
By Lewis Kendall Chronicle Staff Writer
https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/business/questions-remain-after-state-renews-controversial-tourism-contract/article_9bd40010-7d0b-57b4-b987-c2c183efcaca.html
The U.S. Forest Service has disavowed a legal analysis it commissioned that showed federal land managers have given state wildlife departments more authority than they really possess.
In June, the agency asked the University of Montana to remove the draft report five days after "Fish and Wildlife Management on Federal Lands: Debunking State Supremacy" appeared on the Bolle Center for People and Forests website.
Three weeks later, it terminated a two-year contract with the center and its director, Martin Nie, citing the "provocative title" as a reason.
ROB CHANEY [email protected]
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/forest-service-tried-to-quash-paper-debunking-montana-wildlife-authority/article_2484e14d-a5c4-5ae7-82dc-4da8ee583833.html
MASON CITY | A juvenile has been charged with various traffic-related offenses after he led an Iowa State Patrol trooper on a high-speed chase Friday night, law enforcement said.
Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Dana Knutson said the chase started around 7:30 p.m. on Highway 122 near Jonquil Avenue when a trooper tried to pull over the juvenile for failure to dim headlights.
The chase continued for about three to four minutes, Knutson said, reaching speeds of over 100 mph.
The trooper used a pit maneuver to stop the juvenile's vehicle, a 2000 silver Hyundai, around Eisenhower Avenue, he added. No injuries were reported, and the juvenile surrendered to law enforcement.
Knutson would not release any information about the juvenile or the juvenile's charges.
Juvenile court records are now confidential unless they involve a forcible felony, such as murder, kidnapping or robbery. The law went into effect in July 2016.
However, police are allowed to provide non-identifying, basic information, which includes criminal charges and the age of the juvenile.
MASON CITY | Nicole Marsh has lived on the 100 block of Fifth Street Northeast for the past five years. And in that time, she's seen some crazy stuff happening in and near the boarded-up house next door.
One time, she believes a bathtub was thrown out of a second-floor window. Tree branches have fallen on one of her neighbor's cars. She's also called police when she's found needles in the backyard.
And ultimately, she's nervous about people "squatting" in nearby boarded-up homes.
"They think boarding these houses is going to help, and it's not," said Marsh, 40. "I have a 7-year-old boy, and this is scaring me."
Marsh was talking about 108 Fifth St. N.E., a property overgrown with vegetation and has its front door and some windows boarded up. It's one of three houses boarded up on the block, with another one closed off at 117 Sixth St. N.E.
This past week, the Globe Gazette spoke with city officials and neighbors to examine the current status of the properties. It's unclear what the future of some of them are, but all have been inhabitable at least three years.
Mark Laurenz, pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, said all four properties 108, 122 and 130 Fifth Street N.E., along with 117 Sixth St. N.E., have been boarded for between three to six years.
Laurenz, who also helps run the attached Sunbeam Christian Childcare and Preschool, added that the neighborhood isn't a bad one, but wishes more action was taken on the four properties in question.
"If we make the sidewalks nice, why not tear down the houses?" he said.
One of the properties, 130 Fifth St. N.E., is currently owned by Russ Hardy. Hardy, who said he has owned the rental house for a couple years, said it is "in rehab," and hopes it can be rented out to tenants by late November or early December.
He added he isn't concerned about the other nearby boarded-up properties, because with enough work, they can all be made inhabitable.
"When these apartments are finished and are pleasant places to live ... they will rent in spite of boarded-up houses nearby," he said of his property.
According to city property records, the other three properties in question are owned by Thomas and Cassandra Rattay. The Rattays could not be reached for comment Friday when a Globe reporter knocked on their door.
Ray Quayle, Mason City's rental housing inspector, said the three buildings on the 100 block of Fifth Street Northeast had been white-tagged at least three years ago, meaning they are "uninhabitable." That is determined by looking at any structural issues, possible bed bugs, or any other health and safety issues that may arise, he added.
More specifically, 108 Fifth St. N.E. has been boarded up for at least five years, according to Quayle.
He admitted that "squatters" getting into the boarded-up buildings is an issue, but that demolition of the houses is hard to pursue given the rights property owners have.
"The problem is sometimes the banks aren't cooperative with getting these things done," Quayle said of the process of demolition. "Again, no matter what, people still have rights, and they're going to exercise them."
Steven Van Steenhuyse, Mason City's development services department director, said property owners have constitutional rights, and that as long as some improvements are made and the building is safe to the public, city officials don't have much power to pursue demolition.
Currently, the city uses the 1997 Uniform Code for Abatement of Dangerous Properties to determine whether a building should be demolished, according to Steenhuyse. He added officials have been examining that and other city codes for the past two years, and they are looking at adopting a newer international property code.
"If it's started to deteriorate where pieces of it could fall on the sidewalk, then we could take action," Steenhuyse said about a possible demolition scenario. "But as long as it's safe and secure, we can't do anything about it."
Those who live and work in the neighborhood, however including Lavrenz and Marsh express concerns in just letting properties sit vacant, ranging from the neighborhood's general appearance to possible safety issues.
Lavrenz added, however, that the city has a large workload in terms of these types of properties.
"They have to deal with flooded homes and other areas," he said. "They have taken down a lot of houses in the past two years."
Not everyone, however, is convinced. Marsh said the problem is not restricted to her street, and is indicative of a more important issue.
"Mason City is dying, if you want my honest opinion," she said. "The town's very run-down, and it's a problem."
A gunman opened fire at a church in Antioch, Tennessee, on Sunday, killing one person and wounding six others, according to a spokesman for the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. An eighth victim was "pistol whipped," police said.
"This is a mass casualty situation," the Nashville Fire Department said in a tweet. "All of the wounded have been transported to area hospitals. The majority are older adults."
The shooting occurred at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, a neighborhood in Davidson County governed by Nashville.
The MNPD said it received the first call of multiple shots fired at 11:15 a.m. CT.
The gunman arrived at the church's parking lot as a prayer service was letting out, said Don Aaron, spokesman for the police department.
The gunman, described by police as a man in his mid-20s, shot and killed a woman who was walking to her car before entering the church, Aaron said.
He then fired "multiple rounds" at people in the building, Aaron said. Six people were wounded by gunfire and another was pistol whipped, he added.
One parishioner who witnessed the shooting inside the church "ran up and confronted" the gunman, Aaron said. During a struggle, the gunman mistakenly shot himself, Aaron said.
The suspect is being treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center under police guard. "It is our belief that the gunman's condition is not life-threatening," Aaron said.
All of the victims have been taken to area hospitals, he added.
Police said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Agents from the FBI's Memphis field office are on the scene providing assistance to local law enforcement, an FBI spokesperson told CNN.
CNN's Mary Kay Mallonee contributed to this report.
Walk through the north door of the Nebraska state capitol and you'll see a motto carved in stone over the doorway: "The Salvation of the State is Watchfulness in the Citizen."
A series of stories by the Associated Press to be released Sunday indicates that lawmakers nationwide are chipping away at that motto, in the name of fear, security or simple expediency.
In Arkansas, lawmakers passed a resolution marking the 50th anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act, then passed a law preventing public access to information about the Capitol police force, those of universities or school security plans.
Nebraska lawmakers sought to keep secret the identity of suppliers of lethal-injection drugs, California rushed through a measure keeping dam safety emergency action plans secret, and Texas considered a plan to keep public records secret from anyone who didn't live in Texas.
The Iowa House passed a bill to keep many 911 calls secret by calling them "medical records" after the AP used open records laws to write about gun-related accidents, but the law died in the Senate.
Iowa lawmakers did pass a law keeping secret detailed annual financial statements of the state's 19 licensed casinos, records that had been public for decades.
Florida passed a law requiring records of criminal charges that result in acquittal or dismissal to be automatically sealed, and Kansas proposed a law that would keep the state database of fired police officers secret after a Wichita television station exposed the backgrounds of officers with checkered pasts, including a chief facing federal investigation.
Even more ominously, some agencies have resorted to suing people who make requests for public records, examples include an Oregon parent who wanted details about school employees paid to stay home, a retired educator seeking data about student performance in Louisiana, and college journalists in Kentucky seeking documents about investigations of employees accused of sexual misconduct.
Instead of the information, they received notices that they were being sued by the agency receiving the request, contending release of information would deny employees due process.
Our reporters have found information more difficult to obtain with the switch from paper records to computerized files either through technical difficulties in viewing the actual files, unaffordable expense or other hindrances.
And, suggestions that the City Council and other local government bodies do away with the three-reading rule are alarming.
Professional journalists will continue to do their part, but in the end, it truly is the watchfulness of the average citizen, insisting on timely release of appropriate, accurate information, that will be the salvation of the state.
Photo by Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
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WASHINGTON - Dominique Hill and Irving Smith Jr. had good jobs.
Last year, Hill worked as a bartender at P.F. Chang's in Tysons Corner (Virginia) and Smith had recently been promoted to bartender at Wildfire grill, also in Tysons. Each had more than a decade of experience working in restaurants and was making $700 to $900 a week.
But last summer both of them walked away from their jobs for a chance at something better: the opportunity to work at BLT Prime, the steakhouse in the luxury Trump International Hotel, Washington, District of Columbia.
The couple said they soon discovered their hopes were misplaced. In a civil complaint filed Wednesday morning in D.C. Superior Court, Hill, a former BLT employee, and Smith, a current one, allege that the Trump Organization and hotel managing director Mickael Damelincourt saw to it that the restaurant routinely steered black employees to less lucrative shifts and subjected them to discriminatory behavior by other staff and by guests. The two men are joined in the case by another former BLT employee, JaNette Sturdivant.
Hill said he was the first bartender the restaurant hired last summer, before the hotel opened, but was almost exclusively given only lunch shifts.
"Some days I would just stand there all day long and have no customers," he said. He routinely made $300-$400 for a 30- to 35-hour workweek at BLT. He claims only four black employees still work at BLT after the hotel opened with 15 or more.
Smith, who works as a BLT server, said he was demoted to assistant server early on and rarely given prime shifts, where weekly earnings averaged $600-$1,500 and which allegedly went instead to newly hired white and Latino employees.
"They started hiring all these people and instead of putting them on day shifts they was giving them night shifts and keeping us on day shift. Next thing I know, within the month all the black people were on the day shift," he said.
In a statement, the Trump Organization, which runs the hotel, called the allegations "utterly baseless," particularly because "the Hotel never employed these individuals."
"Rather, the plaintiffs worked for a third-party restaurant company that is solely responsible for the direction, supervision, and management of its own employees. In short, this lawsuit appears to be nothing more than a desperate, politically-motivated publicity stunt. We look forward to litigating this matter," said Amanda Miller, a spokeswoman for f the Trump Organization in a statement.
ESquared Hospitality, which operates the restaurant, said it "wholeheartedly" disputed the allegations and that the employees "did not previously voice or file complaints through any of the proper channels."
"Had they done so, BLT Prime would have immediately taken the alleged complaints seriously and investigated them to the fullest extent and would have taken appropriate action where warranted," the company said.
Trump opened the hotel last fall, weeks before he was elected president. He no longer runs his company and has placed his ownership into a trust, but the family name still adorns everything from the sign out front to the cocktail napkins. After the election, Smith claimed one of his co-workers began making racist statements to him and that Smith's complaints to management fell on deaf ears.
"He used to say 'This is white America time, you need to get used to it, and if you don't get used to it you should go work somewhere else,'" he alleged.
The lawsuit's allegations about the restaurant stand in contrast to the operation of the larger hotel, whose is widely diverse by race, gender and nationality. On a busy Friday night in September, when the hotel unveiled a new dessert menu, staff who appeared to be black worked in prominent positions as bartender, hostess, server, valet and other posts.
A reporter observing six shifts of morning, afternoon and evening work at BLT, viewed staffs that appeared to be diverse as well, although evening bartenders appeared to usually be white. "We work diligently to create a culture of equal opportunity employment with a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of discrimination regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or otherwise," ESquared said in its statement.
Gregg Greenberg, a Maryland employment attorney, said racial discrimination cases are often difficult to prove.
"If you have a client that says, 'I have been discriminated against,' how and why are you able to prove it? Do you have emails or policies in place that are objectively discriminatory? Or do you just have the feeling that someone there is out for you?" he said.
Smith and Hill, unlike most workers in the hotel, were not employed directly by the Trump Organization but by ESquared. Hill produced paperwork showing that in March he filed a discrimination charge with the D.C. Office of Human Rights and underwent mediation in July with attorneys for ESquared.
When that failed, he filed suit with representation from A.J. Dhali, a D.C. attorney who said he has brought nearly 100 employment cases in his career and averages 15 to 18 annually.
Dhali argued the Trump Organization had control over the BLT employees' employment because of the nature of the management contract between the hotel and ESquared. Whether other black employees were treated well or not was not the issue for the court to consider, he said.
"I don't have to show that discrimination occurred against everybody. I just have to show that discrimination occurred against my clients," Dhali said. The plaintiffs are seeking $14.5 million in damages.
Hill and Smith, a gay couple, said they have both experienced discrimination in other restaurant jobs. Smith said guests at Wildfire once informed management they did not want a black or gay server. "Management asked them to leave," he said. He said management at Clyde's issued the same directive when necessary, but that at BLT, he said he had twice observed guests requesting service from nonblack staff who were allowed to stay. The suit cites other allegedly racist behavior by some guests, and it describes a working environment where, for instance, a staff memo posted in the kitchen details how the staff ought to handle $39 ostrich eggs for a dish that includes a photo of an ostrich chasing a black man.
The third plaintiff, Sturdivant, 34, a black woman who worked at BLT from May to June as a server, claimed she was complimented on her light skin after arriving.
"When I first came on board . . . the server manager said it's good to see someone with Milano complexion here," she said. Still, she said she was not given "moneymaking" night shifts.
Hill said he was fired after dropping a Bloody Mary on a baby in a stroller at a weekend brunch. But he said a white server who spilled a bottle of champagne down a bride's dress and was not suspended or fired.
"I kept saying, why am I being terminated? Why can't I be suspended or transferred? . . . My feeling was Mickael, who was right there, was letting me go from the company." After being fired he said he was without work for six weeks and had his cable and electricity cut off in his apartment. Smith lost his car because he could not make the payments.
Smith said he took a second restaurant job to pay his bills and works about 60 hours a week.
"I would go to work crying and ask god why are you doing this? We were so comfortable and gave up everything to go to this place. And then to be treated like this."
A lounge boasting Indian tapas, hookah, and vibrant cocktails has arrived in Murray Hill. Tapa, led by restaurateur Abishek Sharma (Swagat, Surya, Badshah), opened on September 14th, and explores Indian flavors while pointing an eye towards the communal dining, drinking and smoking experience.
The restaurant has a "bread bar" with eight varieties of naan. One of its highlights is Prime Time, which comes topped with rib-eye steak, cheddar, Monterey jack, and mozzarella, and is served with a chipotle dipping sauce. Another option, Eat Your Veggies, combines mushrooms, olives, and truffle oil, and is topped with either marinara or mint sauce. This is fully loaded naan.
The restaurant's tapas portion of the menu will serve Agni Wings, which can be prepared in the hot "Want To Cry" style or in the more tame butter-chicken style; calamari marinated in Indian masala; and "Badass Chicken Tikka," which is coated with spices, yogurt, and jalapenos.
A post shared by Tapa Lounge (@tapaloungenyc) on May 11, 2017 at 10:36pm PDT
The lounge also offers more than 40 hookah flavors, sorted in categories dubbed "house," "exotic," and "exclusive." Cocktails include creations Sari Not Sari (tequila, lime, cucumber, mint, salted rim) and Flight to Mumbai (gin, lime juice, cardamom).
102 Lexington Avenue; 646-657-0512; @tapaloungenyc
Camp Lejeune Town Halls Aim to Help Those Exposed to Toxic Water. Heres How You Can Go.
Retired Marine Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger made it his mission to tell the world that if they lived or served on Camp Lejeune...
BAY CITY - Re-enactors and visitors alike braved 90-degree temperatures and humidity Saturday to bring an annual amalgamation of historic events to the banks of the Saginaw River.
The annual River of Time began with an educational day on Friday, but Saturday's festivities brought the action, with blank-fire skirmishes, WWII airplane flyovers, cannonfire and a naval battle between a Confederate-flag-bearing Appledore IV and an army of reenactors on the shore at Veterans Park.
Tonight, visitors can view a night-firing of the Civil War-era cannon at 7:30 p.m. followed by a candlelight tour. Sunday will feature a WWII skirmish at 2 p.m. - a first for the event.
Reenactors run the gamut from the customary Abraham Lincoln reading the Gettysburg address to a sizeable detachment of Nazi Germany's Waffen-SS. Refreshments came in the form of handmade, cork-bottled root beer from Little John's Sarsaparilla and Root Beer as well as the Civil War-era Emerald Peacock Saloon.
Event Chairwoman Jan Rau said she was proud to see the re-enactors share their passionate pastime through the heat.
"It's not a hobby" Rau said, pointing out that a uniform of full Civil War regalia, weapons and personal effects can easily cost each reenactor more than $2,000. "It's a love of history."
As much as they love history, Rau points out, the reenactors also enjoy "playing guns." She offered the ragtag group of reenactors armed with everything from muskets to machineguns exchanging fire with the Appledore IV as an example of the group taking a few liberties in the name of fun.
"You're not going to read a book about how they used to use wooden bowls and spoons and remember that," Rau said. "You're going to remember something you can feel and touch."
Opinion
Destination Sharjah
The 41st Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) concluded on Sunday. It was a wonderful opportunity for the people of the UAE to see some of the best brains of the earth here in Sharjah. This was the 15th edition I have attended with my children. With each passing year, SIBF is growing better and better. Lots of visitors had great time meeting with great talents. I felt good to see so many young guys and girls taking interest in the book fair.
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The 29th Annual General Meeting of the Company was held on Saturday, September 23, 2017 at 10.45 a.m. at S. K. Somani Memorial Hall, Hindi Vidya Bhawan, 79 - Marine Drive, F road, Mumbai - 400020.In compliance with SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, we hereby submit the following:1.Proceeding of the 29th Annual General Meeting of the Company. (Annexure 'A')2.Details regarding the voting results of 29th Annual General Meeting of the Company. (Annexure 'B')3.The Scrutinizer's Report dated September 23, 2017 submitted by Mr. S. S. Rauthan, Proprietor of M/s. S.S. Rauthan & Associates, on the e-voting and poll process conducted for the resolutions at the 29th Annual General Meeting. (Annexure 'C')The resolution has been passed unanimously.Source : BSE
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Q28. X was conceived by three friendsScott Seamans, George Boedecker, and Lyndon Hansonon a trip in the Caribbean, when Seaman showed his friends the extraordinary slip-resistant clog he was wearing; learning that it was made by a Canadian company called "Foam Creations," the friends spotted an opportunity. The name of the company is derived from the snout of a reptile. Identify X?
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Fresh from its recent IPO success, Cochin Shipyard (CSL) is now setting sail to newer shores as it looks to set up ship-building and repair facilities in Andaman and Nicobar, Gujarat, Kolkata and Mumbai. This was disclosed by Union Shipping, Road Transport, Highways and Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari in an interview to PTI.
"We are expanding Cochin Shipyard. We will have ship-building and repair facilities in Andaman and Nicobar, Gujarat and Mumbai. World-class ship repair and ship-building should be there. Ships should be built with new technologies. The process is on," Gadkari said.
An agreement with Andaman and Nicobar has been formalised to this effect, Gadkari said. The state-owned firm, a leading player in the ship- building and repair industry, saw its initial public offering (IPO) getting oversubscribed as many as 75 times last month.
CSL is building four passenger-cumcargo vessels for the Andaman and Nicobar administration under the Make in India initiative and as per orders placed by the administration, two of these will have a capacity of 500 persons-cum-150 tonne cargo and the remaining two 1,200 persons-cum-1,000 tonne. The ships are built at a cost of about Rs 1,500 crore.
"Besides the agreement with Andaman and Nicobar, we are giving Kolkata's Hooghly dock to them (CSL). They will make new barges," the minister said. CSL plans to build a Rs 100-crore facility on the shore of the Hooghly in Kolkata for construction of vessels for inland water transport.
Gadkari said, "We have tied up with a German company. We are changing designs so that same capacity barge with same engine can carry 4,000-5,000 tonne of cargo instead of early 2,000 tonne. We are trying to tie up with international companies so that we can use methanol."
CSL Chairman Madhu S Nair told PTI that CSL, in line with the shipping ministry's and the government's road map, has been in talks with major port trusts for ship repair facilities.
According to Nair, the company is lining up Rs 3,100 crore over the next five years for capacity expansion in ship-building and repair. It also plans to create an international ship repair facility within the yard, for which it has already leased a 42-acre plot from the Cochin Port Trust.
CSL is the only shipyard in India that can build up to 110,000 DWT (deadweight tonnes) with a track record of making tankers, bulk carriers, port crafts and passenger vessels, among others. Currently, it is into constructing platform supply vessels for exports and aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy.
It is also the only shipyard in the country which can fix vessels up to 125,000 DWT, besides being the only yard that can repair an air defence ship. India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, is in its final stage of construction at CSL.
CSL completed its landmark IPO in August, which was a smashing hit, attracting more than Rs 1.11 lakh crore as against the offer size of Rs 1,442 crore. Parts of the IPO proceeds will be utilised for expansion projects of the state-run entity, the government has said.
CSL, under the shipping ministry, was listed on the BSE and the NSE on August 11 this year. The PSU had clocked revenue of Rs 2,059 crore in 2016-17, with ship-building operations accounting for 74 percent and repair the rest. Its profit after tax was Rs 312 crore.
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Private sector life insurer IndiaFirst is eyeing Rs 50-crore net profit this fiscal, driven by significant growth in its new business premium besides retention of the existing customers.
The company, a joint venture between British multinational Legal & General and two state-run lenders - Bank of Baroda and Andhra Bank - had posted Rs 35 crore profit last fiscal.
"The company achieved a net profit of Rs 35 crore for the fiscal 2017 and now we are looking at increasing it to Rs 50 crore by March 2018," IndiaFirst Life Insurance managing director and chief executive R M Vishakha told PTI.
She said the company is working on a multi-pronged strategy to achieve the target and added that an expected increase in new business premium and retention of the existing policyholders will help in the profit growth.
The private sector life insurer intends to leverage the distribution channels introduced by regulator Irdai and is currently working on products which can be sold through POS (point of sale) and/or common service centres.
After the soft launch of one such product 'Insurance Khata' recently, the firm plans its pan-India roll out by November.
In terms of individual new business premium or annual premium equivalent (APE) year-to-date (YTD) in August, IndiaFirst Life grew 120 percent as against the industry expansion of 26 percent, Vishakha said.
"We intend to continue to maintain above average industry growth rate in future too," she said.
The individual new business annual premium equivalent of the company grew 120 percent to Rs 189 crore YTD on August- end. Similarly, total new business APE premium grew 72 percent to Rs 207 crore on August-end, she added.
Talking about the product mix the company has got at present, Vishakha said that Ulip comprises 50 percent of the total retail space.
There is also a focus on increasing protection through group term policies.
So far, the company has insured 54,000 lives under group insurance products for the staff of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, she said.
A vendor waits for customers as he sells rice at a market in Kolkata September 23, 2010. India's food price index rose 15.46 percent in the year to September 11, government data on Thursday showed. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri (INDIA - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS) - RTXSK2L
India's rice output is likely to fall by 1.9 million tonnes (MT) to 94.48 MT in kharif season this year on account of poor rain as well as floods, official sources said.
The production of pulses and coarse cereals is estimated to have fallen, dragging the overall foodgrains output in kharif (summer-sown) season to 134.67 MT from record 138.52 MT in last kharif, as per the sources.
Kharif foodgrain basket comprises rice, pulses and coarse cereals. Harvesting will start from next month.
Barring sugarcane, the production of all major kharif crops is likely to decline.
The Union Agriculture Ministry will release its first advance estimate on Monday.
Rice ouptut is estimated to fall at 94.48 MT in the kharif season of the 2017-18 crop year (July-June) from the record 96.39 MT in last kharif, the official who did not wish to be named said. Pulses output could drop to 8.71 MT from the record 9.42 MT due to depressed prices and poor rains. The production of tur and urad are pegged at 3.99 MT and 2.53 MT, respectively. Coarse cereals output is also seen lower at 31.49 MT against 32.71 MT in last kharif season.
Among cash crops, cotton output is estimated to be slightly lower at 32.27 million bales (of 170 kg each) in the 2017-18 crop year (July-June) from 33.09 million bales.
However, sugarcane output might rise to 337.69 million tonnes from 306.72 million tonnes.
Oilseeds output is estimated to be down at 20.68 MT in the kharif season of this year from 22.40 MT in the year-ago period. Soyabean output has been pegged at 12.22 MT.
The fall in kharif output is attributed to dry spell as well as floods in some parts of the country.
The overall southwest monsoon, crucial for rain-fed kharif crops, was projected normal, but till first week of this month it was less by five per cent.
Assam, Bihar, Gujarat and Rajasthan witnessed floods, while parts of Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu faced dry spell.
The kharif output estimates might be revised later taking feedback from states. The ministry releases four estimates before the final one at different stages of harvesting.
Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court has told a popular fluorescent lamp (CFL) manufacturer that if it cannot meet the e-waste collection targets set by the government, then it should correspondingly reduce the number of units it puts in the market.
"If you cannot collect that much (the numbers specified by the government), then do not put in that much (in the market)," Justice Vibhu Bakhru told the company, Philips Lighting India.
The court's observation came while hearing Philips' plea challenging the target fixed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for collection of e-waste, like compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), by it in 2017-18.
The company later withdrew its plea opposing the government's July 12 order fixing the targets for collection.
The July 12 order of the CPCB had fixed a target of 5,330 tonne or 39 million CFLs and mercury containing lamps, which would be discarded by consumers in 2017-18, for the company to collect and dispose of.
The company had claimed that the target was impossible to meet as the consumer would decide whether to discard the bulbs or CFLs. It had also said that the target fixed by the CPCB was 30 percent of its production.
It said it cannot compel a consumer to return the CFLs or other mercury bulbs to it before the product fails to perform and hence, the term 'end of life' as defined in the government's e-waste management rules was vague.
Under the rules, 'end of life' of product has been defined to mean "when the product is intended to be discarded by the consumer", the company had said in its plea.
The court, however, did not accept this argument either and said that it has not seen any advertisement informing consumers to deposit bulbs for collection. It said that the advertisements were only focussed on selling products.
Stating that the first phase of the much-delayed Navi Mumbai airport project will "commence" by December 2019, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said his government would issue a letter of intent (LoI) as awarding the contract is a "matter of time" now.
He also said the pre-developmental works for the ambitious project will be completed by May next year.
The CM's statement assumes significance as award of the LoI is considered as an important step in taking the project forward, which is dogged by inordinate delays since its conception in 1997.
Infrastructure major GVK Group had bagged the financial bid to build and operate the second international airport in the Mumbai metropolitan region at an investment of Rs 16,000 crore earlier this year, beating rival GMR Group.
However, the project couldn't make any progress as the state government has not yet approved and finalised the finance deal won by the GVK. Once the government gives its nod, a letter of award will be given to the contractor, after which a special purpose vehicle (SPV) can be set up to execute the project.
"There are two phases of the Navi Mumbai airport. One phase is the pre-works in which you have to level the land, cut a hill and you have to change the course of the river. So these are the pre-development works which we have awarded the contract and they have already started the work.
"So possibly the site with the pre-development works will be ready by May next year. The concessionaire for (the airport) is also nearly shortlisted. It is a matter of time that we will award the contract. We will issue the letter of intent to the concessionaire and what is intended is that the first phase of the Navi Mumbai airport should commence by December 2019," Fadnavis told reporters on the sidelines of "ISB Leadership Summit" organised by the Indian School of Business here.
The project has faced inordinate delays over the issues of environment and land acquisition since the state government approved it in 2007.
The project will be carried out on a public-private partnership (PPP) model and Cidco (City and Industry Development Corporation), a government authority for city planning, will incur pre-development work costs, which it will be later recovered from GVK.
Interestingly, a CAPA Global Strategy Report for July-August, 2017, had recently stated that the airport is unlikely to commence operations before March 2024, as significant earthworks need to be performed at the site, located in Raigad district adjoining Mumbai.
Meanwhile, replying to a query, Fadnavis said his government had requested the Centre to differentiate between smaller and bigger states in allotting the "ease of doing business" ranking.
"What we have requested the DIPP (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion) is to slightly differentiate between the large states and the small states. Having said that, we will aim that we should be a leading state (in the ranking). That we will achieve this year," the CM said.
He said the new GST (Goods and Services Tax) regime could have some hiccups initially, but his government is capable of achieving the targets.
On the recent torrential rains that led to flooding of roads in Mumbai, the chief minister said the pumping network to flush out water into sea has begun and 60 per cent of the work has been completed.
He refused to take questions on the Shiv Sena, the belligerent partner of the ruling BJP which has recently indicated to pull out of the coalition government.
Earlier in his address to ISB students, Fadnavis underlined the need to shift people from agriculture to other sectors, as 50 percent of people in Maharashtra are dependent on agriculture.
"Agriculture does not have the capacity to consume (to sustain) 50 percent of people. We need to shift 15-20 percent of people to other sectors of economy..to service sector...to industries sector, and we have started doing that," he said.
Fadnavis said Maharashtra registered a 15.5 percent growth in agriculture, which was on a downward spiral, after he took over as chief minister three years ago.
More haste, less speed. However, in this case, a blunder.
In the haste to attack India at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) after Sushma Swarajs speech accusing Pakistan of spreading terrorism, Pakistan committed a blunder.
Maleeha Lodhi exposes true face of India by calling it "Mother of Terrorism" in her UN speechhttps://t.co/TpSPh5LcCQ pic.twitter.com/CbLojolIZR
Times of lsIamabad (@TimesofIslambad) September 24, 2017
Its permanent representative to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, erroneously displayed a picture of a grievously injured woman during the Gaza war in an attempt to show the face of Indian democracy.
Lodhi tried to pass off the victim as being a Kashmiri woman who was injured in pellet firing by Indian security forces. The picture which she confidently displayed is actually of 17-year-old Rawya Abu Joma who was injured when two Israeli airstrikes hit her familys apartment in Gaza during the 2014 war, as per Outlook Indias report.
Lodhi, while brandishing the picture, accused Narendra Modi of killing Muslims in Gujarat. She exclaimed, This, Mr President, is the face of Indias democracy," adding that the largest democracy was also the largest hypocrisy in the world.
Earlier, Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj had slammed Pakistan by accusing it of only producing terrorists since independence.
IRB Infrastructure Developers | In 2020 so far, the share price has moved up 76 percent to Rs 131.20. It's trailing twelve months (TTM) P/E was 6.40 multiple while 5-year average P/E was 8.30 multiple.
The two-day Correct North East (NE) summit has recommended connectivity led infrastructure revolution in the region, developing NE Ring Road, North East Implementation Agency and High Powered NE Economic Forum.
The recommendations were part of the 'Nagaland Declaration' of the summit organised by The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) and jointly supported by Union Ministries of External Affairs, Road Transport and Highways and Development of North East Region.
It was hosted by Nagaland government which concluded at NBCC Convention Centre on Saturday.
As the way forward, the summit emphasised on the need to setup a North East Implementation Agency to handle funding of the projects and also put together a team for hands-on monitoring of each project.
The primary objective of the agency will be to streamline implementation and ensure timely completion of projects including development of roads and highways, inland water transport, power, airports, etc.
It will also work towards opening up connectivity routes with the neighbouring countries including Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, the summit recommended.
The High Powered NE Economic Forum comprised of the Chief Ministers, ministers and other relevant stakeholders could act as a think tank for synchronising planning and efforts for development of the NE Region, especially with respect to connectivity, the summit suggested.
It also recommended that a NE ring road should be developed connecting all the north eastern states which will run parallel to the international borders and would enable border logistics in a way never before possible.
The proposed road would cover distance of around 4,000 km and could mostly follow existing road alignments wherever possible.
On the connectivity led infrastructure resolution in NE Region, the summit proposed that all state capitals in NE need four-lane road connectivity. In order to attract investments, the summit felt that the internal infrastructure of a state including roads, bridges and amenities centre have to be upgraded rapidly.
The recommendations were presented in the concluding session of the summit by Chairman Ficci-NEAC Ranjit Barthakur.
The fifth Connect North East Summit will be held in Arunachal Pradesh in 2018.
Representative image
A shallow 3.5-magnitude earthquake which hit North Korea near the country's nuclear test site on Saturday was likely an aftershock from the hermit state's missile test on September 3, a nuclear test ban watchdog and other experts said.
Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), tweeted the quake was "unlikely Man-made! Similar to 'collapse' event 8.5 mins after DPRK6", a reference to the second tremor that followed the September 3 test.
"The most probable hypothesis at present is that this is a consequence of the previous event, which was of a significant magnitude and may still have repercussions in a fracture zone," Zerbo told AFP.
The China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC), which initially spoke of a "suspected explosion," also said it believed Saturday's tremor was not the result of a fresh test, Xinhua news agency reported after the China Earthquake Administration, of which CENC is a part, studied infrasonic data of the latest quake.
The CENC said the epicentre was at 41.36 degrees north latitude and 129.06 degrees east latitude, similar to another quake on September 3 after the North Korean nuclear test that day.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted the Korea Meteorological Agency (KMA) as saying "there is no possibility that this could be an artificial quake."
The quake came after days of increasingly bellicose rhetoric between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's regime, as international alarm mounts over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake struck around 20 km away from the North's nuclear test site, where earlier this month Pyongyang detonated its sixth and largest device, which it claimed was a hydrogen bomb capable of being launched on a missile.
"This event occurred in the area of the previous North Korean Nuclear tests. We cannot conclusively confirm at this time the nature (natural or human-made) of the event. The depth is poorly constrained and has been held to five km by the seismologist," USGS said in a statement.
The North's last test, on September 3, was the country's most powerful detonation, triggering a much stronger 6.3-magnitude quake that was felt across the border in China.
A second tremor soon after that test was possibly caused by a "cave-in", CENC said at the time.
The test prompted global condemnation, leading the United Nations Security Council to unanimously adopt new sanctions that include restrictions on oil shipments.
A UN-backed monitoring group said analysts were investigating today's quake.
The strength of the quake was much lower than the tremors registered during any of North Korea's previous nuclear tests, including its first detonation in 2006, which triggered a 4.1-magnitude quake.
Social media users in China said they "felt nothing" when today's quake hit, while Russia's weather forecasting service said radiation levels were normal following the tremor, according to a report by the Interfax news agency.
The quake came at the end of a week that saw a blistering war of words between Kim and Trump, with the US leader using his maiden speech at the UN General Assembly to warn that Washington would "totally destroy" the North if America or its allies were threatened.
The North, which says it needs nuclear weapons to protect itself against the threat of a US invasion, responded on Friday with a rare personal rebuke from Kim, who called Trump "mentally deranged" and threatened the "highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history".
Tens of thousands of North Koreans gathered in Pyongyang on Saturday to applaud the regime's stance, their fists clenched as speakers repeated Kim's denigration of Trump as a "dotard".
Such set-piece rallies, organised by the authorities, are a regular feature of political life in Pyongyang, and analysts say Kim is exploiting Trump's angry commentary to reinforce his leadership.
Ri Il Ung, a 24-year-old university student who attended the rally, said: "Trump is a warmonger and a backstreet gangster." "It's quite ridiculous that such a person could become a politician," he said.
Washington announced tougher restrictions on Friday aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programme, building on tough new UN sanctions aimed at choking Pyongyang of cash.
Russia and China have both appealed for an end to the escalating rhetoric between Washington and Pyongyang.
But on the fringes of the UN meeting this week, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho upped the tensions further, telling reporters Pyongyang might now consider detonating a hydrogen bomb outside its territory.
Monitoring groups estimate that the nuclear test conducted in North Korea earlier this month had a yield of 250 kilotons, which is 16 times the size of the US bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.
Hydrogen bombs, or H-bombs, are thermonuclear weapons far more powerful than ordinary fission-based atomic bombs, and use a nuclear blast to generate the intense temperatures required for fusion to take place.
Talks to update the North American Free Trade Agreement intensified on Saturday although US negotiators looked set to once again withhold proposals for one of the Trump administration's most challenging issues.
Teams from the United States, Mexico and Canada kicked off the third of seven planned rounds of discussions in Ottawa amid warnings from trade experts that time was quickly running out to seal a deal by the end of the year as planned.
One key issue is the US desire to strengthen rules of origin for autos, which dictate how much of a vehicle's components must originate from within North America to qualify for tax free status.
The American side did not mention a specific goal in the first two rounds and Canada's chief NAFTA negotiator on Saturday said he did not think the United States would provide more details during the Ottawa round.
"We're not expecting that, no," Steve Verheul told reporters, predicting the pace of the talks would nonetheless quicken.
According to a schedule of the talks obtained by Reuters, rules of origin will be discussed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump wants more US content in autos, citing trade deficits of USD 64 billion with Mexico and USD 11 billion with Canada. Trump, who says NAFTA is weighted against his country, has threatened to walk away from the agreement.
Flavio Volpe, president of the Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association, said late on Friday he felt it was too early for detailed rule of origin proposals given that US officials were still talking to the domestic industry.
"It's fine for us if they take a little longer so we all understand what our interests are and we make the right deal. We don't need an early deal," he said.
US chief negotiator John Melle said ahead of the talks that his team would introduce the difficult provisions in Ottawa talks that are due to last for five days.
Another tricky issue is labor, given complaints from US and Canadian unions that Mexico's low wages give it a manufacturing advantage.
The United States is also expected to present proposals on intellectual property and investment, sources with knowledge of discussions said. Other areas of disagreement include dispute settlement mechanisms.
Canadian and Mexican officials, as well as US businesses, have already rejected a proposal by Washington to include a five-year sunset provision in the updated agreement, saying it added uncertainty to investment planning.
Kim Jong Un
Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on Saturday attacking North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho's comment about him during the United Nations General Assembly Meet.
Ri Yong-ho called Donald Trump a "mentally deranged" leader and said targeting the US mainland with its rockets was inevitable after Mr. Evil President Donald Trump called Kim Jong-un a rocket man," a Reuters report said.
Soon after the insults were exchanged in the Meet, North Korea held a large anti-US rally in its capital city Pyongyangs Kim Il Sung Square, supporting their leader Kim Jong-un.
The marchers, including workers, officials and students carried signs with slogans saying decisive revenge and death to the American imperialists and shouted phrases such as total destruction.
On one hand, where North Korea is holding anti-US rallies, US is showing their strength by flying off bombers to the east coast of North Korea
Also read: 3.5-magnitude quake near North Korea nuclear test site
The North Korea terror is also keeping India on its toes. At the UNGA Meet, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said, "Nuclear proliferation is back in the zone of dangerous headlines. Cybersecurity has become a source of deep insecurity."
North Korea has been carrying out nuclear and missile tests in violation of the UN Security Council resolution.
"The thought is that parents, grandparents, will bring their kids there to have fun, to use the trails, but also to understand the history of veterans' service in Towamencin," land planner Peter Simone
Rabbis installation at Keneseth Israel will get a boost of student creativity
The Helena Regional Airport is offering a larger flight to Denver, which is one of several efforts to respond to a decade of growth.
Airport Director Jeff Wadekamper said the airport has experienced 22 percent growth in the last 10 years and is working on a grant to add more flight options and a terminal expansion next year.
In 2016, the airport saw a record year of growth up 3.5 percent from 2015. Wadekamper said most smaller airports are trying to maintain services, but Helena is ready for additional flights.
Were seeing that stable growth, he said. Keeping air services is the biggest challenge today.
The United flight to Denver started operating with a 76 seat Embraer 175 on Sept. 6, which increases the number of seats available by 41 percent per year. Wadekamper said United will completely phase out its 50 seat jets by 2018, making the 76 seat flight permanent. The new jet has a first class section, which Wadekamper said is in high demand.
While some smaller communities are already having trouble filling a 50-seat jet, Wadekamper said United flights out of Helena have been nearly full. This year, flights have been 89 percent full.
Theyve done very well in Helena, Wadekamper said.
The airport has diversified its revenue to be less dependent on income from airlines. Wadekamper said 34 percent of the airports revenue comes from non-aviation sources like lease income from owning the land Costco, Boeing and the Independent Record sit on.
Delta and Alaska Airlines, the other two airlines operating out of Helena, are also open to growth. Delta recently increased their service to Salt Lake City to a 76-seat jet.
Wadekamper said the airport is planning to expand its terminal. Passengers have been boarding Alaska Airlines flights from the ground, but the decision to bring in a larger jet in the next few years will require another jet bridge.
The number one destination for passengers is Seattle, closely followed by Portland. Wadekamper said the airport is interested in getting back a morning flight to Seattle, which went away several years ago, and adding a flight to Portland. The community has already raised $125,000 as an incentive for airlines to guarantee they wont lose money when expanding into a new market. The airport is working on a matching grant of $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Once that grant is secured, Wadekamper said the airport will propose Alaska Airlines add another flight to Seattle and one to Portland.
Clean Chemistry, a chemical technology company, announced its patented PeroxyMAX chemistry has received Environmental Protection Agency biocide registration.
Damon Waters, chief executive officer and co-founder of the company, said the registration was the result of several years effort.
This registration takes several years to obtain, he said by phone from his Boulder, Colorado, office. As we continue to look to expand our reach, meeting federal regulations are necessary, and this is a big milestone.
He said the new registration will help the company broaden its customer base.
Were using it in the Permian Basin primarily for clarification and reuse of production water. Now we can work with customers who want to use it as a biocide, he said.
Some Permian Basin operators have worked with the company for water treatment but not for certain other applications because they wanted to use registered biocides, he said.
The oil and gas industry has long been seeking safer, more efficient chemicals with less toxic byproducts than the traditional chlorine chemistries, Waters said. They want to get away from the more caustic, damaging, corrosive chemistries theyve been using but dont like.
The company has been active in the Permian for the past few years and has opened a field office in Odessa to serve the region. Waters said new staff has been hired, and the company is focused on growing the office.
Were working with new partners and several customers. The momentum for growth continues, he said.
Waters sees continued demand for treatment options, particularly high-performance treatments such PeroxyMAX, as the industry moves towards reuse of produced water.
More infrastructure projects are being built around water, and with that centralized treatment to bring costs down and improve economics, theres a big opportunity for everyone as the industry trends toward reuse at a good price, he said.
Beyond using the PeroxyMAX chemistry in upstream water management in oil and gas, the new registration will allow Clean Chemistry access to a $10 billion market seeking to solve microbial control problems in a broader variety of industrial processes.
New industries that the company will be able to explore include food and beverage, pulp and paper, power plants, mining and cooling towers.
Sabinal Energy announces Central Basin Platform acquisition
THE WOODLANDS Sabinal Energy LLC and the Kayne Private Energy Income Fund LP announced the closing of the purchase of certain producing oil and natural gas assets owned by Chevron U.S.A. Inc. in the Central Basin Platform and Northern Shelf of West Texas.
The acquired assets produce about 7,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day across a roughly 66,500 net acre position in Hockley, Terry and Gaines counties.
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BP starts delivering natural gas to buyers in Mexico
By Collin Eaton
Houston Chronicle
BP has begun piping natural gas to buyers across eight states in Mexico as the country continues to open its energy sector to foreign investors, the company said.
The British oil giant said its delivering gas to industrial companies, distributors and power producers purchasing a combined 200 million British thermal units per day of natural gas.
BP had secured rights to pipe gas to the country in an auction earlier this year. It also plans to open some 1,500 gasoline stations in Mexico during the next half-decade; it had opened its first stations in March.
CenterPoints Enable Midstream buying Dallas company for $300M
HOUSTON CenterPoint Energys Enable Midstream joint venture said its buying Dallas pipeline company Align Midstream for $300 million.
Oklahoma City-based Enable is the pipeline and processing joint venture controlled by Houstons CenterPoint and Oklahomas OGE Energy. Enable is buying Align from the Dallas private equity firm Tailwater Capital.
The deal gives Enable Midstream Partners a strong position with more natural gas pipeline gathering and processing networks in the Haynesville and Cotton Valley shale plays in East Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. Align owns about 190 miles of gathering pipelines within those regions and a processing plant in Panola.
We are excited about the outlook for the Cotton Valley and Haynesville, and this acquisition further builds out our footprint to capture opportunities in active areas of these plays, said Enable CEO Rod Sailor.
Colorado fines oil and gas company $225,000 for 2016 spill
DENVER Colorado has fined an oil and gas company $225,000 for a pipeline leak that contaminated soil and water on a hunting ranch in the western part of the state.
The Denver Post reported the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission fined a subsidiary of Encana Oil and Gas over a June 2016 spill on the Bishop Ranch outside the town of Parachute.
Encana has not said how big the spill was. The newspaper said it obtained a state document showing the Encana subsidiary has recovered about 50,000 gallons at a cost of $2.7 million.
Bishop Ranch owner Mike Bishop said the fine wasnt big enough and was unlikely to deter future spills.
The ranch filed a state lawsuit over the spill. The suit is still pending.
Harvey is putting a new spotlight on a spaghetti-like network of petroleum pipelines that run across the plains and fields of Texas, disrupting the ability of at least two major Gulf Coast conduits to send fuels north.
The 5,500-mile Colonial Pipeline, a top transporter of gasoline for the Northeast, has closed part of its line after the pace of supply fell from refiners damaged by the storm. Meanwhile, Explorer Pipeline Inc. shut its lines to Tulsa and Chicago citing similar issues.
Why is the pace of supply so important? You need fuel to push fuel. Pumps at the start of a pipe get things moving, and those at its end suck product out. But its simple momentum, so-called operating pressure, that keeps it moving in pipes that can run hundreds and even thousands of miles long. Without enough bulk at the back end, things come to a halt.
Its not as much running out of supply as the timing, the speed at which supply gets to market, said Buster Brown, Colonial Pipeline Co.s director of scheduling. The issue is the pace of supply were getting from the origins.
The pipeline challenges come as the industry works to recover from a storm that hit the Gulf Coast with Category 4 force on Aug. 25 near Corpus Christi, inundating the surrounding area with flooding rains. That surge, and the storms slow movement along the coast as a tropical storm, crippled refineries and hampered crude production throughout the region.
Texas accounts for about one-sixth of total pipeline mileage in the U.S., making it the largest system in the country, with most starting or ending on the Gulf Coast, where as many as 35 major refineries are located, according to a report by Lipow Oil Associates LLC in Houston. At least two dozen companies operate pipeline assets in Texas and Louisiana, the Association of Oil Pipe Lines, a Washington-based industry lobbying group, said.
Most pipeline operators in that region upgraded their systems over the past few years, as part of a concentrated push to withstand storms after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the region in 2005 and Ike came in 2008, according to a 2016 study by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Alternate centers
Those upgrades included new electrical systems with battery backup, as well as elevated control rooms and pump stations. In some cases, operators set up alternate control centers or office space away from storm-prone areas, the U.S. Department of Energy said in a separate report.
That helped them survive the flooding from Harvey. Now, the operators are hoping that efforts by Valero Energy Corp., Citgo Petroleum Corp., both said to be restarting their refineries near Corpus Christi, are the initial steps toward a regional revival. At the same time, the U.S. government is set to release 1 million barrels of oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the first emergency discharge in five years.
"While there are hurdles to putting things back, there has not been catastrophic damage" to Gulf Coast pipelines, said John Stoody, vice president of government and public relations at the pipe line association. Now, though, we are seeing reduction in service, and it will take time to return."
Motiva plant still closed
Until that new supply kicks in, pipelines will struggle to keep the flow moving. Motiva Enterprises LLCs Port Arthur plant in Texas, the largest U.S. refinery, remains shut due to flooding.
In some storms, we have recovered pretty quickly, said John Auers, executive vice president at energy consultant Turner Mason & Co., in a telephone interview. "However, this Harvey is an epic rain event, and right in the heart of the refining industry."
Colonial, which moves 1.3 million barrels a day of gasoline, said its lines are running east of Lake Charles, Louisiana, though operations are down in the Houston area.
"Deliveries will be intermittent and dependent on terminal and refinery supply," the company said in a statement. The operator is seeking to resume service from Houston on Sunday, the company said.
Explorer, meanwhile, doesnt have a time line to restart, but is working with shippers "to pump product under any feasible situation," spokesman Dolin Argo said in an email.
Lower flows
Pipeline operators can reduce pressures to accommodate lower flows, but how low depends on the types of pumps and valves a line has, according to Stoody. A few can operate down to 20 percent, he said. If supply is below minimum levels, operators can collect supply into tanks until they have enough to flow a batch to its destination.
Other lines have also been slowed. Magellan Midstream Partners LP was able to restart one products line into Houston, the company said, but others remain suspended. The company has also shut its Longhorn and BridgeTex crude pipes, stranding 675,000 barrels a day of oil.
Companies are working to assess the safety and potential damage of assets theyre able to access, according to Christi Craddick, chair of the Railroad Commission of Texas, which has regulatory authority over the states oil and gas industry. But in the coastal areas where Harvey did its worst, flooding is preventing operators from even being able to inspect some sites, she said.
"Until the water goes down and we can really go in make an assessment, I dont think anybody knows yet what assets look like" in the areas hardest hit by Harvey, Craddick said in a telephone interview. "We dont have a time line at this point."
With the last click of the computer mouse or tap of the tablet computer or smartphone, University Lands racked up $118 million in revenue from what was the largest lease sale in its history. The sale ended Sept. 20.
Of the approximately 400,000 acres being offered throughout the West Texas portion of the Permian Basin, the sale resulted in the lease of 43,724 acres for an average lease price of $2,700 per acre. Some lots went for more than $12,000 per acre.
We were pleased with the results, Mark Houser, chief executive officer of University Lands, said in a phone interview from his Houston office. Its been awhile since we had such a large sale. We had a lot of potential interest, and we got good value from the prices.
For this sale, University Lands made some changes to accommodate the trend toward horizontal drilling, putting together 95,000 acres in continuous lots to promote horizontal drilling, Houser said.
While much of the acreage leased was adjacent to existing development, some bidders leased acreage in more fringe areas, according to Houser.
He listed acreage in Culberson County, in southern Pecos County and some acreage in Ward County on the edge of the Delaware Basin as more exploratory in nature. Some acreage was even leased in Crane County in what he called part of the new Barnett Shale play.
While Houser admitted that less acreage was leased than he had expected, he said the results ensure continued development on university lands.
Well have 300 wells drilled on our lands this calendar year. For folks to earn this acreage, theyll have to drill 300 wells over the next three years. That keeps feeding the development pipeline, he said.
The sale was offered online through the platform EnergyNet. Houser said he was pleased with the coverage and visibility from the platform. There were 68 registered bidders bidding from 10 states, he said.
As the agency reviews the results of the sale, Houser said hes not sure when the next offering will be.
We had held off on significant lease sales for awhile. Do we want the predictable sale every six months, or do we wait on demand and have a larger sale? he said.
Look for another sale next year.
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This past academic year, Midland ISD celebrated as four schools worked their way off the states list of failing campuses.
Turnaround has been -- and will continue to be -- the expectation for these schools.
Milam Elementary -- more than any other school -- has been the poster child for this effort and what can be achieved. The school tucked away in east Midland has not only met expectations but in some cases is surpassing them. At a recent MISD board meeting, school officials were honored for a rare double. Milam officials were congratulated for coming off the Texas Education Agencys improvement required list and were honored for having three TEA distinction designations: for academic achievement in mathematics, for landing in the top 25 percent in student progress and for landing in the top 25 percent in closing performance gaps.
So in a span of one year, Milam went from being a four-time failing campus to posting more distinction designations than all but three Midland ISD schools (Carver Center, Early College High School and Parker Elementary).
We had to make sure we had a culture of high academic achievement, said Iliana Bermea, who is in her third year as Milams principal.
Bermea said that when she arrived two years ago, a restructuring took place to establish that culture of high academic achievement. She said those on the Milam campus had to gain awareness of the essential things we needed to cover to allow teachers to have expectations and to allow students to have accountability for their own work.
Even though we didnt get out of IR (in 2016), we showed significant progress, Bermea said. We knew what we were doing was the right thing. We refined those processes last year.
Bermea told the Reporter-Telegram about school-wide systems of collaboration, data management and intervention. The school is also benefiting from being in its third year of professional learning communities (PLCs). The proof is in the data.
When it comes to student achievement -- TEA Index No. 1 -- Milam went from a score of 44 in 2015 to 52 in 2016 and to 70 in 2017.
A similar jump was seen in TEA Index 3 -- closing the performance gaps, which emphasizes advanced academic achievement of the economically disadvantaged student group and the lowest performing race/ethnicity student groups at each campus or district. Here, Milams 19 in 2015 rose to a 42 in 2017.
Third-grade math scores have soared from 35 in 2015 to 65 in 2016 to 93 in 2017.
(The scores) were affirmation what we were doing what the right thing, Bermea said.
MISDs chief academic officer, Patrick Jones, said of Milam: They are really setting the bar and letting all other campuses know -- not just in Midland but across the state -- it can be done. ... They are just at the beginning.
Expectations are high, and the work continues. Milam received students from the former Crockett Elementary campus, which was forced to close because of seven straight failing years, according to the TEA. But MISD leaders have confidence in Bermea.
Leadership matters, and the entire team has embraced where she is taking them, Jones said.
And Bermea has confidence in her staff that includes 30 classroom teachers.
We want to continue the momentum; we dont want to go to a place that is complacent, Bermea said. Students are being successful -- that is what is right.
The community health centers where more than 106,000 Montanans get care are worried they could lose 70 percent of their federal support if Congress allows funding to lapse at the end of the month.
About one in 10 of the states residents see a primary care doctor, get help with chronic conditions, have their teeth cleaned or see a mental health professional at one of Montanas 17 community health care centers.
The Community Health Centers Fund was first approved by Congress in 2010 as part of the Affordable Care Act and extended for two more years in 2015. But without action in Washington by Sept. 30, it will expire.
Nationally, its estimated that more than 2,800 community health centers will close, more than 50,000 will lose jobs and 9 million patients will lose access to care if funding expires. Sixty-one senators, including Montanas Steve Daines, a Republican, and Jon Tester, a Democrat, have signed on to a letter supporting the funding.
In Montana, 17 community health centers account for 407,084 patient visits a year. About 20,574 patients are children and adolescents and 85,768 are adults, according to information from the Montana Primary Care Association. The association estimates the centers lower medical costs for patients by about 24 percent and have saved the state's overall health system $134 million.
Many of Montana's centers say they would have to drastically reduce services if funding expires.
Cindy Smith, the CEO of Bullhook Community Health Center in Havre, said her facility sees about 5,000 people a year, about 15 percent to 20 percent of whom are uninsured. About 70 people work there.
If Bullhook loses 70 percent of its federal funding, it would end up with just a little over $500,000 in federal funding. That loss of money would make it nearly impossible to offer things like a sliding scale for fees that make care possible for many.
I might be able to keep providers in place because you still need those providers, but wed be running at minimal staffing levels, Smith said. We need to try to keep providers in place to meet some patient needs. It would be really difficult to do the sliding fee scale as much as we do. It could be a devastating impact.
Katherine Shrauger, the outreach and enrollment coordinator for Bullhook, said the health center provides huge savings to individuals, the community and the state.
A study done by the National Association of Community Health Centers shows community health care centers provide $24 billion in health care cost savings by keeping people from seeking more expensive care in emergency rooms and by treating conditions before they become severe or chronic.
It empowers them, Shrauger said about patients. I can think of patients that seem more confident because they know they can come in here and get to see a provider and know theyre going to get better. There are people out there who havent been to the doctor in 20 to 25 years. And theyre the lucky ones who dont have anything wrong.
PureView Health Center, another community health center, has locations in Helena and Lincoln and provides medical, dental and mental health care. Chief Executive Officer Jill Steeley said the center sees about 7,840 people a year, including 805 in the small town of Lincoln. About 400 people experiencing homelessness use the center each year.
That equates to more than 25,045 visits. Most are for medical care and about 15 percent are dental visits. Between July 2015 and December 2015, the center had 1,951 mental health visits. The center also serves about 400 veterans a year.
Of the center's patients, about 30 percent receive Medicaid, 20 percent are uninsured, 20 percent get Medicare and the rest are otherwise insured. Even more important, Steeley said, about 36 percent of patients are at 100 percent or below the federal poverty line.
At PureView, the reduction in funding would be a drastic cutback of services and a drastic decrease in the amount of patients were able to serve each year, Steeley said. "The number of uninsured or under-insured people we would be able to see would be reduced greatly."
Patients at community health centers get care from a whole team: doctors, nurses, therapists, case managers, diabetes educator and clinical pharmacists who help them understand how medications interact. Most of those positions are not billable and depend on the federal dollars, Steeley said.
Shrauger, at Bullhook, works to enroll people into health care under the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. She is worried about the possible double hit from the federal cut and the state of Montanas move to lower the rates it reimburses for Medicaid services.
If both were to happen, we wouldnt be able to keep our doors open very long, she said.
Anyone can use community health centers, rich or poor, insured or not, Shrauger said. A lot of people who end up with chronic illnesses, like hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other heart conditions rely on providers at Bullhook.
Bullhooks sliding fee scale, which is based on income and household size, would be at risk if federal funding were lost. Its a critical tool for people to access care, Shrauger said.
Even if people have insurance, say they dont make very much money, they can still qualify for our slide, she said. If they qualify for the slide, they're going to be able to use that for health care before their deductible kicks in.
Bullhook also provides treatment for addiction and behavioral health issues. The center wouldnt be able to provide as much of that type of care if federal funding were lost, Shrauger said.
I cant even imagine what would happen to them, she said. Its scary right now.
Bullhook is essential for patients like one man Shrauger said hit a bad string of luck and would have been without care if not for the center.
She signed the man up for an insurance plan offered under the marketplace established through the Affordable Care Act. Shortly after, he had a stroke. When he was recovering from the stroke, he fell and ended up needing to have his little finger amputated. Then he fell on the ice and broke his hip.
Within 17 months he lost his job, his income and his insurance. Then he got a toothache.
He knew he could come into Bullhook and not have to pay up front, Shrauger said. What he didnt know was that she could also sign him up for coverage under Medicaid expansion, which she did.
It actually saved his life because from my office I went and got one of the mental health counselors, who helped him with his depression and so on He was in debt up to his eyeballs, but at least he has coverage if something happens again.
Shrauger said she sees people who are incarcerated worry about how to get medical care when theyre not in county custody.
When people are in jail, they know theyre going to get their medication, they know theyre going to get their diabetes or high blood pressure medication, or whatever they take. When they get out, they get in trouble and go back in because they know theyre going to get their medicine.
At Bullhook, Shrauger can often sign them up for Medicaid coverage.
Its until they can get on their feet and get a job, she said. Once they know they can feel good because theyre going to have their medication, its much easier to get a job.
It's unclear when the Senate will pick up the funding issue, but with 60 senators in support, some see reason to hope. Still, Montana's delegation is raising concerns as the deadline looms.
Without extension of the CHCF, community health centers will lose 70 percent of their funding, Daines said. We are already hearing of the disruptive effects of the uncertainty created by the impending funding cliff on health center operations. This disruption will increase significantly without an extension of funding by Sept. 30.
Tester also called for quick action.
Instead of working together to support community health centers, lower costs, and increase access to health care, some folks in Congress are pushing a dangerous bill that will devastate rural America. Washington politicians must start listening to Montana families and stop trying to dismantle health care.
Although House approval is not needed to keep funding for the health centers in place, Gianforte said he supports keeping it at current levels.
I appreciate the critical role community health centers play in ensuring the health and well-being of Montanans. They provide access to quality health care for those who would otherwise not have it, including Montanans in our rural communities,'' Gianforte said. "Extending funding for our community health centers remains one of my top priorities.
Over the last several years I have had the opportunity to work with Jim Smith in the State Legislature on issues critical to Montanans. When you work shoulder to shoulder with a person you get to know them. I appreciate very much Jims dedication to Montana and to Helena. He genuinely cares about people and works hard for their benefit. I found Jim to be hardworking, honest and a person of conviction. Jim has served Helena as Mayor for several years and will continue to do an outstanding job on your behalf. Please support Jim Smith for Mayor of Helena.
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A man serving a life sentence for murder and awaiting trial in a second slaying has been indicted in another death.
Curtis Don Brown, 49, has been indicted in the strangulation of Sharyn Kills Back, 18, who disappeared March 15, 1985, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported in Saturday's editions.
A plumber discovered Kills Back's body with a rope around her neck on March 23, 1985, in a storm drain in southern Arlington. She was a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe who had moved off the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota at age 16.
Her death went unsolved for more than two decades. Then, police learned in September 2005 that Brown had been linked through a DNA database to Kills Back's rape and strangulation.
Alan Levy, chief of the criminal division of the Tarrant County district attorney's office, has said that he plans to seek the death penalty against Brown in the slaying.
Brown's attorney, Tim Moore of Fort Worth, did not return a Saturday telephone call to his office from The Associated Press.
Brown is serving a life sentence in prison for the Fort Worth murder of Jewel Woods. Woods, a 51-year-old nurse, was killed in 1986 outside her east Fort Worth apartment.
Last May, Brown was charged in the Fort Worth death of Terece Gregory. Kills Back and Gregory both died in 1985.
Brown was linked by a DNA database to the slaying of Gregory, 29, whose body was found floating in the Trinity River on May 30, 1985. The day before, Gregory had disappeared after driving away from the Caravan of Dreams, a downtown Fort Worth nightclub. She had been raped and shot.
In July 2005, Brown was indicted on a capital murder charge in Gregory's death. He was brought back to Fort Worth from prison and remains in the Tarrant County Jail, awaiting trial in that case.
This year, investigators have re-examined 25 unsolved slayings of women in Tarrant County. About a dozen of those women were killed over a period of 21 months in the mid-1980s.
SAPANTA, Romania (AP) Death isn't always tragic, at least not in this Romanian cemetery, where the dead beguile visitors with tales of their lives.
The Merry Cemetery in the northwestern village of Sapanta is a collection of more than 1,000 elaborate wooden Orthodox crosses etched with colorful epitaphs and childlike drawings.
There are few secrets in this small community and whatever flaws someone had when they were alive are turned into "grave art" when they die.
This darkly humorous and matter-of-fact approach, rooted in the traditional peasant culture of the region, intrigues visitors.
Despite its remote location some 600 kilometers (360 miles) northwest of the Romanian capital, Bucharest, it's one of the country's top tourist attractions.
"I've seen what touches (tourists). This cemetery... is not just a cemetery. People realized that this indeed is a place where you can laugh at death itself," said sculptor Dumitru Pop Tincu, 62, who crafted many of the crosses. He spoke to The Associated Press in his workshop, dressed in a traditional costume of an embroidered smock, loose trousers and a straw hat.
One recent morning, German tourists were taking in the rows of intricately carved blue, yellow, green and red crosses, looking at the cartoon-like drawings and limericks written in a quirky language used by locals. Some consider the place less a graveyard and more an outdoor museum.
Romanian-born Gerhard Schuster, 63, who lives in Kempten, southern Germany, said: "Ever since I was a child I heard stories about this. My parents were talking about the Merry Cemetery and I've always wanted to come and see it but wasn't able to until now. "
One of the drawings features a young man and a subway carriage the man was run over by a train. His epitaph reads: "I enjoyed life so much, I went to western Europe; may it be cursed along with the Paris metro. I used to be a gambler, and I died in 2001 when I was 16 years old."
Some of the crosses resemble modern-day morality tales.
One epitaph for a truck driver warns the living about the perils of working too hard. "I used to work to be wealthy and I had to leave everything behind. I wish people would stop and read this on my cross," it reads. "Here's what happened: the truck rolled over and the dirt smothered me. I died in Barcelona in 2002 when I was 42 years old."
In 1935, local wood sculptor Stan Ioan Patras came up with the idea of engraving epitaphs and simple drawings onto crosses, and went on to craft a total of 700 crosses until his death in 1977. His grave says he was the creator of the Merry Cemetery.
Crosses costs between 2,000 and 5,000 lei ($520 to $1,300) and it can take weeks to create one.
While some crosses are amusing, others are simply sad.
One shows a three-year-old being run over by a car, and another tells the story of a 38-year-old man who had a "merciless death" that snatched him from his wife and two daughters.
Tincu mused about the philosophy behind the cemetery.
"These texts and images contain elements that remind you of what life is about," he said.
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LOS ANGELES The Giants season has reached its final week. Hold your applause.
Over their final six games, they will see if they can avoid 100 losses after hitting 95 Sunday, bid farewell to Matt Cain and learn how high they will pick in the 2018 amateur draft, before everyone goes home to see how quickly they can forget 2017.
The Giants penultimate week ended Sunday with a 3-1 loss to the Dodgers that will be remembered for Mac Williamson hitting a moon shot over the center-field fence against Clayton Kershaw and little else.
Williamson and Hunter Pence each had three hits against Kershaw, matching the total number of three-hit games by a Giant against the big left-hander since he arrived in 2008. Joaquin Arias and Buster Posey had the other two, both in 2015.
Otherwise, Kershaw did Kershaw things for eight innings and earned his 22nd win against the Giants, mostly by getting them to beat the ball into the ground. Posey, Nick Hundley, Tim Federowicz and Brandon Crawford all hit into double plays.
Chris Stratton allowed three runs over four innings in his first start of what should be many against the Dodgers. Yasmani Grandal got him for a sacrifice fly and a two-run homer.
Ty Blach relieved Stratton, pitched for the first time since Sept. 11 and threw three shutout innings.
Thats a valuable asset to have in the bullpen, someone to sit as long as he had and throw strikes like that, manager Bruce Bochy said.
Both rookie pitchers had intriguing years.
Blach was the rotation savior when he took Madison Bumgarners place after the dirt-bike spill. When Blach began to falter in August, Stratton, the Giants first-round draft pick in 2012, seemingly came out of nowhere and became one of the teams most consistent starters.
Sundays game could be a preview of how Stratton and Blach are used next year, assuming both are on the team. Stratton looks more like a starter, with a live fastball and three good secondary pitches. Blach could be a long reliever and get lefties out here or there.
Come March, they could be competing for one open spot in the rotation.
Possibly, Bochy said. Well see how we get through the winter. I think we have two good ones there. Both can start. Both can pitch out of the pen. Its nice to see them come up an do well.
Williamsons role in 2018 is cloudy after a season that began on the wrong foot or leg, to be more accurate when he injured a quadriceps in spring training and could not compete for a bench job.
He struggled for much of the year in the minors and has not played much since his call-up. But the Giants have to respect the power he showed in the eighth inning when he broke up Kershaws shutout with a homer that cleared the center-field wall by plenty.
Williamson is trying to find a spot in winter ball to get much-needed catch-up at-bats, but his agent has a tough assignment. With political strife and violence in Venezuela, and Puerto Rico reeling from hurricanes, American ballplayers are homing in on the Dominican league.
They can pick and choose whom they want to come down there, Williamson said. Its not like there are a ton of spots.
The Giants fell to 61-95, which means they need to win two of their final six games to prevent 100 losses.
In ending their season series against the Dodgers at 8-11, losing seven of the final nine games, the Giants broke a tie with the Phillies and again own the worst record in the majors. The free-falling Tigers and Phillies are a game better at 62-94, with the White Sox still in the running for worst record if they have a really bad week.
Chances are the Giants will have no worse than the third pick in the draft, their highest since they took Matt Williams with the third pick in 1986.
Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: hschulman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hankschulman
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BRIDGEPORT A group of Catholic sisters, dressed in purple robes and holding sliver incense burners, slowly walked backward and wafted smoke toward a big, rectangular platform covered with revered icons and images of Christ.
A cadre of 30 or so bearers also wearing purple robes balanced the platform on their shoulders and slowly shuffled forward, cradling the flowers, pictures and the other adornments on their shoulders. A band of Cantadoras, playing New Orleans-style music, followed behind.
This is a special day, Evlyn Rodriquez, a Bridgeport resident and Peruvian native, said Sunday as the Procesion del Senor de los Milagros Procession of the Lord of Miracles began outside Saint Mary Roman Catholic Church on the citys East Side.
Based on religious faith and legend, the Lord of Miracles procession is a staple in Peru and Latin America, drawing thousands of followers each fall for the colorful displays, religious symbolism and iconic music. The procession on Sunday drew faithful from New Jersey, Rhode Island and Long Island, N.Y., as well as from across southwestern Connecticut.
St Marys Pastor Rolando Torres said the ceremony is a one of a kind celebration that began centuries ago.
Its a special day for the Peruvian community and all Latin Americans, Torres said, adding Sunday marked the second year his church hosted the procession, which slowly moved through city streets for hours as hundreds of onlookers watched.
Its beautiful to see, Torres said.
The Lord of Miracles procession dates back to a 1655 earthquake that destroyed parts of Lima, Peru and the surrounding countryside, including a number of churches. But at one church, a wall containing an image of Christ escaped unharmed and that miracle formed the basis of the processions.
According to legend, orders to erase the image, which had become a popular religious gathering spot, failed. In one story, a painter began to tremble and shake as he attempted to cover the image, and was unable to continue.
Jose Casco, a Bridgeport City Council member, said the procession is important for the Peruvian and Latin American communities.
Its important for our community to get together, Casco said. Our community needs places to get together and stay as a community.
Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, were on the mind of those gathered for the procession as were the recent Mexican earthquakes.
Casco said the church and other community leaders are raising relief funds, including supporters in Stamford and Norwalk. He said Torres plans to personally deliver donations to Puerto Rico.
The money is for Mexico and the Caribbean too, Casco said. We are getting a lot of turnout, a lot of support.
Manuel Murrugarra, a Westport resident who was raised in Peru, said Peruvians and other Latin Americans grow up with the Lord of Miracles procession.
All of our lives we have seen this, Murrugarra said. This is 400 years of tradition. Its our way of living true. We can get together, but not just for Peruvians but other Latin (communities), such as Puerto Rico.
GREENWICH In kicking off the fall campaign season, Greenwich Republicans didnt just show off their ticket of candidates on Sunday afternoon, they also unveiled the slogan and theme of the campaign: Greenwich First.
The theme was carried forth by the speakers at Sundays annual Cos Cob Republican Club and Greenwich Republican Town Committee Clambake. The Republican slate is led by First Selectman Peter Tesei and Selectman John Toner, both of whom are seeking re-election. RTC Chairman Stephen Walko said Sunday that Greenwich First is the perfect slogan for candidates like them.
Peter Tesei has an undeniable love for this town along with his fiscal acumen and his thoughtful leadership, Walko said. Him and John Toner, boy what a duo they are. When people pick slogans, some are great and some kind of fall off, but putting Greenwich First nothing could better exemplify the spirit of what those two individuals mean and think and do. What they give back to the town is truly amazing. Theyve led us through financial crisis with thoughtful leadership.
Issues in state government with deficits and an ongoing budget crisis were on Teseis mind during his remarks at the clambake as he said he was glad to be part of the team that puts Greenwich first.
My decision to run for another term is predicated on offering stability in an otherwise unstable next two years, Tesei said. Under my leadership, we continue to support the essential services that make Greenwich such a special place to live, work and raise a family. We have outstanding first responders, as evidenced by Safewise ranking us as the number one safest community to raise a child in America. We have the highest quality educational opportunities. We have a balanced approach to investment in our public infrastructure using prudent, effective methods of financing. We have excellent services for our most vulnerable residents and our increasing and active senior residents.
Both Tesei and Toner noted the importance of having Greenwich remain known as a premiere community to live and work in.
Greenwich is changing, Toner said. Its under pressure from outside and internal forces which could negatively impact the town we love. The Tesei years have cemented our fiscal strength and the quality of life we enjoy. But uncertainty at the state level and the left-leaning movements in town leaves us vulnerable to unfavorable change.
Toner referred to the activist group Indivisible Greenwich, jokingly calling them Indefensible and saying they were the flavor of the month. Democratic first selectman candidate Sandy Litvack is married to Indivisible Greenwich founder Joanna Swomley.
Close to 150 people attended the clambake, which was held at Greenwich Point, and several in attendance had their eye on 2018s state races. Dominic Rapini, who is running for senator against incumbent Democrat U.S. Sen. Chris Murph,y was there to introduce himself and meet the party faithful, as were treasurer candidate Thad Gray and several Republicans seeking a run for governor.
Walko joked there were so many candidates for governor, he should have started reading the list on Saturday to be done with it by Sundays clambake. The event attracted candidates Steve Obsitnik, Trumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst, Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti, Peter Thalheim, former U.S. Comptroller Dave Walker and State Reps. Toni Boucher and Prasad Srinivasan.
But the focus of Sundays Republican gathering was to stump for the local ticket, including Tax Collector Tod Laudonia, who is seeking his fifth term in office. Laudonia is being challenged by Democrat Howard Richman in a rematch of a 2015 race Laudonia won in a blowout. The election has shown signs of being extremely contentious, with Democrats questioning Laudonias performance in office.
Were going to contrast (negativity from the Democrats) with a positive message, Laudonia said. We will continue with that theme, which will bring us all to victory again. Our citizens are savvy. They can differentiate national and local and local is what counts in this election.
Laudonia said it has been an honor to serve as tax collector for eight years and pledged to continue to work diligently to represent all of the towns taxpayers.
I have no personal agenda other than collect the money, Laudonia said. Thats what Im there for. Thats what we do and our record shows we have done it.
Tesei stumped not just for the local ticket but also at the looming state races, offering heavy criticism for Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy, who is not running for a third term, while offering praise to Republican members of the legislator for passing a bipartisan budget, which is expected to be vetoed.
Help is on the way, Tesei said. Were going to keep our head above water. Were going to keep marching forward. Were going to win in November and were going to make sure and win in November 2018 and continue to put Greenwich first and make Connecticut first again.
kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
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With the potential loss of more than a billion dollars in local aid at stake, legislative leaders and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy this week face their biggest deadline yet to finally reach a compromise budget deal for the fiscal year that began July 1.
If they fail to vote on a compromise that can clear the House and Senate, then get Malloys signature by Oct. 1, dozens of the states wealthier towns will fall victim to a bare-bones executive order from the governor and will miss out on the first of a scheduled four payments for local schools.
After a summer of failed negotiations and then a surprise Republican budget that Malloy has vowed to veto when it likely gets to his desk this week, those on the front lines said its time for lawmakers and the governor to end the states historic stalemate.
Bipartisan budget a goal
For me and for any of us we wanted a budget by July 1, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said Sunday morning. October 1 is certainly another deadline. A bipartisan budget is the goal. Whether its possible or not is anybodys guess.
He said that he and Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, will first try to come up with a revised two-year $39-billion budget that will bring back the three Democratic senators who recently sided with the Republican budget that also cleared the House.
As more of the GOP budget is analyzed, we know now that not only does it have massive tax increases; is out-of-balance, with huge spending increases in first year; and defers $300 million in pension payments, Duff said. It should be rejected on the math because it doesnt add up.
Heading into Tuesdays bipartisan talks with the Democratic governor and Republicans, hes hopeful that some kind of common ground can finally be found.
Like Duff, Looney said there are glaring shortcomings with the Republican plan, including an over reliance on unassured savings; and unacceptable cuts to higher education, including the the elimination of 9,000 scholarships.
This week we are hoping for a bipartisan deal, Looney said. We would prefer to have a new budget and not a continuing executive order.
Looney said a lot of line items are similar to the GOP budget. But the so-called no-tax budget has been unmasked.
Looney agreed with remarks Malloy made last week, doubting that a new budget can win approval before Oct. 1. Our conversations with the House Democratic leadership will continue Monday and well talk with (the State Office of Policy and Management ) leading into Tuesday's meeting with the governor, Looney said.
Republicans respond
But Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, and House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, said Sunday that the GOP budget,which was also approved by three Democratic senators and five House Democrats, is still the best the state can hope for, despite Malloys promised veto.
What Im tired about is the lies that have been put out by the Democrats, hand-in-hand with their state-union allies, Fasano said. Im tired of the perpetuation of those lies in many newspaper editorials and further, the total lack of understanding of our budget. Everybody wants change but not my area. So everyone is talking change, structural change, but not now, not here, not me.
He said that claims by the teachers union that a $1,500 annual payment per-teacher, in the GOP budget, would not go into their pension fund was a total fabrication; and that UConn President Susan Herbsts claim that the Republican budget would cut the university by $300 million is overstated, when it would cut UConn $244 million over two years. Democrats would cut UConn back by $100 million over the biennium.
President Herbst didnt ask how were going to balance the books, Fasano said. Are we going to cut social services, raise taxes, cut municipalities? Shes quick to run for the mountain top and hit the panic button. She will never close the Stamford campus. Shell never close Avery Point. All we know is hysteria from her. She should be ashamed. Also dont forget UConn has the highest-paid people in the state, as well as UConn Health. Why would you not start there? This budget is a good budget and moves Connecticut forward. Now its time to smell the stink in the air. Im not going to kowtow to the wrong ideas.
Theres a $5-billion deficit and everyone was afraid to make the difficult choices, Klarides said in a phone interview. This isnt a perfect land. This is reality. There are two choices. Either Gov. Malloy can sign our bipartisan budget, the only budget that could pass. Or October 1, Malloy will zero-out 85 towns. I get what Susan Herbst is saying, but shes forgetting the fact that UConns getting a billion dollars overall; as well as some structural changes in the procurement process.
Meanwhile, sources said Sunday that if there isnt an imminent compromise deal on an entire new budget deal, a special one-day session would be called late in the week to assure that $70 million in federal Medicaid reimbursement funding flows to state hospitals, beating an Oct. 1 deadline.
kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
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Schenectady
It felt like city leaders and residents were holding a winning ticket when they learned in late 2014 that a casino proposed for an old industrial site won a coveted state license.
But nearly seven months after Rivers Casino's much-hyped Feb. 8 opening on Erie Boulevard, it is bringing in 37 percent of the $222 million in gaming revenue operators predicted it would make during its first year.
Mayor Gary McCarthy said he is generally pleased with the transformation of the former Alco property a once-forlorn 60-acre property dominated by decaying buildings and brown weeds now owned by the Rotterdam-based Galesi Group. Galesi teamed up with Rush Street Gaming of Chicago on the $480 million residential-retail waterfront development that also features a marina and hotels.
"Now we got a casino there, we got Mohawk Harbor, and Mohawk Harbor isn't done, so there's still construction going on there, and we're getting more revenue than we had before," McCarthy said, adding he understands "people have expectations everything's going to be perfect."
He said casino executives are "looking to modify their business plan and some of their marketing."
The city faces the challenge of getting outsiders to visit the casino and other attractions in Schenectady, McCarthy said, adding he hopes things go smoother once the city completes roadwork on Erie Boulevard, a gateway into the casino and downtown. The work is expected to be done by next month.
Rivers officials will say little about any possible changes to their marketing and business strategy.
In a recent statement, Rivers Casino & Resort General Manager Mary Cheeks said "we're satisfied with the performance" of the facility and "have received a positive response from many of our guests and team members."
"As promised, Rivers continues to provide high quality jobs, along with strong community and economic benefits."
But that upbeat assessment seems to be at odds with John Donnelly, a lawyer representing Rivers Casino, who last month spoke at a gathering on horse racing and gaming law in Saratoga Springs, proclaiming that the "party's over." A representative with the firm that handles public relations for Rivers said in an email that Donnelly was referring to casinos in Atlantic City and not New York.
Schenectady Finance Commissioner Tony Ferrari said last month that the city "took the low end" of the financial analysis by an outside agency when they projected the city would receive $2.75 million in revenue from the casino in the 2017 city budget.
As of mid-July, the state Gaming Commission online data indicates that the host city and county of Schenectady had each received $1.12 million, while other nonhost counties got a smaller percentage of the money, which the state doles out on a quarterly basis.
Ferrari said the first two quarters were "a little disappointing" adding, "we thought it would be higher."
He said, however, that revenue in July and August increased. Ferrari said he expected that to continue after the July 19 opening of the Landing Hotel next to the casino and the Hilton Homewood Suites on Freemans Bridge Road in neighboring Glenville.
He said conversations with county officials and Cheeks also point to more robust times ahead, which could translate into more casino money flowing into the city coffers.
City officials knew the opening of the casino would bring headaches as well as money.
Schenectady Police Chief Eric Clifford said as of mid-September roughly a third of the 61 crimes that people were charged with in connection with the casino were related to trespassing by individuals banned by the casino.
Of that number, 23 were for trespassing and five for the more serious offense of criminal trespassing, he said.
Other arrests have been for disorderly conduct, harassment, resisting arrest and drug offenses, which are often tied to the original trespassing crime, Clifford said. Police work closely with casino security personnel, he added.
The chief said police have investigated no complaints that casino visitors were robbed after they left the building.
Clifford added that the casino's security staff has been quick to act on concerns raised by the city. After he raised concerns about casino-goers drinking in the parking lot to avoid the higher cost of drinks inside, the casino added more security and patrols, and increased lighting in the area.
"The activity and the incidents generated down there are consistent with any large business being open and drawing people to it," Clifford said.
The department recently reduced the staffing needed for the casino, which reimburses for the officers who work there on overtime, the chief said. The casino pays the city for the extra security and then the money is used to pay the officers' salaries.
"I'm not painting a picture like everything is perfect down there; there's issues that pop up and we address them," he added.
Despite the challenges, McCarthy said Rivers Casino and Resort at Mohawk Harbor is already helping the city's efforts to increase home sales and attract businesses.
He also said that the casino is one key component that allows the city, chronically plagued by high tax rates, to propose double-digit tax decreases. The city used that as a major selling point when trying to convince the state to award a casino license to Schenectady.
Chris Smith, who lives in an apartment complex on Front Street less than a block from the casino, said Rivers has so far been a good neighbor.
"I do feel that we are not being heavily affected by what goes on at the casino, there isn't a lot of noise, but the way it's situated, it's back far enough, it's over far enough so our living situation has not been dramatically affected," he said. "The only effect that we have had is that there is a lot more walking traffic because a lot of employees living somewhere in the area."
Carmella Ruscitto, president of the neighborhood association in the neighboring East Front Street area, concurs with Smith.
"We don't mind the traffic, but we mind them going fast," Ruscitto said about motorists using the Erie Boulevard roundabout that feeds into the casino parking lot.
She praised casino officials for listening to concerns raised by neighbors, citing the example of the bus stop being moved farther away from Madison Street to lessen its impact on the neighborhood. "When we talk to the casino, they listen; when we talk to the city, it's a different story."
Ruscitto said even with the casino nearby the neighborhood is still quiet.
"I'm 79 years old. I was born right here, everything is the same."
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Students at a Michigan high school have viral student ID pictures, thanks to a school tradition.
At North Farmington High School, seniors are allowed to dress up for their student IDs. The students took full advantage of the freedom to dress up, portraying characters from President Donald Trump to Harry Potter.
HOUSTON SCHOOLS: The most well-behaved Houston-area high schools
Shelby Sheridan, 17, told Buzzfeed that seniors usually do fun photos but "this year it really blew up."
The students shared side-by-side photos of who they were portraying on Twitter, with many of the tweets going viral.
Other inspiration for the costumes include Wendy's, Disney movies, Audrey Hepburn and Pablo Escobar.
See some of the best photos from the senior class that have been posted on Twitter in the gallery above.
Recently, Kathy Brandts 86-year-old mother was hospitalized in Florida after a fall. After rushing to her side, Brandt asked for a consult with a palliative care nurse.
I wanted someone to make sure my mother was on the right medications, Brandt said.
For all her expertise Brandt advises end-of-life organizations across the country she was taken aback when the nurse suggested hospice care for her mother, who has advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney disease and a rapid, irregular heartbeat.
I was like really? Brandt remembered saying, struggling with shock.
Its a common reaction. Although hospices now serve more than 1.4 million people a year, this specialized type of care, meant for people with six months or less to live, continues to evoke resistance, fear and misunderstanding.
The biggest misperception about hospice is that its brink-of-death care, said Patricia Mehnert, a longtime hospice nurse and interim chief executive officer of TRU Community Care, the first hospice in Colorado.
In fact, hospice care often makes a considerable difference for those with months to live. When someone is further out from death, we can really focus on enhancing their quality of life, said Rachel Behrendt, senior vice president of Hospice of the Valley, which serves the Phoenix metropolitan area.
New research confirms that hospice patients report better pain control, more satisfaction with their care and fewer deaths in the hospital or intensive care units.
What should seniors and their families, the largest users of hospice care, expect? Its fairly well understood that patients forgo curative therapies in favor of comfort care when they enter hospice. Here are additional features:
FOUR LEVELS OF CARE: Hospice providers are required to offer routine care in patients homes (this includes seniors who reside in assisted living or nursing homes); continuous care at home for people with out-of-control symptoms such as pain or breathing problems; inpatient respite for families that need a break from caring for a loved one; and general inpatient care for medical crises that cant be handled in any other setting.
With continuous care, a nurse must be on-site in the home for at least eight hours a day, helping to bring symptoms under control. Usually, this will happen in one to three days. Respite care has a maximum limit of five days.
Some hospices have their own general inpatient facilities and its a common misconception that patients are sent to inpatient hospice to die, said Jean Cohn, clinical manager at Montgomery Hospices inpatient facility, Casey House. In fact, were frequently fine-tuning patients regimens in inpatient hospice and sending them back home.
INTERMITTENT CARE AT HOME: Routine care at home is by far the most common service, accounting for about 94 percent of hospice care, according to the latest report from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
While services vary depending on a patients needs, home care typically involves at least one weekly visit from a nurse and a couple of visits from aides for up to 90 minutes. Also, a volunteer may visit, if a patient and family so choose, and social workers and chaplains are available to address practical and spiritual concerns.
Hospices will provide all medications needed to address the underlying illness that is expected to cause the patients death, as well as medical equipment such as hospital beds, commodes, wheelchairs, walkers and oxygen. Typically, there is no charge for such gear, although a copay of up to $5 per prescription is allowed.
What families and patients often dont realize: Hospice staff will not be in the home every day, around the clock. Many people think that hospice will be there all the time, but it doesnt work that way, Brandt said. The family is still the front line for providing day-to-day care.
In assisted living, patients or their families may have to hire nursing assistants or companions to provide supplemental care, since hands-on help is limited. In nursing homes, aides may visit less often, since more hands-on help is available on-site.
SELF-REFERRALS ARE ALLOWED: Anyone can ask for a consultation with a hospice. We get many self-referrals, as well as referrals from family and friends, said Behrendt of Hospice of the Valley. Usually, a nurse will go out and do a preliminary assessment to determine if a person would qualify for hospice services.
To be admitted, two physicians the patients primary care physician and the hospice physician need to certify that the persons life expectancy is six months or less, based on the anticipated trajectory of the patients underlying illness. And recertification will be required at regular intervals.
YOU CHOOSE YOUR PHYSICIAN: You have a right to keep your primary care physician or you can choose to have a hospice physician be in charge of your medical care.
At JourneyCare, the largest hospice in Illinois, we prefer that the patient keeps their primary care physician because that physician knows them best, said Dr. Mark Grzeskowiak, vice president of medical services.
These arrangements require close collaboration. For instance, if a nurse observes that a patient with heart failure is experiencing increased shortness of breath, JourneyCare staff will get in touch with that patients primary care physician. The physician is responsible for altering the treatment plan; the hospice is responsible for implementing that plan and giving clear instructions to the patient and family.
CONCERNS ABOUT MEDICATIONS: Theres a misconception that youre going to be medicated to a highly sedated state in hospice, said Dr. Christopher Kerr, chief executive officer and chief medical officer for Hospice Buffalo Inc. in upstate New York. The reality is our primary goal is to increase quality wakefulness. Managing these medications is an art and were good at it.
Family caregivers are on the front line since theyre responsible for administering pain medications such as morphine. Absolutely, theres a great deal of fear and anxiety around all the issues associated with giving medications, said Cohn of Montgomery Hospice. We try to reassure caregivers that the doses we start with are very small and well see how the patient reacts and go slowly and deliberately from there.
Because most hospice stays are short the median length is only 17 days and because the diversion of painkillers from peoples homes is a risk, doctors have begun writing prescriptions for a week or two at a time, said Judi Lund Person, vice president of regulatory and compliance for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. If concerns exist, hospices can have a lockbox for medications sent to the home.
DISCHARGES ARE POSSIBLE: Estimating when someone is going to die is an art, not a science, and each year hundreds of thousands of hospice patients end up living longer than doctors anticipated.
If physicians can document continued decline in these patients for instance, worsening pain or a noticeable advance in their underlying illness they might be able to re-certify them for ongoing hospice care. But if the patient is considered stable, theyll be discharged, various experts said.
In 2015, nearly 17 percent of hospice patients were so-called live discharges, according to a report from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. Two days before a discharge, hospices are required to give the patient or family members a Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage. Expedited appeals of discharge decisions can be lodged with a Medicare quality improvement organization.
There are no regulatory requirements governing what hospices should do to facilitate live discharges. Some hospices will spend weeks helping patients make arrangements to receive medications, medical equipment and ongoing care from other sources. Others offer minimal help.
AT THE VERY END: Almost 1 in 8 hospice patients dont get visits from professional staff during their last two days of life, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine last year. And this can leave families without needed support.
Some hospices have responded by creating programs specifically for people who have a very short time left to live. Weve put together a special team for people who are expected to live 10 days or less because that requires a different kind of management, said Ann Mitchell, chief executive officer of Montgomery Hospice. Instead of a nurse for every 15 patients, a nurse on this team will have five to six patients and a social worker is available seven days a week.
One-third of our patients are here for less than seven days and often we get them in a crisis, said Kerr of Hospice Buffalo. Weve had to repurpose our services to address the urgency and complexity of these patients needs and that means we have to be ever more present. Across the board, Hospice Buffalo requires that patients be seen within 24 hours of an expected death.
Burglary and theft reports last week in Pearland included the swiping of copper wire, groceries and a motorcycle as well as a dognapping, authorities said.
BURGLARY
Burglary of a building was reported Sept. 11 in the 2800 block of Business Center Drive, police said.
Police filed a motor vehicle burglary report Sept. 11 in the 13600 block of Wild Lilac Court.
Burglary of a habitation was reported Sept. 11 in the 11700 block of Broadway Street, police said.
A burglary report was taken Sept. 12 in the 2500 block of Alexander Lane, police said.
Items were taken from vehicles without permission Sept. 13 or Sept. 14 in the 1900 block of Hatfield Road, police said. Vehicle burglaries also were reported nearby in the 5600 block of Walker Drive and the 2400 block of Walker Court at about the same time.
Items were reported stolen from a detached garage Sept. 14 in the 2400 block of Business Center Drive, police said.
Police completed a motor vehicle burglary report Sept. 15 in the 5600 block of Tyler Street.
A business was burglarized between Sept. 12 and Sept. 14 in the 1100 block of Main Street, according to a Sept. 15 police report.
A motor vehicle burglary was attempted Sept. 15 in the Pearland Town Center parking lot, 11200 Broadway St., police said.
Police investigated a burglary of a building report Sept. 16 in the 2500 block of Pearland Parkway.
Burglary of a motor vehicle was reported Sept. 16 in the 2300 block of Smith Ranch Road, police said.
A vehicle was burglarized Sept. 17 in the 3400 block of Kendall Street, police said.
Two suspects reportedly were observed opening car doors Sept. 17 in a parking lot in the 2700 block of Main Street, police said.
Police filed three motor vehicle burglary reports Sept. 17 in the 11200 block of Armstrong Lane.
THEFT
Several feet of copper wire were taken Sept. 11 from a pump station in the 4900 block of Main Street, police said.
Theft was reported Sept. 11 in the 11500 block of Shadow Creek Parkway, police said.
Police completed a theft report Sept. 11 in the 7900 block of Fite Road.
A theft report was completed Sept. 11 in the 3700 block of Banyan Wood Way, police said.
Batteries were stolen out of heavy machinery at a construction site Sept. 12 in the 2900 block of Old Chocolate Bayou Road, police said. Ten pipes also were taken.
Police arrested a Pearland man, 20, for theft of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop Sept. 12 in the 1600 block of Main Street. A 20-year-old Houston man also was arrested for possession of a controlled substance.
Theft of service occurred Sept. 12 in the 10000 block of Broadway Street, police said.
Police arrested a Pearland woman, 36, for shoplifting Sept. 12 in the 2700 block of Pearland Parkway.
A wallet was reported stolen between Sept. 8 and Sept. 12 in the 2600 block of Pearland Parkway, police said.
Shoplifting occurred Sept. 13 in the 2000 block of Main Street, police said.
The front license plate was taken from a vehicle between Aug. 25 and Sept. 9 in the 2900 block of Oak Road, according to a Sept. 13 police report.
Police filed a shoplifting report Sept. 13 in the 9500 block of Broadway Street.
A dog was taken from a business Sept. 13 in the 3700 block of Broadway Street, police said.
Theft was reported Sept. 14 in the 3000 block of Meadowmist Court, police said.
A male suspect stole a shopping cart full of groceries Sept. 14 from Walmart Neighborhood Market, 12631 Broadway St., police said.
A cellular phone was reported stolen Sept. 14 at Wendy's, 11630 Broadway St., police said.
Theft was reported Sept. 15 in the 2000 block of Main Street and the 2700 block of Green Tee Drive, police said.
A motorcycle was reported stolen Sept. 15 in the 3800 block of Skylark Way, police said.
A Pasadena man, 39, was taken into custody for unauthorized use of a vehicle Sept. 15 in the 1000 block of Main Street, police said.
A vehicle was taken without permission Sept. 15 in the 1700 block of Sleepy Hollow Drive, police said.
Three juveniles reportedly shoplifted Sept. 16 at Macy's, 11200 Broadway St., police said.
Theft of a motor vehicle was reported Sept. 16 in the 3400 block of Trelawney Drive, police said.
A wallet was stolen Sept. 16 in the 2800 blocK of Pearland Parkway, according to a Sept. 17 police report. The victim later discovered her credit card had been used without permission, police said.
Police arrested a Houston woman, 18, for shoplifting Sept. 17 in the 11200 block of Broadway Street.
Theft occurred between Aug. 13 and Sept. 9 in the 1700 block of Sleepy Hollow Drive, according to a Sept. 17 police report.
Police conducted a theft investigation Sept. 17 in the 10000 block of Broadway Street.
Shoplifting was reported Sept. 17 in the 6100 block of Broadway Street, police said.
FORGERY, FRAUD
Police completed a forgery report Sept. 11 in the 11100 block of West Broadway Street.
An unknown suspect used a victim's identity information to obtain credit and make withdrawals from personal bank accounts between May 16 and Sept. 11, according to a police report filed Sept. 11 in the 2900 block of Veva Drive.
An unknown male offender passed a counterfeit check Aug. 10 at a business in the 4200 block of Broadway Street, according to a Sept. 12 police report.
Forgery occurred between Sept. 6 and Sept. 11 in 3100 block of Laurel Bend Lane, according to a Sept. 12 police report.
A complainant's identity information was used to open an account at a business without authorization Sept. 9, according to a police report filed Sept. 14 in the 2300 block of Scarlatti Drive.
An unknown suspect used a victim's debit card to make online purchases without authorization Sept. 8, according to a police report filed Sept. 14 in the 3400 block of Cactus Heights Lane.
Credit card abuse took place between Aug. 22 and Sept. 17, according to a police report filed Sept. 17 in the 16600 block of Ewing Lane.
NARCOTICS
A juvenile male student was found in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia Sept. 11 at Pearland High School, 3775 S. Main St., police said.
A Pearland man, 19, and a Fresno man, 20, were found in possession of marijuana during a traffic stop Sept. 11 in the 2000 block of Mykawa Road, police said.
Police issued a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia during a traffic stop Sept. 12 in the 4500 block of West Walnut Street.
Police took a male suspect into custody for marijuana possession Sept. 12 in the 2600 block of Cullen Parkway.
A Pearland man, 19, was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia Sept. 12 in the 7300 block of Broadway Street, police said.
Police took a Baytown man, 38, into custody for possession of a controlled substance Sept. 13 in the 13500 block of Texas 288.
A Pasadena woman, 33, was arrested for marijuana possession Sept. 14 in the 2400 block of South Texas Avenue, police said.
Police cited a Houston man, 27, for possession of drug paraphernalia Sept. 14 in the 16500 block of Texas 288.
A Houston man, 38, received a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia Sept. 14 in the 2700 block of Cullen Parkway, police said.
A Houston man, 23, was arrested for marijuana possession Sept. 14 in the 2200 block of Main Street, police said.
Police arrested a 20-year-old Pearland man and two 18-year-old Pearland men for marijuana possession Sept. 15 in the 2800 block of Main Street.
A Houston man, 38, was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia Sept. 16 in the 3500 block of Broadway Street, police said.
Police arrested a Houston man, 20, for marijuana possession Sept. 17 in the 2400 block of Cullen Parkway.
ASSAULT
Police charged a male suspect with assault, family violence Sept. 11 in the 13400 block of Harborside Lane.
Family violence occurred July 21 in the 3800 block of Somerville Lake Court, according to a Sept. 11 police report.
Police arrested a Pearland man, 40, for assault Sept. 11 in the 5100 block of Lockhart Drive.
Assault, family violence was reported Sept. 12 in the 12100 block of Shadow Creek Parkway, police said.
Assault was reported Sept. 15 in the 14600 block of Kirby Drive, police said.
Assault reportedly occurred between Sept. 14 and Sept. 15 in the 10100 block of Olive Mount Street, police said.
Police completed an assault report Sept. 15 in the 2900 block of Oak Road.
Police arrested a Pearland woman, 31, for assault, family violence Sept. 17 in the 2400 block of Laura Lane.
Assault was reported Sept. 17 in the 11000 block of Shadow Creek Parkway, police said.
Police filed an assault report Sept. 17 in the 2100 block of Country Place Parkway.
Assault took place Sept. 17 in the 11200 block of Broadway Street, police said.
ROBBERY
Robbery was reported Sept. 11 in the 3200 block of Broadway Street, police said.
THREATS, HARASSMENT
Threats were reported Sept. 12 in the 1500 block of Broadway Street, police said.
Threats reportedly were transmitted via text message Aug. 18, according to a police report filed Sept. 13 in the 2200 block of Business Center Drive.
Harassment occurred between Sept. 8 and Sept. 13 in the 1900 block of Winding Creek Drive, according to a Sept. 13 police report.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF
Police filed a criminal mischief report Sept. 12 in the 5200 block of Magnolia Road.
Police arrested a Pearland man, 59, for criminal mischief Sept. 15 in the 4800 block of Linden Place.
A vehicle was reported damaged Sept. 16 in the 2700 block of Broadway Street, police said.
Criminal mischief was reported Sept. 16 in the 3400 block of Bailey Springs Lane, police said.
PUBLIC INTOXICATION
Police arrested two Galveston men, 20 and 21, for public intoxication Sept. 12 in the 6100 block of Broadway Street.
Police took a Houston woman, 40, into custody for public intoxication Sept. 13 in the 2800 block of Business Center Drive.
A report of gambling led to the arrest of a Friendswood man, 78, for public intoxication Sept. 14 in the 4400 block of Broadway Street, police said.
Police took a 27-year-old Prairie Village, Kansas, man into custody for public intoxication Sept. 17 in the 4000 block of Spring Brook Court, police said.
DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED
Police arrested an Alvin woman, 39, for DWI Sept. 12 in the 5000 block of Main Street.
A Pearland woman, 45, was arrested for DWI Sept. 13 in the 4400 block of Broadway Street, police said.
Police arrested a Pearland man, 48, for DWI Sept. 13 in the 7000 block of Broadway Street.
A Houston man, 22, was arrested for DWI and narcotics possession Sept. 14 in the 8600 block of McHard Road, police said.
A Pearland woman, 26, was taken into custody for DWI Sept. 14 in the 5700 block of Magnolia Road, police said.
Police arrested a Pearland man, 52, for DWI Sept. 15 in the 3700 block of Main Street.
A Houston man, 27, was arrested for DWI Sept. 16 in the 6400 block of Broadway Street, police said.
A Pearland man, 38, was arrested for DWI Sept. 16 in the 3900 block of Dixie Farm Road, police said.
Police arrested a Pearland man, 39, for DWI Sept. 16 in the 4700 block of Scott Lane.
A Galveston man, 28, was arrested for DWI Sept. 17 in the 8900 block of Broadway Street, police said.
A 34-year-old Pearland woman was arrested for DWI Sept. 17 in the 7200 block of Broadway Street, police said.
An Alvin man, 29, was arrested for DWI Sept. 17 in the 1900 block of Main Street, police said.
FAILURE TO IDENTIFY
Police arrested a Fresno woman, 46, for failure to identify Sept. 13 in the 16600 block of Texas 288. A 43-year-old Fresno man also was arrested for outstanding warrants.
TRAFFIC
Police arrested a Baytown man, 33, for driving while license invalid Sept. 14 in the 16600 block of Texas 288.
A Brazoria County man, 27, was arrested for driving while license invalid and warrants Sept. 14 in the 2000 block of Business Center Drive, police said.
A pedestrian was struck during a hit-and-run incident Sept. 14 in the 3500 block of Whitestone Drive, police said.
Police arrested a Houston man, 25, for operating a vehicle with a fictitious or altered license plate Sept. 16 in the 14700 block of Texas 288.
A Houston man, 33, was arrested for driving while license invalid and fictitious license plate Sept. 16 in the 14700 block of Texas 288, police said. A 37-year-old Houston woman also was arrested for a traffic warrant.
A traffic stop Sept. 17 in the 3200 block of Broadway Street led to the arrest of a Pearland man, 35, for no driver's license.
ENTICING A CHILD
An attempted enticing of a child was reported Sept. 14 in the 2100 block of Tipperary Drive, police said.
WEAPONS
Police completed a report for unlawful possession of a firearm Sept. 16 in the 3400 block of Veterans Drive.
EVADING ARREST, DETENTION
An unknown male on an off-road motorcycle evaded detention Sept. 16 in the 3000 block of McLean Road, police said.
North Korea's foreign minister warned Saturday that a strike against the U.S. mainland is "inevitable" because President Donald Trump mocked leader Kim Jong Un with a belittling nickname "little rocketman."
U.S. bombers escorted by fighter jets flew off the North Korean coast in a show of force shortly before Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho strode to the podium to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York, capping an extraordinary week of militaristic threats from both nations before an organization founded to maintain international peace.
Ri said that Trump's bombast had made "our rockets' visit to the entire U.S. mainland inevitable," and linked it to Trump's insulting shorthand references to Kim.
Harsh sanctions placed on North Korea's trade with the outside world will have no impact on its ability to complete building a nuclear bomb capable of reaching the United States, Ri said.
"Through such a prolonged and arduous struggle, now we are finally only a few steps away from the final gate of completion of the state nuclear force," he said.
"It is only a forlorn hope to consider any chance that the DPRK would be shaken an inch or change its stance due to the harsher sanctions by the hostile forces," he said, using the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The rhetoric between Trump and Kim has grown exceptionally personal. At a rally Friday night in Alabama, Trump called Kim "little rocketman," magnifying the disparaging label he slung at Kim in his U.N. speech Tuesday in which he threatened the United States would "totally destroy" North Korea in defense. He said Kim was on "suicide mission."
Kim in turn called Trump a "frightened dog" and a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard." Ri echoed those sentiments Saturday, calling the president a "mentally deranged person full of megalomania" and referring to him "President Evil."
"None other than Trump himself is on a suicide mission," Ri said in broad denunciation of Trump that brought applause from the North Korean delegation. "In case innocent lives of the U.S. are harmed because of this suicide attack, Trump will be held totally responsible."
Ri emphasized said Pyongyang has a hydrogen bomb that can fit on an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. Ri said Korea was prepared to test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific.
"Trump might not have been aware what is uttered from his mouth, but we will make sure that he bears consequences far beyond his words, far beyond the scope of what he can handle even if he is ready to do so," Ri said.
On Friday, Trump kept up his verbal fusillade against Kim, tweeting that Kim is a "madman" who will be "tested like never before."
Tensions escalated so quickly that when an 3.5 magnitude earthquake was detected in North Korea Saturday in near a nuclear test site, it aroused suspicions of another underground nuclear test. It was quickly confirmed as just an earthquake.
Heated exchanges between Trump and North Korea came just as diplomatic pressure starts to bear fruit. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said last week that sanctions are beginning to have an effect. China, North Korea's economic lifeline, imposed greater sanctions, including caps on oil. Thursday, Trump signed an executive order giving the Treasury Department more authority to cut off trade that helps finance North Korea's nuclear programs.
The Pentagon disclosed that U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers flew in international airspace east of North Korea. The Pentagon said it was the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea any U.S. plane has flown this century. The bombers flew from Guam escorted by fighter jets from Okinawa, Japan.
The 2017 hurricane season has been a full-on assault from Mother Nature. We are under siege, and our attackers have benign names like Harvey and Irma and Maria. But they are callous, powerful, indiscriminate, terrifying, destructive, merciless and relentless.
Is Earth trying to eject us from the planet? Again and again and again the harshest of winds and hardest of rains has pounded on the most-defenseless territories we have. The Caribbean islands, hanging out in open sea. The Florida peninsula, jutting out into danger. The Texas coastline, low-lying and concrete-laden. Nearly a full month of back-to-back-to-back disasters.
This hurricane season - not yet even close to finished - has generated more destructive, land-falling storms than the past few years combined. Four of this year's monsters went on to become Category 4 or 5, and three of those made landfall in U.S. territory. The U.S. has never been hit by three storms this strong in the same season in modern records.
Hurricane Harvey seemed to spin up in an instant before hitting land on Aug. 26, only to come to rest for days over Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana. A mind-boggling 19 trillion gallons of rain fell in that storm, which triggered unprecedented flooding. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott estimates Harvey will cost the state up to $180 billion - more than epic Hurricane Katrina.
Hurricane Irma was one of the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. When Irma maintained 180 mph wind speeds for 37 hours, it set a record for most intense storm for such a long duration - anywhere on Earth. It made landfall Sept. 10, strafing the Florida Keys before terrorizing both Florida coasts in vastly different ways. It knocked out power to millions of people, and some are still waiting for the lights to come back on.
Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico 10 days later as the strongest storm to hit the island since the 1928 San Felipe hurricane. It thrashed the U.S. territory with winds over 100 mph and more than 30 inches of rain. All of Puerto Rico lost power and was under flash flood warnings. The full extent of the damage, and the loss of life, might not be known for some time. It could take months to restore infrastructure.
All of this in just four weeks.
It spurs so many questions: Is this barrage random? Is it part of a natural cycle? Is it the result of climate change? Have we done this to ourselves?
Officials at the highest levels - who create, pass and sign the very policies that affect the environment - are bending over backward to dodge those questions. The political tension is palpable.
"To have any kind of focus on the cause and effect of the storm; versus helping people, or actually facing the effect of the storm, is misplaced," EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt told CNN as Hurricane Irma approached Florida.
When the question was posed to President Donald Trump on his way to visit hurricane-battered Florida, he replied: "We've had storms over the years that have been bigger than this."
To our struggling politicians, Pope Francis offered some advice: Climate change is happening, and you have a "moral responsibility" to do something about it.
"Those who deny this must go to the scientists and ask them," he said on a recent trip to Colombia. "They speak very clearly."
If they continue to deny climate change, he added, "history will judge those decisions."
This hurricane season is, indisputably, a nightmare. And it's indisputable that climate change is affecting our weather. The fingerprint of climate change is on every storm, it's in every raindrop and sunny day. It is a new, yet untested and ill-understood, factor in the way our planet works.
But there are additional elements that had to come together to create such a hellish year.
Hurricanes exist to cool the tropics. The vast majority of sunlight beats down in the 23 degrees north and south of the equator. Without something to disperse the energy toward the poles, Earth's climate would become unbalanced, quickly.
These planetary heat engines sprout from relatively weak clusters of thunderstorms - waves of low pressure from the coast of Africa - and fester in the warm waters of the Atlantic. They feed on tropical moisture and the sun's intense energy and, eventually, if they get large enough, will start to spin thanks to Earth's top-like motion.
Hurricanes can form in rapid succession and travel thousands of miles across the Atlantic, like rail cars on a train track or airplanes lining up for takeoff. Because they can gain steam, spinning themselves up into monstrosities, it's a trip that can end in the devastation of places like St. Croix, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Southwest Louisiana. One after the other.
We saw this alignment in 2005, and we're seeing it again in 2017.
"This isn't a random coming together," said Gerry Bell, a hurricane climate specialist at NOAA. It's a specific combination of environmental factors.
The Atlantic Ocean is in a pattern that's particularly favorable for hurricanes. Every couple of decades, the pattern flips, but it's been positive since about 1995.
There have been some exceptionally big seasons in the past two decades. The extreme years tend to happen when the things that weaken hurricanes are not present - like El Nino and chaotic, hurricane-killing winds over the Atlantic Ocean. When those forces stand down, the favorable pattern goes to work.
Factor in some exceptionally warm ocean water and it becomes nearly impossible to avoid a strong season.
"We are seeing some of the hottest ocean temperatures in the planet in the western Caribbean Sea," said Michael Ventrice, a research meteorologist at The Weather Company. "This is like rocket fuel for developing tropical cyclones. A major concern for late-season development."
But hurricanes need to make landfall to generate the kind of disasters seen so far this year. Steering winds determine their path, though they aren't always as predictable as forecasters would like. Which Florida coast would receive Hurricane Irma's landfall - Miami or the Gulf - was a result of uncertainty in the wind forecast. It hit near Naples, Fla. and went north, but the massive storm covered the entire state, knocking out power to millions and causing flooding and damage from the Florida Keys to Jacksonville and beyond.
The Florida Peninsula is only about 100 miles wide - a tiny distance on a global scale. Hurricane Irma was going to turn north somewhere near South Florida, forecasters knew that. But a few miles of deviation meant some people were spared while others were inundated with storm surge and damaging winds.
In the same way, Puerto Rico avoided Irma's destructive inner core, only to be devastated by Hurricane Maria. These winds are fickle, but deadly.
If we zoom out to the big picture, though, the steering winds over the Atlantic Ocean have been very predictable this season. Unfortunately for all the humans who live there, the winds have been guiding hurricanes straight into the Caribbean islands and the southern United States.
It's a significant shift. For the past decade, those winds were coming from the west, pushing hurricanes away from land and out to sea, rendering them largely harmless.
"We were very fortunate, since 2005," Bell said. "But it was just a matter of time before they were going to start making landfall again."
This year is remarkably similar to 2005, when storm after storm exploded over the Caribbean and then made landfall. Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma are among the more memorable of that year.
The 2017 season is only half over. There will be more storms, and the wind isn't going to change any time soon. At least one forecast company thinks this heightened level of activity will continue.
"I would be surprised if October wasn't more active than normal, with one or more potential threats to the eastern Gulf Coast originating in the central or western Caribbean," Ryan Truchelut, the president of WeatherTiger, predicted.
More potential threats, more hurricanes. More lives lost and more destruction.
"A lot of people have already been through a lifetime of impacts, but there are going to be more storms, we know that," Bell warned. "They have to stay prepared."
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The Washington Post's Jason Samenow contributed to this report.
BERLIN - Even as her global stature grows, longtime German Chancellor Angela Merkel may find her wings somewhat clipped at home.
Sunday's election, which bookends a year of high-stakes contests in Europe, looks set to saddle Merkel, and the government she leads, with forceful opposition from the far right, as the nationalist, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party (AfD) claimed the third-largest share of votes. The challenge could define her fourth term.
"Of course we were hoping for a better result," Merkel said in brief remarks at her party's headquarters. "We want to win back the AfD voters by registering their worries and their fears."
Politicians on the right flank of her conservative bloc offered a more blunt conclusion.
"We made the mistake of leaving our right flank somewhat open," Horst Seehofer, the chairman of the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian counterpart of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, told the public broadcaster ARD. He clashed with Merkel over her liberal stance to the refugee crisis that buffeted Germany in 2015.
If Merkel completes her fourth term, she will have led Europe's most powerful economy for 16 years, making her the longest-serving head of a major European state since Helmut Kohl, her mentor and the architect of German reunification in 1990. Merkel, 63, is the lone woman to have held the role and the only German chancellor from the former communist east.
She has governed alongside three American and four French presidents, as well as four British, six Italian and seven Japanese prime ministers. She led Europe's response to the 2008-2009 financial crisis, confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin over his country's annexation of Crimea and refused to close Germany's borders as hundreds of thousands of refugees, mostly Syrians, set their sights on northern Europe.
The unassuming daughter of a Lutheran pastor who spent half her life shut off from the West, Merkel is perhaps today's leading voice for the political, economic and security arrangements put into place after World War II that define the liberal Western order.
Merkel, however, has not inoculated Germany from the electoral volatility undermining the political establishment and fomenting rage against incumbents in democracies across Europe. She has nevertheless managed to channel these forces at least partially to her advantage, preserving her command over the political mainstream while raising questions about the future of German politics when Merkel stands down.
Her party received a much lower share of the vote than it did in 2013 - 33 percent, according to projections, compared with 41.5 percent four years ago - and support for extreme factions mounted.
Her nonideological style of governance has made her Christian Democratic Union a catchall for centrist interests while paralyzing its main rival, the Social Democratic Party, which captured just 21 percent of the vote, according to early returns.
Her apparent readiness to back any broadly popular policy has solidified the political center but it has also ceded ground on the right to the AfD, which was projected to have won 13.3 percent of the vote. Founded as an anti-euro party in 2013, the AfD made opposition to Merkel's refugee policy the focal point of its campaign and will become the first far-right party in the German Parliament since the early 1960s.
Merkel has ruled out governing in a coalition with the AfD, and her allies say she will not be bullied to move further to the right by the noisy party, whose main project is demonizing her.
"She is not willing to take decisions closer to what the AfD is asking for," said Jurgen Hardt, a Christian Democratic lawmaker from North Rhine-Westphalia and foreign policy spokesman for Merkel's ruling coalition.
But the chancellor's campaign shied away from a well-defined argument for Germany's future, seeking mainly to immobilize her opponents and flex the power of her personal brand.
She opted for a prominent use of Germany's national colors in the party's campaign material at the end of last year, an effort to blunt the nationalist appeal of the AfD after it surpassed her party in a state election. Meanwhile, she backed her party's call for a partial ban on the full-face veil worn by some Muslim women.
When her Social Democratic challenger, Martin Schulz, ramped up his attacks on President Donald Trump ahead of his decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord, Merkel distanced herself from the White House, telling supporters in a Bavarian beer tent, "We Europeans truly have to take our fate into our own hands." And when several potential coalition partners suggested that support for the legalization of same-sex marriage would be a condition of their cooperation in the new government, Merkel ceased blocking the matter, allowing it to pass in a snap vote, even though she personally opposed legalization.
"She's very good at collecting information," said Thomas Strerath, head of the advertising agency that designed her campaign materials, Jung von Matt. "She gets into the details, she hesitates and then she makes her final decision in the very last moment."
This is roughly the process by which Merkel, in September 2015, decided not to close Germany's borders to a torrent of asylum seekers rushing into Europe, according to German journalist Robin Alexander's new account, whose title can be translated as "The Driven Ones: Merkel and Refugee Politics." Operating largely independently of leading members of her party and guided by favorable polling, Merkel made a pragmatic decision to keep Germany's borders open and became the face of Europe's ultimately haphazard response to the refugee crisis.
The chancellor is increasingly autonomous in her decision-making and isolated from external advice, said one of her biographers, Stefan Kornelius, international editor of the daily Suddeutsche Zeitung.
She is also more cautious, he said, acutely aware of the global attention she has garnered and mindful that "she can't afford to misspeak or behave oddly."
Her steeliness - which masks her jovial personality, according to those who know her - has inspired trust within the CDU, whose members see Merkel's global stature as central to their appeal.
In an expression of their devotion, they refer to her as "Mutti," or mommy.
"We don't say chancellor; we say 'Mutti,' " said Tino Sorge, a Christian Democratic lawmaker who at 42 is a member of the party's younger generation. "Mommy will do all the things she has to do."
Voters voiced similar trust. "I feel safe with her," said Thomas Kaiser, 47, who runs a taxi company in Potsdam.
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Alexandra Rojkov contributed to this report.
Two-thirds of Americans oppose launching a preemptive military strike against North Korea, with a majority trusting the U.S. military to handle the escalating nuclear crisis responsibly but not President Donald Trump, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds.
Roughly three-quarters of the public supports tougher economic sanctions on North Korea in an attempt to persuade it to give up its nuclear weapons, while just about one-third think the United States should offer the isolated country foreign aid or other incentives.
The Post-ABC poll finds 37 percent of adults trust Trump either "a great deal" or "a good amount" to responsibly handle the situation with North Korea, while 42 percent trust the commander in chief "not at all." By comparison, 72 percent trust U.S. military leaders, including 43 percent saying they trust them "a great deal."
A scant 8 percent of Americans surveyed think North Korean leader Kim Jong Un can act responsibly.
Overall, Trump's image continues to be negative, with 39 percent of Americans approving and 57 percent disapproving of the president's job performance. But the poll finds that clear majorities approve of Trump's response to recent hurricanes and support the agreement he struck with Democrats providing emergency disaster-relief funding and raising the nation's debt limit.
A war of words this past week between Trump and Kim may have opened a potentially dangerous new chapter in the North Korea crisis.
Kim called Trump "a mentally deranged U.S. dotard," Trump denounced Kim as a "madman," and each vowed to test the other as never before. Washington rolled out new sanctions Thursday and made a show of military force Saturday by flying bombers along the North Korea coast, a day after Pyongyang said it might soon conduct a hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific.
Trump's use of aggressively personal taunts - the president nicknamed Kim "Rocket Man" in an address at the United Nations last week - defies convention and is seen by veteran diplomats as exceedingly risky.
The large gap in confidence between Trump and the U.S. military, as measured in the new poll, comes as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and other national security officials have emphasized a diplomatic approach to North Korea. Although Mattis has made clear that the United States is prepared and willing to retaliate to any attack with overwhelming force, he also has shied away from the rhetorical bombast employed by his boss.
Faith in Trump's handling of the biggest foreign policy crisis of his presidency is colored sharply by partisanship. While 11 percent of Democrats and 36 percent of independents say they trust Trump to act responsibly in dealing with North Korea, more than three-quarters of Republicans say they trust the president, although just over half trust him "a great deal."
Partisans are relatively united, however, in their concern about nuclear-armed North Korea. A record high 70 percent of Americans say North Korea poses a "serious threat" to the United States, including roughly 7 in 10 Democrats and independents and about 8 in 10 Republicans.
Trump's overall job approval rating has stabilized at 39 percent in the new poll after slipping to 36 percent in July. The shift is within the poll's margin of sampling error but is mirrored in the small rise in other recent national polls. Still, more Americans "strongly" disapprove of his job performance, 48 percent, than approve of it either "strongly" or "somewhat."
The Post-ABC poll finds 65 percent of Americans support the agreement reached this month between Trump and Democratic congressional leaders to authorize emergency hurricane-relief spending and raise the federal government's borrowing limit.
Two-thirds of Democrats and more than 6 in 10 independents back the agreement. And although the measure marked a rebuke of Republican leaders in Congress, it has the support of more than three-quarters of Republicans and a similar share of conservative Republicans.
Trump also receives a positive grade for his response to Hurricanes Harvey in Texas and Irma in Florida, with 56 percent approving of his handling of the disasters, including nearly one-third of Democrats.
Seven in 10 rate the overall federal response as "excellent" or "good." That is less glowing than ratings for the government's handling of Hurricane Sandy during the Obama administration in 2012, but far better than the public's assessment of the response by the administration of George W. Bush to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when fewer than 4 in 10 gave the federal government positive marks.
Trump's high marks on hurricanes and the spending deal with Democrats in Congress have failed to ease deep-seated dissatisfaction with his presidency, now entering its ninth month.
Despite positive recent economic news, Trump receives net negative marks on his handling of the economy, with 43 percent approving and 49 percent disapproving.
On immigration, 62 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump's performance, including 51 percent "strongly" disapproving. The Trump administration this month announced an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program created under President Barack Obama, but Trump has since discussed with Democrats a possible plan to restore protections for a group of undocumented immigrants commonly known as "dreamers" - those who were brought to the United States as children.
More broadly, most Americans see Trump as a divisive figure who has yet to fulfill his campaign promise to positively change the way Washington works. More than twice as many Americans say Trump is doing more to divide the country than to unify it, 66 percent vs. 28 percent. The margin is significantly more negative than those recorded for Obama and Bush; at most, 55 percent of Americans said Obama or Bush was dividing the country.
Opinions on this question break sharply along party lines. Among registered voters who identify as independents - a group Trump won by four percentage points in last year's election - 62 percent say Trump has done more to divide the country than unite it, while roughly 9 in 10 Democratic voters say Trump's actions have divided the country.
Among Republican voters, however, about 6 in 10 say Trump is making strides toward unity. Still, confidence in Trump as a unifying force has declined even among those in his party. While 9 percent of Republican voters in a poll last November by The Washington Post and George Mason University's Schar School had expected that Trump would divide the country, the new Post-ABC poll finds 31 percent of Republicans say Trump's actions are dividing the country today.
The poll finds 39 percent of all adults say Trump has brought needed change to Washington, while 59 percent say he has not. Almost three-quarters of Republicans say Trump has ushered in needed change, while most Democrats and independents say he has not.
On North Korea specifically, most Americans are hesitant to support preemptive military action. Fewer than a quarter - 23 percent - of Americans say the United States should strike North Korea first, while 67 percent say there should be U.S. military action only if North Korea attacks the United States or its allies.
More than 6 in 10 Republicans and independents along with more than 7 in 10 Democrats say the United States should not launch a preemptive strike. Even among those who "strongly approve" of Trump's job performance, a majority, almost 6 in 10, oppose preemptive military action.
If the United States did first launch a military strike on North Korea, 82 percent of Americans say it would risk starting a larger war in East Asia, including 69 percent citing a "major risk."
Despite resistance to preemption, however, Americans are much more supportive of military intervention generally than they have been in the past. In a question that did not contrast preemption and retaliation, the new poll finds roughly 4 in 10 Americans support bombing North Korean military targets, up from 2 in 10 in 2005, when North Korea declared itself a nuclear power. Republican support for bombings has more than doubled, from 29 percent in 2005 to 63 percent today. Most Democrats and independents still are opposed.
Beyond military strikes, toughening sanctions on North Korea garners widespread support across party lines, with 76 percent of Americans overall approving.
Other nonmilitary options aimed at pushing North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons are less popular. About one-third of Americans support offering the country financial incentives, such as aid money or more trade, down from about half supporting this approach in 2005. And while Russia and China have called on the United States to reduce its military exercises with South Korea, a key U.S. ally, American public opinion is roughly divided. Forty-three percent think the United States should agree to stop conducting the exercises, while 47 percent oppose doing so.
The Washington Post-ABC News poll was conducted Sept. 18-21 among a random national sample of 1,002 adults reached on cellular and landline telephones, with overall results carrying a sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
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The Washington Post's Emily Guskin contributed to this report.
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - In the northern Puerto Rican town of Vega Baja, the floodwaters reached more than 10 feet. Stranded residents screamed "save me, save me," using the lights in their cellphones to help rescue teams find them in the darkness, the town's mayor said.
In Loiza, a north coastal town that already had been ravaged by Hurricane Irma, 90 percent of homes - 3,000 - were destroyed by Hurricane Maria just days later. In communities across the island, bridges collapsed and highways were severely damaged, isolating many residents. In Rio Grande, officials had yet to access a number of families stuck in their homes, three days after the powerful storm made landfall.
When speaking about his town's destruction, Ramon Hernandez Torres, mayor of the southern city of Juana Diaz, took a long pause, his voice catching and his eyes filling with tears.
"It's a total disaster," he said.
Now Playing: Puerto Ricos governor has met mayors from around the US territorial island of Puerto Rico after surveying damage to an earthen dam that was threatening to collapse from flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Hundreds of people who live downstream from the compromised dam, which has formed a lake on the rain-swollen Guajataca River, were under orders to evacuate, with the structure in danger of bursting at any time. We saw directly the damage to the Guajataca dam, Governor Ricardo Rossello said in a Spanish-language Twitter message on Saturday while reinforcing his request that people leave the area as soon as possible. The fissure has become a significant rupture, Rossello said separately at a news conference on Saturday. The US National Weather Service said on its website the dam was still in danger of failing and triggering life-threatening flash floods. Stay away or be swept away, it warned. Video: Euronews
Hurricane Maria pounded the entire island of Puerto Rico on Wednesday, but the scope of the damage had been speculative and unclear since, in large part because towns across the U.S. territory have been completely off the grid. Though images from the air showed incredible destruction, mayors were unable to reach central government for leadership and help because communication was impossible. No telephones, cellphones, or Internet. No power. No passage through roads that had been washed away or blocked with trees and power lines.
But on Saturday, for the first time in days, mayors and representatives from more than 50 municipalities across Puerto Rico met with government officials at the emergency operations command center here in the island's capital city. Many of the mayors learned about the meeting through media reports over satellite radio the night before. One mayor said his staff was informed after a man ran to his offices with a note telling him to make his way to San Juan.
Approximately 20 other mayors across the island still have not been able to make contact with government officials, leaving major gaps in the broader understanding of the damage Maria left behind.
The mayors greeted each other with hugs and tears, and they pleaded with their governor for some of the things their communities need most: drinking water, prescription drugs, gasoline, oxygen tanks, and satellite phones. The entire population remains without electricity. Families everywhere are unable to buy food or medical treatment. Roads remain waterlogged, and looting has begun to take place at night.
"There is horror in the streets," San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz said in a raw, emotional interview with The Washington Post. "People are actually becoming prisoners in their own homes."
"Whenever I walk through San Juan," Yulin said, she sees the "sheer pain in people's eyes. . . . They're kind of glazed, not because of what has happened but because of the difficulty of what will come," she said. "I know we're not going to get to everybody in time. . . . Two days ago I said I was concerned about that. Now I know we won't get to everybody in time."
Oscar Santiago, mayor of the northern coastal city of Vega Alta, said many of his community's families refused to evacuate their flooded homes. One little girl was standing barefoot with her family on a roof, which was littered with nails, he said. When he asked her to put on some sandals, she told him: "The hurricane took them."
Marcos Cruz Molina, mayor of Vega Baja, said even his own wooden home was destroyed, and he has since sought shelter with his parents. Jose Rodriguez, mayor of Hatillo, in the northwest, said "hundreds and hundreds" of homes in his town were obliterated. "It's catastrophic," he said.
The meeting in San Juan came a day after the governor urged residents downstream from Lake Guajataca - a population of nearly 70,000 - to evacuate amid fears that a dam holding the lake back might fail because of damage from Hurricane Maria's floodwaters. Officials said the dam's structural damage was caused by a "fissure," a crack that had grown to a significant "rupture" by Saturday. The dam's failure could lead to massive amounts of water flowing through coastal communities along a river's path to the ocean, and authorities believed evacuation was the only option.
Local authorities said the actual number of residents remaining in those towns at risk of destruction was most likely much lower because of early overestimates, officials said. Evacuations continued on Saturday.
The official death toll on the island from Hurricane Maria has risen to 10. One died when he was struck in the head by a panel, another died in an accident with an excavating machine, three died in landslides, two in flooding in Toa Baja, and two police officers in Aguada drowned when the Culebrinas River overflowed.
One person in Arecibo died after being swept away by rising water. Officials believe there are probably others they haven't yet been able to confirm.
At the intersection of Routes 2 and 1o in Arecibo, employees of the Gulf Express gas station and their families - about 20 people in all - were hard at work Saturday. Their boots and sneakers were caked with mud because there is mud everywhere: On their pants and shirts, in their cars and on the walls of their homes. The makeshift cleanup crew was using brooms to sweep out the grayish brown slop that lay two or three inches thick inside.
After Maria blew threw the city, taking down trees and power lines, the flash floods came.
"The water had to be at least six, maybe seven feet high," said Nelson Rodriguez, an employee at the Gulf Express. "It took everything. All the medicine in the pharmacy, all the food, it's gone."
Every home and business in this part of Arecibo was affected by the flooding. Two blocks away from the gas station, Eduardo Carraquillo, 45, helped his father, Ismael Freytes, 69, clean the mud out of their yellow, first-floor apartment. Inside, a film, rising six feet high on the walls, marked where water stagnated for much of a full day.
"The water just pushed through the door, as if it had been left open," Carraquillo said. "We all evacuated the day after the storm, because we were warned about the flash flood that might come. Everyone left, just to be safe, except for two older men that lived a few houses away. They just didn't want to leave. When we came back, we found out the flood had killed them right there in that apartment."
Some Puerto Rico officials believe it could be months before the island recovers and that it will be at least a year before some sense of normalcy returns.
Officials estimate it will take three weeks for hospitals to regain power, and about six months for the rest of the island to have electricity. By Saturday, 25 percent of the population had telecommunications connections.
Gov. Ricardo Rossello announced efforts to centralize medical care and shelters for the elderly. He also plans to distribute 250 satellite phones among mayors to facilitate communication. He said he urged the mayors to develop a "buddy system" with other local officials.
Yulin, San Juan's mayor, said she has never seen such devastation, but she also said she has never seen such determination to make it. She described a phrase she keeps hearing from residents: "Yo soy Boricua. I am from Puerto Rico."
"That has become the very courageous way of saying we are going to overcome anything that comes our way," she said.
A janitor stopped Yulin with a request on Friday: "Tell the world we're here," he said, Yulin recounted. "Tell everyone we're fighting. Tell everyone that can listen that we are going to make it."
With her voice faltering, Yulin echoed that cry: "If anyone can hear us . . . help."
"Those are words that no society should have to endure alone or ever," Yulin said. "What I would ask is not only for Puerto Rico, but for the entire Caribbean that has been hit so hard by this: Do not forget us and do not let us feel alone."
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Cassady reported from Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
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Video: San Juan mayor: 'There is horror in the streets'
Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz recounts the many struggles Puerto Rico's capital city is facing as it tries to regain its footing after Hurricane Maria.
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Video: See Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria from the air
Hurricane Maria caused widespread damage to Puerto Rico. Drone footage captured the scene in San Juan and Canovanas on Sept. 21.
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EFFINGHAM Hallie Ochs sat in a hospital bed at HSHS St. Anthonys Memorial Hospital awaiting surgery to take her tonsils and adenoids out.
She wasnt happy.
We didnt tell her until we were leaving what we were doing, said Hallies mom, Brittany Ochs, laughing.
When first handed the plush brown teddy bear in the blue St. Anthony's T-shirt every pediatric surgery patient receives at St. Anthonys, it didnt do much to ease 4-year-old Hallies anxiety.
But when Jill Ruholl, St. Anthonys outpatient surgical services manager, began dressing the bear up in a surgeons uniform, Hallies mind was off her fear at least for a few minutes.
For the past six years, kids who have had surgery at St. Anthonys have received a new teddy bear through the hospitals Hugs & Cuddles Program. Starting in 2011 with a grant to the St. Anthonys Foundation from BP/Meyer Oil, each child receives the teddy bear prior to surgery and gets to take it home.
Recently, the BP/Meyer Oil renewed its sponsorship of the program with another $12,000 contribution, which allowed the program to expand to the imaging and emergency departments.
We like to make our principle donations to charities that benefit the kids. said Randy Meyer, president of Meyer Oil. Nurses have shared very positive comments to our family regarding the childrens reaction to receiving the teddy bears.
Ruholl said kids demeanor prior to surgery is unpredictable sometimes theyre calm, sometimes theyre scared, sometimes theyre angry. A little extra comfort is always a help, which is where the bear comes in.
It gives them some security, Ruholl said. Especially if a kid hasnt brought a stuffed animal from home, you can tell it makes it feel better.
Ruholl said easing the childs worries is also beneficial for the parent.
Its hard to see your kid crying and scared, Ruholl said. It helps everybody have a little less fear.
When Hallie found out she was getting her tonsils out, she closed her mouth and refused to open it except to answer all questions with no.
That was until Ruholl asked Hallie if she wanted to dress her bear up like a surgeon.
OK, Hallie said, with the slightest hint of a smile.
Ruholl provided a surgical mask and hair net, and helped the bear fit into the outfit.
Look at that, Ruholl said to Hallie, who had forgotten she was about to have surgery for the first time since arriving at the hospital.
Is that funny? Brittany asked.
Hallie nodded.
Now you can take him home and show your sisters, Ruholl said.
Hallie was also covered up in a white blanket with colorful butterflies on it she received as part of Project Linus a national organization that provides handmade blankets to kids in the hospital. Blankets are donated to St. Anthonys through the Southern Central Illinois chapter.
St. Anthonys is collecting new donated material from the community to be used, St. Anthonys marketing specialist Sheryl Painter said. They use a room at the hospital and theres a group that comes in every so often and make blankets all day long.
Republican tax negotiators are targeting a corporate tax rate of 20 percent, according to two people familiar with the matter. That would be higher than President Donald Trump wants -- setting up a key decision for the president on a top legislative priority.
Trump has called for cutting the corporate rate to 15 percent, down from the current 35 percent. The plan he'll see this week is also expected to recommend cutting the top individual tax rate to 35 percent, down from 39.6 percent, two people familiar with the matter said.
Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have said previously that they didn't want the tax plan to offer any tax cut to the highest earners -- and that they'd balance a rate cut by eliminating deductions that the wealthy use to reduce their tax bills. Mnuchin said in November, weeks after Trump's election, that "there will be no absolute tax cut for the upper class."
Reminded of that on Sunday, Mnuchin said: "It was never a promise and it was never a pledge." But he said again during an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" that the tax plan that's coming this week will be "getting rid of lots of deductions."
"The current plan -- for many, many people, it will not reduce taxes on the high end," Mnuchin said. He also said the plan will provide a middle-income tax cut and said it will create jobs.
Mnuchin didn't mention specific tax rates. Nor did Marc Short, the White House legislative affairs director, during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday." "The president will have to sign off on that and he'll make his announcement on Wednesday," Short said.
Trump plans a trip to Indiana on Wednesday for a speech on tax issues, a person familiar with the planning said. The White House and congressional Republican leaders are preparing for a push in the next few months to pass tax legislation. The drive follows a series of defeats since Trump's inauguration, including their failure so far to repeal Obamacare. Cutting the corporate tax rate is one of Trump's core principles for an overhaul.
While members of Trump's own administration have suggested that Trump's position on the corporate rate might be subject to compromise, the president may yet resist a plan with a rate higher than 15 percent, one person familiar with the matter said.
The people asked not to be identified because details of the tax plan and Trump's schedule have not been publicly announced. Trump said Friday night during a campaign rally in Huntsville, Alabama, that a tax plan would be released this week, and described it as "massive tax cuts."
The effect of such cuts on the $20 trillion federal debt remain to be seen. Last week, a pair of key Republican senators reached an agreement on the framework for a 2018 budget resolution that's expected to allow for a tax cut of $1.5 trillion over 10 years that would add to the deficit -- before accounting for any growth or other economic effects of the cuts. Though proponents say tax cuts would stimulate growth to make up for the shortfall, a budget that allows for deficit-increasing tax cuts would depart from years of GOP support for balanced budgets.
Short said Sunday that Trump's administration "continues to be committed to making sure we're being fiscally responsible." While there may be a short-term decrease in revenue, he said, tax cuts would "provide growth that we think will bring in more revenue in the long term."
House Speaker Paul Ryan and other congressional leaders have discussed a corporate tax rate in the low to mid-20s. Based on recent discussions, the GOP will probably aim for a rate in the range of 20 to 24 percent, said Ryan Ellis, a Republican tax lobbyist who previously worked as chief tax policy director for Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform.
Ellis said he also expects the so-called "Big Six" negotiators to seek a top individual rate of 35 percent. The Big Six are Mnuchin, National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and the chairmen of the congressional tax-writing committees.
Ellis also said he expects the framework will call for doubling the standard deduction claimed by many middle-class tax filers, and for repealing the estate tax, which applies only to estates worth more than $5.49 million.
It's unclear how detailed the framework will be -- or whether it will represent the unified approach that the president and GOP leaders have sought.
Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a member of the Big Six, has said that he'll regard the document as a guide, but his panel won't be bound by it. Nor will his panel be a "rubber stamp" for any particular plan, Hatch said.
The Washington Post reported that Republicans were "targeting" a corporate rate of 20 percent, citing three unnamed people. But the plan remains fluid, those people told the paper. The news website Axios reported on Saturday that the Big Six had already agreed to a 20 percent rate.
House Republicans plan to hold a conference meeting Wednesday, and public information about the plan is expected shortly afterward.
Spokeswomen for Ryan and for House Ways and Means Committee chairman Kevin Brady declined to comment Saturday when asked about the reported details of the emerging plan.
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--With assistance from Steven T. Dennis Ben Brody and Terrence Dopp
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The Pledge of Allegiance has become a topic of date at Midland High School in West Texas after students were reportedly told they have to stand for it by law.
"It's the law! Stay standing during the pledge and silent during the moment of silence," a slide in a slideshow said, reports news station CBS 7.
RECITING THE PLEDGE: Texas mom shares proud moment when son stops everything to say the Pledge of Allegiance and prays
According to the news station, the slide came up during a presentation on the Pledge of Allegiance and was presented to juniors and seniors.
Lacy Sperry, executive director of communications for Midland ISD, told Chron.com that the slide "was taken out of context" and that school administrators have addressed the issue.
PROTEST: Pearland middle schooler protests pledge of allegiance, following NFL players
"According to the Texas Education Code, Sec. 25.082, we are required to have students recite the US pledge and the Texas pledge at least once a day, and we are required to have a moment of silence following the recitation of pledges," Sperry said via email. "As a protocol, we ask students to stand and remain standing. We honor any parental request for students to opt-out of the recitation of the pledge on any of our campuses."
The Texas Education code does state the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence is required from students daily. Students' parents or guardians can give written permission to not have their children stand during the pledge.
Parents Sounded off on CBS 7's Facebook post, giving multiple viewpoints on the subject.
"This is pure propaganda. There is no law stating that you must stand for the pledge of allegiance. This is actually against your freedom of speech. I can choose to stand or not stand," Jayson Brown commented on the post.
"You have the right to kneel but it's disrespectful to all the people who have died and suffered to give you that right," commented Steve Benner.
"The pledge is a lovely patriotic poem, but is not embedded in our legal nor political systems at all except as a cultural expression of our love of country," wrote Joanna Tousley-Escalante.
What do you think? Should students be required to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance? Let us know in the comments section.
The Alamo Area Council of Governments is accepting nominations for its 2017 Regional Awards.
Submit nominations online at aacog.com/award or call Tiffany Harris at 210-362-5204 to have a form sent to you. Deadline for nominations is Oct. 9.
Awards are presented in in five categories:
Regional Citizen of the Year honors a person who has contributed to the betterment of the 13-county AACOG region: Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Frio, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, McMullen, Medina and Wilson. Current elected officials arent eligible.
Corporate/Business Steward of the Year recognizes a for-profit business of any size that is an outstanding community partner through employee volunteering, fundraising efforts, etc.
Community/Nonprofit Project of the Year honors a project that has made a positive impact on the community.
Government Project of the Year is for a completed project that has had a significant community impact.
Lifetime Achievement Award goes to an individual who has contributed significantly to the region over his or her lifetime. This award has only been presented four times since the awards started in1974.
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WARNING: Video contains graphic language
AUSTIN Brawls broke out toward the end of a rally against Confederate monuments at the Capitol on Saturday, resulting in state troopers arresting and loading two demonstrators into police cruisers, as other protesters swarmed the sidewalk hurling insults and chanting.
We got into a big scuffle. The police grabbed a bunch of people, said Nicolas Ortiz, an advocate with the Brown Berets who was handcuffed and briefly detained by a state trooper.
Two protesters were arrested. One, charged with assaulting a peace officer, was taken to the hospital for injuries sustained during the arrest, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman said. His condition was unknown Saturday night.
Now Playing: Tensions erupting as Austin police ask protestors to stay on sidewalk, now protestors chanting "cops and klan go hand in hand." Video: Allie Morris, Express-News
The afternoon event was initially planned as a counter-protest to a Confederate heritage rally. The Dixie Freedom rally was canceled but the counter-protest continued as planned, starting at a city park and marching to the Capitol a few blocks away.
In the face of a heavy police presence, which included two state troopers on horseback, a dozen more on foot and roughly 10 Austin police officers on bikes, the counter-protest against white supremacy quickly took on an anti-law enforcement tone.
Antifacists or antifa were part of the more than 100 people protesting, and started chanting cops and Klan go hand in hand during the march to the Capitol as the Austin police officers made a barrier with their bicycles to keep protestors out of the street. The aggressive tone turned off some protesters, who opted to leave the event early.
It was supposed to be equal rights against white supremacy, and it turned into anti-fascism, said David, an Austin resident who declined to give his last name. That is their style, with megaphones and chanting, it gives the entire event a flavor I dont appreciate.
The clashes didnt start until the rallys end on the Capitol grounds, when a bystander grabbed a bullhorn from one of the protesters and used it to thank the police.
As attendees sought to take back the bullhorn, a scuffle ensued that ended with Ortiz being handcuffed. Ortiz and the bystander, who was not handcuffed, much to protestors anger, were taken into the Capitol. Soon after, another clash broke on out the lawn, ending with several demonstrators being held down by state troopers on the pavement.
At one point, the crack of a stun gun rang out. The Department of Public Safety confirmed a trooper unholstered a Taser and pulled the trigger, but said it wasnt used on a person.
Now Playing: Dozens of Austin police tried to manage a rally Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, as protesters shout "f*** the police" and "thanks for wasting our tax dollars." Video: Allie Morris, Express-News
One of the men arrested, Andrew J. Alemao, of Iowa City, Iowa, is accused of assaulting a trooper and attempting to flee, according to the department. His girlfriend, Michelle Molnar, said Alemaos face was bloodied after he was held on the ground by two troopers.
They took him in the cop car. I did not see them giving him any medical attention, she said.
Austin resident Angelica R. Clark, 24, was charged with interfering with Alemaos arrest.
Within about 30 minutes of the ruckus, the crowd began to disband. Some protestors blamed police for the contentious clashes.
I thought the cops were unnecessary and repeatedly escalated situations for no good reason, said attendee Antonio Buehler.
Austin Police Commander Michael Eveleth said his officers were protecting protestors.
Our presence out there is for their safety, he said. Were not going out there against them. Were out there to help them express their First Amendment right and to provide them a safe atmosphere.
Fourteen groups coordinated the event, according to the Facebook page, but far fewer than the 1,600 people who registered actually showed up, likely because the Dixie rally had been canceled.
After marching from the nearby park, the group rallied at each of the three confederate monuments on the Capitol grounds with chants of tear it down.
We wanted to make it clear white supremacists are not welcome in Austin, said Lisa Fithian, a woman who led the calls for pulling down the monuments.
Efforts to remove Confederate symbols at the Capitol have accelerated in recent months.
This week, House Speaker Joe Straus called for the removal of a blatantly inaccurate Confederate plaque at the state Capitol that denies slavery led to Texas secession.
The whole concept of white supremacy is offense to any true American and why its such an issue here is unfathomable to me because we are a nation of immigrants, said Connie Kosmas, an Austin woman who showed up for the protest.
amorris@express-news.net
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Robert E. Lee, known as the commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, was an icon for the South during and after the Civil War.
But letters obtained in December by the Briscoe Center for American History in Austin show how the general interacted with his slaves prior to the Civil War.
RELATED: Confederate monuments and slavery artifacts in Texas
Don Carleton, the Briscoe Center's executive director, said in a news release the three letters are important to scholars of both slavery and Lee since they tie the two together.
These documents add to the historical evidence that Lee was active in the affairs of the slaves and farms that he had inherited from his father-in-law, George Washington Parke Custis, Carleton said in a news release.
The letters were written from San Antonio, where Lee was stationed as a U.S. Army officer in 1859 and 1860.
RELATED: Where former slaves in San Antonio lived
In one of the letters, Lee said the following regarding a set of male slaves who were believed to be troublemakers:
He will have orders to deliver them to you at Richmond or in the event of not meeting you, to lodge them in the jail in that city.
In the same letter, Lee discusses sending away three women of varying ages. He said they have become accustomed to house work, but he cannot recommend them for honesty.
Lees father-in-law died in 1857, leaving nearly 200 slaves and several farm operations for Lee. He delayed emancipation of the slaves, despite the father-in-laws wishes to have the slaves freed within 5 years of his death. He used the slaves to raise funds to fulfill debts and raise money for his children, according to the Briscoe Center for American History.
Lee used the letters for correspondence with an agent, William Winston, so that he could order slaves be moved from his land to another property in Richmond, Virginia.
RELATED: In Texas, history of slavery unique but not 'brief
Preliminary research suggests that Lee sent these slaves to Richmond because he considered them either rebellious or dishonest, Carleton said in a news release. It may be that Lee was sending a message to his other slaves, many of whom believed Lee was delaying their legal freedom for economic gain: Endure another five years of slavery or suffer the consequences in the harsher climate of Richmond, one of the Souths most notorious centers of slavery.
The letters also discuss how the slaves were transported to new locations.
Click through the slideshow to see a collection of scans of the letters, as well as photos surrounding some San Antonios very own notable slaves.
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Twitter: @tylerlwhite
SHELBYVILLE Jill Collum did not know what to expect when she agreed to go winery-hopping in Central Illinois with her friends.
The Manteno resident has gone to wineries around the city and in Michigan, but had not heard about Central Illinois wines until she did a Google search after work brought her to the area.
But after a few glasses of wine at Shelbyville's Willow Ridge Vineyards & Winery, Collum said it was worth the trek through farmlands and rocky, two-lane roads.
"I would not have expected all this good wine, especially here in what seems to be the middle of nowhere," she said.
In an area more known for the growth of corn and soybeans, grapes and vineyards have started to dot more of the land as local winemakers see an increased appetite for the product in what has become a $692 million industry in Illinois, according to the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association.
In a way, it is a return to the past, when the state was the fourth largest wine producer in the country during the turn of the 20th century. There were just over a dozen Illinois wineries in the 1980s, but now there are more than 100 in a network of eight wine trails.
There are 41 wineries across what the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association refers to as the central and south central regions of Illinois, which covers everything south of the Chicago area and north of those close to the Effingham area.
The growth in the industry has not been lost on Louie Donnel, co-owner of Shelbyvilles Willow Ridge Vineyards & Winery. That growth has gone hand-in-hand with what Donnel said has been increased business as customers look for something different than the more stereotypical drinking experience.
I think its the more laid-back style that draws people to wineries, Donnel said. Its definitely not your typical tavern scene.
Since opening, Willow Ridge has gone on to win several state awards for its wine, most recently winning the governors cup at the 2016 Illinois State Fair with its Pink Catawba winning for best dessert wine.
When their winery was first opened in 2007, Donnel said they were about the 70th to open in the state. Since then, more than 30 new wineries have opened shop.
Among the newest wineries in the area is Panas Arpeggio Winery, which opened its rustic doors in 2015.
When they first opened, co-owner Mike Swiney said he and his wife, Karen, did not know exactly what sort of support they would receive from the community. Since then, the renovated barn that once belonged to Mike's grandmother has added a new outdoor patio, performance stage and an expanded outdoor area.
On top of increasing sales, Karen Swiney said they know the community can be counted on to help the family-run winery whenever asked.
"We have people come out here to help pick grapes (from the two acre vineyard)," she said. "A lot of people tell us they're happy to support us and it's really nice to be able to involve them."
One thing that is missing in Central Illinois is one of the designated wine trails that encourages customers to spend the day wine-hopping from place to place. Local owners say there is an interest in getting one together, as Karen Swiney said there is a certain camaraderie in the business that encourages partnerships between wineries rather than competition.
But for now, Swiney said they will continue to focus on what they can control, which is growing their business.
Were seeing an increased demand every year, she said. I think the community has shown how much they enjoy wine.
San Antonio is in for showers and cooler temperatures later this week, while areas west of our area will experience heavy rainfall Monday afternoon with the possibility of flooding into Thursday.
Meteorologist Aaron Treadway with the National Weather Service said San Antonio will see scattered showers throughout the week likely totaling 1 to 4 inches of rain.
1 Peacekeepers killed: The U.N. mission in Mali said three peacekeepers were killed and five others wounded Sunday in an attack on a convoy near the Gao region. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but it resembles other attacks linked to al Qaeda in the region. The peacekeeping mission in Mali is the deadliest of the U.N.s 16 global peacekeeping operations. Two peacekeepers were killed this month in Kidal.
2 Libya strikes: The U.S. military said Sunday that it had conducted drone strikes on an Islamic State training camp in Libya, killing 17 militants in the first U.S. air strikes in the strife-torn nation since January. A half-dozen strikes Friday hit a training camp about 150 miles southeast of Sirte, from which militants were moving fighters in and out of the country, stockpiling weapons and equipment, and plotting and conducting attacks, the Pentagons Africa Command said in a statement. Three vehicles also were destroyed. The most recent strikes underscore the major threat that the Islamic State still poses in the region. The militant group is believed to have several hundred fighters in Libya who have taken sanctuary in its vast ungoverned spaces.
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Milo Yiannopoulos didnt mince any words Saturday, saying he will speak at UC Berkeley "come hell or high water."
The self-proclaimed troll is in the Bay Area to headline Free Speech Week, organized by student group Berkeley Patriot and slated to run Sept. 24 and Sept. 27. That plan went up in smoke Saturday when the student group withdrew its sponsorship of the four-day conservative political event.
Yiannopoulos hosted a strongly-worded Facebook Live, flanked by political commentator Pamela Geller and Infowars host Mike Cernovich, saying he was "disappointed to have been completely blindsided" by Berkeley Patriots letter to the universitys Interim Vice Chancellor Stephen Sutton, detailing why the "mutated" Free Speech Week was being called off.
"I do understand their fears and they are right on all counts when they say UC Berkeley is threatening their educational futures," he said. "But we cannot host an official university event without a student sponsor."
Yiannopoulous blasted UC Berkeley for having "hypocritically named this academic year its Year of Free Speech."
"The administration has done everything in its power to crush its own students aspirations," he said. "UC Berkeley may have a deservedly poor reputation for free speech, and its students will graduate knowing less than when they came in as freshmen, but you have to give the school credit: they are masters of bureaucratic dirty dealing."
Yiannopoulos lashed out at university officials, who he said "leaked" Free Speech Week's speaker list to "domestic terrorists" like Antifa.
He also decried the narratives that the "Berkeley Patriots were hopelessly disorganized" and that he "somehow knowingly allowed fans to spend money travelling to Berkeley" despite suspicions that the event would be axed.
That said, Yiannopoulos said he was undeterred in his plan to express his First Amendment rights at the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement. The former Breitbart News editors attempt to speak at UC Berkeley in February came to a screeching halt when masked rioters began vandalizing property and lighting fires.
In their capacity as citizens with the constitutional right to express their views, Yiannopoulos and other speakers will rally at Sproul Plaza at 12 p.m. Sunday at what has been dubbed a March for Free Speech. Over 140 people had expressed interest as of Saturday evening.
"We will proceed no matter what, in whatever format we can, to realize the promise of Free Speech Week and send a message that conservatives will not be bowed by pressure from academics, the media or anyone else," Yiannopoulos said.
Yiannopoulos said that the Berkeley Police Department knows of his plan and will be "out in full force," patrolling Sproul Plaza. [[447236003, C]]
Despite being miffed at Berkeley Patriot for pulling the plug on Free Speech Week, Yiannopoulos said he plans to endow the group with $10,000 dubbed the Mario Savio Free Speech Fund. Berkeley "needs a strong, populous, free-speech loving conservative publication," he said.
Yiannopoulos contined: "Free Speech is at risk on college campuses like never before in Americas history."
Yiannopoulos also asked people who bought plane tickets, reserved hotel rooms or spent money in any other form to attend Free Speech Week to send him their receipts and confirmation. "We will take care of you," he said, alluding to a surprise at Sunday's rally.
"I deeply appreciate the efforts freedom-loving Americans have gone to in order to support this event and I am personally grateful to the fans who came in from all four corners of the earth," he wrote on Facebook. "I want you to know that I share your frustration with the administration and with the media, and that I will take care of you. Berkeley did this to you, but Im going to fix it."
Ann Coulter was meant to be the recipient of the Mario Savio Award for Free Speech, Yiannopolous said, admitting that he considered smashing it on the steps to Sproul Plaza "to declare that free speech at Berkeley is dead." Instead, he will safeguard it.
"We will be back. I will get Ann Coulter here I will get Uncle Steve back. I will get all of the people that you were looking forward to seeing here," Yiannopoulos promised.
He then invited UC Berkeleys Chancellor Carol Christ and University of California President Janet Napolitano to debate with him or any conservative of their choice on the issue of free speech.
"It's high time that America had its big showdown free speech debate," Yiannopoulos said.
Anyone hoping the demise of Free Speech Week means they wont have to hear about him anymore will be disappointed, Yiannopoulos added, since he is launching an international Troll Academy tour.
In California, he will speak at Cal State Bakersfield on Oct. 25, at San Diego State University on Oct. 29 and at Cal State Fullerton on Oct. 31.
Some universities welcome speakers with controversial points of view, while some dont, Yiannopoulos said, but "the vast majority do not possess the resources, clout, and pure malevolent evil of UC Berkeley."
Yiannopoulos also revealed that he is launching a publishing house called "Dangerous Books," which will publish Gellers next book, "Fatwa: Hunted in America."
Returning to the issue at hand, Yiannopoulos said: "We will go through this madness, and we will do it again and again and again, until conservative speakers are given the same rights and privileges as their left-wing counterparts at every college in the country," he said on Facebook. "I will not rest until every student in America feels able to share their politics openly and proudly without fear of being marked down on essays, laughed at in the classroom or punished for inviting their speaker of choice."
UC Berkeley issued a statement Saturday evening indicating that it was aware of Yiannopoulos' plans to speak and that the school was "putting measures in place to ensure the safety of the campus community." The university also advised people in attendance on Sunday to avoid violence.
"Our campus will not tolerate acts of violence or the destruction of property, and the UCPD will dutifully investigate, arrest, and prosecute anyone who commits crimes on our campus," a statement from the university read.
Hundreds of people descended on Berkeley Saturday for a "No Hate in the Bay" rally in response to the now cancelled Free Speech Week at UC Berkeley.
Student group Berkeley Patriot called off the controversial Free Speech Week that many protesters said promotes hate speech and, by extension, violence, but right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has vowed to show up anyway.
Chants scattered across city streets on Saturday offered support for groups such as Black Lives Matter and those with LGBTQ affiliations. Signs hoisted into the air denounced those behind the so-called "alt-right" movement, calling them fascists and Nazis. Some of those signs read "Make Racists Afraid Again" and "Smash White Supremacy."
"We are resisting the Free Speech Week at Berkeley that is claiming to be free speech, but we know that it's hate speech and that the people coming onto campus are violent," Linda Ereikat from the Arab Resource and Organizing Center said.
Although Free Speech Week has been called off, Yiannopoulos and other speakers plan to gather at Sproul Plaza at 12 p.m. on Sunday, reportedly with the full backing of the Berkeley Police Department.
Ereikat hopes that those who are able will gather in Berkeley on Sunday to speak out against Yiannopoulos.
"We see that our communities right now are vulnerable and they are very scared and they're emotional," Ereikat said. "We need to fight back for them. The people that are really able need to fight back. We need to stand up."
A common view for those in attendance at the Berkeley march was that those associated with the so-called "alt-right" movement encourage acts of hateful violence.
Isaac Levszmonko with the Catalyst Project, which works on issues related to race relations, hopes the community will stand united against that behavior.
"When Milo Yiannopoulos last came to campus, his goal there was to reveal the identities of undocumented students at Berkeley so that they would either be deported or be targeted for racist violence," Levszmonko said. "We think that's beyond the realm of free speech."
Free Speech Week at UC Berkeley was officially canceled, but that didn't stop right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos from making a quick, unsanctioned visit to the East Bay campus Sunday.
Flashing an American flag hoodie under a denim jacket, Yiannopoulos blew kisses to the crowd, posed for some selfies and addressed a couple dozen supporters without amplification while hundreds of protesters were kept away by police. Less than a half hour after appearing, Yiannopoulos was whisked away by an SUV.
Demonstrators from opposing sides of the political spectrum came face-to-face in Berkeley as right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos visited the East Bay campus.
It is not exactly clear what Yiannopoulos told a small crowd on the steps of Sproul Hall, but the conservative commentator could at one time be heard singing a rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." He could also be seen hoisting signs into the air reading "Feminism is Cancer" and "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder," in part.
On his way out surrounded by members of his team, reporters and some hecklers, Yiannopoulos vowed to return to the birthplace of free speech.
"It was very important for us to show up today and let Berkeley know that we won't be deterred and let them know we'll be back as many times as it takes," he said.
[NATL-BAY]Demonstrators Face-Off at Milo Yiannopoulos Event in Berkeley
Berkeley police reported 11 arrests for violating a number of Berkeley municipal codes and California Penal Codes. Police announced that the arrested were: Keith Sherman, 30, Oakland; Kyle McCoy, 28, Oakland; Drean Coxburnett, 23, Berkeley; Jonathan Cho, 27, Oakland; Imalda Starling, 32, Berkeley; David Johnson, 24, Oakland; Rane Stark-Buhl, 27, Oakland; William Orr, 29 Oakland; Kelsey James, 24, Reno, NV; Gautam Reddy, 22, San Ramon; and Syth Feil, 30, Redwood Valley.
Before Yiannopoulos' appearance, chanting and shouting demonstrators had already gathered in Berkeley, coming face-to-face with one another as police tried to separate them.
An estimated $800,000 or more was spent on police personnel and extra support, according to University of California Police Department Chief Margo Bennett. Officers representing roughly eight to 10 agencies, among others, were on hand to keep the peace.
Six-figure spending on police was a "significant" cost, according to university spokesman Dan Mogulof, but it will not impact the university's budget or trigger any budget cuts.
Mogulof also joked that the money spent on mobilizing police for the short appearance amounted to "probably the most expensive photo op in the university's history."
"We would much rather have spent those resources in a different way on the academic mission, on improving the student experience, infrastructure I mean, we have serious budgetary needs," Mogulof said. "But our compliance with the First Amendment is not discretionary. Where we do have discretion is in all that we do to provide for the safety and well-being of the campus community."
Free Speech Week has been canceled, but event headliner Milo Yiannopoulos said he still plans to speak on the UC Berkeley campus on Sunday. Anser Hassan reports.
While the four-day long Free Speech Week has gone up in smoke, Bennett and Mogulof noted that university officials and police will be ready to handle any incidents that crop up over the coming days.
"We have to just be prepared for the unexpected I think this week," Mogulof said.
Demonstrators still remained in the vicinity of Sproul Plaza after Yiannopoulos left, at times clogging city streets and impacting traffic.
The student group Berkeley Patriot on Saturday informed UC Berkeley that Free Speech Week has been canceled, but event headliner Milo Yiannopoulos doubled down on his plans to come to the campus. Christie Smith reports.
Yiannopoulos' visit came one day after he took to Facebook Live to say that he would join Pamela Geller, Mike Cernovich and other speakers at Sproul Plaza at noon for a March for Free Speech with the full backing of the Berkeley Police Department even though the student group Berkeley Patriot informed the university that Free Speech Week had been canceled.
"We are going to be hosting an event come hell or high water tomorrow," Yiannopoulos said, vowing to proceed with or without UC Berkeley's or the students' cooperation.
NBC Bay Area's Christie Smith and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Restaurant giant McDonalds is moving out of its Oak Brook headquarters and into Chicago, but could the campus lure another massive company to the suburb?
That headquarters is one of the rumored possible landing spots for the much-sought after second headquarters for Amazon, which is holding a nationwide competition as it looks for a location to house a massive facility that could create 50,000 jobs and billions in economic benefits to the area lucky enough to land it.
We have low taxes, low government, low crime, and outstanding public schools, DuPage County Chairman Dan Cronin said.
Cronin says that it is working with the city of Chicago, who is rumored to be one of the biggest contenders for the new facility. He says that if any city in the region gets the headquarters, it will be a boon to the entire regions economy.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has launched an all-out effort to land the project, and has floated several potential locations, including the Thompson Center, the old post office, and the former location of the Finkl steel plant.
Not everyone is enthused about the project, as Illinois gubernatorial candidate Daniel Biss cautioned about giving up too much to land Amazons new campus.
When states compete with each other, trying to hand out as big of incentives as possible, they get trapped in a race to the bottom, he said.
Cities in other states are also in on the bidding, including Austin, Atlanta, and St. Louis, but even if Oak Brook doesnt land the project, Chairman Cronin says the McDonalds headquarters will not sit empty.
Answering the call to serve and protect often takes a toll on first responders. The Believe 208 5K remembers first responders lost to suicide, raising awareness about the issue.
Sunday in East Hartford, the emotional event was held to recognize that struggle and sacrifice.
Believe 208 was founded by Trish Buchanan in honor of her husband Paul, who took his own life in 2013. Paul Buchanan was an East Hartford police officer with 24 years of service. Believe 208 is named to reflect Pauls badge number.
Believe 208 works with CABLE, the Connecticut Alliance to Benefit Law Enforcement, to provide resources and raise awareness about suicide. This is the fourth year of the race. For more information, click here.
A man accused of trying to kill someone with a 2X4 in Vermont, robbing a Massachusetts bank and fleeing in a stolen truck earlier this month has been arrested as a fugitive at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.
Members of the U.S. Marshals Service found 48-year-old Alfred Craven of Readsboro, Vermont, at the casino Friday. He was wanted on attempted murder charges out of Searsburg, where a 53-year-old man claims Craven attacked him with a 2X4 on Sept. 4, fracturing his skull, his jaw and other bones in his face.
The victim told Vermont State Police Craven had fled, and a warrant was issued for his arrest on aggravated assault and first degree attempted murder charges.
While he was on the run, police say Craven robbed the North Easton Savings Bank in Mansfield, Massachusetts on Sept. 18. Craven, who Mansfield Police say is a native of nearby Taunton, allegedly stole a Chevy Silverado from a car wash on Route 44 in that city. Police say he used the truck as a getaway vehicle after passing a note to a bank teller demanding cash.
Mansfield Police
Police in Mansfield are charging Craven with unarmed robbery, larceny over $250, receiving a stolen vehicle and disturbing a school assembly. They plan to bring him to Attleboro District Court after he faces a federal probation charge. Mansfield Police add that he will also face charges out of Taunton District Court, and that he remains in the custody of U.S. Marshals.
Vermont State Police told necn Friday they had no new information about the case against Craven.
According to U.S. Marshals, "Craven has an extensive criminal history that spans Vermont, Massachusetts and California," with federal convictions for conspiracy to sell marijuana and bank robbery.
It was not immediately clear if Craven had an attorney.
Airline companies are beginning to resume operations to and from the Caribbean since the impact of Hurricane Maria.
Southwest Airlines has adjusted its operating schedule to/from Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU) in Puerto Rico due the lack of electricity and infrastructure across the island. As of now, it is possible for only one of the five scheduled flights to/from SJU to operate on Saturday, September 23 and Sunday, September 24.
In addition, Southwest will be sending another aircraft from Orlando (MCO) to SJU Saturday with the purpose of determining how safe it is to transport people in and out of SJU. This aircraft will also include a Southwest assessment team and relief supplies onboard to help the situation furthermore.
For those holding reservations and wanting to make any changes to their travel plans to San Juan or Punta Cana, Southwest is offering flexible accommodations from September 18 to September 30. These include rebooking flights in the original class of service or traveling standby within the 14 days of the original date of travel, between the original city-pairs and in accordance to the accommodation procedures.
More flights will come available as conditions in San Juan improve.
Operations at Punta Cana International Airport resumed Friday.
American Airlines is also beginning to operate to Puerto Rico. On Friday, September 22 it operated a total of three flights to SJU. It also operated two flights from SJU, one to Miami and one to Philadelphia.
Flights to/from Providenciales resumed Saturday, September 23. Operations to Saint Maarten and the U.S. Virgin Islands will resume once airports reopen.
The destructive floodwaters of Superstorm Sandy receded quickly, but some storm victims are still neck-deep in a battle over insurance payouts. And many victims of this year's storms in Texas, Florida and elsewhere should brace themselves for a similar fight, lawyers involved in Sandy insurance battles say.
As Sandy's fifth anniversary approaches Oct. 29, more than 1,000 families in New York and New Jersey are still fighting with the Federal Emergency Management Agency over their flood insurance claims, according to government statistics.
The FEMA-run National Flood Insurance Program paid out $8.2 billion to about 144,000 policyholders after Sandy, a critical safety net that saved many homeowners from financial ruin.
But many storm victims also complained that they were shortchanged by the private insurance companies hired to administer the program and left with too little money to repair the damage.
Under pressure from Congress, FEMA reopened the Sandy claims process in 2015 and since then has paid out an additional $396 million, but some property owners continue to argue in that they are owed more.
In the barrier island city of Long Beach, New York, Jamilyn Spellman is among those still fighting, even though her Sandy-damaged home has long since been demolished, the land beneath it sold, and its original owner -- her mother -- has died of cancer.
"She just wanted to die at home," said Spellman. But "she died displaced ... literally, in the hospice, talking about FEMA."
After nearly every major storm, lawyers for Sandy victims said, disputes arise over fair payouts that can be maddeningly difficult to resolve.
"It has been a struggle every step of the way," said August Matteis, a Washington, D.C., lawyer whose firm is representing about 1,200 policyholders going through the FEMA review. "FEMA is still fighting us tooth and nail for every penny."
Amy Bach, executive director of the advocacy group United Policyholders, said the lessons of Sandy and other past storms show that victims of this year's hurricanes need to take an aggressive approach to their claims, too.
Among other things, she said, victims should thoroughly photograph their home's condition, inside and out, before making even temporary repairs or cleaning out debris.
"You need to be proactive in documenting and valuing your losses if you want to get a fair, full and timely settlement," she said.
The National Flood Insurance Program was created to protect homeowners unable to buy insurance in the private sector because they live in high-risk flood zones.
While many homeowners with Sandy policies settled claims quickly, more than 2,000 sued over what they said was sloppy work by some of the insurance adjusters and structural engineers who were rushed into the disaster zone to evaluate the damage.
After some homeowners and their lawyers uncovered evidence that at least two engineering companies hired by insurers had a practice of rewriting reports turned in by field inspectors, FEMA took the unprecedented step of allowing all Sandy victims to have their claim re-examined. About 19,500 policyholders asked for a review.
According to the last FEMA update, released Sept. 8, most of those reviews had been completed. But about 1,100 policyholders were still in an appeals process, with a neutral reviewer going over their claim.
FEMA officials have said their priority is getting claims paid fairly as quickly as possible. It has set a target of Oct. 25 for completing arguments in the Sandy claim review process.
The agency has also undertaken a series of reforms since Sandy. Among other things, it has already decided to give victims of Hurricane Harvey a year to document their losses. Sandy victims were initially told they had just 60 days, though deadlines for many were later extended.
The Spellmans' insurance fight is similar to a lot of the other insurance disputes that have dragged out.
Sandy's storm surge inundated the property with 3 1/2 feet of water, opened a small sinkhole under part of the house and put a hole in the foundation.
An engineer hired by the insurance company said the building could be saved and FEMA awarded the family about $104,000 for repairs. Contractors hired by the family said the damage was bad enough that it would cost at least $300,000 -- more than the family's $250,000 policy.
The house was eventually razed in hopes the family could put up a modest modular home. And finally, the lot was sold last December because the family could no longer afford the mortgage and taxes.
Jamilyn Spellman says she is holding out hope that when the fight with FEMA ends, she'll end up with what her mother was "rightfully entitled to and fought for."
"It would help so much ... but the damage is already done," she says. "My mother's gone. The house is gone. For me, I feel like I've already lost what's important."
The Riverside City Fire Department Saturday is deploying a 27-person team of specialized emergency personnel to assist the search and rescue efforts in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.
The Urban Search and Rescue Team Task Force Six will depart at 8 p.m. from March Air Reserve Base on a C5 cargo plane along with several other teams, according to a news release.
Crew members include a logistics specialist, rescue specialist, K9s, medical personnel, a hazmat specialist and communications support, said Training Captain Dave McClellan. The team is led by Division Chief Steve McKinster.
"The team members are the best of the best and have trained many years for such a deployment," McClellan said.
Earlier today, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello called Hurricane Maria, which made landfall Wednesday morning, the worst catastrophe in island history. It left large swaths of the territory underwater and without power or cellular service.
At least seven people have died, according to news reports.
President Donald Trump tweeted that North Korea "won't be around much longer" if the speech made by a North Korean official at the United Nations mirror the sentiments of "Little Rocket Man" Kim Jong Un.
"Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!" Trump tweeted late Saturday.
Trump's threat comes after the American military showed military might to North Korea, as U.S. bombers and flight escorts flew to the farther point north of the border between North and South Korea by any such American aircraft this century. The Pentagon said the mission in international airspace showed how seriously President Donald Trump takes North Korea's "reckless behavior."
"This mission is a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat," Defense Department spokesman Dana White said in a statement.
"North Korea's weapons program is a grave threat to the Asia-Pacific region and the entire international community. We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the U.S. homeland and our allies," White said.
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, has said Trump would "pay dearly" for threatening to "totally destroy" North Korea if the U.S. was forced to defend itself or its allies against a North Korean attack. Kim's foreign minister told reporters this past week that the North's response to Trump "could be the most powerful detonation of an H-bomb in the Pacific."
North Korea has said it intends to build a missile capable of striking all parts of the United States with a nuclear bomb. Trump has said he won't allow it, although the U.S. so far has not used military force to impede the North's progress.
The Pentagon said B-1B bombers from Guam, along with F-15C Eagle fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan, flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea on Saturday. The U.S. characterized the flights as extending farther north of the Demilitarized Zone, than any U.S. fighter or bomber had gone off the North Korean coast in the 21st century.
B-1 bombers are no longer part of the U.S. nuclear force, but they are capable of dropping large numbers of conventional bombs.
U.S. Pacific Command would not be more specific about many years it had been since U.S. bombers and fighters had flown that far north of the DMZ, but a spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Dave Benham, noted that this century "encompasses the period North Korea has been testing ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons."
At the United Nations, North Korea's foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, said Saturday that his country's nuclear force is "to all intents and purposes, a war deterrent for putting an end to nuclear threat of the U.S. and for preventing its military invasion, and our ultimate goal is to establish the balance of power with the U.S."
He also said that Trump's depiction of Kim as "Rocket Man" makes "our rocket's visit to the entire U.S. mainland inevitable all the more."
Trump on Friday had renewed his rhetorical offensive against Kim.
"Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn't mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never before!" the president tweeted.
On Thursday, Trump announced more economic sanctions against the impoverished and isolated country, targeting foreign companies that deal with the North.
"North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development is a grave threat to peace and security in our world and it is unacceptable that others financially support this criminal, rogue regime," Trump said as he joined Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a meeting in New York.
Hours later, Kim responded by saying Trump was "deranged."
In a speech last week at the United Nations, Trump had issued the warning of potential obliteration and mocked the North's young autocrat as a "Rocket Man" on a "suicide mission."
Trump's executive order expanded the Treasury Department's ability to target anyone conducting significant trade in goods, services or technology with North Korea, and to ban them from interacting with the U.S. financial system.
Trump also said China was imposing major banking sanctions, too, but there was no immediate confirmation from the North's most important trading partner.
If enforced, the Chinese action Trump described could severely impede the isolated North's ability to raise money for its missile and nuclear development. China, responsible for about 90 percent of North Korea's trade, serves as the country's conduit to the international banking system.
A naked man who was covered in blood and went on violent rampage in a Long Island basement has died in police custody, officials said.
Walter Perez, 36, died after police subdued him and put him in handcuffs, said Nassau County police Lt. Det. Richard LeBrun.
When officers noticed he wasn't breathing, they immediately removed the handcuffs and attempting life-saving measures, but weren't able to revive him, LeBrun said.
Perez lived at the house on Doughty Boulevard where police were called about a disturbance, authorities said. The house has several rooms in the basement that were rented out, LeBrun said.
Officers arrived to find Perez covered in blood, believed to be his own from injuries he sustained from ripping down doors and breaking things in the home, police said. He also held up a "dangerous instrument," LeBrun said.
Officers deployed their tasers twice, but the stun guns had no effect on Perez, LeBrun said.
After a struggle, officers subdued Perez and handcuffed him, LeBrun said. Then they noticed he wasn't breathing, he said.
Five officers were treated at a hospital for exposure to bodily fluids including blood, feces and saliva, LeBrun said.
The Nassau County Homicide Squad and the district attorney's office were investigating.
A team of first responders departed Saturday for Puerto Rico to help in the recovery effort after Hurricane Maria.
The humanitarian crisis was growing in Puerto Rico as towns were left without fresh water, fuel, power or phone service following Maria's devastating passage across the island.
Tony Maldonado of the NYC Emergency Management Team said the group from New York would augment the island's emergency management center.
Also on the plane, which was rented by the Hispanic Federation, were first responders and City Council President Melissa Mark Viverito.
Mark Viverito has family in Puerto Rico. She said that based on descriptions of the damage that she's received from them, "the level of devastation is a total catastrophe."
Here in New York, firehouses were collecting donations to deliver to Puerto Rico. A telethon is also planned for Sept. 25.
Radnor Township Board of Commissioners president Philip Ahr is under investigation by the Delaware County District Attorney's Office, sources told NBC10 Friday.
Why Ahr is under investigation remains unclear, however.
Detectives arrived at Ahr's twin home early Thursday with a search warrant to collect evidence, sources said.
NBC10 made multiple attempts to reach Ahr at his home, by phone and social media, but were unsuccessful.
A spokesperson for the district attorney's office wouldn't elaborate on the investigation, only saying it's "ongoing."
Commissioner Luke Clark confirmed Friday that the board was notified of the raid and investigation Friday. Clark said he was asked not to discuss the merits of the case and referred further questions to the DA's office.
Radnor Township called a staff meeting Friday to discuss the investigation. Staff approached after the meeting only said they were informed of the probe.
Ahr's biography was unavailable on the Radnor Township website Friday. As of Saturday, the page was accessible again, but said "No bio submitted."
A woman was bitten by a venomous snake as she walked into a restaurant in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
Rachel Myrick said she was at a LongHorn Steakhouse earlier this month when she felt a sharp pain in her left foot.
She reached down and realized she'd been bitten several times by a roughly 8-inch-long copperhead that apparently had gotten inside the restaurant's foyer.
"I got bit! I got bit!" Myrick said she yelled.
The pain was excruciating, Myrick said. She was taken to a hospital for treatment, where she was given antivenin.
She spent the next five days in the hospital and was told it could be weeks or even months before she can get back to work as a real estate agent.
Almost two weeks after she was bitten, she was walking and using crutches and still can't place weight on her foot.
Despite the ordeal, she said she's thankful it was not her teenage son or another child who was bitten.
"The fact that it wasn't a child, a million times over is a blessing," she said.
A spokesman for LongHorn said the restaurant chain wants to provide any assistance it can to Myrick and is taking steps to prevent anything similar from happening again.
Our primary concern is for the well-being of Ms. Myrick, and we want to provide any assistance we can," he said. "This was a highly unusual incident, and we are working with our facilities team to see how this may have occurred, and we are taking steps to prevent it from happening again.
Myrick said she was shaken by the experience.
"It was five seconds that turns your life upside down," she said.
Snake experts said the chance of a snakebite is remote.
If bitten, call 911. Do not apply a tourniquet or ice. Don't cut into the wound or use suction, and avoid alcohol or drugs -- even ibuprofen.
Every night since Hurricane Maria hit, Miguel Martinez and his family have slept on mattresses on the porch to escape the heat inside their dark, stifling home. But it's nearly impossible to sleep with temperatures in the mid-80s.
At least once a night they climb to the roof to catch a hint of breeze. Then the 51-year-old construction worker, his three children and one grandchild climb back down again.
"It's a heat from hell," Martinez said. "We don't have a generator or a fan. We have nothing. The children get desperate. You want just a little bit of cold water, but there's none."
The power is still out across nearly all of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria smashed poles, snarled power lines and flooded electricity-generating plants last Wednesday, knocking out a grid that was already considered antiquated compared to the U.S. mainland. Generators are providing power to the fortunate few who have them, but nearly all the island's 1.6 million electricity customers were still without power Monday and facing many, many hot days and dark nights to come.
Power had been restored to a handful of hospitals and surrounding areas by Monday afternoon but Public Affairs Secretary Ramon Rosario said it will take months to fully restore power to the island.
Authorities are still figuring out the extent of the damage, let alone beginning to repair it.
Utility workers from New York have arrived to help assess the damage, while airplanes and barges are bringing in more generators.
Getting the power back isn't just a matter of comfort. A long delay will mean even more pain for a Puerto Rican economy that's already reeling from a decade-long recession. With no power, even more people will leave the island to find better opportunities on the mainland and further drain its workforce. The downed power system is also damaging the tourism industry, which contributed 8 percent to Puerto Rico's economy last year.
The overwhelming smell of rotting garbage wafted through a working-class part of the Santurce section of San Juan, where 46-year-old construction worker Rafael Santana spent the night in front of a single fan thanks to a neighbor with a generator who was kind enough to throw over a cable so he could have power from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m.
By 8 a.m., Santana's forehead was beaded with sweat as he left home to seek out some shade nearby.
Roberto Ruiz, a 50-year-old handyman, handed a chilled bottle of water that his daughter brought home from her job, which has power, to a neighbor seeking something to drink.
"Look at this! Cold water!" exclaimed 70-year-old Jose Luis Burgos as he took the bottle and looked at it, mesmerized. "We are suffering here."
Ruiz said he jumps into the shower several times a day to cool off, letting water drip over his body instead of drying off afterward. He also leaves his windows open, which led to another problem: "Now the mosquitoes don't leave me alone."
Most people have thrown open their doors and windows, anxious to feel a breeze amid the oppressive heat.
Six-month-old Rafshliany Cortijo wore only diapers as she sat in a swing placed in an open doorway. She smiled as she slowly swung back and forth.
"I bathe her six times a day," said Franchesca Rivera, the baby's 31-year-old mother. "She sweats a lot."
Mother and daughter sleep on the porch at night along with Rivera's son to stave off the heat since they don't have a generator or a battery-powered fan.
Nelida Morales, a 49-year-old nanny, said her house becomes an oven during the day because three big trees that once shaded it were uprooted by the storm.
"We can't go to the rivers because of floodwaters. And the beach is out of reach," Morales said as sweat beaded on her upper lip.
Puerto Rico's power plants were not severely damaged, according to Gov. Ricardo Rossello. However, 80 percent of the island's transmission lines are down, and Rossello said it would take up to two years to completely rebuild the infrastructure under normal conditions. He said the plan is to restore power with some quick fixes to the network and then gradually strengthen it to avoid problems like blackouts and make it less vulnerable to future storms.
The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or PREPA, has more than 2,400 miles of major transmission lines and more than 30,000 miles of smaller distribution wires that connect homes and businesses to the grid. Much of the network is down.
Officials hoped to use helicopters and drones to get a better look and help them decide where to send repair crews first.
Unlike Texas and Florida, where Hurricanes Harvey and Irma knocked out power grids this summer, workers from other utilities on the U.S. mainland can't hop in trucks and drive to Puerto Rico. By Monday afternoon the main airport in San Juan was not yet operating normally, which is slowing the airlift of crews, generators and other equipment.
Even before Maria hit, the power authority said it needed more than $4 billion to upgrade its infrastructure after years of under-investment left it with an inefficient and unreliable system. Its fleet of power plants has a median age of 44 years; the average age across the United States is 18 years.
The power authority already had more than $9 billion in debt when it filed for what is essentially bankruptcy protection in July. It was weakened by the island's long recession, which sapped demand for electricity, but it also struggled to collect hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid bills.
Last year, consultants hired by the Puerto Rico Energy Commission wrote a scathing report about the power authority, noting that outages occurred four or five times more often than at mainland U.S. utilities because of a history of neglecting maintenance.
"It is difficult to overstate the level of disrepair or operational neglect at PREPA's generation facilities," wrote consultants from Synapse Energy Economics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They said that frequently there were "simple failures that blossom into crises."
What to Know The I-Team found North Korea's diplomatic mission to the UN has racked up more than 1,300 unpaid NYC parking tix dating back to the 1990s
As of this year, the total debt has climbed to more than $156,000
A man who identified himself as the secretary of North Korea's UN mission told the I-Team there must be an error
While North Korea's rogue leader, Kim Jong-un, spends untold resources on his nuclear program, there is one thing he is not paying for: His country's parking tickets.
An I-Team investigation found North Korea's diplomatic mission to the United Nations has racked up more than 1,300 unpaid New York City parking tickets going back to the 1990s. As of this year, the total debt has climbed to more than $156,000.
The I-Team sent an inquiry to an email address listed on North Koreas diplomatic website, but a responding message said the email was incorrect.
The I-Team was able to track down a North Korean diplomat near the nations UN office on 44th Street. He identified himself as Jong Jo, secretary of North Koreas UN mission. Jong Jo told the I-Team he believes there must be an error because New York City has had the right to withhold diplomatic parking privileges from vehicles that accumulate too many unpaid tickets.
"It's not true," Jong Jo said. "It is false. Whenever we have a ticket, we pay. Because, you know, if we have three tickets the city does not allow us to renew their permission."
A 2002 memorandum of understanding (MOU) between New York City and the U.S. Department of State does make clear New York City can withhold a diplomatic parking decal if a vehicle accumulates three or more unpaid tickets. But most of North Koreas parking debt occurred before 2002, when the nations diplomatic vehicles regularly racked up dozens of ignored and unpaid violations with little consequence.
And North Korea is far from the only nation appearing to skip out on hefty illegal parking bills. An I-Team analysis found vehicles assigned to diplomatic delegations from a multitude of countries have accumulated more than $16 million in combined unpaid penalties since the 1990s.
Among the notable scofflaws:
Syria, with $362,550 in parking debt
Iran, with $184,987 in parking debt
Russia, with $104,231 in parking debt
China, with $398,736 in parking debt
Representatives of those nations diplomatic delegations did not respond to the I-Teams requests for comment.
Since the MOU was signed in 2002, there has been a dramatic decrease in diplomatic parking abuse. The NYC Department of Finance says foreign nations have incurred just $679,000 worth of parking violation liabilities in the last 15 years compared with millions prior to 2002. The de Blasio administration says parking tickets prior to 2002 are not forgiven -- and diplomatic delegations must still pay their debt.
New Yorkers who do pay their parking fines were disappointed to hear nations like North Korea and Syria are failing to pay old tickets, especially because those nations have had rocky diplomatic relationships with the U.S.
Trump needs to do something about that since hes complaining about everything else, said Sioban Huggins, a driver from Flatbush who just paid an outstanding parking fine.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State said the Trump administration takes seriously the problem of diplomats who abuse parking privileges, issuing a statement that reads, in part:
The Department strictly enforces the rules and associated consequences concerning our extension of driving privileges to foreign mission members in the United States. This is a responsibility that we take very seriously, meaning we ensure that, irrespective to an individuals entitlement to immunity, there are consequences when a foreign mission member fails to comply with U.S. motor vehicle laws.. . . With this said, it is important for police to treat foreign diplomatic and consular personnel with respect. It is not an exaggeration to say that police handing of incidents in this country could have a direct effect on the treatment of US diplomatic and consular personnel serving abroad.
The State Departments Office of Foreign Missions (OFM) issues driver's licenses to diplomats and other staff at foreign missions to the UN. OFM also keeps records of diplomatic driver histories, reserving the right to revoke U.S. driving privileges or even force the a diplomat to leave the U.S. for ignoring or violating motor vehicle law.
The I-Team asked if any diplomatic drivers have been disciplined - or if any diplomatic license plates have been revoked - in the last five years.
The U.S. Department of State has not yet responded to those questions.
From an Advent Open Evening to Carols in the Cloister and an array of special services and concerts with Norwich Cathedral Choir, there is lots to look forward to at Norwich Cathedral this festive season.
From an Advent Open Evening to Carols in the Cloister and an array of special services and concerts with Norwich Cathedral Choir, there is lots to look forward to at Norwich Cathedral this festive season.
Norwich church to hold Sunday healing service Witard Road Baptist Church is hosting a healing service this coming Sunday led by Rev Ray and Ruth Scorey from Norfolk Healing Rooms. Read more
Sheringham youth attend forbidden church The youth group at Lighthouse Community Church in Sheringham were forced to meet at a secret location earlier this month when the Lighthouse building had, supposedly, been shut down by the authorities. Read more
Christmas pud workshop at Norwich church Not made your Christmas pudding yet? Don't know where to start? Come along to a Christmas pudding workshop at Norwich Central Baptist Church on November 21 with MasterChef contestant Jane Wyndham. Read more
Norwich Foodbank provides over 4,700 food parcels Norwich Foodbank gave out 4,793 emergency food parcels to people across Norwich in the last year with 1,790 of these going to children. Read more
Poppies cascading in Sheringham church A fall of poppies cascades from the pulpit in St Andrews Methodist Church in Sheringham, and anyone is welcome to come and see them. Read more
Bishop Graham's prayers for COP27 climate conference Bishop Graham is publishing daily prayers on social media for the current COP27 climate conference, and is asking all to join. Read more
Discovering the Orange in your life The vibrant colours of autumn have been inspiring regular contributor Jane Walters to focus on the positive. Read more
YMCA annual celebration set to inspire YMCA Norfolk is set to hold its much anticipated 2022 annual celebration and awards ceremony on November 17, after almost 3 years since the last event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
Hub manager vacancy at community shop Earlham Community Shop Community Interest Company is looking to appoint a manager for this new venture being developed in the heart of NR5 Norwich. Read more
Abbey Days brings Christmas Magic to Wymondham Visitors to Wymondham Abbeys Christmas fair will be able to treat their children to a magic show and fun baking workshop while they browse more than 60 stalls. Read more
Salvation Armys new Christmas Appeal in Norfolk The Salvation Army has launched their new Christmas appeal across Norfolk which, this year, has evolved from the much-loved Toys and Tins appeal. Read more
Are we storing up treasures on earth? Rising prices affect us all, and Anna Heydon urges us to spare a thought for those who will be struggling with the cost of living this winter. Read more
Latest Norfolk Christian community events Events of interest to the Norwich and Norfolk Christian community happening over the next few weeks are listed. Read more
Covid leaf memorial at Norwich church St Peter Mancroft Church Norwich Presents The Leaves of the Trees an installation by sculptor Peter Walker which provides a memorial for those who died of Covid-19 Read more
Community Chaplaincy Norfolk begins a new chapter Community Chaplaincy Norfolk (CCN) celebrated the beginning of a new chapter this week, as the new chair of trustees Chris Tomlinson led his first annual meeting. Read more
Lowestoft Christians launch on-line bible helps app The Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth branch of Good News for Everyone (GNFE), formerly the Gideons, have introduced a new mobile phone app called On-line Bible Helps. Read more
Addicts' rehabilitation centre plan for Drayton Hall Christian addiction charity Teen Challenge London is planning to turn Drayton Hall near Norwich into its headquarters and a rehabilitation centre for men, after it was gifted the freehold of the hall by its owner, the Lind Trust. Read more
New Norfolk Area Coordinator widens Shoebox Appeal New Norfolk Area Coordinator widens Shoebox Appeal
Trish Ellse, from Wymondham, is Norfolks new Area Coordinator for Operation Christmas Child, with a vision to build on the project which last year facilitated 9,000 shoeboxes donated from Norfolk, to be given as unconditional gifts to children in Central Asia and the Ukraine.
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The Bladebone owner and chef is in the running for an award
THE head chef and owner of The Bladebone in Chapel Row is in the running for an award.
Richie Sanderson, who took over the pub in December 2015, was nominated for the 2017/18 Parliamentary Pub Chef of the Year award by Newbury MP Richard Benyon.
Mr Sanderson said: To receive the call, being told I had been nominated for this amazing award by our local MP, really was the icing on the proverbial cake, after two years of really hard, but incredibly rewarding work.
Im lucky to be able to do what I love every day, reflecting the passion I have for great food on the plate and in the Bladebone, alongside our fantastic team, who along with my proud family, make the success of the Bladebone possible.Ill continue pushing for excellence through our menus, to ensure our customers always receive the best.
Mr Benyon said: Local pubs are the focal point of their communities and I have made a point of trying to support them in any way I can ever since I became MP for Newbury.
As well as good beer, pubs increasingly need to provide good food and these awards highlight the extraordinary talent and quality of the best pub chefs.
I am delighted to nominate Richie Sanderson of the Bladebone pub in my constituency as an outstanding example of this sort of innovative and entrepreneurial chef.
There are two categories in the award Pub Chef of the Year and Young Pub Chef of the Year.
Entrants will be judged by an expert panel, who will shortlist contenders for the cook-off.
There, they will display their skills to the organisers, The British Beer and Pub Association, as well as judges from sponsors Nestle Professional, the All Party Parliamentary Beer Group and TV guest chef presenter and former Michelin star holder Paul Merrett.
The award will be presented in the New Year and is run by the British Beer & Pub Association and the All Party Parliamentary Beer Group.
Managing director of Nestle Professional George Vezza said: Fostering the next generation of talent is something we're passionate about at Nestle Professional and we wish all entrants the best of luck.
ENS Economic Bureau By
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Commerce and industry minister Suresh Prabhu has held talks with top representatives of Korean industries in Seoul, the commerce ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The minister, who was on a three-day visit to South Korea, also discussed ways to increase business cooperation, it added.
Prabhu travelled to Korea to participate in the 7th Asia-Europe Economic Ministers meeting and the 3rd Joint Ministerial Review of the India-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. At the ASEM meeting, the minister underlined the emergence of India as one of the worlds leading investment destinations.
The minister also exchanged views on the prospects for more business cooperation with executives of top South Korean companies including Samsung, Kia motors, Hyundai Electric and Posco. In a detailed exchange of views with these businesses, and the Federation of Korean Industries, issues and prospects for more business cooperation were discussed, the ministry said. Prabhu also held a meeting with the chairman of South Koreas ruling Democratic Party ChooMi-ae. Calling India a shining star in the global economy, Ms Choo noted that the elephant was out performing the dragon, the statement noted.
NEW DELHI: Commerce and industry minister Suresh Prabhu has held talks with top representatives of Korean industries in Seoul, the commerce ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The minister, who was on a three-day visit to South Korea, also discussed ways to increase business cooperation, it added. Prabhu travelled to Korea to participate in the 7th Asia-Europe Economic Ministers meeting and the 3rd Joint Ministerial Review of the India-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. At the ASEM meeting, the minister underlined the emergence of India as one of the worlds leading investment destinations. The minister also exchanged views on the prospects for more business cooperation with executives of top South Korean companies including Samsung, Kia motors, Hyundai Electric and Posco. In a detailed exchange of views with these businesses, and the Federation of Korean Industries, issues and prospects for more business cooperation were discussed, the ministry said. Prabhu also held a meeting with the chairman of South Koreas ruling Democratic Party ChooMi-ae. Calling India a shining star in the global economy, Ms Choo noted that the elephant was out performing the dragon, the statement noted.
By PTI
NEW DELHI: India is engaging with various countries, including Uzbekistan, to procure nuclear fuel as part of its plan to create a strategic uranium reserve to ensure long-term security.
The plan is to have a stockpile of nuclear fuel for its strategic uranium reserve that can sustain the country's reactors for the next five years so that they do not stop functioning because of the lack of uranium.
In the past, the Indian power reactors were under-performing due to shortage of uranium, owing to the sanctions imposed by the West post 1974 Pokhran nuclear tests.
Talks are currently being held with Uzbekistan, a senior government official said, and a delegation from the Central Asian country had visited India last month to discuss the issue in detail. The delegation came just two months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Astana in June this year, said a senior Ministry of External Affairs official, on condition of anonymity.
"We have been looking to import uranium from Uzbekistan in the past. Back then, they had refused to transport uranium to an Indian port. But now they have agreed to do so and negotiations are on," said a senior government official requesting anonymity.
According to the World Nuclear Association, an international organisation that represents the global nuclear industry, the landlocked Central Asian country is the seventh largest exporter of uranium in the world.
Attempts are also being made to procure uranium from Australia. A nuclear cooperation pact between the two nations was signed in 2014 and came into force in 2015.
Uranium mining in Australia is mostly done by private players. However, a senior government official pointed out that Australian uranium is "impure" in nature. "We have got nearly a kilogramme of uranium from Australia. This is being tested by the Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad to determine the price of the uranium. We are hopeful that the uranium import starts by next year," the official added.
India's concerns to have a stockpile of nuclear fuel emanate from the time when its atomic reactors functioned below its capacity level due to the shortage of uranium. The US and other nations had imposed sanctions on India following the Pokhran nuclear tests in 1974.
Post Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement, New Delhi's quest to have an uranium reserve got traction as importing fuel became much easier.
Apart from domestic production, India currently imports uranium from Kazakhstan and Canada. This is primarily used to fuel its indigenously built Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors. It procures enriched uranium from Russia for its two Boiling Water Reactors at Tarapur in Maharashtra.
As part of its contract, Russia also supplies uranium to fuel the two reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. Apart from it, it has agreements in place to import uranium from Namibia and Mongolia.
The government recently approved 10 Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors with a capacity to generate 7000 MW. Work on four reactors with a capacity of 1000 MW each is in progress, apart from seven domestic reactors. "We will now have 21 reactors under construction and 22 reactors in operation. This will increase the capacity to over 22,000 MWe by the end of next decade. We shall continue to add more capacity in future," Sekhar Basu, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) secretary and chairman of the Atomic Energy said at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference at Vienna last week.
The IAEA is a global nuclear watchdog, with its headquarters in Vienna.
NEW DELHI: India is engaging with various countries, including Uzbekistan, to procure nuclear fuel as part of its plan to create a strategic uranium reserve to ensure long-term security. The plan is to have a stockpile of nuclear fuel for its strategic uranium reserve that can sustain the country's reactors for the next five years so that they do not stop functioning because of the lack of uranium. In the past, the Indian power reactors were under-performing due to shortage of uranium, owing to the sanctions imposed by the West post 1974 Pokhran nuclear tests. Talks are currently being held with Uzbekistan, a senior government official said, and a delegation from the Central Asian country had visited India last month to discuss the issue in detail. The delegation came just two months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Astana in June this year, said a senior Ministry of External Affairs official, on condition of anonymity. "We have been looking to import uranium from Uzbekistan in the past. Back then, they had refused to transport uranium to an Indian port. But now they have agreed to do so and negotiations are on," said a senior government official requesting anonymity. According to the World Nuclear Association, an international organisation that represents the global nuclear industry, the landlocked Central Asian country is the seventh largest exporter of uranium in the world. Attempts are also being made to procure uranium from Australia. A nuclear cooperation pact between the two nations was signed in 2014 and came into force in 2015. Uranium mining in Australia is mostly done by private players. However, a senior government official pointed out that Australian uranium is "impure" in nature. "We have got nearly a kilogramme of uranium from Australia. This is being tested by the Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad to determine the price of the uranium. We are hopeful that the uranium import starts by next year," the official added. India's concerns to have a stockpile of nuclear fuel emanate from the time when its atomic reactors functioned below its capacity level due to the shortage of uranium. The US and other nations had imposed sanctions on India following the Pokhran nuclear tests in 1974. Post Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement, New Delhi's quest to have an uranium reserve got traction as importing fuel became much easier. Apart from domestic production, India currently imports uranium from Kazakhstan and Canada. This is primarily used to fuel its indigenously built Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors. It procures enriched uranium from Russia for its two Boiling Water Reactors at Tarapur in Maharashtra. As part of its contract, Russia also supplies uranium to fuel the two reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. Apart from it, it has agreements in place to import uranium from Namibia and Mongolia. The government recently approved 10 Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors with a capacity to generate 7000 MW. Work on four reactors with a capacity of 1000 MW each is in progress, apart from seven domestic reactors. "We will now have 21 reactors under construction and 22 reactors in operation. This will increase the capacity to over 22,000 MWe by the end of next decade. We shall continue to add more capacity in future," Sekhar Basu, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) secretary and chairman of the Atomic Energy said at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference at Vienna last week. The IAEA is a global nuclear watchdog, with its headquarters in Vienna.
By Express News Service
VIJAYAWADA: Commissioners Task Force (CTF) busted an adulterated ghee racket by raiding a ghee manufacturing unit in Kedareswararaopet on Saturday. From the unit, officials seized some 100 kilograms of adulterated Ghee, Dalda and fruit and vegetable waste. According to CTF ACP Muralidhar, the accused, Balasubrahmanyam, the unit owner and his partner took a shop in Fruit market at Kedareswararaopet where they have been packing ghee, shampoos, mouth fresheners and other spices for more than six months. They did not have the licence for running the unit and even misbranded other products like Bharati, Gayathri and Siri that were registered by others. Upon knowing about the wrongdoing, locals complained to police about Subrahmanyam. The unit owner packed the ghee prepared by mixing Dalda and other oils and marketed them in small sachets.
The accused was preparing ghee in some other place and packed it in small sachets here which were then sold in the market at low prices. By targeting lower and middle class sections, the illegal unit made a `5 lakh a month by selling adulterated ghee and other products, said ACP Muralidhar.A case under relevant sections of Public Health Act has been booked against the owner and his accomplice in Satyanarayanapuram police station. The seized stocks have been handed over to the public health officials.
Food safety officials visited the spot and collected samples for testing.
items seized
Food safety officials collected more than 250 samples from the spot and sent it to Food Safety Laboratory.
J52, 34, 440 worth gutka stocks seized
All the seized Food items are worth J29,19,084.
Of the total, 52 samples were found adulterated
Cereals: 3
Oils: 5
Tea powder :1
Ghee: 10
Confectionery :4
Fruits/Veggies: 6
Prepared food: 4
Bakery - 4
Packaged Drinking water - 6
Spices - 5
Salt: 1
Miscellaneous:3
VIJAYAWADA: Commissioners Task Force (CTF) busted an adulterated ghee racket by raiding a ghee manufacturing unit in Kedareswararaopet on Saturday. From the unit, officials seized some 100 kilograms of adulterated Ghee, Dalda and fruit and vegetable waste. According to CTF ACP Muralidhar, the accused, Balasubrahmanyam, the unit owner and his partner took a shop in Fruit market at Kedareswararaopet where they have been packing ghee, shampoos, mouth fresheners and other spices for more than six months. They did not have the licence for running the unit and even misbranded other products like Bharati, Gayathri and Siri that were registered by others. Upon knowing about the wrongdoing, locals complained to police about Subrahmanyam. The unit owner packed the ghee prepared by mixing Dalda and other oils and marketed them in small sachets. The accused was preparing ghee in some other place and packed it in small sachets here which were then sold in the market at low prices. By targeting lower and middle class sections, the illegal unit made a `5 lakh a month by selling adulterated ghee and other products, said ACP Muralidhar.A case under relevant sections of Public Health Act has been booked against the owner and his accomplice in Satyanarayanapuram police station. The seized stocks have been handed over to the public health officials. Food safety officials visited the spot and collected samples for testing. items seized Food safety officials collected more than 250 samples from the spot and sent it to Food Safety Laboratory. J52, 34, 440 worth gutka stocks seized All the seized Food items are worth J29,19,084. Of the total, 52 samples were found adulterated Cereals: 3 Oils: 5 Tea powder :1 Ghee: 10 Confectionery :4 Fruits/Veggies: 6 Prepared food: 4 Bakery - 4 Packaged Drinking water - 6 Spices - 5 Salt: 1 Miscellaneous:3
By IANS
HYDERABAD: A city court here on Saturday sent Bollywood producer Karim Morani to judicial custody for 14 days in a rape case.
Morani surrendered to police late on Friday night in connection with the alleged rape of a 25-year-old aspiring actress, hours after the Supreme Court dismissed his plea for anticipatory bail.
The "Chennai Express" producer surrendered at the Hayathnagar police station on the city's outskirts around midnight. He was formally placed under arrest.
Morani was later produced before a magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody till October 6. He was lodged in Cherlapally jail on the city outskirts.
The Delhi-based woman alleged that Morani raped her on the pretext of marrying her. She alleged that Morani took her nude pictures and videos and sexually exploited her by threatening to post the same on social media.
The police had booked him in January on charges of rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and cheating.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed Morani's petition challenging the Hyderabad High Court's verdict cancelling his bail. The apex court directed him to surrender.
The High Court on September 5 had upheld the decision of the sessions court cancelling Morani's bail.
Morani was booked for cheating, rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of marriage under the Indian Penal Code.
The complainant alleged that Morani raped her in Mumbai and also at a film studio in Hyderabad in 2015 after promising to marry her.
The woman, who had done her Bachelor of Business Management (BBA) from Delhi, said she had met Morani through his daughter, who was also a theatre artiste in Mumbai.
The producer, however, had denied the allegations. Morani said the complaint was filed with the sole intention of tarnishing his reputation and image.
The producer's name had also figured as an accused in the 2G spectrum scam. He was accused of helping channel funds to the tune of Rs 200 crore to popular Tamil television channel Kalaignar TV
HYDERABAD: A city court here on Saturday sent Bollywood producer Karim Morani to judicial custody for 14 days in a rape case. Morani surrendered to police late on Friday night in connection with the alleged rape of a 25-year-old aspiring actress, hours after the Supreme Court dismissed his plea for anticipatory bail. The "Chennai Express" producer surrendered at the Hayathnagar police station on the city's outskirts around midnight. He was formally placed under arrest. Morani was later produced before a magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody till October 6. He was lodged in Cherlapally jail on the city outskirts. The Delhi-based woman alleged that Morani raped her on the pretext of marrying her. She alleged that Morani took her nude pictures and videos and sexually exploited her by threatening to post the same on social media. The police had booked him in January on charges of rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and cheating. The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed Morani's petition challenging the Hyderabad High Court's verdict cancelling his bail. The apex court directed him to surrender. The High Court on September 5 had upheld the decision of the sessions court cancelling Morani's bail. Morani was booked for cheating, rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of marriage under the Indian Penal Code. The complainant alleged that Morani raped her in Mumbai and also at a film studio in Hyderabad in 2015 after promising to marry her. The woman, who had done her Bachelor of Business Management (BBA) from Delhi, said she had met Morani through his daughter, who was also a theatre artiste in Mumbai. The producer, however, had denied the allegations. Morani said the complaint was filed with the sole intention of tarnishing his reputation and image. The producer's name had also figured as an accused in the 2G spectrum scam. He was accused of helping channel funds to the tune of Rs 200 crore to popular Tamil television channel Kalaignar TV
By Express News Service
CHANDIGARH: Unknown assailants murdered 65-year-old journalist Karamjit Singh and his 92-year-old mother Gurcharan Kaur at their Mohali residence on Saturday. Police found Kaurs body lying on the bed in her bedroom. She was reportedly strangled. Singhs body was found lying in a pool of blood in another room. His throat was slit and there were wounds on his abdomen, indicating that he was stabbed. Police said he may have been stabbed twice or thrice with a sharp-edged weapon. Also, the chairs and tables were pushed to the corners in both the rooms, indicating that the victims resisted the attackers.
Items in all other rooms are intact and nothing has been touched, police said. The attackers stole Singhs car. Apart from that, a small television, which Singh used to keep in his room, his wallet and mobile phone are also missing. As Singh was not married, he had been living with his mother in the house, which was built by his father.
Bloodstain on a door at
KJ Singh's residence.
(Express Photo Service)
When one of his sisters arrived at the house on Saturday, she saw blood on the main door. We first thought that my grandmother might have fallen down so my uncle might have taken her to hospital as the car was not there in the driveway. When we went inside, we found both of them lying dead. I then called the police, said Singhs nephew, who accompanied his mother.
Sources said Singh spoke to one of his relatives at around 7.27 pm on Friday night. On the directions of Punjab chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh, the Punjab Police have set up a Special Investigative Team to probe the incident.
Senior superintendent of police of SAS Nagar, Kuldeep Singh Chahal said the police is probing all aspects. However, he ruled out theft as the motivation for the murders.
Sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not rule-out that it could be an insiders job.
Additional DGP (Crime) Parmod Kumar who visited the spot said, Its blind murder and we have few leads. It seems they were murdered at around 8 pm Friday.
Both the bodies have been sent for postmortem. They will be cremated on Sunday.
Singh, who was born on October 14, 1952 in Rohtak town of Haryana, joined the Indian Express in 1978. Later, he joined the Times of India. He has also worked for the Tribune and retired its chief news editor in 2009. Singhs murder comes just two weeks after 55-year-old senior journalist Gauri Lankesh was shot dead by unidentified assailants outside her residence in Bengaluru.
CHANDIGARH: Unknown assailants murdered 65-year-old journalist Karamjit Singh and his 92-year-old mother Gurcharan Kaur at their Mohali residence on Saturday. Police found Kaurs body lying on the bed in her bedroom. She was reportedly strangled. Singhs body was found lying in a pool of blood in another room. His throat was slit and there were wounds on his abdomen, indicating that he was stabbed. Police said he may have been stabbed twice or thrice with a sharp-edged weapon. Also, the chairs and tables were pushed to the corners in both the rooms, indicating that the victims resisted the attackers. Items in all other rooms are intact and nothing has been touched, police said. The attackers stole Singhs car. Apart from that, a small television, which Singh used to keep in his room, his wallet and mobile phone are also missing. As Singh was not married, he had been living with his mother in the house, which was built by his father. Bloodstain on a door at KJ Singh's residence. (Express Photo Service)When one of his sisters arrived at the house on Saturday, she saw blood on the main door. We first thought that my grandmother might have fallen down so my uncle might have taken her to hospital as the car was not there in the driveway. When we went inside, we found both of them lying dead. I then called the police, said Singhs nephew, who accompanied his mother. Sources said Singh spoke to one of his relatives at around 7.27 pm on Friday night. On the directions of Punjab chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh, the Punjab Police have set up a Special Investigative Team to probe the incident. Senior superintendent of police of SAS Nagar, Kuldeep Singh Chahal said the police is probing all aspects. However, he ruled out theft as the motivation for the murders. Sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not rule-out that it could be an insiders job. Additional DGP (Crime) Parmod Kumar who visited the spot said, Its blind murder and we have few leads. It seems they were murdered at around 8 pm Friday. Both the bodies have been sent for postmortem. They will be cremated on Sunday. Singh, who was born on October 14, 1952 in Rohtak town of Haryana, joined the Indian Express in 1978. Later, he joined the Times of India. He has also worked for the Tribune and retired its chief news editor in 2009. Singhs murder comes just two weeks after 55-year-old senior journalist Gauri Lankesh was shot dead by unidentified assailants outside her residence in Bengaluru.
By PTI
MUMBAI: Former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, who has quit the Congress, is scheduled to meet BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi tomorrow.
Rane quit the Congress earlier this week amid speculations that he was keen on joining the BJP.
"The venue and time of the meeting are not known yet, but Rane will be meeting Shah in Delhi tomorrow," a source close to the Maratha leader told PTI.
"He (Rane) will be inviting Shah to inaugurate a hospital at Padwe in Kudal in the Sindhudurg district," he added.
There has been no word from the BJP yet on whether Rane will be joining the party.
Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, when asked about the possibility of Rane joining the saffron party, had said that a decision in that regard would be taken by Shah as Rane was a former chief minister.
Announcing his decision to quit the Congress at his home turf of Sindhudurg district in the coastal Konkan region, Rane had accused the party of reneging on the promise of making him the chief minister of Maharashtra when he joined it 12 years ago after leaving the Shiv Sena.
The Maratha leader, who was the chief minister of Maharashtra in 1999 while he was in the Shiv Sena, said he had also resigned as a member of the state Legislative Council.
"I have not yet decided where to go," he had said, referring to the speculations about his joining the BJP, and added that he would make an announcement before Dussehra, which will be observed on September 30 this year.
The former firebrand Sena leader had joined the Congress in 2005.
Speculations about Rane joining the BJP were triggered by reports suggesting he had met Shah in Ahmedabad a few months ago. During the recent Ganesh festival, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, also from the BJP, had paid a visit to Rane at the latter's residence.
Rane, who enjoys pockets of influence in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, was expelled from the Sena by then party supremo Bal Thackeray for voicing displeasure over the latter's son, Uddhav, gaining prominence in the party.
A tough-talking leader, Rane, who was handpicked by Thackeray as the chief minister when he decided to remove Manohar Joshi ahead of the 1999 Maharashtra Assembly polls, had recently claimed that he had received an offer from the Sena to return to its fold.
The recent threat by the Sena to pull out of the BJP-led coalition governments in the state and at the Centre is being seen in the political circles as an attempt to thwart Rane's entry into the saffron party.
MUMBAI: Former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, who has quit the Congress, is scheduled to meet BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi tomorrow. Rane quit the Congress earlier this week amid speculations that he was keen on joining the BJP. "The venue and time of the meeting are not known yet, but Rane will be meeting Shah in Delhi tomorrow," a source close to the Maratha leader told PTI. "He (Rane) will be inviting Shah to inaugurate a hospital at Padwe in Kudal in the Sindhudurg district," he added. There has been no word from the BJP yet on whether Rane will be joining the party. Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, when asked about the possibility of Rane joining the saffron party, had said that a decision in that regard would be taken by Shah as Rane was a former chief minister. Announcing his decision to quit the Congress at his home turf of Sindhudurg district in the coastal Konkan region, Rane had accused the party of reneging on the promise of making him the chief minister of Maharashtra when he joined it 12 years ago after leaving the Shiv Sena. The Maratha leader, who was the chief minister of Maharashtra in 1999 while he was in the Shiv Sena, said he had also resigned as a member of the state Legislative Council. "I have not yet decided where to go," he had said, referring to the speculations about his joining the BJP, and added that he would make an announcement before Dussehra, which will be observed on September 30 this year. The former firebrand Sena leader had joined the Congress in 2005. Speculations about Rane joining the BJP were triggered by reports suggesting he had met Shah in Ahmedabad a few months ago. During the recent Ganesh festival, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, also from the BJP, had paid a visit to Rane at the latter's residence. Rane, who enjoys pockets of influence in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, was expelled from the Sena by then party supremo Bal Thackeray for voicing displeasure over the latter's son, Uddhav, gaining prominence in the party. A tough-talking leader, Rane, who was handpicked by Thackeray as the chief minister when he decided to remove Manohar Joshi ahead of the 1999 Maharashtra Assembly polls, had recently claimed that he had received an offer from the Sena to return to its fold. The recent threat by the Sena to pull out of the BJP-led coalition governments in the state and at the Centre is being seen in the political circles as an attempt to thwart Rane's entry into the saffron party.
By PTI
NEW DELHI: In future, if a central ministry plans to bring in a new law, it may have to declare whether its enactment will lead to a spurt in court cases.
The ministries will also have to ensure that the new law or an amendment to an existing Act does not lead to a increase in litigations, a senior government functionary has said quoting a document.
The note has been written by Minister of State for Law P P Chaudhary to his senior minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and the Cabinet Secretariat.
The functionary said proposed bills should also focus on alternative dispute resolution to ensure that disputes arising out of laws are settled out-of-court.
If the government accepts the suggestion, then all future bills placed in Parliament would carry a 'litigation assessment' clause and the ministry concern will have to explain whether it expects litigations once the legislation becomes a law.
"The focus is to ensure that laws do not attract court cases," the functionary explained.
In the last week of July, the department of justice in the law ministry had held a meeting on ways to reduce litigation where government is a party. Chaudhary's note is an outcome of that meeting.
According to the law ministry, out of more than three crore cases pending in various courts of the country, 46 per cent involve government departments or government bodies.
Last October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had termed the government as the "biggest litigant", saying there was a need to lessen the load on the judiciary which spent its maximum time in tackling cases where the government was a party.
Addressing the golden jubilee celebrations of the Delhi High Court, the prime minister had said the load on the judiciary could be reduced if cases were filed after taking a considered view.
He had said if a teacher approached a court over a service matter and won, then the judgement should be used as a yardstick to extend the benefit to thousands of others to reduce litigation at a later stage.
NEW DELHI: In future, if a central ministry plans to bring in a new law, it may have to declare whether its enactment will lead to a spurt in court cases. The ministries will also have to ensure that the new law or an amendment to an existing Act does not lead to a increase in litigations, a senior government functionary has said quoting a document. The note has been written by Minister of State for Law P P Chaudhary to his senior minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and the Cabinet Secretariat. The functionary said proposed bills should also focus on alternative dispute resolution to ensure that disputes arising out of laws are settled out-of-court. If the government accepts the suggestion, then all future bills placed in Parliament would carry a 'litigation assessment' clause and the ministry concern will have to explain whether it expects litigations once the legislation becomes a law. "The focus is to ensure that laws do not attract court cases," the functionary explained. In the last week of July, the department of justice in the law ministry had held a meeting on ways to reduce litigation where government is a party. Chaudhary's note is an outcome of that meeting. According to the law ministry, out of more than three crore cases pending in various courts of the country, 46 per cent involve government departments or government bodies. Last October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had termed the government as the "biggest litigant", saying there was a need to lessen the load on the judiciary which spent its maximum time in tackling cases where the government was a party. Addressing the golden jubilee celebrations of the Delhi High Court, the prime minister had said the load on the judiciary could be reduced if cases were filed after taking a considered view. He had said if a teacher approached a court over a service matter and won, then the judgement should be used as a yardstick to extend the benefit to thousands of others to reduce litigation at a later stage.
FOOD & DRINK
Let's Eat: At Olbrich's new biergarten, spend the afternoon by the lake with a pretzel
By IANS
NEW DELHI: India will on Monday dispatch around 900 tonnes of relief material for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh which is being loaded on to Indian Naval Ship Gharial at Kakinada port in Andhra Pradesh.
Naval officials said the relief material -- sufficient for around 62,000 displaced families -- will on September 28 reach Chittagong in Bangladesh, where thousands of Rohinya refugees have fled to from Myanmar.
The material is packaged in customised family packets, containing essential items like ration, clothes, and mosquito nets. By Sunday afternoon, approximately 21,000 units had been loaded.
India sent relief material earlier this month also to Bangladesh by an Indian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft to address the humanitarian crisis emanating from large-scale migration of Rohingya Muslims.
According to the UN, almost 430,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar and crossed to Bangladesh since August 25.
NEW DELHI: India will on Monday dispatch around 900 tonnes of relief material for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh which is being loaded on to Indian Naval Ship Gharial at Kakinada port in Andhra Pradesh. Naval officials said the relief material -- sufficient for around 62,000 displaced families -- will on September 28 reach Chittagong in Bangladesh, where thousands of Rohinya refugees have fled to from Myanmar. The material is packaged in customised family packets, containing essential items like ration, clothes, and mosquito nets. By Sunday afternoon, approximately 21,000 units had been loaded. India sent relief material earlier this month also to Bangladesh by an Indian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft to address the humanitarian crisis emanating from large-scale migration of Rohingya Muslims. According to the UN, almost 430,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar and crossed to Bangladesh since August 25.
Fayaz Wani By
Express News Service
SRINAGAR: Security forces on Sunday foiled 2016 Uri-like attack by killing three Lashkar-e-Toiba fidayeen during a day-long encounter in Kalgi village, close to Line of Control (LoC) in Uri in North Kashmirs Baramulla district. Four civilians and an army man were injured during the gunfight.
Police, army and CRPF launched a joint cordon and search operation in Kalgi villages of Uri early this morning after locals informed the police that they have seen militants in the forest area, Inspector General of Police North Kashmir, Nitish Kumar told New Indian Express.
He said the three militants were fidayeen and were planning September 2016-like fidayeen attack on army installation in Uri, close to LoC.
Sources said a joint team of army, police and CRPF conducted search operations in the dense forest area in the village to track down the militants, who were hiding there and planning a major attack on security force installations.
The security personnel were assisted by army helicopters in locating the position of militants, they said.
As the search operation was going on, militants hiding in the forest area fired on troops from automatic weapons. The fire was returned by the security personnel, triggering an encounter, they said.
Kumar said in the initial gunfight, a militant was killed.
The militants had taken three civilians hostage and security personnel rescued the civilians during operations and later launched a final assault on the militants, he said.
More security personnel were rushed to the area after the gunfight erupted to tighten the siege and prevent militants from escaping.
Throughout the day, the area rattled with gunfire and explosions.
The fierce exchange of fire between the militants and security personnel continued till this evening during which two more militants were killed, Kumar said.
He said bodies of all three militants have been recovered.
Sources said three civilians and an army man sustained bullet injuries during the encounter and have been hospitalized.
As per preliminary investigation, the slain militants belonged to Lashkar-e-Toiba and were on a mission to launch September 2016-like Uri attack, Kumar said.
In September last year, four militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad had attacked an army base in Uri, killing 19 soldiers and injuring two dozen others. All the four militants were also killed during the encounter.
Kumar said a large cache of arms and ammunition including AK 47 rifles, ammunition, warlike stores, medicines and incriminating material has been recovered from the possession of the slain militants.
He said the identity of the militants was being ascertained.
Asked whether the militants had recently infiltrated or were present there from some time, Kumar said, As per our initial investigation, it seems that they had recently infiltrated.
Further investigations are going in, he said adding, We are indebted to villagers for informing us about the presence of militants and allowing us to foil major attack on security forces installations.
Three cops injured in Sopore grenade blast
Two policemen and a paramilitary CRPF man were injured in a grenade explosion in sensitive Sopore town of north Kashmirs Baramulla district today.
A police spokesman said militants hurled a grenade towards security forces bulletproof (BP) vehicle at Sopore town this morning.
He said the grenade landed inside the BP vehicle.
However, before it could have exploded, a Special Police Officer (SPO) present inside the vehicle showed the presence of mind and threw the grenade on the road.
Two policemen and a CRPF man sustained minor injuries as the grenade exploded on the road, he said.
The spokesman said SPO saved lives of at least dozen security personnel present in the vehicle by throwing the grenade on the road.
SRINAGAR: Security forces on Sunday foiled 2016 Uri-like attack by killing three Lashkar-e-Toiba fidayeen during a day-long encounter in Kalgi village, close to Line of Control (LoC) in Uri in North Kashmirs Baramulla district. Four civilians and an army man were injured during the gunfight. Police, army and CRPF launched a joint cordon and search operation in Kalgi villages of Uri early this morning after locals informed the police that they have seen militants in the forest area, Inspector General of Police North Kashmir, Nitish Kumar told New Indian Express. He said the three militants were fidayeen and were planning September 2016-like fidayeen attack on army installation in Uri, close to LoC. Sources said a joint team of army, police and CRPF conducted search operations in the dense forest area in the village to track down the militants, who were hiding there and planning a major attack on security force installations. The security personnel were assisted by army helicopters in locating the position of militants, they said. As the search operation was going on, militants hiding in the forest area fired on troops from automatic weapons. The fire was returned by the security personnel, triggering an encounter, they said. Kumar said in the initial gunfight, a militant was killed. The militants had taken three civilians hostage and security personnel rescued the civilians during operations and later launched a final assault on the militants, he said. More security personnel were rushed to the area after the gunfight erupted to tighten the siege and prevent militants from escaping. Throughout the day, the area rattled with gunfire and explosions. The fierce exchange of fire between the militants and security personnel continued till this evening during which two more militants were killed, Kumar said. He said bodies of all three militants have been recovered. Sources said three civilians and an army man sustained bullet injuries during the encounter and have been hospitalized. As per preliminary investigation, the slain militants belonged to Lashkar-e-Toiba and were on a mission to launch September 2016-like Uri attack, Kumar said. In September last year, four militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad had attacked an army base in Uri, killing 19 soldiers and injuring two dozen others. All the four militants were also killed during the encounter. Kumar said a large cache of arms and ammunition including AK 47 rifles, ammunition, warlike stores, medicines and incriminating material has been recovered from the possession of the slain militants. He said the identity of the militants was being ascertained. Asked whether the militants had recently infiltrated or were present there from some time, Kumar said, As per our initial investigation, it seems that they had recently infiltrated. Further investigations are going in, he said adding, We are indebted to villagers for informing us about the presence of militants and allowing us to foil major attack on security forces installations. Three cops injured in Sopore grenade blast Two policemen and a paramilitary CRPF man were injured in a grenade explosion in sensitive Sopore town of north Kashmirs Baramulla district today. A police spokesman said militants hurled a grenade towards security forces bulletproof (BP) vehicle at Sopore town this morning. He said the grenade landed inside the BP vehicle. However, before it could have exploded, a Special Police Officer (SPO) present inside the vehicle showed the presence of mind and threw the grenade on the road. Two policemen and a CRPF man sustained minor injuries as the grenade exploded on the road, he said. The spokesman said SPO saved lives of at least dozen security personnel present in the vehicle by throwing the grenade on the road.
By IANS
RAJOURI: Two Indian soldiers were injured on Sunday in Pakistani firing on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.
A Defence Ministry source said here that the Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked firing at Indian positions in Bhimber Ghali area.
"Two of our soldiers were injured in the Pakistani firing which started at 3 a.m.," the source said. "The Indian posts retaliated effectively and strongly. The injured were shifted to a hospital."
Lat week, India's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) had issued a statement after a telephonic conversation with his Pakistani counterpart saying that India would not hesitate to retaliate if Pakistan continued to fire at Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC).
Further details are awaited.
RAJOURI: Two Indian soldiers were injured on Sunday in Pakistani firing on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district. A Defence Ministry source said here that the Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked firing at Indian positions in Bhimber Ghali area. "Two of our soldiers were injured in the Pakistani firing which started at 3 a.m.," the source said. "The Indian posts retaliated effectively and strongly. The injured were shifted to a hospital." Lat week, India's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) had issued a statement after a telephonic conversation with his Pakistani counterpart saying that India would not hesitate to retaliate if Pakistan continued to fire at Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC). Further details are awaited.
By ANI
NEW DELHI: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for recognising his governments' "great" vision of setting up IITs and IIMs during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) address.
Taking to his Twitter page, the Congress leader said, Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs.
Addressing the 72nd UNGA session in New York, EAM Swaraj on Saturday ripped apart Pakistan and said that India has established institutions like IITs, IIMs and AIIMS and Pakistan had created terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Haqqani network.
She added that India had produced scholars, doctors and engineers but the Asian neighbour produced terrorists. EAM Swarajs fiery speech bashing Pakistan garnered attention from all the corners and several politicians including Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh hailed her befitting reply to the Islamabad.
Singh took to Twitter and said, "Congratulations to Smt. @SushmaSwaraj on her powerful, measured and nuanced articulation of India's stand on the issue of terrorism at #UNGA (sic)" He further tweeted, "Her measured responses in spite of provocations speak volumes of her maturity & tenacity. She has exposed Pakistan's duplicity on terrorism."
NEW DELHI: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for recognising his governments' "great" vision of setting up IITs and IIMs during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) address. Taking to his Twitter page, the Congress leader said, Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs. Addressing the 72nd UNGA session in New York, EAM Swaraj on Saturday ripped apart Pakistan and said that India has established institutions like IITs, IIMs and AIIMS and Pakistan had created terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Haqqani network. She added that India had produced scholars, doctors and engineers but the Asian neighbour produced terrorists. EAM Swarajs fiery speech bashing Pakistan garnered attention from all the corners and several politicians including Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh hailed her befitting reply to the Islamabad. Singh took to Twitter and said, "Congratulations to Smt. @SushmaSwaraj on her powerful, measured and nuanced articulation of India's stand on the issue of terrorism at #UNGA (sic)" He further tweeted, "Her measured responses in spite of provocations speak volumes of her maturity & tenacity. She has exposed Pakistan's duplicity on terrorism."
By IANS
NEW DELHI: The two-day BJP National Executive meet began on Sunday, with party chief Amit Shah inaugurating a meeting of party office-bearers at the NDMC Convention Centre here.
The Indian economy's slowing growth as well as the next round of Assembly polls will top the agenda of the meeting.
The main meeting will be held on Monday at the Talkatora Stadium.
According to party leaders, 15 BJP Chief Ministers, six Deputy Chief Ministers, 1,400 MLAs, 85 members of legislative councils, 280 ministers and 336 MPs would attend.
Shah iaugurated the office-bearers' meeting to finalise the agenda and resolutions likely to be passed at the Monday meet.
Besides party's central office-bearers, all state Bharatiya Janata Party Presidents and General Secretaries (Organisation) attended Sunday's meeting.
The government is concerned over latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been talking of a package to revive economic growth after the November 8 demonetisation slowed it down.
Shah will deliver the inaugural address on Monday while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the concluding session.
Modi is likely to address the concerns over the state of the Indian economy and is all set to list the achievements of his government in the last three years.
Usually, the National Executive members alone attend the meeting but this time the BJP is holding an extended meeting, with invites going to all elected representatives of the party. Besides, State presidents, State general secretaries and several other party functionaries will also attend.
A political and an economic resolution is set to be passed by the National Executive. Sources in the BJP said party Vice President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and General Secretary Ram Madhav have been assigned to prepare the resolutions.
The sources said the economic resolution is likely to mention demonetisation as a "bold decision to curb the menace of corruption" and the passage of Goods and Services Tax as another feather in the Modi cap.
During the meeting, Shah will take stock of organisational works taken up in Bhubaneswar in the last National Executive meet.
To mark the birth centenary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh idiologue Deendayal Upadhyaya, the BJP had asked all its state units to hold programmes. Shah will also take stock of the campaign.
Posters put up here also have pictures of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani.
NEW DELHI: The two-day BJP National Executive meet began on Sunday, with party chief Amit Shah inaugurating a meeting of party office-bearers at the NDMC Convention Centre here. The Indian economy's slowing growth as well as the next round of Assembly polls will top the agenda of the meeting. The main meeting will be held on Monday at the Talkatora Stadium. According to party leaders, 15 BJP Chief Ministers, six Deputy Chief Ministers, 1,400 MLAs, 85 members of legislative councils, 280 ministers and 336 MPs would attend. Shah iaugurated the office-bearers' meeting to finalise the agenda and resolutions likely to be passed at the Monday meet. Besides party's central office-bearers, all state Bharatiya Janata Party Presidents and General Secretaries (Organisation) attended Sunday's meeting. The government is concerned over latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been talking of a package to revive economic growth after the November 8 demonetisation slowed it down. Shah will deliver the inaugural address on Monday while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the concluding session. Modi is likely to address the concerns over the state of the Indian economy and is all set to list the achievements of his government in the last three years. Usually, the National Executive members alone attend the meeting but this time the BJP is holding an extended meeting, with invites going to all elected representatives of the party. Besides, State presidents, State general secretaries and several other party functionaries will also attend. A political and an economic resolution is set to be passed by the National Executive. Sources in the BJP said party Vice President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and General Secretary Ram Madhav have been assigned to prepare the resolutions. The sources said the economic resolution is likely to mention demonetisation as a "bold decision to curb the menace of corruption" and the passage of Goods and Services Tax as another feather in the Modi cap. During the meeting, Shah will take stock of organisational works taken up in Bhubaneswar in the last National Executive meet. To mark the birth centenary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh idiologue Deendayal Upadhyaya, the BJP had asked all its state units to hold programmes. Shah will also take stock of the campaign. Posters put up here also have pictures of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani.
By Express News Service
BHOPAL: Unidentified thieves decamped with more than Rs 13 lakh from the ATM of a private bank at Sonagiri crossing here, police said. Pipalani police station inspector Brijesh Bhargava said, according to initial investigations, the thieves opened the ATM on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday and decamped with Rs 13.16 lakh kept in it. However, the ATM revealed that the cashbox was completely locked suggesting that nothing had happened, he added.
Interestingly, the investigation further revealed that the burglars did not break open the ATM, but instead unlocked the cash box by using the secret password that is only known to bank staff and those working for the agency tasked with maintaining the ATM.
The staffers of the private agency tasked with maintenance of the concerned ATM were subsequently called by the police to check the ATM. The agency staffers after checking the ATM revealed that Rs 13,15,800 was missing from the cash box which only contained Rs 600.
The six notes of hundred rupees denomination which were left by the accused in the cash box were either stained with colour or defective, owing to which they were left in the cash box, the cops said.
After the burglary was confirmed, the manager of the local ICICI branch which operates the ATM lodged a complaint with the Piplani police.
Prior to that, at 6 am on Saturday, the local office of the agency maintaining the ATM had got an alert from its Mumbai head office about possible tampering with the concerned ATM. Subsequent investigations by city police revealed that the burglars entered the ATM kiosk at around 11.35 pm on Friday.
The accused after entering the kiosk turned off the lights inside before pulling down the shutter to avoid being spotted by anyone. He then opened the outer cover of the cashbox with the secret password. He stayed inside the ATM for over an hour and left the place at around 1 am, said Brijesh Bhargava.
Probe has also brought to the fore that the burgled ATM was guardless and the security password of the ATM had not been changed by the private agency since last six months, owing to which it was known to at least 20-25 staffers of the agency. The fact that the password had leaked indicated the role of insiders in the heist, they said.
BHOPAL: Unidentified thieves decamped with more than Rs 13 lakh from the ATM of a private bank at Sonagiri crossing here, police said. Pipalani police station inspector Brijesh Bhargava said, according to initial investigations, the thieves opened the ATM on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday and decamped with Rs 13.16 lakh kept in it. However, the ATM revealed that the cashbox was completely locked suggesting that nothing had happened, he added. Interestingly, the investigation further revealed that the burglars did not break open the ATM, but instead unlocked the cash box by using the secret password that is only known to bank staff and those working for the agency tasked with maintaining the ATM. The staffers of the private agency tasked with maintenance of the concerned ATM were subsequently called by the police to check the ATM. The agency staffers after checking the ATM revealed that Rs 13,15,800 was missing from the cash box which only contained Rs 600. The six notes of hundred rupees denomination which were left by the accused in the cash box were either stained with colour or defective, owing to which they were left in the cash box, the cops said. After the burglary was confirmed, the manager of the local ICICI branch which operates the ATM lodged a complaint with the Piplani police. Prior to that, at 6 am on Saturday, the local office of the agency maintaining the ATM had got an alert from its Mumbai head office about possible tampering with the concerned ATM. Subsequent investigations by city police revealed that the burglars entered the ATM kiosk at around 11.35 pm on Friday. The accused after entering the kiosk turned off the lights inside before pulling down the shutter to avoid being spotted by anyone. He then opened the outer cover of the cashbox with the secret password. He stayed inside the ATM for over an hour and left the place at around 1 am, said Brijesh Bhargava. Probe has also brought to the fore that the burgled ATM was guardless and the security password of the ATM had not been changed by the private agency since last six months, owing to which it was known to at least 20-25 staffers of the agency. The fact that the password had leaked indicated the role of insiders in the heist, they said.
Ravi Shankar By
Today is the last Sunday of September, the day for celebrating the rivers of the world. In Hinduism, the river is a metaphor for ancient, sacred tides of karma along which the soul travels to reach the shore of liberation. And the Ganga is the water of life.
A river runs through every Indian. The river of Hindusim is different from Hindutva and its political urgency. It is a mystic flow of liberation that celebrates the beauty of the Vedas and the Upanishads, which contain the essence of man. It does not distinguish between new faiths and the Original Faith, since it knows there is only Onethe faith that salutes the blue god, who presides in fierce meditation over the Himalayas and from whose matted locks surges Indias most sacred river.
The Ganga defines our history and mythology. She is the merciful receiver of all sins. She is the source and end of all prayers. On her banks both life and death find meaning. She is the janeu of India, the thread that knits life and death.
sa eva kushalo janah pranamatiha bhagirathim
sa eva tapasam nidhirjapati janhavim adarat
sa eva purushottamah smarati sadhu mandakini
sa eva vijayi prabhuh surataranginim sevate
(It benefits one who offers obeisances to the Ganga. He is a great ascetic, one who faithfully chants her names. By meditating on her one becomes the best of all people. The person who serves the Mandakini (Ganga) is always victorious, and is considered the master of everyone.)
The Ganga is everything to everyone. The mother of rivers. Her water is regarded as amrit, the nectar of the gods. Its power subsumes other beliefs. History records that Emperor Akbar was never seen without Ganga jal. The sailors of the East India Company only drank Ganga water on their three-month return journey to England, because it was always sweet and fresh. And the Ganga also offers salvation after death.
However, the Ganga herself is dying. The World Wildlife Foundation has marked the Ganga as one of the most endangered rivers in the world. The Mahakumbh, one of Indias holiest of festivals, is held on the banks of the Ganga (and the Yamuna) in Allahabad, where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims come to wash their sins away.
In May 2016, they walked bewildered across the dry river bed, searching for her embrace. The floods came three months later, affecting four million people and displacing 6.5 lakh from their homes. The Gangas aquatic life is endangered by reckless pollution that pours industrial poison into her. The balloning population of the cities along her banks disgorges their excreta into heronce riverside cities were divine destinations. Since 1985, six billion rupees have been wasted on the Ganga Action Plan.
Her sisters are dying, too. Jaggi Vasudev Sadhguru estimates that 25 per cent of India is becoming a desert. In 15 years, water supply will be reduced by half. Last year, most of the Godavari was dry. The waterflow of the Kaveri is down by 60 per cent. The Krishna and Narmada have lost around 60 per cent.
Ancient belief says mornings are blessed by chanting the Gayatri Mantra half immersed in a river, paying obeisance to life-giving sun. In a few decades, the waters of our dying rivers will be so polluted to bathe or drink from. The mythological arteries of Indias eternal faith will become history. And the soul of Hinduism will run dry forever.
Ravi Shankar
ravi@newindianexpress.com
Today is the last Sunday of September, the day for celebrating the rivers of the world. In Hinduism, the river is a metaphor for ancient, sacred tides of karma along which the soul travels to reach the shore of liberation. And the Ganga is the water of life. A river runs through every Indian. The river of Hindusim is different from Hindutva and its political urgency. It is a mystic flow of liberation that celebrates the beauty of the Vedas and the Upanishads, which contain the essence of man. It does not distinguish between new faiths and the Original Faith, since it knows there is only Onethe faith that salutes the blue god, who presides in fierce meditation over the Himalayas and from whose matted locks surges Indias most sacred river. The Ganga defines our history and mythology. She is the merciful receiver of all sins. She is the source and end of all prayers. On her banks both life and death find meaning. She is the janeu of India, the thread that knits life and death. sa eva kushalo janah pranamatiha bhagirathim sa eva tapasam nidhirjapati janhavim adarat sa eva purushottamah smarati sadhu mandakini sa eva vijayi prabhuh surataranginim sevate (It benefits one who offers obeisances to the Ganga. He is a great ascetic, one who faithfully chants her names. By meditating on her one becomes the best of all people. The person who serves the Mandakini (Ganga) is always victorious, and is considered the master of everyone.) The Ganga is everything to everyone. The mother of rivers. Her water is regarded as amrit, the nectar of the gods. Its power subsumes other beliefs. History records that Emperor Akbar was never seen without Ganga jal. The sailors of the East India Company only drank Ganga water on their three-month return journey to England, because it was always sweet and fresh. And the Ganga also offers salvation after death. However, the Ganga herself is dying. The World Wildlife Foundation has marked the Ganga as one of the most endangered rivers in the world. The Mahakumbh, one of Indias holiest of festivals, is held on the banks of the Ganga (and the Yamuna) in Allahabad, where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims come to wash their sins away. In May 2016, they walked bewildered across the dry river bed, searching for her embrace. The floods came three months later, affecting four million people and displacing 6.5 lakh from their homes. The Gangas aquatic life is endangered by reckless pollution that pours industrial poison into her. The balloning population of the cities along her banks disgorges their excreta into heronce riverside cities were divine destinations. Since 1985, six billion rupees have been wasted on the Ganga Action Plan. Her sisters are dying, too. Jaggi Vasudev Sadhguru estimates that 25 per cent of India is becoming a desert. In 15 years, water supply will be reduced by half. Last year, most of the Godavari was dry. The waterflow of the Kaveri is down by 60 per cent. The Krishna and Narmada have lost around 60 per cent. Ancient belief says mornings are blessed by chanting the Gayatri Mantra half immersed in a river, paying obeisance to life-giving sun. In a few decades, the waters of our dying rivers will be so polluted to bathe or drink from. The mythological arteries of Indias eternal faith will become history. And the soul of Hinduism will run dry forever. Ravi Shankar ravi@newindianexpress.com
Prabhu Chawla By
The paradox of politics is that leaders make history with politically incorrect high-profile actions to assume power. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is the known Houdini of the political stage; vanishing with inexplicable regularity from self-created scenarios charged with the rhetoric of revolt, but ending with a whimper. Is he really a reluctant politico on the prowl, or an unfortunate hostage to public inconsistency? Famous for his frequent disappearing acts to secret locations across the globe, he has grabbed prime time news hour and front-page space with a well-publicised trip to claim intellectual space in the West.
His aides, however, hope his past preference for shoot-and-scoot activism will now give way to some sustained activity. Last week, he chose the USA as the launch base for his latest innings of political engagement. His speaking gigs over there grabbed attention at home when he admitted to home truths, owning up to the cardinal mistakes of his party and communicating a cohesive critique of the Narendra Modi government.
The Congress has now prepared a lengthy calendar of meetings in both India and abroad to re-launch their leader as an effective alternative to Indias indomitably popular Prime Minister. According to published reports and party scuttlebutt, Rahul is expected to visit Japan, China and a few East Asian counties to present his Idea of India vs Modis. He is also expected to crisscross India, addressing meetings of students, farmers and party workers and hold interactions with various groups of opinion-makers.
Rahul has done similar exercises in the past. He has eaten humble fare at a Dalits home and spent the night alfresco, braving mosquitoes on a cheap string-cot. In April, he appeared at AIIMS, Delhi, to show support and sympathy to a professor on hunger strike against corruption and the tawdry stare of institutional infrastructure.
This was before his trip to Hyderabad to join the protest against the suicide of a Dalit student. He was also conspicuous by his presence at the JNU to defend freedom of expression. He dramatically tore up an amendment proposed by his party to prevent convicted politicians from losing their seats in the legislature. Though he participates little in parliamentary debates, Rahul occasionally made the Treasury benches uncomfortable with Kalawati-type remarks.
But even after almost 13 years of active public life, Rahul is yet to establish himself as a leader who is steady in his approach to practical politics. Consistency is not one of his virtues. Surrounded by obscure semi-political advisors and hangers-on, the janta perceives him as a person who is incapable of putting an advance plan in place; yet is hasty to cash in on any new idea, which can provide him visibility for the moment.
However, this time Rahuls US visit was different. For the first time, his advisors had planned a well-structured agenda. He was able to connect with the right sort of people at carefully-chosen venues, thanks to the involvement of political colleagues such as Sam Pitroda, Shashi Tharoor and Milind Deora, who are plugged into the American mind-set and the complexities of the Indian Diaspora. Pitroda put the trip in its correct political perspective by asserting that the visit was planned as the start of a new conversation by the party with the objective of re-positioning Rahul, who has been widely misunderstood and wrongly defined by the monolithic BJP machine.
Fully aware of Rahuls limitations and resources, they avoided duplicating the Modi model of dialogue. Rahuls itinerary was meticulously planned to include interacts with all sections of American society, including students, business leaders, NRI entrepreneurs, members of liberal think tanks and politicians from both the Republican and Democratic parties.
He also met the editorial board of The Washington Post for an off-the-record interaction. Whether this journey will raise his vacillating status to a respected, credible and acceptable leader will depend on the nature and content of his political actions in the next 18 months. But his revelations and confessions on various issues in America provide enough ground to assess the idea and colour of his politics. Dissecting his musings:
Dynasty
View: It is a problem in all political parties in India. Most of the country runs like this, so dont go after me, Akhilesh Yadav a dynast, Mr Stalin a dynast, Mr (Prem Kumar) Dhumals son a dynast, so dont just go after me... Even Mr Abhishek Bachchan is a dynast, also Mr Ambani, thats what happens in India.
Counterview: Political dynasts cannot be compared to those in other sectors. Although about 20 families control over 70 per cent of seats in the Parliament, legislatures and local bodies, none of them have national stature. The perception that Rahul has acquired the top perch in the Congress superstructure has much to do with pedigree over merit. He has not proved to be a power winner for the party so far. Perhaps, some upcoming state polls and the 2019 Lok Sabha election could be Rahuls last chance to prove himself and answer the question whether he has an agenda after all.
Communication
View: Mr Modi has certain skills, he is a very good communicator, hes much better than me. He knows how to give a message to three-four different groups in a crowd, so his messaging ability is very effective and subtle.
Counterview: Rahul is yet to learn the art of communicating with the masses and his own party. He starts off well, but loses the plot soon, leaving the message in the middle. He is yet to acquire the skill of making headlines with meaningful one-liners and catch linesa Modi forte.
Connectivity
View: What I sense is he (Modi) doesn't converse with people he works with. Even Members of Parliament and BJP tell me (that). The BJP gives a top-down vision. We construct a bottom-up vision.
Counterview: Not correct. In the Congress, too, workers wait for the signal from the Gandhis to deal with any situation. The excessive centralisation of power plagues the Congress as much as it does the BJP.
Arrogance
View: Around 2012, arrogance crept into the Congress and we stopped having conversations with people.
Counterview: This still holds true. Many Congress leaders are even more arrogant than some self-important BJP ministers. If Modi and Amit Shah are inaccessible to ministers and cadres, so are Sonia Gandhi and Rahul.
Age may be on Rahuls side, but time certainly isnt. This time, however, he has spoken his mind in a more cohesive manner. But he has to walk the talk. Politics is no more a game, which can be won on the basis of golden past and the glorious sheen of dynasty. Todays politics has a complex geometry. Rahul must fashion formidable formations, which can connect the masses with his idea of India, if he has any. Choreographed conclaves and rehearsed speeches can win claps, but not votes.
Prabhu Chawla
prabhuchawla@newindianexpress.com
Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla
The paradox of politics is that leaders make history with politically incorrect high-profile actions to assume power. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is the known Houdini of the political stage; vanishing with inexplicable regularity from self-created scenarios charged with the rhetoric of revolt, but ending with a whimper. Is he really a reluctant politico on the prowl, or an unfortunate hostage to public inconsistency? Famous for his frequent disappearing acts to secret locations across the globe, he has grabbed prime time news hour and front-page space with a well-publicised trip to claim intellectual space in the West. His aides, however, hope his past preference for shoot-and-scoot activism will now give way to some sustained activity. Last week, he chose the USA as the launch base for his latest innings of political engagement. His speaking gigs over there grabbed attention at home when he admitted to home truths, owning up to the cardinal mistakes of his party and communicating a cohesive critique of the Narendra Modi government. The Congress has now prepared a lengthy calendar of meetings in both India and abroad to re-launch their leader as an effective alternative to Indias indomitably popular Prime Minister. According to published reports and party scuttlebutt, Rahul is expected to visit Japan, China and a few East Asian counties to present his Idea of India vs Modis. He is also expected to crisscross India, addressing meetings of students, farmers and party workers and hold interactions with various groups of opinion-makers. Rahul has done similar exercises in the past. He has eaten humble fare at a Dalits home and spent the night alfresco, braving mosquitoes on a cheap string-cot. In April, he appeared at AIIMS, Delhi, to show support and sympathy to a professor on hunger strike against corruption and the tawdry stare of institutional infrastructure. This was before his trip to Hyderabad to join the protest against the suicide of a Dalit student. He was also conspicuous by his presence at the JNU to defend freedom of expression. He dramatically tore up an amendment proposed by his party to prevent convicted politicians from losing their seats in the legislature. Though he participates little in parliamentary debates, Rahul occasionally made the Treasury benches uncomfortable with Kalawati-type remarks. But even after almost 13 years of active public life, Rahul is yet to establish himself as a leader who is steady in his approach to practical politics. Consistency is not one of his virtues. Surrounded by obscure semi-political advisors and hangers-on, the janta perceives him as a person who is incapable of putting an advance plan in place; yet is hasty to cash in on any new idea, which can provide him visibility for the moment. However, this time Rahuls US visit was different. For the first time, his advisors had planned a well-structured agenda. He was able to connect with the right sort of people at carefully-chosen venues, thanks to the involvement of political colleagues such as Sam Pitroda, Shashi Tharoor and Milind Deora, who are plugged into the American mind-set and the complexities of the Indian Diaspora. Pitroda put the trip in its correct political perspective by asserting that the visit was planned as the start of a new conversation by the party with the objective of re-positioning Rahul, who has been widely misunderstood and wrongly defined by the monolithic BJP machine. Fully aware of Rahuls limitations and resources, they avoided duplicating the Modi model of dialogue. Rahuls itinerary was meticulously planned to include interacts with all sections of American society, including students, business leaders, NRI entrepreneurs, members of liberal think tanks and politicians from both the Republican and Democratic parties. He also met the editorial board of The Washington Post for an off-the-record interaction. Whether this journey will raise his vacillating status to a respected, credible and acceptable leader will depend on the nature and content of his political actions in the next 18 months. But his revelations and confessions on various issues in America provide enough ground to assess the idea and colour of his politics. Dissecting his musings: Dynasty View: It is a problem in all political parties in India. Most of the country runs like this, so dont go after me, Akhilesh Yadav a dynast, Mr Stalin a dynast, Mr (Prem Kumar) Dhumals son a dynast, so dont just go after me... Even Mr Abhishek Bachchan is a dynast, also Mr Ambani, thats what happens in India. Counterview: Political dynasts cannot be compared to those in other sectors. Although about 20 families control over 70 per cent of seats in the Parliament, legislatures and local bodies, none of them have national stature. The perception that Rahul has acquired the top perch in the Congress superstructure has much to do with pedigree over merit. He has not proved to be a power winner for the party so far. Perhaps, some upcoming state polls and the 2019 Lok Sabha election could be Rahuls last chance to prove himself and answer the question whether he has an agenda after all. Communication View: Mr Modi has certain skills, he is a very good communicator, hes much better than me. He knows how to give a message to three-four different groups in a crowd, so his messaging ability is very effective and subtle. Counterview: Rahul is yet to learn the art of communicating with the masses and his own party. He starts off well, but loses the plot soon, leaving the message in the middle. He is yet to acquire the skill of making headlines with meaningful one-liners and catch linesa Modi forte. Connectivity View: What I sense is he (Modi) doesn't converse with people he works with. Even Members of Parliament and BJP tell me (that). The BJP gives a top-down vision. We construct a bottom-up vision. Counterview: Not correct. In the Congress, too, workers wait for the signal from the Gandhis to deal with any situation. The excessive centralisation of power plagues the Congress as much as it does the BJP. Arrogance View: Around 2012, arrogance crept into the Congress and we stopped having conversations with people. Counterview: This still holds true. Many Congress leaders are even more arrogant than some self-important BJP ministers. If Modi and Amit Shah are inaccessible to ministers and cadres, so are Sonia Gandhi and Rahul. Age may be on Rahuls side, but time certainly isnt. This time, however, he has spoken his mind in a more cohesive manner. But he has to walk the talk. Politics is no more a game, which can be won on the basis of golden past and the glorious sheen of dynasty. Todays politics has a complex geometry. Rahul must fashion formidable formations, which can connect the masses with his idea of India, if he has any. Choreographed conclaves and rehearsed speeches can win claps, but not votes. Prabhu Chawla prabhuchawla@newindianexpress.com Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla
The Dane County Immigration Coalition received a $100,000 grant Sept. 19 from the Vera Institute of Justice to help defend immigrants in danger of deportation.
Ramkrishna Badseshi By
Express News Service
KALABURAGI: A Class 8 girl from Udagi village of Sedam taluk adopted a novel approach to coax her parents to build a toilet in their house. When nothing else failed to move her parents, this spunky girl resorted to a two-day fast to get the job done.
The matter came to light when Chief Executive Officer of Kalaburagi ZP Hepsiba Rani Korlpati, who is also in-charge Commissioner of Public Instruction of Kalaburagi, held a radio phone-in programme for government schools on Sanitation in Kalaburagi on September 22. In all, she received 11 phone calls.
In the programme, Puja Neelakanth of Government Primary School of Udagi village, told Korlapati that she had been on a fast since Thursday to pressure her parents to construct a toilet in their house and would continue the fast till her demand was met. Moved by this, Korlapati requested the girl to give up her fast and instead, she would start the fast for two days so that the toilet is built in Pujas house. Korlapati spoke to Pujas parents and convinced them to build the toilet. But even though her parents agreed to her demand, Puja said she would continue her fast till the construction was started.
Puja told Express that she ended her fast on Friday evening after the pit was dug for the construction of the toilet. Panchayat Development Officer of Udagi Omkar rushed to Sedam on Saturday to bring the construction material for the toilet. The girl said she was inspired by Mallamma, Class 10 student, of Danapur village of Koppal district who staged a hunger strike to force her parents to construct a toilet in their house. Pujas father Neelakanth is an auto driver. She said: Though I requested my parents many times to construct a toilet, they ignored it. Fasting was the only way.
KALABURAGI: A Class 8 girl from Udagi village of Sedam taluk adopted a novel approach to coax her parents to build a toilet in their house. When nothing else failed to move her parents, this spunky girl resorted to a two-day fast to get the job done. The matter came to light when Chief Executive Officer of Kalaburagi ZP Hepsiba Rani Korlpati, who is also in-charge Commissioner of Public Instruction of Kalaburagi, held a radio phone-in programme for government schools on Sanitation in Kalaburagi on September 22. In all, she received 11 phone calls. In the programme, Puja Neelakanth of Government Primary School of Udagi village, told Korlapati that she had been on a fast since Thursday to pressure her parents to construct a toilet in their house and would continue the fast till her demand was met. Moved by this, Korlapati requested the girl to give up her fast and instead, she would start the fast for two days so that the toilet is built in Pujas house. Korlapati spoke to Pujas parents and convinced them to build the toilet. But even though her parents agreed to her demand, Puja said she would continue her fast till the construction was started. Puja told Express that she ended her fast on Friday evening after the pit was dug for the construction of the toilet. Panchayat Development Officer of Udagi Omkar rushed to Sedam on Saturday to bring the construction material for the toilet. The girl said she was inspired by Mallamma, Class 10 student, of Danapur village of Koppal district who staged a hunger strike to force her parents to construct a toilet in their house. Pujas father Neelakanth is an auto driver. She said: Though I requested my parents many times to construct a toilet, they ignored it. Fasting was the only way.
By Express News Service
UDUPI: After 14 torturous months, Jacintha Mendonca, a home nurse from Karkala taluk in Udupi district, who was entrapped in a human trafficking racket run out of Mumbai and sent as a slave to Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, is finally back home with her family. The health of the 42-year-old woman, a mother of three, was declared stable after a medical check-up conducted at a private hospital in Udupi on Saturday morning.
Jacintas troubles started after her husband died last year and she became the sole bread winner of the family. In order to take care of her three children and to provide for their education, she was in search of employment. She happened to notice an advertisement in a local newspaper wherein an Indian family in Qatar needed a home nurse. She contacted a Mumbai-based recruitment agency headed by one Shabaz Khan, who assured her that she would be paid `25,000 per month. He also assured her that he would arrange the passport and visa through his representative in Mangaluru.
Following this, Jacinta travelled to Mumbai and was housed somewhere in Dongri for a few days. She was then taken to Dubai via Goa and Delhi on June 10, 2016 along with two other women. Thereafter, she lost track as to where she was being taken to. To her horror, only on landing at the airport did she discover that she had been taken to Yanbu, Saudi Arabia instead of Qatar.
Jacinta (third from right) with her daughters (left) and Human Rights Protection
Foundation team, which played a pivotal role in rescuing her, in Udupi on Saturday
It was only after the Human Rights Protection Foundation (HRPF) of Udupi contacted Roshan Rodrigues, the head of the NRI Forum in Saudi Arabia, and his team in April this year that Jacinta was finally rescued and reunited with her family.
Hellish experience
Jacinta was made to work day in and day out in the three mansions belonging to the employers mother, three wives and their children. She was made to do all the odd jobs apart from household chores and was only allowed to eat the leftover food. Her toil of over 16 hours a day and starvation took a severe toll on her health. The employer showed no mercy when she pleaded with him that she was ill and could not work.
Under no circumstances will I send you back to India before your contract ends, the employer threatened her. She was oblivious of any contract made and the terms and conditions of the contract.
Jacinta attempted to flee from the house and return to India on November 28, 2016. But her luck ran out when a neighbour, on the pretext of directing her to the Indian embassy, took her to the police station. The police, in turn, made enquiries and took her back to the same employer. That night, the men of the house beat her black and blue and slammed her head against a wall until she lost consciousness.
HRPF steps in
With the help of an Indian driver, Jacinta managed to contact her children back home. A priest directed Velita, Jacintas daughter, to approach Human Rights Protection Foundation, Udupi. They tracked the agent who sent her to Saudi Arabia, which led the family and the foundation to where Jacinta was.
Where did the money go?
Human Rights Protection Foundation then tracked the employer (Abdul Almuttairi). On contacting him, he said Jacinta was contracted to work for two years. He claimed to have paid the Indian agent 24,000 Saudi Riyals (about `5 lakh. He said he would send her back if this money was returned. Jacinthas family had not received any money. The foundation then lodged a complaint.
More women can be rescued
There have been several reports of women from the coastal region being victimised by human traffickers of Mumbai. Human Rights Protection Foundation president Ravindranath Shanbhag said after he started working on Jacintas case, he came to know that there are 40 more women from coastal Karnataka whose whereabouts are untraceable after they went abroad.
UDUPI: After 14 torturous months, Jacintha Mendonca, a home nurse from Karkala taluk in Udupi district, who was entrapped in a human trafficking racket run out of Mumbai and sent as a slave to Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, is finally back home with her family. The health of the 42-year-old woman, a mother of three, was declared stable after a medical check-up conducted at a private hospital in Udupi on Saturday morning. Jacintas troubles started after her husband died last year and she became the sole bread winner of the family. In order to take care of her three children and to provide for their education, she was in search of employment. She happened to notice an advertisement in a local newspaper wherein an Indian family in Qatar needed a home nurse. She contacted a Mumbai-based recruitment agency headed by one Shabaz Khan, who assured her that she would be paid `25,000 per month. He also assured her that he would arrange the passport and visa through his representative in Mangaluru. Following this, Jacinta travelled to Mumbai and was housed somewhere in Dongri for a few days. She was then taken to Dubai via Goa and Delhi on June 10, 2016 along with two other women. Thereafter, she lost track as to where she was being taken to. To her horror, only on landing at the airport did she discover that she had been taken to Yanbu, Saudi Arabia instead of Qatar. Jacinta (third from right) with her daughters (left) and Human Rights Protection Foundation team, which played a pivotal role in rescuing her, in Udupi on SaturdayIt was only after the Human Rights Protection Foundation (HRPF) of Udupi contacted Roshan Rodrigues, the head of the NRI Forum in Saudi Arabia, and his team in April this year that Jacinta was finally rescued and reunited with her family. Hellish experience Jacinta was made to work day in and day out in the three mansions belonging to the employers mother, three wives and their children. She was made to do all the odd jobs apart from household chores and was only allowed to eat the leftover food. Her toil of over 16 hours a day and starvation took a severe toll on her health. The employer showed no mercy when she pleaded with him that she was ill and could not work. Under no circumstances will I send you back to India before your contract ends, the employer threatened her. She was oblivious of any contract made and the terms and conditions of the contract. Jacinta attempted to flee from the house and return to India on November 28, 2016. But her luck ran out when a neighbour, on the pretext of directing her to the Indian embassy, took her to the police station. The police, in turn, made enquiries and took her back to the same employer. That night, the men of the house beat her black and blue and slammed her head against a wall until she lost consciousness. HRPF steps in With the help of an Indian driver, Jacinta managed to contact her children back home. A priest directed Velita, Jacintas daughter, to approach Human Rights Protection Foundation, Udupi. They tracked the agent who sent her to Saudi Arabia, which led the family and the foundation to where Jacinta was. Where did the money go? Human Rights Protection Foundation then tracked the employer (Abdul Almuttairi). On contacting him, he said Jacinta was contracted to work for two years. He claimed to have paid the Indian agent 24,000 Saudi Riyals (about `5 lakh. He said he would send her back if this money was returned. Jacinthas family had not received any money. The foundation then lodged a complaint. More women can be rescued There have been several reports of women from the coastal region being victimised by human traffickers of Mumbai. Human Rights Protection Foundation president Ravindranath Shanbhag said after he started working on Jacintas case, he came to know that there are 40 more women from coastal Karnataka whose whereabouts are untraceable after they went abroad.
By Express News Service
KOZHIKODE: The international conference on The Role of Women in Making a Humane Society, which ran into trouble after the University of Calicut denied permission to hold it on the university campus, was held in the city on Saturday. Inaugurating the conference organised by the Institute of Objective Studies in association with the National Womens Front, former Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari said Islam respects the individuality of women in society. He said a study conducted by the UN Women, a wing of the United Nations which works for gender equality and women empowerment, has revealed the plight of women across the world.
He said the unethical human and social practices marginalising women should change. Women should be made an equal partner in creating a humane society. The conscious or subconscious perception of many sections of the society is a girl child is a burden or even a misfortune. This should change, he said. The inaugural session of the two-day conference was attended by Institute of Objective Studies chairman M Manzoor Alam.
On Friday the University of Calicut had decided to withdraw from the conference which was jointly organised by the New Delhi-based Institute of Objective Studies, Islamic Chair of the University of Calicut and National Womens Front. Delegates and scholars from South Africa, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia attended the conference. A B Moideen Kutty, Head of Department of Arabic, said the University had decided to stay away from the programme considering the involvement of certain organisations in the conduct of the conference.
KOZHIKODE: The international conference on The Role of Women in Making a Humane Society, which ran into trouble after the University of Calicut denied permission to hold it on the university campus, was held in the city on Saturday. Inaugurating the conference organised by the Institute of Objective Studies in association with the National Womens Front, former Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari said Islam respects the individuality of women in society. He said a study conducted by the UN Women, a wing of the United Nations which works for gender equality and women empowerment, has revealed the plight of women across the world. He said the unethical human and social practices marginalising women should change. Women should be made an equal partner in creating a humane society. The conscious or subconscious perception of many sections of the society is a girl child is a burden or even a misfortune. This should change, he said. The inaugural session of the two-day conference was attended by Institute of Objective Studies chairman M Manzoor Alam. On Friday the University of Calicut had decided to withdraw from the conference which was jointly organised by the New Delhi-based Institute of Objective Studies, Islamic Chair of the University of Calicut and National Womens Front. Delegates and scholars from South Africa, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia attended the conference. A B Moideen Kutty, Head of Department of Arabic, said the University had decided to stay away from the programme considering the involvement of certain organisations in the conduct of the conference.
By Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah and member of UAE Supreme Council Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammed Al Qasimi will arrive here on Sunday for a four-day visit to the state.
Qasimi, who will land in Thiruvananthapuram airport at 3.15 pm on Sunday, will call on Governor P Sathasivam at the Raj Bhavan at 10.55 am on Monday. Later, he will interact with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other ministers at the Raj Bhavan.
The Sharjah ruler will then attend a luncheon hosted by the Governor at 12.45 pm. At 6.30 pm, Qasimi will attend a cultural programme at Leela Raviz Hotel, Kovalam, and later attend a dinner hosted by the Chief Minister.On Tuesday, Qasimi will meet the Chief Minister at the Cliff House at 11 am.
He will then attend the convocation programme of the Calicut University at 11.15 pm. He will also attend a luncheon hosted by Education Minister C Raveendranath at Leela Raviz Hotel, Kovalam, at 1 pm.Qasimi will deliver a lecture on the topic Sultan and Historical Documents at Taj Vivanata in Vazhuthacaud at 5 pm and later address a press conference.The Sharjah ruler will attend various functions in Kochi on Wednesday before his departure on Thursday.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah and member of UAE Supreme Council Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammed Al Qasimi will arrive here on Sunday for a four-day visit to the state. Qasimi, who will land in Thiruvananthapuram airport at 3.15 pm on Sunday, will call on Governor P Sathasivam at the Raj Bhavan at 10.55 am on Monday. Later, he will interact with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other ministers at the Raj Bhavan. The Sharjah ruler will then attend a luncheon hosted by the Governor at 12.45 pm. At 6.30 pm, Qasimi will attend a cultural programme at Leela Raviz Hotel, Kovalam, and later attend a dinner hosted by the Chief Minister.On Tuesday, Qasimi will meet the Chief Minister at the Cliff House at 11 am. He will then attend the convocation programme of the Calicut University at 11.15 pm. He will also attend a luncheon hosted by Education Minister C Raveendranath at Leela Raviz Hotel, Kovalam, at 1 pm.Qasimi will deliver a lecture on the topic Sultan and Historical Documents at Taj Vivanata in Vazhuthacaud at 5 pm and later address a press conference.The Sharjah ruler will attend various functions in Kochi on Wednesday before his departure on Thursday.
Yatish Yadav By
NEW DELHI: A clandestine operation by a crack team of the Rajasthan Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir earlier this week has unravelled what a deep throat said is the largest gunrunning gang in the history of independent India. A top source confirmed that Kupwara alone has issued 50,000 suspicious arms licences in the last five years, a peculiar figure for any licencing authority in the country.
The hunt unveiled a plethora of information about how deeply the kingpins had penetrated all 22 districts of the strife-ridden state, as well as clues about where the cartel has been getting illegal sophisticated weapons since 2008. The ATS team has gathered reliable inputs that all the districts of the state might have issued a similar number of licences, which means the number of licences and arms under the scanner could go up to 11 lakh.
The initial probe in Kupwara till late Friday night revealed that the licencing office had no detailed records of applicants and processing details. Majority of the licences were issued to outsiders on the basis of fabricated documents. Investigators were shocked to learn that 24 legitimate gun dealers were operating in the Jammu district instead of two that is sufficient to cater to the local demand. Many sophisticated weapons have been sold to ghost army men by forging military documents.
The first phase of Operation Zubaida (high hills) covers four statesJammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The investigators have seized around a thousand fake arms licences and 450 illegal weapons. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Till the time of filing this report, the operation was being carried out at other locations to neutralise the highly profitable criminal syndicate.
This is just the trailer, says a deep throat. For each licence and weapon like a revolver, the network was charging Rs 12 lakh. For pistols, the price was more. The number of fake licences and guns could go up to several thousands as the gunrunners were operating for the last eight years. We have received reliable inputs about a few more modules of the same network in other states. It is very clear that the gang was distributing arms licences and guns like vegetables, he revealed.
Top sources said the first tip-off came in April and technical surveillance was mounted in early May. The electronic input was verified through human sources before Operation Zubaida was launched with six-handpicked operatives of the ATS. All the six seasoned officers were placed under the command of a well-known terrorist-hunter and senior IPS officer. They started working in silos, and inputs were shared with each other only on a need-to-know basis. Operation Zubaidas aim was to tack the entire supply chainfrom manufacturing fake licences to the gun shops that sold weapons ultimately to the buyers.
The Gang
The first is Zuber Mohammed, whose grandfather Wali Mohammed used to run a legitimate gun shop in Rajasthan till 2007 when the licence expired and it was not renewed. Since then, Zuber was acting as a showroom for the gun-running cartel. The second player, Vishal, a resident of Abohar in Punjab, was working as a transporter. The third and key cog of the syndicate is Rahul, a Jammu native, who was acting as a manufacturing unit for fake licences. To acquire weapons in bulk, the three had allegedly lured a legitimate gun shop owner in Dewas (Madhya Pradesh) to meet the demand and keep the supply chain up and running.
The supplier in Dewas, codenamed Ajmal, is under the scanner for two reasons. First, he is a close relative of Zuber aka showroom; second, most of the guns procured on the basis of fake licences were purchased from his shop. The hunters are going through Ajmals records and in the second phase, they will examine the records of Jammus gun dealers.
Sources said the number is so huge that the investigation may take over a year to ascertain the number of weapons that have been supplied on the basis of fake licences.
Modus Operandi
Besides the three key players, five to six others were hired on the basis of requirement. They had adopted six to seven modus operandi. The most startling one was making fake licences in the name of Army men that were sold to civilians to purchase prohibited weapons, pistols, revolvers and rifles. The cartel manufactured fake residence certificates of J&K.
They also manipulated names and photographs of local residences and purchased arms in other states. Since it was supplied to other states and requires to be reported to the respective licencing authority, we have found the process was not followed even in a single case. The entire system was flouted and the possibility of government employees connivance cannot be ruled out, sources added.
Some individuals, who were interrogated in Srinagar earlier this week, provided valuable information on how the cartel was using fake seals on a large scale. A deep throat confirmed they have seized seven types of seals that were used by the syndicate. These include fake seals of District Collector Kupwara, Home Department of Jammu and Kashmir, etc.
In some cases the addresses on the fake licences are incomplete but they were able to procure weapons. For example, on one such licence, the address is only Rajbagh, Srinagar. It doesnt have the house number or exact locality, and subsequently, no verification was done by the authorities.
In Kupwara, a majority of the arms licenses have been issued to army men, who, ATS suspects, are merely ghosts. The ATS team has asked the authorities in Srinagar and Jammu to preserve all the records along with files from other districts.
Scrutiny of records of just two districtsJammu and Srinagarwould take at least eight to 10 days. We have also asked for the record from Kathua, sources confirmed.
The spies and hunters on Friday picked up Sunil Sharma, a resident of Udhampur. Sharma is linked to Rahul, the manufacturing unit, and his primary task was to facilitate forged documents in bulk. Sharma reportedly revealed that he was merely a courier but he very well knew the working of illegal gun syndicate.
The Buyers
In majority of the cases, the fake licences and weapons were sold to the nouveau riche, big hoteliers and property dealers. A source quoting the interrogation of gunrunners said weapons were also sold to some most wanted criminals who are otherwise not entitled to a licenced gun.
In a few cases, three weapons were purchased on a single licence by a big hotelier. We have questioned a variety of people, including mall owners, property dealers and a liquor baron. Many of them had a feeling of virtual insecurity, and some rich people wanted weapons just for fun, he said, adding that 20-25 people have been questioned in about a dozen simultaneous operations.
Some businessmen and professionals from Delhi have also acquired weapons through the syndicate. Senior officials confirmed that the Delhi file will be probed in the next stage sometime in October and the people named by the manufacturing unit aka Rahul will be questioned.
What Next?
The deep throat revealed that transporter aka Vishal from Punjab was also running his showroom on the side. This could be the second layer of the cartel which, he said, would require further probe to unravel the entire supply chaincontacts, facilitators, traffickers and buyers.
So far no terror angle has come out in the investigation but we are not completely ruling it out because the source of gunrunning syndicate is Jammu and Kashmir and some private individuals are part of our ongoing analysis. If we compare gunrunning rackets of Bihar and Nepal with this module, Operation Zubaida cracked the largest criminal syndicate, he said.
Cocked And Loaded
For each licence and weapon like a revolver, the network was charging `12 lakh. For pistols, the price was more. The number of fake licences and guns could go up to several thousands as the gunrunners were operating for the last eight years.
NEW DELHI: A clandestine operation by a crack team of the Rajasthan Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir earlier this week has unravelled what a deep throat said is the largest gunrunning gang in the history of independent India. A top source confirmed that Kupwara alone has issued 50,000 suspicious arms licences in the last five years, a peculiar figure for any licencing authority in the country. The hunt unveiled a plethora of information about how deeply the kingpins had penetrated all 22 districts of the strife-ridden state, as well as clues about where the cartel has been getting illegal sophisticated weapons since 2008. The ATS team has gathered reliable inputs that all the districts of the state might have issued a similar number of licences, which means the number of licences and arms under the scanner could go up to 11 lakh. The initial probe in Kupwara till late Friday night revealed that the licencing office had no detailed records of applicants and processing details. Majority of the licences were issued to outsiders on the basis of fabricated documents. Investigators were shocked to learn that 24 legitimate gun dealers were operating in the Jammu district instead of two that is sufficient to cater to the local demand. Many sophisticated weapons have been sold to ghost army men by forging military documents. The first phase of Operation Zubaida (high hills) covers four statesJammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The investigators have seized around a thousand fake arms licences and 450 illegal weapons. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Till the time of filing this report, the operation was being carried out at other locations to neutralise the highly profitable criminal syndicate. This is just the trailer, says a deep throat. For each licence and weapon like a revolver, the network was charging Rs 12 lakh. For pistols, the price was more. The number of fake licences and guns could go up to several thousands as the gunrunners were operating for the last eight years. We have received reliable inputs about a few more modules of the same network in other states. It is very clear that the gang was distributing arms licences and guns like vegetables, he revealed. Top sources said the first tip-off came in April and technical surveillance was mounted in early May. The electronic input was verified through human sources before Operation Zubaida was launched with six-handpicked operatives of the ATS. All the six seasoned officers were placed under the command of a well-known terrorist-hunter and senior IPS officer. They started working in silos, and inputs were shared with each other only on a need-to-know basis. Operation Zubaidas aim was to tack the entire supply chainfrom manufacturing fake licences to the gun shops that sold weapons ultimately to the buyers. The Gang The first is Zuber Mohammed, whose grandfather Wali Mohammed used to run a legitimate gun shop in Rajasthan till 2007 when the licence expired and it was not renewed. Since then, Zuber was acting as a showroom for the gun-running cartel. The second player, Vishal, a resident of Abohar in Punjab, was working as a transporter. The third and key cog of the syndicate is Rahul, a Jammu native, who was acting as a manufacturing unit for fake licences. To acquire weapons in bulk, the three had allegedly lured a legitimate gun shop owner in Dewas (Madhya Pradesh) to meet the demand and keep the supply chain up and running. The supplier in Dewas, codenamed Ajmal, is under the scanner for two reasons. First, he is a close relative of Zuber aka showroom; second, most of the guns procured on the basis of fake licences were purchased from his shop. The hunters are going through Ajmals records and in the second phase, they will examine the records of Jammus gun dealers. Sources said the number is so huge that the investigation may take over a year to ascertain the number of weapons that have been supplied on the basis of fake licences. Modus Operandi Besides the three key players, five to six others were hired on the basis of requirement. They had adopted six to seven modus operandi. The most startling one was making fake licences in the name of Army men that were sold to civilians to purchase prohibited weapons, pistols, revolvers and rifles. The cartel manufactured fake residence certificates of J&K. They also manipulated names and photographs of local residences and purchased arms in other states. Since it was supplied to other states and requires to be reported to the respective licencing authority, we have found the process was not followed even in a single case. The entire system was flouted and the possibility of government employees connivance cannot be ruled out, sources added. Some individuals, who were interrogated in Srinagar earlier this week, provided valuable information on how the cartel was using fake seals on a large scale. A deep throat confirmed they have seized seven types of seals that were used by the syndicate. These include fake seals of District Collector Kupwara, Home Department of Jammu and Kashmir, etc. In some cases the addresses on the fake licences are incomplete but they were able to procure weapons. For example, on one such licence, the address is only Rajbagh, Srinagar. It doesnt have the house number or exact locality, and subsequently, no verification was done by the authorities. In Kupwara, a majority of the arms licenses have been issued to army men, who, ATS suspects, are merely ghosts. The ATS team has asked the authorities in Srinagar and Jammu to preserve all the records along with files from other districts. Scrutiny of records of just two districtsJammu and Srinagarwould take at least eight to 10 days. We have also asked for the record from Kathua, sources confirmed. The spies and hunters on Friday picked up Sunil Sharma, a resident of Udhampur. Sharma is linked to Rahul, the manufacturing unit, and his primary task was to facilitate forged documents in bulk. Sharma reportedly revealed that he was merely a courier but he very well knew the working of illegal gun syndicate. The Buyers In majority of the cases, the fake licences and weapons were sold to the nouveau riche, big hoteliers and property dealers. A source quoting the interrogation of gunrunners said weapons were also sold to some most wanted criminals who are otherwise not entitled to a licenced gun. In a few cases, three weapons were purchased on a single licence by a big hotelier. We have questioned a variety of people, including mall owners, property dealers and a liquor baron. Many of them had a feeling of virtual insecurity, and some rich people wanted weapons just for fun, he said, adding that 20-25 people have been questioned in about a dozen simultaneous operations. Some businessmen and professionals from Delhi have also acquired weapons through the syndicate. Senior officials confirmed that the Delhi file will be probed in the next stage sometime in October and the people named by the manufacturing unit aka Rahul will be questioned. What Next? The deep throat revealed that transporter aka Vishal from Punjab was also running his showroom on the side. This could be the second layer of the cartel which, he said, would require further probe to unravel the entire supply chaincontacts, facilitators, traffickers and buyers. So far no terror angle has come out in the investigation but we are not completely ruling it out because the source of gunrunning syndicate is Jammu and Kashmir and some private individuals are part of our ongoing analysis. If we compare gunrunning rackets of Bihar and Nepal with this module, Operation Zubaida cracked the largest criminal syndicate, he said. Cocked And Loaded For each licence and weapon like a revolver, the network was charging `12 lakh. For pistols, the price was more. The number of fake licences and guns could go up to several thousands as the gunrunners were operating for the last eight years.
Express News Service By
NEW DELHI: Ties between India and neighbouring Nepal was debated on Friday afternoon in a programme organised by B P Chintan Pratisthan Bharat here. Relationship between the two countries is very old. Unlike other countries, it is a relationship of culture, blood ties, water, and of course trade, convener Sandeep Rana said, adding that the old relationship is now limited to ties between Delhi and Kathmandu.Remembering late Prime Minister of Nepal B P Koirala, Rana said, He was not only a leader of Nepal, but he was a role model for India and the world.
Manisha Koirala
Rajya Sabha member Karan Singh said that the new generation will have to come forward to improve the relationship. I dont want to go into the past. The relationship will be strengthened if the youth comes forward and take initiatives, said Singh, adding that India has always helped Nepal at the time of crisis and differences between the two countries should be resolved.
Actress and social activist Manisha Koirala, granddaughter of B P Koirala, said, When (Narendra) Modiji came to Nepal, he said that there is not a single war that India has fought without shedding Gorkha blood. That is a huge statement. It means our bond is very strong, our friendship is very deep. Nepal is going through an existential crisis. And if we consider B P Koirala a visionary leader, probably he was referring to a situation like this.She also talked about the relationship between the late leader and Jayaprakash Narayan. BP had a very good friend in JP. They used to co-operate with each other at the time of struggle, she said.
NEW DELHI: Ties between India and neighbouring Nepal was debated on Friday afternoon in a programme organised by B P Chintan Pratisthan Bharat here. Relationship between the two countries is very old. Unlike other countries, it is a relationship of culture, blood ties, water, and of course trade, convener Sandeep Rana said, adding that the old relationship is now limited to ties between Delhi and Kathmandu.Remembering late Prime Minister of Nepal B P Koirala, Rana said, He was not only a leader of Nepal, but he was a role model for India and the world. Manisha KoiralaRajya Sabha member Karan Singh said that the new generation will have to come forward to improve the relationship. I dont want to go into the past. The relationship will be strengthened if the youth comes forward and take initiatives, said Singh, adding that India has always helped Nepal at the time of crisis and differences between the two countries should be resolved. Actress and social activist Manisha Koirala, granddaughter of B P Koirala, said, When (Narendra) Modiji came to Nepal, he said that there is not a single war that India has fought without shedding Gorkha blood. That is a huge statement. It means our bond is very strong, our friendship is very deep. Nepal is going through an existential crisis. And if we consider B P Koirala a visionary leader, probably he was referring to a situation like this.She also talked about the relationship between the late leader and Jayaprakash Narayan. BP had a very good friend in JP. They used to co-operate with each other at the time of struggle, she said.
Express News Service By
BENGALURU: The Income Tax (I-T) officials, who conducted search operations at the premises of VG Siddhartha, owner of Indias largest coffee chain Cafe Coffee Day, on September 21, are still assessing the documents of his companies which are under the radar amid suspicion of tax evasion.
This was the second major I-T raid in Karnataka after a massive crackdown on high-profile Congress politician and Karnataka Energy Minister D K Shivakumar in recent months. The I-T sleuths searched the properties and homes of Siddhartha in Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and several places in Karnataka.
VG Siddhartha
The raids were also conducted at the corporate office of Cafe Coffee Day at Vittal Mallya Road in Bengaluru, Siddharthas residence in Sadashivanagar, coffee estates and curing plants in Chikkamagaluru district. His firms were also raided including Way2Wealth, Amalgamated Beans Coffee Curing Works and Serai Luxury Resorts.Sources from I-T department said, Officials are likely to record Siddharthas statements before finishing the raid.Despite being among the top 100 richest people in India (according to Forbes) and the son-in-law of former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna, Siddharatha has always maintained a low-profile.
Even the decision of Krishna to switch his loyalties from the Congress to the BJP was seen as a desperate measure to prevent I-T department from investigating suspected tax evasion. Siddhartha, who made his fortune with multiple businesses, was born to a coffee planter in the scenic Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka. After completing his post graduation in economics, he worked in a securities trading firm in Mumbai, before starting Way2Wealth Securities Limited. His most popular business venture, Cafe Coffee Day, made him a popular business figure. He also has stake in the IT firm MindTree, new furniture firm called Dark Forest Furniture Company and owns vast tracts of coffee estates throughout the state.
Although the I-T raid on V G Siddhartha made national headlines last week, a conspicuous silence prevailed in the political corridors of Karnataka. While the silence in BJP camp is understandable as the veteran Congress leader joined the party just six months ago, the Congress sees the raid as just a charade by Modi government at the Centre to silence the political critics who have been accusing the Modi government of targeting Congress leaders in poll bound Karnataka. State Congress leaders dismissed the raid on Siddharthas premises as a mere eye wash. KPCC President G Parameshwara said, The raid on Siddharthas premises could be just to counter the criticism.
Flash back
1984: VG Siddhartha launches his own investment and venture capital firm in Bangalore
1996: He opens Cafe Coffee Days first outlet on Bangalores upscale Brigade Road
Mid 90s: Cafe Coffee Day becomes one of the top three exporters of green coffee beans
2011: Cafe Coffee Day figures in the top six beverage companies including Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Tim Hortons, Costa Coffee and McCafe
2017: Immediately after the raids report in September, the Coffee Day Enterprises stock slumps up to 7.5 per cent in morning trade Bangalores upscale Brigade Road
BENGALURU: The Income Tax (I-T) officials, who conducted search operations at the premises of VG Siddhartha, owner of Indias largest coffee chain Cafe Coffee Day, on September 21, are still assessing the documents of his companies which are under the radar amid suspicion of tax evasion. This was the second major I-T raid in Karnataka after a massive crackdown on high-profile Congress politician and Karnataka Energy Minister D K Shivakumar in recent months. The I-T sleuths searched the properties and homes of Siddhartha in Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and several places in Karnataka. VG SiddharthaThe raids were also conducted at the corporate office of Cafe Coffee Day at Vittal Mallya Road in Bengaluru, Siddharthas residence in Sadashivanagar, coffee estates and curing plants in Chikkamagaluru district. His firms were also raided including Way2Wealth, Amalgamated Beans Coffee Curing Works and Serai Luxury Resorts.Sources from I-T department said, Officials are likely to record Siddharthas statements before finishing the raid.Despite being among the top 100 richest people in India (according to Forbes) and the son-in-law of former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna, Siddharatha has always maintained a low-profile. Even the decision of Krishna to switch his loyalties from the Congress to the BJP was seen as a desperate measure to prevent I-T department from investigating suspected tax evasion. Siddhartha, who made his fortune with multiple businesses, was born to a coffee planter in the scenic Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka. After completing his post graduation in economics, he worked in a securities trading firm in Mumbai, before starting Way2Wealth Securities Limited. His most popular business venture, Cafe Coffee Day, made him a popular business figure. He also has stake in the IT firm MindTree, new furniture firm called Dark Forest Furniture Company and owns vast tracts of coffee estates throughout the state. Although the I-T raid on V G Siddhartha made national headlines last week, a conspicuous silence prevailed in the political corridors of Karnataka. While the silence in BJP camp is understandable as the veteran Congress leader joined the party just six months ago, the Congress sees the raid as just a charade by Modi government at the Centre to silence the political critics who have been accusing the Modi government of targeting Congress leaders in poll bound Karnataka. State Congress leaders dismissed the raid on Siddharthas premises as a mere eye wash. KPCC President G Parameshwara said, The raid on Siddharthas premises could be just to counter the criticism. Flash back 1984: VG Siddhartha launches his own investment and venture capital firm in Bangalore 1996: He opens Cafe Coffee Days first outlet on Bangalores upscale Brigade Road Mid 90s: Cafe Coffee Day becomes one of the top three exporters of green coffee beans 2011: Cafe Coffee Day figures in the top six beverage companies including Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Tim Hortons, Costa Coffee and McCafe 2017: Immediately after the raids report in September, the Coffee Day Enterprises stock slumps up to 7.5 per cent in morning trade Bangalores upscale Brigade Road
By Associated Press
MEXICO CITY: A new earthquake sowed panic in Mexico City on Saturday, forcing a brief pause in rescue operations to free survivors from the more powerful tremor this week that devastated parts of the capital.
The latest quake, with a magnitude of 6.1, was smaller and further south than the 7.1-magnitude one that struck on Tuesday, killing more than 300 people and toppling 39 buildings in the capital.
As an alarm sounded, hundreds of startled residents raced out into the street, some barefoot, some carrying children.
Trauma from the previous quake was evident.
"Oh God, have mercy," exclaimed Teresa Martinez, 74, who stood in the street with other women, all crying.
Two women died of heart attacks as they tried to leave their homes, according to local media reports. One was in her 80s and the other was 52, according to the website of the daily Reforma.
Authorities said two people also died in the quake in the southern state of Oaxaca, where the epicenter was located.
A bridge collapsed near the town of Juchitan, Oaxaca, already hit hard by a September 7 quake that killed nearly 100 people. Some buildings with previous damage collapsed.
In a jittery Mexico City, the quake made buildings sway, but some didn't notice.
"This time, we didn't feel the ground move... maybe since the last one we're getting used to them," said Pablo Martinez, who had run out of his apartment building with his six-year-old daughter in his arms.
Elevated risk
The new tremor sparked concern it could have caused heavy rubble on top of survivors awaiting rescue in the capital to shift -- posing a danger both to those trapped and to rescuers.
Rescue crews quickly evacuated five sites in the capital where they had been working.
They hesitated for a couple of hours, discussing the added risk, before going back in to look for survivors.
Mexico City's mayor, Miguel Angel Mancera, told Televisa television that around "30 people may yet be able to be found in this search and rescue operation."
So far, 69 people have been pulled alive from the rubble in Mexico City, according to authorities.
"We've been told they have detected areas with life. They've sent in dogs and the dogs have indicated life," Paola Solorio, a 35-year-old who had three relatives trapped, told AFP.
But the smell of decaying bodies wafting out from the buildings four days after the quake presaged grief for some relatives. Rescue workers wore face masks to shield themselves from the odor.
Still, they refused to give up hope.
"We're here to save lives. You have to have faith and believe (the people inside) are in a place with access to air and managed to survive," said Karin Kvitca, a 29-year-old with an Israeli rescue crew.
Race to find survivors
Anxious families have been holding vigils at the flattened sites, urging exhausted emergency workers to keep trying.
"A lot of time has passed. But we won't give up," said the head of the civil protection service, Luis Felipe Puente.
"Time has gotten the best of us. There are structures that are very complicated to access. But we're going to keep fighting for the families," he told Televisa.
Many Mexicans remember "miracle" rescues a week after a 1985 quake that killed more than 10,000 people in the capital, spurring hopes that some might yet be pulled out alive.
Yet psychologists dispatched to the scene were already preparing to help relatives deal with tragic news.
"The families are still hopeful, but we psychologists are starting to prepare ourselves to counsel them in the context of mourning," said Penelope Exzacarias.
Rising death toll
The latest death toll stands at 305, of which more than half -- 167 fatalities -- were in Mexico City.
The rest of the deaths occurred in the states of Morelos, Puebla, Mexico, Guerrero and Oaxaca.
In the south of Mexico City, at a flattened school where 19 children died, relatives and neighbors had placed wreaths of white flowers.
Families were starting to hold funerals. One of the first was that of Gabriel Morales and Agueda Mendoza, a married couple found locked in embrace under the rubble, along with their dog Quino.
Elsewhere, Japanese rescuers removed their helmets and bowed before a recovered body, rescuers sang the Mexican national anthem after concluding work at a building and a volunteer joked with a young woman pulled from the rubble that she would have to invite his crew to dinner.
MEXICO CITY: A new earthquake sowed panic in Mexico City on Saturday, forcing a brief pause in rescue operations to free survivors from the more powerful tremor this week that devastated parts of the capital. The latest quake, with a magnitude of 6.1, was smaller and further south than the 7.1-magnitude one that struck on Tuesday, killing more than 300 people and toppling 39 buildings in the capital. As an alarm sounded, hundreds of startled residents raced out into the street, some barefoot, some carrying children. Trauma from the previous quake was evident. "Oh God, have mercy," exclaimed Teresa Martinez, 74, who stood in the street with other women, all crying. Two women died of heart attacks as they tried to leave their homes, according to local media reports. One was in her 80s and the other was 52, according to the website of the daily Reforma. Authorities said two people also died in the quake in the southern state of Oaxaca, where the epicenter was located. A bridge collapsed near the town of Juchitan, Oaxaca, already hit hard by a September 7 quake that killed nearly 100 people. Some buildings with previous damage collapsed. In a jittery Mexico City, the quake made buildings sway, but some didn't notice. "This time, we didn't feel the ground move... maybe since the last one we're getting used to them," said Pablo Martinez, who had run out of his apartment building with his six-year-old daughter in his arms. Elevated risk The new tremor sparked concern it could have caused heavy rubble on top of survivors awaiting rescue in the capital to shift -- posing a danger both to those trapped and to rescuers. Rescue crews quickly evacuated five sites in the capital where they had been working. They hesitated for a couple of hours, discussing the added risk, before going back in to look for survivors. Mexico City's mayor, Miguel Angel Mancera, told Televisa television that around "30 people may yet be able to be found in this search and rescue operation." So far, 69 people have been pulled alive from the rubble in Mexico City, according to authorities. "We've been told they have detected areas with life. They've sent in dogs and the dogs have indicated life," Paola Solorio, a 35-year-old who had three relatives trapped, told AFP. But the smell of decaying bodies wafting out from the buildings four days after the quake presaged grief for some relatives. Rescue workers wore face masks to shield themselves from the odor. Still, they refused to give up hope. "We're here to save lives. You have to have faith and believe (the people inside) are in a place with access to air and managed to survive," said Karin Kvitca, a 29-year-old with an Israeli rescue crew. Race to find survivors Anxious families have been holding vigils at the flattened sites, urging exhausted emergency workers to keep trying. "A lot of time has passed. But we won't give up," said the head of the civil protection service, Luis Felipe Puente. "Time has gotten the best of us. There are structures that are very complicated to access. But we're going to keep fighting for the families," he told Televisa. Many Mexicans remember "miracle" rescues a week after a 1985 quake that killed more than 10,000 people in the capital, spurring hopes that some might yet be pulled out alive. Yet psychologists dispatched to the scene were already preparing to help relatives deal with tragic news. "The families are still hopeful, but we psychologists are starting to prepare ourselves to counsel them in the context of mourning," said Penelope Exzacarias. Rising death toll The latest death toll stands at 305, of which more than half -- 167 fatalities -- were in Mexico City. The rest of the deaths occurred in the states of Morelos, Puebla, Mexico, Guerrero and Oaxaca. In the south of Mexico City, at a flattened school where 19 children died, relatives and neighbors had placed wreaths of white flowers. Families were starting to hold funerals. One of the first was that of Gabriel Morales and Agueda Mendoza, a married couple found locked in embrace under the rubble, along with their dog Quino. Elsewhere, Japanese rescuers removed their helmets and bowed before a recovered body, rescuers sang the Mexican national anthem after concluding work at a building and a volunteer joked with a young woman pulled from the rubble that she would have to invite his crew to dinner.
By AFP
BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel clinched a fourth term in Germany's election Sunday, but her victory was clouded by the entry into parliament of the hard right AfD, the best showing for a nationalist force since World War II.
Merkel, who after 12 years in power held a double-digit lead for most of the campaign, scored around 33 percent of the vote with her conservative Christian Union (CDU/CSU) bloc, according to exit polls.
Its nearest rivals, the Social Democrats and their candidate Martin Schulz, came in a distant second, with a post-war record low 20-21 percent.
But in a bombshell for the German establishment, the anti-Islam, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) captured around 13 percent, catapulting it to become the country's third biggest political force.
Commentators called the AfD's strong performance a "watershed moment" in the history of the German republic. The top-selling Bild daily called it a "political earthquake".
Supporters gathered at the AfD party headquarters in Berlin cheered as public television reported the outcome, many joining in a chorus of the German national anthem.
The four-year-old nationalist party with links to the far-right French National Front and Britain's UKIP has been shunned by Germany's mainstream but was able to build on particularly strong support in ex-communist eastern Germany.
It is now headed for the opposition benches of the Bundestag lower house, dramatically boosting its visibility and state financing.
Alarmed by the prospect of what Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded "real Nazis" entering parliament, the candidates had used their final days of campaigning to implore voters to reject the populists.
- 'Big new challenge' -
Merkel basked in her win but admitted that she had fallen far short of the 40-percent goal her party set.
"There's a big new challenge for us, and that is the entry of the AfD in the Bundestag," said Merkel, adding: "We want to win back AfD voters."
Germans voted in a splintered parliament, reflecting an electorate torn between a relatively high degree of satisfaction with Merkel and a desire for change after more than a decade of her leadership.
Another three parties cleared the five-percent hurdle to be represented in parliament: the liberal Free Democrats at around 10 percent and the anti-capitalist Left and ecologist Greens, both at about nine percent.
As Merkel failed to secure a ruling majority on her own and with the dejected SPD ruling out another right-left "grand coalition" with her, the process of coalition building was shaping up to be a thorny, months-long process.
Merkel, 63, often called the most powerful woman on the global stage, ran on her record as a steady pair of hands in a turbulent world, warning voters not to indulge in "experiments".
Pundits said Merkel's reassuring message of stability and prosperity resonated in greying Germany, where more than half of the 61 million voters are aged 52 or older.
Her popularity had largely recovered from the influx since 2015 of more than one million mostly Muslim migrants and refugees, half of them from war-torn Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Breaking taboos -
But the AfD was able to capitalise on a wellspring of anger over the asylum issue during what was criticised as a largely lacklustre campaign bereft of real clashes among the main contenders.
The party has made breaking taboos its trademark.
Top AfD candidate Alexander Gauland has called for Germans to shed their guilt over two world wars and the Holocaust and to take pride in their veterans.
He has also suggested that Germany's integration commissioner Aydan Ozoguz, who has Turkish roots, should be "disposed of in Anatolia".
Law student Sabine Maier dismissed the AfD as "too extreme" as she voted in Berlin.
But she also criticised the media for lavishly covering the most outrageous comments by the upstart party.
"They aren't all fascists," she said.
- Merkel bound for 'Jamaica'? -
The SPD said its catastrophic result would lead it to seek a stint in opposition to rekindle its fighting spirit.
"This is a difficult and bitter day for German social democracy," a grim-faced Schulz, a former European Parliament chief, told reporters, adding that he hoped to remain party leader.
This would leave Merkel in need of new coalition partners.
If the SPD sticks to its refusal to play ball, mathematically the most likely scenario would be a link-up with the pro-business Free Democrats, who staged a comeback after crashing out of parliament four years ago, and the left-leaning Greens.
That so-called "Jamaica" coalition, based on the party colours and the Caribbean nation's flag, would be a risky proposition, given the differences between the parties on issues ranging from climate policy to migration issues.
Schulz, 61, struggled to gain traction with his calls for a more socially just Germany at a time when the economy is humming and employment is at a record low.
The SPD also found it hard to shine after four years as the junior partner in Merkel's grand coalition, marked by broad agreement on major issues, from foreign policy to migration.
BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel clinched a fourth term in Germany's election Sunday, but her victory was clouded by the entry into parliament of the hard right AfD, the best showing for a nationalist force since World War II. Merkel, who after 12 years in power held a double-digit lead for most of the campaign, scored around 33 percent of the vote with her conservative Christian Union (CDU/CSU) bloc, according to exit polls. Its nearest rivals, the Social Democrats and their candidate Martin Schulz, came in a distant second, with a post-war record low 20-21 percent. But in a bombshell for the German establishment, the anti-Islam, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) captured around 13 percent, catapulting it to become the country's third biggest political force. Commentators called the AfD's strong performance a "watershed moment" in the history of the German republic. The top-selling Bild daily called it a "political earthquake". Supporters gathered at the AfD party headquarters in Berlin cheered as public television reported the outcome, many joining in a chorus of the German national anthem. The four-year-old nationalist party with links to the far-right French National Front and Britain's UKIP has been shunned by Germany's mainstream but was able to build on particularly strong support in ex-communist eastern Germany. It is now headed for the opposition benches of the Bundestag lower house, dramatically boosting its visibility and state financing. Alarmed by the prospect of what Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded "real Nazis" entering parliament, the candidates had used their final days of campaigning to implore voters to reject the populists. - 'Big new challenge' - Merkel basked in her win but admitted that she had fallen far short of the 40-percent goal her party set. "There's a big new challenge for us, and that is the entry of the AfD in the Bundestag," said Merkel, adding: "We want to win back AfD voters." Germans voted in a splintered parliament, reflecting an electorate torn between a relatively high degree of satisfaction with Merkel and a desire for change after more than a decade of her leadership. Another three parties cleared the five-percent hurdle to be represented in parliament: the liberal Free Democrats at around 10 percent and the anti-capitalist Left and ecologist Greens, both at about nine percent. As Merkel failed to secure a ruling majority on her own and with the dejected SPD ruling out another right-left "grand coalition" with her, the process of coalition building was shaping up to be a thorny, months-long process. Merkel, 63, often called the most powerful woman on the global stage, ran on her record as a steady pair of hands in a turbulent world, warning voters not to indulge in "experiments". Pundits said Merkel's reassuring message of stability and prosperity resonated in greying Germany, where more than half of the 61 million voters are aged 52 or older. Her popularity had largely recovered from the influx since 2015 of more than one million mostly Muslim migrants and refugees, half of them from war-torn Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. - Breaking taboos - But the AfD was able to capitalise on a wellspring of anger over the asylum issue during what was criticised as a largely lacklustre campaign bereft of real clashes among the main contenders. The party has made breaking taboos its trademark. Top AfD candidate Alexander Gauland has called for Germans to shed their guilt over two world wars and the Holocaust and to take pride in their veterans. He has also suggested that Germany's integration commissioner Aydan Ozoguz, who has Turkish roots, should be "disposed of in Anatolia". Law student Sabine Maier dismissed the AfD as "too extreme" as she voted in Berlin. But she also criticised the media for lavishly covering the most outrageous comments by the upstart party. "They aren't all fascists," she said. - Merkel bound for 'Jamaica'? - The SPD said its catastrophic result would lead it to seek a stint in opposition to rekindle its fighting spirit. "This is a difficult and bitter day for German social democracy," a grim-faced Schulz, a former European Parliament chief, told reporters, adding that he hoped to remain party leader. This would leave Merkel in need of new coalition partners. If the SPD sticks to its refusal to play ball, mathematically the most likely scenario would be a link-up with the pro-business Free Democrats, who staged a comeback after crashing out of parliament four years ago, and the left-leaning Greens. That so-called "Jamaica" coalition, based on the party colours and the Caribbean nation's flag, would be a risky proposition, given the differences between the parties on issues ranging from climate policy to migration issues. Schulz, 61, struggled to gain traction with his calls for a more socially just Germany at a time when the economy is humming and employment is at a record low. The SPD also found it hard to shine after four years as the junior partner in Merkel's grand coalition, marked by broad agreement on major issues, from foreign policy to migration.
By PTI
BAMAKO: At least three UN peacekeepers were killed today when their vehicle hit an explosive device in Mali's troubled north, the UN's mission to the conflict-torn country said.
MINUSMA said the attack, which also left another five soldiers seriously wounded, took place early today on a road between the city of Gao and a village called Anefis. In a separate statement, the Bangladeshi armed forces said three of its soldiers had been killed and another four wounded when their vehicle hit the explosive device.
The blast came a day after Bangladeshi peacekeepers successfully fended off another armed attack, it said. On September 5, two MINUSMA peacekeepers were killed and another two seriously wounded in a similar attack on their vehicle which was part of a logistical convoy in the northeast.
There are frequent clashes between rival armed groups in northern Mali which is also a haven for jihadist activity. Since 2013, when MINUSMA was deployed in Mali, 80 peacekeepers have been killed, making it the most costly UN mission in terms of human life since Somalia (1993-1995).
In 2012, key cities fell under the control of Al-Qaeda- linked jihadist groups who exploited an ethnic Tuareg-led rebel uprising, leading to a French-led military intervention and the UN deployment a year later. Although the Islamists were largely ousted, much of the region is lawless and attacks have continued on UN and French forces, civilians and the Malian army.
BAMAKO: At least three UN peacekeepers were killed today when their vehicle hit an explosive device in Mali's troubled north, the UN's mission to the conflict-torn country said. MINUSMA said the attack, which also left another five soldiers seriously wounded, took place early today on a road between the city of Gao and a village called Anefis. In a separate statement, the Bangladeshi armed forces said three of its soldiers had been killed and another four wounded when their vehicle hit the explosive device. The blast came a day after Bangladeshi peacekeepers successfully fended off another armed attack, it said. On September 5, two MINUSMA peacekeepers were killed and another two seriously wounded in a similar attack on their vehicle which was part of a logistical convoy in the northeast. There are frequent clashes between rival armed groups in northern Mali which is also a haven for jihadist activity. Since 2013, when MINUSMA was deployed in Mali, 80 peacekeepers have been killed, making it the most costly UN mission in terms of human life since Somalia (1993-1995). In 2012, key cities fell under the control of Al-Qaeda- linked jihadist groups who exploited an ethnic Tuareg-led rebel uprising, leading to a French-led military intervention and the UN deployment a year later. Although the Islamists were largely ousted, much of the region is lawless and attacks have continued on UN and French forces, civilians and the Malian army.
By PTI
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan today accused India of adopting a posture of that of a "predator" and said if the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between the two neighbours, it must call on New Delhi to halt its provocations and aggressive actions.
Terming India as the "mother of terrorism" in South Asia, Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi accused it of sponsoring terrorism in various parts of her country.
Exercising her right to reply after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday hit out at Pakistan for creating terror groups like LeT, JeM, Hizbul Mujahideen and the Haqqani Network, Lodhi alleged that "in her vitriol she (Swaraj) deliberately ignored the core issue" of Kashmir.
Swaraj in her remarks did not mention Kashmir.
"If the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between India and Pakistan, it must call on India to halt its provocations and aggressive actions. It must end the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control.
It must halt its sponsorship of terrorist groups against Pakistan," Lodhi said.
Given that such responses are normally given by a low-level foreign service official, it was quite significant that the top Pakistani diplomat took up the floor to launch a verbal dual against India.
India did not immediately exercise its right to response to Lodhis remarks, in which Pakistan for the second time accused the National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval of interfering in Balochistan.
Lodhi said if the parties fail to resolve a dispute, the UN and the international community has not only the right but the obligation to intervene and help to resolve the dispute.
"UN Security Council resolutions do not lapse with time.
Or are 'overtaken', as the Indian foreign minister put it. Law has no expiry date. Morality has no sell-by date. India's posture is that of the predator. It cannot escape its legal and moral obligation to abide by the resolutions of the Security Council," she said.
Referring to Swaraj's remarks on terrorism and her push for a definition, Lodhi said the UN should actually define terrorism.
"In that definition, we should include 'state terrorism'.
The state terrorism which the Indian National Security Adviser has boasted is being sponsored by India's spy agencies in Pakistan's Balochistan province in what he called a 'double squeeze' strategy," she alleged.
"India has sponsored and perpetrated terrorism and aggression against all its neighbours; creating terror groups; destabilising and blockading neighbours to do its strategic bidding and sponsoring subversion, sabotage and terrorism in various parts of Pakistan. All this establishes that India is the mother of terrorism in South Asia," she alleged.
She said the 'largest democracy' is also "the world's largest hypocrisy" and it's ruled by the "fascist" ideology.
Lodhi alleged that Swaraj in her speech criticised Pakistan's founding father M A Jinnah.
She also said Pakistan remains open to resuming a comprehensive dialogue with India to address all outstanding issues, especially Jammu and Kashmir and discuss measures to maintain peace and security.
"But this dialogue must be accompanied by an end to Indias campaign of subversion and state sponsored terrorism in Pakistan," she demanded.
In her speech, Swaraj had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered the hand of peace and friendship since he assumed office. "Pakistan's Prime Minister must answer why his nation spurned this offer," she had said.
Swaraj reminded Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi that in December 2015, when she was in Islamabad, a decision was made by then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that dialogue between India and Pakistan should be renewed and named it a "Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue".
"The word 'bilateral' was used consciously to remove any confusion or doubt about the fact that the proposed talks would be between our two nations and only between our two nations, without any third-party present. And he must answer why that proposal withered, because Pakistan is responsible for the aborting that peace process," Swaraj had said.
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan today accused India of adopting a posture of that of a "predator" and said if the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between the two neighbours, it must call on New Delhi to halt its provocations and aggressive actions. Terming India as the "mother of terrorism" in South Asia, Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi accused it of sponsoring terrorism in various parts of her country. Exercising her right to reply after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday hit out at Pakistan for creating terror groups like LeT, JeM, Hizbul Mujahideen and the Haqqani Network, Lodhi alleged that "in her vitriol she (Swaraj) deliberately ignored the core issue" of Kashmir. Swaraj in her remarks did not mention Kashmir. "If the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between India and Pakistan, it must call on India to halt its provocations and aggressive actions. It must end the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control. It must halt its sponsorship of terrorist groups against Pakistan," Lodhi said. Given that such responses are normally given by a low-level foreign service official, it was quite significant that the top Pakistani diplomat took up the floor to launch a verbal dual against India. India did not immediately exercise its right to response to Lodhis remarks, in which Pakistan for the second time accused the National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval of interfering in Balochistan. Lodhi said if the parties fail to resolve a dispute, the UN and the international community has not only the right but the obligation to intervene and help to resolve the dispute. "UN Security Council resolutions do not lapse with time. Or are 'overtaken', as the Indian foreign minister put it. Law has no expiry date. Morality has no sell-by date. India's posture is that of the predator. It cannot escape its legal and moral obligation to abide by the resolutions of the Security Council," she said. Referring to Swaraj's remarks on terrorism and her push for a definition, Lodhi said the UN should actually define terrorism. "In that definition, we should include 'state terrorism'. The state terrorism which the Indian National Security Adviser has boasted is being sponsored by India's spy agencies in Pakistan's Balochistan province in what he called a 'double squeeze' strategy," she alleged. "India has sponsored and perpetrated terrorism and aggression against all its neighbours; creating terror groups; destabilising and blockading neighbours to do its strategic bidding and sponsoring subversion, sabotage and terrorism in various parts of Pakistan. All this establishes that India is the mother of terrorism in South Asia," she alleged. She said the 'largest democracy' is also "the world's largest hypocrisy" and it's ruled by the "fascist" ideology. Lodhi alleged that Swaraj in her speech criticised Pakistan's founding father M A Jinnah. She also said Pakistan remains open to resuming a comprehensive dialogue with India to address all outstanding issues, especially Jammu and Kashmir and discuss measures to maintain peace and security. "But this dialogue must be accompanied by an end to Indias campaign of subversion and state sponsored terrorism in Pakistan," she demanded. In her speech, Swaraj had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered the hand of peace and friendship since he assumed office. "Pakistan's Prime Minister must answer why his nation spurned this offer," she had said. Swaraj reminded Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi that in December 2015, when she was in Islamabad, a decision was made by then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that dialogue between India and Pakistan should be renewed and named it a "Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue". "The word 'bilateral' was used consciously to remove any confusion or doubt about the fact that the proposed talks would be between our two nations and only between our two nations, without any third-party present. And he must answer why that proposal withered, because Pakistan is responsible for the aborting that peace process," Swaraj had said.
By AFP
JERUSALEM: Israel's culture minister asked the attorney general Sunday to order the investigation of a prominent Arab Israeli filmmaker who spoke out against the Jewish state during a visit to Lebanon.
Mohammed Bakri, who is in Lebanon as part of the "Palestine Days" cultural festival, reportedly said over the weekend that "normalisation with the Zionist enemy is treason, and the debate surrounding it is disgraceful and totally unacceptable".
Bakri called his presence in Lebanon, which is officially in a state of war with Israel, "a victory over (Israel's) racist laws", in remarks carried by the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar.
On Sunday, Culture Minister Miri Regev asked state attorney Avichai Mandelblit to launch an investigation against Bakri upon his return over visiting an enemy country and "inciting" against the state.
"The absence of a firm response from law enforcement agencies would legitimise this type of unacceptable conduct," Regev wrote in a letter.
The justice ministry refused to comment on the issue.
Bakri told Israel's Channel 2 television that he didn't "believe a word" Regev said.
"I don't take her seriously," he said, stressing he was not afraid of being arrested.
Bakri enraged the Israeli establishment and Jewish public with his documentary film "Jenin, Jenin" about April 2002 clashes in which 52 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers were killed.
The film was banned in Israel after a few screenings, but the supreme court later overturned the ban.
The outspoken Regev, a former military censor who belongs to what is seen as Israel's most right-wing government ever, has also repeatedly taken on the country's largely left-wing Jewish cultural elite.
In recent days, she lashed out against a new film, "Foxtrot", which won the grand jury prize at the Venice film festival as well as Israel's best film award, making it eligible for the Oscars.
Regev, who accused the film of "choosing to lie about the Israeli army", vowed to change how public funds are allocated to the cinema industry.
JERUSALEM: Israel's culture minister asked the attorney general Sunday to order the investigation of a prominent Arab Israeli filmmaker who spoke out against the Jewish state during a visit to Lebanon. Mohammed Bakri, who is in Lebanon as part of the "Palestine Days" cultural festival, reportedly said over the weekend that "normalisation with the Zionist enemy is treason, and the debate surrounding it is disgraceful and totally unacceptable". Bakri called his presence in Lebanon, which is officially in a state of war with Israel, "a victory over (Israel's) racist laws", in remarks carried by the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar. On Sunday, Culture Minister Miri Regev asked state attorney Avichai Mandelblit to launch an investigation against Bakri upon his return over visiting an enemy country and "inciting" against the state. "The absence of a firm response from law enforcement agencies would legitimise this type of unacceptable conduct," Regev wrote in a letter. The justice ministry refused to comment on the issue. Bakri told Israel's Channel 2 television that he didn't "believe a word" Regev said. "I don't take her seriously," he said, stressing he was not afraid of being arrested. Bakri enraged the Israeli establishment and Jewish public with his documentary film "Jenin, Jenin" about April 2002 clashes in which 52 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers were killed. The film was banned in Israel after a few screenings, but the supreme court later overturned the ban. The outspoken Regev, a former military censor who belongs to what is seen as Israel's most right-wing government ever, has also repeatedly taken on the country's largely left-wing Jewish cultural elite. In recent days, she lashed out against a new film, "Foxtrot", which won the grand jury prize at the Venice film festival as well as Israel's best film award, making it eligible for the Oscars. Regev, who accused the film of "choosing to lie about the Israeli army", vowed to change how public funds are allocated to the cinema industry.
By PTI
LAHORE: A Pakistani court conducting the trial of seven Mumbai terror attack suspects has ordered the Federal Investigation Agency to appoint a focal person to press for bringing 24 Indian witnesses here to record their statements in the case.
Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum have been facing charges of abetment to murder, attempted murder, planning and executing the 2008 Mumbai attack.
The prosecution in the case said the Indian witnesses statements are needed to conclude the trial which has been going on for more than seven years.
India has been urging Pakistan to complete the trial at the earliest, saying enough evidence has been shared with Pakistan to prosecute the accused.
India has also asked Pakistan to re-investigate the Mumbai attack case and put on trial Jammat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed who is currently under house arrest in Lahore under the anti-terrorism law.
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan held the hearing of the Mumbai terror attack case at Adiyala Jail in Rawalpindi last week.
It "directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general to appoint a focal person to pursue the case of bringing 24 Indian witnesses here to record their statements with the country's interior and foreign ministries," a court official told PTI.
He said the FIA's focal person will ask both ministries to take up the matter with the Indian government to send the Indian witnesses here.
"It appear to a last effort to bring the Indian witnesses here. Otherwise like the defence, the prosecution will also request the court to announce the verdict without the statements of Indian witnesses," the official said.
A total of 166 people were killed in the attack carried out by 10 LeT men. Nine terrorists who carried out the attack were killed while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was captured alive and later executed in 2012 in Pune.
LAHORE: A Pakistani court conducting the trial of seven Mumbai terror attack suspects has ordered the Federal Investigation Agency to appoint a focal person to press for bringing 24 Indian witnesses here to record their statements in the case. Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum have been facing charges of abetment to murder, attempted murder, planning and executing the 2008 Mumbai attack. The prosecution in the case said the Indian witnesses statements are needed to conclude the trial which has been going on for more than seven years. India has been urging Pakistan to complete the trial at the earliest, saying enough evidence has been shared with Pakistan to prosecute the accused. India has also asked Pakistan to re-investigate the Mumbai attack case and put on trial Jammat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed who is currently under house arrest in Lahore under the anti-terrorism law. An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan held the hearing of the Mumbai terror attack case at Adiyala Jail in Rawalpindi last week. It "directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general to appoint a focal person to pursue the case of bringing 24 Indian witnesses here to record their statements with the country's interior and foreign ministries," a court official told PTI. He said the FIA's focal person will ask both ministries to take up the matter with the Indian government to send the Indian witnesses here. "It appear to a last effort to bring the Indian witnesses here. Otherwise like the defence, the prosecution will also request the court to announce the verdict without the statements of Indian witnesses," the official said. A total of 166 people were killed in the attack carried out by 10 LeT men. Nine terrorists who carried out the attack were killed while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was captured alive and later executed in 2012 in Pune.
By ANI
NEW YORK: Pakistan on Sunday described India as the Mother of Terrorism in South Asia and urged the international community to stop New Delhis provocative and aggressive actions.
Pakistans Permanent Representative to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi cautioned the international community to act firmly against India if it wanted to avoid a dangerous escalation between the two neighbours.
Lodhi, who was exercising her right to reply to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs view that Pakistan has created terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Haqqani Network, said New Delhi must stop ignoring what she called the core issue of Kashmir.
It may be recalled that Swaraj avoided mentioning Kashmir in her address at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
If the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between India and Pakistan, it must call on India to halt its provocations and aggressive actions. It must end the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control. It must halt its sponsorship of terrorist groups against Pakistan, Lodhi said.
India is yet to decide whether it wants to exercise its right to respond to Ambassador Lodhis remarks.
Ambassador Lodhi said if Pakistan and India fail to resolve the Kashmir dispute, the UN and the international community has the right and the obligation to help to resolve it.
UN Security Council resolutions do not lapse with time. Or are overtaken, as the Indian foreign minister put it. Law has no expiry date. Morality has no sell-by date. Indias posture is that of the predator. It cannot escape its legal and moral obligation to abide by the resolutions of the Security Council, she said.
Referring to Swarajs remarks on terrorism and her push for a definition, Lodhi said the UN should actually define terrorism.
In that definition, we should include state terrorismIndia has sponsored and perpetrated terrorism and aggression against all its neighbours; creating terror groups; destabilising and blockading neighbours to do its strategic bidding and sponsoring subversion, sabotage and terrorism in various parts of Pakistan. All this establishes that India is the mother of terrorism in South Asia, she alleged.
She said the largest democracy is also the worlds largest hypocrisy and its ruled by the Fascist ideology.
She also said Pakistan remains open to resuming a comprehensive dialogue with India to address all outstanding issues, especially Jammu and Kashmir and discuss measures to maintain peace and security.
But this dialogue must be accompanied by an end to Indias campaign of subversion and state sponsored terrorism in Pakistan, she demanded.
In her speech, Swaraj had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered the hand of peace and friendship since he assumed office.
Pakistans Prime Minister must answer why his nation spurned this offer, she had said.
Swaraj reminded Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi that in December 2015, when she was in Islamabad, a decision was made by then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that dialogue between India and Pakistan should be renewed and named it a Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue.
The word bilateral was used consciously to remove any confusion or doubt about the fact that the proposed talks would be between our two nations and only between our two nations, without any third-party present. And he must answer why that proposal withered, because Pakistan is responsible for the aborting that peace process, Swaraj had said.
NEW YORK: Pakistan on Sunday described India as the Mother of Terrorism in South Asia and urged the international community to stop New Delhis provocative and aggressive actions. Pakistans Permanent Representative to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi cautioned the international community to act firmly against India if it wanted to avoid a dangerous escalation between the two neighbours. Lodhi, who was exercising her right to reply to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs view that Pakistan has created terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Haqqani Network, said New Delhi must stop ignoring what she called the core issue of Kashmir. It may be recalled that Swaraj avoided mentioning Kashmir in her address at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). If the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between India and Pakistan, it must call on India to halt its provocations and aggressive actions. It must end the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control. It must halt its sponsorship of terrorist groups against Pakistan, Lodhi said. India is yet to decide whether it wants to exercise its right to respond to Ambassador Lodhis remarks. Ambassador Lodhi said if Pakistan and India fail to resolve the Kashmir dispute, the UN and the international community has the right and the obligation to help to resolve it. UN Security Council resolutions do not lapse with time. Or are overtaken, as the Indian foreign minister put it. Law has no expiry date. Morality has no sell-by date. Indias posture is that of the predator. It cannot escape its legal and moral obligation to abide by the resolutions of the Security Council, she said. Referring to Swarajs remarks on terrorism and her push for a definition, Lodhi said the UN should actually define terrorism. In that definition, we should include state terrorismIndia has sponsored and perpetrated terrorism and aggression against all its neighbours; creating terror groups; destabilising and blockading neighbours to do its strategic bidding and sponsoring subversion, sabotage and terrorism in various parts of Pakistan. All this establishes that India is the mother of terrorism in South Asia, she alleged. She said the largest democracy is also the worlds largest hypocrisy and its ruled by the Fascist ideology. She also said Pakistan remains open to resuming a comprehensive dialogue with India to address all outstanding issues, especially Jammu and Kashmir and discuss measures to maintain peace and security. But this dialogue must be accompanied by an end to Indias campaign of subversion and state sponsored terrorism in Pakistan, she demanded. In her speech, Swaraj had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered the hand of peace and friendship since he assumed office. Pakistans Prime Minister must answer why his nation spurned this offer, she had said. Swaraj reminded Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi that in December 2015, when she was in Islamabad, a decision was made by then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that dialogue between India and Pakistan should be renewed and named it a Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue. The word bilateral was used consciously to remove any confusion or doubt about the fact that the proposed talks would be between our two nations and only between our two nations, without any third-party present. And he must answer why that proposal withered, because Pakistan is responsible for the aborting that peace process, Swaraj had said.
By PTI
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan today summoned India's acting Deputy High Commissioner here over alleged "ceasefire violations" by Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC).
Pakistan claimed that a 22-year-old girl was killed due to the alleged firing by the Indian troops and two others were injured. Pakistan Foreign Office alleged that India committed "unprovoked ceasefire violations" in Kotli and Nikial Sub - sector on September 22.
"The deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws," the Foreign Office said. Pakistan urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, and instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace along the LoC.
He also called on the Indian side to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan today summoned India's acting Deputy High Commissioner here over alleged "ceasefire violations" by Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC). Pakistan claimed that a 22-year-old girl was killed due to the alleged firing by the Indian troops and two others were injured. Pakistan Foreign Office alleged that India committed "unprovoked ceasefire violations" in Kotli and Nikial Sub - sector on September 22. "The deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws," the Foreign Office said. Pakistan urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, and instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace along the LoC. He also called on the Indian side to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.
By AFP
BEIRUT: Russian air strikes have killed 45 members of a rebel group in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said Sunday.
It was unclear why the strikes, which took place Saturday, targeted members of the Faylaq al-Sham rebel group, which has taken part in peace talks supervised by Moscow in the Kazakh capital Astana.
The strikes hit the group in the province of Idlib, which is part of a so-called "de-confliction" zone agreed in a deal between Syrian regime allies Russia and Iran, and rebel backer Turkey.
The Observatory initially reported a lower toll, but said the figure had risen as bodies were recovered after the strike on one of the rebel group's headquarters on the outskirts of the village of Tal Mardikh.
Faylaq al-Sham is an Islamist rebel group considered close to the Muslim Brotherhood movement.
It has fought against the former Al-Qaeda affiliate that now effectively controls nearly all of Idlib after chasing its former rebel allies from their positions in fighting this summer.
A spokesman for Faylaq al-Sham confirmed the group's headquarters had been targeted, despite their participation in the last round of talks in Astana.
"Our participation in Astana does not in any way mean that Russia is a friendly or neutral country," Idriss al-Raed told AFP.
"The Russian bombing is not surprising, since its policy since its intervention in Syria is based on criminality and killing," he added.
Russia began an intervention in Syria in support of ally President Bashar al-Assad in 2015, and has helped the regime win back large parts of the country.
Moscow also helped broker a deal for four truce zones, one of which includes Idlib province, in an agreement with Iran and Turkey inked in May.
The deal excludes jihadists, but is intended to otherwise halt fighting in the agreed areas.
The three other zones are around the capital Damascus, in southern Syria and in the centre of the country.
More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
BEIRUT: Russian air strikes have killed 45 members of a rebel group in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said Sunday. It was unclear why the strikes, which took place Saturday, targeted members of the Faylaq al-Sham rebel group, which has taken part in peace talks supervised by Moscow in the Kazakh capital Astana. The strikes hit the group in the province of Idlib, which is part of a so-called "de-confliction" zone agreed in a deal between Syrian regime allies Russia and Iran, and rebel backer Turkey. The Observatory initially reported a lower toll, but said the figure had risen as bodies were recovered after the strike on one of the rebel group's headquarters on the outskirts of the village of Tal Mardikh. Faylaq al-Sham is an Islamist rebel group considered close to the Muslim Brotherhood movement. It has fought against the former Al-Qaeda affiliate that now effectively controls nearly all of Idlib after chasing its former rebel allies from their positions in fighting this summer. A spokesman for Faylaq al-Sham confirmed the group's headquarters had been targeted, despite their participation in the last round of talks in Astana. "Our participation in Astana does not in any way mean that Russia is a friendly or neutral country," Idriss al-Raed told AFP. "The Russian bombing is not surprising, since its policy since its intervention in Syria is based on criminality and killing," he added. Russia began an intervention in Syria in support of ally President Bashar al-Assad in 2015, and has helped the regime win back large parts of the country. Moscow also helped broker a deal for four truce zones, one of which includes Idlib province, in an agreement with Iran and Turkey inked in May. The deal excludes jihadists, but is intended to otherwise halt fighting in the agreed areas. The three other zones are around the capital Damascus, in southern Syria and in the centre of the country. More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
By IANS
UNITED NATIONS: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was cheered from the floor and the Indian guests in the visitors gallery as she strode wearing her trademark saffron saree on to the stage with a gilded background in the wood-panelled General Assembly building.
As she spoke in Hindi, with simultaneous translations in five languages, from the dark stone podium embossed with the UN logo, she received applause when she talked of fighting terrorism.
There was some laughter when she derisively said that the world reacted with, "Look who is talking!" when Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abassi accused India of state-sponsored terrorism.
She started her speech with a report card on India's achievements in development, before segueing to Pakistan and terror, raising her voice in indignation.
Sushma Swaraj then switched to an almost pleading tone calling for action on climate change.
And then she laid out India's case and UN reforms in a firm voice.
Her speech coming on the fifth day of the high-level session and on a Saturday was sparsely attended on the floor of the chamber, but almost everyone of the 193 members of the UN had at least one delegate present, some of them coming in just for her speech, which followed that of Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Walid Al Moualem.
Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba spoke earlier in the session.
Indian Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar listened from the Indian position in the Assembly chamber.
Sushma Swaraj ended her speech with a Sanskrit shloka:
"May all be happy; May all be healthy; May all see what is good; May all be free from suffering."
UNITED NATIONS: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was cheered from the floor and the Indian guests in the visitors gallery as she strode wearing her trademark saffron saree on to the stage with a gilded background in the wood-panelled General Assembly building. As she spoke in Hindi, with simultaneous translations in five languages, from the dark stone podium embossed with the UN logo, she received applause when she talked of fighting terrorism. There was some laughter when she derisively said that the world reacted with, "Look who is talking!" when Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abassi accused India of state-sponsored terrorism. She started her speech with a report card on India's achievements in development, before segueing to Pakistan and terror, raising her voice in indignation. Sushma Swaraj then switched to an almost pleading tone calling for action on climate change. And then she laid out India's case and UN reforms in a firm voice. Her speech coming on the fifth day of the high-level session and on a Saturday was sparsely attended on the floor of the chamber, but almost everyone of the 193 members of the UN had at least one delegate present, some of them coming in just for her speech, which followed that of Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Walid Al Moualem. Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba spoke earlier in the session. Indian Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar listened from the Indian position in the Assembly chamber. Sushma Swaraj ended her speech with a Sanskrit shloka: "May all be happy; May all be healthy; May all see what is good; May all be free from suffering."
By Associated Press
MANILA: Filipino military officials say two Vietnamese fishermen were killed and five others were taken into custody after they were spotted fishing off the northwestern Philippines and a night chase ensued with a Vietnamese boat hitting a Philippine navy ship and gunshots being fired.
Philippine navy information officer Lt Jose Covarrubias says the five Vietnamese, along with their two dead fellow fishermen, have been turned over to Filipino police authorities after the early yesterday incident off Bolinao town in northwestern Pangasinan province.
Covarrubias said today that details remained sketchy and that an investigation was underway.
Covarrubias said the incident happened within the 200nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines, a stretch of ocean where a coastal state has been granted exclusive rights to fish and exploit other sea resources.
MANILA: Filipino military officials say two Vietnamese fishermen were killed and five others were taken into custody after they were spotted fishing off the northwestern Philippines and a night chase ensued with a Vietnamese boat hitting a Philippine navy ship and gunshots being fired. Philippine navy information officer Lt Jose Covarrubias says the five Vietnamese, along with their two dead fellow fishermen, have been turned over to Filipino police authorities after the early yesterday incident off Bolinao town in northwestern Pangasinan province. Covarrubias said today that details remained sketchy and that an investigation was underway. Covarrubias said the incident happened within the 200nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines, a stretch of ocean where a coastal state has been granted exclusive rights to fish and exploit other sea resources.
By AFP
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump gave a stark warning Saturday that cast growing uncertainty over whether a nuclear deal clinched with Iran would survive after the Islamic republic tested a new medium-range missile.
State television carried footage of the launch of the Khoramshahr missile, which was first displayed at a high-profile military parade in Tehran on Friday.
It also carried in-flight video from the nose cone of the missile, which has a range of 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) and can carry multiple warheads.
"Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel.They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!" Trump tweeted.
The test comes at the end of a heated week of diplomacy at the UN General Assembly in New York, where US President Donald Trump again accused Iran of destabilizing the Middle East, calling it a "rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos."
"As long as some speak in the language of threats, the strengthening of the country's defence capabilities will continue and Iran will not seek permission from any country for producing various kinds of missile," Defense Minister Amir Hatami said in a statement.
Previous Iranian missile launches have triggered US sanctions and accusations that they violate the spirit of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.
An "extremely concerned" French foreign ministry, warned the launch violated the United Nations Security Council resolution that endorsed the accord.
"France demands that Iran halt all destablizing activities in the region and to respect all provisions of Resolution 2231, including the call to halt this type of ballistic activity," a statement read.
"France will consider ways, with its European and other partners, to get Iran to stop its destabilizing ballistic activities."
Iran, which fought a war with neighboring Iraq in the 1980s, sees missiles as a legitimate and vital part of its defense -- particularly as regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel import huge amounts of military hardware from the West.
Trump has threatened to bin the nuclear agreement altogether, saying Iran is developing missiles that may be used to deliver a nuclear warhead when the deal's restrictions are lifted in 2025.
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman denounced the test as a "provocation" aimed at the United States and its allies, including the Jewish state.
European support
Trump is due to report to Congress on October 15 on whether Iran is still complying with the deal and whether it remains in US interests to stick by it.
If he decides that it is not, that could open the way for US lawmakers to reimpose sanctions, leading to the potential collapse of the agreement.
Trump said Wednesday he had made his decision but was not yet ready to reveal it.
The other signatories to the deal -- Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the European Union -- have all pushed for it to continue.
They point out that abandoning the agreement will remove restrictions on Iran immediately -- rather than in eight years' time -- and that the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly confirmed Tehran is meeting its commitments.
Iran says all of its missiles are designed to carry conventional warheads only and has limited their range to a maximum of 2,000 kilometres, although commanders say they have the technology to go further.
That makes them only medium-range but still sufficient to reach Israel or US bases in the Gulf.
"The ballistic missile which Iran fired is a provocation of the United States and its allies, including Israel," the Israeli defense minister said.
"It is also a means to test our reactions as well as new proof of Iran's ambition to become a world power in order to threaten the countries of the Middle East and democratic states around the world."
In addition to carrying out missile tests, Iran has also launched a space satellite and fired missiles at Islamic State group targets in eastern Syria in recent months.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump gave a stark warning Saturday that cast growing uncertainty over whether a nuclear deal clinched with Iran would survive after the Islamic republic tested a new medium-range missile. State television carried footage of the launch of the Khoramshahr missile, which was first displayed at a high-profile military parade in Tehran on Friday. It also carried in-flight video from the nose cone of the missile, which has a range of 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) and can carry multiple warheads. "Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel.They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!" Trump tweeted. The test comes at the end of a heated week of diplomacy at the UN General Assembly in New York, where US President Donald Trump again accused Iran of destabilizing the Middle East, calling it a "rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos." "As long as some speak in the language of threats, the strengthening of the country's defence capabilities will continue and Iran will not seek permission from any country for producing various kinds of missile," Defense Minister Amir Hatami said in a statement. Previous Iranian missile launches have triggered US sanctions and accusations that they violate the spirit of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers. An "extremely concerned" French foreign ministry, warned the launch violated the United Nations Security Council resolution that endorsed the accord. "France demands that Iran halt all destablizing activities in the region and to respect all provisions of Resolution 2231, including the call to halt this type of ballistic activity," a statement read. "France will consider ways, with its European and other partners, to get Iran to stop its destabilizing ballistic activities." Iran, which fought a war with neighboring Iraq in the 1980s, sees missiles as a legitimate and vital part of its defense -- particularly as regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel import huge amounts of military hardware from the West. Trump has threatened to bin the nuclear agreement altogether, saying Iran is developing missiles that may be used to deliver a nuclear warhead when the deal's restrictions are lifted in 2025. Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman denounced the test as a "provocation" aimed at the United States and its allies, including the Jewish state. European support Trump is due to report to Congress on October 15 on whether Iran is still complying with the deal and whether it remains in US interests to stick by it. If he decides that it is not, that could open the way for US lawmakers to reimpose sanctions, leading to the potential collapse of the agreement. Trump said Wednesday he had made his decision but was not yet ready to reveal it. The other signatories to the deal -- Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the European Union -- have all pushed for it to continue. They point out that abandoning the agreement will remove restrictions on Iran immediately -- rather than in eight years' time -- and that the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly confirmed Tehran is meeting its commitments. Iran says all of its missiles are designed to carry conventional warheads only and has limited their range to a maximum of 2,000 kilometres, although commanders say they have the technology to go further. That makes them only medium-range but still sufficient to reach Israel or US bases in the Gulf. "The ballistic missile which Iran fired is a provocation of the United States and its allies, including Israel," the Israeli defense minister said. "It is also a means to test our reactions as well as new proof of Iran's ambition to become a world power in order to threaten the countries of the Middle East and democratic states around the world." In addition to carrying out missile tests, Iran has also launched a space satellite and fired missiles at Islamic State group targets in eastern Syria in recent months.
PCD captures Division IV girls soccer title as Rogers comes up short
When the final horn sounded the Knights raced toward their keeper Sarah Howe and the celebration was on. It was a sweet win, one the Knights earned.
Champaign, IL (61820)
Today
Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 43F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Cloudy skies with late-night snow showers. Low around 30F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
New Delhi: Twenty one bars and restaurants in Hauz Khas village were sealed on Saturday for operating without environmental clearances. The action came just days after the Delhi High Court observed that the area was a ticking time bomb.
The eateries were sealed during a joint operation led by the sub-divisional magistrate, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the police between 9 am and 2 pm, a government official said.
The Delhi Pollution Control Committee said that these establishments did not have the consent to establish or operate. The pollution board had sent a show-cause notice in April.
The sealing drive was undertaken as the owners of the bars and restaurants failed to reply to the notices.
Officials said the sealing was conducted under section 33A of Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and section 31A of Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
On September 15, a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal warned the associations of restaurants owners that they will not be allowed to escape civil and criminal liability in case any unfortunate incident takes place, as there was virtually no space for emergency vehicles to enter the area.
"The reports of Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Service, SDMC and the Delhi Jal Board illustrate that the Hauz Khas village is a ticking time bomb without essential civic and emergency services," it had observed.
New Delhi: Pakistan resorted to raising the Kashmir rhetoric at the United Nations again, a day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj launched a scathing attack on the country for exporting terrorism.
Replying to Swarajs speech at the General Assembly, Pakistan said it was open for dialogue and called upon the world body to define terrorism, but at the same time sought to rake up tensions by again taking up the Kashmir issue and taking potshots at the BJP.
Pakistans Permanent Representative to UN Maleeha Lodhi said Swaraj belonged to a political party which was accused of assassinating Mahatma Gandhi and called the Indian Armys presence in Jammu and Kashmir illegal.
Jammu and Kashmir is not part of India and thus Indias military operation is illegal, Lodhi said despite Swarajs reminder a day before that India and Pakistan had mutually decided in the 1972 Simla Agreement that both countries would not raise the issue at international or third-party forums.
Islamabad also accused New Delhi of spreading terrorism in Pakistan, saying spy Kulbhushan Jadhav was sent for this purpose. Jadhav is a former Indian Navy officer who has been sentenced to death by a military court in Pakistan on charges of spying, a claim India has rubbished at the International Court of Justice.
On Saturday, Sushma Swaraj had asked Pakistani leaders to introspect as to why India is recognised as a global IT superpower, while Pakistan is infamous as the "pre-eminent export factory for terror".
In her address to the 72nd UN General Assembly session, Swaraj accused Pakistan of waging a war against India and said a country that has been the world's greatest exporter of havoc, death and inhumanity became a champion of hypocrisy by preaching about humanity from this podium.
She was referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's speech on Thursday wherein he accused India of violating human rights and state-sponsored terrorism.
"I would like today to tell Pakistan's politicians just this much, that perhaps the wisest thing they could do is to look within. India and Pakistan became free within hours of each other. Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?" Swaraj asked.
India had ripped into Pakistan yesterday, describing it as "terroristan" and a land of "pure terror" that hosts a flourishing industry to produce and export global terrorism.
Speaking in Hindi for the second consecutive year at the annual UNGA session, Swaraj said India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan's nefarious export of terrorism.
"There have been many governments under many parties during 70 years of Indian freedom, for we have been a sustained democracy. Every government has done its bit for Indias development," she said, highlighting India's achievements in the fields of education, health, space etc.
"We produced scientists, scholars, doctors, engineers. What have you produced? You have produced terrorists... you have created terrorist camps, you have created Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and Haqqani network," she said, adding that if Pakistan had spent on its development what it has spent on developing terror, both Pakistan and the world would be safer and better-off today.
(With PTI inputs)
Varanasi: Protests over an alleged molestation case of a first year student at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) turned violent on Saturday night with police resorting to lathicharge to disperse the crowd.
While some miscreants tried to set fire on public property and pelted stones, police and paramilitary forces then allegedly beat up several protesters and marched onto the campus.
Several videos have surfaced showing male police personnel and PAC officers brutally beating up girls and barging into the girls hostel. Media personnel covering the event were also caught in the clashes.
Journalists and Lucknow University students would also join the protests on Sunday. The media professionals staged a protest near the CM's residence on Sunday.
The students who have been protesting over two days, refused to lift their dharna near the front gate, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting the city on Saturday and was supposed to pass by the prestigious university.
The girls wanted to draw his attention to the persistent problem at BHU, of lack of security, sexual harassment inside the campus and victim shaming.
As soon as the news of lathicharge spread on Saturday night, students from other hostels also joined in and the situation went out of control. The protesters took to stone pelting and arsoning on the campus.
The police also fired in the air to disperse the agitators.
The female students alleged that the police thrashed and pulled them by their hair, even as the Varanasi district magistrate, who was present on the spot, denied the claims.
On Friday, as Varanasi prepared to welcome PM Modi, hundreds of girls at BHU sat on an indefinite dharna determined to draw the PM's attention towards the growing number of cases of eve-teasing on campus.
Former UP Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav wrote: Issue should not be resolved by forces and instead it should be done by dialogue. I condemn the lathi charge on students of BHU. Action should be taken against the culprits (sic).
Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav also tweeted: I condemn the attack on protesting girl students and media people at BHU. Strict action should be taken against culprits and police officers responsible for this (sic).
I condemn the use of brutal force against protesting students in #BanarasHinduUniversity.Is this how BJP wants to empower women?? #BHU pic.twitter.com/xenwzXCt8T Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) September 24, 2017
On September 1, the first-year student complained of harassment by some unknown men. The protesting students have claimed that BHU guards didnt help the victim and instead questioned her for roaming outside the hostel after 6pm.
Ironically, the girls continued with their protests even as Prime Minister praised Yogi Adityanaths six months in power, who had started the anti-Romeo squads to protect women from harassment.
The September 1 incident was not the first of its kind and cases of eve-teasing have been even reported earlier as well. An Arts student was allegedly ragged by seniors soon after and on September 20, some threw stones at the new girls hostel.
The successive incidents, along with a lack of apathy of the university authorities, led to the protests picking up ahead of the Prime Ministers Varanasi visit.
The university administration, however, termed the protests as politically motivated. Professor O N Singh, Chief Proctor at BHU, said, Efforts are being made to restore normalcy on campus and ensure safety of the students.
BHU, Public Relations Officer Rajesh Singh said, Anti-social elements along with these girls, who are not university students, gathered outside the vice-chancellor's lodge in the night.
I have no idea how those sitting on dharna received injuries. Some anti-social elements even tried to break the gates of Mahila Mahavidyalaya.
Mediapersons protest against the violence at BHU.
Meanwhile, several students body organisations, in solidarity with the BHU students, staged a protest at the GPO in Lucknow on Sunday morning.
There were also reports of protests by some others at the official residence of CM Yogi Adityanath on Sunday against Saturday night's lathicharge.
WHAT HAPPENED SO FAR
The protests began on Thursday after a female student of Triveni hostel was allegedly molested by some men on motorbikes.
The student lodged a complaint with the office of the proctor, which is responsible for campus security. As per the sources, the chief proctor refused to act, while some officials allegedly tried to blame the student herself, wondering why she was out late in the evening.
Soon, students of the Triveni hostel sat on a dharna at BHU's Gate on Friday.
They wanted to meet the VC regarding the problem of eve teasing and harassment on BHU campus. However, the VC was not ready to meet all of them. Instead, the vice-chancellor's office wanted 4-5 girls to present their case, while the girls wanted to speak to the VC in front of everyone.
On Saturday evening, the VC, instead of meeting the protesting girls, went to Triveni Hostel to meet the rival group.
As soon as came to the fore, the girls were quick to realise that the VC was trying to break the movement and started raising slogans against the vice-chancellor.
Benaras Hindu University vice-chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi has been in the eye of a storm ever since girl students at the university staged a protest demanding security after a girl was allegedly molested by a group of men. The protesting students have claimed that BHU guards didnt help the victim and instead questioned her for roaming outside the hostel after 6 pm.
Tripathi spoke to News18's Eram Agha about the entire incident and why, according to him, it is an attempt to malign the university.
Excerpts
1) The protesting girls complain that force was used to disperse the crowd. There is a lot of criticism coming your way for not being able to look into the demands of these students.
It is wrong to say lathi-charge took place on campus against the students of BHU. The force was used against those who were targeting innocent people with petrol bombs, and they are not the students of our varsity. Those people are outsiders who are trying to malign the name of the university and disturb the peace on campus. There are 30,000 students on campus and at a time one lakh people are present here. Just a handful of them presents anywhere cannot be called BHU students. Let me tell you that even if there were some students protesting, not a single class was disturbed.
With just a few people present, it cannot be called BHU protests. Those students who are present at protests are playing into the hands of those with ulterior motives. I dont accept this. Universities are not the ground for practicing politics.
2) Your campus doesnt even have student union bodies or any other democratic form of representation. Does this go with the idea of a university?
We have formed a committee to look into the form of student representation we can have in BHU. We will come up with an alternative. We have to see things differently, as we are a different campus. We value Madan Mohan Malviyas principles, our founder, and he was against politics on campus.
3) What are the principles of Madan Mohan Malviya that you endorse?
His idea of a university was that it was for nation-building and not career-building. This university was set up with cooperation from all quarters and communities it was for the people and not for politics. Let me narrate this to you. When Mahatma Gandhi gave a call for Satyagraha, he met Madan Mohan Malviya, but our founder expressed his differences with the call. He told Bapu that these are young minds. If you call them, they will join you, but tomorrow, if someone calls for something wrong, they might go for that also.
What do you see on campuses today? These students are going to every party. There are various student wings functioning in universities Shiksha ka swaroop bigad raha hai. Samaj ko sudharna hai and responsible people have to come together.
4) The girl students we spoke to alleged blatant gender bias on campus.
Show me the evidence. There is no single rule on campus that applies to girls but does not apply to boys. This is a propaganda of few against our university. If girls are not allowed to take part in political events, then even boys are not allowed to do that. In fact, I am looking towards revisiting the security plan of my campus. I am going to look into the shortcomings and involve my university girl students in it. They will be a part of the plan.
5) The university is going on a semester break, what are you going to do next in the alleged sexual harassment case?
We have formed a high-powered committee to probe the entire incident. Once the findings are out, we will bring it in public domain. As a Vice-Chancellor I take the moral responsibility for what happened, but I will also make sure that the probe is conducted, also to investigate if there was any a need to give this unfortunate incident a political turn. A girl suffered and others used it as a weapon for politics. This is not acceptable.
6) What evidence do you have to corroborate that this was the work of outsiders on campus?
Two days ago, there were people who painted with black ink the statue of Madan Mohan Malviya. I can say it with confidence that no BHU student will ever do this. Students are young and as the youth, they are in search for truth and justice, but some people are trying to exploit them for their own political benefits.
New Delhi: A day ahead of the BJP National Executive in Delhi, the partys national office bearers, including President Amit Shah, are meeting on Sunday to finalise the agenda for the day-long conclave.
All party lawmakers have been invited to the 'extended executive' meeting on Monday, which will end with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's valedictory address.
In his speech, the Prime Minister is widely expected to dispel concerns over the economy and lay down his government's economic, political agenda.
The meeting also marks the culmination of the year-long celebrations of RSS ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay.
Close to 1,400 MLAs, 337 MPs and all MLCs, besides its core group leaders from states, are among those expected on Monday.
With the opposition parties attacking the government's handling of the economy, by citing the fall in GDP rate and demonetisation figures, Modi is expected to take them on and highlight his dispensation's "successes" in boosting transparency and curbing black money, party sources told PTI.
BJP sources said the party's resolution is likely to assert that the economy has been doing better under the NDA than it did under the previous UPA government.
The rollout of the GST has been described by the party as a major success of the government which, it has asserted, will integrate the country economy.
The prime minister's agenda of development will also be a key feature. A senior party leader said the issue of Rohingya immigrants, whom the government has termed a threat to security, may also find a mention.
With the government and the party embracing Upadhyay's plank of 'antyodaya' (upliftment of the last man), the executive is expected to cite a number of measures taken by the Union and the BJP-ruled states for the poor's welfare.
(With Inputs from PTI)
New Delhi: Fighter jets, drone deals and shared concerns over Afghanistan's security look set to dominate the agenda when US Defense Secretary James Mattis visits India this week.
Mattis is scheduled to arrive late Monday and is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in the first visit by a top US official since Donald Trump became president in January.
"The United States views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia," a Pentagon statement said.
Trump and Modi met in June in Washington and the visit by Mattis is a sign "the political leadership in both countries place defence cooperation as a top priority", Mukesh Aghi, president of the US India Strategic Partnership Forum, told AFP.
Delhi and Washington share concerns about Afghanistan, with Trump announcing a new strategy for the war-torn country last month which cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops.
The president has urged India to increase assistance to Afghanistan's economy, and has lambasted Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".
Mattis, the Pentagon chief, "will express US appreciation for India's important contributions toward Afghanistan's democracy, stability, prosperity, and security", the Pentagon said.
Experts are not expecting any Indian boots on the ground, though there may be some role for Indian military expertise in supporting the US-led training and advisory mission with Afghan security forces.
India has built dams, roads and a new parliament in the troubled country. Last year it offered some $1 billion in aid. Delhi has also accused Islamabad of stirring up violence in Afghanistan and harbouring militant groups.
ARMS SALES
In 2016 the United States designated India a "Major Defence Partner" with the aim of increasing military cooperation and cutting red tape to ease defence deals.
Mattis's predecessor Ashton Carter pushed hard for stronger defence ties and the Trump administration has not signalled any intention of changing course on this.
Trump has praised India for contributing to regional peace and stability and for buying US military equipment.
Mattis is likely to seek to persuade India to buy Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70 aircraft in a deal potentially worth $15 billion.
Lockheed Martin has offered the most upgraded version of the jet fighter to India, the world's largest weapons importer.
The US manufacturer is competing with Swedish defence giant Saab, whose Gripen E made its maiden flight in June.
India has said it needs at least 100 single-engine fighters to counter the growing air threat posed by China and Pakistan.
Saab and Lockheed have both offered to build the jets locally to comply with Modi's "Make-in-India" initiative, which aims to cut imports and build a domestic defence industry.
US giant Boeing has also offered to set up a plant in India for production of its F/A 18 Super Hornet aircraft if it wins a deal.
A drone deal for the Indian Navy will also likely be up for discussion, a source familiar with the negotiations told AFP.
"Since Chinese assets have started to dominate the Indian Ocean region, the Trump administration is keen on fast-tracking the acquisition of the drones," the source said.
Many commentators have said that US-India cooperation is crucial to countering an increasingly assertive China, which has been developing its military capabilities in the Asia-Pacific.
But Afghanistan will be front and centre when Mattis meets Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who will host her highest-level foreign delegation since being appointed earlier this month.
The visit comes as the Indian army takes part in a two-week joint military training exercise in the United States to forge closer ties on counter-insurgency, regional security operations and peacekeeping.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modis constituency, Varanasi, is simmering with tension. Several girls, protesting against the alleged molestation of a fellow student, were lathicharged on Saturday night.
Yet, the girls at Banaras Hindu University believe, the fight has just begun.
The girls are upset with Vice-Chancellor GC Tripathi, who failed to keep his promise of meeting them. Moreover, Tripathi was reportedly upset after some of the girls smeared a statue of Madan Mohan Malviya with black ink. The protesting girls are upset that he was bothered with the ink and not police violence.
I was part of the delegation that met the V-C. He had all the security around him. He had police and CRPF at his disposal, yet, he felt unsafe because of our protests and didn't meet us, said Shivani Chaubey, an English Honours student.
She added, Tripathi told us that he was upset with protesters smearing Malviyas statue with black ink. It is shocking that for our administration, girls being lathicharged is acceptable over black ink on a statue. He didn't prioritise us or our demands.
The university administration has now called for an early semester break and the students will be vacating the hostels by Sunday evening.
University spokesperson Rajesh Singh told News18 that the issue is being politicised and the "sensitive hostels will be vacated".
It all started when the BHU students sat on a peaceful protest against victim-shaming and were demanding action against the culprits who had allegedly molested a Triveni Hostel resident.
On Saturday night, the campus "saw the unexpected" and students were lathicharged. Many were injured and taken to the trauma centre.
News18 spoke to some of the girls who were a part of the delegation that tried to meet the V-C. Many said that the incident was waiting to happen as security of the girls is compromised here.
Adding to the issue, Shivani said, We dont have equal access to the library because we have to return to our hostels by 8 pm and the library is open till 11 pm. This is unequal access to resources. Girls are not given non-vegetarian food because it is against Malviya Mulaya (principles of Madan Mohan Malviya), but is lathicharging the same girls part of these ideals?
Chaubey was beaten up and her back is hurting. She will be leaving the campus with injuries.
BSc student Swati Singh said, Stalking, eve-teasing is a daily problem here. We want the administration to hear us and we will have to wait now as the campus is going on a break and we will have to vacate the hostels.
Reacting to the protests, V-C Tripathi said it was "motivated". He said, We have formed a high-level investigation committee to probe the incident and they will submit a report within a week. Yesterdays incident was tragic and it was a planned keeping in mind PM Modis visit in Varanasi.
The BHU administration has said that these protests are politically motivated and timed with PM's visit. Condemning the universitys stand, BSc student Mineshi Mishra said, There is no political angle to our protest, neither do we have a student body election.
She added, Yet, I see a positive change. The girls who would passively acknowledge the daily sexism here, are now desperate to fight against it. Since there are no active democratic bodies in BHU, many had given in to the normalization of sexism. This time we have women from across political ideologies coming together and the solidarity is strong.
Rajesh Singh said, All these allegations are baseless and we provide security to the girl students. The action that was taken last night was to keep away the outsiders who are playing politics here. We are shortlisting the sensitive hostels where outsiders come and cause disharmony. These hostels would be vacated.
United Nations: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and praised India's contribution in the world body's efforts towards sustainable development, peace operations and tackling climate change.
The meeting took place on Saturday after Swaraj delivered her second annual consecutive address to the UN General Assembly sessions here.
She was accompanied by Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and India's Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin during the meeting.
"The secretary-general expressed appreciation for India's contributions to the United Nations on climate action, peace operations and sustainable development," a readout of the meeting issued by Guterres' office said.
During the meeting, the UN chief welcomed India's efforts to implement the '2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals', it said.
"They also discussed the importance of UN reforms," the readout said.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Saturday invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against garbage contractors and sanitation workers employed under them following complaints that they were not discharging their duties.
The garbage problem has turned worse in the city recently as the contractors have allegedly stopped removing the waste, causing a huge pileup that has left many important places stinking and brought the city civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike in the line of fire, a state government notification said.
Following complaints, the government imposed ESMA on the garbage contractors and sanitation workers for a year directing them to ensure that waste is removed from the city, it said.
They have been directed toensure that the workers, known as Paurakarmikas, auto-tipper drivers, compactor loaders and others working under them to work without fail.
Meanwhile, the Environment Support Group, fighting for the cause of Paurakarmikas, said in a release that the workers, mainly daily wagers, known as'contract Pourakarmikas,' were showing up for work.
"But they are being threatened, abused, blocked and turned away from work by the private contractors who are on strike protesting the decision to end their corrupt and highly exploitative privatised solid waste management system," it said.
Meanwhile, alleging a "mega garbage scam" involving an amount of Rs 688 crore in the civic body here, the city unit of the BJP on Saturday lodged a complaint with the Lokayukta and Anti-Corruption Bureau against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and minister K J George.
N R Ramesh, the BJP city unit spokesperson, has also lodged a complaint with the Bengaluru Metropolitan Task Force and in the court of the additional chief metropolitan magistrate here over the alleged scam.
He claimed that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)had spent Rs 1,066 crore on waste disposal in the 2016-17 financial year, whereas its expenditure on that count in the previous financial year (2015-16) was Rs 385 crore.
"There is a steep rise of Rs 688 crore in the spending on waste disposal. The monthly spending on solid waste management (SWM) now is Rs 88.87 crore. Thus, the BBMP will once again spend Rs 1,066.44 crore by this (2017-18) financial year-end. It is almost a 265-per cent increase," Ramesh said.
He further explained that though the difference between Rs 1066.44 crore and Rs 385 crore was Rs 681.44 crore, the amount involved in the alleged scam was Rs 688 crore on account of other irregularities in the BBMP.
Siddaramaiah and George, the minister for Bengaluru development and town planning, were not available for comments.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on the third anniversary of his Mann ki Baat radio programme, saying an ideological movement is needed to make cleanliness a norm across the country. During the address, the PM also lauded Kashmiri youth Bilal Dar for cleaning up Wular lake in Bandipora district of north Kashmir. He also congratulated Lt. Swati Mahadik and Lt. Nidhi Dubey, widows of martyrs, on joining the Indian Army.
Heres a recap:
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Yangon: Myanmar's army said Sunday it had discovered a mass grave containing the bodies of 28 Hindus, including women and children, in violence-wracked Rakhine state, blaming the killings on Muslim Rohingya militants.
Thousands of Hindus have fled villages where they once lived alongside Muslims, alleging that they were targeted by militants whose August 25 raids plunged Rakhine into communal violence.
The announcement could not be independently verified in a region where access has been tightly controlled by Myanmar's army.
Security members found and dug up 28 dead bodies of Hindus who were cruelly and violently killed by ARSA extremist Bengali terrorists in Rakhine State," a statement posted on the army chief's website said.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) is the group whose attacks on police posts triggered an army backlash so brutal that the UN believes it amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority.
More than 430,000 Rohingya have fled the region to Bangladesh in under a month, telling stories of Myanmar soldiers teaming up with vigilante mobs to slaughter civilians and burn entire villages to the ground.
Around 30,000 Hindus and Buddhists based in the area have also been displaced by the violence.
Both communities have told AFP they were terrorised by Rohingya militants.
Corpses in rows
The army said that security officers found a total of 20 dead women and eight men in two graves, including six boys under the age of ten. A strong smell led security officers to the burial site outside of Ye Baw Kya village, the army said.
Unverifiable photos published by the government's Information Committee showed corpses laid out in rows on grass near two mud pits where they were found.
Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay confirmed the grim discovery to AFP, as did a senior police officer in Rakhine who requested anonymity.
The village where the bodies were found, Ye Baw Kya, lies near a cluster of Hindu and Muslim communities in northern Rakhine called Kha Maung Seik.
Last week, Hindus from the area told AFP that militants swept into their villages on August 25 with sticks and knives, attacking people who stood in their way, killing many and taking others into the forest.
Hindu women are believed to have been abducted by the militants.
The grim discovery of the graves will further fuel already white-hot hatred between ethnic groups in Myanmar.
The epicentre of the unrest, in northern Rakhine, is dominated by Rohingya Muslims who are a minority elsewhere and have been the target of decades of state-backed persecution and discrimination.
Around half of their estimated 1.1 million population has fled over the last year.
Northern Rakhine is also home to ethnic Rakhine Buddhists, Hindus and a myriad of other groups.
Religious tensions have simmered for years, erupting into sporadic bouts of violence. But the scale of the latest unrest is the worst to hit the region in years.
While the wretched lines of Rohingya streaming into Bangladesh have shocked and alarmed the world, there is scant sympathy for the Muslim group inside Myanmar.
Many in the Buddhist majority view the group as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, despite their long-established roots in the country.
New Delhi: Pakistan on Sunday brandished the photo of a woman with facial injuries at the United Nations General Assembly on Sunday. The countrys Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi claimed the woman was a victim of pellet gun injury in Kashmir.
The claim, it turns out, was a blatant lie.
The woman in the photo is Rawya abu Joma, who was injured in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City in 2014. The critically-acclaimed photo of a then 17-year-old Rawya was taken on July 22, 2014 by award-winning photojournalist Heidi Levine, who is based in Jerusalem.
The photo was also tweeted on March 27, 2015 by Dr Ramy Abdu, whose bio on his verified Twitter account says he is the founder of Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor.
Rawya Abu Joma was wounded during the 2014 war in #Gaza. Credit: Heidi Levine # pic.twitter.com/WGCctdCZwS Dr. Ramy Abdu (@RamAbdu) March 27, 2015
While holding up the photo from her chair at the General Assembly, Maleeha Lodhi said, This, Mr President, is the face of Indias democracy."
Lodhis gaffe came as she was replying to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj speech to the world body, where the latter asked Pakistan to introspect why it was lagging in growth.
In her address to the 72nd UN General Assembly session, Swaraj accused Pakistan of waging a war against India and said a country that has been the world's greatest exporter of havoc, death and inhumanity became a champion of hypocrisy by preaching about humanity from this podium.
"I would like today to tell Pakistan's politicians just this much, that perhaps the wisest thing they could do is to look within. India and Pakistan became free within hours of each other. Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?" Swaraj asked.
Speaking in Hindi for the second consecutive year at the annual UNGA session, Swaraj said India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan's nefarious export of terrorism.
"We produced scientists, scholars, doctors, engineers. What have you produced? You have produced terrorists... you have created terrorist camps, you have created Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and Haqqani network," she said, adding that if Pakistan had spent on its development what it has spent on developing terror, both Pakistan and the world would be safer and better-off today.
Congress leader Raj Babbar was detained on Sunday evening to stop him from going to the Banaras Hindu University as the clashes at the campus turned into a political slugfest. The police has also detained 14 protesting students to quell the unrest, officials said.
The protests that started on Saturday night at the BHU campus have also reached Delhi as the Congress youth wing, National Students Union of India, launched a protest in solidarity with the students of BHU.
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in lathicharge by the police on Saturday night. Violence had erupted after some students, protesting against an alleged harassment incident of Thursday, wanted to meet the Vice Chancellor at his residence last night, according to police and university sources.
NSUI members protest in the Capital on Sunday. (Photo: VJ Niraj/News18)
The security guards of the university stopped them and the police was informed, according to the university sources. Police used force to control the situation.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath sought a report from Divisional Commissioner as various political parties criticized the government.
Leading the condemnation of the police action was Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who slammed the BJP for the lathicharge. BJP version of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao in BHU," he tweeted, attaching a video link of the students who alleged that they were beaten up by male policemen at the campus.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also condemned the lathicharge of the students. The government should resolve the issue by talks, not by lathicharge. It is condemnable. Action should be taken against the guilty, Akhilesh tweeted.
United Nations: Hitting out at Pakistan for creating terror groups like LeT, JeM, Hizbul Mujahideen and the Haqqani Network, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday asked the nation's leaders to introspect as to why it has become infamous as the pre-eminent export factory for terror while India has been recognised as a global IT superpower.
In her address to the 72nd UN General Assembly session, Swaraj accused Pakistan of waging a war against India. She said a country that has been the world's greatest exporter of havoc, death and inhumanity became a champion of hypocrisy by preaching about humanity from this podium.
She was referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's speech on Thursday in which he had accused India of state-sponsored terrorism and violating human rights.
I would like to tell Pakistan's politicians just this much, that perhaps the wisest thing they could do is to look within. India and Pakistan became free within hours of each other. Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?" Swaraj asked.
India had ripped into Pakistan on Friday, describing it as "terroristan" and a land of "pure terror" that hosts a flourishing industry to produce and export global terrorism.
Speaking in Hindi for the second consecutive year at the annual UNGA session, Swaraj said India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan's nefarious export of terrorism.
"There have been many governments under many parties during 70 years of Indian freedom, for we have been a sustained democracy. Every government has done its bit for Indias development," she said, highlighting India's achievements in the fields of education, health, space etc.
"We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world. But what has Pakistan offered to the world and indeed to its own people apart from terrorism?" she said.
"We produced scientists, scholars, doctors, engineers. What have you produced? You have produced terrorists... you have created terrorist camps, you have created Lashkar-e- Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and Haqqani network," she said, adding that if Pakistan had spent on its development what it has spent on developing terror, both Pakistan and the world would be safer and better-off today.
She said the terrorist groups created by Pakistan is not only harming India, but also hurting its neighbours Afghanistan and Bangladesh. She said that for the first time in the UN history, Pakistan sought right to reply and then it had to simultaneously respond to three nations.
"Doesn't it reflect your nefarious designs," she asked the Pakistani leader.
Referring to Prime Minister Abbasi's speech, Swaraj said that the Pakistani leader "wasted" too much of his time in making accusations against India.
"Those listening had only one observation: 'Look who's talking!' A country that has been the world's greatest exporter of havoc, death and inhumanity became a champion of hypocrisy by preaching about humanity from this podium," Swaraj said.
Commenting on Abbasi's claim that Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah had bequeathed a foreign policy based on peace and friendship, Swaraj said while it remains open to question whether Jinnah actually advocated such principles, what is beyond doubt is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered the hand of peace and friendship since he assumed office.
"Pakistan's Prime Minister must answer why his nation spurned this offer," she said.
On old UN resolutions mentioned by Abbasi, Swaraj said that the Pakistani leader's memory has conveniently failed him where it matters.
"He has forgotten that under the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration India and Pakistan resolved that they would settle all outstanding issues bilaterally. The reality is that Pakistans politicians remember everything, manipulate memory into a convenience. They are masters at 'forgetting' facts that destroy their version," Swaraj said in a hard-hitting response to Pakistani prime minister's speech.
Noting that Abbasi spoke of a "Comprehensive Dialogue" between the two countries, Swaraj reminded him that on December 9, 2015, when she was in Islamabad for the Heart of Asia conference, a decision was made by then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that dialogue between India and Pakistan should be renewed and named it a "Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue".
"The word 'bilateral' was used consciously to remove any confusion or doubt about the fact that the proposed talks would be between our two nations and only between our two nations, without any third-party present. And he must answer why that proposal withered, because Pakistan is responsible for the aborting that peace process," Swaraj said.
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government is considering changes to the primary school syllabus and increasing the number of teachers to improve the quality of education at the elementary level.
UP's Basic Education Minister Anupama Jaiswal said the Yogi Adityanath government was committed to improving the quality of education in government primary schools.
She hoped primary school students would give pupils of the private ones a run for their money if the infrastructure was improved, some changes were made to the syllabus and the number of teachers was increased.
Jaiswal told PTI that there had been a paradigm shift in the quality of education imparted at government primary schools.
"The teachers who would keep themselves from teaching activities have started taking classes. The trend of outsourcing teaching activities has been effectively curbed," she said.
"There has been a spurt in enrollments. More than 10 lakh children have enrolled (since the BJP government came to office). The increase in enrollments reflects that we have been able to bring children back to schools," the minister said.
The BJP government deliberated on why government primary schools were lagging behind. A decision was taken to strengthen "School Chalo Abhiyaan" and the government also came up with the "Khoob Padho, Aage Badho" campaign to ensure that every child goes to school, she said.
Jaiswal said students of various government schools were given uniforms and it would instill confidence in them. "In some cases, parents insisted that their children study in government primary schools even if it entails sitting on the floor, which is a positive sign," she said.
The basic education minister said there was a proposal to develop schools on the public-private partnership model. "Innovations in schools in terms of teaching and other activities are being encouraged to give an opportunity to students to showcase their talent," she said.
"MLA, MPs and other public representatives are adopting schools. At some places, even government officials are teaching students," the minister said.
Cuba, 19th Century. Fortified with bottles of Canchanchara strapped to their saddles, the mambises (Cuban guerrilla soldiers) led by Antonio Maceo, were a strong force to be reckoned with.
Canchanchara, made of rum, lime juice and honey (Cuban molasses) was not only a thirst quencher, but it was also an excellent pain killer for the guerrillas fighting against the Spanish for their independence.
Ask the 63-year-old American General William Shafter who was choking the Spanish forces from the sea. The first thing he demanded after landing on the docks of Daiquiri bay in Cuba, with 17,000 troops, was a taste of Cuban rebellion.
He wiped his lips and declared: The only missing ingredient is ice!
No! There were more.
Canchanchara was a killer cocktail made to buoy up the flailing spirits of rebellion. But the drink was yet to reach the pinnacle of perfection. What it needed now was a little more punch. A few more tweaks. And perhaps a few more ingredients which would help it take over the world as one of Cubas finest exports. However, it had to wait.
But for how long?
It had to wait until the historic day a bartender in Havana would see a great writer walking into his bar and challenging him to make a drink for him that could not hurt his diabetes. With all the sugar in Canchanchara, that would definitely be a tall order.
Meanwhile, FD Pagliuchi, war correspondent of Harpers monthly and commander in the Liberating Army of Cuba reported to his newspaper how he was treated with a curious cocktail by a mining engineer Jennings S Cox Jr when he visited him deep in his mine in Daiquiri (14 miles east of Santiago de Cuba).
Hey, what the heck is this?
Cox was told that the drink was a collage of Bacardi, lemon, sugar and ice. That was one step of mutation forward from that old drink (Canchanchara) which boosted the spirits of Cuban revolutionary army fighting the Spanish.
It tasted awesome.
When Pagliuchi asked Cox the name of this curious concoction, the engineer modestly replied: it was erehmRum Sour. He had in mind, the popular Whisky Sour which was made in the same fashion, with the same ingredients except for the whisky.
Cmon! This name is very long. Why not call it Daiquiri?
That got stuck.
Daiquiri is the name of the place. The drink found in its mines must be carrying the spirit of the place, Pagliuchi reasoned. Demands for the drink were steadily building up in various bars in Havana.
One particular bar, La Floridita in 1918 in Havana was recently taken over by Constantino Ribalaigua Vert. Pretty soon the versatile Constantino spun out six different versions of Daiquiri including the famous Floridita Daiquiri.
But the best was yet to be.
One day the legendary writer, Ernest Hemingway, checked into room 511 at the Hotel Ambos Mundos in Havana, a little away from La Floridita. He had already gone through the horrors of Spanish civil war; he must now settle down in a peaceful town to complete his novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls.
One morning he took a long walk, dropped into La Floridita and asked Constantine whether he could have Daiquiri.
Constantine smiled. But the writer had one condition. Despite the assurances given by physicians he knew he had diabetes. So Daiquiri, which was cooked up with Rum, sugar and other ingredients, should not worsen his condition.
Constantines smile vanished. He thought hard for a second. Then he took out a glass and poured a double dose of Cuban Rum into it instead of one and threw in all the other ingredients except sugar.
Daiquiri without sugar! It was blasphemy!
Hemingway took his first sip of the newly-born drink handed over to him, ran it in his mouth, swallowed it and finally nodded his head, with half a smile. Yeah. He was pleased with the liquid. Since then every morning, Hemingway turned up at La Floridita in bermudas, short sleeved shirts and espadrilles, settled down on the same bar-stool and sipped a couple of drinks, watching his characters pass by along the street. In the evening the writer would come back once again to take a dozen more before he ambled back to the hotel merrily.
Even after he moved to his home, Hemingway never failed to drop by, as the drink had now become his muse. Sometimes he took it home in a thermos bottle calling the nourishment, his viaticum (provisions for the journey).
In his posthumously published novel, Islands in the Stream he sings:
He was drinking another frozen Daiquiri with no sugar in it and as he lifted it, heavy and the glass frost-rimmed, he looked at the clear part bellowed the frappe-ed top and it reminded him of the sea. The frappe-ed part of the drink was like the wake of a ship and the clear part was the way the water looked when the bow cut when you were in shallow water over marl bottom. That was almost the exact colour.
Later Constantine perfected the expression by squirting a little grape juice and Maraschino liqueur to the drink and immortalised his invention by calling it Papa Doble alias the Hemingway Special.
(Manu Remakant is a freelance writer who also runs a video blog - A Cup of Kavitha - introducing world poetry to Malayalees. Views expressed here are personal)
Model Adriana Lima spends her days off applying mascara "over and over and over" and loves watching it trickle down her face in the shower.
"My favourite thing is applying mascara. I love mascara on the eyes. I like it to be very black, and I like when you just apply lots of layers. So on my days off, I just apply over and over and over. When I shower, the mascara runs over my skin, I wipe it off, and I apply it on top again. I absolutely love it," Lima told InStyle magazine, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
She also confessed to having a "disgusting" beauty habit, which involves smearing her hair with avocado, but she insists the results are worth it.
Lima said: "You guys are going to think this is disgusting. People don't understand. I tend to really take care of my hair, but it's very dry, so I do hair masks. You choose whatever is your favorite conditioner or hair mask, whatever, and then you take one avocado -- I am not joking.
"You mash the avocado, you mix with whatever conditioner you have, you put it on your hair, and you put on a shower cap for like 15 minutes. When you wash it off, your hair is gonna be shiny, shiny, shiny!"
Just a day after its critically lauded release and its selection as India's official entry for Oscars, Newton has landed itself into a controversy. Amid all the good news, the Rajkummar Rao starrer has allegedly been plagiarised from Iranian film Secret Ballot.
In a report by NDTV, it has been said that Newton has an uncanny similarity with an Iranian film where the protagonist is an earnest polling officer who is sent to a remote area during the time of elections. The polling officer, just like Newton, does everything to ensure a higher turnout but is constantly demotivated by the security in-charge.
The director of the film, Amit V Masurkar told IANS that he was completely unaware of Secret Ballot and that people should watch both the films and compare to find out if they are copied.
Newton has been chosen as India's official selection for Oscars 2018. It focuses on the life of a ballot officer who visits a barren and desolate place to plead with voters to cast their votes and take part in the elections.
Asked if he was inspired by the Iranian film, Masurkar said, "I wrote the story in 2013 and after that, for eight months I along with Mayank (Tiwari, the screenplay writer) worked on the script.
"The intention of the story is to talk about a section of the population in our democracy who has a desire to vote but how, under which situation, missed out on the equal rights. The story was born from my heart. I had no idea about 'Secret Ballot'."
The director added, "I think two days before the shooting started, someone told me if I watched that Iranian film. I went through some of the clippings online and our film has no similarities to that.
Newton had its world premiere at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival and won the International Confederation of Art Cinemas Award for best film in the 'Forum Section'.
Masurkar says that the film has been watched by several critics.
"The film has travelled to 40 countries. Audiences and critics have watched it across. They could have said that then... they haven't because it is a different film. I think people should watch the film to compare and find out if my film is copied from that one ('Secret Ballot')," Masurkar said.
Amidst these allegations, filmmaker Jaideep Varma shared his thoughts about the entire situation on his social media. He wrote, "Secret Ballot is much more minimalistic and meditative compared to Newton and while their basic premise is similar, the rest of them go to very different places. The similarity between certain characters or rather characteristics in certain people is actually very logical within the context of their respective trajectories."
Newton, which stars National Award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao, revolves around a government employee who struggles to supervise voting in a forest area of Chhattisgarh, controlled by Maoists.
(With Inputs from IANS)
Hyderabad: A city court here on Saturday sent Bollywood producer Karim Morani to judicial custody for 14 days in a rape case.
Morani surrendered to police late on Friday night in connection with the alleged rape of a 25-year-old aspiring actress, hours after the Supreme Court dismissed his plea for anticipatory bail.
The Chennai Express producer surrendered at the Hayathnagar police station on the city's outskirts around midnight. He was formally placed under arrest.
Morani was later produced before a magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody till October 6. He was lodged in Cherlapally jail on the city outskirts.
The Delhi-based woman alleged that Morani raped her on the pretext of marrying her. She alleged that Morani took her nude pictures and videos and sexually exploited her by threatening to post the same on social media.
The police had booked him in January on charges of rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, and cheating.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed Morani's petition challenging the Hyderabad High Court's verdict cancelling his bail. The apex court directed him to surrender.
The High Court on September 5 had upheld the decision of the sessions court cancelling Morani's bail.
Morani was booked for cheating, rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of marriage under the Indian Penal Code.
The complainant alleged that Morani raped her in Mumbai and also at a film studio in Hyderabad in 2015 after promising to marry her.
The woman, who had done her Bachelor of Business Management (BBA) from Delhi, said she had met Morani through his daughter, who was also a theatre artiste in Mumbai.
The producer, however, had denied the allegations. Morani said the complaint was filed with the sole intention of tarnishing his reputation and image.
The producer's name had also figured as an accused in the 2G spectrum scam. He was accused of helping channel funds to the tune of Rs 200 crore to popular Tamil television channel Kalaignar TV.
Mumbai: Rajkummar Rao is excited as his new film Newton has been announced as India's official entry for the Oscars. The actor says that he will call superstar Aamir Khan for the advice on its promotion.
When asked about his team strategy to promote Newton at the Oscars, Rajkummar said: "It's just got announced and its too soon to decide but our team is going to meet and we will plan something about it because there has to be strategy. We will be going to America to promote the film."
He was present at the GQ Men of the Year Award on Friday night.
When reporters asked Rajkummar whether he is going to get some guidance from Aamir Khan about film promotion at the Oscars, he said, "Off course, I will definitely call him and meet him because Lagaan was there at the Oscars and we are really proud of the film. so I am sure Aamir sir will help us a lot."
Rajkummar attended the event along with girlfriend Patralekha who seems excited about the film too
"I am very thrilled. Newton is a film that should get in top five films at the Oscars because it's really good and relevant and shows different side of India," she said.
Newton revolves around Newton Kumar, a rookie government clerk who is sent on election duty to a naxal-controlled town in the conflict-ridden jungles of Chhattisgarh, India. It has been directed by Amit V Masurkar.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Jimikki Kammal song, which took the internet by storm, from the movie 'Velipadinte Pusthakam', finally saw its lead actor Mohanlal shaking a leg to its tunes. In a video shared by Mohanlal on his Facebook page, the actor expressed gratitude to his fans for making the song such a huge hit.
The actor wrote: "The song that got everybody dancing has made me take a few steps. Here is my version of Jimmiki Kammal, with the participants from dance challenge and Velipadinte Pusthakam."
The actor enters the scene while other participants are busy dancing and conversing. Mohanlal, dressed in red shirt and white traditional south Indian dhoti, had people enthralled. The actor then folds his dhoti to his knees, his fellow dancers take their positions behind him, and the group hits the dance floor.
The trippy dance number which is already a rage in Tamil Nadu and Kerala has reached all parts of India, thanks to its catchy tune and beats. Some fans even called it the 'Despacito' of Tamil Nadu.
The video became a rage after a user tweeted the song tagging the popular TV talk show host Jimmy Kimmel for the similarity between the title of the song and Kimmel's name. He had replied, saying he hadn't heard the song until then, and appreciated the catchy number.
New Delhi: Digvijaya Singh never breaks a vow. Routed by Sanyasin Uma Bharti in 2003, Diggy Raja took 10-year sanyas from electoral politics.
The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister returned to the Rajya Sabha in 2014. In those 10 years of sanyas and thereafter, in Parliament or outside, Digvijaya Singh as Congresss chief brand ambassador to the minorities has managed to eke out a space for himself in national discourse.
The jury is still out on how much the Congress Party has benefitted from Digvijaya Singhs regular interventions. Opinions vary on whether his Osama ji gaffe in 2011 brought tangible gains to the Grand Old Party or whether it polarised the majority towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Earlier this year, the Goa setback, wherein the Congress failed to form the government even after emerging as the single largest party, gave enough ammunition to his adversaries.
Fellow Madhya Pradesh leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi was most vocal of the lot. Digvijaya Singh has since been relieved of his duties as in-charge of both Goa and poll-bound Karnataka.
But then, come debacle or victory, one cant keep Diggy Raja out of the mainstream narrative for long. Some leaders have an uncanny knack to remain afloat.
The latest parikrama which Digvijaya Singh now plans to embark upon this month-end is being keenly watched both by friends and foes.
In political circles, it is being seen as a deep dive by the Raja of Raghogarh to remain buoyant. Its ripples, however, are being felt across the political spectrum.
Starting September 30, Singh will start a 3,000-km circumambulation of the Narmada river. This parikrama will be spread over the next six months. In the process, the Congress will be touching more than a 100 Assembly segments in Madhya Pradesh.
Its a holy walk which Digvijaya Singh claims to have been planning for two decades now. But the timing of it now, when Congress is to finalise its leadership for MP elections slated for next year, has raised eyebrows.
One of the many decisions party vice-president Rahul Gandhi has to take after he is back from the US is to decide who will lead the electoral charge in Madhya Pradesh. Its a choice between Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia with the balance tipping in favour of the latter.
Is this yatra, which is non-political and state-wide, his way of trying to be relevant? Not at all. I have been wanting to do it since 1998, he says.
The yatra will begin from Barman Ghat in Narsinghpur district of the state. Its the heart of the state and was an important place for the Congress movement during freedom struggle.
Digvijaya has his fair share of enemies and many of his colleagues accuse him of wanting to disrupt a narrative being built to challenge 15 years of BJP hegemony in the state.
Singh rubbishes the allegations. Those who accuse me should know that in my life two things are non-negotiable my loyalty to the Congress and its ideology, and my loyalty to the Nehru-Gandhi family, he tells News18.
No one really doubts Digvijaya Singhs loyalty quotient. The then MP chief minister stood firm in the face of a rebellion by Sharad Pawar and others. A protege of former HRD minister Arjun Singh, he imbibed and emulated his guru in many ways from strident anti-RSS position to social justice.
Many in the party feel that just as Arjun Singhs push for OBC politics didnt cut ice with then prime minister Manmohan Singh, the same seems to be happening to Digvijaya and his brand of minority politics.
Digvijaya Singh perhaps toed a line which suited the Congress high command at one point in time.
But a rout in 2014 made the Congress realise that this minority outreach had actually harmed it and was being seen as one of the reasons for the smashing defeat.
But then, Digvijaya Singh knows how to fight back and survive. Hes done that for a decade despite being in self-imposed exile from electoral politics. He takes a vow and never breaks it.
It is just that Congressmen and the BJP leaders are worried what pratigya (resolve), if any, he has taken this time around.
Using her grandmothers long-lost recipes, Singapore native Josey Chu spends more than eight hours making each batch of salty peanut myonya and other sauces.
Angel Torres and Leticia Flores, natives of Mexico, grow corn at a cooperative in Verona and use the grain to make organic tortillas at a community kitchen on the North Side, selling them at local farmers markets.
After her mother died from cancer, Madison native Jasmine Banks began to research the ingredients we put into our bodies and started making personal care products for herself and others and, with the encouragement of friends, now sells them on a small scale.
The city hopes these local entrepreneurs and 27 others will help forge the heart and soul of the coming, $14 million Madison Public Market.
Misunderstood by many, supporters say the market will be a crossroads of cultural diversity and entrepreneurship and benefit both budding and established businesses and be a prized destination for the community and visitors.
The city and its partners, through a vigorous outreach effort called MarketReady, have identified 30 ethnically diverse entrepreneurs who will receive special support as they prepare to grow their businesses into the market at the corner of East Washington Avenue and First Street.
The market will also include a Food Innovation Center that will let entrepreneurs prepare and distribute foods and further expand. The center will also offer workforce training and create opportunities to get local produce to schools, hospitals and other institutions.
Beyond that, the market will have spaces for music and programs, while a related, $30 million private development will offer restaurants, retail, housing and offices.
A special city committee will soon approve MarketReady participants, with many of them appearing at a Taste of the Market event next month. The Madison Public Market Foundation, created this spring and the likely operator, is adding board members and has named a 16-member advisory council. A private fundraising campaign to raise up to $5 million is beginning in earnest.
The merchants are the heart of our Public Market, said foundation board president Mayra Medrano. The market will not only foster an ecosystem for accelerating local businesses, but it will also be a unique community gathering place where we honor the different customs and history of Madisons many cultures through art, storytelling and delicious food.
If finances are secured, construction will begin next year and the market will open in late 2019.
A hub of activity
Championed by Mayor Paul Soglin, the Public Market is part of a larger redevelopment on property bounded by East Washington Avenue, First Street and Burr Jones Field thats owned by Steve Doran and Todd Waller. The parcel currently holds the Washington Plaza shopping center, which would be demolished.
The market will include a 35,000-square-foot Market Hall with vending and event space, the 15,000-square-foot Food Innovation Center, roughly 30,000 square feet of private restaurant and retail space, outdoor plazas with seating, a childrens play area and underground parking.
The centerpiece, Market Hall, will mix developing businesses with established ones including some household names to be announced next year, said city business resources manager Daniel Kennelly. It will be a hub of activity with a cafe, restaurants, taproom, bakery and deli, with offerings of fresh vegetables, cheese, fish, chocolates, ice cream, crafts and more, with space for temporary stalls, seating and performances.
We want the public market to be a place that blends familiar Madison food traditions with new and surprising vendors and products, Kennelly said.
The initial phase is expected to help launch 35 businesses, create 100 jobs, attract 500,000 visitors, and produce $16 million to $20 million in sales annually.
The private development will also bring more construction, with first-floor restaurants and retail and housing along Burr Jones Field that will play off the market and make this a very vibrant area with a lot of activity, Waller said.
In the future, the city also intends to re-purpose its Fleet Services Building just northwest of the market at First and East Johnson streets, with potential for more food-related uses.
Truly a gathering place
In recent years, the city has focused on how to create and accelerate local, multicultural businesses at the market.
If Madison is serious about addressing the root issues driving racial economic disparities in the city, a central focus needs to be placed on cultivating business ownership among people of color, Kennelly said.
The city budgeted $248,000 and teamed with FEED Kitchens a commercial kitchen on the North Side available to entrepreneurs the Northside Planning Council, the Wisconsin Womens Business Initiative Corp. and Dane County Extension to create MarketReady.
The city got 83 applications for the program, and eventually chose 30 entrepreneurs to participate, including 19 women, 10 first-generation immigrants, and a racial mix of 33 percent black, 27 percent Asian, 27 percent Latino and 17 percent white.
There arent too may places in Madison where you can go and feel like its truly a gathering place for a lot of different types of people, said consultant Amanda White, who is helping the foundation with outreach. Thats the goal of the market.
MarketReady entrepreneurs, who will pay the same rent as other vendors, offer a mix of businesses 23 food-related, three trading in textiles, four in arts and crafts, two in body care products, and three in services. A few may begin as a food cart or other startup outside the market. Others may open in the market. Some will spend a few years in the market and grow to bigger spaces elsewhere. Some may fail.
The program will provide mentoring, technical assistance and more. Half the participants will get a bit of funding to cover initial startup costs. Five will receive grants up to $17,000 to help cover expenses for a successful launch in the market.
Over time, were hoping that some of the businesses become successful to the point that they are creating jobs, growing the regions economy, and moving to larger facilities, Kennelly said. As an example, Starbucks started at the Pikes Place Market in Seattle and now has over 20,000 locations nationwide. Closer to home, RPs Pasta started at the Farmers Market and is now a nationwide brand that is creating manufacturing jobs here in Madison.
Deep cultural roots
The entrepreneurs create a mosaic.
Among them, Maipa Ly Tong-Pao and her family will sell Hmong and Southeast Asian-inspired foods, including egg rolls, barbecue skewers, Asian coleslaw, sandwiches and sauces, and Kossi Apaloo will launch his Afreeka Wear clothing line of T-shirts, polos and hats.
Donale Richards and Will Green of Mentoring Positives, which serves challenged youth, will build on the nonprofits successful Off the Block Salsa enterprise and introduce Off the Block Pizza, with youth engaged in the full process of making frozen- and ready-to-eat pizza and learning job skills.
Sher Osinowos AfriqueCaribe Bits & Bites will sell a fusion of West African, Caribbean, Key West and Deep South soul foods. Writer Araceli Esparza hopes to open a childrens bookstore focusing on local authors and bilingual reading with childrens programming and all-ages storytelling nights.
Behind many of the businesses are individuals and families with deep connections to their cultures and rich stories, such as siblings Namgyal Ponsar and Tharten Tsering, co-owners of the fledgling dZi Little Tibet food cart that they hope will become a restaurant in the market.
Ponsar and Tsering were born of parents whose families separately fled Tibet around the Chinese invasion in 1959. Their mothers family fled well in advance of the invasion, spending three months crossing the Himalayas to Nepal. Their fathers side fled as the invasion hit and became separated, some killed or captured.
Both families made their way to refugee camps in Nepal and eventually migrated to India, where the parents met and married and Ponsar and Tsering were born.
At age 23, Ponsar immigrated to America, starting as a seasonal worker in Provincetown, Massachusetts, moving to New York City, and coming to Madison after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, arriving in 2002. She became a certified nursing assistant and a registered nurse in 2013.
But her passion for cooking and appreciation of her Tibetan heritage fueled a desire to offer food and a place of gathering for local Tibetan and Himalayan communities. Her brother, who had studied cooking in India, migrated to New York City in 2008 and joined his sister in Madison in 2015.
The siblings started the food cart in 2016, growing vegetables at the Farley Center in Verona, a nonprofit that hosts Dane Countys only farm incubator. Ponsar, who still works as a nurse, helps with food prep at FEED kitchens, sometimes until 2 a.m. Tsering and a brother-in-law, Thinley Tenzing, cook and serve the meals, featuring the traditional Tibetan dumpling, the momo. Other family members help, too.
Of a move to the Public Market, Ponsar said, We are ready for it in terms of skill, hard work and determination. Our goal for applying and participating in MarketReady program is that we hope to get a permanent space to sell our food year-round, which could be a small cafe, restaurant or take-out only.
But theres more, reflecting higher aspirations and potential of the market.
We share a dream for the future to create a destination place for the public to come learn, experience or explore our unique Tibetan culture through food, art, architecture, Ponsar said. Most importantly, a peaceful place where all community can come together under one roof, share and learn our diversity from each other with peace, love and respect.
New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday slammed the BJP for the lathicharge by police on girl students of the Benaras Hindu University, saying it was the saffron party's version of "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao".
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in the baton charge in the university which witnessed violence on Sunday, in an ugly turn to a protest against an alleged eve-teasing incident.
Attaching a link to a video of the students who alleged that they were beaten up by male policemen at the campus, Gandhi tweeted "BJP version of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao in BHU."
BJP version of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao in BHU https://t.co/2XWIG5CG2q Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 24, 2017
The trigger for the protest was an incident in which a woman student of the Arts faculty alleged harassment by three men on a motorcycle inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel.
The three men abused her and fled when she resisted their attempts, according to the complainant.
The woman alleged that security guards, about 100 metres from where the incident happened, did nothing to stop the men.
She said her warden, instead of taking up the issue with her superiors, asked her why was she was returning late to the hostel.
The warden's response angered fellow students, who sat on a 'dharna' at the main gate midnight Thursday. One of the students even got her head tonsured.
BHU students have alleged they have to face eve-teasers on the campus regularly and the varsity administration was not taking any action to stop the miscreants.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for recognising Congress' "legacy" of IITs in her speech at the UN General Assembly yesterday.
"Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs," he said.
New Delhi:The Bhartiya Janata Party on Sunday won 13 out of 35 wards in the Gurugram Municipal Corporation (MCG) elections.
In an election it was expected to sweep in the absence of its principal rival Congress, the BJP emerged as the single largest party, and now hopes that elected independent candidates, 21 of them, will back its choice for city's mayor. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) won two wards.
A party needs to win a minimum of 18 wards to have their representative as the Mayor of the city.
The Congress didn't contest elections directly but backed three independent candidates. Fifteen of the 45 elected representative to the MCG are women. The polling was conducted earlier in the day and the voter turnout was 55.7%.
The results were perceived to be a setback for the BJP's Haryana unit, but State PWD Minister Rao Narbir Singh said the Mayor would be from the BJP. The minister asserted that the independent winners will back the BJP.
In 2011, as many as 27 independent candidates had won and then supported the Congress party, which was in power in the state. No incident of violence was reported, but police had arrested two persons for using fake voter ID cards.
New Delhi: Its proximity to the power centre in the national capital makes Delhi University (DU) a favourite talent hunting ground for all national parties.
DU student union elections, thus, are fought with all the rigour and seriousness of the senior league. Around 1.3 lakh regular students, nearly a 1.15 of which are undergraduates coming from different parts of the country are a microcosm of India's diversity. And perhaps also a barometer of the public mood and sentiments.
This year also, as in the past, DUSU elections were a direct contest between the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress party and RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
Of the four posts that the polls were conducted for, the NSUI managed to bag the President and Vice-president posts a feat it had last managed in 2012. The ABVP was relegated to Secretary and Joint Secretary posts. It had won all four seats in 2015 and three seats in 2016.
For both the Congress and its student wing, which has been battered and bruised in the last three years, the DU results came as a shot in the arm. But what really led to this turnaround at the hustings in the last couple of months? We tried to analyse.
CASTE AWAY, NOT REALLY
Kabhi Gujjar Jeetein, Kabhi Jat (Sometimes the Gujjars win, sometimes the Jats)
Caste is a reality in Indian polity. It adumbrates as the DUSU results show student union politics. The overtones in the election campaign may be the development of student facilities, campus violence, and ideological differences. But caste, it seems, is a much stronger binding factor even in the predominantly cosmopolitan crowd born much after Mandal politics redrew political faultlines in India in 1990.
It wasnt really a vote for the NSUI. No one actually does that. They vote based on their caste as a lot of the students come from UP or Haryana," says Kawalpreet Kaur, president of the AISAs DU wing.
For five years, ABVPs candidate for the post of the president has been a Gujjar. So to counter that, the NSUI played the Jat card. NSUIs president candidate Rocky Tuseed played the victim after his nomination was cancelled, successfully mobilising Jat lobbies around the NSUI. The student union approached the court, which stayed his disqualification. The matter is sub-judice.
You have to understand. These are students whove just stepped out of Class 12. They are embroiled in the patriarchal, conservative norms of society and during the elections (which take place two months after the freshers start their classes). They vote for what theyve been hearing in their society i.e. caste, says SFI leader Prashant Mukherjee.
The NSUI dismisses allegations. "My name is Fairoz Khan. Do you think I could have been sitting here if it was only caste-based politics? counters the NSUI national president.
SHOW ME THE MONEY
Seat toh usi ko milti hai jiski SUV doosre se badi ho (The man with the bigger car has more chances of winning the seat.)
While every union acknowledges the role of money to win DUSU elections, they are quick to pass the blame on others.
Look at what the Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) did in 2015. Their display of money power, rather than raising issues, is what backfired on them. The students of Delhi University saw through it and the ABVP got all four seats that year, says Saket Bahuguna, national media convenor of the ABVP.
The CYSS, the students union of the Aam Aadmi Party, had contested the DUSU polls in 2015, hoping to ride the wave that helped the party come to power in the national capital.
The Lyngdoh committee in its report had recommended that the maximum permissible expenditure per candidate be set at Rs 5,000 and student unions were quick to shun, denounce it over the immense size, student base of the university.
So, where is the money being spent on and why do they need to do so? Pizza parties, distribution of chocolates, extravagant excursions and even handing out pepper sprays, says AISAs Kanwalpreet Kaur.
THE NOTA FACTOR
Notably, for an academic institution with such strong underlying political current, only 42.8% of the students turned up to vote and more than 9,000 of them voted for None Of The Above (NOTA).
The steady decline in the number of voters and the students show of dissent by voting for NOTA brings into question the on-ground realities of Delhi University politics.
I really think there should be a study on NOTA voters to understand which college, strata and caste they are from and why they do not want to vote for any of us, says Kanwalpreet Kaur.
In an election where less than 90,000 individuals vote, over 9,000 going to NOTA is a very serious issue. Does it not mean the complete rejection of Delhi University politics?
I think a lot of the NOTA voters were actually ABVP supporters who, because of peer pressure and such factors, decided to take the no one route rather than casting a ballot for NSUI or Left, says ABVPs Saket Bahuguna.
If these people do not believe in the current crop of candidates, then let them enter politics and work for the students, says SFIs Prashant Mukherjee, a view also espoused by NSUIs Fairoz Khan.
As Plato once said One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.
New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for finally recognising Congress governments vision in her speech to the United Nations General Assembly a day earlier.
Taking to Twitter, Rahul Gandhi said, Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs (sic).
Sushma Swaraj had in her speech at the world body, cited IIMs and IITs among Indias achievements after Independence, whereas Pakistan had only succeeded on creating terror.
"I would like today to tell Pakistan's politicians just this much, that perhaps the wisest thing they could do is to look within. India and Pakistan became free within hours of each other. Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?" Swaraj asked.
"We produced scientists, scholars, doctors, engineers. We created IITs, IIMs and AIIMS. What have you (Pakistan) produced? You have produced terrorists... you have created terrorist camps, you have created Lashkar-e- Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and Haqqani network," she said.
Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 24, 2017
Swaraj had also referred to previous governments contribution to Indias development. "There have been many governments under many parties during 70 years of Indian freedom, for we have been a sustained democracy. Every government has done its bit for Indias development," she said, highlighting India's achievements in the fields of education, health, space etc.
Congress MP and former UN diplomat, Shashi Tharoor too lauded Swaraj's statements and said, "Sushma Ji was quite justified in turning the tables. Her response was fitting and strong. I appreciate hearing a member of this government acknowledging the great accomplishments of last 60-70 yrs."
Her speech was praised by PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
In a series of tweets, Modi said, "A strong message was given by Sushma Swaraj ji on the dangers of terrorism and why we have to unite and fight this menace."
The prime minister said Swaraj was insightful in identifying global challenges and strongly reiterated India's commitment to create a better planet.
"Incredible speech by EAM (External Affairs Minister) Sushma Swaraj at the UN! She has made India extremely proud at the world stage," he said.
Berlin: Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives beat their rivals on Sunday to win her a fourth term in an election that will also bring a far-right party into Germany's parliament for the first time in more than half a century, exit polls showed.
After shock election results last year, from Britain's vote to leave the European Union to the election of US President Donald Trump, many look to Merkel to rally a bruised liberal Western order, tasking her with leading a post-Brexit Europe.
She must now form a coalition government - an arduous process that could take months as all potential partners are unsure whether they really want to share power with her.
Merkel's conservative bloc won 32.5 percent of the vote, making them the largest parliamentary group, an exit poll for broadcaster ARD indicated. However, that was down from 41.5 percent in the last election, in 2013.
Support for their closest rivals, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) which are currently junior partners in a so-called "grand coalition" with Merkel, slumped to 20.0 percent - a new post-war low. The SPD ruled out a re-run of that tie-up.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) stunned the establishment by finishing third and entering parliament for the first time with 13.5 percent of the vote.
Merkel, Europe's longest serving leader, joins the late Helmut Kohl, her mentor who reunified Germany, and Konrad Adenauer, who led Germany's rebirth after World War Two, as the only post-war chancellors to win four national elections.
SPD deputy leader Manuela Schwesig said her party would now go into opposition. That would rule out a re-run of Merkel's existing alliance with the SPD.
An alternative coalition for Merkel would be a three-way tie-up with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the ecologist Greens. That is a combination as yet untested at national level and known as the "Jamaica" option because the three parties' colours are those of the black-gold-green Jamaica national flag.
Both the FDP and the environmentalist Greens have played down the prospect of a Jamaica coalition, but as they have been out of government for four and 12 years respectively, they may be lured into an alliance by the prospect of power.
NEW ERA
Whatever the make-up of her coalition, Merkel, 63, faces four years of government in a fragmented parliament after the return of the FDP - unrepresented at national level for the last four years - and the arrival of the AfD.
Founded in 2013 by an anti-euro group of academics, the AfD has morphed into an anti-immigration party that has profited from Merkel's 2015 decision to leave German borders open to over 1 million migrants, most of them fleeing war in the Middle East.
The party's entry into the national parliament heralds the beginning of a new era in German politics that will see more robust debate and a departure from the steady, consensus-based approach that has marked the post-war period.
The other parties elected to the Bundestag all refuse to work with the AfD, which says it will press for Merkel to be "severely punished" for opening the door to refugees and migrants.
After the AfD hurt her conservatives in regional elections last year, Merkel, a pastor's daughter who grew up in Communist East Germany, wondered if she should run for re-election.
But with the migrant issue under control this year, she threw herself into a punishing campaign schedule, presenting herself as an anchor of stability in an uncertain world.
L'Ile-Saint-Denis, France: Anina Ciuciu, a 27-year-old law student who once begged for centimes, is vying to become France's first Roma senator on Sunday.
Ciuciu says she wants to "pave the way" for other Roma, a minority who have long been marginalised in France where some 20,000 of them live in hundreds of shantytowns around the country.
"I was a beggar, I was constantly humiliated," Ciuciu told AFP. "My story shows that anything is possible."
Ciuciu was seven when she and her family left post-Communist Romania at the height of an economic crisis.
Her accountant father, mother and their three daughters crossed the former Yugoslavia on foot at a time when the fields were still strewn with mines laid during the Balkan wars, eventually making it to Rome.
"We risked our lives like today's migrants are doing," Ciuciu said.
The family endured six months in squalid conditions in a huge refugee camp on the outskirts of Rome before heading to France.
"My father wanted to give us a future in the land of human rights," said Ciuciu, who has waist-long curly dark hair.
But in France, the family was refused asylum, and they resorted to begging.
One day in Bourg-en-Bresse, a town near the eastern city of Lyon, an encounter with a schoolteacher changed the course of their lives.
Jacqueline de la Fontaine took them under her wing, helping them to fulfil their dream of enrolling the girls in school.
Ciuciu, described by the teacher as determined and gifted, learned French and graduated from high school with top marks, before entering Paris's prestigious Sorbonne university to study law.
Not a token
In 2013, she wrote a book called: "Je Suis Tzigane et Je le Reste" which loosely translates as "I'm a gypsy for good" in a move that she says helped her obtain French nationality. So far, she is the only member of her family to do so.
If elected, she says she does not want to be "the token Roma" in the French Senate but a symbol.
"It would be historic for a young French woman of Roma origin to be elected, especially in the Senate, which is mostly made up of men and where the average age is 64!"
A total of 171 of the 348 seats are up grabs in the Sunday's ballot when elected lawmakers -- parliamentarians, mayors, local councillors -- cast ballots for the upper house.
But Ciuciu's chances of winning are thought to be slim as she is a candidate for the small leftist Notre Avenir (Our Future) party, and larger parties hold the advantage.
Pierre Chopinaud, who heads Roma advocacy group Voix des Rroms, said Ciuciu's candidacy was "very late" for France, noting that there are already Roma lawmakers in central European countries and in Sweden.
"But it is the beginning of something," he said.
Berlin: German voters will head to the polls for a general election on September 24, with surveys giving Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives a double-digit lead over their closest rivals, the Social Democrats.
But the race for third place is wide open, and in Germany's coalition system the smaller parties could tip the balance of power.
Here's a look at the parties expected to clear the five percent threshold to enter parliament.
The heavyweights
-- CDU: Founded after World War II, the centre-right Christian Democratic Union is the main conservative party, popular with the upper middle class and professionals.
Under Merkel, it has moved closer to the centre by adopting more leftist policies such as ending army conscription, scrapping nuclear power and opening the country's borders to refugees.
The party has shown loyalty to Merkel, in power for 12 years, but with no clear successor in sight critics have accused it of failing to prepare for the future.
-- CSU: The Christian Social Union is the CDU's more conservative sister party in the wealthy, staunchly traditional state of Bavaria. Its pugnacious leader Horst Seehofer was one of the loudest critics of Merkel's decision to take in hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers in 2015.
The CSU aligns itself with the CDU at a national level. Together, they have been the leading partnersin most of Germany's post-war governments.
-- SPD: Germany's oldest party at more than 150 years old, the Social Democratic Party is the natural home of the working class and the country's powerful unions.
Supporters accused it of betrayal when an SPD-led government forced through punishing labour reforms at the start of this century. Those reforms have since been credited with helping Germany's economic boom.
The SPD has struggled to shine as the junior partner in Merkel's grand coalition these past four years, despite pushing through a minimum wage, gay marriage and measures for more equality in the workplace.
Hopes that new SPD chief Martin Schulz can turn the tide and replace Merkel as chancellor have fizzled out along with his brief surge in the polls.
Possible kingmakers
-- FDP: The pro-business Free Democratic Party stands for liberal values, espousing free market capitalism and individual freedoms. It has spent more time in government than any other party, always as the junior partner to either the CDU/CSU or the SPD.
But after a lacklustre stint governing in Merkel's shadow, it humiliatingly crashed out of the Bundestag in the last election.
The FDP is now hoping for a comeback under telegenic young leader Christian Lindner, although critics say the party's platform is too vague.
-- The Greens: With its roots in the 1970s pacifist, anti-nuclear movement, the Greens played a pioneering role in advocating for gay rights and the shift away from nuclear energy.
But the Greens have struggled to keep voters energised as their core issues have gone mainstream.
Currently polling in the single digits, some commentators predict the Greens will have to choose between staying in opposition or joining a Merkel-led government that could also include the FDP, dubbed a "Jamaica coalition" after each party's colours and the Caribbean country's flag.
Opposition voices
-- Die Linke: Founded by communists from former East Germany and SPD defectors, the fiercely pacifist, anti-corporate far-left Die Linke is Germany's main opposition party.
Despite making it into several regional governments, its radical demands for the dissolution of NATO and the end of German military deployments abroad mean it is an unlikely coalition member at national level.
-- AfD: The Alternative for Germany began life in 2013 as a eurosceptic party before morphing into an anti-Islam, anti-immigration outfit. After capitalising on widespread anger over Merkel's refugee influx, the right-wing populists won seats in 13 of Germany's 16 state parliaments.
But endless infighting and a recent slowdown in asylum arrivals have sapped support for the party. Nevertheless, it remains on track to enter the national parliament for the first time. Shunned by other parties, the AfD would be headed straight for the opposition benches.
New Delhi: A UK hotel has informed the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) that it will not accommodate any of its staff members in future.
The hotel has alleged that they have received several complaints about Pakistani crew members pestering women by asking them for their contact numbers.
The UK hotel authorities have further said that the female guests are uncomfortable in the presence of these men at their establishment.
This is not the first instance of PIA getting into trouble abroad. In May this year, a PIA flight was intercepted with heroin. British authorities found heroin on the flight at Londons Heathrow Airport and confiscated the passports of all its crew members.
In February, another PIA flight was intercepted in London for a vague security threat.
Jerusalem: Israel's Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday denounced Iran's testing of a medium-range missile as a "provocation" and said it was proof of Tehran's ambition to become a world power.
Iran on Sunday said it had successfully tested a missile with a range of 2,000 kilometres and that can carry multiple warheads, in defiance of US warnings.
"The ballistic missile which Iran fired is a provocation of the United States and its allies, including Israel," Lieberman said in a statement.
"It is also a means to test our reactions as well as new proof of Iran's ambition to become a world power in order to threaten the countries of the Middle East and democratic states around the world."
The test comes at the end of a heated week of diplomacy at the UN General Assembly, where both the United States and Israel denounced Iran and its nuclear deal with six world powers.
US President Donald Trump accused Iran of destabilising the Middle East, calling it a "rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos".
The American president also threatened to bin the 2015 nuclear accord, saying Iran is developing missiles that could be used to deliver a nuclear warhead.
Echoing him, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said since the deal Iran has been "like a hungry tiger unleashed, not joining the community of nations but devouring nations one after the other".
Netanyahu vowed to fight what he described as "an Iranian curtain" descending on the Middle East, and pledged to prevent Iran from producing any weapons that could hit Israel.
"Those who threaten us with annihilation put themselves in mortal peril. Israel will defend itself with the full force of our arms and the full power of our convictions," Netanyahu said at the UN.
UN inspectors say Iran has fulfilled its commitments to give up its nuclear activities under the agreement, which was reached with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.
Iran says all of its missiles are designed to carry conventional warheads only, and has limited their range to a maximum of 2,000 kilometres, although commanders say they have the technology to fly further.
That makes them only medium-range but still sufficient to reach Israel or US bases in the Gulf.
Kochi: Thousands of madrasas in Pakistan preaching Saudi brand of Islam produce "ruthless militants in hundreds", the Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP) has said.
In a message, to the two-day South Asian Regional Seminar of Communist and Left parties, the Central Committee of the CPP said that the long-term tactics were designed by the military in Pakistan to tear the social fabric of the society.
M A Baby, a member the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), circulated a copy of the CPP's message at a press conference on the concluding day of the seminar on Sunday.
The CPP, founded in Calcutta in 1948, has a marginal presence in Pakistan.
Baby said CPP representatives could not attend the conference as they were denied visa by the Indian authorities.
The CPI(M) organised the seminar to mark the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution in Russia.
The CPP said that during periods of military rule in Pakistan, the party was banned and hundreds of its leaders' activists were jailed. Many of them disappeared, it said.
Even under these circumstances, the CPP continued its struggle for the basic rights of the masses.
It said the Pakistani military, soon after imposing martial law in the country in 1980, established some 60,000 madrasas which started preaching the Saudi brand of Islam.
"To glamourise jihadi culture, special recruitments were made in universities, schools and colleges. Areas adjacent to the Afghan border were surrendered to jihadi outfits," it said.
"Textbooks were revised and fanatic sectarian articles were included in the curriculum. Democracy and secularism were synonyms for a curse," it said.
The party alleged that the same pattern was being followed by the "establishment" in Pakistan even today.
"Madrasas are producing ruthless militants in hundreds...Students from public educational institutions are encouraged to join the ranks of militants," it said.
CHICAGO We all harbor little hurts in life, ones that never go away no matter how long ago they happened. One of mine is I didnt get to participate in my high school graduation ceremony.
Instead of walking across the stage of my college-prep school a prestigious school I had dreamed of attending since I was in first grade getting cheered on by family and friends, I sat with the band. I cried as we played Pomp and Circumstance for my classmates who commenced into their bright futures.
It wasnt bad grades or discipline issues I was a good student. It was just an administrative blunder. A scheduling mix-up had me take the second half of chemistry without having completing the first half. So in June, after all my friends had begun their summer of pre-freshman-at-college fun, I sat in a stifling hot classroom making up that half-credit that had gotten lost in the shuffle.
Now: Is it possible that my adviser didnt think of me as college-going material and wasnt on top of my credits? Sure, its possible.
My mom did 100 percent of the legwork and research necessary to get me in to college she was the one who helped me write applications, send transcripts and basically everything a college guidance counselor is supposed to do and my actual counselor never even broached these topics with me. It seems feasible that as someone with no family track record of attending college, I just wasnt a priority for anyone in the guidance office.
Though I am very proud of the education I received at a state land-grant school, it boggles the mind to imagine where life might have taken me had I been treated like other students who were expected to not only graduate on time, but go to the top-flight universities my majority-white peers had been encouraged to apply to.
I tell this story not because I felt victimized, but to illustrate just how outsize of an impact high school guidance counselors have on students future school and career trajectories. With such high stakes, its only right these post-secondary gatekeepers reflect on their power and potential biases as they do a job that literally puts students lives in their hands.
This is exactly what happened at the National Association for College Admission Counselings national conference earlier this month when keynote speaker Shaun R. Harper told the mostly white high-school guidance counselors and college admissions officers that their race has the potential to color their work.
According to a write-up in the trade journal Inside Higher Ed, Harper, the director of the University of Southern Californias Race and Equity Center, excoriated counselors for a plethora of life-changing professional sins. These include counselors not investing the same amount of time and energy in helping students of color apply to college as they do with white students, undermatching minority students by encouraging them to apply to less selective universities or even dissuading students of color from reaching for elite schools by telling them they arent smart enough.
The conversation was continued at a conference panel discussion on race titled Counseling While White. One participant, April Crabtree, an assistant vice provost of undergraduate admissions at the University of San Francisco, noted that nearly 80 percent of professors are white and even more administrators are. (A 2012 survey by the College Board found that 78 percent of high school counselors are white.) Crabtree told the crowd: If youre blind to whiteness in your personal life, you will not be aware of this in your professional lives.
At best, these blind spots leave the adults who play a major role in the lives of minority and first-generation college students at a disadvantage. At worst, it keeps them from seeing potential scholars where they might otherwise perceive kids who arent going very far in life.
But it doesnt take heroic exertions to shake this inability to understand minority students special needs it just takes effort.
At minimum, there are several works of fiction (including Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capo Crucet) and documentaries (like First Generation) that can open doors to the appreciation that a short quarterly appointment with unfamiliar students simply cant match.
Yangon: Cartoons taking aim at Rohingya Muslims are spreading rapidly across social media in mainly Buddhist Myanmar, where public opinion on the crisis stands in stark contrast to the outcry overseas.
Fanned by Myanmar's civilian and military leaders, an information war has taken hold and is being embraced with gusto by a legion of satirists, meme-makers and internet trolls.
Local cartoonists, many of whom earned their revered status for skewering the former junta, have taken aim at the Rohingya.
One widely-shared sketch called 'crocodile tears' shows a group of reptiles swimming away from a bank of mutilated animals towards an eager Western cameraman.
"I had to flee my motherland," a crying crocodile says into the microphone, a swipe at the testimonies of Rohingya refugees who have arrived in Bangladesh with accounts of atrocities by Myanmar's army.
The cartoons blame Rohingya Muslims for the violence and show eager western cameramen lapping up their 'lies'. (Photo: Twitter)
"There is something untrue about what they (the Rohingya) are saying," Win Naing, one of Myanmar's most famous cartoonists, told AFP. The 58-year-old, whose pen name is Aw Pi Kyeh, said he just wanted to provoke thought in a highly charged situation. "We draw cartoons with a spirit that loves the country."
For decades the paranoid former junta sequestered its people from technology, global opinion and debate. But since the country creaked open a few years ago, Myanmar's public has dived head first into Facebook and Twitter.
Now, anti-Rohingya diatribes are being 'liked', shared and retweeted - reinforcing long-held religious hatreds against the minority.
Since late August, around 4,30,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh, escaping an army crackdown in Rakhine state which the UN has called 'ethnic cleansing'. The global condemnation has triggered a defensive instinct in Myanmar where the Rohingya are not citizens and are broadly reviled.
KEYBOARD WARRIORS
Armed with crass humour, internet fame and riding a wave of public opinion, cartoonists have delivered sharp counter-punches.
When Malala Yousafzai condemned fellow Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi for failing to speak up for the Rohingya, one cartoonist hit back with a rendering of the Pakistani activist with human excrement instead of brains - a grim reference to her surgery after being shot in the head by the Taliban.
A UN insignia wrapped in a Middle-Eastern keffiyeh, suggesting the body is in cahoots with the Arab world. (Photo: Twitter)
A sketch by cartoonist Okka Kyi Winn, liked nearly 10,000 times on his Facebook page, showed a UN insignia wrapped in a Middle-Eastern keffiyeh, suggesting the body is in cahoots with the Arab world.
While the intention may be pure satire, such images are contributing to a siege mentality in Myanmar, where keyboard warriors are trading blows with vocal pro-Rohingya groups scattered across the Muslim world.
The prevailing view among the Buddhist majority is that foreign media and international NGOs have embellished the plight of the Rohingya and unfairly bashed Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
'The Lady' has refused to weigh in on the squall of claims and counterclaims, saying only that there is a 'huge iceberg of misinformation'. Many outside Myanmar are baffled by the seeming lack of empathy, and the often violent rhetoric from a Buddhist people.
But toxic Islamophobia has been brewing in the country for years, fed in part by official rhetoric that the Muslim Rohingya are foreign invaders intent on taking a Buddhist land.
As his troops blanket Rakhine, Myanmar's commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing has continued with Facebook posts branding the Rohingya as 'terrorist extremists' of 'Bengali' origin - a state-stamped slur that condemns them to the status of illegal migrants.
'BETTER ANGELS'
Newspapers, TV debates and social media have followed suit, jeering at the Rohingya as they flee, says Sein Win of the Myanmar Journalism Institute.
Some of the loudest noises are coming from people who fought repression under the junta, he told AFP, in a remarkable reshaping of the young democracy's political landscape. I am disturbed by the actions of the media, civil society and even former political activists. You need to care about humans across the board, not just when it suits you," he said.
On Friday US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Patrick Murphy condemned the hate speech on social media and urged the "better angels" of the Myanmar people to find empathy for the Rohingya.
But cartoonists such as Maung Maung Fountain (pen name) argue their sketches "don't insult any religion or any people". In one, he draws a camel - a code for Rohingya Muslims - that has edged its way into a tent made from the Myanmar flag then bellows 'Human Rights' at the startled Burmese man he has just evicted.
"I meant say that some people want more and more rights and opportunities."
US bombers and fighter escorts flew off the coast of North Korea in a show of force against its nuclear weapons program, escalating already sky-high tensions. The Pentagon says this was the furthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas that any US fighter or bomber has flown off North Koreas coast in this century. In response, North Korean foreign minister warned that a strike on US mainland was inevitable.
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With the sixth nuclear tests on September 3, 2017, North Korea has reiterated its indomitable desire to take their nuclear weapon capacity up to an irreversible stage. The test reportedly had yield capacity of 100-250 kilotonnes and it was a thermonuclear device.
The six nuclear tests are not only special because of their yield capacity but also because of other technological sophistication. North Korea has consistently followed its nuclear ambitions and has been able to overcome most of the obstacles in the journey.
When regional dynamics is volatile for the ruling North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, nuclear weapons are considered to be the last guarantor of survival.
North Korea has learnt lessons from Iraq and Libya. In the case of Iraq, absence of weapons of mass destruction was the reason that made it possible for the US-led alliance to topple the Saddam Hussein government easily and Libya had to face consequences of giving up its nuclear weapons.
From the North Korean perspective, in an unsettled East Asian region, possession of nuclear weapons ensures that external players would not be able to intervene to realise their desire of change of regime.
To understand North Koreas nuclear ambition, it is important to understand that North Korea is one of the divided countries and it faces threat from South Korea and the US alliance.
Until the mid-Cold War era, it reasonably matched South Koreas military strength in conventional warfare. However, during the last few years of the Cold War, North Korea realised that it could not compete with South Korea in the conventional weapons domain. Its leadership thought that nuclear weapons could be the only option to bring deterrence in the inter-Korea dynamics.
Moreover, around the end of the Cold War, Pyongyangs two important security allies USSR and China established diplomatic relations with South Korea. Pyongyang considered it abandoning of their commitment to the North Korean security.
North Korea had to take charge of its own security and nuclear weapons were considered to be a viable option in the changed milieu.
From the early 1990s, North Korea was not able to have economic exchanges and benefits, like it used to with the USSR, China and other East European socialist countries.
Its effect on North Korea economy was quite severe. North Korean economic situation worsened due to natural calamities such as flood and drought in the mid-1990s. Reports said that almost 2 million North Koreans starved to death, which was around 10 percent of North Korean population.
When the North Korean regime performed poorly on economic terms, the leadership decided to articulate and consolidate popular support by pursuance of nuclear weapon programme more aggressively. Thus, in a way North Korean nuclear ambition also become an instrument to acquire legitimacy for the ruling regime.
North Korea suffers from insufficiency of food, malnutrition, lack of liberal education, absence of almost all kind of freedom and so on. Thus, North Koreans are taught to take pride in their nuclear and missile programmes and the ruling regime tries to deflect attention from the problems.
Thus, nuclear ambitions of North Korea must be understood in the context of the threat from the South Korea-US alliance, sense of abandonment from the USSR and China, quest of survival of political regime, and source of domestic legitimacy.
Most of the time, the international community, under the leadership of the US, has not been able to recognise the complex dynamic of the North Korean nuclear ambitions. So, they have not been able to deal with the issue.
Contrary to public perception, whenever North Korean nuclear ambition was correctly understood and an informed policy was adopted, North Korean behaviour and posture have been moderate and encouraging.
IMPLICATIONS
North Koreas nuclear ambitions may have a context or explanation from North Korean perspective but it has serious disruptive implications for the regional politics. It has brought the East Asia region at a short-fuse and any miscalculation may lead to actual nuclear conflict in the region with catastrophic consequences.
In recent years, on the issue of North Koreas regular nuclear and missile tests, there has been sharp exchange of statements between Pyongyang and the Washington-Tokyo-Seoul alliance. Any of these activities have the capacity to transform into an actual conflict.
Another implication of the North Korean ambitions is that in and around the Korean peninsula, huge armament has taken place in recent years.
Its now a real possibility that South Korea and Japan would also try to exercise their own nuclear ambitions. With Donald Trump coming to power in the US, South Korea and Japan cant be sure about military aid from the US.
Actually, Trump has many times stated that both its allies should either take care of their own security or should pay for it. In the domestic politics of South Korea and Japan, already a sizeable number of people support their countries going nuclear. This possible nuclear arms race in the region would further destabilise it.
WAY FORWARD
It is urgent for the US, South Korea, Japan and other countries to think about a peaceful resolution. Its too simplistic to blame North Korea for its nuclear ambitions. North Korean nuclear ambitions are based on the countrys desire for security and survival.
If the North Korean regime is ensured its security and survival through an empathic understanding and a process of engagement is initiated, North Korea might be brought to the negotiating table and a satisfactory resolution of the crisis could be arrived at.
However, putting pressure and economic sanctions on North Korea through bilateral mechanism and multilateral institutions are not going to be successful as North Korea is not quite dependent on its external economic exchanges, apart from China.
(Sandip Kumar Mishra is an Associate Professor at the Centre for East Asian Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University. All views are personal.)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Saudi Arabia says it shot down a ballistic missile fired by Shiite rebels and their allies in Yemen during the kingdom's National Day.
A statement carried early Sunday by the state-run Saudi Press Agency said the missile targeted Khamis Mushait, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia that's home to the King Khalid Air Base.
The statement says the missile "was intercepted and destroyed without any casualties" and Saudi forces later attacked the missile's launch site inside of Yemen.
A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting Shia rebels known as Houthis in Yemen since March 2015. The Houthis and their allies have access to a stockpile of Soviet-era Scud missiles and locally designed variants.
The war has killed more than 10,000 civilians. The United Nations has criticised Saudi-led airstrikes for killing civilians.
Seoul/United Nations: US President Donald Trump dialed up the rhetoric against North Korea again at the weekend, warning the country's foreign minister that he and leader Kim Jong Un "won't be around much longer", as Pyongyang staged a major anti-US rally.
North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday that targeting the US mainland with its rockets was inevitable after "Mr Evil President" Trump called Pyongyang's leader a "rocket man" on a suicide mission.
"Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!" Trump said on Twitter late on Saturday.
Trump and Kim have traded increasingly threatening and personal insults as Pyongyang races towards its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States something Trump has vowed to prevent.
Analysts say the escalation in rhetoric is increasing the risk of a miscalculation by one side or the other that could have massive repercussions.
North Korea's state-run television KRT aired a video on Sunday showing tens of thousands of people attending an anti-US rally at Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang.
The North's official KCNA news agency said more than 100,000 people gathered for the rally on Saturday and delivered speeches supporting comments made by Kim earlier in the week.
"We are waiting for the right time to have a final battle with the US, the evil empire, and to remove the US from the world," KCNA quoted Ri Il-bae, a commanding officer of the Red Guards, as saying. "Once respected Supreme commander Kim Jong-Un gives an order, we will annihilate the group of aggressors."
UNPRECEDENTED
In an unprecedented direct statement on Friday, Kim described Trump as a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard" whom he would tame with fire.
Kim said the North would consider the "highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history" against the United States and that Trump's comments had confirmed his nuclear programme was "the correct path".
Kim's comments came after Trump threatened in his maiden UN address on Thursday to "totally destroy" the country of 26 million people.
It was not clear from Trump's latest tweet if he was referring to Ri and Kim, or North Korea more broadly.
North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear bomb test on September 3, prompting another round of U.N. sanctions. Pyongyang said on Friday it might test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean.
"It is only a forlorn hope to consider any chance that the DPRK (North Korea) would be shaken an inch or change its stance due to the harsher sanctions by the hostile forces," Ri told the UN General Assembly on Saturday.
BOMBERS
US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighters flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea on Saturday in a show of force the Pentagon said indicated the range of military options available to Trump.
The US bombers' flight was the farthest north of the demilitarised zone separating North and South Korea that any US fighter jet or bomber had flown in the 21st century, the Pentagon said.
The patrols came after officials and experts said a small earthquake near North Korea's nuclear test site on Saturday was probably not man-made, easing fears Pyongyang had exploded another nuclear bomb just weeks after its previous one.
The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce and not a peace treaty.
The North accuses the United States, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, of planning to invade and regularly threatens to destroy it and its Asian allies.
Washington: US bombers and fighter escorts flew off the coast of North Korea Saturday in a show of force against its nuclear weapons program, escalating already sky-high tensions.
The hermit state's foreign minister, meanwhile, assailed US President Donald Trump at the United Nations, deriding him as a "mentally deranged" leader whose threats had increased the chances of military confrontation.
Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un have exchanged increasingly bellicose rhetoric in recent days, as international alarm mounts over Pyongyang's weapons ambitions -- including a hint this week that the country is considering detonating an H-bomb over the Pacific.
US bombers have carried out similar flights before, as the United States and the international community struggle to rein in North Korea's weapons programs.
But in a new stage for such show of force operations, the Pentagon stressed this was the furthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas that any US fighter or bomber has flown off North Korea's coast in this century.
"This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said.
"We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies."
The Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers flown Saturday are based in Guam, and were accompanied by F-15C Eagle fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan, White said. They flew over international waters off the east coast of North Korea.
There was another reason for concern after an underground rumble near North Korea's nuclear test site. China at first said it suspected an explosion.
But it was later ruled by a nuclear test ban watchdog and other experts to be a shallow 3.5-magnitude earthquake and likely an aftershock from the hermit state's latest nuclear test on September 3.
This week saw a blistering war of words between Kim and Trump, with the US leader using his maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly to warn that Washington would "totally destroy" the North if America or its allies were threatened.
'Full of megalomania'
The North, which says it needs nuclear weapons to protect itself against the threat of a US invasion, responded on Friday with a rare personal rebuke from Kim, who called Trump "mentally deranged" and threatened the "highest level of hardline countermeasure in history."
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho took things further. He, too, dismissed Trump as deranged, and said his threats had increased the chances of military confrontation.
Ri told the UN General Assembly in New York that Trump's vow to "totally destroy" his country had made "our rockets' visit to the entire US mainland all the more inevitable."
Describing Trump as a "mentally deranged person full of megalomania," Ri said the US leader who "holds the nuclear button" posed "the gravest threat to international peace and security today."
Washington announced tougher restrictions Friday aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program, building on tough new UN sanctions aimed at choking Pyongyang of cash.
Russia and China have both appealed for an end to the escalating rhetoric between Washington and Pyongyang.
But on the fringes of the UN meeting this week, Ri upped the tensions further, telling reporters Pyongyang might now consider detonating a hydrogen bomb outside its territory.
Monitoring groups estimate that the nuclear test conducted in North Korea earlier this month had a yield of 250 kilotons, which is 16 times the size of the US bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.
Hydrogen bombs, or H-bombs, are thermonuclear weapons far more powerful than ordinary fission-based atomic bombs, and use a nuclear blast to generate the intense temperatures required for fusion to take place.
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When Amherst native Crystal Rossons grandfather Sterling Jones Jr. died in 2012, it awakened a need to know more about her family.
She soon discovered she was a descendant of the slaves of Sweet Briar Plantation, now the site of Sweet Briar College. Through her search, Rosson met Sweet Briar College humanities research professor Lynn Rainville, founding director of the Tusculum Institute, a historic preservation center at Sweet Briar College, and author of Hidden History: African American Cemeteries in Central Virginia.
Together, the two presented their research methods at Thomas Jeffersons Poplar Forests African American Family History Day on Saturday in a talk titled, Roots & Remembrance: Tracing the Descendants of the Enslaved Community at Sweet Briar.
It was one of several talks presented during the daylong event that drew more than 40 people.
The event also featured a free catered lunch, a live performance by Lynchburg musician Richard Harvey and an Enslaved Community tour about the lives of the dozens of slaves at Poplar Forest.
Wayne Gannaway, Poplar Forest director of marketing, programs and grants, said planning for the event began in February with the help of the organizations nine-member African American Advisory Group.
The main goal is to encourage all people especially the African-American community to explore their ancestry, and to really explore all parts of it, he said, explaining Poplar Forest is interested in telling the stories of all people, including the enslaved.
Those stories are extremely important, Rainville said.
All history begins with local history with men and women and their children and then the contributions that they make, Rainville said. And in the case of African-American history, unfortunately this history is sometimes harder to recover from the records.
But once you do recover it, you can more fully appreciate how much these people were contributing to the history we read in the history books.
It may not be detailed in history books, but African Americans contributed to everything from culinary patterns to agriculture and more as there are many inventions that havent been correctly attributed, she said.
If we dont find these stories, share these stories with the public, with other generations, theyre just lost, she said. If you know something, if you know information about a person, where a cemetery is, know what they did for a living, just [share] that with anyone whos willing to listen.
Rosson said people need to know their past in order to learn from it.
I think in todays time we see excellent examples of this every day, she said. I dont feel like we may have dealt with these issues in the past and maybe thats why we have such a need to have these conversations now so we can get this information out.
Rosson and Rainville both mentioned the concept of plantations being black spaces during their talk.
You have a small number of white people and a larger number of black people, but the black peoples stories are not the ones being told, Rosson said.
Its important to share those stories and preserve that history because without it weve lost a lot of information thats pertinent to how we go forward.
Thats why Rosson wants her two daughters Sydney, 15, and Zoe, 12 to know their roots.
Theyve grown up watching me with this, she said, explaining she often takes the two exploring through old cemeteries. and I think its given them a very good sense of self. I think for them to have this deeper understanding, its not just skin deep. Theres more to this than just research.
Poplar Forest is working to reclaim and share the history of its enslaved residents.
In 2014, the Bedford County historic site hosted a slavery symposium with Randolph College that kicked off Poplar Forests larger effort to tell slave stories.
It was huge, Gannaway said. That was our first really big, big event and that really kind of put wind behind our sails. Weve been trying to build on that ever since.
Poplar Forest will hold a Juneteenth event next year and present The Day Is Past & Gone, a collection of three short plays on slave life at Thomas Jeffersons plantation, Gannaway said.
Saturdays event featured several other talks, including Their Story is Our Story! The Discovery of King Daniel Ganaway: A Genealogical Story of Migration and Relationships by Tim and Brenda Fredericks; Descendant Communities at Presidential Historic Site Plantation, by Leotyne Peck, J. Calvin Jefferson and Gayle Jessup White; and Home is Where Family Is: Exploring Ancestry at Monticello and Poplar Forest by Niya Bates and Jack Gary.
Rossons search into her familys past is still very much a work in progress, she said, but she isnt worried.
I wont stop.
CHICAGO When it comes to the Iranian nuclear deal, the Trump administration is a carnival of contradiction. Its attitude brings to mind the story of the inmates who complained that the prison food was terrible and they werent allowed seconds.
In his tirade at the United Nations, the president said the accord is one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. During the campaign, he promised to dismantle it. But eight months after he took office, his administration is still abiding by it.
U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley insists that Trump has grounds to assert that Iran is not complying. But Trump has twice certified that the Tehran regime has upheld its end of the bargain. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged Wednesday that Iran is in technical compliance which is true in the same sense that Tillerson is technically secretary of state.
He had the chance to lay out any violations during a meeting Thursday with his counterparts from the other signatory governments. But European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, who chaired the meeting, said all agreed that Iran is complying including, she stipulated, the United States.
Tillerson, however, is not satisfied just because Iran has done what it agreed to do. He resents that some of the provisions that restrict Iran have expiration dates. But you would think the best thing about a bad agreement is that it doesnt run forever. You would want the terms to be permanent only if you think its desirable.
The accord is highly desirable, because it deprives Iran of the means to build a nuclear weapon for a long time. It forced Iran to shut down most of its centrifuges, surrender 97 percent of its fissile material, convert two reactors to peaceful uses and accept stringent international inspections. In exchange, Iran got the removal of some economic sanctions and access to $100 billion in assets that had been frozen abroad.
The disadvantage of preserving the deal is that it lets Iran expand the number of operating centrifuges after 10 years and the stockpile of enriched uranium after 15 years. The disadvantage of renouncing the deal is that it would let Iran do those things immediately.
Giving up the restrictions because they wont be in place after 2030 is like abandoning your car on the side of the road today because it will eventually stop running. It would make more sense to negotiate to extend the deal.
Backing out of the agreement would be even worse than not reaching it in the first place. Thats because Iran has already gotten a large share of what it sought notably, the $100 billion it was able to reclaim. If Trump were to shred the agreement, Iran would get to keep the money without having to keep its promises. I dont think that decision would merit a chapter in the next edition of The Art of the Deal.
At the U.N., Trump denounced Iran as an unrepentant rogue state that funds terrorism and uses its resources to shore up Bashar al-Assads dictatorship, fuel Yemens civil war and undermine peace throughout the entire Middle East.
Well, yes and freeing Tehran from the constraints of the deal would help how? If anything is worse than a regime full of bad dudes, its a regime full of bad dudes that has an atomic arsenal.
You dont make nuclear deals with Sweden, Ben Rhodes, who was deputy national security adviser under Barack Obama, told NPR. There are other ways of getting at other elements of Iranian behavior, but all of those elements would be worse if they had a nuclear weapon. Maybe the administration could negotiate with the Iranians to curtail their other sinister activities, but not if it discards the product of past negotiations.
If Trump were to renounce the accord, he would be violating an agreement that the international inspectors say Iran has fulfilled. He would be proving to Iran and the other parties to the deal Germany, Britain, France, the European Union, Russia and China that Washingtons word is no good. As for pursuing a better deal, why would Iran ever sign another agreement with us?
If Trump decides to torch the deal, we will most likely face the choice of watching as Tehran resumes progress toward acquiring nukes or launching another Mideast war in the hope of halting it. The Iranian deal looks bad only if you forget the alternatives.
The extensive upgrade work will include modernisation of facilities at the airport, with the car park set to be transformed into a multi-storey facility that can handle hundreds of vehicles. Modern airport bridges will also be installed at new gates while the runway will also be expanded further to allow for multiple landings at the same time.
Zesa Holdings will pay South African power utility, Eskom, a substantial amount of money to reduce its debt and avoid being switched off, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor Dr John Mangudya has said.
Eskom has for the third time in three months threatened to switch off Zimbabwe, which is experiencing acute foreign currency shortages.
The South African power utility is owed about $44 million. Eskom has written to Zesa threatening to cut off the 300 megawatts it supplies to Zimbabwe after the local power utility breached the terms of a payment plan agreed with Eskom in July.
This, Dr Mangudya said, was a result of foreign currency shortages. We have moved quite a lot and are organising funds to pay Eskom so that we can continue to enjoy electricity supplies, he said.
Asked why Zesa was defaulting every month, he responded: Its not an attitude. We entered into an agreement with Eskom where we are supposed to pay them at least $10 million per week and sometimes, because of the way the foreign currency comes into the country, it is a cyclical in nature, it means sometimes we are behind now and then. But we are going to catch up.
We had agreed to pay per week but (failed) because of the cyclical nature of our exports. They dont come one time as you know. We are going to catch up and there will be no switch off.
Zesa Holdings chief executive Engineer Josh Chifamba is reportedly in South Africa to save the situation.
Just last month, Zimbabwe faced imminent load shedding but the central bank moved in and paid $8 million.
Part of the money also went to Hydro Cahora Bassa (HCB) of Mozambique where the country is getting 50 megawatts.
Any load shedding at the moment will deal a major blow to industry as well as agricultural activities at Grain Marketing Board depots and winter wheat farming that is currently underway.
Zesa in May agreed to pay Eskom about $10 million weekly in a deal that would have seen the debt being liquidated in four months.
At the same time, the power utility agreed to pay for current supplies. Foreign currency shortages have seen Zesa failing to meet the payment obligations. Zimbabwe has been relying on power imports from South Africa and HCB of Mozambique to meet local demand as a way of promoting production in the economy. Zimbabwe consumes about 1 400MW daily.
The country has been receiving steady power supplies since December 2015 as a result of various initiatives such as imports. Zesa is refurbishing its power stations while also working on expansion projects in Kariba and Hwange. The projects take time to complete, forcing the country to rely on power imports. Herald
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At least 11 people have died since Hurricane Irma knocked out the air conditioning at their Florida nursing home. Florida Gov. Rick Scott ended funding for The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills and suspended its license in the wake of the deaths. Now CBS Miami reports four voicemail messages left on Scott's personal cellphone by nursing home staff in the 36 hours before the first resident died were deleted. The Rehabilitation Center says those messages would have been important evidence in an ongoing criminal investigation. Before Irma made landfall, Scott instructed nursing home officials to call his cellphone if there was trouble. The vice president of The Rehabilitation Center says she did just that four times, asking for "immediate assistance" to get power restored for the air conditioning system.
State officials say some of the residents had body temperatures up to 109 degrees when they died. The New York Times reports one 84-year-old appeared to have steam rising from her legs when she arrived at the hospital. A woman whose father went through an AC-less weekend at the nursing home earlier this year tells the Bradenton Heraldwhich has a deep look at the nursing home before and after Irmathe place was a "hellhole" and "torture chamber." When the heat gets up to a certain level, the patients are not breathing right because they are boiling up inside," she says. A spokesperson for Scott's office says they were within their rights to delete the voicemail messages, which were immaterial anyway because "this facility chose not to call 911 or evacuate their patients to the hospital across the street to save lives." (Read more Hurricane Irma stories.)
House Speaker Paul Ryan told officials at a Harley-Davidson motorcycle factory in Menomonee Falls last week that Congress is moving full throttle on tax reform.
Good. America needs a simpler tax code with lower rates and fewer loopholes to stay competitive in the global economy.
But Ryan, R-Janesville, also is hedging on his pledge not to run up the federal deficit in the process.
Thats disturbing.
The federal tax code has become a convoluted mess thats inefficient and expensive to comply with. It includes a high corporate tax rate of 35 percent, and far too many ways for clever tax attorneys to help their wealthy clients avoid paying any taxes at all.
Even former Democratic President Barack Obama said the corporate tax rate has to come down. And like Ryan, he and other Democrats have favored a simpler system.
So Congress should be able to rewrite and streamline the tax code with bipartisan input and cooperation.
Thats how sweeping tax reform was last accomplished more than three decades ago. Republican President Ronald Reagan worked with Democrats in Congress to reach a deal in 1986.
Key to that historic agreement was keeping tax reform revenue neutral, meaning lower rates were offset by the repeal of subsidies and loopholes, among other changes.
Speaker Ryan had touted a similar goal until hedging this month during an interview with the Associated Press. Ryan repeatedly refused to confirm that the tax reform plan hes helping draft will not add to the nations annual deficit, which is approaching $700 billion.
We want pro-growth tax reform that will get the economy going, that will get people back to work, that will give middle-income taxpayers a tax cut and that will put American businesses in a better competitive playing field so that we can keep American businesses in America, Ryan said.
All that sounds good. But the speaker quickly added: That is more important than anything else.
No, its not if by anything else Ryan means further running up Americas debt, which topped $20 trillion this month and is projected to increase $10 trillion over the next decade.
Ryans comments, according to the AP, signaled possible retreat on a core GOP commitment not to add to the ballooning federal deficit. We hope thats not the case. Yet top Republicans on a key Senate panel last week tentatively agreed to a tax cut that would add $1.5 trillion to the debt over the next decade, according to the AP.
Ryan and other top leaders are expected to unveil details of their tax plan this week. Theyre sure to contend that rate cuts will stimulate the economy and bring in more revenue. But banking on a big tax cut to magically pay for itself would be a huge risk. Lawmakers should rely on the analysis of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office instead.
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., calls federal debt a greater threat to our nation than North Korea, Russia or the Islamic State.
Hes right.
Ryan and the rest of Wisconsins congressional delegation should insist that meaningful tax reform move forward in a fiscally responsible way.
British actor Colin Firth says he has taken Italian citizenship as a "sensible" move amid global political uncertainty. Firth, who is married to environmentalist Livia Giuggioli, says he has become a dual UK-Italian citizen, and his wife is applying for British nationality. Their two sons already have dual citizenship. In a statement Saturday, the 57-year-old Firth said he and his wife had never thought much about their different passports, reports the AP, "but now, with some of the uncertainty around, we thought it sensible that we should all get the same."
Firth has been quoted as calling Brexit a disaster. The actor, who has played Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice and King George VI in The King's Speech, said he "will always be extremely British" but also has "a passionate love of Italy." He's not the only Brit getting citizenship elsewhere, notes the AP: Actor Ralph Fiennes got his Serbian passport on Sunday from President Aleksandar Vucic himself. Vucic says "we Serbs are happy to have you as a friend and now a fellow citizen." (Read more Colin Firth stories.)
An upstate New York farm is marking the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in the state in distinctly fall fashion, with a corn maze in the shape of Susan B. Anthony. Stokoe Farms' owner Suzanne Stokoe says she wanted to honor one of Rochester's most famous citizens with the three-acre maze, which features the activist's profile and her house, which has been turned into a museum. "We always look in the community for some way to honor some person or business who has contributed to the Rochester and greater Rochester area," Stockoe tells the Democrat and Chronicle, calling it a "beautiful picture."
This year is the centennial of women's voting rights in New York, reports the AP. Three years later, in 1920, ratification of the 19th Amendment gave all American women the right to vote. The maze is open through the end of October. Weather conditions mean the corn is towering this year, says Stockoe, but don't worry: "We have never lost a person." (Read more Susan B Anthony stories.)
Just days after a monument honoring AK-47 designer Mikhail Kalashnikov was unveiled in Moscow, workers have removed a part of it that showed a German weapon that many believe inspired the renowned assault rifle. The monument features a towering statue of Kalashnikov and an adjacent sculpture of St. George fighting a dragon with an AK-47-tipped spear, reports the AP. Metalwork on the plinth of that statue bore etchings of guns, one of which was discovered to be of the StG44 rifle used by Nazi Germany.
News reports said the gun images were ground off on Friday. Said sculptor Salavat Shcherbakov, per the Guardian: "It looks like this [mistake] sneaked in from the internet." State news agency Tass quoted Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky saying: "There's one big plus in thisnow everyone will exactly know that in their designs the AK and the German assault rifle are absolutely different firearms." (Read more Kalashnikov stories.)
Some of the oldest daguerreotypes and photographs of US landscapes are about to go on display in New Orleans, as part of the first exhibit and study of such landscapes made east of the Mississippi River, the AP reports. Photographs of vast, unspoiled Western vistas are well known, many of them from federal land surveys after the Civil War. Photography had had a while to develop by then"people could take cameras with them into the West," said Russell Lord, curator of photography at the New Orleans Museum of Art. But, he said, "In many ways, when photography comes to the East, people have reshaped the land, and people photograph that process." And, by the end of the century, photographers were taking note of industry's devastation and pushing for preservation of what wilderness remained.
East of the Mississippi: Nineteenth-Century American Landscape Photography will run through Jan. 7 at the New Orleans Museum of Art. "Some of the oldest known photographs in this country are in this exhibit, and many are being shown for the first time everand probably the only time in our lives, because the material is fragile and light-sensitive," said Lord. The oldest include a 1939 daguerreotype of Newburyport, Massachusetts, by Boston-area physician Henry Coit Perkins, andlent by the library of Newcastle University in Englandtwo shots of Niagara Falls taken in 1840 by English scientist Hugh Lee Pattinson. Read more about the exhibit here. (Read more photograph stories.)
Exit polls suggest Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc has finished first in Germany's election, putting her in a position to lead the country for a fourth term, the AP reports. Exit polls conducted for public television channels ARD and ZDF suggested support for Merkel's conservatives was between 32.5% and 33.5% in Sunday's vote. They indicate challenger Martin Schulz's Social Democrats trailed in second place with between 20% and 21% support. The polls also suggested that the anti-migrant, nationalist Alternative for Germany party will enter the national parliament for the first time with 13% to 13.5% support. The Social Democratic Party called the Alternative for Germany party "a right-wing extremist party that doesn't belong in parliament. (Read more Angela Merkel stories.)
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New Delhi:
Amazon has signed a Rs 179.25-crore deal with Shoppers Stop, purchased 5 percent equity in multi retailer Shopper Stop on Saturday and Amazon will sell its products online exclusively on the e-retailer's website.
The board has approved issuing 43.95 lakh equity shares of Rs 5 each, at price of Rs 407.78 a piece, to Amazon.com NV Investment Holdings LLC, Shoppers Stop said in a BSE filing.
Shoppers Stop, managing director Govind Shrikhande said that he will use the funds to continue expanding physical and online retail businesses.
On October 18, the company will hold a general meeting with all the shareholders to seek their approval.
Also Read: CAIT alleges that Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal have violated FDI rules
In a related development, Shoppers Stop also announced it had entered into an exclusive partnership with Amazon Seller Services Pvt. Ltd, PTI reported. In addition to the website of the company and its group companies, the company will exclusively sell its products online on the Amazon.in the marketplace, the company said.
In a bid to increase the dominance in the sphere of the online fashion market, Amazon has tied up with Shopper Stop as Flipkart, Jabong and Myntra have already raged the high heated competition.
Also Read: Flipkart, Amazon and Paytm Mall festive season sales on smartphone breaks last year record
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New Delhi:
The miscreants, who were planning to kidnap a mining trader for ransom, were arrested by police after an encounter in Uttar Pradeshs Ghazipur district on Sunday late night.
Ankit Gupta, who hails from Munshi Pulia in Lucknow, is a renowned mining trader. The miscreants motive was to kidnap the trader and demand for huge ransom.
But the police foiled their plan. The miscreants opened fire on them which left them with no other option instead of retaliating.
All the six miscreants were arrested by the police out of which one was seriously injured.
The police had recovered one revolver and five guns from them.
ALSO READ: Delhi Police arrests most wanted criminal Sonu Dariyapur from Narela
New Delhi:
Newton starring Rajkummar Rao has been selected as India's official entry to Oscars and the team is on cloud nine.
The movie which was released on Friday, September 22 has managed to garner rave reviews from critics and audiences.
The lead actor Rajkummar Rao recently addressed the media at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in Mumbai.
The 33-year old actor said that he will take the help of Bollywood's Mr. Perfectionist Aamir Khan for promoting his film 'Newton' at the Oscars. Aamir's Lagaan made it to the final five of the Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Language Film.
Rao added that he is proud of Lagaan's success and is sure Aamir will help the team for film's promotions.
Read: Dance Plus 3: Silchar's Bir Radha Sherpa takes home the winner trophy
The Bareilly Ki Barfi actor who was accompanied by his girlfriend Patralekha at the event also said that the team will meet and plan a strategy to promote the movie in America.
Newton has turned out to be one of the best Bollywood movies this year. The Amit V Masurkar directorial revolves around an officer who is on a mission to hold free and fair elections in a naxal-controlled town in Chhattisgarh.
The movie also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Raghubir Yadav and Anjali Patil in important roles.
Read: I really miss my beard badly, says a sentimental Ranveer Singh
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New Delhi:
The Baadshah of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan is one of the few actors counted among the top rung of global achievers at the highest level and if one were to attribute his super success to the tutelage of Barry John it wont be an understatement.
But the man himself, i.e. Barry John does not want to take any credit for creating King Khan.
On the sidelines of the Jagran Film Festival in Mumbai, John said, "I didn't create Shah Rukh Khan and I take no credit for that."
On being asked the reason for saying so Barry said, "It's a fact. We came together, we worked in theatre together for a while. It was mostly enjoyable and beneficial to both of us. But then he moved on, he is on another planet now. I don't have any communication with him."
Apart from Shah Rukh, Barry has taught several Bollywood stars like Manoj Bajpayee, Frieda Pinto, Richa Chadha, Arjun Kapoor, and Varun Dhawan among others.
Barry feels that the young actors today have different aspirations but he sees nothing wrong with that.
When asked if the aspiration to attain stardom can corrupt good actors, Barry says, "It's a necessary evil" but it should not overshadow other aspects of filmmaking.
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New Delhi:
The 1997 Man Booker Prize winning author Arundhati Roy launched a veiled attack on Pakistan by calling all governments opportunists.
Roy made this statement after Pakistans Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi while addressing United Nations General Assembly used a quote made by her in 2015.
Roy had said in a statement that the "whole population of Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, and Christians are being forced to live in terror."
Lodhi was replying to India foreign minister Sushma Swarajs hard-hitting speech against Pakistan made on Saturday.
Much of what is in the air in India now is pure terror, in Kashmir, in other places, Lodhi quoted Roy's statement from an article she had written for the Indian Express during the 'Award Vapsi' campaign in 2015.
Also read: UN Assembly: Pakistan diplomat goofs up, brandishes 2014 Gaza Strip image as one from Kashmir
"All governments and their spokespersons are opportunistic. That cannot become a reason for writers and journalists not to write what they have to write," she told Outlook.
Also read: UN General Assembly: Pakistan diplomat piggybacks on Arundhati Roys statement to target India
Arundhati Roy had returned her National Award in 2015 as part of what she called an "unparalleled political movement against ideological viciousness" which was used by Lodhi in her speech who cited Roys quotes to condemn the Indian government.
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New Delhi:
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday sought a detailed report from the Varanasi administration on the violence that erupted in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus following a lathicharge by police on students protesting against increaing eve-teasing incidents in varsity campus.
"I have sought a detailed report from the Varanasi Divisional Commissioner about the entire incident," Adityanath talking to media said in Lucknow.
A large number of students, including women, two journalists were injured in the lathicharge by Uttar Pradesh Police in BHU campus. Several police personnel were also injured.
The University campus on Sunday evening announced holidays from Monday till October 2.
Yogi-government sought a report from the divisional commissioner about the incident as various political parties including the Samajwadi Party criticised the government and condemned the lathicharge on students by police.
According to police, violence in the varsity campus erupted after some students protesting against the alleged eve-teasing incident of Thursday wanted to meet the BHU Vice Chancellor at his residence on Saturday night but were stopped by the university guards.
Also read| BHU lathicharge: UP CM seeks report, Cong leader Raj Babbar stopped from visiting varsity, arrested
A BHU spokesperson said, Students wanted to enter the Vice Chancellors residence forcibly but when stopped by the guards there was stone pelting.
He added that they have learnt that outsiders who had joined the students in the protest had pelted stones.
Akhilesh Yadav, former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and Samajwadi Party president condemned the lathicharge on the BHU students.
The former chief minister said, The government should resolve the issue by talks not lathicharge. Stringent action should be taken against the guilty.
On Saturday night BHU had issued a statement saying the dharna by the students just prior to Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit is being politically motivated to malign the image of the varsity.
Also read| BHU: Security forces use lathicharge against protesting students at campus; 4 injured
Senior administrative and police officials reached the BHU campus to control the situation. Around 1500 policemen have been deployed in the university campus to prevent any untoward incident.
The students of the university have been protesting near the BHUs main gate since Thursday against rise in eve-teasing incidents on the campus.
The protest was largely triggered after a woman student was allegedly harassed by three men on motorcycle inside the varsity campus.
According to the complaint lodged by the victim she was returning to her hostel around 9:00pm when she was abused by men on motorcycle. She raised an alert but university security gurads standing 100 meters away from the incident site did not do anything to stop the men.
The victim informed the warden about the incident but was asked, Why was she was returning late to hostel.
The response by the angered the university students, who later sat on dhrana at main gate from Thursday midnight.
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New Delhi :
Police lathicharge on students protesting at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has drawn criticisms across the country. Senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav on Sunday came in support of the students and condemned the police act.A
The JD(U) leader tweeted, "Lathi charged on girls and students of BHU is highly condemnable as it is sheer banning of freedom of expression and speech & never happened."
Yadav said that the police's action of lathicharge on girl students is highly condemnable and said the issue will be raised in Parliament.
The trigger happened when a female student of the arts faculty on her way to the hostel was teased and harrassed by three men who were bike borne and latter fled.A
An instant violent clash between the students and the police officials occured which injured several from both sides. The university have announced holliday from September 25 till October
Lathi charged on girls and students of BHU is highly condemnable as it is sheer banning of freedom of expression and speech & never happened a SHARAD YADAV (@SharadYadavMP) September 24, 2017
"It has never happened before at BHU. It is sheer violation of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the Constitution," Yadav said in a statement.
"We will raise the issue in Parliament... It is intolerable in a democracy and the government shouldapologise," he said, adding people will take to the streets to protest it. BHU, however, said the protest by the students was "politically motivated" to malign the image of the university.
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Kolkata:
The BSF has enhanced patrolling along 22 sensitive and vulnerable spots in West Bengal and is using local language skills as well as intel to check the influx of Rohingyas into the country.
In most cases, the Rohingyas try to pass themselves off as Bangladeshis if they are apprehended by the BSF, officials said.
To counter this, jawans adept in Bengali language are used for questioning.
If a person crossing the border illegally is apprehended, he is questioned by the jawans. And although Rohingyas try to identify themselves as Bangladeshis, in most of the cases their accent of Bengali betrays them. The accent of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas are a bit different, said a senior BSF official.
A detailed questioning reveals their identity.
Read | Granting refuge to Rohingyas harmful for Indian Muslims: Shiv Sena
The 22 spots are spread across North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, and Krishnanagar districts.
These spots were there but after this issue of Rohingya came up, we have reviewed those sensitive spots from where both Bangladeshis and Rohingyas can cross. We have increased our vigil and are using local skills to identify them, PSR Anajaneyulu, IG, BSF (South Bengal), told PTI.
According to BSF sources in South Bengal frontier, patrolling in those areas has been enhanced and the ground level forces with boosted jawans who are adept in Bengali language.
As many as 175 Rohingyas have been apprehended by the BSF out of which seven were in 2017, BSF officials said.
Read | Rohingyas not refugees because they did not follow due process: Rajnath Singh
The BSF is also enhancing its local source base and working with different central agencies to track the movement and identify Rohingyas.
Of the 4,096-km-long Indo-Bangladesh border, 2,216.7 km is in West Bengal.
Terming the Rohingya refugees as illegal immigrants, the government on September 18 told the Supreme Court that some of them were part of a sinister design of Pakistans ISI and terror groups such as the ISIS, whose presence in the country will pose a serious national security threat.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims, described by the UN as the most persecuted minority in the world, fled their homes in Rakhine state in Myanmar recently to escape a military crackdown.
Read | Rohingya crisis: Bangladesh thanks India for 'Operation Insaniyat' to provide relief material to refugees
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New Delhi:
A Delhi University college professor has been booked for allegedly insulting Hindu Goddess Durga in a post on Facebook.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)- affiliated National Democratic Teachers Front on Saturday late had filed a police complaint against the assistant professor of Delhi University.
Police said a complaint has been lodged against Kedar Kumar Mandal.
Mandal had updated the controversial post on Facebook around 7:43pm but later deleted it.
According to Delhi police Mandal was booked under the Indian Penal Code sections 153A and 295A.
Police official said the particular sections are hate speech laws under which an accused can attract imprisonment between three to five years.
RSS-affiliated ABVP too condemned the post and demanded immediate suspension of the professor.
ABVP college unit in a statement said, We demand his suspension and we request students to boycott his classes. Mandal has provoked sentiments during a festival season.
(With PTI inputs)
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New Delhi:
Home Minister Rajnath Singh is set to visit a Sino-Indian border area in Uttarakhand which has witnessed transgression by China, officials said. During the tour to Barahoti, the home minister will interact with the personnel of the Indo Tibetan Border Police which guards the border outpost located at 14,311 feet.
This is the first visit by a senior minister in theNarendra Modi government to China border after the resolutionof the stand-off in Dokalam.
Singh will also visit ITBP border outposts at Rimkhim (altitude 12,500 feet), Mana (10,500 feet) and Auli (10,200feet) during the four-day trip beginning September 28.
There were reports that on July 25, Chinese soldiers had entered 800 meters into Indian territory in Barahoti, Uttarakhand and stayed for sometime before returning to their own territory.
The home minister will also address the probationers of the IAS, IPS and other services at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie. Further, he will interact with central government's additional secretary rank officials there on the first day of the visit.
The home minister is expected to review the situation on the border, address a 'Sainik Sammelan' and assess the progress in various infrastructure projects, an official said.
The 3,488 km-long India-China border stretches through J&K (1,597 km), Himachal Pradesh (200 km), Uttarakhand (345 km), Sikkim (220 km) and Arunachal Pradesh(1,126 km).
India and China were in a face-off situation for more than two months in Dokalam in Sikkim sector after Indians stopped the construction of a road by China's army.
The Sino-Indian border is not fully demarcated and theprocess of clarifying and confirming the Line of ActualControl is in progress. The area is characterised by high-altitude terrain and thick habitation which have resulted in inadequate developmentof infrastructure in these regions.
To redress the situation arising out of lack of infrastructure along border with China, the government has decided to undertake construction of 73 roads of operational significance.
Of these, 27 roads involving 804.93 km are being constructed by the home ministry in J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh atan estimated cost of Rs 1,937 crore.
With PTI inputs
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New Delhi :
Five people were injured on Sunday morning after terrorists hurled a grenade at CRPF camp near SBI branch in Sopore of Baramulla ditrict of Jammu and Kashmir. A
Two CRPF personnel, one policeman and two civilians were among the injured. A
The incident took place at 9:35 am. The injured were taken to hospital, a senior police official said.
On Thursday, militants hurled a grenade at a senior Jammu and Kashmir minister's cavalcade in Tral , killing two civilians and injuring six people, including two policemen, police had said.
#Visuals J&K: Grenade attack near SBI branch in Sopore in Baramulla district. 3 people injured pic.twitter.com/TTI1XyO2j5 a ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2017
Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Public Works Naeem Akhtar, who was on a tour of Tral, had escaped unhurt in the attack.
"The grenade was reportedly hurled at 11.45 am," a police official had said.
J&K: Grenade attack near #SBI branch in Sopore in Baramulla district. 3 people injured.More details awaited a ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2017
He had said two people -- Ghulam Nabi Trag (56) and 17-year- old Pinky Kour -- were killed, while six others including two policemen were injured in the blast.
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New Delhi:
The Indian Army on Sunday busted terrorist hideout in Handwara of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Army seized huge cache of explosive material, arms, ammunition including anti-aircraft gun.
In a separate incident, a militant was gunned down after an encounter broke out between security forces and militants in Uri area of Baramulla of Jammu and Kashmir.
As per initial reports, the security forces rounded up the militants in the Kalgha area of the district. It is said that 2-3 militants have taken trapped.
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New Delhi:
Indian Army on Sunday busted a terrorist hideout in Jammu and Kashmirs Handawara district and seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition.
The 47 Rashtriya Rifles unit of the Indian Army searched the forest area of Chak Kigam Handwara and a large cache of explosive material, arms and ammunition including one anti-aircraft gun.
Lt Gen JS Sandhu, GoC 15 Corp termed the mission successful and informed more such operations will follow in future to bring peace in the region.
Operation All-Out is very successful. We'll continue with operations to try & bring peace to this place (J&K), Lt Gen JS Sandhu, GoC 15 Corp said.
Also Read | J&K: Two intruders killed after Army foils infiltration bid in Uri sector
Earlier on Saturday, the Jammu and Kashmir police had claimed to have seized over 50 litres of illegal diesel in the Nowgam area of Handwara district.
Meanwhile, Pakistan continued to violate ceasefire in along the LoC and two Jawans were injured in Bhimber Gali sector of Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district.
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New Delhi:
Pakistan on Sunday violated ceasefire in BG sector of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir. Two jawans got injured in the ceasefire violation.
In a separate incident in J&K, a militant was gunned down on Sunday after an encounter broke out between security forces and militants in Uri area of Baramulla of Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier on September 13, Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars along the Line of Control in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir. Two security personnel were injured due to firing by Pakistani troops.
Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively to the provocation.
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New Delhi :
A militant was gunned down on Sunday after an encounter broke out between security forces and militants in Uri area of Baramulla of Jammu and Kashmir.
As per initial reports, the security forces rounded up the militants in the Kalgha area of the district. It is said 2-3 militants have taken trapped.
The encounter was in progress till last reports came in.
On Friday, Security forces had arrested two militants involved in the attack on SSB personnel at Banihal in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Two militants involved in Wednesday's terrorist attack at Banihal have been arrested and a hunt for the third militant is on," a police spokesman had said.
J&K: Encounter underway between Security forces and terrorists in Uri area of Baramulla. ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2017
He had said the arrested militants have been identified as Gazanfar and Arif.
Also Read | J&K: Encounter breaks out between security forces, terrorists in Shopian district; 1 terrorist killed
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New Delhi:
The concerns over safety of children in schools rose to new levels after the brutal murder of 7-year-old student inside Ryan International School in Gurugram. Now, a Delhi Public School student attempted suicide in Kanpurs Kalyanpur branch on Sunday.
As per reports, the DPS Kalyanpur student attempted suicide allegedly after being troubled by teachers. The student is hospitalised in a critical condition.
The student alleged in the suicide note that he was troubled by teachers and school principal.
Incidents related to schools have significantly gone up since the Ryan International school murder case.
In a separate incident in Uttar Pradesh, two students of Maa Durgaji Senior Secondary Vidyalaya went missing for more than 28 hours in Jaunpur.
As per reports, the Principal of school had beaten them and asked them to go home from school at 12 PM. But, the students failed to reach their homes.
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New Delhi:
A day before the death, senior journalist KJ Singh had spotted a suspicious man moving around his house, his brother BP Singh told the investigators.
Singh had informed his elder brother that "between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm, he had spotted a person moving around his house. Not only this, the man has also tried to open the gate of his house as well, the police sources said.
KJ Singh, a senior journalist from Punjab, and his 92-year-old mother Gurcharan Kaur were found dead in suspicious circumstances. Their bodies were found at their Mohali house in Phase 3B2 on Saturday.
Singh used to stay with his mother in a one-Kanal corner house, adjacent to a park. Police have also found some footprints along the railing in the park.
KJ Singh had last spoken to BP Singh, who stays in Sector 41, Chandigarh, around 7 pm, said their nephew Preet Inder. The senior journalist had also exchanged some WhatsApp messages with his friends till about 8 pm.
The double murder first came to light at 1 pm on Saturday when KJ Singhs sister Yashpal Kaur reached his house along with her son Ajay Pal. They were there to give them lunch, said Alam Vijay Singh, deputy superintendent of police (city) Mohali.
Also Read: KJ Singh, senior journalist and 92-year-old mother murdered in Mohali
The two found blood on the main door that was bolted from outside and the blood trail led to the rooms where the bodies were found.
Punjab Police have set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case. Initial investigations reveal that the attackers left the crime scene in the victim's car.
Still now, the motive behind the murder remains unclear and police have ruled out robbery Police have ruled out robbery as the reason behind the double murder.
Apart from KJ Singh's green ford Ikon car (PB 65 0164), his mother's and his mobile phones and an LCD television are also missing.
The senior journalist, who was freelancing for a Canadian magazine, had a studio with expensive recording equipment in the house. But nothing from the studio, including the laptop, is missing. Singhs gold chain was also intact.
Police are investigating the case through scanning footage from two closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed a couple of houses away.
According to the police, KJ Singh was stabbed in the stomach and neck. KJ Singh was first stabbed in the stomach near the main door as one of the slippers that he was wearing was found at that place.
KJ Singh's body was found lying on his bed and his mother was found dead with her legs hanging out of the bed.
By observing the crime situation it seemed that Singh had struggled with the attackers as blood was found all over the floor in the room.
I came around 9 am and rang the bell at the gate, but no one answered, so I returned, Rekha told police. Rekha came back an hour later, but no one opened the door again.
Police said the victims family members, too, had been calling him, but he didnt return the calls. The exact time of the death would be known after the postmortem, said DSP Alam Vijay Singh.
Also Read: Gauri Lankesh murder: Karnataka SIT to take help of Scotland Yard; to question brother, Naxal leaders
KJ Singh was single, taking care of his sick mother dedicatedly. Yashpal Kaur, his sister used to stay with them about five months ago. She still brought lunch for them
Her son Ajay Pal said Singh used to cook breakfast and dinner for his mother and even slept in her room to assist her.
KJ Singh used to read a book before going to sleep. But to ensure his mother was not disturbed, he recently purchased a headlight. On Friday, he even received a parcel of an anti-slip mat for his mother.
Ajay Pal said he had talked to his uncle on Friday noon.
He wanted to eat chhole-bhature and we had bought it for him today, he said.
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New Delhi:
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has seeked a detail report on the lathicharge incident on Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on Sunday evening.A
The university has been burning since Saturday night after the police lathicharged on students including girls who have been protesting eve teasing incidents within the varsity campus. A Violence broke between the students and police officials. Injuries were reported from both sides.
Around 1500 policemen and PAC personnel have been deployed in order to maintain law and order. The trigger was an incident in which a woman student of Arts faculty alleged harassment by three men on a motorcycle inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel.
Students at the varsity decided to protest against the incident as the authority denied any kind of support to them. The three men abused her and fled when she resisted their attempts, according to the complainant.A A
"An unfortunate incident took place with one of our students; we're committed to stringent action and did so too," said BHU VC Girish Chandra Tripathi.A
Here are the live updates:
# Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath seeks detail report on BHU incident
# UP Congress Committee chairman Raj Babbar reaches Varanasi, might be arrested on way to BHU
#A Youth Congress stage protest in Delhi against lathicharge on Banaras Hindu University students.
# The university have announced holliday from September 25 till October 2.
# We had information that some anti-social elements will try to disturb the environment of the University: BHU VC Girish Chandra Tripathi.A
Badi maatra mein bahaar se log aaye jinhone iss andolan ko hawa dene ki koshish ki: #BHU VC Girish Chandra Tripathi pic.twitter.com/PXkaDPxmwd a ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2017
# I agreed to their viewpoint. Safety and security is important, will have to consider various aspects with regard to safety in University: BHU VC
Some complained about installation of CCTVs; it is under process. Some girls said University should be more sensitive towards safety: BHU VC pic.twitter.com/hvdQoGz2bU a ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2017
# Some complained about installation of CCTVs; it is under process. Some girls said University should be more sensitive towards safety: BHU VC
# The student initially had complaints with the University, but now that is not the case: BHU VC Girish Chandra Tripathi
# An unfortunate incident took place with one of our students; we're committed to stringent action and did so too: BHU VC Girish Chandra Tripathi
# Students sit-in protest again in the universityA
#A Police chases down female students who were holding peace march in BHU
#A Varanasi: Security increased outside BHU after clashes between students and police personnel last night
Varanasi: Security increased outside BHU after clashes between students and police personnel last night pic.twitter.com/PkHPvj68xu a ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2017
# Centre should find solution by interaction and not by force. Lathicharge on students is condemnable. Action should be taken against culprits, says Akhilesh YadavA
#A Boys were lathicharged but even girls were not spared. We were even given the choicest abuses
Boys were lathicharged but even girls were not spared. We were even given the choicest abuses: Protesting student #Varanasi pic.twitter.com/oZD1VHPj8M a ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2017
#A Students alleged that BHU administration indulged in victim shaming after one student had reported an incident of molestation to them
#A Lathicharge by Police on protesting students at Banaras Hindu University
Lathicharge by Police on protesting students at Banaras Hindu University,clashes also broke out (earlier visuals) pic.twitter.com/StNQxBwM3W a ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2017
The woman alleged that security guards, about 100 metres from where the incident happened, did nothing to stop the men.A She said her warden, instead of taking up the issue with her superiors, asked her why was she returning late to the hostel.
The wardenas response angered the studentas colleagues, who sat on a adharnaa at the main gate midnight Thursday.
One of the students even got her head tonsured.
The protest is continuing. It had forced authorities to change the planned route for Prime Minister Narendra Modias convoy yesterday.
The students said they have to face eve-teasers inside the campus regularly and the varsity administration was not taking any action to stop the miscreants.
Police and BHU professors tried to pacify the students on Saturday, but they refused to end their protest and sought assurance from the university vice chancellor.
A large number of police personnel have been deployed near the campus as a security precaution, said the police.
Last night, the BHU issued a statement saying the adharnaa by the students just a day before Modias visit was apolitically motivateda to malign the image of the university.
The university also said that security guards were regularly patrolling the campus and assistance from the police is sought from time-to-time to maintain peace in the campus. A
With PTI inputs
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New Delhi :
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday delivered his monthly radio broadcast to the nation via All India Radio. Apart from others, one of the main point was that today was the third annivarsary of the popular show.A
The PM congratulated the media in spreading the positive aspects of the clean India mission called Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. In perticular PM Modi congratulated 18 year old Kashmiri youth Bilal Dar who earns a meagre living by ragpicking and has been made the brand ambassador by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation.A
Bilal Dar who is a resident of J&K's Bandipora was overwhelmed when he found his name being mentioned in the PM's address to the nation.A
Speaking to the media an excited Bilal Dar acknowledged his mention in the Mann Ki Baat programme and requested the PM to help him find a job since he is the only earning member of the family.A
Grateful Modi ji mentioned me. It is my request to him to please do something for my employment;there is no one else earning in family:Bilal pic.twitter.com/99QQ3LyyS0 a ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2017
According to reports from Hindustan Times Bilal picked all kinds of plastic trash from the Wular Lake and used to sell it at Rs 150-200 per day. His dedication is noticed by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and is given an uniform and vehicle to spread awareness. A
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New Delhi:
Pakistans permanent representative to United Nations Maleeha Lodhi attempted to malign Indias image in the UN General Assembly by showcasing fake image of pellet gun victim responding to Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs attack.
Lodhi, exercising the right to reply to Indian external ministers statement that Pakistan is pre-eminent export factory for terror said, Swaraj was indulging in an orgy of slander against Pakistan.
She also accused India of carrying out a campaign of brutality inside Kashmir and crimes against humanity
The Pakistani permanent member to prove her point brandished a photo of a girl wounded badly which showed face of a woman peppered with wounds.
Brandishing the video she said, This is the face of Indian democracy."
In her reply to Indian FM's speech in UNGA, Amb. Lodhi showed a pic of pellet gun injured women frm Kashmir saying this is the face of India pic.twitter.com/StuG3arPoN Pakistan Mission UN (@PakistanUN_NY) September 24, 2017
The photo was also tweeted by official account of Twitter account of Pakistani mission to the UN.
The Photo brandished by Lodhi was taken by Heidi Levine in 2014 inside the Gaza strip. According to details featured in several photo galleries posted online including New York Times in their article said that the girl was injured in an Israeli airstrike. The media had reported that the injured girl to be Rawai Abu Joma.
Also read: Look who is talking, Sushma Swaraj ridicules Pakistan at UNGA
The girl was injured in 2014 airtsrike two years before unrest broke out in Jammu and Kashmir valley after Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani was gunned down in an encounter by the Indian Army.
Swaraj while addressing the 72nd UNGA session in New York had said, India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistans nefarious export of terrorism.
(With Agency inputs)
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New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will share his thoughts in his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat at All India Radio on Sunday.
This edition of PMs Mann Ki Baat will be a special one as it will complete 3 years on Sunday and will be the 36th address. It will be exciting to see
The programme will be broadcast at 11 am on All India Radio and Doordarshan. Apart from this, it will also be streamed on YouTube channels of the PMs Office and Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
The regional versions of the Mann Ki Baat will be originated by the capital AIR stations in non-Hindi speaking zones immediately after its Hindi broadcast.
ALSO READ: PM Modi condemns Dera violence in Mann Ki Baat address | Heres full text
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New Delhi :
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for acknowledging Congress governmentsa vision and legacy for setting up IITs and IIMs in country in UNGA speech.
The Congress vice-president wrote on Twitter, aSushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs.a
Swaraj in her speech asked Pakistani leaders to introspect as to why India is recognised as a global IT superpower while the neighbour is infamous as the "pre-eminent export factory for terror".
Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs a Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 24, 2017
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New Delhi:
Pakistan on Saturday termed Indian Government 'fascist' and India 'mother of terrorism in South Asia' during its right to reply to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's speech at UNGA.
Addressing the UN general assembly on Saturday, Swaraj tore into the neighbouring country, calling Pakistan a pre-eminent exporter of terror.
In its reply, Pakistan's permanent representative to UN, Maleeha Lodhi, said that India sponsored and aided terrorism against all its neighbours, Pak media reported.
Read | Sushma Swaraj at UNGA: India produced scholars, scientists, Pakistan created terrorists
According to reports, Lodhi termed BJP government a fascist regime and once again raked up the issue of the use of pellets in Kashmir.
India was ruled by a fascist ideology and it should stop supporting across-the-border terrorism, she said.
Referring to BJP's ideological parent, the Pak diplomat reportedly said that the leadership of the BJP government was drawn from the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) that is accused of assassinating Mahatma Gandhi.
Read | MEA envoy slams Pakistan for accusing India of war crimes, terms it 'Terroristan' for exporting global terrorism
New Delhis current political luminaries belong to a political organisation that has the blood of thousands of Muslims of Gujarat on their hands, Lodhi said, referring to the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The Pakistani envoy also criticised Yogi Adityanaths election in Uttar Pradesh, saying the government has appointed a fanatic as the chief minister of Indias largest state.
It is a government, which has allowed the lynching of Muslims.
Lodhi raised the issue pellet gun use in Kashmir by waving a picture of a woman whose face was scarred, with what looked like pellet-gun wounds. She said that Pakistan is open to a comprehensive bilateral dialogue but the agenda must include Kashmir.
Read | Pakistan PM Abbasi accuses India of human rights violations in Kashmir, asks UN to appoint special envoy
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New Delhi:
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit the India-China border areas in Uttarakhand which have been witnessing trespassing by Chinas Peoples Liberation Army recently.
According to officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Singh will be visiting Barahoti and interact with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which has the responsibility of guarding the border outpots at an altitude of 14,311 feet.
The MHA officials also said that the minister will be visiting Rimkhim (12,500 feet), Mana (10,500 feet) and Auli (10,200 feet) during his four-days trip.
According to MHA officials the home minister will review the situation on the border and assess the progress in various infrastructure projects.
Singh will be in a four-days visit to Uttarakhand and the trip starts on September 28.
The MHA officials also added that Singh will be addressing the probationers of IAS, IPS and other services at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie.
India shares 3,488 km-long border with China, which stretches through Jammu and Kashmir (1,597 km), Himachal Pradesh (200 km), Uttarakhand (345 km), Sikkim (220 km) and Arunachal Pradesh (1,126 km).
The Indian and Chinese troops were in a face-off situation for more than at least two months in Doklam in Sikkim sector after Indians stopped the construction of a road by China's army.
(With PTI inputs)
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New Delhi:
Scientists have been doing wonders one after another over the decades and their popularity has now grown by leaps and bounds. Their achievement has touched such a height that your wisdom may even be measured in a while.
Yes! An atypical study led by a group of researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine has discovered an amazing tool that may even assess the level of wisdom of an individual.
According to researchers, the scale is based upon a conceptualisation of wisdom as a trait with a neurobiological as well as psychosocial basis and they named it after the name of San Diego School of Medicine.
Talking about their latest findings Dilip Jeste, director of UC San Diego Centre for Healthy Ageing has said, "There is evidence to suggest that the level of wisdom is dictated to a large degree by neurobiology, and that distinct regions and systems in the brain govern the identified components of wisdom."
"There are measures now that assess a persons level of wisdom, but they do not incorporate these emerging neurobiological models of the trait. SD-WISE reflects the latest thinking. We believe it may be a useful tool in clinical practice, in addition to its value in bio-psycho-social research, especially investigations into the neurobiology of wisdom and possible interventions to enhance it," Dilip added further.
Also Read: Breastfeeding may decrease risk of asthma in children, says study
The day-long study was conducted on 524 residents of San Diego county, ages 25 to 104, from an on-going longitudinal investigation called the Successful Ageing Evaluation (SAGE) study and researchers mainly focused on physical, cognitive, and psychosocial aspects of successful ageing across the adult lifespan.
At present there are two existing measures i.e., the 12-item Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale and the 40-item Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale and participants went through the SD-WISE along with the two.
"Both scales are well-established and well-respected," Michael Thomas, assistant professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine was quoted as saying.
"They have demonstrated reliability and validity as scientific tools and were good measures against which to compare SD-WISE," Thomas added.
Moreover, the study finds that six specific domains are mainly responsible to define wisdom and quite interestingly all these domains are linked to distinct regions of the brain, based upon neuroimaging and other scientific evidence.
For example, the domain of prosocial attitudes and behaviours, such as empathy, altruism and social cooperation, is facilitated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which are located in the front part of the brain and said to be responsible to complex executive functions.
Other domains manage other signifivant factors such as social decision-making, emotional regulation, reflection/self-understanding, tolerance of diverse values, and ability to effectively deal with uncertainty and ambiguity in life.
Also Read | Having coffee on a daily basis may add extra years to your life: Study
Meanwhile, five of those domains are successfully measured by SD-WISE and the study has shown effective distinctions between individuals differing degrees of wisdom.
Researchers along with Dilip Jeste described SD-WISE as a reliable and valid scale and published their latest findings in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.
New Delhi:
Now a days, most of the weight loss surgeries are performed using minimally invasive techniques, but still are not fully safe and secure.
People opt for a bariatric surgery after several usual weight losing techniques and home made remedies fail to do wonders in life of an obsese person.
Latest media reports suggest that, a Chennai woman breathed her last at Lifeline Institute of Minimal Access in KilpaukA while going through the process and was reportedly about of 160 kilos.
There are reports that, A.Valarmathi was a native of Keezhnaachipatti village in Tiruvannamalai district.
Though three children of Valarmathi had also gone under the surgery, the process proved deadly for her as she succumbed to death after facing some serious kind of complications.
Also Read: Now you can measure an individual's wisdom with SD-WISE scale
Talking about Valarmathi's recent demise her husband Alagesan said, "We came for obesity treatment for my wife. Doctors said that they will do weight loss surgery for four in our family. They said that we do not have to bear all the costs and just have to pose for photographs before and after the surgery."
According to sources, the family has spent a huge amount for medicines and consultations till the time and nine more surgeries were scheduled to be done in near future.
After Valarmathis death family members claim that medical negligence is the main reason behind the tragedy and filed a police complaint over the same.
Kilpauk Police registered a case under section 174 of CrPC (suspicious death). The body was moved to the Government hospital for autopsy.
Also Read: Weight loss can reverse Type 2 Diabetes, says study
"The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. Only after the receipt of the post-mortem reports will we approach the Medical Council of India for further action in the case. After obtaining the necessary clearance, we may decide on the further course of action,"A V. Balan, Inspector of Police, Kilpauk was quoted while talking about the same.
New York:
US President Donald Trump warned North Korea, saying if the country's foreign minister was echoing thoughts of his supreme leader Kim Jong-Un in his threatening speech at the UN, "they won't be around much longer."
North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Saturday attacked Trump at the UN General Assembly, deriding him as a 'mentally deranged' leader whose threats had increased the chances of military confrontation.
"Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!" Trump tweeted last night.
In his speech, Ri had said that the US and its allies should "think twice" before threatening his country. He said that by repeatedly calling Kim "Rocket Man,"Trump is making "our rocket's visit to the entire US main land inevitable all the more."
Also Read: 'Not much' of a nuclear deal after Iran tests missile: Trump
The foreign minister also said Trump is a "gambler who grew old using threats, frauds and all other schemes to acquire a patch of land." Ri jumped into the nickname game as well, saying Americans call Trump the "Commander in Grief," "Lyin' King," and "President Evil."
Trump and Kim have traded increasingly threatening and personal insults as Pyongyang races towards its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the US.
Tensions have dramatically risen on the Korean peninsula after North Korea early this month conducted its biggest nuclear test, which its state-run KCNA news agency described as a hydrogen bomb.
Also Read: Kim Jong-Un mocks Trump, calls him mentally deranged: KCNA
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New Delhi:
Myanmar Army have claimed that a mass grave of at least 28 Hindus killed by the Muslim Rohingya militants have been discovered in the violence wracked Rakhine state on Sunday.
A statement posted on the army chief's website said, Security members found and dug up 28 dead bodies of Hindus who were cruelly violently and killed by ARSA extremist Bengali terrorists in Rakhine State."
According the Myanmar Army the murders have been carried out by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). The groups attacks on army and police posts triggered an army backlash.
The army also said that they have recovered 20 dead women and eight men including six boys under the age of 10 in the graves.
Army officials further said the bodies have been recovered from Ye Baw Kya village.
Also read| Rohingya violence: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres restraint by Myanmar forces to avoid 'catastrophe'
Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay confirmed the discovery of the bodies.
According to United Nations 430,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh in the last few months.
According to Myanmar government around 30,000 Hindus and Buddhists have also been displaced due to the terror attacks by ARSA militants.
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New Delhi:
Due to the security concern, Bangladesh has banned telecommunication companies from selling mobile phone connections to Rohingya refugees. During the ban phase, if any Bangladesh mobile phone provider will give phone plans to nearly 430,000 newly arrived refugees from Myanmar will be fine.
Junior telecoms minister Tarana Halim has justified the ban, saying that the decision to impose a communication blackout on the stateless Muslim minority has done because of security reasons.
Within six months the ban will be lifted as biometric identity cards are issued to the newly arrived refugees.
It is the latest restriction imposed on the Rohingya who have fled in huge numbers from violence in neighbouring Rakhine state into squalid camps in Bangladesh's southernmost Cox' Bazar district in the past four weeks.
The nearly 430,000 refugees have been herded by the military into a handful of overstretched camps near the border, where tens of thousands live in the open without shelter.
Also Read: BSF uses local intel, language skills to curb Rohingya influx
Many have been evicted from squatting in forest and farmlands by police and soldiers, who have been ordered to keep the Rohingya from seeking shelter in major cities and nearby towns.
Roadblocks have been erected along major routes from the camp zones, where a dire shortage of food, water, shelter and toilets is creating what aid groups describe as a humanitarian crisis.
Some 5,100 have already been stopped at these checkpoints and returned to the designated camps, police said.
"We have set up 11 check posts across the Cox's Bazar highway to stop the Rohingya refugees from spreading further toward the interior," Cox's Bazar police chief Iqbal Hossain told reporters.
Also Read: Rohingyas not refugees because they did not follow due process: Rajnath Singh
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New Delhi:
Pakistans permanent representative to United Nations Maleeha Lodhi quoted Indian novelist Arundhati Roy to attack External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in the UN General Assembly after she said Islamabad as the worlds greatest exporter of havoc, death and humanity.
Lodhi to target India, piggybacked on the acclaimed writers 2015 statement and stated in the UN Assembly on Saturday, Much of what is in the air in India now is pure terror, in Kashmir, in other places."
Lodhi quoting Roys November 2015 statement siad, These horrific murders are only a symptom. Life is hell for the living too. Whole populations of Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, and Christians are being forced to live in terror, unsure of when and from where the assault would come.
Also read| UN Assembly: Pakistan diplomat goofs up, brandishes 2014 Gaza Strip image as one from Kashmir
The Pakistani diplomat while replying to Swaraj also said, India is a racist and fascist ideology is firmly embedded in Modis government and that its leadership is drawn from the RSS which is accused of assassinating Mahatma Gandhi.
Slamming the BJP government further Lodhi said, The government has appointed a fanatic as the Chief Minister of Indias largest state Uttar Pradesh.
It is a government, which has allowed the lynching of Muslims, added the Pakistani diplomat.
Also read: EAM Sushma Swaraj hits Pakistan left, right and centre at UNGA, top quotes
Swaraj earlier in the day had said that Pakistan was only interested in fighting India and sponsoring state terrorism.
(With Agency Inputs)
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Washington:
US forces carried out six "precision air strikes" against an Islamic State camp in Libya, killing 17 people, the US Africa Command said on Sunday.
The command said the air strikes were conducted on Friday, in coordination with Libya's Government of National Accord, hitting a desert camp 240 kilometers southeast of the city of Sirte.
"The camp was used by ISIS to move fighters in and out of the country; stockpile weapons and equipment; and to plot and conduct attacks", it said in a statement using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group.
The air strikes were believed to be the first in Libya by US forces since US President Donald Trump took office in January.
Read more: Bodies of 28 Hindus killed by Rohingya discovered from mass grave
The last known US air strikes were carried out in early January under then-president Barack Obama, targeting two IS camps where militants were suspected of actively planning operations in Europe.
The US statement said 17 IS militants were killed and three vehicles were destroyed in Friday's strikes. It provided few other details.
"The United States will track and hunt these terrorists, degrade their capabilities and disrupt their planning and operations by all appropriate, lawful, and proportional means, including precision strikes against their forces, terror training camps and lines of communication, as well as partnering with Libyan forces to deny safe havens for terrorists in Libya", the command said.
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. To do so, first type the original number into the text box. Then click on the "Scientific Notation" option located at the top of the floating window. Finally, click on the "Standard" button found beneath the text box to display your result. This program is useful for scientists and engineers working with decimal-based numbers. It provides easy access to those who need to convert those numbers into more compact forms without having to do heavy math calculations first.
Scientific notation is a way to express very large or very small numbers. It is used in physics, chemistry and other fields where large numbers are common. Those numbers are written as a power of 10 followed by a number with an exponent. For example, 1,000,000 (one million) is written as 1 103. The exponent shows how many zeros are after the first digit. For example, 1,000,001 is written as 1 102. Scientific notation is a useful tool for making calculations easier. You can use it to write down very big or very small numbers in one step instead of writing out both the large and small numbers separately. You can also use it to express large or small numbers in terms of other units like centimeters or millimeters.
Scientific notation solver is an online tool that can be used to convert any number into scientific notation. Simply enter any number to the left of the decimal point and it will automatically convert it into a scientific notation equivalent. This web tool can be very helpful when you need to convert a large number into scientific notation. However, please note that this online tool can only convert numbers that are in scientific format. For example, it cannot convert a non-scientific number like "1,085" into a scientific notation equivalent. It is also important to keep in mind that this web tool only works when converting numbers from one particular format to another. For example, if you want to change a non-scientific number like "1,085" into standard format, then you will have to use another online tool like NumberFormatting.com.
Carol Kaliff / Carol Kaliff
BETHEL Residents are invited to Plumtrees Schoolhouse on Oct. 1 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the schoolhouse.
The schoolhouse was built in 1867 on land donated by Eliza Benedict. As a one-room schoolhouse, it housed students from first through seventh grade. During this time, Bethel had five school districts each with its own schoolhouse. The schoolhouse was open until 1970. At its closing, it was the last operating one-room schoolhouse in the country.
Tuesday
The Milford Chamber of Commerce Tuesday Morning Leads Group: meets at 8:30 a.m. at the Chamber, 5 Broad St., Milford. Call 203-878-0681.
The Rotary Club of Hamden: meets each Tuesday. For meeting time and location please visit the calendar section of their website at www.hamdenctrotary.org.
The Rotary Club of New Haven: meets at 12:15 p.m. at the Graduate Club, 155 Elm St. Call 203-624-3197.
The Rotary Club of North Haven: meets at 7:15 a.m. at the Breakfast Nook, 448 Washington Ave. Visit www.nhrotary.org.
Wednesday
The Rotary Club of Branford: meets from 7:15 to 8:30 a.m. at the Parthenon Diner, 374 E. Main St., Branford. Call 203-315-2444, ext. 450.
The Devon Rotary: meets at 7:30 a.m. at the Bridge House Restaurant, 49 Bridgeport Ave., Milford. Visit www.devonrotary.org.
The Greater New Haven chapter of Toastmasters International: meets at 6:30 p.m. at New Haven City Hall, 165 Church St. Call 203-287-0037.
The Milford Chamber of Commerce Wednesday Morning Leads Group: meets at 8:30 a.m. at the Chamber, 5 Broad St., Milford. Call 203-878-0681.
The Rotary Club of Guilford: meets at 12:15 p.m. at The Maritime Grille, 2548 Boston Post Road, Guilford. Call 203-453-0774.
The Greater New Haven Business & Professional Association: meets at 11 a.m. at 192 Dixwell Ave. Call 203-562-2193.
The Rotary Club of Wallingford: meets at 12:10 p.m. at Il Monticello, 577 S. Broad St., Meriden. Call 203-235-3816.
North Branford Rotary: meets at 6 p.m. at Nataz, 2025 Foxon Road. Call 203-484-7707.
The Greater New Haven Breakfast Club: meets at 8 a.m. at Clarks Pizza & Restaurant, 68 Whitney Ave., New Haven. Email info@rosnerdoherty.com.
The Rotary Club of West Haven: meets at 12:15 p.m. at Apps Ristorante, 283 Captain Thomas Blvd.
Thursday
The Middlesex County Toastmasters: meets from 7-8:30 p.m., Wesleyan University, Exley Science Center (Woodhead Lounge), 265 Church St., Middletown, http://middlesex.toastmastersclubs.org.
The Madison Rotary Club: meets at 8 a.m. at the Madison Senior Center, 29 Bradley Road. Call Robert Anderson, 203-907-9032.
The Clinton Rotary Club: meets 6:30 p.m. at Clinton Country Club, Old Westbrook Road. Call Dee Tully at 860-388-7013.
The East Haven Rotary Club: meets at 5:45 p.m. at Twin Pines Diner Restaurant, 34 Main St., East Haven.
The Milford Rotary Club meets: from 12:15-1:15 p.m. at Gusto Restaurant, 255 Boston Post Road. Visit www.milfordrotary.org.
Friday
The Orange Rotary Club: meets at 12:15 p.m. at Racebrook Country Club, 246 Derby Ave. Call 203-799-2327.
The Milford Chamber of Commerce Friday Morning Leads Group: meets at 11 a.m. at the Chamber, 5 Broad St., Milford. Call 203-878-0681.
Send notices of business events to Business Datebook, New Haven Register, 100 Gando Drive, New Haven 06513 or email to business@nhregister.com, at least a week before the event.
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NEW HAVEN Police have made two arrests in connection with two shootings last weekend in the city.
Dwayne Green, 27, of Kensington Street, New Haven, was arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree assault, criminal possession of a pistol, carrying a pistol without a permit, first-degree robbery, second-degree larceny and first-degree reckless endangerment.
During the investigation of the shooting, two New Haven police officers spoke with the victim at the hospital, where he was able to provide a good description of his assailant. The man said he rushed to the aid of a woman who was being robbed at gunpoint, and during his intervention he was shot in the groin by Green, police said. Green took the womans bag and fled in a black Nissan Maxima that was familiar to police, according to a police news release.
With the help of Adult Probation and members of the New Haven Police Shooting Task Force, Green was located.
On Sunday, New Haven police were called by a 52-year-old man who said he had been shot two days earlier outside 199 Franklin St., police said. The man told police a ricocheted bullet had struck his ankle.
Phillip Swain Holmes, Jr., 30, of Elizabeth Street, West Haven, was charged with criminal attempt to commit assault in the first degree, unlawful discharge of a firearm, first-degree reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a pistol or revolver. He was arrested while visiting with his probation officer, according to the news release.
The shooting resulted from a heated argument between the victim and Holmes, police said.
This appeared in Tuesday's Washington Post:
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Carter Hill, age 4, was strapped in his car seat and being driven down the highway when he was shot in the head in a road rage incident on Aug. 6. What is just as horrifying is that Carter was one of at least 10 children who was shot in the United States that day. Daily gun violence that maims and kills children is par for the course in this country, and that is the most terrible thing of all.
The struggle to save Carter's life and the cost of his near-fatal injuries were detailed by The Washington Post in the latest installment of a searing series that examines the impact of violence on children. Shot just before midnight in a car driven by his mother, the boy was among the last victims of a stretch of gun violence that day that included a 2-year-old who fatally shot himself in Missouri after he got hold of a gun, a 16-year-old girl killed in Virginia by a bullet meant for someone else and a 14-year-old boy shot to death as he stood on his porch in Chicago.
Analysis by The Post of the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission showed that on average, 23 children were shot each day in the United States in 2015. Of the approximately 8,400 shootings, 1,458 were fatal, a death toll that exceeds the entire number of U.S. military fatalities in Afghanistan this decade. The Post's analysis is in keeping with previous studies, including a report published in June in Pediatrics, that have established gun-related deaths as the third-leading cause of death overall among Americans ages 1 to 17.
The impact of gun violence on children - including the trauma to children who survive or witness it - represents a crisis, a serious public-health problem that demands attention. That, as one emergency-room doctor observed, "people just don't want to talk about it" is due in large measure to a national gun lobby that has used its clout to shut down debate and close off consideration of basic and sensible protections that enjoy widespread support. Instead of enacting legislation to require safe storage of firearms - a move that would save countless lives lost to teen suicides and accidental shootings by toddlers - members of Congress who are compliant to the National Rifle Association push unrestricted sales of silencers because of the supposed health crisis to the hearing of hunters.
The surgeon who successfully operated on Carter has treated at least 30 children struck by gunfire in his career. His first night as a neurosurgery intern in 2011 saw the case of a 17-year-old who had been shot "clean through" the back of the head. "There's nothing we can do," the doctor recalls telling the boy's mother.
Congress doesn't have that excuse.
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Charles Art Heidtman waited 72 years to receive the medals he earned while serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. They were all delivered within the last year and are now prominently displayed in a shadow box.
While serving in The 8th Armored Division, Company A, the 92-year-old vet received 10 medals, yet on the day the war ended he was sent home empty handed.
I was in England in the hospital, when I got shot, and they wanted me to fall out for my medals, he recalls. I looked at the weather, pouring rain, everything was lousy and I said, To hell with the medals, I didnt go out.
I was a little thick headed then, he admits.
Heidtmans son-in-law, Bob Wilson, was instrumental in obtaining the medals.
It took a year, Wilson says, laughing. Art was mentioning, he has a book here about his army division that we were looking through one day and he mentioned, You know, I never got my medals.
As a Navy Seabees vet, Wilson, of Milford, knew how important it was to get these medals for his father-in-law. With Heidtmans discharge papers in hand the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs Milford office worked with the VA Records Management Center in St. Louis, requesting anything Art was entitled to, recalls Wilson.
The awards were shipped to Wilson and his wife, Heidtmans daughter, Nancy Wilson, as soon as they were received by the St. Louis office. Some of the medals had to be specially ordered and the final ones arrived just about a month ago. Battlezone Army & Navy store in Orange artfully arranged them in the shadow box for Heidtman to enjoy.
The medals include The Purple Heart, The Bronze Star, Combat Infantryman 1st Award WWII, European African Middle Eastern Campaign with three Bronze Service Stars, World War II Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Honorable Service Lapel Button WWII, Expert Badge with Machine Gun Bar and Rifle Bar, American Campaign Medal and Marksman Badge with Carbine Bar.
I thanked him many times, says Heidtman, pointing to Wilson. He did a lot of work to get them.
Looking at the medals, Heidtman says he should have received two purple hearts. He was shot twice, once in the foot and once in the stomach. It was when he was recuperating from the stomach wound that the war ended and he was sent home, via hospital ship, without his medals.
When Heidtman was 13-years-old his family moved to Guilford where they lived at their family farm, Heidtman Farm, on Long Hill Road. He recalls that his father owned 60 acres of land where Copper Hill Drive condominiums are now located.
Thinking back to when he left Guilford and his family for the frontlines, he says I was glad to leave Guilford.
I fought in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland and Germany. I was armored. I travelled a lot.
His youthful experience driving farm equipment served him well when he reported for training. He was assigned to be a tank driver.
They said What kind of a job did you have before you came here? he recalls. I told them I was a farmer. What did you grow? Potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce. Oh, yeah, did you ever drive a tractor? I said, All day. To which they replied, Good, tanks.
After a year stateside, in Massachusetts and Louisiana, Heidtman landed in Le Havre, France and fought in numerous battles, including the Battle of the Bulge and the European African Middle Eastern Campaign.
He also talks about the hardships he endured while overseas.
It was cold, down below zero in Germany, he says, recalling trudging through snowy conditions with worn boots. We had three pair of socks on. The heels were worn out and the bottom of my feet were worn out.
We damn near froze to death over there and then some of guys had a blanket and where they got it from I dont know. They had a blanket. Jealousy, somebody had a blanket and I didnt.
Then there was the time when his unit came upon a concentration camp during the Battle of the Bulge.
I opened up two concentration camps, he says. Not big ones, small ones.
I told them, Come on, youre free,
He remembers the field of turnips right outside the gates that the prisoners voraciously ate. They were as big as my finger, skinny. They cleaned that field of turnips for something to eat.
When asked if he thought it was heroic for him to free these people he answers, No, I wanted to free them. Thats what youre fighting about over there. Freedom.
Heidtman laughs when he hears the Facebook post about his newly acquired medals, submitted by Nancy Wilson, which has received over 300 likes and 38 comments.
Thats good, he says.
The comments include Bronze State and a Purple Heart, a true hero from the greatest generation. Thank you. From Oliver Bishop, Thank you Mr. Heidtman. I am so glad you got the medals you deserved from so long ago, wrote Veronica Collins Wallace and Thank you for your service and the sacrifices you made to keep us safe, from Jennifer Labbadia-Colon.
After spending three years in the service, getting drafted by President Roosevelt at age 18, he returned to Guilford, but never completed high school. He went on to have a career with the state Health Department Mosquito Control. He worked alongside his brother, Herb, four years his senior, in the program now known as the state Mosquito Management Program.
While the nonagenarian is humble about his sacrifices, he does admit he receives thanks from people at The Gables at Guilford, where he currently lives.
I get a lot of thanks from strangers, downstairs, he says, of his service. Now they sayat the time I did them they werent so great. It was everyday stuff. Thats what youre there for.
I just never think of it anymore, says Heidtman of the war. Thats a long time, 60 year ago.
Heidtman says that while he is happy to have his medals, they dont elicit much emotion.
Why should I have a feeling towards them? he asks.
Im lucky Im not lying over there dead, he adds. Many guys died over there. I got away lucky.
suzipage1@aol.com
P-Square
Peter and Paul of P-Square, one of the most successful singing duo to have ever come out of Nigeria, are once again at loggerheads. When talented twin brothers, Peter and Paul Okoye, of P-Square released their hit tracks, Bank Alert and Nobody Ugly, many of their fans across the globe heaved sighs of relief.
To observers, the fact that the brothers had come together to work in the studio and release new songs meant that they had put their years-old rift between them. How wrong they were!
If latest developments are anything to go by, the Okoye brothers are still not at peace with one another. A pointer to this fact was established when Peter recently informed fans on his Instagram page that the brothers would no longer be performing at some concerts which they had earlier been booked for.
According to insiders, the feud in the family is between Paul and their elder brother, Jude, on the one hand, and Peter on the other hand. It will be recalled that for two years running, Peter has repeatedly stated that the group needs a new manager, as he is no longer comfortable with Jude as their manager.
Meanwhile, Paul wants Jude to continue as their handler; hence the bad blood between them. Jude is also said not to accord Peters wife with the necessary respect, which infuriates her husband.
For the most part of 2015 and 2016, the multi-award winning singing duo did not release any song and did not perform at any concert as a result of their feud. The brothers, at different times, went on social media to denounce one another, with many of their fans pleading with them to bury the hatchet. At the height of the crisis, Paul recorded a song, Call Heaven, insinuating that if their mother, who used to be their manager, was alive, the crisis wouldnt have degenerated to the level it did.
Meanwhile, both brothers have established individual record labels. Peter signed Malcolm and DJ Switch to his P-Classic Records, while Paul invested a lot of effort in promoting the careers of Muno and Lucy, the new artistes signed to his Rudeboy Records. However, when the brothers made up, they seemed to stay action on their record labels. Now that they have re-ignited their feud, it remains to be seen whether they would both pick up the reins of their respective labels from where they left off.
As a result of the crisis, the twin brothers lost a lot of brand equity but they were lucky enough that when they made up, fans accepted them wholeheartedly and the songs they put out became hits.
However, with this latest episode, some analysts and critics have argued that the brothers are pushing their luck too far. It is believed that fans could finally get tired of their shenanigans, and no longer receive them with open arms when next they choose to embrace peace.
Via Sunday Punch
Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has mocked the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, after the US Government stated that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is not a terrorist organization.In a tweet posted on his account on Sunday, Fani-Kayode called out the mumus clapping for Buhari, over his decision to proscribe IPOB.He wrote: America does not see IPOB as a terrorist organisation- US Embassy.O dear. Where are all the mumus that were clapping for @MBuhari?The spokesman for the American Embassy in Nigeria, Russell Brooks, stated that the US is committed to Nigerias unity and would support a peaceful resolution of any crisis in the country.The United States Government is strongly committed to Nigerias unity. Important political and economic issues affecting the Nigerian people, such as the allocation of resources, are worthwhile topics for respectful debate in a democracy.Within the context of unity, we encourage all Nigerians to support a de-escalation of tensions and peaceful resolution of grievances. The Indigenous People of Biafra is not a terrorist organisation under US law, he said.
A run-away former governor has lost a choice hotel in Singapore to the latter day wife he used to launder his loot. The ex-governor is cu...
A run-away former governor has lost a choice hotel in Singapore to the latter day wife he used to launder his loot.The ex-governor is currently under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly benefitting from the $2.1billion arms scandal.Also hanging on his neck is an allegation that he mismanaged N19.8billion public funds while in office.He has refused to honour EFCC invitation CR: 3000/EFCC/ABJ/ASO/TM5/VOL.5/596.It was gathered that the ex-governor used to frequent Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia.But following the recent signing of six agreements by Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he reportedly left Dubai for Singapore.A highly placed source familiar with the ongoing probe of the ex-governor, said the suspect entered into a marriage of convenience with the woman in Singapore with a view to protecting the investment of his laundered funds in the choice hotel.He reportedly bought the hotel in the name of the wife.But the marriage turned into a scam because the wife divorced the ex-governor and took possession of the hotel, the source said yesterday.The suspect has been battling to retrieve the hotel from his wife. It is however doubtful if he can get it back.It was learnt that the ex-governor is now in a serious dilemma.Investigation revealed that over N600million of the $2.1billion arms scandal fund has so far been traced to the ex-governor.Another source said EFCC has been on his trail in connection with the alleged mismanagement of N19.8billion state funds between 1999 and 2007.Documents showed that he collected N600million illegally from the $2.1billion arms deal cash through the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the source said.Initially, the suspect was based in Dubai but following a close up by detectives, he left the UAE for some countries where he has been on a make-shift life.We are weighing options on how to extradite him in order to bring him to justice. We will explore all legal options.Responding to a question, the source added: The former governor has been giving one excuse or the other for not honouring the invitation of the EFCC.At a point, the suspect said he had a heart-related problem but intelligence report confirmed that he was pretending.Meanwhile, the acting chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu has asked Nigerian youths to take up the gauntlet and become change agents in the fight against corruption in the country.Represented by the head of the Benin Zonal office, Mailafia Yakubu, at an event to mark World Peace Day celebration in Benin City, Magu said the biggest challenges facing Nigeria were the twin evils of corruption and impunity.He charged the youths to imbibe the culture of excellence as future leaders of the country and to shun all forms of criminality.The corrupt and other economic and financial criminals can no longer hide because the Commission is working hard to bring them to justice, he added.Magu said it was disheartening that some youths were involved in advance fee fraud but warned that the prevailing economic challenge was not an excuse to commit crime.He said: I agree that the country is going through a process but it is not an excuse to commit crime, be legitimate in your dealings so you can be the future leaders that you are.
A national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has said restructuring will bring much-needed balance to the country.The former Lagos State governor, however, said he was against the split-up of the country.Tinubus assertion followed repeated pronouncements by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo that Nigerias unity is settled and not open to negotiation.Tinubu, who was the keynote speaker at the annual dinner of the Kings College Old Boys Association, on Saturday, described Nigeria as a nation that had not sufficiently defined its governance.The APC leader said, We are like the bewildered couple who has got their marriage licence after a lavish wedding, yet neither of them really understands the meaning of marriage or their roles as husband and wife in it.Legally, they are married but functionally, their union is a crippled one. This couple will be at loggerheads until somehow they forge an agreement on what type of home they want and what are their respective duties in making that home come into existence.It is a rather curious lapse that a nation with such diversity as ours has not taken the time to give our legal marriage its proper functional underpinning. In other words, we all lined up to call ourselves Nigerians without gathering to discuss what it meant.We may be defined by political borders and boundaries but we have not glued ourselves to collective purpose and vision. Too many of us are born in Nigeria but not of it. Thus, our society is not a collective enterprise as important to each of us as our own personal endeavour. It is a platform, an arena, to claim whatever one can by whatever means available.Thus, we argue over matters that long ago should have been settled. The longer such fundamental questions fester, the more extreme become the proposed answers. Thus, we have people clamouring for secession in one part of the country and the murmur of such a course grows stronger in other sections.Tinubu noted that blame and recrimination had become the political currency, while statesmanship had fallen in short supply as the dominant urge was to confront instead of reconcile.Constitutionally, we are a federation of 36 states. However, the vestiges of past military rule continue to haunt the democratic road we hew. We function like a unitary state in many ways. We cannot become a better Nigeria with an undue concentration of power at the federal level. Competition for federal office will be too intense, akin to a winner-take-all duel.Those who lose will bristle at the lack of power in the periphery they occupy. They will scheme to pester and undermine the strong executive because that is where they want to be. The executive will become so engaged in deflecting their antics, that it will not devote its great powers to the issues of progressive governance for which such powers were bestowed.Things will be in a constant state of disequilibrium and irritation. Such a situation tends toward the maintenance of an unsatisfactory status quo in the political economy. It is against reform.It would be better to restructure things to attain the correct balance between our collective purpose on (the) one hand and our separate grass-roots realities on the other. We must listen to what is being said so that we can determine what is really meant, he added.Tinubu, however, noted that there were opportunists on the path to achieving balance in the polity.He said, Let us be frank. Many who cry separation do so because their personal ambitions will be better served by such a thing. They believe they will have greater chance at political power under a different arrangement. Yet the cry for separation has gained traction among average people. This is due to the chronic failure of government to meet basic aspirations.If over the years, government had delivered on the promise of growth, prosperity, and justice, those calling for such extreme remedies would be but a small fringe of little consequence.Our task is not to condemn but to listen and understand. I care not at all for this proposed solution. But I dare not discount the concerns and problems that have led many people into advocating such a thing.Here, I want to plainly state my position. I am a firm believer in Nigeria. I believe this land will become a great nation and a leader among other African nations. We can resolve our dysfunctions in a manner that will make this nation rise as a standard of decency, justice and prosperity for all Nigerians.
The recent demolition of the Eke Ukwu Owere market by the Imo State government has assumed a legal dimension. The Owerri community, ho...
The recent demolition of the Eke Ukwu Owere market by the Imo State government has assumed a legal dimension.The Owerri community, host of the demolished market, has taken Governor Rochas Okorocha to court, for pulling down the market.The plaintiffs are demanding N100billion in damages.The community, through 12 representatives, is challenging the illegal removal of traders from the market despite a subsisting suit and a restraining court order.It is praying the state high court to order the defendants to pay it N100 billion as exemplary damages for ?the unlawful and unconstitutional acts.Okorocha, the House of Assembly and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice are the defendants.The suit was filed by Chief T.O.S Oparaugo and 11 others (for themselves and on behalf of Owerri Community).The community is represented by Chief Unoruka Udechukwu (SAN), who is leading a team of lawyers including two other Senior Advocates of Nigeria K.C.O Njemanze and? N.A. Nnawuchi.In the originating summons, the plaintiffs want the court to declare that? their forceful removal from the market and its demolition despite the pending suit and a restraining court order, without any enabling judicial order, constituted an act of executive impunity and grave violation of the provisions of Sections 6 (1)(2)(3), 36(1), 188(11) and 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution.The community members also asked the court to declare that? by virtue of Sections 6(6)(a) & (b), 36(1), and 272 of the 1999 Constitution, the court has the constitutional power and vires to reverse the government?s action.The plaintiffs say they are entitled to compensation to be determined by the court for injuries and damages caused to them by the Imo State government.?The plaintiffs asked the court to determine whether their removal from the market and its demolition despite the subsistence of a pending suit, and a restraining order, and without any enabling judicial order, does not constitute an act of state executive impunity and grave violation of the 1999 Constitution.The community also wants the court to determine whether by virtue of Sections 6(6)(a) & (b), 36(1), and 272 of the 1999 Constitution , the court has the inherent and constitutional power and vires to reverse the governors action.The plaintiffs asked the court to hold that they are entitled to compensation for injuries and damages caused to them by the governor through his agents.The suit, filed on September 13, is yet to be fixed for hearing.On the morning of August 26, bulldozers accompanied by a horde of armed security operatives, acting on Okorochas orders, stormed Eke-Ukwu Owerri Market, and forcefully evicted the traders, demolished their shops and destroyed wares worth millions of naira.Military men from the 34 Artillery Brigade, Obinze, deployed to maintain law and order during the forceful demolition of the market, shot indiscriminately into the air to prevent any resistance to the demolitions.In the process, operatives allegedly shot a 10-year-old boy, Somtochukwu Ibeanusi, who was reportedly trying to assist his parents to evacuate wares trapped inside their shop.Thousands of traders lost their livelihoods.Okorocha denied reports that at least one life was lost.In a press statement by his chief press secretary Sam Onwuemeodo, the state government denied any death.It described reports of death as wicked rumours.The statement read: It has come to our knowledge, the deliberate and concerted effort being made by some elements who do not love progress to use the relocation of the Ekeukwu Owerri market, to blackmail the government of the day and perhaps cause undue tension in the state.These people who have refused or failed to appreciate the good of relocating Ekeukwu market Owerri to a more acceptable area have been dishing out rumours upon rumours including rumours of people being shot dead. These are wicked rumours.The truth is that the market is governments property and it is the decision of the government to relocate it to a better place and such action could not have led to such incident.The security personnel around the market were there to ensure peace and they played that role professionally.We are also aware that before now the hoodlums who have been using the market and environs as areas of their operations have been threatening fire and brimstone over the governments decision to move the market.
CAPE MAY -- A slender man in a navy blue uniform paces the wide hallway under bright, fluorescent lights.
"Scream at the top of your lungs, over and over and over, what you did to bring yourself in this position," he yells into a megaphone as a dozen young men and women rest a thick double rope on their right shoulders, arms poised to lift on command.
"Do I make myself clear?" he roars.
The recruits tilt their heads back and scream in unison: "Yes, Petty Officer Placencia!"
A siren begins to blare, a whistle starts to blow in rhythm, and the Coast Guard recruits push the rope over their heads and onto their opposite shoulders -- back and forth, back and forth, until the corridor smells like the sweat dripping down their foreheads and glistening on their biceps.
Across the hallway, five seaman recruits hold mock M16 rifles in sniper position, pointing them just above the heads of their fellow trainees. All of the recruits call out the mistakes they're being punished for:
"Need to be louder!" one yells.
"Shave my neck!" says another as medical staff look on, watching for any movements that could be dangerous.
"Eyes on the boat!" screams a third.
This is the U.S. Coast Guard's only boot camp, producing 3,500 new guardsmen each year.
On a 352-acre peninsula along Cape May Harbor, Training Center Cape May is a self-contained universe, complete with a medical clinic, a marketplace, a non-denominational chapel and its own police force. This summer, NJ Advance Media was granted rare, behind-the-scenes access to the campus, which has produced every new enlisted Coast Guardsman for the past 36 years.
"We won't just let anybody onto the fleet," Petty Officer 2nd Class Reilly Burrus said as she watched her company one August morning. "We need to make sure that only the strong get through this."
The training center complements the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, a four-year college in New London, Connecticut, that produces the service's commissioned officers -- guardsmen of higher ranks than enlisted members.
At any point in the year, eight different companies of recruits are training in Cape May, each made of 95 to 115 trainees at various stages of the 53-day program. Roughly 80 percent will make it through and graduate to jobs on Coast Guard fleets that will pay them about $21,520 in annual base pay.
Seaman recruits fight a simulated fire at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. Cape May, N.J., 8/17/2017. (Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
'The future of the U.S. Coast Guard'
At 7:25 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 17, 112 recruits sit silently at attention -- backs straight, eyes ahead and hands flat on their thighs.
Thirty-six hours earlier, they arrived on base from Philadelphia International Airport to be greeted by their company commanders, who screamed at them to run off the bus and into Sexton Hall, where new recruits stay.
Their first day was spent getting haircuts and learning grooming rules. Men got buzz cuts; women's hair was sheared so it reached no further than the top edge of their shirt collars. Earrings, hair coloring and tattoos on the neck or below the wrist are not allowed.
Next, the recruits go through blood tests, X-rays and mental health screenings, and get anti-viral vaccines, part of the $800,000 the training center spends on immunizations each year.
Over the rest of the program, the recruits take classes, undergo physical training, assimilate into military culture and learn nautical skills to perform the Coast Guard's primary functions: search and rescue, law enforcement and national defense.
In a training building that Thursday, a separate group of eight recruits in their fifth week stand in a row. The entryway is dark, and the recruits scramble to put on firefighting gear as quickly as possible. An instructor rushes them along.
"Put your boots on!" he calls out as he shines a flashlight on their feet. "It's an emergency!"
The recruits scramble into lines of four, their right hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. They follow each other into a dark, cavernous room as smoke and noise -- screeching and unintelligible yelling -- overwhelm their senses.
Using hoses on the ground as guides, the recruits rush toward screens on the wall simulating fires and aim the water at them. As the instructor yells commands over the din, the recruits twist nozzles to change the width of the streams. Once they've extinguished the fake fires, they follow each other out of the room.
Recruits get 65 total hours of firefighting, seamanship and marksmanship training during their time at the training center. It's a part of the program's mission to first teach them the Coast Guard's ethos and then train them on how to serve, said Captain Owen Gibbons, the training center's commanding officer since June 2016.
"We spend time teaching recruits initially to be good recruits," said Gibbons, a sturdy man with close cut, salt-and-pepper hair who enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1985. "Then we develop their skill sets so that they develop some of the specific knowledge and abilities that they'll need on the job."
At the training center, each moment is difficult, and everything has a purpose.
Company commanders wake up recruits at 5:30 a.m. with whistles and yelling. They have 15 minutes to scramble out of bed, into their uniforms and outside their 65-bunk-to-a-room barracks. For the rest of the day, until lights out at 10 p.m., every moment is regimented. They move in formation, sit and stand at attention, and speak only when spoken to.
The recruits learn what's expected of them as Coast Guardsmen and practice managing intense stress in a controlled setting.
If they can handle it, they'll fulfill the gold letters above Sexton Hall that read, "Through these doors pass the future of the U.S. Coast Guard" and join 38,000 guardsmen serving on active duty.
A company commander instructs a seaman recruit outside the barracks at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. Cape May, N.J., 8/17/2017. (Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Survival of the fittest
Across the galley, where recruits go for three meals a day, company commanders loom in trainees' faces, demanding they recite information about the chain of command or berating them for breaking a rule -- moving too fast or too slow, keeping items in the wrong pockets or failing to address their commanders correctly.
One recruit exits the food line with his tray of blue Gatorade and orange juice, and his commander yells at him to name the battalion officer. As the recruit starts to answer, the commander yells back: "Too late! I'm tired of waiting!" Another commander screams that the recruit has five seconds to get to his seat and he scurries to a table, where the rest of his company is eating silently amid the chaos.
Not everyone handles the manufactured stress well.
Through the Recruit Aptitude and Motivation Program, 15 of the weakest recruits from the five companies furthest in their training spend all of their non-class time undergoing physical training as motivation to work harder. These recruits wear red vests and are separated from their companies until their commanders deem them ready to return, usually a few days later.
"It breaks you down," said recruit Chris Schubert, 20, of Tampa, Florida, who was trying to get rid of his red vest. "But when you get back to your company, you'll be physically and mentally stronger than a lot of people because you went through this program."
If a recruit still can't keep up, his commander can hold him back one or more weeks for extra training. The eight-week program can quickly become nine weeks, 10 weeks or longer.
Even with remedial work, nearly one in five recruits leaves the training center without graduating. Recruits drop out because they have a medical issue, experience a family emergency or fail to meet the service's knowledge or physical fitness standards, Gibbons said. Sometimes, he said, they leave because they're overwhelmed by the responsibility of a job in the Coast Guard.
The training program is essentially an eight-week job interview, said Chief Brandon Wheeley, the lead company commander of X-Ray Company 194.
"We never get calls on good days. We don't get calls in good weather," he said. "If there's anyone that should be able to get on their way and drive that ship up a tick's behind in a hailstorm, backwards, the Coast Guard should."
Some of the 84 members of Tango Company 194 stand at attention during graduation at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. Cape May, N.J., 8/17/2017. (Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
'The enormity of what they've done'
Outside the gymnasium on Friday, Aug. 18, 84 members of Tango Company 194 march past their families and into the room where they will finish their transition from civilians to men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard.
"I'm a steamroller, baby. Just rolling down the line," they chant. "So you'd better get out of my way now, before I roll right over you."
The Coast Guard first came to Cape May in 1924, when it ran air facilities in support of the U.S. Customs Service. The Navy took over the base during World War II and gave the land back to the Coast Guard in 1946.
Two years later, the Coast Guard transformed the base into a boot camp, the East Coast version of its training center in Alameda, California. The service centralized its training program in Cape May in 1981 and has since graduated about 110,000 recruits, each of whom specializes in seamanship or firefighting.
The marching recruits enter the gym in five columns as a band plays and their supporters cheer. After several speeches, the recruits step up one by one to receive their certificates as their names and assignments are read. They will deploy only days after they graduate.
The training center's commanding officer had told families earlier in the day that their job was to help their new guardsmen "understand the enormity of what they've done."
Wendi Rutigliano-Olsen, of Miami Beach, Florida, needed no reminding.
She said her son, Jake Scheiner, had arrived at the training center thinking he was prepared, but quickly started questioning his ability to finish. By the end of the program, though, he was confident, motivated and inspired, Rutigliano-Olsen said.
"That's going to always be there in his mind now," she said. "When he comes to something, whatever the hurdle is, he just has to stick through it and work through it, and he could do it."
Haley Prendergast, 21, was headed to Corpus Christi, Texas, for her first assignment after boot camp.
"It's probably the best thing I've ever done in my life, probably the hardest and also the worst," said Prendergast, of Greybull, Wyoming. "But at the end of the day, it's probably the best thing."
When her name is called, she steps forward and salutes her husband, a Coast Guardsman, who hands her her certificate. Her face initially stoic, she grins as she shakes his hand before he pulls her in for a hug. The crowd cheers as Prendergast steps away and the rest of the service's newest guardsmen accept their certificates.
Later, the group stands at attention.
A commander disbands the company and a flood of people rush the floor from the bleachers to reunite with their loved ones for the first time in eight or more weeks.
Mothers, eyes glassy, hug their sons. Four new guardsmen with their arms around each other face their moms, each with her own camera phone. A young woman wraps her arm around her boyfriend, a new graduate, and rubs his back.
Within days, the Coast Guard's newest members will spread across the nation: Owensboro, Kentucky. Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Yankeetown, Florida. South Padre, Texas. And onward.
Their weeks in Cape May were only the prelude to the four years, six years or longer they will serve as active-duty members of the nation's oldest continuous maritime law enforcement agency.
"Cape May, simply as a destination, is part of the Coast Guard's DNA," Gibbons said. "It is the place where we are born into this Coast Guard family."
Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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WOODBURY -- A Gloucester County grand jury has indicted three men on charges that they forced a minor to have sex with 15 men for cash in a motel room over a two-day period.
Ali J. Brown, 25, of West Deptford, and brothers Brandon R. Samuel, 26, of Gibbstown, and Joseph A. Samuel, 25, of New York City, are charged with human trafficking, promoting child prostitution, endangering and conspiracy.
In December 2016, investigators with the Camden County Prosecutor's Office found a 17-year-old runaway at the Motel 6 in Gibbstown.
They had received a tip that she was advertising sexual services online and that Brown and the Samuel brothers had "assisted" her in meeting 15 males for sex on Dec. 11 and 12 in a room at the motel, according to criminal complaints.
The teen told investigators with the Camden and Gloucester County prosecutor's offices that she was required to turn over money she earned from the sex acts to Brown and Joseph Samuel, even though the three had originally agreed to split the money equally.
The Samuel brothers reserved the rooms where the sex acts took place, investigators said. The three are also accused of photographing the teen naked in order to advertise for additional clients.
Brown and Brandon Samuel were arrested in July and U.S. Marshals arrested Joseph Samuel later that month at his workplace in New York.
The Samuel brother remain jailed in Salem County Correctional Facility. Brown was released July 18, according to jail records.
Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) Survivors of Hurricane Ian face a long emotional road to recover from one of the most damaging storms to hit the U.S. mainland. For those who lost everything to disaster, the anguish can be crushing to return home to find so much gone. Grief can run the gamut from frequent tears to utter despair. The Lee County medical examiner says two men in their 70s even took their own lives a day apart after viewing their losses. Experts say suicides climb after disasters and more funding for mental health should be provided as climate change makes storms and fires more frequent and devastating.
10 things to know about the Pelicans heading into training camp
As a business owner, mother of two, Army veteran and breast cancer survivor, Bobbi Calderon exhibits courage daily.
When she was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer in 2013, she received help from Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospitals Spirit of Courage fund, which helped to pay off some of her medical bills and allowed her to focus on healing without worrying about the financial burden.
When youve been diagnosed with cancer, the last thing you want to worry about is how you are going to pay the bills, said Bobbi, who lost her mother and grandmother to breast cancer. They took some of the stress away and made my treatments and recovery so much easier.
Bobbi returns the favor each year by giving back during MJEHs month-long Pink Out. This years Wash Away Breast Cancer event is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 14 at her business, Home Style Laundry & Dry Cleaners, 900 Woodbury Ave. All proceeds will go to support the annual Spirit of Courage event. There will be prizes, raffles and games.
For more information, go online to jehfoundation.org.
Editors Note: This is the first of six installments of an information security column provided to The Nonpareil to help our readers be smart and stay safe when it comes to electronic information, privacy and avoiding identity theft. October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month.
Equifax, one of the three major credit bureaus, recently notified the public about a security breach potentially affecting 143 million U.S. customers.
Breach notifications like this have become so common in the past few years that many people just ignore them. However, this breach is particularly bad, and you should take some actions to protect yourself.
While you have probably never done business directly with a credit bureau, odds are they have extensive files on you if you are a working adult. Credit bureaus make money by buying, selling and trading your personal information to companies looking to do business with you, such as banks or employers.
The stack of papers you sign when you get a new credit card or loan usually includes a privacy policy, which, instead of protecting your privacy, typically says that you allow the company to sell your data to third parties like credit bureaus.
Even if you only use cash, when you apply to get a new job, most companies require a background check which usually includes a credit check and employment history verification through a credit bureau.
At this point, you should just assume your personal information is on the internet, including your full name, Social Security number, birth date and address. In other words, theres more than enough information for a hacker to steal your identity and open new lines of credit in your name.
You need to do a few things now to protect yourself from potential fraud:
Security Freeze. A security freeze on your credit file basically means that businesses cannot request a copy of your credit file, which they do when they are looking to offer you credit or performing a background check.
Credit bureaus make money from your credit file, so they typically want your file to not be frozen, but they are required by state laws to freeze it if a consumer requests it. Ideally, you want your credit file frozen at all times unless you are actively seeking credit or employment.
Freezing your credit does not affect your current credit cards or loans, so it does not impact your daily life. If you are looking to open new credit or need a background check, you will need to temporarily lift or unfreeze your credit file.
When you freeze your credit, the credit bureau will provide you a personal identification number that is your password to unfreeze your credit later. Make sure you keep this PIN in a safe place.
Because credit bureaus make money from selling access to your credit file, they charge fees for freezing and lifting freezes on your file though they will happily unfreeze it permanently for free.
Fees are set by state law and vary by state. Remember that you have to pay a fee to each of the three credit bureaus each time you freeze or lift the freeze on your file. Equifax is waiving the fee for all freeze requests submitted by Nov. 21.
In Iowa, it costs $10 to freeze your file and $12 to lift a freeze thats per credit bureau. In Nebraska, the fee is $3 to either freeze or unfreeze your file.
Visit each of the three major credit bureaus to request freezes
Free Credit Reports. The easiest way to make sure you are not a victim of identity theft is to regularly check your credit report.
Federal law requires credit bureaus to allow you to get a copy of your credit report free once per year. The best way to take advantage of this is to request a report from a different bureau every four months, so you can check your credit file for identity theft three times per year instead of just once.
The three major credit bureaus setup a single website annualcreditreport.com to request free credit reports. Dont be fooled by look-alike and sound-alike websites that charge a fee.
Credit Monitoring. While it doesnt prevent identity theft, credit monitoring does alert you if somebody tries to open new credit.
Many banks, employers and insurance companies are offering credit monitoring for free or for a nominal fee. Check with your trusted providers if you want to add this service.
Prescreened Credit Opt-Out. Identity thieves may take advantage of your good credit when companies send you pre-approved credit applications.
A credit freeze will prevent companies from obtaining your credit file, but they may still offer you credit based on old or other information. You can opt-out of prescreened credit applications and reduce your junk mail at home. Visit optoutprescreen.com to submit a request.
Do Not Call List. Another way thieves obtain your personal information is through scam phone calls, where they trick you into providing or verifying information.
The best way to reduce the amount of scam calls you get is to enroll in the National Do Not Call List. If you continue to receive unwanted calls after enrolling, you can report those calls to the Federal Trade Commission and help get those scammers shut down.
Visit the FTCs program website donotcall.gov to enroll in the Do Not Call List or report unwanted calls.
Watch Out for Scams. Several scams began to spring up after the Equifax notice, where scammers pretending to be Equifax ask people for their Social Security number to verify if they were affected.
No respectable company will ever call or email to ask for your personal information. Only ever provide information if you initiate the call or email to a company you know and trust.
Keelan T. Stewart is an information security analyst for Boys Town and Certified Information Systems Security Professional. Email him at keelan.t.stewart@gmail.com.
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A training facility that southwest Iowa and metro-area K-9 police officers can finally call their own is closer to becoming a reality.
Mary West, the co-founder of both the Omaha-based West Corporation and the California-based Gary and Mary West Foundation, made a personal $100,000 donation to the Omaha Community Foundation to go toward the K-9 facility. The foundation then donated it to the Bellevue Public Safety Foundation, which will use it toward the facility.
Bonnie Knutson, president of the Bellevue Public Safety Foundation, said they were elated by the news that their multi-jurisdictional facility is that much closer to breaking ground.
There are a few areas we have in mind, but our goal is $300,000, and we have a way to go, Knutson said.
Jim Bartley, Bellevue Police Department K-9 instructor, said over the last few years, he and other area K-9 officers suffered frustration when trying to train together, as the location of the training site was always temporary or hard to find.
We are losing sites. Some of the buildings weve used have been torn down or get remodeled so we rely on using city-owned land to train at, Bartley said.
The idea came to raise funds for their own facility. An architectural company drafted plans for Bartley free of charge after they turned to social and local media in search of funding.
It reached the Wests, and then the check for $100,000 came. It was unbelievable, Bartley said. We need a place we can go and train and, well, land is expensive.
Council Bluffs K-9 Officer Ty Boldra shared Bartleys excitement.
You have to worry about insurance and city code, Boldra said. Theres a lot of steps to go through. I think, if we could train at a dedicated spot, it would bring the teams performance to a higher level.
Thats not to mention it would be much more convenient, he added.
Beyond the donation, funding stands at $106,000 the effort has raised so far. Law enforcement from Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Papillion, Omaha and elsewhere in the area on both sides of the Missouri River have expressed interest and joined the effort, Bartley said.
The estimated 60- by 45-foot building would be used by 10 to 13 agencies in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. Its location has yet to be determined, but would be placed on vacant city land, likely in Bellevue.
The facility will feature a classroom, several house-like training rooms, a dirt training room and a training lot with vehicles parked outside.
The Bellevue City Council approved a measure in its 201823 Capital Improvement Plan to fund the K-9 training facility, paid partly through bond money.
Bellevue City Administrator Joe Mangiamelli said potential locations and the cost of construction still need to be figured out before the city council can approve anything.
Hailey Stolze of the BH News Service contributed to this report.
Walshs financial experience is a big plus for the city
My wife Emma and I are retired CPAs, and we like the fact that Mayor Matt Walsh brings years of experience in banking and finance to city government. Matt watches the citys budget carefully, understands whats going on, and looks for more efficient ways to do things.
He had to administer changes when he was in banking, and, during his first term as mayor, he has made changes that are good for Council Bluffs.
Matts background in business also helps him work well with people. He listens to questions asked by city residents, gathers information and analyzes issues thoroughly. Before making a decision, he looks at whats best for the whole community and not just one special interest group. If people disagree with him, he does a good job of explaining the reasons for his decisions.
During his time in the City Council and as mayor, Matt has worked hard to move our city in a positive direction. We need to re-elect him so he can continue moving Council Bluffs forward.
Ed Chance, Council Bluffs
Thank you for returned gift card
Last week while shopping at the Hy-Vee on Madison Avenue, I lost a gift card with a remainder of $64. I use many gift cards, so I always put an address label on them.
I hadnt even missed it before, to my surprise, the next day I received it in the mail, sent by Brett Stewart, a Hy-Vee customer service agent. With it came a note from Mr. Stewart saying that someone had found it and turned it in.
I thank the customers and employees at Hy-Vee for being so honest and thoughtful.
Pat Hutcheson, Council Bluffs
We need to re-elect Mayor Matt Walsh
Im a member of the CB Ambassadors. At the ribbon cutting for each new business, Mayor Matt Walsh is always on hand to thank the owners for their investment in Council Bluffs. When he welcomes them to the business community, you can feel the love and pride that he has for his hometown and how proud he is to serve as our mayor.
Matt served on the City Council for 18 years before becoming mayor. It takes time to learn any new job, but now he has four years of experience and is doing great. He has established a very good relationship with Omahas mayor, and they work well together to improve the metro area.
Tom Hanafan was an excellent mayor, and so is Matt. We need to re-elect Matt Walsh and let him continue helping Council Bluffs grow.
I moved to Council Bluffs in 1948 when I was 18 years old. At 87, Im still very active in the community. I feel the need to get up every morning and see what I can do to help the people that I love and the city that I love. Matt has the same level of commitment to our community.
Donna Pritchard, Council Bluffs
Most deer hunters are familiar with chronic wasting disease (CWD). Now there is something new to worry about. CWD is a type of brain-damaging disease known to be a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) or prion disease in deer, elk and moose.
There are three other TSE diseases that make the news occasionally:
Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle
Scrapie in sheep
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans
Humans are not susceptible to sheep scrapie, but BSE did infect about 200 people in Europe in the 1990s. Those findings provided the rationale for a current CWD study being conducted in Canada. This particular study started in 2003.
Macaque monkeys contracted chronic wasting disease after eating meat from CWD-positive deer, according to Canadian researchers. These monkeys where fed infected venison over a three year period.
The quantity of meat fed to the monkeys equates to a human eating a 7-ounce steak per. That is not much venison, and I eat far more than that when I have venison in my freezer.
Three of the five macaques in the study that were eating venison contracted the disease. This finding is the first scientifically documented transmissions of CWD to a primate eating diseased venison.
Because the macaque has a genome very close to that of a human, the results have heightened concerns of human susceptibility to CWD. Researchers and health officials have long wanted to know more about the potential for interspecies CWD transmission.
According to the Alliance for Public Wildlife, a Canadian-based wildlife conservation organization, hunting families in North America eat between 7,000 and 15,000 CWD-infected animals every year. No cases of CWD transmission have been documented.
This study does not mean people will get CWD, said Dave Clausen, a Wisconsin veterinarian, deer hunter and former chairman of the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board. But it means people need to be considering that possibility.
Another test group of monkeys had CWD infected venison rubbed on their skin did not contract the disease, so it appears that simply coming in contact with infected venison offers a very low risk to a hunter.
The World Health Organization, the federal Center for Disease Control and many state wildlife agencies recommend that hunters do not eat the eyes, brain, spinal cord, spleen, tonsils or lymph nodes of any deer. It is also recommended that wear rubber or latex gloves when field-dressing carcasses, and to bone out the meat from the animal as an extra caution.
Im sure we will be hearing more about this in the future. Nebraska hunters can visit the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission website and read more about this CWD study and the extra precautions and testing that Game and Parks has implemented for the 2017 deer seasons.
Gun show news
Next weekend is the Platte Rover Sportsmens Club Gun and Knife Show at the D&N Event Center. The show hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5, and kids 12 and younger are free when accompanied by an adult.
You can make a whole day of it because lunch and snacks are available on the premises. This has grown into a very nice show and you may need all day to get through everything. Whatever you are looking for in guns, ammo or accessories, you have a good chance of finding it here.
Even though this is advertised as a gun and knife show, thats not all there is to see. Additional vendors include Mustang Purses, which specializes in concealed carry handbags. Maybe you are looking for a way to keep your gun out of sight, but not locked away in a vault. Check out the Shelf Reliance folks. They sell shelving units designed to conceal firearms from the casual observer.
If youre looking for something really unique, check out Metal Art by Jenson Hot Point Metal Works will be at the show. They can make any kind of custom metal sign. R. Schutte Artworks will also be at the show with custom lapidary jewelry. Very cool! Looking for a wildlife print for your den or office? You can find this at the show too.
Fat Boys Smokehouse will be there with a selection of their wares. And if you are looking for a custom knife, check out Sharp Precision Knives.
Last but not least, make sure you check out the various raffle and door prizes. For more information, contact John Christiansen at 308-530-1658.
In an old farm building one early September afternoon, Thad McDermott knelt to view two old dessert tins. The first, he announced to Dick Hasenauer, would bring quite a bit more money than the second, which was made years later.
As owner of McDermott Auctioneer Service, McDermott gets to be auctioneer, appraiser, marketer and in some cases, keep the peace between a tense family after someones death. His wife, Lucinda, helps manage the business. Others take bids and record them from the ring, where the auction is going, such as at Saturdays auction for the late Ralph Hasenauer, Dicks brother.
The business, and the auctions, have changed with technology, Internet and social media. But what makes auctions so attractive to the couple will never change.
In 1998, Thad went to a two-week program at the Worldwide College of Auctioneering in Mason City, Iowa. The students were taught speed, but also clarity. Growing up near Wellfleet, Thad always wanted to be an auctioneer, crediting The Auctioneer, a 1956 song by Leroy Van Dyke.
But when he returned, Thads dreams shifted, and he attended college in Colby, Kansas, to study communications and broadcasting, his hopes set on radio. Thad never lost site of his love of auctioneering he auctioneered at different fundraisers in college, and returned home to start his business in the early 2000s.
Over the years, he reconnected with Lucinda, a college friend, and the two were married in 2009. As Lucinda became more involved, she enjoyed the business management and graphic design side, she said ahead of Saturdays auction.
Together, the couple enjoys setting up the auctions, laying out and merchandising items to look as attractive as possible. Long before the sale, theyve already met with the families to look over merchandise and tell the families about what to expect out of the belongings.
In Hasenauers case, that meant a field of antique tractors and trucks to be auctioned in early October, and the toy tractors and smaller antiques at Saturdays auction. Other times, Thad has to tell families the belongings wont bring as much money, or he combines two family auctions to make it more attractive.
Thad also auctions off livestock and does a weekly cattle auction in Broken Bow. The best auctioneer, he said, is one who is versatile.
Early on in his career, Thad remembers stacks and stacks of books for product valuations. Today, he can use a quick Google search or specific online references.
From past sales and experience, you know what things are worth, Thad said. Even with a world of online resources, his advice to the new auctioneer is to go to a hardware store and price tools, and an auto lot and price cars.
Thad still finds himself learning and surprised. Hell decide one item wont bring in the big dollars, just to watch bids climb and climb as he auctions it off. Other items wont bring in as much money.
He came back to the auctioneering world for the people, he said.
At the auction, people make a decision and have less than a minute to buy something, Thad said. He enjoys the energy as the bids climb. He also enjoys meeting the people. He knew Ralph Hasenauer as a neighbor growing up on his Wellfleet farm and ranch and became closer with him as he saw him at auctions.
Still, ahead of the auction, Thad researches he cant say how many hours of his business consists of research.
You research until you know, he said.
As hes auctioneering, Thad incorporates patience and humor. He markets the item as he speaks about it, and has found that if you pause and let a bidder think, then theyll bid again.
For Thad, the pause often comes the way of a joke. As he auctioned off pedal tractors Saturday, he told the crowd, Ill tell you what, if it comes down to (choosing) your power bill or your light bill, just buy the tractor.
When one bidder bowed out, he looked over.
You want to stay married, he said. I understand.
The energy filled the room, and Thads voice, as the toy tractors bids climbed into the thousands. One went for $3,100. People often cheered once Thad said, sold!
As he spoke ahead of the auction, he said, you never know what it will be the day of the sale.
Lucinda and Thad live on his family farm and ranch near Wellfleet.
We farm, we ranch and we run an auction business, Thad said.
In the early days, I would imagine there were some long talks in our house, Thad said. Is this the right profession for us?
The auctioneering took word of mouth, advertising and in some cases, free or cheap gigs church fundraisers and auctions just to get his name out there.
About the time you dont think youll have one auction, youll get four or five, he said. He recalled the spring of 2016, when the company juggled a big machinery one Saturday, another auction that week and another the next weekend.
And a newborn, Lucinda said. The couple has two young daughters.
The auctioneer service still uses a large amount of their budget for advertisng, as many auction-goers look for the latest. But others will research a specific antique or piece from across the country, and come to the auction just for that.
Thad has auctioned in below-zero temperatures, and can only recall postponing one auction on a day when snow drifts covered the tractors. The beginning of Saturdays auction meant no electricity, but it didnt delay the start, Lucinda said, and they jumped right in.
The winning bids are documented on the computer instead of taken by hand. Bidders can pay for their items with credit cards, and the businesss website will also advertise their next auction.
But some things about the business never change.
We love what we do, Thad said.
The face of young American workers, their jobs and where they work are changing.
By 2018, employers will see as many as five generations working side by side. More than 60 million baby boomers will exit the workforce, and by 2025, only 40 million new workers will enter to replace them. Advancements in technology will help alleviate some labor shortages, but not in all sectors. Estimates suggest millennials could make up as much as 75 percent of the U.S. workforce by 2025.
Young workers today are more likely to be underemployed, earning less, living at home with their parents, delaying marriage and dependent on technology. They are less likely to be affiliated with a political party and connected to religion.
Here is what we also know. Todays young workers are highly engaged with their work. Additionally, the jobs of todays young workers are more mobile than they have been for any other generation. Good jobs can be as easy to locate as a good internet connection, whether you are in Albion or Atlanta, McCook or Miami, Lexington or London. As the mobility of jobs continues to increase, communities must ask how they can become more attractive to young workers.
The attraction, retention and development of young workers is vitally important for communities hoping to remain relevant in the rapidly expanding and diversified economy of the 21st century. It is with this focus in mind that community leaders across the state of Nebraska have developed strategies to target this talent pool through attraction and retention efforts, including a specific priority to ask young workers what the community can do to make itself more attractive as a place to live and work.
Yet no one community knows all the best practices in attraction, retention and development of young talent, and leaders and communities are constantly faced with limited resources. As such, a concerted statewide coalition of leaders working to focus the spotlight on young talent and vibrant communities together is the next step in making sure we are at the forefront for young workers.
Young Nebraskans Week will be a carefully curated series of speakers, discussion panels, workshops and networking opportunities hosted by communities across the state that celebrate the talent, insight and energy of young professionals working in Nebraska while also exploring the intersection between cultures and cities. Developed by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and modeled after Lincolns Young Professionals Groups annual YP Week, Young Nebraskans Week aims to concentrate our states focus on growing, retaining and developing our youngest members of the workforce.
As we launch Young Nebraskans Week in 2018, we will be working throughout the state with local partners to create a dynamic environment focused on young workers. We will call upon industry, labor, chambers of commerce, economic development partners and many others to help make this initiative as strong as possible. We ask every Nebraskan to join our coalition in the fight to attract and retain young workers to our state.
Collaboration is the new competition.
Editors note: This article was submitted by Allison Hatch, Nebraska Department of Economic Development; Kayla Schnuelle, Rural Futures Institute and Connecting Young Nebraskans; Tom Beckius, Keith Peterson, Jaime Henning and Kayla Meyer, Lincolns Young Professionals Group; and Luke Hoffman, Greater Omaha Young Professionals.
Nebraska lawmakers created the position of inspector general for child welfare in 2012 to receive complaints, conduct investigations and provide the public with information about problems and successes in how the state handles cases involving vulnerable children.
The latest report from Julie Rogers, the inspector general, has triggered sniping between herself and the Nebraska court system.
Rogers bluntly criticizes how the State Office of Probation Administration handles juvenile cases. Probation responds that Rogers presents a one-sided picture that ignores the agencys positive actions.
Push the squabbling aside, though, and the central question remains: Exactly how well, or poorly, is Probation handling its juvenile cases, which were fully shifted to the agency in 2014 as part of a reform effort?
The contradictory claims by Rogers and Probation not only make for confusion. Their conflict also gets in the way of understanding a major public concern: the care of vulnerable children.
In her report, Rogers says she investigated the deaths of two youths supervised by or receiving services from Probation and made 13 recommendations to the court system.
Probation did not accept any of the recommendations, she writes in her new report, and has provided no information to date to suggest that the agency has taken meaningful steps to rectify the issues identified in the investigations.
The report says her office remains concerned that Probation lacks policies and protocols to successfully serve youth with mental health needs, developmental disabilities, and child welfare involvement.
In a letter, Probation officials responded that Rogers report grossly omitted ... many facts as to Probations collaborative efforts and that Probation has worked tirelessly to assess gaps and build upon successes.
Given the nature of the incidents investigated by Rogers, the letter said, Probation took the reports, findings and recommendations very seriously. The recommendations have been thoroughly reviewed and are included as considerations within Probations ongoing evaluation and implementation of evidence-based practices and policies.
Probations response also included a rash and irresponsible assertion: that no credibility should be given to the OIG (Office of Inspector General) report whatsoever.
Speaker Jim Scheer and the chairs of the Legislatures Executive Board and Judiciary Committee understandably expressed concern about the tone of that claim, viewing it as moving away from the constructive public statements by Rogers and Probation only last year when a compromise was worked out to allow Rogers access to case information.
Just as Rogers has an obligation to report in an objective and professional manner, giving proper credit to agencies when due, so the court system should avoid coming across as hysterical whenever its actions receive criticism or disagreement.
Right now, the public isnt being given adequate information.
Probation needs to make public a full description of its efforts so Nebraskans can make a well-informed judgment on how well the states vulnerable youths are being served.
The Omaha World-Herald
CROWN POINT When a family suffers the loss of a loved one, sometimes a familiar shoulder to lean on can help ease the emotional trauma.
"It's very common that people in these situations look to someone they know, especially if there's already a connection," said Larry Geisen, president of Crown Point-based Geisen Funeral Homes. Familiarity can bring calmness to a family during a difficult time.
In Crown Point, a fixture in the city for 150 years has been Geisen Funeral Homes. The company, which was started by Larry Geisen's great-great-grandfather, Peter, began as a furniture business.
Geisen said in his great-great grandfather's time, funeral homes didn't exist but when someone experienced a death in the family, it was common practice to contact a local furniture-maker to request a coffin to be built.
Geisen said funerals at that time were hosted in the home of the deceased or an immediate family member. Whomever built the coffin also took care of the arrangements for the deceased.
"It really lead to the creation of a new industry," Geisen said. The Geisens' original furniture store was just off the square in downtown Crown Point.
The Geisens constructed their family home on East Street in 1876, which stood for many decades. In 1933, the Geisen family built their first stand-alone funeral home, which was considered groundbreaking at the time, Larry Geisen said.
Growing up in the business gave Larry Geisen firsthand experiences watching how his family worked with other families and how they brought comfort to them. Over time, the Geisens worked with many generations of families, establishing lasting relations.
"We've been in the community for so many years that when the time comes when someone needs our services, they know that they can trust us," Geisen said.
Geisen chose to follow his father, Robert, into the business, much like his son, Anthony, decided to continue the tradition.
Geisen said his son worked with him the past two summers and respected the longevity and notoriety the business had in the Crown Point area.
"I'm very proud of my son and especially proud that he's looked at what other generations of our family have done with the business and that he's decided on his own that he wants to make his mark on the company," Geisen said.
As in other industries, it's important to innovate. Larry Geisen said his goal when he took over was to grow the business.
That led to acquiring other funeral homes around the Region. In 2004, Geisen added a location in Hebron; then in 2008, he purchased a facility from his cousin, Scott, in Merrillville.
In 2012, Geisen acquired Carlisle Funeral Home in Michigan City.
"I look at other funeral homes more like colleagues not competitors," Geisen said. He said in situations where independent funeral home operators had no heirs to continue the business, Geisen saw opportunities.
In 2007, Geisen and his wife, Kim, opened a new facility on Crown Point's east side on 113th Avenue just west of Interstate 65. The site also houses a banquet room, which can serve catered meals; a showroom that provides families an opportunity to look over casket options and other accessories; an on-site crematory; and pet loss center, which has its own crematory.
What will keep the business going another century will depend on the people in place, Geisen said. He encourages staff of 42 part-time and full-time workers to be active and involved in the community.
"It's important to be known in the community, because people need to know who you are," he said.
A 35-year-old Lowell man faces a felony charge of operating an off-road vehicle while intoxicated and causing a crash that landed another man in the hospital with a severe leg injury, according to police.
The crash occurred shortly after midnight Sunday in the area of 157th Place and Truman Street, according to the law enforcement branch of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Officers said Mark Runyon was driving a Can-Am Maverick side-by-side vehicle down the road at a high rate of speed when he lost control and it rolled, ejecting a 46-year-old man, who was a passenger.
The passenger was transported to Franciscan Health in Crown Point.
A Crown Point teen was seriously injured Friday afternoon in an off-road vehicle crash in the area of 121st Avenue and Orange Street in Winfield, according to a news release.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources stated in a news release the 15-year-old male and a friend were riding four-wheelers on private property at about 5 p.m. when they cut through a subdivision development under construction. The 15-year-old drove his Honda four-wheeler over the edge of a basement foundation, falling with the vehicle 8 feet onto the concrete floor.
The teen was wearing a helmet, which likely saved his life, according to the release from the IDNR Division of Law Enforcement.
The teen received a severe concussion, broken clavicle and several lacerations, according to the release. He was transported by Lakes of the Four Seasons Fire Department ambulance to Franciscan Health Crown Point where he was treated and later released.
Indiana conservation officers remind off-road vehicle riders to wear a helmet and proper safety gear while riding. A new law that went into effect in July requires all off-road vehicle operators and passengers under 18 to wear a Department of Transportation-approved helmet while operating or riding on both public and private property.
GRIFFITH A classic pop tune by Herman's Hermits that says, "second verse same as the first," also could refer to Griffith's second attempt to leave Calumet Township.
The Town Council last week said 2017 numbers, issued by the Department of Local Government Finance, show the township again is more than 12 times the average assistance budget of the state's 1,004 townships.
This is a repeat of 2016 when the budget averages, calculated by the DLGF, also indicated the township was over the limit.
When the township's assistance budget went over the limit last year, it triggered a law giving the right to petition for a referendum to allow Griffith residents to vote on leaving the township.
The Lake County Board of Elections had scheduled the referendum for December.
However, it was postponed after township Trustee Kimberly Robinson filed a civil suit in Lake County Superior Court.
The suit claimed the true number method, used by the DLGF to calculate the assistance budgets, was the wrong way to assess the numbers and further stated that weighted numbers should have been used as they were in 2015.
However, the Indiana attorney general's office subsequently stated the state Legislature intended for true numbers to be used when enacting the law.
Last month, Griffith withdrew its 2016 petition and cancelled the referendum.
But now, the DLGF's 2017 budget numbers have brought the petition effort back into the spotlight.
"Fortunately for us, they have again used the arithmetic means to calculate the statewide average," said Council President Rick Ryfa, R-3rd.
Ryfa said these new numbers will be applied to the 2018 township tax rate and that it is almost impossible for Calumet Township to get under the 12-times threshold.
"So at this time, I think we are in a position to move forward with another petition drive to get a referendum on the ballot," he said.
Robinson did not return a call from The Times on Friday, seeking comment.
Ryfa said he already has been contacted by many residents about setting up the new petition drive and said those interested should attend the council's next business meeting on Oct. 3.
"We will have everything we need from our attorneys in order to ... dot every 'I' and cross every 'T,' so we won't have to end up with litigation again," he said.
Ryfa, with a note of irony, referred to a 2020 property tax circuit breaker analysis suggesting the town could lose about $1 million in property taxes for several years.
"It's kind of a coincidence that we're paying the township $1 million out of our property taxes for services that we don't receive."
Robinson said last fall her office had provided tens of thousands of dollars in Griffith assistance.
She said at the time she also expected to provide a total of $3.1 million in housing, utilities, food and health care payments to about 17,000 recipients primarily living in 1,300 Gary households drawn from the entire township tax base in 2016.
Robinson, who took office in 2015, said she has inherited the responsibility of dealing with some of the states highest concentration of the neediest residents. About 39 percent of Garys residents are below the poverty line, according to U.S. census data.
If a new referendum is set, Griffith residents would vote whether to stay with the township or request a move to North, Ross or St. John townships.
Griffith also could decide to form its own township.
HIGHLAND The Redevelopment Commission/Town Council said it will try to be helpful to the new office park and hotel being planned for the corner of Main Street and Prairie Avenue.
Discussions have begun on the "preliminary stages of finances on Cardinal Campus with the financial consultant," Commissioner/Town Councilman Mark Herak, I-2nd, said last week.
Prior to the commission's meeting Monday, town officials met with Highland's new Redevelopment Director Kathy DeGuilio-Fox, Clerk-Treasurer Michael Griffin and the financial consultant to discuss tax increment financing.
In a TIF, the regular taxes generated by a development continue to benefit the entire town, while the additional taxes generated by the project help with certain improvements for the development and its general area.
The project is being developed by Dr. Claude Gendreau, a veterinary surgeon from Buffalo Grove, Illinois.
"I know he wants to break ground this year," Herak said. "But this is already September and we havent seen any plans or agreed on the incremental financing, so I dont see it happening this year."
Herak said the Highland Fire Department will burn down two of about five houses on Main Street for training purposes.
The row of houses was purchased by Gendreau, along with undeveloped acreage behind them.
The town also will help by putting in some infrastructure, such as sewers and water lines, for the project.
Gendreau has said he would like to break ground this year on the project, which eventually will include seven two-story office buildings and a three-story boutique hotel similar to a popular one he owns in Homewood, Illinois.
The 9-acre project was given final approval by the town earlier this year.
Gendreau has said the buildings, including the hotel, will go up in phases over the next several years.
CHESTERTON Hammond resident Mary LeVan held her walking stick in one hand and drank from her water bottle with the other while waiting to set off on a 1.5-mile hike Sunday afternoon that would take her over the three highest sand dunes at the Indiana Dunes State Park.
The 88-year-old, who will be 89 in just more than a week, was not deterred by the unseasonable heat.
"Is it hot?" she asked.
LeVan said she had already completed the 3 Dune Challenge three times for herself. This time, she and others set off on foot as part of the Hike for Hope in support of Mental Health America of Lake County.
The inaugural event, which included a daylong gathering at a nearby shelter at the lakefront park, was organized by Oak Lawn, Illinois, resident Amanda McCarthy to raise awareness and funds for the services provided by Mental Health America.
The issue is personal for McCarthy, who is bipolar and has children facing mental health challenges. After surviving a suicide attempt last year, she decided to set up the event as a way of celebrating the second chance she was given.
"It's just a way to give back," she said.
Mental Health America focuses its services on families with children up to the age of 5 because 90 percent of the brain is developed within that impressionable period, said President and CEO Renae Vania-Tomczak.
"They come in and guide these families to a better place," McCarthy said.
McCarthy also founded the Urban Nerd Herd group earlier this year, which describes itself as a "local Midwest hiking group dedicated to the urban hiker."
She said she did not expect to be facing temperatures hovering around 90 degrees when she planned the outing for late September. She nonetheless was grateful for the sunshine and turnout, which included more than 60 registered hikers.
Munster resident Pradnya Deshmukh said she was taking part in the event because she believed in the cause, and because she and friends have faced their own mental health challenges.
"The cause is dear to me and this challenge is a way of overcoming those issues," she said.
Barbara Cunningham, also of Munster, said her daughter had committed suicide 24 years ago.
"Anything I can do for mental health and make people aware, I am there," she said.
For the last decade or so, the United States has been undergoing intense political debate and turmoil unlike anything Ive seen since the 1960s. Protests and counter protests are being mounted at a fever pitch.
In Charlottesville, Virginia, last month we saw the ugliness of two cultures clashing. The news from that event continues to reverberate, but what lasting change will come from it?
Its a familiar story.
Whether its health-care reform, immigration reform, religious freedom, sexual orientation or any of a number of issues, politicians often dont vote the way the majority of Americans want.
After the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting in 2012, there were calls for expanded background checks for gun purchasers, including to screen for mental illness. Congress balked.
Now the Indiana General Assembly is seriously considering eliminating concealed carry permits. State police who conduct the background checks for those permits say they reject more than 4,000 applications annually. Eliminating those permits would, in effect, allow mentally ill people and those with criminal backgrounds to carry concealed weapons more easily, according to those who don't want the permits eliminated.
Attempts to influence officeholders votes often include protesters carrying placards on public squares and other kinds of protests, but who do the politicians really listen to?
MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, a former GOP congressman, had the answer during his Sinai Forum lecture Sept. 10 at the Purdue University Northwest campus in Westville.
Congressmen dont care one whit what people say in their letters to congressmen. They dont care what protesters outside their offices say. Congressmen listen to just one special interest group.
Voters.
Historically, older Americans are more likely to vote than younger Americans. Its why issues affecting senior citizens hold more weight than issues affecting young adults.
If politically astute protesters really want to change the world, they would do it not just with placards but also with mobilizing the vote.
When Scarborough was asked what the future might hold for millennials concerned about their perspectives not being heard, his advice was simple:
Your friends, people your age, millennials, you have to get engaged like never before.
Im not being melodramatic here, Scarborough said. Washington is stealing all your money. Were $20 trillion in debt. Were going to be $30 trillion in debt before Donald Trump leaves office, maybe $35 trillion in debt. Its going to keep going up.
The reason that happens is that young voters dont get out and vote in as high a number, Scarborough said.
I remember when I was running for office, I heard some college students say, Why dont you advertise on the radio stations that I listen to? I said, You dont vote.
Youve got to revive this country. Youve got to rebuild this country. Its going to take young people getting engaged, going to vote, to do that.
In Indiana, Secretary of State Connie Lawson reported voter turnout last year was 58 percent about 4 percent lower than in 2008, when Barack Obama won the presidency.
Im all in favor of exercising one's First Amendment rights. Get out there and speak your mind. Tell people, especially politicians, what you want them to do to improve lives in your community, in your state, in your nation.
But if they dont vote, protesters are wasting their breath.
Its been almost two weeks since Equifax reported the hack of 143 million consumer records. Already, we are getting a picture of how the public reacts to a breach of such proportions.
Equifax, one of the three major credit reporting agencies, stores a remarkable amount of information on individuals in a single place. A hack of a bank, retailer or credit card company, while serious, might involve only account numbers and names.
As a literal storehouse of consumer credit data, Equifax records grouped names and addresses with associated dates of birth, Social Security numbers, bank accounts, credit accounts, loans and other personal financial information and histories. All that together makes the information a gold mine to identity thieves.
As folks begin to comprehend this, were learning the first lesson: consumers will place security over convenience.
Equifax along with Experian and TransUnion, the two other credit reporting agencies are seeing their websites inundated with requests for credit freezes. Speaking from personal experience, this is a cumbersome process. You are required to fill out large fields of information and create passwords and PINs for each adult member of your household. Depending on the state where you live, Experian and TransUnion charge as much $10 for each freeze.
Equifax currently is abashed enough to waive this.
With a freeze in place, consumers cannot take advantage of any instant credit offers because merchants can no longer get a credit report on the fly. This adds time and effort when it comes time to lease a car, rent an apartment, purchase a new sofa or apply for store credit because a consumer must first contact the credit agency to lift the freeze. Yet the Equifax debacle is showing us that many think the added hassle is worth the peace of mind.
This should be worrisome for the e-commerce barons who are building their business models on collecting and exchanging consumer information in return for speed and easy access to services and apps. If consumers are uncomfortable with how their personal data are curated, they might just unplug Alexa and Google Home and banish them to the attic.
A second lesson is that barriers to entry in credit reporting must come down. Hacks like these bring immediate calls for more regulation. Their scope can make it politically difficult for cooler heads to assess the cost-benefit ratios before laws are passed in the rush to do something.
As the Competitive Enterprise Institutes Jim Harper points out, the credit rating cartel, of which Equifax is a part, is a result of the 1970 Fair Credit Reporting Act. As products of regulation, Equifax and its fellow credit agencies have to meet only the requirements of the law, not the industry best practices, which have more than eclipsed the FCRAs 45-year-old standards.
Over the decades, this has made the agencies complacent. While the hack may have been due to a vulnerability in software, a patch for that fault had been available for months. Equifax failed to keep up.
Before enacting new laws that will only bake in more complacency, now is the time to consider whether deregulation would result in an increase in consumer options for accurate and secure credit reporting.
A third lesson is that the government should stop encouraging the assignment of Social Security numbers at birth. This simply enables lazy institutions to use an official government-issued identifier as a catch-all tag on everything from medical records to school lunch programs. There is no upside for the consumer. Social Security numbers do not serve their intended purpose until a minor takes his or her first job, usually at age 15 or 16, but often later.
The onslaught of hurricanes this fall has kept Equifax hack off the front page. But the hack is its own gathering storm.
Theres going to be bipartisan support for a response. Lets be sure cooler heads prevail with policies that truly work to curtail future breaches, not facilitate more.
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Gov. Cuomo teamed up with some high-profile celebrities Sunday to bring attention to the devastation in Puerto Rico.
Jennifer Lopez and Mets pitcher Seth Lugo joined Cuomo at the Javits Center in Manhattan to announce several new partnerships designed to bring relief to the island nation.
"My cousin and I and our family still haven't been able to hear from all our family over there, and we are concerned for them and for everyone on the island," said Lopez, who is from the Bronx.
Cuomo renewed his pressure on the federal government, saying Washington needs to put politics aside and help the 3.5 million people left without power in the U.S. territory.
"This is going to be a long, hard road for Puerto Rico, and this is a situation that's going to require billions of dollars in assistance, and real capacity provided to the island, and that's going to have to be done by the federal government," Cuomo said at the news conference.
The governor announced several private partnerships, including one with JetBlue, which is donating $1 million in services to bring goods to the island. The teachers' union will also collect and distribute school supplies for students.
The Mets announced they would collect donations at upcoming games, and the Yankees said they are also pitching in to help.
The governor flew to Puerto Rico on Friday to see first-hand the damage that Hurricane Maria caused.
Jesse Chambless runs two miles a day on his treadmill. But he got up early Saturday morning to run his first 5K, a 3.1-mile run.
"I'm out here this morning to spend time with my son and support his school," said Chambless, whose son is a student at Drake Middle School. "I've never run a 5K before, so this is a new experience for both of us."
Chambless was one of nearly 500 runners who participated in the inaugural Book it for Books 5K and fun run benefiting Drake Middle School on Saturday morning. The event was held at Town Creek Park in Auburn and raised enough money to buy about 2,000 books for the school.
Last year, our curriculum implemented book clubs for the first time, said Cate Sagastegui, in her fifth year teaching language arts at Drake Middle. The research has kind of changed from whole group novels to, at this age, offering a lot of choices for students. You need as many books as possible.
I felt like I had a great selection of books, but kids always want new books. They want books that were published this year, she continued. I wanted a way to figure out how to acquire those books. So I tried to think big picture.
Starting with an idea
So Sagastegui approached principal Sarah Armstrong and asked her opinion on hosting a 5K and using the registration fees to purchase books.
I thought it was a fantastic idea, and went through all of our approval channels with Central Office, said Armstrong, in her 16th year leading the sixth-grade-only school. We got approval this summer, and really took off with planning at that point.
School faculty met with the city of Auburn, who guided the process of applying to hold an event at Town Creek Park, and Aorta, a local running group who helped facilitate the run.
They encouraged us to dream for 100 participants, Armstrong said. It is much bigger than we anticipated, but we have a large group of people who are supportive. It is very much a whole school effort to make Saturday happen. Im very proud of our staff for that, and the way everybody has taken ownership of this dream. They ended up with 470 runners who pre-registered for the event, and more than 20 who signed up onsite the morning of.
Many of Saturdays participants were Auburn City Schools faculty and staff and their families, and Drake Middle School students and their families.
Usually, when a kid signs up, youll see the whole family right behind them, Sagastegui said. We have such a large student body that, thankfully, we have gotten the support of a lot of families. So instead of just one person participating, its a group of four or five.
Community support
But the roles were sometimes reversed, as the children of Drake Middle faculty participated in the run, even if they themselves are not Drake students.
Hannah Halverson, a fifth-grade student at Yarbrough Elementary, participated in the fun run because her father is a language arts teacher at Drake.
"I'm running to raise money to buy books," she said. "I've run before, but never racing people."
Halverson's friend Toni-Christian Ford attends Drake Middle School. Ford's mother is an English teacher at Drake, so hers is a class that will especially benefit from Saturday's race.
"We need more books, trust me," said Ford, who is a competitive cheerleader and ran for the first time on Saturday.
Sherry Bernie, an art teacher at Drake, and her husband, Clark, participated in Saturday's 5K.
"We left the lake at 5:15 this morning to get here," Bernie said. "It's definitely worth it, especially when your friends are going to have books. That's the whole mentality of everyone at Drake, to help when they can."
Leading up to the event, Sagastegui said, students were excited about the 5K and had a school-wide competition to see which class could have the highest number of participants sign up for the run.
All 654 students at Drake Middle will participate in the book clubs, so the 5K and fun run benefit everyone at the school.
The way the book clubs work is, you advertise in your class. You take eight or nine books; some teachers show book trailers, some just do little teasers about each book, Sagastegui explained. The kids rank them according to how interested they are in them, and then they get their books. Hopefully, everyone gets their first or second choice. They meet with their little book clubs, which are really similar to adult book clubs. They have meeting dates and things that they talk about, and sometimes, projects at the end of it.
Aside from the money raised by individuals registering for the run, 44 local businesses purchased sponsorships for the event.
Its been a good exercise for us in reaching out to community resources, Armstrong said. We had some student volunteers from Auburn University come to help us as well. It really has been a way for us to see what is even out there in the community, and how willing they are to help us.
The principal described the experience as a "whirlwind."
"We had 15 teachers out here setting up at 5:30 on a Saturday," she said. "That kind of work ethic is overwhelming. I could not be more proud."
A bystander caught in a shootout and a woman driving a car were among five people who were shot at four locations Saturday in Omaha, police said.
Two people were shot at 37th Street and Meredith Avenue about 8:45 p.m., authorities said. They were taken to a hospital in critical condition.
On Sunday morning, police identified the victims as Dylonnica Carter, 20, and Quintera Hughes, also 20.
Witnesses told police that a person in a white Nissan sedan fired the shots.
Carter was in fair condition Sunday night. The hospital could not provide information on Hughes.
Also shot Saturday was Jennifer Morales-Tiscareno, 19, who was struck at the base of her neck as she drove about 1 a.m. on W Street between 34th Street and 33rd Avenue, police said. The window broke and a 15-year-old girl, Stephanie Morales, also in the car, was scratched on her knee from glass fragments.
Morales-Tiscarenos injury was not life-threatening, police said. She was taken in serious condition to the Nebraska Medical Center.
The woman and girl are sisters and may have been involved in a driving lesson when Morales-Tiscareno was shot, Lt. Steve Cerveny said.
Police had not announced an arrest. They said witnesses told officers that they saw three male assailants run from the area.
About two hours later, Jason Brown, 36, was shot at 30th Street and Martin Avenue, police said.
Brown told police that he was at a BP gas station when he saw a person in a Dodge Caravan yelling at people who were at a Sinclair gas station across the street. Brown said he was shot when the person in the Caravan and the people in the Sinclair parking lot began shooting at each other.
He arrived about 3:15 a.m. in a private vehicle at Immanuel Medical Center. His injury was not life-threatening, police said. They had not announced an arrest late Saturday.
A 15-year-old girl died Saturday after she was shot at 36th and Lake Streets; police were looking for a suspect.
The College of St. Mary in Omaha last week reported enrollment of 1,140 students, its highest since 1994.
The college has lowered its tuition sticker price by $10,000, saying that price doesnt give a clear view of actual tuition after scholarships and government aid.
CSM officials also have said they were dropping the actual cost of tuition, too, for most undergrads.
We did not reduce tuition with an expectation that it would increase enrollment, but it has been gratifying to see the number of students that have stepped forth to pursue their dreams in our community as a result, said Sister Maryanne Stevens, president of the college.
Enrollment last year at the college totaled 1,043.
Free college fair set for Oct. 21 in Omaha
Students and parents may engage in the college search process from 1 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 21 at the CenturyLink Center.
The Omaha National College Fair is free and open to the public. Attendees will be able to meet with admission representatives from public and private colleges and two- and four-year schools.
The event is sponsored by the National Association for College Admission Counseling and hosted by the Great Plains Association for College Admission Counseling.
Student registration and other information is available at www.nacacfairs.org. For information call Sarah Smith at 703-299-6853 or email her at ssmith@nacacnet.org.
UNO seeks writing contest entries in Spanish
Nebraska students in grades five through 12 may submit their work to the eighth annual University of Nebraska at Omaha Creative Writing Contest in Spanish.
Students in grades five through eight are asked to write a fiction story inspired by a collection of artworks on display at the Joslyn Art Museum. A scavenger hunt and workshop will be held at the museum from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday.
Students in grades nine through 12 will write a personal non-fiction story involving social justice and social responsibility.
The deadline for entries is Oct. 18. Submissions should be between 250 and 600 words.
For information and registration, go to the UNO OLLAS website (OLLAS stands for Office of Latino/Latin American Studies), then click on the Community Engagement tab and scroll to the section on the writing contest.
Orphan Grain Train: Nine Makovicka Physical Therapy locations recently collected and assembled 55 disaster kits for the Orphan Grain Train of Norfolk, Nebraska, a nonprofit Christian volunteer network. Each kit contains a bath towel, washcloth, bar of soap, toothbrush, bandages and a comb.
Feeding America: Jack Links Beef Jerky plant in Underwood, Iowa, loaded three semitrailer trucks with more than 136,900 bags of beef jerky on Sept. 18 to deliver to Florida residents affected by Hurricane Irma.
Superhero Heart Run: The fifth annual Superhero Heart Run is today at Werner Park, 12356 Ballpark Way in Papillion. The event is from noon to 4 p.m. Proceeds go to support education, research and awareness of congenital heart defects. Cost is $25 for adults, $10 for children ages 2-12 and free for those with congenital heart defects.
Concert fundraiser: St. Thomas Lutheran Church, 17007 Q St., will host a grand piano concert fundraiser today. Freewill donations will go to Youth Emergency Services, 2679 Farnam St., and Lutheran Family Services, 124 S. 24th St. The 4 p.m. concert will feature a vocalist and three pianists.
Safe Haven: Gretna United Methodist Church will host a donation event for Heartland Family Services and its Safe Haven domestic shelter on Wednesday. More than 100 high school youth from area churches will go door to door in the community from 6:45 to 8 p.m., collecting donations for the domestic violence program. Needed items include bathroom tissue, paper towels, sandwich bags, body wash, loofahs, hairspray, batteries, journals, planners, hair ties and headbands. Residents also may leave donations marked for Safe Haven on their porches that day or drop them off at Gretna United Methodist Church, 11457 S. 204th St., through Oct. 4.
Project Pinkd: Omaha Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 385 has partnered with Project Pinkd, a local nonprofit that supports people diagnosed with breast cancer, on the annual Omaha Pinkd Out program now through Oct. 1. Purchase a pink light bulb or flood light for your homes exterior at the Union Hall, 6005 Grover St. Lights are $5 each. Campaign T-shirts are available for $15. Proceeds will go to local support programs for breast cancer survivors. People can take photos alongside the lit bulbs and share them on social media with the hashtag #OmahaPinkdOut. For every photo shared using the hashtag in October, the Fire Union will donate $1 to Project Pinkd. Businesses that are interested in lighting up pink for the month of October can contact Melissa Rowlet at melissarowlet@projectpinkd.org.
Shoe drive: All six Mattress Firm stores in Omaha are hosting a shoe drive to benefit local foster youth and families through Oct. 31. New shoes in any size as well as monetary contributions will be accepted during normal business hours. All proceeds will be donated to CASA for Douglas County. These shoes will help the approximately 4,800 children in foster care in Nebraska.
Know about something we should include in our weekly listing? Email it to goodnews@owh.com.
The writer, of Lincoln, represents Nebraskas 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
When I was in third grade, I had a friend named Phillip Brown. My birthday party was nearing, and it was common at the time to invite all the boys in the class to a party. And I did invite everyone, including Phillip, who was a particularly close friend.
The party was at a roller skating rink. As I was opening presents, my father came up to me and whispered in my ear, Jeffrey, is Phillip a black boy? I said, Yes. Then I didnt think about it anymore.
On the following Monday at school, I saw Phillip. I was somewhat hurt because he did not show up at my birthday party. I asked him, Phillip, why didnt you come? He said, I did. They wouldnt let me in.
I was 8 years old. The year was 1968. It turns out my father had to go outside and awkwardly explain to Phillips father that this establishment was apparently a disturbing remnant of the old ways. Black children were not allowed in.
After business concludes each day in Congress, there is a period when representatives from each side of the political aisle take time to speak, with Democrats and Republicans taking turns.
One evening, Rep. Al Green, an African-American Democrat from Houston, was speaking about Black History Month. Green spoke extensively of his difficult times as a young lawyer facing a segregated courthouse and about important progress on civil rights that had been made in the country, adding there was still a need for more understanding.
As I was preparing my thoughts for my own address next listening closely as Green was wrapping up his speech I kept thinking about Phillip. The thought occurred to me to ask if the congressman would yield a courteous way of seeking time to interject something. In this circumstance, it would be unusual, but I couldnt let the thought go. I decided, Yes, this is important, and asked, Will the gentleman yield? A bit startled, Green said, I would be happy to yield to the gentleman.
I thanked him for his words and told the story of Phillip Brown but with one new detail: the reaction of my own children when I told them of this event from my childhood. You could see the anguish on their faces. My children were aghast that such a hurtful thing could happen. They said, Daddy, you have to find Phillip.
In the meanwhile, Texas Rep. Ted Poe had come onto the floor of the House to get ready for his speech. And he began to listen. Poe then asked, Will the gentleman yield? And he began to talk about similar memories of the segregation at the courthouse and his sentiments about the progress made. He said to me, Jeff, youve got to find Phillip.
I had occasion recently to go back to the little school I attended (an all-white school in my time, except, as I recall, for the Brown family). I met the principal, who is an African-American woman. It is now a school for children with special talents in which most of the students are African-American. She was kind enough to take me on a little tour.
Some things had been added, like air conditioning, but much was the same. I walked into one of my old classrooms. Memories flooded over me. It even smelled the same! I asked the principal, Will you look in the records? Will you help me find Phillip Brown?
After I wrote this story, my mother sent me an additional piece of information that I never knew about. After the birthday party, Phillips mother called my mother, in what my mother describes as the most embarrassing moment of her life. Phillip had come to the birthday party dressed in a suit and tie, with a book as a gift. It was John F. Kennedys Profiles in Courage.
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Papua New Guinea continues to make its presence felt in the international arena despite tough economic times.This week Prime Minister Peter ONeill has travelled to the United Nations in New York to meet with world leaders as they discuss global national security challenges among others. Mr ONeill will have a chance to meet US President Donald Trump, as the still-new president hopes to use his first appearance before the UN General Assembly to rally other countries against North Koreas nuclear threats.Mr ONeill will also meet the UN President of the General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak and rub shoulders with French President Emmanuel Macron, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. He will also meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-In as they meet to discuss issues of peace and advancing global understanding of the critical role of multilateralism in our modern world and in serving the needs of all people.Mr ONeill will have a chance to meet US President Donald Trump who will use his first appearance before the UN General Assembly to rally other countries against North Koreas nuclear threats.This years 72nd General Assembly of United Nations started yesterday morning where Mr ONeill will present PNGs country statement.In the lead-up to the meeting, he will speak at an investment conference to promote investment opportunities in Papua New Guineas resources sector. He was also due to meet with senior executives of ExxonMobil in Dallas, Texas. Post Courier/ONE PNG
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 24 (PTI) The Supreme Court has said that a Mumbai-based real estate firm, entangled in a property dispute with thespian Dilip Kumar, could raise the issue of alleged breach of contract by the actor before the apex court- appointed arbitrator.
The top court, which had on August 30 asked the actor to deposit Rs 20 crore with its registry as part payment to the builder with whom the agreement to develop his prime Pali Hill property ran into rough weather a decade ago, was informed that Kumar had deposited the money as directed by the court.
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The actor had entered into an agreement with Prajita Developers Pvt Ltd for developing his property, measuring 2412 square yards, and the dispute arose later as no construction was raised and Kumar wanted back the plot whose possession was with the firm.
The top court, in its August 30 order, had appointed former apex court judge Justice P Venkatarama Reddy as the arbitrator to decide whether Prajita was entitled for more as damages apart from Rs 20 crore.
A bench comprising Justices J Chelameswar and S Abdul Nazeer was informed that as per the Mumbai Polices report, possession of the property had been handed over to the actor.
"Therefore, the first respondent (Prajita) is permitted to withdraw the said amount of Rs 20 crore deposited in the registry of this court," the bench noted in its order.
The bench was dealing with an application seeking certain clarifications including that the developer was entitled to demonstrate before the court-appointed arbitrator that there was breach of the agreement between the parties allegedly on part of Kumar.
"We accordingly clarify that it would be open to Prajita Developers to plead and establish before the arbitrator that there is a breach of contract on the part of the appellant (Kumar) entitling Prajita Developers for a decree of specific performance only for the limited purpose of examining the further questions whether Prajita Developers is entitled to damages and, if entitled, what would be the quantum of damages," the court said.
"We also make it clear that all the parties to the agreement are entitled to raise such claims and defences, as the case may be, with regard to the respective claims of damages (if any)," the bench said.
In March 2016, the apex court had granted relief to Kumar by rejecting a plea to restrain him from creating third party rights over the Pali Hill property till the arbitration of the dispute with a private developer.
According to the original agreement, the owner as well as the developers had to share 50 per cent each of the residential flats to be built on the land.
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Prajita developers had thus obtained the leasehold rights in the property together with the bungalow standing thereon by virtue of lease of September 25, 1953. But the developers had failed to raise any construction.
The Bombay High Court had last year rejected the plea of the realty firm. PTI ABA MNL SJK RKS ARC DV
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Gresham police arrested a Portland man Saturday in connection with the death of his girlfriend's 13-month-old son.
Shalondre Adams, 21, will be charged with murder, said Officer Ben Costigan, a spokesman for the Gresham Police Department.
The toddler died Thursday morning.
Shalondre Adams, 21
Child abuse detectives began investigating his death after emergency responders were called to help the unresponsive toddler at an address near Southeast 169th Avenue and Stark Street.
An autopsy performed Friday by the Oregon State Medical Examiner's office found the toddler suffered a traumatic brain injury. The boy's death was ruled a homicide, Costigan said.
Costigan said police are not releasing the toddler's name because the investigation is ongoing. Adams was not the boy's father, Costigan said.
Photos posted on social media show a growing makeshift memorial for the toddler, with a small pair of Air Jordan sneakers nestled among candles and flowers.
In 2013, an Oregonian/OregonLive reporter spoke with a 17-year-old named Shalondre Adams, who appears to be the same man arrested Saturday. He witnessed a confrontation between police and his teenage cousins that ended with one cousin being hit by a Taser.
Adams is scheduled to be arraigned on a murder allegation at 2:30 p.m. on Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
This story has been updated.
-- Molly Young
BY EUGENE "AUSTIN" GREENE
The Oregonian front-page story over Labor Day weekend ("No Shows Still Not Showing") focused on issues at the Warm Springs K-8 Academy with missed school days adding up to "chronic absenteeism." In Oregon, chronic absence is about 18 days during a school year.
The story came a year into the Tribal Attendance Pilot Project, the tribe-state effort to corral decades of high absenteeism among Oregon tribal youth in public schools on and near reservations. The story overall was balanced, contradicting the downbeat headline by stating that most of the schools participating in the pilot project have reduced chronic absenteeism among tribal youth after less than a year of work.
Our concerns as Warm Springs leaders were how the role of the very bad weather last winter was downplayed and how the story passed judgment on the work of this promising new project as if 150 years of abuse and neglect of our youth in government-funded schools can be fixed in no time.
First, regarding the weather, the most severe snow storm on our reservation in recent memory hit in December. We had four feet of snow and -- no surprise -- it stopped everybody and everything. Who in Portland has forgotten what less than a foot of snow did to schools there at the same time? We lost nine school days for everybody because of the snow and lost many more school days for the kids in outlying areas of our 650,000-acre reservation who could not budge because of the deep snow in their extremely long driveways.
Mother Nature gave us a bum year to start the pilot project and there's no way to view it as typical. Before the storms, we believe the school was on track to lower its absentee rate.
Second, as some of our people quoted in the story discussed, we have a difficult -- even brutal -- history in the schools America designed for us. The mistreatment of our children started in the 19th Century, with beatings for speaking our own language or for not following orders given in a language foreign to our land. It continued into the 20th century with kidnappings to force us into schools and more beatings to knock our heritage out of us and make us "good" Americans.
This cruelty was aided by teachers turning a blind eye to bullying and shaming by white students, especially in Madras. When they called our precious girls, "squaw," a vile term used to shame them, they were never punished. This meanness continued into this century. And it made matters worse to have our people erased from Oregon history, as if our century-long fight to save the salmon -- for just one example -- meant nothing to our beautiful home. No wonder it is hard to convince school-traumatized parents that all is now okay for our kids in public schools.
Our people have worked hard to overcome the cruelties visited upon us in the name of education. We are proud of our new K-8 school in Warm Springs, for which our tribe paid half the cost -- unlike other public schools. Just last month, we had a NASA program for our students on documenting the solar eclipse. Students helped prepare the equipment for the weather balloon launched that morning. We hosted visitors from around the world at the campus for this amazing astronomical event.
We are proud of our partnership with the state to bring students back into the classroom. We are grateful to Oregon legislators for chipping in to fund this critical project and to fund development of Oregon Tribes curriculum in all public schools. We are making headway on attendance, but we cannot overcome a century and a half of dishonor in a year or two.
-- Eugene "Austin" Greene, Jr., is chairman of Warm Springs Tribal Council.
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Submit your 500-word essay on a highly topical issue or a theme of particular relevance to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and the Portland area to commentary@oregonlive.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification.
BY KATE GONSALVES
As leaders in powerful positions who are experts in their field, Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw and Portland Public Schools Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero, you have arrived at an important time.
As a white mother, I worry deeply about my biracial boys and other black and brown children growing up in Portland. And recent data illustrates my fears are not unfounded.
Portland, Oregon is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. Some of the things I appreciate most about the region are the state's natural beauty, the food and a culture of people who embody the state motto "She flies with her own wings." However, what often goes unspoken is that for too long, Oregon has buried much needed conversations about racial equity and bias under its veneer of progressivism.
Oregon can be a very unwelcoming place to people of color. The Southern Poverty Law Center recently listed Oregon as having more reported hate incidents than any other state in the nation. As a white child, I counted on the police and teachers as support systems. Today, if my biracial kids need help, I don't have the same confidence that my children can turn to a police officer or teacher for assistance without being perceived as suspects.
For too long, communities of color in Oregon have been over-policed and under-protected. The often unconscious practice of associating black or brown skin with criminality begins early. According to a recent report by the Sentencing Project, black boys are more than four times as likely to be suspended from area schools than their white peers for the same infractions. Similarly, racial bias is baked into every sector of the criminal justice system as illustrated by the Multnomah County Racial and Ethnic Disparities Report. It is a direct result of this deeply entrenched racism that black, Latino, and Native American children remain overrepresented in Oregon's juvenile facilities.
In August, the images of white Southerners holding torches in Charlottesville captured the public eye as the nation's face of racism. Yet, you may be surprised to learn that Oregon has the seventh highest rate of incarceration for African Americans in the nation. Virginia ranks below Oregon on the list at 29th.
The data is grim but it's not out of line with Oregon's colonial history. These historical roots of racial inequality remain woven into the fabric of our schools, government, juries and law enforcement. Still it's easier for many Oregonians to point fingers afar rather than take a hard look within.
If we hope to build a better future for the increasingly diverse children of Oregon, we must reconcile these lived realities with our progressive values. As new leaders to our region I hope you don't shy away from these conversations and instead make racial equity and restorative justice an ongoing priority with measurable results. Many community members including myself are willing to do everything we can to be part of the solution - our children's futures are tied to your success.
Kate Gonsalves is political director at the Oregon Justice Resource Center. She lives with her family in Southeast Portland.
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Submit your 500-word essay on a highly topical issue or a theme of particular relevance to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and the Portland area to commentary@oregonlive.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification.
BY DAVID ROGERS
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon just launched a major, multi-year campaign to reform our state's criminal justice system. We want to improve the system so it is more fair, just and effective. But instead of focusing on police departments, sheriffs' deputies or judges, we're focusing on 36 individuals who most Oregon voters know little about: district attorneys.
District attorneys are the most powerful actors in the criminal justice system. Among their many powers, district attorneys decide who gets charged with a crime or who goes free. They decide when youth are charged as adults, and who gets treatment or goes to jail. It's district attorneys who decide whether to charge a police officer for misconduct and when to pursue the death penalty.
We've found that Oregonians are largely unfamiliar with the role district attorneys play, and most of us don't know they're elected. Leading up to the launch of our campaign, we knocked on more than 15,000 doors in Marion and Washington counties. We talked to thousands of Oregonians about what they want from the justice system and what they know about district attorneys. More than two-thirds of the people we talked to thought district attorneys are appointed, not elected.
Public education is one of the core goals of our They Report to You Campaign. And the name of our campaign underscores that in a democracy, elected leaders should be more accountable to voters.
It's understandable that district attorneys have been flying under our radar. In the past decade, eight out of every 10 district attorney elections were uncontested. And when voters don't have a real choice, many people choose not to vote or pay attention.
Tremendous power, a high level of job security and a low level of accountability to the public is a very bad recipe for justice. District attorneys have collectively been the largest roadblock to modernizing and reforming our justice system. For example, the legislature passed a range of very important criminal justice reforms this year. The laws are designed to help end law enforcement profiling, reduce unreasonably harsh penalties for simple drug possession, avoid opening a new women's prison and create more transparency in the grand jury system. Those victories have one thing in common: The most vocal opposition was from district attorneys.
Some district attorneys, such as Clackamas County's John Foote, responded to our campaign with extreme defensiveness, unleashing a range of outlandish accusations. In a press release, he said that the ACLU of Oregon's concerns about the state's over-reliance on incarcerating people with mental illness and addiction "are patently false." He said the same about our justice system's disparity with incarcerations by race. With such a misrepresentation of reality, there is no need to waste time referencing the well-documented evidence to the contrary. We don't need defensiveness from our elected leaders, we need leadership. Denying we have problems is a clear indication that DA Foote is actually part of the problem.
District attorneys have the power to make positive change and they are not always a unified group. Some are better than others, and some have already taken real leadership on key issues. Deschutes County DA John Hummel supported grand jury transparency reform, and Multnomah County DA Rod Underhill is developing a pre-booking diversion program that recognizes that the best interventions can be to help people rebuild their lives rather than a singular focus on prosecution.
Oregon needs more forward thinking district attorneys.
Rather than fiercely defending outdated policies, we need to demand evidence-based, research driven policies from our elected district attorneys. That's where our new campaign comes in. It's a simple idea: Let's make it easier for Oregonians to find out who their district attorney is, what they stand for and increase voter engagement with these important elected positions. With more public engagement, we'll ensure Oregon can create a fair and effective justice system for our future.
David Rogers is the executive director of the ACLU of Oregon.
Share your opinion
Submit your 500-word essay on a highly topical issue or a theme of particular relevance to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and the Portland area to commentary@oregonlive.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification.
Share your opinion
Submit your 500-word essay on a highly topical issue or a theme of particular relevance to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and the Portland area to commentary@oregonlive.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification.
By Adila Matra: Travelling is undoubtedly one of the biggest joys of life. Hand in hand with travel, bringing more meaning to every journey is its gastronomic partner. Anywhere you go, the trip is rendered useless without the local food and the novelty that its flavours offer.
Keeping this in mind, Airbnb Asia Pacific under its 'Kitchens of Asia' initiative has partnered with renowned chefs in four Asia-Pacific markets - Chef Manish Mehrotra of Indian Accent (India), Chef Tony Yoo (South Korea), Chef Ian Kittichai (Thailand), and Chef Koh Kentetsu (Japan) - to encourage travellers to try and prepare authentic Asian dishes and delicacies that capture the flavours of India, Japan, South Korea and Thailand on their next vacation on Airbnb.
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The live cookout session at Mehrotra's fabled Indian Accent restaurant revealed a few dishes by the chef and other by Airbnb hosts, that can be prepared in under 30 minutes.
"The concept is to travel and enjoy the city like a local. I also try to do that when you are staying in a place for three to four months," says Mehrotra who started with a warm potato and prawns salad, topped with purple potatoes that can be made in 15 minutes. "It is something that can be quickly made. It shouldn't be difficult for outsiders to get those ingredients. For instance, I wouldn't want anyone to go specifically to an Indian market while in London to get these things. The ingredients for this salad are available everywhere. It is Indian with an international touch," he says.
Airbnb hosts from different parts of the country also laid out a few recipes. Plavaneeta Borah from Assam whipped up Masor Tenga Aru Bhaat (tangy Assamese fish curry with steamed rice) that can be whipped up in 30 minutes while Manjula Sharma cooked a simple Bread Tikki Chaat with a preparation time of 10 minutes. Mehrotra says his ultimate goal is to make sure Indian food becomes popular. "Not chicken tikka Masala, real Indian food. We don't just eat curries. The perception should change. More respect for Indian food is what I aim for with every step I take," he adds. Here is a recipe from Manish Mehrotra that can come in handy when you travel.
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Monday 25 September 2017 9:45am
University of Otago researchers are warning of the potential pitfalls in government departments using computer-based risk prediction models, as has been recently revealed through a controversial new tool used by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) to profile and target clients.
The ACC uses a computer model to assist staff managing claims, however, details of what the model does, and how it is used, are somewhat sketchy, says spokesperson for the Universitys Artificial Intelligence and Law in New Zealand Project, Associate Professor James Maclaurin.
The most concrete information comes from a short press release issued by ACC indicating that the tool is used to make three types of prediction:
Which clients are likely to need help and should be called proactively,
Which type of case owner should assist the client, and
How long we should expect a claim to be managed.
This somewhat vague description leaves open the possibility that ACC uses these predictions to minimise treatment times, either by intervening in patients treatment, or (more seriously) by declining applicants with long predicted treatment times, says Associate Professor Maclaurin.
The tool makes predictions about future ACC cases using a database of information about 364,000 past claims that were lodged between 2007 and 2013. ACC stresses that details about individual cases are kept private both from ACC staff and from other agencies, says Department of Computer Sciences Professor Alistair Knott, another researcher on the project.
Management still appears to be ultimately under human control: an ACC case owner makes the final decision about each case.
But ACC workers find themselves in a situation increasingly common in our society: their decisions are guided by advice generated automatically by a machine, based on a large set of data extending far beyond their own experience.
We are in the same position when we use Googles navigation system in our cars, or choose a book based on Amazons recommendations. In these cases, having a computer in the decision-making loop seems innocuous enough. It seems less innocuous when it guides the agencies whose decisions have serious consequences for peoples lives. We set out six questions that such agencies must be able to answer about the algorithms they use.
Of course it is a fundamentally a good thing for peoples decision-making to be informed by statistics. Systems like the ACC tool can be quite accurate, but because they dont reason in the way humans do, it is essential that Governments and companies relying on them are able to answer the following questions:
How accurate is the tool, in fact? Predictive tools are easy to evaluate: if the public is to have confidence in the ACC tool, and the courts are to evaluate its use, the agency should give a public account of how it was evaluated. Without divulging personal details, this should include a thorough description of the data set on which it was assessed. Can the agency explain the way this tool works so that clients could appeal particular decisions? Does the use of this tool distort the way the agency pursues its stated policy objectives? By passing the buck to the machine, is the agency to ducking its responsibility to make fair and humane decisions about treatment of New Zealanders in need? Does this tool implicitly discriminate against individuals on problematic grounds such as age, ethnicity or gender? Importantly, there is simply no way to remove this bias without compromising the accuracy of its predictions. There is a real risk that the ACC tool unfairly discriminates against some clients. This possibility needs to be explored in an evaluation of the system. Are employees effectively trained in the use of the system? While the predictive system is probably intended to be used as a guide, to supplement the case owners own knowledge and judgements, it is easy to fall into autopilot mode when guided by a systemespecially if it is fairly accurate. (The dangers of autopilot mode are particularly clear if the systems errors are prone to bias, of the kind just mentioned.) The charge of falling into autopilot mode is often levelled at judges using the US predictive system.
Predictive analytics technologies show great potential in informing public decision-making, but it is important for these technologies to be evaluated and scrutinised when used in the public domain. It may be that ACC has addressed the issues we raise in its own internal training and evaluation processes. But we are calling for ACC to provide a public account of how it uses its predictive tool, so as to maintain the integrity of its decision-making, says Faculty of Law Professor Colin Gavaghan.
For more information, contact:
Associate Professor James Maclaurin
Email james.maclaurin@otago.ac.nz
Associate Professor Colin Gavaghan
Email colin.gavaghan@otago.ac.nz
Associate Professor Alistair Knott
Email alik@cs.otago.ac.nz
The authors are investigators on the Artificial Intelligence and Law in New Zealand Project at the University of Otago, funded by the New Zealand Law Foundation.
CLAUDIA HARRIS | The Sun
Capt. Monica Horton (left) with the Salvation Army, the July Groceries for Good charity, receives a check for $1,990 from Banks Market cashier Andrea Elmore. Elmore is the cashier who raised the most during July.
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New U.K. Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt has reversed most of an economic package announced by the government just weeks ago, including a planned cut in income taxes. Hunt said Monday he was scrapping almost all the tax cuts announced last month by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Liz Truss, and also signaled that public spending cuts are on the way. It was a bid to soothe turbulent financial markets spooked by fears of excessive government borrowing. The move raises questions about how long the beleaguered prime minister can stay in office, though Truss insisted she has no plans to quit. She vowed to lead the Conservatives into the next general election, but many in the party want her gone.
The outcome puts Merkel on course for a fourth term as chancellor - but means that she likely faces the tricky task of forming a new coalition government with two new partners.
By AP: Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc won a lackluster victory in Germany's national election Sunday while the anti-migrant, nationalist Alternative for Germany party managed a triumphant entry into parliament.
Merkel's main center-left rivals, the Social Democrats, slid to their worst result since World War II, projections showed. The party, led by Merkel's challenger Martin Schulz, vowed immediately to leave her coalition government and go into opposition.
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The outcome puts Merkel on course for a fourth term as chancellor - but means that she likely faces the tricky task of forming a new coalition government with two new partners. Merkel acknowledged that it would take time, but said that "we live in stormy times " and other parties should show responsibility.
"I have the intention of achieving a stable government in Germany, and that has been a hallmark" of the country, she said.
Projections for ARD and ZDF public television, based on exit polls and partial counting, showed Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and their Bavaria-only allies, the Christian Social Union, winning around 33 percent of the vote - down from 41.5 percent four years ago. It was one of their weakest post-war showings.
Schulz's Social Democrats were trailing far behind, with just under 21 percent support. That would be the outright worst post-war for the party, which has served since 2013 as the junior partner in a "grand coalition" of Germany's biggest parties under Merkel.
Merkel was greeted at her party's headquarters by supporters applauding and chanting "Angie!"
"Of course, we would have preferred a better result, that is completely clear," she said. "But we mustn't forget that we have had an extremely challenging parliamentary term behind us."
"We have a mandate to form a new government, and no government can be formed against us," Merkel added.
"We want to win back AfD voters by solving problems, by taking account of their concerns and fears, and above all with good policies ," Merkel added.
Smaller parties were the chief beneficiaries of the erosion in support for Germany's traditionally dominant parties - above all the right-wing Alternative for Germany, or AfD, whose support was just over 13 percent. AfD capitalized on discontent with established politicians but particularly targeted those angry over the influx of more than 1 million mostly Muslim migrants into Germany in the past two years under Merkel.
AfD co-leader Alexander Gauland vowed that "we will take our country back" and promised to "chase" Merkel.
"This is a big day in our party's history. We have entered the Bundestag and we will change this country," Gauland said.
Big cheers went up at AfD's election party after exit polls showed them finishing in third place. Some supporters chanted "AfD! AfD!" and others started singing the German national anthem.
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Outsides, hundreds of anti-AfD protesters shouted "all Berlin hates the AfD," ''Nazi pigs," and other slogans, while several protesters threw bottles as police kept them away from the building.
Another big winner Sunday was the pro-business Free Democratic Party, which was set to return to parliament with some 10.5 percent of the vote. The party was Merkel's coalition partner in her second term from 2009-2013 but lost all its seats at the last election.
"In a country that is big on schadenfreude, our comeback is an encouraging message - after failure, a new beginning is possible," party leader Christian Lindner told supporters.
The traditionally left-leaning Greens were seen winning around 9 percent of the vote and the Left Party also 9 percent, meaning both stay in parliament.
The new parliament will have six caucuses, compared with four previously, and the Social Democrats said they intend to lead the opposition.
"We have suffered a crushing election defeat," Schulz said. "It is completely clear that the role the voters have given us is as the opposition."
Referring to the AfD's third-place finish, he said "there cannot be a far-right party leading the opposition in Germany."
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If the Social Democrats stick to their pledge, Merkel will effectively have only one option to form her new government: teaming up with the Free Democrats and the Greens in an alliance that has never yet been tried in a national German government.
That combination - known as a "Jamaica" coalition because the parties' colors match those of that Caribbean nation's flag - will have to overcome the traditional distrust between both the Free Democrats and the Greens and between parts of Merkel's conservative bloc and the Greens.
The Left Party is incompatible with the conservatives and all have voted not to work with AfD.
The 'Jamaica' alliance "could work ... the (conservative) Union, Greens and Free Democrats do have similar voters," said Karl-Rudolf Korte, a political scientist at Duisburg-Essen University.
"To keep the chancellery, Ms. Merkel will make any concession," Schulz said in a bitter appearance alongside other party leaders on German public television. He accused Merkel of conducting a "scandalous" campaign that systematically avoided contentious issues and "created a vacuum" that AfD filled.
Mainstream parties' leaders vowed a robust response to AfD's entry into parliament. Greens co-leader Katrin Goering-Eckardt told supporters: "there will again be Nazis sitting in parliament."
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"We will not let one single attack on German democracy stand," she said, to applause.
Merkel has over the years pulled her party toward the center, but may now face new pressure for a more robust conservative image.
An often-awkward conservative ally, Bavarian Governor Horst Seehofer, who has long called for a fixed annual cap on the number of migrants that Germany accepts, said the result Sunday shows that the conservatives have "an open flank to the right."
"It is particularly important that we close this flank with ... clear political positions," he said.
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Julia Scott Vrooman has always been in the news, noted The Pantagraph in early October 1976.
The occasion was her 100th birthday, held at her East Taylor Street home in which she was born and raised, and spent most of her adult life.
Still spry of mind, if not so much of body, Vrooman recalled her role as a Washington, D.C. socialite during the Woodrow Wilson administration, when her husband Carl served as assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
At the end of the First World War, she then earned national attention for her charitable work in battle-scarred Europe, as she mostly traveled across occupied Germany to entertain homesick doughboys (as American soldiers were known) with Mrs. Vroomans Jazz Band.
Julia Scott Vroomans life was one of privilege. Her father, Matthew T. Scott, founded the small McLean County community of Chenoa, and owned some 5,000 surrounding acres in northern McLean and southern Livingston counties.
In 1872, Matthew and his wife, Julia Green Scott, moved to Bloomington, purchasing the residence at 701 E. Taylor St. (now the Vrooman Mansion bed and breakfast). Their daughter Julia was born there in 1876.
Eighteen years later, in 1894, the younger Julia met her future husband, Carl Vrooman, while making her Grand Tour of Europe. They were married in 1896, and would make their first of many return visits to Europe the following year. Well-educated and modestly wealthy with a shared independent streak, Julia and Carl lived a life forever on-the-go.
Julia arrived in Europe in August 1918, having volunteered to work for the YMCA and its programs serving American soldiers. I have no children, she said at the time. I am in perfect health. I am fortunate enough to be able to speak both French and Italian. If, instead of looking for an opportunity to get into war work, I were looking for an excuse to avoid it, I could not find one.
After training in England, she arrived in Paris just in time for the armistice. Yet she soon realized that the long, dreary period of occupation and demobilization meant that there was much work still to do, especially in the smaller and more isolated American camps with little recreational opportunities.
As such, Vrooman spent the rest of 1918 and much of the following year visiting American soldiers, many of whom were stationed in occupied Germany. She became famous for traveling with her self-styled jazz band comprised of soldiers playing a ragged early ragtime before their fellow countrymen.
Where the boys did not have musical instruments they made them out of frying pans and other camp utensils, quipped Vrooman. It is surprising what a lot of music you can get out of string, stretched over a frying pan if you adjust your ear to the music.
Jazz was a newly emerging style of American music given a cultural and commercial boost with the Great Migration of African Americans to northern cities such as Chicago and New York. During the war, the colored 15th New York Regiments band famously brought its ragtime to France, and this and similar efforts helped spread this distinctly American sound to other units, both black and white, as well as to Europeans across the continent.
Vrooman also used her influence and personal resources to aid French civilians, eventually picking up the informal title, The Apostle of the Lost Tribes.
Much to her frustration, it was impossible to keep a stable roster of band mates, given that their units were often on the move or being sent home. We usually went out into the back districts where the boys seldom saw anybody but themselves, Vrooman said. In two different camps I found that the only pianist was in the guardhouse, and it was necessary to borrow him from the captain for the occasion.
She also didnt hesitate to ask for favors high up the chain of command. For instance, she said both Maj. Gen. Joseph E. Kuhn, commander of the 79th Division, and Marine Corps Gen. LeRoy P. Hunt, put automobiles at my disposal and gave me the range of the camps.
The letters back to her mother also tell us that the indefatigable Vrooman was having the time of her life. In one such letter, written in July 1919 from Germany, she good naturedly criticized the local dinner fare. Why will a German insist on cooking fresh string beans in vinegar, and seasoning their cabbage with cinnamon? she asked. However, I swallowed it for the definite purpose of nourishment it was to furnish beau coup steam to run the engine fast and hard that night.
But the wars aftermath wasnt all high adventure for Vrooman. The stench, figuratively speaking, of the millions of dead was never far away. Paris is gay, but it is a surface gayety, she reflected. Every third woman you meet is in mourning.
Vrooman returned stateside in mid-December 1919 aboard the Holland-American passenger liner Rotterdam. According to press reports, The Apostle for the Lost Tribes brought an entire French family husband, wife and two children with her on the voyage. They had evidently lost everything in the war and were eager to start life anew.
The Rotterdam battled a furiously violent winter storm much of the way, sheathing her in ice and leaving her forward rails twisted and broken. The ships captain said it was the worst storm he had ever seen on the Atlantic.
Julia and Carl Vrooman continued to travel, though they always returned to Bloomington and their home on East Taylor Street. During the Great Depression, Eleanor Roosevelt paid a visit to Julia. The first lady then raved about her hosts whole wheat bread in her syndicated newspaper column, My Day.
On May 30, 1981, Julia passed away in the same home she was born in 104 years earlier.
Julia and Carl Vrooman are two of the eight featured individuals in this years Evergreen Cemetery Walk, which commemorates the centennial of World War I. Other historical characters include Carolyn Schertz Geneva, a Brokaw Hospital nurse who served in the Army Medical Unit in England, and Edward and Lincoln Bynum, African-American brothers who fought with the famed Black Devils regiment in the trenches of France and Belgium.
Presented by the McLean County Museum of History, the Evergreen Cemetery Walk runs the next two weekends, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, and Oct.7-8. For ticket information, call the museum at 309-827-0428. Hurry, because tickets go fast, and sold-out shows are not uncommon.
LEXINGTON Gov. Bruce Rauner was among 150 motorcyclists who stopped in Lexington on Saturday to honor local veterans.
Did you see all those motorcycles? Theres so many, exclaimed Quincy Miller, 5, of Lexington as the group rumbled into town.
Flags and community members lined Main Street as the Lexington High School band performed to welcome the visitors.
Members of local scout troops joined Rauner on stage in front of the American Legion War Memorial for the pledge of allegiance.
This is the warmest welcome Ive ever had in the state of Illinois, said Rauner to the crowd of a few hundred. Thank you for your patriotism. This means the world to us.
An Illinois governor hasnt visited Lexington since 1908, said Mayor Spencer Johansen.
Its exciting that hes stopping here. This is a great community and I love to see how the town pulls together, said Johansen.
Rauner organized an annual motorcycle ride from Chicago to Springfield to raise money to fund the national group Honor Flight Network.
Several local World War II veterans attended the governor's visit. Rauner gave them honorary certificates from the state.
Its not every day that you meet the governor, said Eldon Bryant of Chenoa, a World War II Navy veteran. Ive been on the Honor Flight. It was amazing seeing the Vietnam Memorial.
World War II Navy veteran William Tracy of Lexington said he was happy to see Rauner raising money for Honor Flights.
Its a great thing. Id like to go on the flight some day, said Tracy.
Rauners motorcycle group raised $10,000 last year and had a goal of $12,000 this year.
The group stopped in Dwight and Lincoln before ending in Springfield with a barbecue, band and ceremony for veterans.
Motorcycle riders and veterans were encouraged to join the procession at each stop, with an estimated 400 riders making the final group in Springfield.
What I love about riding is not only the feeling of freedom, but the camaraderie and how riders are so active in the community. Its an honor for me to ride with them, said Rauner.
In his prescient science-fiction novel The Diamond Age, Neal Stephenson describes a post-national world in which people organize themselves into affinity groups called phyles. Some choose to be Victorians, emulating the beliefs and aesthetic of 19th-century Britain. Others identify with the values and dress of the Boers. The Celestial Kingdom is a Chinese culture phyle. In The Diamond Age, globalization has erased the nation-state and left people always hungry for belonging to identify themselves entirely by culture.
A provocative new essay by Andrew Sullivan, America Wasnt Built for Humans, describes the emergence of two American phyles. One is more racially diverse, urban, secular and globalist. The other is largely white, rural and exurban, religious and nationalist. Their conflict is the context of American politics. At stake is the idea that American describes a single people.
In Sullivans description, the myths that used to help unify the country the ideal of assimilation, the idea of Americas founders as exemplars of constitutional values have been weakened. We dismantled many of our myths, he argues, but have not yet formed new ones to replace them. The result is the dangerous triumph of cultural identification over unifying political ideals.
Who is at fault for the depth of this mental divide? It is the nature of political polarization that both American tribes blame each other. Sullivan blames them both, but not quite equally.
According to Sullivan, members of the blue tribe have created problems in the realm of ideology. Some have promiscuously accused the red phyle of hate speech and white supremacy, rendering the terms less powerful when required to describe the real thing. Marxist ideologies on race and gender have become the premises of higher education, the orthodoxy of a new and mandatory religion, says Sullivan. (The essay may generate some controversy for Sullivans forthright criticism of the recent direction being taken by Ta-Nehisi Coates on racial issues.)
But it is the red tribe, in Sullivans view, that has most effectively injected tribalism into politics. It was Barry Goldwater (by opposing the Civil Rights Act) who re-racialized the competition between the two parties. It was former California Gov. Pete Wilson who cultivated a fear of migrants for political purposes. It was Newt Gingrich who disdained comity and embraced politics as combat. And it is Donald Trump who has given angry whites their own form of identity politics.
As an electoral matter, Sullivan finds the two American tribes eerily balanced and committed to obliterating the other side. We are seeing what happens when an unrepentant tribalist controls the presidency. Depending on the political fate of the House of Representatives, we may see what happens when the opposing tribe tries to remove him.
The problem identified by Sullivan is that tribalism is our default value the our here covering all Homo sapiens. The ability to quickly and intuitively distinguish us from them likely someone from another tribe intent on taking resources or lives was a tremendous evolutionary advantage on the plains of Africa. It is slightly less helpful in the halls of Congress. But the history of demagoguery shows how useful it can be in the gaining and holding of power. We have created a Star Wars civilization, said E.O. Wilson, with Stone Age emotions.
Sullivan believes that Americas founders would have been surprised by our cultural tribalism and skeptical that any republic could survive it. Im inclined to think that Alexander Hamilton who viewed men as essentially ambitious, vindictive and rapacious would be unfazed. But few (or none) of the founders would have viewed political parties based on cultural identification as a positive thing.
Most interestingly, Sullivan proposes a response to tribalism that is not structural, but essentially spiritual. He urges a renewed appreciation of individuality, citing himself a gay Catholic, conservative independent, religious secularist as a misfit challenge to tribal conformity. As an evangelical sympathetic to gay rights, a Republican critic of Trump and a compassionate conservative, I can relate. We need a political system that makes room for human complexity.
Sullivan also urges mutual forgiveness as the basis for genuine reconciliation. No tribal conflict, he says, has ever been unwound without magnanimity. We need the spirit of Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela in our politics, which is essentially to call for a miracle. It is the secret strength of democracy that miracles occasionally happen.
Michael Gersons email address is michaelgerson@washpost.com.
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100 years ago
Sept. 24, 1917: Navy Lt. and Mrs. Roscoe Schuirmann visited his parents in Chenoa and have now left for California. They are on their honeymoon and were greeted by a lot of friends while in Chenoa. (He later became a famous son of Chenoa when he was promoted to admiral.)
75 years ago
Sept. 24, 1942: Another war bond auction brought $147,000 to the war effort. This one also featured movie and stage stars. (Among the stars was Buddy Ebsen, who later played Barnaby Jones; Jed Clampett of the Beverly Hillbillies; and Davy Crocketts pal Georgie Russell on TV.)
50 years ago
Sept. 24, 1967: Long time baker Cliff L. Keith has died at age 74. His bakery produced Banner Bread, a well-known brand in town. The Banner Bakery began as Keiths Bakery in Normal in 1930. Keith operated it by himself until his three sons joined the business in 1948.
25 years ago
Sept. 24, 1992: Bloomington and three other Illinois cities had been contending for the new Spiegel catalog distribution center. But Spiegels decision wasnt good news for anyone in Illinois. They announced today they will set up in Groveport, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus.
The National Identification Authority has outdoored a new national identification card, with the promise to launch its massive registration exercise.
At a news briefing in Accra Wednesday, NIA Executive Director, Professor Ken Agyemang Attefuah said the Authority is prepared to embark the exercise projected to formalise Ghanas economy.
The National Identification Authority is ready to provide Ghanaians with a modern robust national identification system and a smart ID card that will meet the modern aspirations of the people of Ghana and carry us into the future, he said.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is expected to launch the nationwide registration exercise on September 15.
The launch will officially pave the way for the rolling out of the new identification process.
The NIA has explained the exercise will start with the security agencies, schools, banks and the population in the Greater Accra Region.
The next stop of the registration van will be areas in the Central, Western and Brong Ahafo Regions. The rest of the regions will later follow, the NIA has said.
Ghanaians resident in other countries have not been left out of the registration process. An opportunity will be given to them to register for the card at a fee wherever they are.
The new identification system was an outcome of a private public partnership with the Margins Group, tasked to make the new ID cards.
Margins Group CEO, Moses Baiden described the new card as the most secured Identification card with about 14 international security features.
It also has a multi-purpose function, he told the media.
Another new feature of the card is the passport and ECOWAS logos on it which allow it to be used in place of a passport across ECOWAS member countries.
Mr Baiden explained one of the functions of the new card is that apart from it being a national identification card, it will also be linked to ones bank account to enhance modern payment systems.
The new ID card is expected to have a lifespan of 10 years after which it will be renewable at a fee to be determined by the Authority.
Source: myjoyonline
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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As President Trump spoke to African leaders at the United Nations on Wednesday, he made not one but two references to a country called Nambia.
Nambias health system is increasingly self-sufficient, Trump said approvingly at one point.
Unfortunately, there's a problem good health care or not, Nambia doesn't exist. And so the U.S. president's laudatory comments about a nonexistent country swiftly invited ridicule online, with many suggesting that Trump had created an entirely new nation by combining two existing ones Zambia and Namibia.
A White House transcript of Trump's comments corrected his error, making clear that the president had not intended to invent a new nation and had, in fact, been referring to the very real country of Namibia, which is in southern Africa.
So how did Namibians react to Nambia?
Let's talk #Namibia!
Not to be confused with Nambia - a fictional land probably somewhere between the borders of Namibia and Zambia pic.twitter.com/rHLLUYiGNX
|CNA|Ndapewoshali | (@Curate_Namibia) September 21, 2017
Namibia isn't often the subject of Western attention. The country of just 2 million was granted independence in 1990 after a long war with neighboring South Africa, which had occupied the former German colony in 1915. It is perhaps best known internationally for its long-standing diamond mining industry.
Hage Geingob, Namibia's U.S.-educated president, was in the room with Trump as he made his speech. In public at least, he offered no reaction to the suggestion that he was the leader of Nambia.
Graham Hopwood, executive director of Namibia's independent Institute for Public Policy Research, said this might be because of diplomatic protocol, but he also suggested that the gaffe was likely to have been overlooked by Geingob anyway for the sake of good ties between Namibia and the United States.
Neither the Namibian Embassy in Washington nor Namibia's Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation responded when asked by WorldViews on Thursday about Trump's comments.
The talk of Nambia was also surprisingly absent from the websites of many major Namibian media outlets, including the newspaper the Namibian and the Namibian Broadcasting Corp.
On social media, the reaction wasn't so muted. Some poked fun; others were angry.
Hage: great speech Trup
Trump: its TruMp, the M is not silent
Hage: oh like the I in Namibia!#Namibia is not #Nambia pic.twitter.com/lKixAmOsLd
Melvin Hosea Angula (@MelvinAngula) September 21, 2017
The President of United States calls #Namibia #Nambia
Me: pic.twitter.com/5P0XZdxTZo
TANGI (@18opson) September 21, 2017
My Pres and his large crew been in America for days and now we called Nambia, the disrespect.yall fly back home today.
Ndina Smiley (@Ndina_Smiley) September 21, 2017
When you're leader of an African country but can't scold Trump on Nambia blunder because your people can't afford to loose out on USAID. pic.twitter.com/yOMoeUZM2m
Benedick M Louw (@benedicklouw) September 21, 2017
S/O to @Curate_Namibia of the week and @HendrinaNel for making @TheWashintonPos online article on #NamBia pic.twitter.com/9FD9PNKcOi
#BLACKFELLOW FISHUR (@shaningwaF) September 22, 2017
Source: Daily Graphic
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The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with H.E. Mr. Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana.
The two leaders exchanged views on the situation in the Republic of Ghana and the sub-region. They also discussed the challenges of terrorism and violent extremism.
The Secretary-General expressed appreciation for President Akufo-Addos engagement and commitment, as co-chair of the group of 17 eminent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocates, to the SDGs.
The Secretary-General commended the Republic of Ghana for its contribution to the resolution of the post-electoral crisis in the Republic of The Gambia.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) of Bangladesh has dismissed the Indian media report about an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) of Bangladesh has dismissed the Indian media report about an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. On Saturday, an Indian news channel - NEWS18 aired a report about a failed attempt on the life of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
On Sunday afternoon, in a rare statement released to the media, the PMO said that the report published in several regional and international news outlets are totally baseless, misleading and intentional.
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The release is signed by Ashraful Alam Khokan, deputy press secretary to the prime minister. The statement said that some media outlets on September 23 published and broadcast a report about a failed attempt on the life of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina using a source of a foreign TV channel and an international online news agency.
It said a number of TV channels also aired the news and held talk shows on the so-called failed attack on the premier by involving some members of a special force.
"This is to inform all that the news of the attack on the honourable prime minister on August 24, 2017 is completely baseless, misleading and motivated. It is not expected at all from any responsible person or conscious media to publish or broadcast such a confusing report which goes against the overall interest of the country's security," the press release added.
The PMO also earnestly requested all concerned to run judicious media activities by maintaining caution before publishing such "baseless and confusing" news.
According to the reports that cited anonymous sources in Indian and Bangladesh intelligence agencies, the foiled attack was plotted by rogue members of the Special Security Force or SSF in coordination with banned terrorist outfit Jama'tul Mujahideen Bangladesh or JMB.
Before the PMO issued the statement, cabinet member and veteran Awami League leader Amir Hossain Amu said the report was untrue. He said to media that the news about an attempt on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's life was not true. The government has no knowledge of such attacks.
However, on Sunday noon, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said to journalist at Banderban, near the Myanman-Bangladesh Border, that a vested group, comprising local and foreign elements, is plotting to kill the prime minister as they envy the her popularity over the Rohingya issue.
--- ENDS ---
"There is no winner or loser in this, we are all winners because we will continue to live in peace with one another and cooperate with one another across many spheres Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia said while reacting to the ITLOS ruling regarding the maritime boundary battle.
ITLOS on Saturday, 23 September ruled in favour of Ghana, a development that further protects Ghanas maritime boundary.
Commenting on the development at an event in Accra after the ruling, Dr Bawumia added: God has ordained today not only as a remarkable day; we also have some very good news as the country Ghana. We have been in a very friendly and brotherly dispute with our brothers Cote dIvoire over the demarcation of our maritime boundaries.
This friendly and brotherly dispute was taken to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and judgment was rendered today and that judgment is very consistent with Ghanas position.
We are thankful to God. We are also thankful to our brothers from Cote dIvoire and the Government of Cote dIvoire. There is no winner or loser in this, we are all winners because we will continue to live in peace with one another and cooperate with one another across many spheres.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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The Omanhene of Nsein Traditional Area, Awulae Agyefi Kwame II, has commended President Akufo-Addo for the courageous decision to fight against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.
He has also pledged the commitment of his chiefs to the fight promised every support needed to ensure the countrys natural resources are protected for future generations.
Awulae Agyefi Kwame was speaking at the climax of the 2017 Kundum Festival, which also marked 50 years since his enstoolment as Omanhene.
Addressing guests at the durbar, including Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Awulae Agyefi Kwame chastised previous governments and some chiefs for looking on unconcerned while illegal miners destroyed the environment.
I want to especially thank President Nana Akufo-Addo for the courageous decision to fight galamsey. We are all seeing the effects on the environment, especially our water bodies. My people and I say thank you. Some have come and gone but did nothing about it.
Didnt the NDC government see the negative effects of galamsey in Ghana? They feared the consequences of fighting it so they kept quiet while our environment was destroyed. I am disappointed in them. But not just them. Didnt chiefs also see the negative effects of galamsey?
"What did they say when they saw the waters in Western Region being destroyed? Until President Akufo-Addo started this fight, what did they do? We were all afraid. We thank God for Nana Akufo-Addo, who has said he we will fight no matter the consequence. Mr Vice President, please send our thanks to him.
We the chiefs of Nsein are fully committed to the fight against galamsey. We fully support the fight, and we will continue to point out the ills of society to the government. Awulae Agyefi pledged.
While commending the President for the introduction of the Free Senior High School policy, the Nsein Omanhene bemoaned the rising spate of teenage pregnancy in the area, which is preventing girls from taking full advantage of scholarships offered by the Ghana Rubber Estates Limited and other companies.
He also appealed for the rehabilitation of Axim town roads and the roads within Nsein Senior High School.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia commended Awulae Agyefi Kwame II for his remarkable leadership over the years, which has resulted in 50 years of peace and unity in the Nsein Traditional area.
He reiterated governments commitment to meeting the development aspirations of all Ghanaians, with Nzemaland and the whole of Western region receiving its fair share of the national cake.
The Vice President was accompanied by Dr Kwaku Afriyie, Western region Minister and his Deputy, Gifty Kusi; Hon Catherine Afeku, Minister for Tourism and Creative Arts who is also MP for the area; Hon Joe Ghartey, Minister for Railway Development and MP for Essikado Ketan; Hon Kwaku Asiamah, Minister for Transport.
Sons and daughters of Nsein, including Mad Charlotte Osei, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission; Mrs Josephine Nkrumah, head of the National Commission for Civic Education; and mrs Eva Mends, Head of Budget at the Ministry of Finance, were also present.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Operatives of the National Security and the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) will soon invite ex-Kumasi mayor, Kojo Bonsu, to answer questions regarding the role he allegedly played in the demonstration against President Akufo-Addo in New York on Thursday.
A recorded audio, on which Kojo Bonsu was specifically mentioned as the brain behind the somewhat ill-motive protest march against the Ghanaian leader, has landed in the hands of the security agents.
Richard Adjei Mensah Ofori-Atta aka Tomtom, a top New Patriotic Party (NPP) member who is part of President Akufo-Addos delegation to the US for the United Nations General Assembly meeting, made the disclosure.
The BNI and the National Security will soon invite Kojo Bonsu and Appiah Stadium to answer key questions for allegedly planning to humiliate the president of the land, he predicted.
He said Appiah Stadium, a staunch ex-President Mahama supporter in Kumasi, called him (Tomtom) on phone and mentioned Kojo Bonsu was the one, who is organizing the demonstration to dent the presidents image in the US.
According to Tomtom, Appiah Stadium claimed that Kojo Bonsu tasked the protesters to demonstrate with wrapped paper objects in their mouths to portray to the international community that President Akufo-Addo smokes wee.
Mr Mensah Ofori-Atta disclosed that Appiah Stadium also said Kojo Bonsu tried to secure US visa for him (Appiah Stadium) to play a leading role in tarnishing the presidents image during the United Nations General Assembly Meeting, but he was denied the visa.
He said on Okay FM in Accra that he managed to record whatever Appiah Stadium who is a dyed-in-the-wool National Democratic Congress (NDC) member said to him about Kojo Bonsus fiendish plot against the president on phone.
He claimed that all the names that Appiah Stadium mentioned to him as part of the demonstrators, including one Dr. Lawrence, indeed appeared on the streets of New York on Thursday and demonstrated against Ghanas first gentleman.
Mr Mensah Ofori-Atta, a former NPP Manhyia Constituency Organizer in Kumasi, expressed gross worry about how the few demonstrators misbehaved and even tried to get close to the president, which is uncalled for.
The demonstrators initially put up a weird behaviour and after that they also tried to even enter a restaurant in New York where the president and his delegation were, he complained.
According to him, the presidents team had intelligence that Kojo Bonsu would organize a demonstration against the Ghana contingent even before they left Ghana, adding that he (Bonsu) and Appiah Stadium would be dealt with by the law.
Gabbys Allegation
According to him, the standard of Ghana politics had been reduced, saying that those alleging that Gabby Okyere Darko, a lawyer and NPP member, is taking US$20,000 bribe from people before he would grant them audience to the president, are propagandists.
He stated that Gabby Okyere Darko is a clean person, who is playing his roles to help transform the country, and dared those making the wild allegation to boldly come out and provide their evidence or forever remain silent.
Appiah Stadiums Response
Speaking on the same network, Appiah Stadium admitted that he talked to Tomtom on phone three days before about the intended demonstration against Nana Akufo-Addo in New York.
According to him, he disclosed to Tomtom that he (Kojo Bonsu) tried sponsoring him to the US to tarnish the presidents image.
He stated that Tomtom and the presidents contingent had no basis to call for the arrest of Appiah or Kojo Bonsu, since they had not erred in any way in organizing the protest march.
Appiah said when Mr. Mahama was president, the NPP also organized a similar demonstration against him (Mahama), when he travelled to the US, where they labeled him (Mahama) as a security man.
He said, If you demonstrated against Mr. Mahama and tagged him as security man for all to see, why are you now complaining that some people are tagging Nana Akufo-Addo as a wee smoker?
Appiah recounted how Mensah Ofori-Atta also used his radio station in the USA to tarnish Mr. Mahamas image prior to the 2016 elections, saying that Tomtom has no basis to cry foul over the demonstration against Nana Akufo-Addo.
He even congratulated one Kwaku Skirt, said to be the leader of the demonstrators, for a splendid job done, noting that Ghanaians like him (Appiah) are happy about his delivery.
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Source: Daily Guide
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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says Ghana will one day have a female president.
Addressing this years Global Citizen Festival in New York City, Akufo-Addo said he together with his other African Heads of State are committed to waging war against gender inequality on the continent to ensure that women are given equal treatment as their male counterparts.
I am equally committed to ensuring access to a minimum of secondary education to every girl in Ghana, a policy that has already begun to work. I am equally committed to mobilising support towards ending child marriage in Ghana and on the whole of the African continent. Together we can achieve gender equality, empower women and also achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and one day, we are going to have the first female President of Ghana, the President said
Global Citizen Festival
The Global Citizen Festival is organized by the Global Poverty Project and its current creative director is Coldplay lead vocalist, Chris Martin. The Global Citizen Festival is part of a movement to end extreme poverty by contributing to charity acts on the website, including watching videos and signing petitions, fans can get free tickets to the festival. In addition, the organizers strive to make the event global by live-streaming events in public locations.
Since 2015, the goals of the festival have been closely aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, a set of seventeen aspirational Global Goals to accomplish by the year 2030. The Global Citizen Music Festival was first held in New York City on September 29, 2012.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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Tiffany Dickson is suing the parents of Eric Frein, claiming they were aware of and fostered their son's disdain for law enforcement that led to his slaying of her husband, state police Cpl. Bryon K. Dickson.
The Citizens' Voice reports that Tiffany Dickson filed the survival and wrongful death action Thursday in Lackawanna County Court, seeking damages from Frein and his parents, Eugene M. and Deborah Frein of Canadensis.
The lawsuit accuses Frein's parents of manipulating their son "into developing a strong dislike for the police and acting on that dislike" in carrying out his Sept. 12, 2014 ambush attack at the barracks.
Frein, 33, was convicted in April of shooting and killing Dickson and critically injuring Trooper Alex Douglass. He was sentenced to death that same month.
During a hearing in the penalty phase of Frein's trial, Tiffany Dickson said her life is "sad, lonely" with her husband gone.
The lawsuit also contends Frein's parents supported their son financially and knew he was storing weapons, ammunition and other supplies that he subsequently used in his attack on the barracks and while evading police during the manhunt, according to the report.
The Citizens' Voice also reported that Tiffany Dickson initially filed a writ of summons against the Freins, putting them on notice that a lawsuit would follow, in August 2016.
Amid growing pressure in domestic and foreign relations, President Donald Trump late Saturday night threatened North Korea leader Kim Jong-un.
In a tweet posted at 11:08 p.m., Trump said:
"Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"
Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
Trump was referring to a speech by North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, who previously said Trump was on a suicide mission and is "a mentally deranged person full of megalomania" holding "the nuclear button," according to the New York Times.
With Trump calling Jong-un the "rocket man," Trump is making "our rocket's visit to the entire U.S. mainland inevitable all the more," Ri said.
Warm and humid conditions are expected for much of central Pennsylvania this weekend, according to forecasters.
High temperatures are expected to approach 90 in some areas on Sunday and Monday. Temperatures are expected to be about 10 degrees above for the area through Wednesday.
"A break from the heat is forecast by the end of next week when temperatures will cool back down to near normal," according to the National Weather Service at State College.
Conditions will remain dry too. As of Saturday morning, no rain is in the forecast through Thursday.
The average high temperature this time of year for the Harrisburg area is 73, the average low is 53.
For Saturday, expect sunny skies and a high near 86. The low at night will be around 63.
SUNDAY: Sunny, with a high near 89. Low around 66.
MONDAY: Sunny, with a high near 88. Low around 67.
TUESDAY: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Low around 65.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Low around 64.
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Low around 55.
For the latest forecasts, visit PennLive's weather page.
You can see live weather updates via the National Weather Service and other Twitter sources below.
Tweet us at @pennlive with photos of inclement weather at your place, incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com.
An assistant professor of a Delhi University college has been booked for allegedly insulting Hindu goddess Durga in a post on Facebook.
By PTI: An assistant professor of a Delhi University college has been booked for allegedly insulting Hindu goddess Durga in a post on Facebook.
BJP-affiliated National Democratic Teachers Front had yesterday filed the police complaint against Kedar Kumar Mandal, an assistant professor at Dayal Singh College.
The controversial Facebook update was made at 07:43 pm on Friday but deleted later.
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The police said Mandal was booked late last night under sections 153A and 295A of the Indian Penal Code. These sections are hate speech laws which can attract imprisonment between three to five years or a fine or both.
Mandal did not respond to messages and could not be reached for comments.
RSS-affiliated ABVP too condemned the post and demanded immediate suspension of the professor.
"We demand his suspension and we request the student community to boycott his classes. Mandal has provoked sentiments during a festival time of Hindu - Navratri," ABVP's Dayal Singh College unit alleged in a statement.
"If allowed to continue as a teacher he will only spread hatred among students," it alleged.
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Senior Grower Mikael Rykes inside the flowering room where two-week old marijuana plants grow at Harvest One Cannabis Inc. in Duncan, B.C., on August 4, 2017. Municipalities in British Columbia are clamouring to have a say in the marijuana policies they believe will fall largely on their shoulders to enforce when pot becomes legal next summer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Senior grower Mikael Rykes inside the flowering room where two-week old marijuana plants grow at Harvest One Cannabis Inc. in Duncan, B.C., on August 4, 2017. Municipalities in British Columbia are clamouring to have a say in the marijuana policies they believe will fall largely on their shoulders to enforce when pot becomes legal next summer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2017, file photo, Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during the committee's hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Cruz said heAos against the Republican bill that would erase much of President Barack ObamaAos health law. If the Texas Republican sticks to that stand, GOP leaders will have little hope that their 11th-hour Senate push will survive. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
Police officers of Catalan Mossos d'Esquadra stand guard at a checkpoint near the airport in Barcelona, Spain Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. Spain's Interior Ministry says that a state prosecutor has asked for the central government to coordinate the policing efforts to impede the referendum on Catalonia's secession from Spain. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
By PTI: By Anisur Rahman
Dhaka, Sep 24 (PTI) The Bangladesh government today dismissed as "baseless" media reports that some of the bodyguards of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were plotting to assassinate her last month.
"This is to inform all that the report of the attack on the honourable Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina) on August 24, 2017 is completely baseless, misleading and motivated,? the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) said in a statement.
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It said "some media outlets on September 23 published and broadcast a report about a failed attempt on the life of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina using as the source a foreign TV channel and an international online news agency".
It said a number of TV channels also aired the news and held talk shows on the "so-called" failed attack on the premier by involving some members of a special force.
"It is not expected at all from any responsible person or conscious media to publish or broadcast such a confusing report which goes against the overall interest of the countrys security," the statement read.
According to the reports the foiled attack was plotted by rogue members of the Special Security Force or SSF in coordination with banned terrorist outfit Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh or JMB, bdnews24 reported.
The reports said six to seven SSF personnel were preparing to attack Hasina on August 24.
The reports said JMB members were supposed to trigger explosions around the office to create a diversion and provide an escape route for the assassins.
Hasina is now in the US, where she had gone to attend the 72nd UN General Assembly.
Hasina was targeted by an Islamist extremist group in 2004.
Islamist militants allegedly backed by a quarters of the then ruling BNP of ex-premier Khaleda Zia hurled grenades in a political rally of the then opposition of her Awami League.
Hasina narrowly escaped the attempt sustaining permanent hearing impairment but 24 people including Awami Leagues women front chief and former Bangladesh president Zillur Rahman?s wife Ivy Rahman were killed. PTI AR PMS PMS
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Alberta Premier Rachel Notley speaks during a speech at MacEwan University in Edmonton on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. Notley went on the attack against the United Conservative opposition Saturday in a campaign-style speech to party members at MacEwan University. She says a UCP government will return Alberta to the days of the old Progressive Conservatives, where she says family budgets were cut to pay for perks and tax breaks for party friends and the wealthy. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dean Bennett
The BHU campus is on boil for three days following alleged molestation of a student. The girls alleged that they were beaten up by police for seeking safety on the campus.
By Prabhash K Dutta: Hundreds of BHU students today took out a "silent march" against police action on the girls protesting apathy of the university administration following alleged molestation of an Arts student earlier this week.
The students of Mahila Mahavidyala of the Banaras Hindu University, which is on the boil for three days, led the "silent protest march" seeking safety of girls inside the campus. The march was taken out following lathicharge by police last night. "The police chased us today as well," said one of the students participating in the march.
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The protesting girls have very simple demands which are considered as basic safety requirements of the campuses across the universities. "Our demands are simple. We want to feel safe on the campus. University authorities should ensure this," said Akansha Sahay, a BHU student.
"Lighting is not proper. There are no CCTV cameras, not even in the college. You can come and check," Akansha said, adding, "We want proper lighting inside the BHU campus, installation of CCTV cameras, gender sensitisation of male students and staff and officials working on the campus. That's it. We are not demanding anything more."
BHU students are protesting against university administrators' apathy towards safety of girls.
LATHICHARGE ON CAMPUS
The girls on the campus were angry following use of force by police against the protesters injuring many. Some of the girls received serious injuries. "Our protest was peaceful. We did not use violence and police started beating up girls. Male police personnel lathicharged the students of Mahila Mahavidyala. Girls were beaten up," Akansha Singh, another BHU student said.
Akansha Singh rejected police's version that the protesting students clashed with them. She told India Today that "those who created troubles, resorted to violence were outsiders. They were not even the students of the BHU."
"Yet police beat up girls of Mahila Mahavidyala at 1 am," Akansha Singh said.
NO MEETING WITH V-C
Protesting for past three days, the girls have refused to meet the V-C Girish Chandra Tripathi in his chamber. They demand that he should come out and meet us in the open.
"What happens is that the V-C calls around 10 students and warns them against raising their demands. The students are suspended without being given a chance to present their case. The matter ends there. We don't want to follow the same old line. We are concerned about our safety," Singh said.
The students also questioned the response of the BHU administration to the incident of molestation of a girl on Thursday. When the girl complained about molestation, the authorities asked her "what were you doing outside after 6 pm?"
BHU students take out silent march today
HOW IT ALL BEGAN?
A student of the Bachelor of Fine Arts complained on Thursday that she was molested by three men who came on bike as she was returning to her Kundan Devi hostel in BHU campus. The alleged molesters used abusive language for her, touched her inappropriately and passed lewd comments. They fled after her strong resistance.
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Though, the complainant and the protesting girls have maintained that she was molested, the officials have referred to the incident as eve-teasing. The victim complained that a security guard was present a few metres away but he did not do anything to nab the alleged molesters.
The students of Mahila Mahavidyala took the matter to the warden of the hostel. But, instead of taking up the safety of girls seriously, they alleged, the warden blamed the girl for the incident. The warden allegedly asked the girl why she returned so late in the evening.
The warden's response led to a sit-in protest by the girls. They staged a dharna at warden's office around midnight on Thursday. On Friday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Varanasi, the girls took out marches and held protest at the Lanka Gate of the BHU campus.
The protests continued till Saturday night when police used force injuring several students including girls. Interestingly, the BHU issued a statement calling the protest by girls politically motivated to malign the image of the university at a time when PM Modi visited the city.
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By Amanda Becker
WASHINGTON (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday blasted Senator John McCain for dealing a possibly fatal blow to the latest Republican attempt to dismantle Obamacare.
According to a new independent analysis, the bill awaiting a Senate vote could lead to 21 million fewer Americans having health insurance.
McCain, an Arizona Republican who is being treated for brain cancer and cast a crucial no vote to defeat a similar bill in July, said on Friday that he could not in good conscience vote for the proposal authored by Republican Senators Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham.
He campaigned on Repeal & Replace. Let Arizona down! Trump wrote about McCain on Twitter early Saturday morning.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he will schedule a vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill by Sept. 30, the last day when it could pass in the chamber with a simple majority of 51 votes instead of the 60 typically required.
The bill would take federal money spent on the Medicaid program for the poor and disabled, as well as subsidies to help individuals buy private insurance, and deliver it to the states in block grants.
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, which analyzes legislation, has not had time to assess the Graham-Cassidy bill before the expected vote. McCain, a close friend of Graham, said he could not support it without knowing how much it would cost, its effect on insurance premiums, and how many people would be affected.
But the Brookings Institution said on Friday that the Graham-Cassidy bill could leave at least 21 million fewer Americans with health insurance by 2020 to 2026. The Washington think tank has generally been supportive of Obamacare, which is formally known as the Affordable Care Act.
The coverage estimate likely understates reductions in insured Americans because it is not clear how states would use the money or if they would face obstacles in setting up new programs, according to Brookings researchers.
What is clear, however, is that the legislation would result in very large reductions in insurance coverage, they wrote.
The Senate Finance Committee on Monday will hold a hearing on the Graham-Cassidy bill. Cassidy, a physician, is expected to testify.
CBO estimates of previous Republican proposals showed they could lead to more than 20 million fewer insured Americans. This complicated passage in the 100-member Senate, where Republicans hold 52 seats and Democrats are unanimously opposed to repeal-and-replace measures.
Republicans need at least 50 votes to pass the bill, relying on Vice President Mike Pence to break a tie. Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine has said she was leaning against the Graham-Cassidy bill, as has Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. Kansas Senator Jerry Moran and Alaskas Lisa Murkowski are undecided.
After blasting McCain, Trump on Saturday singled out Paul and Murkowski.
I know Rand Paul and I think he may find a way to get there for the good of the Party! Trump wrote on Twitter.
Regarding Murkowski, he tweeted that in Alaska: Deductibles high, people angry!
The insurance industry, hospitals, consumer activists, the AARP advocacy group and organizations such as the American Medical Association, American Heart Association and American Cancer Society all oppose the bill.
Shares of some health insurers closed higher on Friday after McCain announced his opposition. Centene Corp ended up 1.6 percent, while Humana Inc gained 0.2 percent and Aetna Inc rose 0.1 percent, reversing earlier losses.
(Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Lisa Von Ahn)
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Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) exposed how Republicans are meddling in the Russia investigation while recused to discredit attempts to get to the facts while trying to save Donald Trump.
Video:
Transcript via CBSs Face The Nation:
JOHN DICKERSON: And were back with California Congressman Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman, I want to start with a deadline that has passed. The committee has asked the FBI and the Justice Department three times now to give documents related to the so-called Trump dossier.
This is the salacious set of allegations that and the FBI has not responded. Whats going on?
ADAM SCHIFF: Well, this is a subpoena that was issued by our Chairman, and whats unusual about it is the chair recused himself, or so we thought, from the Russian investigation. He has issued a subpoena to the attorney general, who has also recused himself. So two people recused that are seeking documents or refusing to provide documents on an investigation they were supposed to be uninvolved with. But more than that, I think what is really at heart is an effort to discredit Mr. Steele, in an essence also to put the government on trial as a way, I think, of distracting our focus from looking into what Russia did during the election.
Both Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Attorney General Jeff Sessions are supposed to be recused from the investigation, but here they are trying to get House Intelligence Committee off on a wild goose chase over the Steele Dossier. The point is that the more time investigators spend trying to verify the claims in the dossier, the less time they will spend examining potential Trump campaign collusion with Russia.
The Steele dossier has been proven to have some accurate information in it, so Steele is a logical target for a Republican smear campaign. However, the strategy for Republicans on the Russia investigation has always been to muddy the waters by throwing as many different tangents and topics into the mix as they can.
Republicans are trying to distract and sidetrack, but Rep. Schiffs comments are an example of why this tactic is almost certain to fail.
Students of the Banaras Hindu University started a protest against the administration on Friday morning for "shaming" a woman after she complained of two men sexually harassing her on Thursday. With the VC not meeting the students at the venue and police being deployed in view of PM Modi's presence in the city, things soon turned ugly. Here is what happened.
By India Today Web Desk: Residents of the women's hostel of the Banaras Hindu University began a protest on Friday morning. The 13-hour-long protest was against the administration and officials for "shaming" a woman who sought help from the proctorial board's security personnel after two bike-bourne men sexually harassed her while she was walking to her hostel in Triveni Complex.
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The security personnel resorted to victim-blaming asking the woman why she was out of the hostel after sunset, instead of helping her.
The women began their protest and raised a charter of demands, including the VC engaging in a dialogue with them in the presence of media and with live-streaming running on social media.
None of it happened and by Friday night, heavy force was deployed at the varsity in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence in the city. PM Modi, who was on a two-day visit to his constituency, was attending events in different parts of the city and reports say that he even had to change his route due to the protests at BHU.
Reports say police resorted to lathi charge on peacefully protesting female students and unverified tweets say male police personnel barged into women's hostels and dragged students out by their hair. A Times of India report said that inmates of men's hostel who joined the protest on Saturday pelted stones at the police forces and that they used petrol bombs even.
Male guards push girls inside their hostels in #BHU to end a protest that started with demand for a safer campus. @TheQuint @QuintHindi pic.twitter.com/bnmAv3emhE- tushar banerjee (@TusharBanerjee) September 23, 2017
With so much going on, social media is flooded with images and videos from the varsity and many people condemning the police action on the students.
Police enters BHU campus lathicharges protesting girls who demanded security. Shame on this govt Beti bachao? ??? pic.twitter.com/GIl70I9CbO- Shabnam Hashmi (@ShabnamHashmi) September 23, 2017
Video: BHU girls speak about violent police action on their peaceful protest pic.twitter.com/ByVpVJnoRA- India Resists (@India_Resists) September 24, 2017
It's better to b cow in Bhu than being a girl cz they r more safeMale PAC FORCE doing this to girls#bhu_molestation #BHUProtest #UnSafeBHU pic.twitter.com/9OigWBb2gt- ritu ragini (@RituRagini) September 23, 2017
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Charleston, SC (29403)
Today
Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Thunder possible. Low 53F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..
Tonight
Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Thunder possible. Low 53F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Nearly two-thirds of South Carolina's utility customers have paid billions for a project that will likely never be completed, here's why and what is being done about it.
Joseph De Laine Jr. stands beside an etching of his father in his Charlotte, N.C., home on May 3, 2004. Night riders burned his family home in 1950 after his father, the Rev. Joseph De Laine, helped organize South Carolina parents to join the Brown v. Board of Education suit ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. File/Nell Redmond/AP
President Joe Biden objected directly to Chinas coercive and increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan during the first in-person meeting of his presidency with Xi Jinping, as the two superpower leaders aimed on Monday to manage their differences in the competition for global influence. Read moreBiden, Xi clash on Taiwan but try to manage differences
This November, Virginia voters will elect a new governor. The Democratic candidate is Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam. The Republican candidate is Ed Gillespie.
Northam has been leading in most polls. However, a new survey by Suffolk University finds the candidates tied at 42 percent.
Gillespie nearly defeated Sen. Mark Warner in 2014 despite trailing badly in the polls. Remember, though, that 2014 was a great year for Republicans.
Gillespie is under fire for an ad he ran against Northam in which he attacked his rival for voting against legislation banning sanctuary cities in Virginia. The ad said that sanctuary cities. . .let dangerous illegal immigrants back on the street, increasing the threat of MS-13, a vicious gang with ties to El Salvador that has wreaked havoc in parts of Virginia. It includes pictures of nasty looking members of a different gang with ties to El Salvador.
The left and the mainstream media are calling foul. They compare this ad to the one featuring Willie Horton that was used with great success by the campaign of George H.W. Bush in 1988.
As I argued at length here, the Willie Horton spot was a completely legitimate attack ad. It criticized Bushs opponent, Gov. Dukakis, for releasing Horton (an African-American) from prison for the weekend. Horton used his freedom to undertake a vicious crime spree that included rape.
Al Gore had first raised the issue against Dukakis during the primary season and with good cause. Dukakis had one of the most liberal prisoner release programs in America and it directly produced the horrors described in the advertisement.
The ad was attacked for using a picture of Horton, who looked like a thug. But it wasnt Bushs fault that this vicious criminal didnt resemble a choir boy.
What about Gillespies ad? It states: MS-13 is a menace, yet Ralph Northam voted in favor of sanctuary cities that let dangerous illegal immigrants back on the street, increasing the threat of MS-13. The text on the screen says: Ralph Northam: Increasing the threat of MS-13.
The first two statements arent controversial. MS-13 is a menace. Northam voted against legislation that would have prohibited the establishment of sanctuary cities in Virginia. His vote broke a tie and meant that the legislation did not pass.
Sanctuary cities are, as the Washington Post says, localities that limit or ban cooperation with federal immigration authorities. As the name says, such localities serve, to a considerable degree, as a sanctuary for illegal immigrants.
The likely effect of not cooperating with federal law enforcement officials seeking to arrest illegal immigrants is to keep illegal immigrants, including dangerous ones, on the street. The likely effect of keeping dangerous illegal aliens on the street in portions of Virginia is to increase the threat of MS-13.
The Washington Posts headline (paper edition) to its story about the ad : Gillespie ad blames MS-13 rise on Northam. But the ad says nothing about the causes of MS-13s rise. It simply claims that Northams vote increases its threat.
The Post points out that Virginia has no sanctuary cities. But the issue is a live one, nonetheless, as the fact that it was put to a vote in the legislature shows. Its quite possible that, absent a ban, some of Virginias many liberal localities will become sanctuary cities.
The Post also notes that the picture used by the Gillespie ad is not of MS-13 members, but rather of a rival gang, Barrio 18. Unless Barrio 18 members look significantly more threatening than their counterparts in MS-13, this seems like a quibble.
ThinkProgress complains that El Faro, an online digital newspaper in El Salvador that published the picture of the Barrio 18 members, did not authorize the Gillespie campaign to use the picture. If the campaign has thereby violated El Faros rights, the paper can seek redress.
As a campaign ad, though, Gillespies spot seems legitimate, though less compelling than the Willie Horton ad. Whatever Northams intentions, his vote has the real potential to make life easier for MS-13 and more perilous for those it wants, in the words of its motto, to Kill, Rape, Control.
Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to his constituency Varanasi, student protest at BHU over alleged sexual harassment of female student turned violent. The heavy police force deployed in the campus crushed the protest using force, say reports. Political leaders condemn police action.
Police use force against students protesting against alleged sexual harassment of female student. Photo: Twitter/Shreya_R
By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Varanasi for a two-day visit that ended on Saturday.
Hours after he left his constituency, a large number of Banaras Hindu University students protested against the alleged sexual harassment of a female student. Students say that a third year female student was sexually harassed by two men on a motorcycle near Bharat Kala Bhawan when she was returning to her hostel in Triveni Complex on Thursday.
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A female student leading the protest told the Times of India that when the girl who faced harassment reported the incident to the proctorial board's security personnel they asked why she was out of the hostel after sunset, instead of helping her.
As the student protest that began Friday morning continued till late Saturday accusing the authorities of "shaming" the student who chose to report the incident of sexual harassment she faced.
PROTESTS ON FRIDAY
On learning the response of the security personnel to the incident, students from the women's hostel decided to protest. They held a 13-hour-long demonstration at BHU's Lanka Gate and the TOI report says that these students were joined by the hostel inmates of Mahila Mahavidyalaya and IIT-BHU.
The students demanded 24 X 7 security, making security personnel accountable for lapses, better lighting on roads leading to women's hostels, CCTV surveillance, inclusion of women security personnel and formation of a gender sensitisation committee.
Student wings of all political parties joined hands for the protest and demanded that the Vice-Chancellor meet them at the protest venue and engage in a dialogue in front of the media and with live-streaming on social media but that never happened.
All this while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was attending various events in different parts of the city.
BHU spokesperson Rajesh Kumar Singh said that the protest was politically motivated to hinder PM Modi's visit and that the girl who complained of sexual harassment had met the VC on Thursday.
PROTESTS ON SATURDAY
Things turned ugly when heavy police force was deployed in the BHU campus along with a CPMF contingent. The forces that camped in the campus was led by SP (city) Dinesh Singh, who said the CPMF personnel were camped there in view of PM Modi's visit.
A large number of girl students came out of the hostel as the CPMF personnel left the campus. Male students joined the protesting students on Friday and blocked the gate Vice-Chancellor's lodge. Police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the students.
Video: BHU girls speak about violent police action on their peaceful protest pic.twitter.com/ByVpVJnoRA- India Resists (@India_Resists) September 24, 2017
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Students from the boys' hostel allegedly pelted stones at the police and even used petrol bombs on Saturday evening.
Twitter is abuzz with images and videos from the Banaras Hindu University. Take a look here -
Tension prevails in BHU after lathicharge,stone pelting. Inefficient VC must be sacked for inept handling of the peaceful protest pic.twitter.com/Xs6PxEKMVJ- Kanchan Srivastava (@Ms_Aflatoon) September 23, 2017
What a nasty way to respond to a crisis. All they wanted was a safer #BHU pic.twitter.com/2xe1rIppHe- tushar banerjee (@TusharBanerjee) September 23, 2017
Cops remove protesting students from BHU's main gate. Some students injured in lathicharge. @TheQuint pic.twitter.com/BscA7Q4C8V- tushar banerjee (@TusharBanerjee) September 23, 2017
Politicians and activists are also condemning the police action on the female students saying the use of force was uncalled for since the protest was peaceful and more importantly, against sexual harassment.
Barbaric lathi charge on protesting girl students of BHU by police and the proctorial gang, many girls injured.Beti Bachao sarkar!- Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) September 23, 2017
BHU women students lathi charged for protesting sexual harassment, demanding GSCASH! Wah re Beti Bachao!- Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) September 23, 2017
Latest from BHU: police attacked girls inside their hostel as well.Will their MP (country's PM) protect them? https://t.co/OfKfUOo7ru- Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) September 23, 2017
While female students gt beaten up in #BHU BJP IT cell working hard to cover up things. #UnSafeBHU #???__???__ pic.twitter.com/3VttPvGYf0- Wish ??? (@_itswish) September 23, 2017
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The varsity is to remain shut till October 2 say reports.
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Does not look like gee-loc, as nose was moving until impact. Looks more like the Hunter crash in England except speed over the top on this one seemed very high/altitude too low, like the Blue Angel crash a ways back. It also looked like he/she held the nose down a bit too long before pulling, and increasing speed the whole way, and may have been "playing" the level off altitude until too late.
My understanding of the Tiffie is it is very capable of high AoA, and this plane was not at a very high AoA upon impact. Maybe a gee limiter in play? Our Viper could not pull 9 gees at the max AoA, and our max AoA was very low compared to the F-22 and F-35 and SU-27 and........
Over-the-water stuff is not easy! The Blues have had a few close calls, but they practice over-water stuff more than most.
Need a Tiffie pilot to opine.
Last edited by gums; 24th Sep 2017 at 18:29 . Reason: typo's
Norcross wrong for A.C.
George Norcross III, Democratic political boss of Camden County, recently commented on saving Camden and proposed doing the same for Atlantic City.
Camden is a tale of two cities, an improved waterfront, ravaged neighborhoods and ineffective water privatization. Camdens financial reality: perpetual bankruptcy. New Jersey supplies a large share of Camdens annual budget and the governors cuts to urban support forced the elimination of 400 city, police and firefighters and a tax rise. Camden is one of the poorest cities in America and has an appallingly high child poverty rate. During Norcrosss reign, these Camden facts never changed.
Any suggestion that Norcrosss new Camden County Metro Police force represents a so-called crime turnaround is at best a fantasy parading as a fact. When Norcross dismantled the city police force for an unproven risky county force, no other mayors among Camden Countys 27 towns joined it.
Norcrosss third false claim is that his championing of Renaissance Charter Schools in Camden is the stuff of miracles.
The state takeovers of Atlantic City and Camden are similar. Atlantic City residents saw a rise in property taxes and legal fees at $250 an hour to make Atlantic City great again. What Norcross did for Camden, he would surely do for Atlantic City benefit himself and further fuel his empire-building, milking-the-poor schemes.
Roy L. Jones
Absecon
Media attacking president
The liberal media is doing everything possible to destroy Donald Trumps presidency. Fake media is more accurately the twisted, distorted or outright lying media. Worse is what isnt reported.
When Attorney General Jeff Sessions wanted to seize funds from drug kingpins, it was portrayed as wanting to take more money from Americans. President Trump nullifies President Obamas ban on police having military gear and is portrayed as giving cops grenades. When Trump told the truth about both sides after the hateful conduct at Charlottesville, Va., the media went ballistic.
Worse is the lack of news, such as how the ACLU went to court, making sure the alt-left and alt-right were able to clash in the park at Charlottesville. Worse was the non-coverage of antifa attacks on the right in Berkeley, Calif., and the mayor restricting the police from protecting a peaceful conservative group, denying them their constitutional rights.
After eight years of handling the last administration with kid gloves, the print and electronic media are trying to destroy a presidency.
Tony Perry
Egg Harbor Township
Pageant message false
Regarding the Aug. 30 story announcing the winner of the Miss Black America pageant:
This pageant promotes separatism and racism. We did away with having an all-white Miss America years ago, but now we have Miss Black America as well as Little Miss Black America and Teen Miss Black America.
Just as the ranting against voter ID laws inadvertently suggests that blacks are not as capable as whites of acquiring proper identity cards and documents, the organizers of separate pageants for blacks are sending a false message that black women are not talented or pretty enough to become Miss America.
Fake news, identity politics, tearing down statues ... the country is loosing it. As a white male who dances to I Feel Like a Woman and senses that my ancestors were probably women of color, can I enter the competition next year?
Ettore Ed Cattaneo
Cape May
Maybe a nameless college
The kerfuffle over the removal of the bust of Richard Stockton, which seems to cause such emotional upset for the sensitive students, could be resolved easily by looking to the things they value. They grew up and their attitudes were forged by their icons such as Harry Potter.
So lets deal with this issue in a Potteresque way. Henceforth Stockton University should be known as He Who Must Not Be Named University. That should make them very happy.
Gene Doebley
Somers Point
The black rail has been a rare bird in New Jersey for decades, but now the shy, small bird of the high marshes is even more difficult to find.
Sea-level rise and historical human disturbances are destroying its nesting habitat, according to researchers who recently completed a field study of the species.
Damage to the high marsh means more flood damage for human neighborhoods, said David Mizrahi, vice president for research and monitoring for New Jersey Audubons Center for Research and Education in Cape May Court House.
Marshes are natural buffers to wave and storm action, Mizrahi said. Losing species like the black rail, and high marsh habitats or thousands of acres of marshland because of sea-level rise, is a sign of more difficult times ahead for us. You lose marshes, you lose communities.
The marsh at the end of Jakes Landing Road in North Dennis Township is a beautiful birding hot spot, owned by the state.
But it has lost much of its high marsh to land subsidence and sea level rise in recent years, said CMBO Director David LaPuma.
High marsh is characterized by the native grass spartina patens, or salt hay, he said. Low marsh is dominated by spartina alterniflora, which can handle a wetter environment.
Areas where black rail used to be heard regularly are now inundated, and black rails can no longer nest there, he said. There is just one area back by the tree line where black rails have been heard in the last few years.
But historically we used to hear them in front there, he said, sweeping his arm in an arc across the marsh.
New Jersey Audubon, the state Division of Fish and Wildlife and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey recently completed a three-year field study of the black rail population that found evidence of the birds in only 7 percent of the 376 locations studied.
Audubon citizen scientists and Fish and Wildlife consultants went out at night, played audio of the birds calls and waited to hear a response, Mizrahi said.
A field study in 1988 by well-known birders Paul Kerlinger and Clay Sutton found them at 26 percent of 65 locations surveyed, according to N.J. Audubon. That was considered a poor showing, according to an article in N.J. Audubon magazine by Research Project Coordinator Mike Allen and Senior Research Scientist Nellie Tsipoura.
Since then, researchers estimate the black rail has declined by another 75 percent along the Atlantic Coast. The Eastern Black Rail Conservation and Management Working Group, led by The Center for Conservation Biology, says the black rail may be the most endangered bird species along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of North America.
Other species suffering from loss of high marsh to nest in include the saltmarsh sparrow and the state-endangered northern harrier, a bird of prey, Mizrahi said.
Black rails are often heard but not seen, even by the most experienced birders, he said.
They behave more like mice than birds, he said. They follow rodent trails through marshes. They are unique and enigmatic.
They are the size of sparrows, while the easier-to-see clapper rail is the size of a chicken, Mizrahi said.
Mizrahi said that historically poor coastal management from decades ago has caused much of the high marsh damage.
In mosquito control, a linear ditch technique was used for decades, said Mizrahi, in which grids of straight ditches were dug to get to and kill mosquito larvae. That brought tide water much deeper into high marsh zone.
Even the open marsh water management used today brings tide water deeper into marshes, he said.
Most black rails found in 2015-16 were in northern Cape May County and southern Atlantic County around the Great Egg Harbor and Mullica rivers, Mizrahi said.
Not so much in Cumberland County or on the Delaware Bayshore, where most detections were in 1989 (along with the Great Egg Harbor River), he said.
Mizrahi said studies are also being conducted in Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is doing a status assessment that might support a federal listing as endangered or threatened.
It is listed as threatened in New Jersey.
LONDON, Sept. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE: EW), the global leader in patient-focused innovations for structural heart disease and critical care monitoring, today announced key events for the company during the PCR London Valves 2017 course, as the meeting celebrates 15 years of transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
Among the scheduled events and data presentations are:
Introduction of the Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra System Edwards' CE Mark-pending system for transcatheter aortic valve replacement includes the new SAPIEN 3 Ultra valve, which adds a taller outer skirt to the proven SAPIEN 3 valve design. Initially incorporated with valve sizes 20, 23 and 26 mm, this new feature is designed to further improve the SAPIEN 3 valve's best-in-class outcomes. The valve is offered with the SAPIEN 3 Ultra delivery system, which introduces an "on balloon" design, removing the need for valve alignment during the procedure, and is compatible with the new 14F Axela expandable sheath. The Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra System is expected to receive CE Mark by the end of the year, and the company also has plans to introduce this system in the United States late in 2018.
Edwards' CE Mark-pending system for transcatheter aortic valve replacement includes the new SAPIEN 3 Ultra valve, which adds a taller outer skirt to the proven SAPIEN 3 valve design. Initially incorporated with valve sizes 20, 23 and 26 mm, this new feature is designed to further improve the SAPIEN 3 valve's best-in-class outcomes. The valve is offered with the SAPIEN 3 Ultra delivery system, which introduces an "on balloon" design, removing the need for valve alignment during the procedure, and is compatible with the new 14F Axela expandable sheath. The Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra System is expected to receive CE Mark by the end of the year, and the company also has plans to introduce this system in late in 2018. 6-month outcomes with the Edwards CENTERA Transcatheter Heart Valve System On Monday, Sept. 25 , in the Late-Breaking TAVI Trials session, new results of the self-expanding Edwards CENTERA valve will be discussed. Results presented earlier this year on the 30-day outcomes with the CENTERA valve demonstrated a very high survival rate, a low disabling stroke rate and a low percent permanent pacemaker rate. In addition, there was a low rate of moderate paravalvular leak among patients, and no severe paravalvular leak reported at 30 days after transcatheter valve replacement. The Edwards CENTERA valve is repositionable and retrievable and can be delivered through a low-profile 14-French delivery system that features a motorized handle that results in stable valve deployment. The valve is uniquely packaged fully pre-attached, which facilitates simple and rapid device preparation.
On , in the Late-Breaking TAVI Trials session, new results of the self-expanding Edwards CENTERA valve will be discussed. Results presented earlier this year on the 30-day outcomes with the CENTERA valve demonstrated a very high survival rate, a low disabling stroke rate and a low percent permanent pacemaker rate. In addition, there was a low rate of moderate paravalvular leak among patients, and no severe paravalvular leak reported at 30 days after transcatheter valve replacement. The Edwards CENTERA valve is repositionable and retrievable and can be delivered through a low-profile 14-French delivery system that features a motorized handle that results in stable valve deployment. The valve is uniquely packaged fully pre-attached, which facilitates simple and rapid device preparation. Symposium: Transcatheter heart valve therapies for all heart valves: from an innovation strategy to mainstream therapy This sponsored session on Sunday, Sept. 24 , is intended to review the latest clinical trials involving Edwards' aortic, mitral, tricuspid and pulmonary valve therapies.
This sponsored session on , is intended to review the latest clinical trials involving Edwards' aortic, mitral, tricuspid and pulmonary valve therapies. Symposium: Edwards Cardioband Transcatheter Valve Repair System: expanding options for patients This sponsored session on Tuesday, Sept. 26 , is focused on the current experience and clinical results of the Edwards Cardioband system and a discussion of Edwards' innovations for transcatheter valve therapies.
"As PCR London Valves celebrates 15 years of transcatheter aortic valve replacement, Edwards is proud to have led the development and evolution of TAVR as a preferred therapy for patients in need around the world," said Larry L. Wood, Edwards' corporate vice president, transcatheter heart valves.
The Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra System and CENTERA Transcatheter Heart Valve System are not currently available for commercial sale in any country.
About Edwards Lifesciences
Edwards Lifesciences, based in Irvine, Calif., is the global leader in patient-focused medical innovations for structural heart disease, as well as critical care and surgical monitoring. Driven by a passion to help patients, the company collaborates with the world's leading clinicians and researchers to address unmet healthcare needs, working to improve patient outcomes and enhance lives. For more information, visit www.Edwards.com and follow us on Twitter @EdwardsLifesci.
This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding expected future product approvals, dates of commercial availability and expected benefits and results. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by management of the company and are believed to be reasonable, though they are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of the statement.
Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements based on a number of factors, including but not limited to, unexpected outcomes after longer term clinical experience with the product; or unanticipated quality, manufacturing or regulatory delays or issues. These factors are detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. These filings, along with important safety information about our products, may be found at edwards.com.
Edwards, Edwards Lifesciences, the stylized E logo, Axela, Cardioband, CENTERA, Edwards SAPIEN, Edwards SAPIEN 3, Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra, SAPIEN, SAPIEN 3, and SAPIEN 3 Ultra are trademarks of Edwards Lifesciences Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
Related Links
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SAN DIEGO, Sept. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new study of patients at an urban cancer center points to a potentially serious problem that may limit the impact of clinical cancer careundiagnosed depression. Among the 40 percent of patients at the center who were diagnosed with depression, three in four had not previously been told they were depressed. Female patients and disabled patients also were more likely to be depressed, according to research presented today at the 59th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
A web of physiological, psychological and socioeconomic factors associated with having and being treated for cancersuch as severe physical pain, side effects of medication, financial concerns, fears and anxieties about mortality and changes in lifestyle and life plansplace cancer patients at a higher risk of developing depression. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates that 15 to 25 percent of the general cancer patient population has depressiona rate two to three times that of the general population. Approximately seven percent of U.S. adults experience major depression, according to the National Institutes for Mental Health (NIMH).
"Depression prevalence continues to be high among cancer patients, especially those receiving treatment at an urban cancer center, as well as those who identify as female or are disabled by their disease. Alarmingly, most of these patients remain undiagnosed and untreated, indicating an important gap in cancer care and an opportunity to improve patient outcomes," said Jason Domogauer, PhD, lead author of the study and an MD/PhD candidate at Rutgers University New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey.
Findings in this study are based on an examination of 400 cancer patients who received treatment at the University Hospital Cancer Center in Newark, New Jersey, between 2013 and 2016. Researchers assessed depression using a minimum score of 16 on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.
The average patient age was 55 years (range 20-86 years), and 53 percent of patients were female. The racial/ethnic breakdown of patients was 48 percent African-American, 29 percent non-Hispanic white and 16 percent Hispanic. Nearly equal numbers of patients reported being able to work (including those working full-time, part-time and unemployed) (49%) or being unable to work due to disability (51%). Most patients (85%) received radiation therapy as part of their cancer treatment.
Depression was diagnosed in 40 percent of the patients at this urban cancer center, which is roughly twice as large as the NCI estimate of 15 to 25 percent for the general cancer patient population. Moreover, depression was previously undiagnosed in three-fourths of these cases, meaning that roughly 30 percent of the patients at this cancer center suffered from undiagnosed and untreated depression.
Depression was more common among female patients (47%) than among male patients (32%) (odds ratio [OR] 1.9, p = 0.007) and among patients who were unable to work due to disability (48% vs. 33% of those able to work; OR 1.9, p = 0.005). NIMH statistics for the general U.S. adult population also point to a higher risk of depression for women and people with a disability, particularly among older adults. Depression prevalence did not differ significantly among racial/ethnic groups. Logistic regression was used to compare depression prevalence among the patient groups.
Looking specifically at patients who were previously not diagnosed with depression, the effects of being female or unable to work persisted. Among this subgroup, depression was more common among women (43% vs. 29% male; OR 1.9, p = 0.02) and disabled patients (43% vs. 31% able to work; OR 1.9, p = 0.03).
"Depression is widely recognized as an underdiagnosed disorder, particularly among older adults and cancer patients. Our findings point to a clear need for action including depression screening during initial and continuing patient visits, initiation of mental health treatments for identified patients and increased collaboration with mental health providers in cancer treatment centers. These efforts are particularly important for patients in urban centers, those who are female and those who are unable to work because of their disease," said Dr. Domogauer.
The abstract, "Study of total and undiagnosed depression in a cancer patient population at an urban cancer center," will be presented in detail during a news briefing and an oral abstract session at ASTRO's 59th Annual Meeting in San Diego (full details below). To schedule an interview with Dr. Domogauer and/or outside experts, contact ASTRO's media relations team on-site at the San Diego Convention Center, September 24 through 27, by phone at 703-286-1600 or by email at [email protected].
ATTRIBUTION TO THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY (ASTRO) ANNUAL MEETING REQUESTED IN ALL COVERAGE.
This news release contains additional and/or updated information from the study author(s). Full original abstract and author disclosures available from [email protected] or at www.astro.org/annualmeeting.
Study Presentation Details
Scientific Session: Sunday, September 24 , 1:15 2:45 p.m. Pacific time , San Diego Convention Center, room 7A/B
, 1:15 , Convention Center, room 7A/B News Briefing: Tuesday, September 26 , 1:00 2:00 p.m. Pacific time , San Diego Convention Center, room 24C, webcast: http://www.bit.do/astro17-3
Resources on Cancer and Radiation Therapy
ABOUT ASTRO'S ANNUAL MEETING
ASTRO's 59th Annual Meeting, the world's largest scientific meeting in radiation oncology, will be held September 24-27, 2017, at the San Diego Convention Center. The 2017 Annual Meeting is expected to attract more than 11,000 attendees from across the globe, including oncologists from all disciplines and members of the entire radiation oncology team. More than 2,800 abstracts sharing results from clinical trials and other research studies will be presented in conjunction with educational sessions and keynote addresses that underscore the meeting's theme, "The Healing Art and Science of Radiation Oncology." Led by ASTRO President Brian Kavanagh, MD, MPH, FASTRO, the 2017 meeting will feature keynote addresses from Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM, Chief Innovation Officer for the University of Colorado Health System; Lucy Kalanithi, MD, FACP, widow of Paul Kalanithi, MD, the best-selling author of "When Breath Becomes Air," with Heather Wakelee, MD, Paul's oncologist; and Vinay K. Prasad, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of medicine at the Oregon Health & Science University. During the four-day meeting, more than 200 exhibitors will demonstrate cutting-edge technology and medical device innovations for radiation oncology. Visit us online for more information about ASTRO's 59th Annual Meeting or press opportunities at the meeting.
ABOUT ASTRO
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is the world's largest radiation oncology society, with more than 10,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. The Society is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research, and advocacy. ASTRO publishes three medical journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics (www.redjournal.org), Practical Radiation Oncology (www.practicalradonc.org) and Advances in Radiation Oncology (www.advancesradonc.org); developed and maintains an extensive patient website, RT Answers (www.rtanswers.org); and created the Radiation Oncology Institute (www.roinstitute.org), a nonprofit foundation to support research and education efforts around the world that enhance and confirm the critical role of radiation therapy in improving cancer treatment. To learn more about ASTRO, visit www.astro.org and follow us on our blog, Facebook and Twitter.
Contact: Liz Gardner
703-286-1600
[email protected]
Leah Kerkman Fogarty
703-839-7336
[email protected]
SOURCE American Society for Radiation Oncology
Related Links
http://www.astro.org
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Canberra, Sep 19 : Australia's smallest endangered species are at the greatest risk of extinction due to an imbalance in conservation funding and awareness campaigns, a study revealed on Tuesday.
The study's lead researcher Thomas Newsome from Deakin University said that conservation efforts were widely targeted at larger endangered species such as sharks and rhinos, meaning smaller, hard-to-findspecies such as the wallaby and the bilby were left at the greatest risk of extinction, reports Xinhua news agency.
"We've basically neglected a whole suite of species, and our research suggests that we should be putting just as much effort into the smaller species as the larger ones," Newsome said.
He said that widespread land clearing, aggressive farming practices and the introduction of foreign predators posed the greatest risk to some of Australia's most iconic species, and had contributed to Australia having the highest mammal extinction rate in the world.
"A lot of the freshwater fish in Australia have been ignored, and these species have highly restricted and specialized habitat requirements. Habitat loss can basically wipe out a single species in one blow," he said.
"For the mammals on the other hand, it's small wallabies and bilbies which are highly threatened. In fact, Australia has the highest extinction rate in the world for mammals.
"We've lost 30 mammals to extinction in the past 200 years - that's half the world's mammal extinctions in our own backyard."
Newsome said that in order to lower the extinction rate in Australia, more funding for smaller species was required, while a lessened human impact on the ecosystem was also urgently needed.
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 24 (PTI) Industry chamber CII today sought extension of time by two months for filing of GST returns in view of difficulties being faced by businesses.
The GST Council has already extended the last date for filing final returns to October 10. CII has now requested for further extension to resolve certain system issues.
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In view of difficulties of online filing, the industry body suggested that "the due dates for filing GSTR-1, GSTR-2 and GSTR-3 should be deferred for another month or two".
The chamber also suggested that no penal action should be taken against the trade and industry by the revenue department in the initial six months of the GST launch.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced on July 1.
It said that the GST Network (GSTN) system response should be enhanced to allow download, preview details, and take prints for reconciliation before submission.
The industry body also recommended that GSTR-3B should have provision for rounding off Input Tax Credit to nearest rupee.
"This will match output tax liability which is rounded off, and be accepted in the system," the chamber said.
For companies with turnover of over Rs 100 crore, the last date for filing GSTR-1 for July isOctober 3 and for the rest, it is October10.
Filing of GSTR-2 for July is to be done byOctober 31, and GSTR-3 byNovember 10.
Due dates for filing of returns for August are yet to be notified.
GSTR 3B is a simple return form introduced by the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) for the month of July and August, following the roll out of the Goods and Services Tax from July 1. PTI NKD CS BAL ABM
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New Delhi, Sep 22 : Eight cancer survivors are raring to hit the dusty tracks in Punjab and Chandigarh to spread the message of preventing childhood cancer and collect 300,000 signatures to appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make paediatric cancer a child health priority.
Among the rallyists will be Muskaan, 17, a survivor of bone tumor from Zirakpur in Punjab, who is excited about zipping around Chandigarh's wide and smooth roads during the four-day caravan, starting Sep 24, that will cover 1,400 km across 18 districts of the state.
She had earlier led a team of volunteers to meet Punjab Governor V.S. Badnore and pinned a gold ribbon on his shirt to seek support for the cause.
"Governor sir was so excited when we told him about our plan to carry banners, posters and placards on vehicles to tell people that childhood cancer is curable," Muskaan said.
Bandnore has announced that the Chandigarh Administration and the Punjab Government would jointly launch a mass awareness campaign and raise awareness about cancer in children.
Cankids, an NGO that is a major player in the space, has previously held similar "Go Gold" childhood cancer awareness rallies in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. During their rally in Punjab, the Cankids survivor group will stage street plays, distribute publicity material and pamphlets related to early signs of cancer and the nearest centres for detection and treatment.
"For every child that dies of cancer, the world loses 71 years of life on an average," said Muskaan, adding that early detection is the key to a cure.
Cankids Director Poonam Bagai said: "September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month during which Punjab is going gold. Gold is the colour of childhood cancer. The gold ribbon honours children with cancer and their families and pledges support for childhood cancer to be a child health priority."
"During the rally, the survivors will drive across Punjab to sensitise people and focus on childhood cancers, create awareness and initiate a dialogue among stakeholders to ensure best treatment, care and support to kids in Punjab," said Bagai.
Along the rally's route, the campaigners will also hold awareness programmes at the state's nodal hospitals such as the PGI in Chandigarh, the Christian Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana, Advanced Cancer Centre in Bhatinda and Government Medical College in Patiala, she said.
It is estimated that Punjab accounts for 969 to the 1,543 new cases of childhood cancer each year (0-19 years) as per data from International Association of Cancer Registries (IARC), Geneva. In Union Territory Chandigarh, at least 35 new childhood cancer cases are reported each year, she added.
Bagai said that worldwide, more than 300,000 (0-19 years) children and adolescents are diagnosed annually with one of 16 forms of childhood cancers. Out of these, 40-50,000 (age 0-15 years) are diagnosed in India.
Cankids Society CEO Sonal Sharma said under the "Go Gold India" campaign, survivors are pinning gold ribbons and collecting 300,000 signatures/pledges -- one for each child diagnosed with cancer worldwide.
"Last year the Taj went Gold to speak for children with cancer and their families. This year, it will be the Golden Temple as our childhood cancer survivors advocate for childhood cancer to be a child health priority in India," she said.
In the run-up to the rally, Cankids worked closely with Punjab government's departments of health and family welfare and medical education and research to organise the First Paediatric Oncology Stakeholder Sensitisation Workshop for childhood cancer at Patiala.
Punjab Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh lent the government's support to the initiative, hoping it raises survival rates in the state and the rest of the country, where only 40 per cent of children with cancer survive against the global average of 95 per cent.
An MoU was also signed between the Punjab government and Cankids Society. Cankids, using its own funding, will now serve as a knowledge and support partner to the state government on matters relating to childhood cancers.
"The Punjab government has decided to identify children with cancer and offer them cashless treatment at 18 designated centres," said Bagai.
While global survival rates for childhood cancers are 70-95 per cent, in India, 50-70 per cent still die of the disease, primarily due to lack of awareness, stigma, poor information and access to care, inadequate treatment centres, lack of trained health professionals, quality drugs, high costs of treatment and lack of supportive care.
Kapil Chawla, a Hodgkin's survivor and CanKids advocacy officer, said: "The rally and awareness campaign is an effort to engage the Punjab government and civil society to open cancer awareness units for patients in the state's nodal hospitals."
Amita Mahajan, senior consultant at Apollo's paediatric oncology division who has been associated with Cankids for 13 years, said: "The advocacy campaign involving bureaucrats, doctors, patient groups and cancer survivors aims to make provide care to every child afflicted with this deadly disease."
Cankids Kidscan is a national society which works for children with cancer through 46 centres spread across the country. It helps bridge the gap between needy cancer patients and paediatric cancer units and extends financial support to 18,500 families.
Since November 2012, the society has been imparting education in hospitals through three cancer speciality homes and a CanKids CanShala for children.
(Anjali Madan can be contacted at anjalimadan79@gmail.com)
New Delhi, Sep 22 : Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Friday termed the mysterious death of a Manipuri youth in Uttar Pradesh as tragic, saying he is personally following up the matter with the state police to get the truth out.
"North East Boy Pravish Chanam case is very tragic and unfortunate. I am personally following up the matter with UP Police to get the truth out and bring justice," said Rijiju in his Facebook post.
Pravish Chanam went missing on September 8 from the India Exposition Mart in Greater Noida where he had gone to attend a concert with three friends. Though he remained untraced by friends and family, Noida police found his body and later cremated it allegedly without informing the family members.
The comments made by Rijiju, who is the face of the northeast in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, come after several attempts by the family and friends of the victim to get appointment with Rijiju failed.
Alleging a series of lapses, Chanam's family said even a public notice was not issued to identify the body before it was cremated by police in a hurry.
"We want a thorough investigation by the CBI," Ravikanta Chanam, the victim's brother, told IANS.
The Manipur government has also asked one of its most senior IPS officer to visit Delhi and look into the matter.
Hundreds of youth from the northeast on Thursday staged a protest outside the Uttar Pradesh Bhawan here, demanding a probe by the state government into the mysterious death.
New Delhi, Sep 22 : The government is keen to make the gold market transactions more transparent, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, joint secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry said here on Friday.
"The government's objective is to make the gold industry transparent throughout the value chain. We still need to do a lot to reach that benchmark of transparency," Dwivedi said while addressing at the 10th International Gold Summit by Assocham.
He said the government is looking at how to provide easy availability of gold to the industry stakeholders, facilitate ease of doing business and give financial support.
Similarly, on the consumer front, it is looking at how to ensure quality and standard gold and fair, transparent price.
Despite various effort of the government to diversify Indians' interest from gold into other financial products, people still heavily invest in gold.
Somasundaram PR, Managing Director-India, WGC said: "We have been importing 900 tonnes of gold a year. India has stock of 24,000 tonnes of gold valued at $1 trillion. If we include gold available with banks, value goes up to $1trillion. Industry has gone through fast-paced changes and we cannot set the clock bank. We have to sit with the government to see what gold can do for India."
Former Reserve Bank of India Governor C. Rangarajan said despite various gold schemes introduced by the government, people still remain attracted towards the yellow metal.
"People often buy gold to hide unaccounted money. Gold transactions have to become transparent."
Welcoming government's decision to furnish PAN card for high value gold purchase, Rangarajan asserted that Goods and Services Tax of 3 per cent on gold is low and should not be objected.
"It is completely justified," he said.
He also said import duty of 10 per cent is not stark.
"These are justifiable. Some minor modifications can be made by the government. Perhaps import duty can be decreased and GST can be increased," he suggested.
Tehran, Sep 23 : Iran said on Saturday that it had successfully tested a new medium-range missile in defiance of warnings from the US that it was ready to ditch a landmark nuclear deal over the issue.
State-run Press TV broadcast a footage of the launch of the Khoramshahr missile, which was first displayed at a high-profile military parade on Friday with President Hassan Rouhani and senior military officials in attendance.
The ballistic missile is capable of carrying multiple warheads, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Division, told the media on Friday.
"The missile has become smaller in size (compared to other Iranian ballistic missiles) and more tactical, and it will be operational in the near future," Hajizadeh said without further elaboration.
On Friday, the Iranian armed forces commemorated the 1980-1988 war with Iraq by holding a parade in which Iran's most advanced military power and abilities were showcased.
Iran also displayed other home-made advanced missiles, including ballistic missiles, which are reported to have ranges of 1,300 km to 2,000 km.
The video also contained telemetry camera footage from four different angles which, according to its caption, showed the moment when the warhead of the missile was discharged.
The ballistic missile, which is Iran's third type of missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers along with the Qadr-F and Sejjil ballistic missiles, is capable of carrying multiple warheads.
Iran has repeatedly insisted that its military capabilities are solely aimed for defense purposes and they pose no threat to other countries. Tehran has also been assisting its allies, including Iraq and Syria, in their ongoing fight against terrorism.
Washington has on several occasions slapped new sanctions against Iran over its missile programme.
The US claims that Iran's missile tests and rocket launches violate UN Resolution 2231, which was adopted in July 2015 to endorse the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.
Iran has strongly rejected the US allegations that it has violated the UN resolution, and insists that its missile tests and rocket launches are solely for defense purposes and not designed to carry nuclear warheads.
New Delhi : The BRICS Summit was largely an uneventful affair this year. Apart from the usual declarations for greater cooperation, hardly anything noteworthy took place. Only the naming of Pakistani terrorist groups by the forum as a cause for violence in the region led to some celebratory ripples, but that was it.
Amidst all the dull news emanating from Xiamen there was also a word about India's push for an early creation of the BRICS credit ratings agency that was proposed two years ago and formally agreed upon last year. However, India's effort was rendered fruitless as the declaration remained silent on the initiative.
BRICS nations, apart from China, have frequently complained about their low ratings by the world's top three credit rating agencies despite displaying better fundamentals than many Western economies. South Africa has been reduced to junk status while India has been awarded the lowest rating possible. China has not been enthusiastic about the idea since it already enjoys higher ratings than its peers. Even in the last few years when India has outperformed China in almost all possible aspects, the ratings have not kept pace.
India has not shied away from expressing its displeasure at this anomaly. This year's Economic Survey made it a point to highlight the "poor standards" of the rating agencies. The Survey pointed out that China was upgraded from A+ to AA- in 2010 and India has been kept stagnant at BBB- despite contrasting economic performances by the two countries. Since the economic crisis, China's credit to GDP ratio has ballooned (from 140 to over 200) while its growth has fallen. On the other hand, India's credit to GDP ratio has remained more or less constant (at 75) while growth has exceeded that of China.
During this period, India has also managed to moderate the government deficit from 8.3 percent in 2011-12 to 6.7 in 2016-17, boost its foreign exchange reserves to among the 10 highest in the world and narrow its current account deficit from 7.8 percent in 2012-13 to 1.4 in 2016-17. On the face of these trends, the credit ratings hardly make sense. The fault must lie in the methodology that is being used by these agencies as it clearly fails to reflect the real-world scenario.
The rating agencies repeatedly cite India's low per capita income and high fiscal deficit as grounds for its low ratings. However, per capita income is a slow-moving variable. Even if India grows at seven percent per annum, it'll take more than a decade for it to graduate from a lower-middle income country to an upper-middle income country. It makes little sense for any country with a sustained growth rate of 7 percent and strong fundamentals to have a stagnant low credit rating merely on account of its relatively low per capita income. With such a methodology, poor countries should just give up hope of seeing any improvement on their credit ratings for at least a decade or so. As for the deficits, the Indian government has stood strong on its unwavering commitment to a fiscal target over the last few years even at the cost of its growth rate, at times.
So, India's issue with the methodology followed by these agencies, which bias the ratings against poor economies, is legitimate. Incorrect ratings have an impact on the money flowing into the economy since a lot of institutional investors depend on such analysis. Nevertheless, a new credit rating agency backed by the BRICS might not be the answer to the problem and will be beset with its own set of problems.
First is the clear conflict of interest. It will be a tough task for the investors, especially in the West, to believe that the ratings from the "independent" agency are being awarded with no governmental pressure and are politically impartial. Moreover, it'll also have to overcome the conflict of interest problem that is already ailing the present agencies. The current issuer pay model is based on receiving payments from the institutions that are being rated. This makes agencies wary of downgrading their own clients. A model of charging investors will also not work for the agency given that it would be quite new to be trusted and ratings would be freely available anyway from established agencies of the West. So, escaping the problem of conflict of interest will be a major challenge.
Second, with the three major ratings agencies commanding more than 90 percent of the market, cracking it for a new entity will take a considerable amount of time and possibly never happen. The history of alternative credit agencies has not been promising. ARC Ratings established in 2013 and Global Credit Ratings established in 1995 are yet to start offering credit ratings.
A new credit rating agency by the BRICS will be a dud if these challenges are not addressed. The agency needs to be truly independent and based on a model which doesn't base revenue on delivering the results that its clients want. An agency established by governments to rate other governments is not the best idea for such requirements. It can never be free of political interference and even if it manages to be so, the issuer pay model would still be at work.
More competition is always the key in such cases. Therefore, a better approach to taking on the "big three" in the market would be to decide upon a methodology that reflects the credit strengths of financial entities much more accurately and popularising it by implementing it across the local credit rating agencies of the respective BRICS nations. The next step would be to adopt a model that eliminates any conflict of interest and is more performance-based. Finally, there will a need to build a rapport among investors so that they can trust these ratings over that of the "big three". All of this is easier said than done, but is surely bound to reap better results than establishing yet another agency that does nothing to improve the status quo.
(Amit Kapoor is chair, Institute for Competitiveness, India. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at amit.kapoor@competitiveness.in and tweets @kautiliya. Chirag Yadav is a researcher at Institute for Competitiveness, India.)
Washington, Sep 24 : US President Donald Trump has warned the new missile successfully tested by Iran on Friday may be able to reach Israel.
"Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea," Donald Trump wrote on his personal Twitter account on Saturday, Efe news reported.
"Not much of an agreement we have!" the President added in his tweet, apparently alluding to the agreement signed in 2015 between Tehran and six international powers, including the US, on the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme.
The President tweeted the brief message after Iranian media reported that Iran successfully tested its new ballistic missile, called Khorramshahr, with a range of 2,000 km, which was unveiled on Friday for the first time during a military parade in Tehran.
The missile was launched from an unknown location in Iran and a few hours after it was shown during the parade, the Iranian television channel Press TV released a video of the launch, on Saturday.
The Khorramshahr missile was paraded Friday, despite warnings from the US against Iran's weapons program, in the presence of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and senior military leaders.
This new arms build-up is taking place despite the fact that Washington has imposed several rounds of sanctions against Iranian entities and individuals linked to the Tehran missile program in recent months.
This week, Trump left his allies in the lurch by announcing that he has made a decision on his country's participation in the nuclear agreement signed with Iran in 2015, a pact that, according to his government, has clearly not met their expectations.
"I have already decided," he told reporters about his stance on the Iran agreement during one of his meetings in New York, where he was at the UN General Assembly, without divulging his decision.
In his address to the UN General Assembly on September 19, Trump declared that the nuclear agreement is "a disgrace" that his government could abandon, "if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program."
The nuclear agreement, signed in July 2015 by Iran and six major powers (US, Russia, China, France, UK and Germany), ended 12 years of conflict over the Islamic Republic's controversial nuclear programme.
Washington, Sep 24 : US President Donald Trump has warned that the new ballistic missile "successfully" tested by Iran may be able to reach Israel.
"Iran just test-fired a ballistic missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea." Trump tweeted on Saturday.
"Not much of an agreement we have!" the President added in his tweet, apparently alluding to the agreement signed in 2015 between Tehran and six international powers, including the US, on Iran's nuclear programme.
The president's remarks came after Iran tested its new ballistic missile, called Khorramshahr, with a range of 2,000 km, which was unveiled on Friday for the first time during a military parade in Tehran.
The missile was launched from an unknown location in Iran and a few hours after it was shown during the parade, the Iranian television channel Press TV released a video of the launch, on Saturday.
The Khorramshahr missile was paraded, despite warnings from the US against Iran's weapons program, in the presence of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and senior military leaders.
The nuclear agreement, signed in July 2015 by Iran and six major powers (US, Russia, China, France, UKm and Germany), ended 12 years of conflict over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
Ottawa, Sep 24 : Representatives from Mexico, Canada and the US began the third round of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks here.
Canadian chief negotiator Steve Verhuel on Saturday said he did not expect this round to see any new US proposal to increase American content requirements for autos, reports Xinhua news agency.
Rules of origin of autos will be "a subject for discussion but we're not expecting to see anything radically new at this point", he added.
Under NAFTA's current rules of origin, vehicles must have at least 62.5 per cent North American content to qualify for duty-free movement between Canada, the US and Mexico.
Concern has been mounting among trade experts that the year-end deadline for the NAFTA will be impossible to meet if negotiators did not start during this round to confront some of the most contentious issues, including the rules of origin of autos.
At the first round of negotiations in Washington last month, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer pronounced that the North American content requirement must be raised and a specific American content requirement must be added, along with a way to verify that content.
Last week, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross slammed the NAFTA for allowing outside countries to provide parts for vehicles that aren't covered by the content requirement.
Canada reportedly believes that resolving American concerns about the exodus of automotive jobs to low-wage Mexico is the key to staving off US President Donald Trump's threat to rip up NAFTA.
A total of seven rounds of discussions are planned for the NAFTA renegotiations, with the first two rounds being held in Washington and Mexico City.
New York, Sep 24 : Researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have developed a new tool to assess an individual's level of wisdom.
Called the San Diego Wisdom Scale (SD-WISE), the scale is based upon a conceptualisation of wisdom as a trait with a neurobiological as well as psychosocial basis.
"There is evidence to suggest that the level of wisdom is dictated to a large degree by neurobiology, and that distinct regions and systems in the brain govern the identified components of wisdom," said Dilip Jeste, Director of UC San Diego Centre for Healthy Aging.
"There are measures now that assess a person's level of wisdom, but they do not incorporate these emerging neurobiological models of the trait.
"SD-WISE reflects the latest thinking. We believe it may be a useful tool in clinical practice, in addition to its value in bio-psycho-social research, especially investigations into the neurobiology of wisdom and possible interventions to enhance it," Jeste added.
For the study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, the researchers randomly recruited 524 residents of San Diego county, ages 25 to 104, from an on-going longitudinal investigation called the Successful Aging Evaluation (SAGE) study, focusing on physical, cognitive, and psychosocial aspects of successful ageing across the adult lifespan.
Participants were administered the SD-WISE along with two existing measures: the 12-item Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale and the 40-item Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale.
"Both scales are well-established and well-respected," said Michael Thomas, assistant professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
"They have demonstrated reliability and validity as scientific tools and were good measures against which to compare SD-WISE."
Studies suggest that wisdom may be defined by six specific domains and that these domains are linked to distinct regions of the brain, based upon neuroimaging and other scientific evidence.
For example, the domain of prosocial attitudes and behaviors, such as empathy, altruism and social cooperation, is facilitated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC), located in the front part of the brain and responsible to complex executive functions.
The other domains are social decision-making/pragmatic knowledge of life, emotional regulation, reflection/self-understanding, tolerance of diverse values, and ability to effectively deal with uncertainty and ambiguity in life.
All of these domains are associated with specific brain regions, including different parts of the PFC, the limbic system and amygdala, and specific neurotransmitters, especially monoamines.
The researchers found that SD-WISE successfully measured five of the six targeted domains, and made effective distinctions between individuals' differing degrees of wisdom.
The sixth domain -- social decision-making -- was partially covered as "social advising".
The results showed that SD-WISE is a reliable and valid scale, said Jeste.
Wisdom, as measured with SD-WISE, correlated with measures of psychological well-being. Importantly, the overall results supported the notion that wisdom is a specific entity with different components.
New Delhi, Sep 24 : Fifteen species of vultures in 128 countries, including four that are critically endangered in India, may get a fresh lease of life with a 12-year multi-species coordinated action plan to conserve African-Eurasian vultures set to take wing at a UN summit next month, conservationists say.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of species threatened with extinction has listed a majority of these vulture species as critically endangered, indicating a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
The Indian vultures that are set to get collaborative international protection under the Multi-Species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures are four critically endangered vulture species -- the red-headed, white-rumped, long-billed and slender-billed; two near threatened species -- bearded and Himalayan griffon; and one endangered -- the Egyptian vulture.
The cinereous vulture, a wintering migrant to India from Europe, is also facing the threat of extinction.
The other species are: white-headed, hooded, white-backed, cape griffon, RAppell's griffon, Eurasian griffon and lappet-faced vultures. Most of these species are found in Africa. While the Eurasian griffon vulture is found in Europe and Asia, the lappet-faced vulture is home to the Middle East.
Vulture are nature's garbage disposers, feeding on the carcasses of dead animals that are often infected with diseases such as anthrax, cholera, botulinum toxin and rabies that would be lethal to other scavengers.
More than 120 countries will gather in Philippine capital Manila for the 12th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals or CMS COP12 during October 23-28.
Proposals comprising the action plan, drafted after three-years of consultations, to conserve African-Eurasian vultures have been submitted for adoption at COP12, a UNEP spokesperson told IANS.
If adopted, the action plan, accessed by IANS, would mean programmes to protect the vultures across Africa, Asia and Europe from all of threats faced by them -- ranging from poisoning to hunting to collision with electricity cables to habitat degradation.
Studies attribute the reason for bringing the vultures to the brink of extinction in South Asia mainly to the extensive use of diclofenac in treating cattle. Vultures that consumed the carcasses of animals treated with diclofenac died with symptoms of kidney failure. The Indian government banned its veterinary use in 2006.
"Yes, certainly the ban on diclofenac in India has helped checking the dwindling number of vulture species. However, we must recognise and address the other threats that are affecting vulture populations," UNEP Programme Officer (Birds of Prey) Nick Williams told IANS in an email.
As part of the action plan, he said captive breeding for reintroduction of any species should really be seen as a last resort.
"Experience has shown that it can be effective for some species like the bearded vulture in the Alps. However, IUCN guidelines are very clear that the cause(s) of the original decline must be identified and properly addressed before releasing any captive-bred birds. Otherwise, the released birds will simply be lost to the same threats," Williams added.
Noting that threats to the vultures still prevail, SAVE (Saving Asia's Vultures from Extinction) Programme Manager Chris Bowden told IANS that the veterinary licence of two more drugs -- ketoprofen and aceclofenac -- should be withdrawn to save the remaining vultures in nature.
Bowden, who also monitors vulture breeding projects in India, favoured supporting the existing vulture conservation breeding programmes throughout South Asia. He is one of the compilers of the multi-species action plan to conserve vultures.
Williams said the ban on diclofenac in India certainly reduced its prevalence in many areas "but more work is to be done".
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals aims to conserve terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their range. It is an intergovernmental treaty with 124 Parties to the Convention, including the European Union.
"The particularly high number of animals proposed for protection under the Convention is a worrying sign of the decline of international wildlife. Urgent action is needed to ensure the survival of these species," an official statement quoting Bradnee Chambers, the convention's Executive Secretary, said.
(Vishal Gulati is an Internews' Earth Journalism Network Biodiversity Fellow. He can be reached at vishal.g@ians.in)
After a court-ordered survey, the panel found that only two per cent vehicles failed the pollution tests and felt that this assessment did not present an accurate picture.
By Harish V Nair: Rules for issuing vehicle pollution-check certificates and emission tests will become far more stringent in the Capital if a Supreme Court-mandated panel has its way.
In a report submitted to the SC, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, or EPCA, has said that vehicle pollution-checking centres in Delhi and NCR are only weakening the fight against toxic air. After a court-ordered survey, the panel found that only two per cent vehicles failed the tests and felt that this assessment did not present an accurate picture. "Corruption and poor testing procedures contribute towards poor failure rate", the agency said.
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A May 2014 report by the WHO found Delhi the most polluted city in the world. A study by the EPCA the same year said air pollution was the fifth-biggest killer in India after high blood pressure, indoor air pollution from cooking fuels, tobacco smoking and poor nutrition. It said residents of Delhi and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh have more reasons to worry as the two are among five critically polluted cities.
The top court had asked the EPCA to conduct surprise checks at all the 962 pollution checking units and report back. "PUC (Pollution Under Control) tests are vulnerable to fraud and corruption. Often these tests are not done properly and fake software is used. The sensor stick used for testing the pollution concentration in tailpipe is not properly inserted; or certain parameters like temperature testing at the time of smoke density tests in diesel vehicles are manipulated to pass the tests. It has also been reported that people obtain PUC certificates even without conducting the tests," Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of Centre for Science and Environment, which is part of the EPCA, told Mail Today.
The Capital's air is a noxious combination of exhaust, dust, smoke from wood and dung-fired stoves, burning leaves and industrial output. The EPCA survey came after an inspection conducted by the central government revealed that at least a third of the existing 962 outlets in the Capital are involved in irregularities like fudging the emission report and giving clearance certificates to polluting vehicles for a price.
The Centre told the Supreme Court that after a study carried out between July and November 2016, show-cause notices have been issued to some 174 for irregularities, licenses of 14 have been cancelled, licenses of 75 have been suspended and warning notices issued to 78 such centres. Recommending stringent pollution checking norms, especially for diesel vehicles, the EPCA says the present technique is "archaic and very ineffective".
"The visible smoke that is currently tested in diesel vehicles does not monitor tiny particles. Very high emissions of tiny particles are possible from modern diesel engines that are not visible and cannot be captured through smoke density tests. While tightening norms for pre-BSIV vehicles it is also important to improve the test procedures for smoke density tests," it said. There is no way to measure particulate matter directly under the present PUC programme, the panel added.
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Islamabad, Sep 24 : Six children were killed when a fire engulfed a house in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, police said.
Police officials, citing initial investigations, said that the fire erupted due to a short-circuit, Geo News reported.
As a result, five sisters and their brother were burnt to death while they were asleep and the house was completely charred.
New Delhi : September 23 marked the 87th anniversary of the National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This auspicious occasion not just celebrates the historic unification of the Kingdom but also invokes within every Saudi citizen a sense of immense pride in its historical and cultural legacy.
Our journey on the path of progress has continued over the last nine decades, making great strides in every domain. Our country is amongst the 20 largest economies in the world and we aim to improve our ranking by 2030. Currently, Saudi Arabia ranks an impressive 38 on the United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) Human Development Index (HDI). We are further strengthening our investments efficiently to make our health, education, transportation and social services infrastructures even more robust and foster more progress and growth. To enable this growth and to build a thriving country, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chalked out Vision 2030 around three fundamental themes -- a vibrant society, a thriving economy and an ambitious nation. We are in relentless pursuit of the vision to make our country a pioneering and successful global model of excellence on all fronts.
We are transforming our education system to equip students with multi-faceted knowledge and values that help their individual characters emerge and flourish. To demonstrate our commitment to education, our country sanctioned 200 billion riyals in 2016 for the development and expansion of education -- the highest annual allocation after healthcare. By 2030, we aim to have at least five Saudi universities among the top 200 universities in international rankings.
We are diversifying and unleashing the capabilities of promising sectors to create the new pillars of the Saudi economy. Our National Renewable Energy Program is all set to increase the share of renewables in the power mix from almost 0 to 4 per cent by generating 9.5 GW by 2023. Our endeavor includes privatising some state-owned assets and government services; developing tourism by creating attractions of the highest international standards; investing in a digital economy; incentivising the exploration of the Kingdom's mineral resources; and doubling our gas production.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud views the citizens of the Kingdom as its most important asset. Vision 2030 strives to create a prosperous society wherein people enjoy a good life in a beautiful environment. The Red Sea luxury resorts project will be a milestone in this direction. Spread across 50 natural islands along 200 km of western coastline of Saudi Arabia, the project will place the Kingdom on the international tourism map. Apart from historical and cultural excursions, both on land and in the sea, it will offer opportunities for diving, parachuting, rock climbing, etc. The project is estimated to host one million visitors per annum by 2035, adding SAR 15 billion (Rs 25,905 crore) per annum to the Kingdom's GDP. The newly mapped area will be run at par with international standards, including ecological best practices.
As the cradle of Islam, the Kingdom takes great pride in serving the Two Holy Mosques. This year more than two million pilgrims performed Haj. The number of Umrah visitors tripled to eight million over the last decade. We are working with the strategic objective of providing the opportunity for the largest number of Muslims possible to perform Haj and Umrah. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud launched in 2015 the third phase of expansion of the Grand Mosque which will cover 1.47 million square meters, including 78 new gates, six new floors for praying, 680 new escalators, 24 elevators for people with special needs.
Several transit projects have been sanctioned to elevate the existing facilities. The airports are being modernised and their capacities are being augmented. The Makkah Metro project, has been conceived to complement the rail services to transport visitors safely to the Holy Sites. Saudi Railways Commission recently completed the maiden test run of the Haramain high-speed rail line from Jeddah to Madinah. The 450-km network connecting the two holy cities is slated to attain speeds of up to 360 kmph, reducing the travel time between the two to less than two hours.
Political and economic stability in the Middle East and around the world is one of Saudi Arabia's greatest priorities. My country has been recognised for its efforts over the years to maintain peace and stability in the region. From the King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud plan of 1981 and King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud initiative of 2002, the Taif agreement of 1989 that ended the Lebanese civil war, to the 2007 Makkah agreement of reconciliation between the factions of Fatah and Hamas -- we have primarily worked on mediation and conciliation to resolve issues and work towards the peace, stability, non-interference and prosperity of the region.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has demonstrated its abiding belief in spreading goodwill and compassion beyond its borders by being at the forefront of the international community in terms of share of gross domestic product (GDP) earmarked for humanitarian aid. The King Salman Centre for Humanitarian Aid and Relief (KSRelief), since it was established in 2015, has provided humanitarian and development aid to more than 37 countries in four continents, implementing 218 projects in areas of food security, housing and shelter, preventative health care and education. Just recently and through the Center, the Kingdom donated $33.7 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to combat cholera in Yemen, followed by a donation of $33 million to United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) at the end of July 2017.
It has been a great honour for me to serve as the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the Republic of India. India is a strategic partner in our journey of progress. We share deep-rooted bilateral ties that have been nourished through growing economic partnership, multi-faceted cooperation and vibrant people to people connection. The historical ties of friendship between the two countries will continue to grow and thrive through partnership and cooperation.
(The author is Saudi Ambassador to India)
New Delhi, Sep 24 : Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani on Sunday posed in the Rashtrapati Bhavan complex, which he visited to conduct a recce for his new film.
"You can't help but be awed by the scale and the decorum of government. Rashtrapati Bhavan, recce, Delhi," Advani tweeted on Sunday with a photograph of himself in casuals and a pair of shades.
He didn't mention the details of the project that he is conducting a recce for. According to media reports that emerged earlier this month, Advani is set to explore a story around the Batla House encounter, which followed the 2008 serial blasts in Delhi. Two suspected militants were killed in the encounter.
The director is credited with titles like "Kal Ho Naa Ho", "Delhi Safari" and "D-Day". He also helmed television show "P.O.W.- Bandi Yuddh Ke" -- a story on prisoners of war.
His last production was "Lucknow Central", a prison escape movie with an ensemble cast.
New Delhi, Sep 24 : The two-day BJP National Executive meet began on Sunday, with party chief Amit Shah inaugurating a meeting of party office-bearers at the NDMC Convention Centre here.
The Indian economy's slowing growth as well as the next round of assembly polls will top the agenda of the meeting.
The main meeting will be held on Monday at the Talkatora Stadium. According to party leaders, 15 BJP Chief Ministers, six Deputy Chief Ministers, 1,400 MLAs, 85 members of legislative councils, 280 ministers and 336 MPs would attend.
Shah iaugurated the office-bearers' meeting to finalise the agenda and resolutions likely to be passed at the Monday meet.
Besides party's central office-bearers, all state Bharatiya Janata Party Presidents and General Secretaries (Organisation) attended Sunday's meeting.
The government is concerned over latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been talking of a package to revive economic growth after the November 8 demonetisation slowed it down.
Shah will deliver the inaugural address on Monday while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the concluding session.
Modi is likely to address the concerns over the state of the Indian economy and is all set to list the achievements of his government in the last three years.
Usually, the National Executive members alone attend the meeting but this time the BJP is holding an extended meeting, with invites going to all elected representatives of the party. Besides, state Presidents, state General Secretaries and several other party functionaries will also attend.
A political and an economic resolution is set to be passed by the National Executive. Sources in the BJP said party Vice President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and General Secretary Ram Madhav have been assigned to prepare the resolutions.
The sources said the economic resolution is likely to mention demonetisation as a "bold decision to curb the menace of corruption" and the passage of Goods and Services Tax as another feather in the Modi cap.
During the meeting, Shah will take stock of organisational works taken up in Bhubaneswar in the last National Executive meet.
To mark the birth centenary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh idiologue Deendayal Upadhyaya, the BJP had asked all its state units to hold programmes. Shah will also take stock of the campaign.
Posters put up here also have pictures of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani.
Ranchi, Sep 24 : Three Maoist guerrillas were killed in a gun battle with security forces in Jharkhand's Simdega district on Sunday, police said.
An AK-47 assault rifle, a carbine and a machine gun along with a huge cache of explosives were seized after the fighting at Bano between the People's Liberation Front of India cadres and security personnel.
A search operation was launched to nab the Maoists who escaped, police siad.
Maoist guerrillas are active in 18 of the 24 districts of the state.
Srinagar, Sep 24 : A major terror attack was averted after three Pakistani 'fidayeen' were shot dead in a gunfight in a forested area near the border town of Uri in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said.
"All three Pakistani fidayeen terrorists were killed in Uri area of Baramulla district," said a police officer said.
Director General of Police S.P. Vaid told reporters here that the slain militants had planned a major suicide strike and their elimination has averted a major attack.
Security forces had launched an operation in Kaghi forest area of Uri tehsil on Sunday morning following specific information about a group of heavily-armed militants hiding there.
As the security forces tightened cordon around the area, the hiding militants opened fire at the security forces triggering a gunfight.
Police, however, have not confirmed whether the slain militants had recently infiltrated into the Valley from Pakistan-administered Kashmir or had been operating here for some time.
New Delhi, Sep 24 : German renewable energy technology solutions provider Heraeus Photovoltaics on Sunday announced it has opened an India office here and will bring in dedicated staff at its Engineering and Technology Centre in Singapore to help focus on the Indian solar cells market.
"With the establishment of dedicated local sales team in India, Heraeus will intensify its customer relationship and provide secure supply chain to its customers," the company said in a release here.
"Heraeus will also establish dedicated resources in its engineering and technology centre in Singapore, to better tailor and further speed up customisation of silver pastes for Indian cell manufacturers," it said.
"Furthermore, Heraeus will offer its industry recognised cell optimisation consulting to its Indian customers," it added.
Heraeus, specialists in the field of thick film technology for photovoltaics, said it offers products for all solar cell architectures and photovoltaic technologies.
"Energy production from photovoltaic is already the cheapest way to produce electricity in the world and the prices will continue to decrease. Photovoltaics thus offers great opportunities for India to help in solving the very strong growth in energy demand," Heraeus Photovoltaics President Andreas Liebheit said in the statement.
New Delhi, Sep 24 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to "feel the fragrance of India's diversity" by travelling within the country and said making efforts to learn culture, attire and eating habits of different states.
Addressing his monthly radio programme "Mann ki Baat", which has completed three years on Sunday, Modi said it reflects people's minds and expressions. He also urged people to take up khadi, lauded a Kashmir youth single-handedly carrying on a cleanliness campaign in his state, and two army widows, who have themselves got commissioned into the service.
He also expressed satisfaction at the momentum the "Swachh Bharat" campaign had attained.
Stressing it was a matter of concern when people visit foreign countries and get impressed by "mere superficial glitter" but often do not know enough of the country's enormous diversity, Modi said that there will be value addition in tourism only when people travel not merely as visitors but also as students.
He added the experience he had gained by visiting 500 districts and staying in about 450 of them was coming handy in his role as Prime Minister.
"We should feel India's diversity, touch it, feel its fragrance...Impressed by mere superficial glitter we have started enjoying touring foreign countries only. You travel around the world, I have no issues but have a look at your own country too... Our country is full of such myriad diversities."
Citing examples of Mahatma Gandhi, Lokmanya Tilak, Swami Vivekanand and former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Modi said they had tried to live India within themselves.
"Can we make an effort as a student to learn, understand and try to live as per the traditions, culture, beliefs of different states? There will be a value addition in tourism only when we travel not only as a visitor but also like a student and make efforts to assimilate, understand and adapt."
Modi also asked people to send him their choices of top seven tourism destinations in their states and said these will be scrutinised to make a list which will be popularised. He also urged people to share information about what they see as the best tourism destinations in the country, saying they can act as a major catalyst in promoting tourism by sharing experiences, photographs with the the hashtag 'Incredible India' and also writing good travelogues.
He said unity in diversity is not a mere slogan but "a storehouse of enormous energy" and dream of "Ek Bharat - Shreshtha Bharat" was inherent in this.
The Prime Minister urged people to take forward the Khadi movement, saying it was a means to help the poor. "We should follow the spirit of helping the poor to be able to light a Diwali lamp," he said.
He congratulated B18-year-old Bilal Dar, who has been working towards cleanliness for the past about five years, and removes plastic, polythene, used bottles and other kinds of waste from Wular Lake. Modi praised Srinagar Municipal Corporation for appointing him its brand ambassador.
He lauded Lt. Nidhi Dubey and Lt. Swati Mahadik, who earlier this month joined Indian Army as officers, after their husbands died while on duty, describing them as two "extraordinary brave" women officers who evoked a new inspiration among millions of countrymen.
Terming 'Mann ki Baat' "a journey of our countrymen, their emotions and their feelings," he saidthat he had kept his radio programme away from political hues.
Modi said he also experienced through "Mann ki Baat" that even a tiny incident can launch a massive campaign.
"The nation is always ready to move in the right direction. Every citizen of the country wants to do something for the benefit of others, for social good, for the country's progress. This is the most valuable capital and enormous strength for any country," he said.
Referring to cleanliness campaign, Modi said it is moving from "Sankalp" (resolve) to "Siddhi" (attainment) and said everyone has got connected. He said now people resist if someone litters in public place.
Digital Dealer 23
Another great conference has been put into the books for this years Digital Dealer 23 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hundreds of dealers and vendors all arrived at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino to both learn and share the latest trends, strategies, and innovations in the automotive industry. iFrog Digital Marketing and Preston Automotive Group were among the few to be able to speak during the three-day conference.
Dave Wilson of both Preston and iFrog spoke during the Keynote Panel of Tuesday, September 19th. This panel captivated an audience to discuss expectations and relationships between both dealership and vendor. Hosted by Frank Lopes, topics were discussed of how most vendor and dealership relationships existed. Considered as Its Complicated Dave, along two other vendor and dealer panelist, showed the way to cultivating the best relationship between the two parties. Viewers were able to take away from the session on how to work together and boast a beneficial partnership between two companies.
Before the Keynote Panel, Digital Dealer 23, Adesa and TradeRev auctioned off a 2018 Harley Davidson Iron 833. Benefiting an amazing cause, the Make-A-Wish Foundation Southern Nevada, David Wilson Jr. of Preston Automotive Group stepped up to win the auction for the motorcycle. Helping local communities and charities has long been the foundation to their company and family culture. I am happy to have had the opportunity to help out a great local cause for the Make-A-Wish Foundation Southern Nevada. says David.
The following day, Brent Durham of iFrog Digital Marketing and David Wilson Jr. spoke early in the morning on the topic, Breaking into the Top 100 Dealer List. As a dealership anomaly, Preston Ford sits in a town of 800 people but continues to finish in the Top 100 Ford Dealers in the Nation year after year. Selling 500+ new Ford units in the month of December, the Top 100 Sales Drive is among one of the most recognized dealership sales events in the United States. Together, both Brent and David shared the secrets of success with an audience of dealer principals, general managers and internet directors.
iFrog Digital Marketing and Preston Automotive Group would like to thank Digital Dealer for having the opportunity to speak at the digital automotive conference. For any questions or if you would like to reach out to iFrog Digital Marketing please contact Dave Wilson or John Skalstad. For a copy of the Breaking into the Top 100 Dealers List presentation please email brent(at)ifrog(dot)com.
Dave Wilson
CEO
iFrog Digital Marketing
Dave(at)iFrog(dot)com
410.829.7171
John Skalstad
National Sales Director
iFrog Digital Marketing
John(at)iFrog(dot)com
443.618.0288
About iFrog Digital Marketing:
iFrog Digital Marketing is an automotive exclusive digital advertising marketing agency that has been founded upon the Preston Automotive Group. They specialize in implementing strategies and tactics for automotive dealership to expand the reach online and capture more sales and better brand presence. Among their services and capabilities are Digital Marketing Strategies & Consulting, Social Media Marketing, SEO, Paid Search, Display Advertising, Online Video Advertising, Graphic Design, Mobile Advertising, Reputation Management and Lead Management. For more information visit http://www.iFrog.com
About Preston Automotive Group
Preston Automotive Group serves the Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania areas with Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Genesis, Hyundai, Jeep, Lincoln, Mazda, Nissan, and Ram Truck brands. The auto group carries the largest selection of new and used cars and trucks. Additionally, the dealership services all makes and models, both imported and domestic cars with ASE certified and factory trained technicians. To further serve your automotive needs the Preston Automotive Group is also home to three auto body shops conveniently located around Delmarva in Preston, Cambridge, and Snow Hill, Maryland. For more information visit http://www.prestonmotor.com
Cinamaker founder and CEO Benjamin Nowak has traveled to Beijing for this years Real-Time Web Solutions Conference (RTC). At the conference, Nowak lectured on the subject of Next-Generation Micro Channel Video Production. More importantly, perhaps, Nowak announced Cinamakers partnership with Agora.io, a leader in global real-time cloud-based communication headquartered in China.
The Agora Cinamaker Studio is the mobile creators studio. Using just a tablet and up to six synchronized smartphones or other cameras, the Agora Cinamaker Studio allows creators to livestream and record multi-angle videos with real-time switching, a newsroom style graphics engine, and audio-mixing along with many other features. Cinamaker has one U.S. patent and its early proof-of-concept app won an award at the SXSW ReleaseIt competition in 2016. The company has already licensed its mobile based platform to Panasonics broadcast camera division.
Today, Agora.io and Cinamaker have officially begun their partnership. The crowd at RTC was the first to hear Nowaks announcement of the collaboration as well as the first to see a live demonstration of the new Agora Cinamaker Studio. The initial integrated product features include: the ability to sync up to six local or remote cameras including both Cinamaker capture assistants and Agora remote capture assistants; Simultaneous streaming to Agora.io plus additional RTMP destinations; Switching, audio mixing, and graphics engine; And the ability to receive an audience stream simultaneously with the camera stream preview on any Agora assistant devices.
With this mobile, app-based production studio, creators can expect professional studio production capabilities and advanced production workflows that enable faster content creation with a greater potential for creator and audience interaction.
Cinamakers SVP and head of Corporate Development, Gary Baker, commented "We are excited to be working with Agora.io to blend Cinamaker's native-mobile video tools into Agora's platform, which is destined to enhance their user's video production, distribution and best of all audience engagement. We are thrilled to be partnering with Tony Wang and the Agora.io team and one of the world's largest real-time video platforms."
More about Cinamaker
Cinamaker is the only mobile-native, professional-grade solution for multi-camera HD live streaming and recording, offering the lowest cost of entry and the easiest setup and operation of any comparable solution. By integrating tablet computers, smartphones, and cameras over a wireless network, Cinamaker enables super-fast video production workflows from shooting to sharing, and will be made even faster with Agora.io as its primary vendor for global, real-time communications.
Cinamaker believes in creating powerful, professional tools for video production and making them accessible and affordable for everyone. Read more at http://www.cinamaker.net.
Media inquiries can be directed to kate(at)cinamaker.com or 415.484.3361.
By Chayyanika Nigam: A kiosk monitored by police officers to allay parental concerns over the safety of their kids on school campuses will be set up by the Delhi police soon. Orders have also been issued to all Station House Officers (SHOs) to attend parent-teacher meetings in their respective jurisdictions, a senior police official told Mail Today.
"Both male and female police officers will be present to respond to queries on safety and security from parents and students and discuss steps on how to improve it," said the officer. Meanwhile, Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik has asked district police chiefs to ensure that schools in their areas have adequate security measures in place. The Delhi Police has also promised 'regular' meeting between school administration and police authorities to discuss the security of children. A set of guidelines will be issued to schools across the Capital in this regard soon, said Dependra Pathak, chief spokesperson, Delhi police.
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Pathak said that schools have been asked to increase the number of CCTVs installed in their premises. "Keeping in mind the security of children, schools will be asked to increase the number of security guards," he said.
Another senior official said that directions will be issued to ensure that police verification is done for school drivers, cleaners and other staff . The movement of school staff will be monitored as well. "Schools will be advised to hire staff from authorised agencies," said Pathak. Police officials in Noida and Gurugram have also announced regular security audits.
The audits would find out if the children are left unattended at any particular time on campus and monitor areas where staff and children have access to, said a senior police official. "Children spend a large part of their day in schools. Their safety during this time is exceedingly important," said a senior official with Haryana police. "For every case reported, there are several others that go unreported. A lot of accidents can be prevented by taking a little extra care," said the officer. Police in Gurugram have issued a 41-page 'safety guidelines for schools' in the region.
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The NLR Score and Mesothelioma Prognosis The elevated NLR score could be a potential prognostication factor for malignant pleural mesothelioma patients...
A new meta-analysis conducted by researchers at Chinas Sichuan University suggests that NLR, a measure of subclinical inflammation, could be a useful prognostic indicator for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Surviving Mesothelioma has the full story. Click here to read it now.
In an analysis including more than 1500 mesothelioma patients in 11 studies, researchers found that having a higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was consistently linked to worse odds of survival.
These findings indicate the elevated NLR score could be a potential prognostication factor for malignant pleural mesothelioma patients and might be associated with histology as an efficient clinical index to stratify patients, writes lead researcher Nan Chin of the West China School of Medicine.
NLR is already used to categorize patients with heart failure and certain types of cancer. Several other studies have also suggested its value as a mesothelioma prognostic tool.
Prognosis is difficult with pleural mesothelioma, where some patients respond to standard therapies, but most do not, says Alex Strauss, Managing Editor for Surviving Mesothelioma. Having a reliable but simple test that can be performed with just a blood draw could go a long way toward helping mesothelioma patients and their doctors make better decisions about their care.
All of the details of the new NLR study, including a more in-depth explanation of neutrophils and lymphocytes, can be found in Inflammation Marker May Predict Mesothelioma Prognosis, now available on the Surviving Mesothelioma website.
Chin, N, et al, Prognostic Significance of Neutrophils to Lymphocytes Ratio in Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: A Meta-Analysis, February 2017, Oncotarget, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314251751
For more than a decade, Surviving Mesothelioma has brought readers the most important and ground-breaking news on the causes, diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. All Surviving Mesothelioma news is gathered and reported directly from the peer-reviewed medical literature. Written for patients and their loved ones, Surviving Mesothelioma news helps families make more informed decisions.
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Three terrorists, including the one who was killed, were planning to strike an army base in a similar manner, Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid told India Today. They were spotted just in time, he said.
By Ashraf Wani: Security forces have killed a terrorist in an ongoing encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri, where a deadly attack on an army base last year led to India's cross-border surgical strikes.
In fact, three terrorists, including the one who was killed, were planning to strike an army base in a similar manner, Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid told India Today. They were spotted just in time, he said.
Latest #Visuals from Uri where an encounter between security forces and terrorists is underway. (Visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/PpyCT455UF- ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2017
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The top cop revealed that troops were on high alert after being tipped off about a plot to attack army bases, and called the operation a major success for security forces
The other two terrorists "will also be eliminated," Vaid promised.
As many as 19 soldiers were martyred after a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) fidayeen group attacked the administrative station of the Indian Army's 12 Brigade on September 18 last year.
VIDEO: Sushma Swaraj, India's external affairs minister, excoriated Pakistan for its covert support of terrorism in a hard-hitting speech at the UN General Assembly on Saturday.
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It became urgent for her to undergo a surgery after developing issues relating to her heart after conceiving a daughter.
Her condition lasted over ten years after delivering her child until about three months ago when she received a heart from the family of a man who got killed in a road accident.
Fidel, a 46-year-old artist was seen in a clip as she performed burial rites in favour of her old heart. She was seen trembling as she made to place the organ in a hole she dug in the ground.
The woman who spoke in an interview with Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper describe the moment when she buried the heart as one of great fear.
ALSO READ: German nurse suspected of killing at least 84 patients
Everything is authentic in the film, and I trembled when I put the heart into the ground. I believe that, additionally, the excitement and fear of attempting to really touch the organ and pick it up all those things caused the trembling. It was very scary.
Owusu Ali pleaded guilty to the charges pressed against him by the prosecution.
READ MORE: Court clerk suspended for dressing provocatively
His Honour Alexander Greyham sentenced Ali to 15 years imprisonment when he presided over the case at the Techiman Circuit Court on Friday.
According to the prosecutor, Ali was arrested on September 22 on the farm of the complainant.
After a search on the sack he was carrying was done, it was discovered that he had stolen 20 tubers of the yam from the farm of the complainant.
READ MORE: ITLOS maritime boundary case ruled in favour of Ghana
Attorney General Gloria Akufo and Adama Toungara, a special adviser to the Ivorian President, in the joint statement reiterated their mutual commitment to abide by the terms of the judgement.
Cote dIvoire and Ghana seize the opportunity to reiterate the mutual commitment of the two countries to abide by the terms of this decision from the Special Chamber, and to fully collaborate for its implementation. Cote dIvoire and Ghana accept the decision, in accordance with the Statute of ITLOS.
The two countries also affirmed their strong will to work together to strengthen and intensify their brotherly relationships of cooperation and good neighbourliness.
READ MORE: How the ITLOS ruled in favour of Ghana
Speaking on Accra-based Kasapa FM, Vivian Donkor, mother of the deceased, said they are not leaving the matter lying.
READ MORE: Achimota school student sentenced for murder
She said: How can our hurtful feelings be assuaged when someone who has killed our daughter is sentenced to only three years in a correctional home.
Were very angry over the jail term, the family is meeting soon to see what next step we can take. Were not leaving this matter lying down and were not ready to forgive the boy and his family.
Since day one, his mother never said the truth insisting that it was a knockout that hit and killed my daughter and not a gun.
Even when Lily was shot and was writhing in pain in a pool of blood, it took the boy and his family three hours before they took Lily to the hospital and even this was after her elder sister had called her [Lilys] phone several times which rang unanswered.
Is that how to treat someones daughter who has visited your home? Were convinced they deliberately killed.
A Juvenile Court in Accra sentenced the 18-year old third-year student of Achimota Senior High School who shot Asigbetse with his fathers single barrel gun to three years at the correctional home.
The deceased Lily Dzigbordi Asigbetse who lived at Cantonments had visited the accused person at Community eight (8) in Tema.
READ MORE: Family of Lily Asigbetse want AG to hurry on shooting case
On January 5, this year, the accused told the police that he intended to shoot into the air however the gravity of the gun changed course and hit the deceased.
The prosecution said one Madam Gifty Billy, a neighbour, heard the gunshot and went to the scene. But she only found the victim lying in a pool of blood.
The prosecution said Gifty rushed the victim to the Port Clinic in Tema.
A recent poll by the BBC World Service states that 88% of Nigerian and 85% of Kenyan are worried about the hazy line between the real and fake news flooding the internet. Hence, prompting their governments to consider regulating citizens' activities on the internet.
The survey, which involves 18 countries across the globe, further revealed that 79% of respondents expressed worries about what is authentic as regards information gotten from the online platform.
For Africa, Nigeria and Kenya have the highest level Internet penetration rate. Thus, making fake news or propaganda spread easily among the public.
However, only China and the United Kingdom have a relative moderate online environment, and it is as a result of high government regulation of online activities. More so, the majority of respondents in these countries expressed support for continuation of the government's online monitoring programs (67% for China and 53% for the United Kingdom).
On a global assessment, government regulations of citizens' online activities was rejected by the majority of the respondents (58%). As it is considered a means if curtailing people's right to freedom of speech and expression.
Pulling Internet traffic and achieving high bounce rate have been noted as some of the main drivers for a wide spread of fake news. These two indicators are used as key parameters in media buying by corporate organizations and media agencies.
This is one of the outcomes of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) meeting of OPEC and Non-OPEC Countries held in Vienna, Austria on Friday, September 22, 2017.
Nigerias Oil Minister, Dr Ibe Kachikwu while explaining the reasons for this decision stated that the countrys oil production is below the agreed cap.
The average is about 1.69 million bpd and it is getting better by the day. We have actually joined, but the reality is the cap we agreed on is 1.8 million bpd and as long as we are producing below that, we are already in it, Dr Ibe Kachikwu told reporters in Vienna.
Bombing of oil installations by Niger Delta militants in the early part of the year was identified main factor hampering oil production level in the country. As many oil companies declared 'force majure' to reduce operational costs and losses during the period.
A lot of it is infrastructure. A lot of damage happened during the years of militancy, he further stated.
Nigeria and Libya are two African countries exempted from the OPEC oil cut deal as a result of the crisis in their oil and gas sector. However, relative peace in oil-producing regions of these countries has led to increase oil output. Therefore, prompting the decision to review JMMC stands on Nigeria and Libya.
Today is Sunday, September 24, meaning the world is still going on, sorry Meade. Now that his prediction has proven wrong, the researcher has a new date for rapture.
According to Daily Mail, Meade says that we should still prepare for the end of the world which has just been delayed but will now happen in October.
Basically, what he is saying is that this Saturday is only the beginning of the end times. Thus, we should be looking out for deadly events, that will eventually lead to the end of the world as we know it.
Speaking to the Washington Post, he said, The world is not ending, but the world as we know it is ending. A major part of the world will not be the same from the beginning of October.
ALSO READ: Christian researchers are not deceiving anyone with their fake predictions
Yahoo 7 News reports that September is the sign month, that will get the ball rolling and trigger the apocalyptic events (a tribulation period) that will lead to the end of the world.
Meades prediction is based on the Bible and Planet X, also known as Planet 9 or Nibiru, which he says will pass the Earth on September 23rd in his book called Planet X The 2017 Arrival.
His theory was initially aided when a new planet was discovered by NASA in the solar system.
Still, NASA is dismissing Meades claims with an updated post titled: 'Beyond 2012: Why the World Didnt End.' It was originally posted in 2012.
It said: Various people are predicting that world will end Sept. 23 when another planet collides with Earth. The planet in question, Niburu, doesnt exist, so there will be no collision.
The story of Niburu has been around for years (as has the days of darkness tale) and is periodically recycled into new apocalyptic fables.
News flash: the world didnt end on Dec. 21, 2012. Youve probably already figured that out for yourself.
Despite reports of an ancient Maya prophecy, a mysterious planet on a collision course with Earth, or a reverse in Earths rotation, were still here.
Meanwhile, Christian pastors and theologists have spoken out against Meades prediction with most criticising it.
His funeral will kick off on Wednesday, October 4, 2017, with a Christian wake at his father's compound in Ezekwuabor Otolo, Nnewi.
On Thursday, October 5, 2017, his body will leave the Akwudo Mortuary to his father's compound, before a mass by Holy Family Parish, Otolo Nnewi.
A comic actor before his death, Okwy Chukwujekwu was also known as Main Bossman. He reportedly passed away in Anambra State, following an asthma attack.
His death was confirmed by fellow actor Odira Nwobu on September 4, 2017, with a video of his dead body.
The National Chief Whip of Actors Guild of Nigeria, Empress Ikwumonu, had expressed the body's regret at Okwy's passing.
Yes, he is dead. At the moment, we dont really know the real cause of his death, though some are saying it was an asthma attack. However, his death is a big loss to the movie industry," she said.
He was very creative and talented. We pray God to give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. We will keep the general public posted on the burial date.
Chukwujekwu's movies include "Men of Wisdom," "Ogbo Na Ncha," "Papa Do Something," "Ibu's Burial" among others.
His arrest was aided by a secret information offered to the law enforcement agents. The Daily Post News reported that the suspect had engaged in the act twice so far.
Babalola Adewole, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Niger State Police Command confirmed the authenticity of the report.
He stated that Idi who is from the Bosso Local Government Area of the state will be charged to court as soon as investigations are completed.
The PRO also reaffirmed the police commitment to fighting crime in Niger state. The suspect would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations," he said.
Meanwhile, we will not relent in the fight against crime in the state until perpetrators are brought to book. We are determined to make Niger State crime-free.
ALSO READ: Married father of 6 caught having sex with goat
Just like homosexuality, sexual intercourse with animals has been another trend of immorality facing Nigeria.
African countries frown against such behaviour and have set up structures to ensure that they have no place in the society though no much is being done about corruption.
By PTI: Washington, Sep 24 (PTI) Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said he will sell a large number of his companys shares that could raise upto USD 12 billion that he intends to use to fund philanthropic efforts in health and education.
Zuckerberg said he plans to sell 35 million to 75 million shares - worth up to USD 12 billion at current prices - over the next 18 months for philanthropy.
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He said because Facebook is now so valuable, he can sell a smaller allotment of his stake in the company to contribute capital to his charity initiatives to help eradicate diseases and provide education to all children.
"Over the past year-and-a-half, Facebooks business has performed well and the value of our stock has grown to the point that I can fully fund our philanthropy and retain voting control of Facebook for 20 years or more," Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post. PTI KUN
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But earlier this week, the Daily Star, an Australian tabloid, published a "dire warning" that sex with a robot could quickly turn deadly, if hackers are able to assume control of the robot's body and use it to murder its unsuspecting owner.
The Star's claims were supported by an interview with Dr. Nick Patterson, an Australian cybersecurity researcher at Deakin University in Victoria, who explained how digital control of a robot could result in physical harm to its owner, if a hacker was malicious enough.
"Sex robot ARMIES: Fears hackers could create killer cyborgs and turn technology on punters," the Star's headline reads. "ULTRA-REALISTIC sex robots could be used by warped hackers to attack humans, according to a chilling warning."
The gist of the story, essentially, was that a hacker with full access to a human-sized, human-weight device could give it commands to physically harm whoever is, uh, *interacting* with it. Many sex robots have moveable parts, but because they're mostly designed to be soft and flexible, they're probably not going to be a hacker's first choice to go full terminator.
There are a lot of issues with sex robots, which Men's Health previously explored when we discussed the ethical implications of the sex robot debate. But the thing is, Patterson didn't say anything about sex robots being dangerous at all. In fact, Patterson's quotes to the Star, which subsequently spread like wildfire through Australian, British, and then U.S. tabloids like the New York Post, don't even appear to discuss sex robots specifically at all, something that Patterson explicitly confirmed to Men's Health.
"I led the interview in terms of all kinds of robots, industrial, consumer etc. The media ran with the click bait," Patterson told Men's Health in an email. What he actually told the Star was that hackers can hack into a robot or a robotic device and have full control of the connections, arms, legs and other attached tools like in some cases knives or welding devices. Often these robots can be upwards of 200 pounds, and very strong. Once a robot is hacked, the hacker has full control and can issue instructions to the robot."
While sexbots are often heavy, they're rarely over 200 pounds heavy that would make them pretty damn impractical to pick up, maneuver, and position. RealDoll, one of the most popular brands, advertises dolls and robots that weigh around 75 pounds (that link is NSFW, if shopping for sex toys during office hours is frowned upon at your workplace). Clearly, Patterson was referring to industrial robots or other machines, not necessarily sex robots.
While, sure, sex robot hacking will probably become a concern at some point in the future, if a cybercriminal wants to inflict real harm, a glorified Fleshlight probably isn't where they'll start. In 2015, a team of car-hackers proved they could remotely kill a Jeep with a digital command, and as more and more cars add wireless and LTE connectivity, companies and government investigators are starting to pay more attention.
The motivation: Better performance at work
Study says: People who took part in a weight-loss program were able to work more hours than they could previouslylikely because their weight loss improved their health, so they didn't take as many sick days.
Will it work for me? It has promise. "When you're healthier, you can handle stress better and your confidence is boosted, which can help at the office."
The motivation: Cold hard cash
Study says: Out of two study groups that hit their weight loss goals, the group that was eligible for extra cash rewards lost twice as much weight in eight months.
Will it work for me?"Once the money stops, you'd need a new motivation." One option: Many employers offer wellness programs that give workers breaks on insurance premiums for participating.
IPOB said but for the intervention of the upper chamber, the Nigerian Army would have commenced the mass execution of IPOB members.
A statement by the group's spokesman, Emma Powerful, said: "mass execution of members of IPOB would have commenced under the cover of Operation Python Dance II, if not for the quick intervention of the Senate President and his colleagues from the South-East."
IPOB assured that it will co-operate with any commission of inquiry or panel set up by the Senate to ascertain what truly transpired before, during and after the Operation Python Dance II.
The statement reads; "That South-East lawmakers refused to be cowed into submission to tag IPOB under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, a terrorist and unlawful organisation should be applauded by all lovers of freedom around the world. It represents the triumph of freedom of speech and association over tyranny, brute force and dictatorial tendencies.
"Having demonstrated this rare courage in the face of overwhelming tyranny and oppression, we, the IPOB members would gladly welcome any fact finding mission the lawmakers may consider necessary under the circumstance.
"Without prejudicing the outcome of this or any other Senate inquiry, we see this as a welcome opportunity to demonstrate to all and sundry that IPOB was never, can never and will never bear arms against anybody or state. This is a golden opportunity for Nigerian lawmakers to ascertain the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
"We strongly urge the National Assembly to investigate the activities of IPOB thoroughly because we have nothing to fear. They should also look into the recent killings of unarmed civilian populations in Afaraukwu Umuahia and Aba in the on-going military occupation of Biafraland.
"We are also calling on the United Nation UN, European Union EU, African Union AU, ECOWAS, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, USA, Israel, Russia, Britain, Germany, France, and other relevant human rights to probe IPOB and thoroughly investigate the on-going killings of unarmed and innocent civilians."
Meanwhile, IPOB had in an earlier statement said that the Radio Biafra which is said to be based outside the country neither belongs to MASSOB nor its leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike.
ALSO READ: France is angry with Nigeria over IPOB sponsorship accusation
The group in the statement explained that though MASSOB assisted in funding the radio station, the arrangement only lasted from April to July 2009.
Since the turn of the year, personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have intercepted four batches of cache of weapons illegally making their way across Nigeria.
Most of the interceptions have occurred at the Tin Can Island port in Apapa, Lagos.
In February 2017, Customs seized 661 pieces of pump-action rifles which reportedly arrived Nigerias shores from China. The guns were hidden within steel doors and other goods. The AK47 rifles were concealed in 49 boxes.
In June of 2017, Customs personnel seized a container with 440 arms and ammunition including pump action rifles and single-barreled devices. The cargo which was coming from Turkey, was disguised as Plaster Of Paris (POP).
In September 2017, Customs seized 1,100 firearms being smuggled in from Turkeyagain at the Tin-Can Island Port, Lagos.
The arms were concealed in a 20-foot container.
Undetected weapons
The Comptroller-General of Customs Hameed Ali announced that two persons had been arrested in connection with that cache seizure.
The two arrested persons were a Customs official and a Terminal Clerk--supporting claims that the smugglers work in cahoots with compromised officials in Nigeria.
Again, Customs has just announced the seizure of another cache of 470 rifles.
For purposes of a compilation, 661 weapons were intercepted in February, 440 in June and 1,570 in September alone. That brings the total number of weapons seized thus far this year in Nigeria to 2, 671.
Pundits say for each arms interception made public, there are at least six or more cache of arms making their way across Nigerias porous borders, undetected.
Now that Tin Can Island port has become a hot spot for arms smuggling, these criminals will move elsewhere and we must be on the alert, admitted Customs boss Ali who also agreed that stopping the influx is becoming a herculean task for his team.
Turkish connection
The light weapons and small arms proliferation in Nigeria has led some pundits to suggest that it has everything to do with the unrest in the Southeast by the since proscribed Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) and the forthcoming Anambra governorship election in November.
The name Turkey has cropped up in recent times as law enforcement attempt to get a handle on the arms proliferation saga.
On September 17, 2017, Turkey had to deny Abdulkadir Erkahramanone of its nationals who has openly identified with IPOB and its activities and who is close friends with IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu.
ALSO READ: All the times illicit weapons were seized this year
Turkey said Erkahraman is neither a diplomat nor a civil servant or an official representative of the Government of Turkey like he claims.
In unofficial circles, Erkahraman has been described as "IPOB's arms supplier".
According to the Turkish embassy: "Turkey never supports secessionist activities against the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
However, Customs Comptroller Ali says there is an arms syndicate operating in Turkey that is behind the illegal cargoes and shipments of late.
Our findings have shown that this dastardly act is being committed by Nigerians and there are syndicates in Turkey that are manifesting this.
We are yet to get to the bottom of the whole thing. Are these arms meant for commercial purposes, or meant to be given to a group of insurgents or agitators and kidnappers?
That aspect of the investigation is still ongoing, the DSS and other agencies will let us know what their findings are".
Buhari summons Turkish Ambassador
Customs boss Ali also said Nigeria's president is bringing up the arms issue in high level diplomatic talks between both countries.
In Ali's words: For us in the NCS, we have developed a profile and, like I promised you, we are going to escalate the issue beyond the borders of Nigeria.
Having identified the country of origin, we will not relent in making sure that we get to the bottom of why the offensive import is coming from one particular country.
Fortunately, we have made an inroad, we will have the first diplomatic meeting with the Turkish Ambassador basically on this issue of arms import.
Already, has discussed this issue at an international forum and the Ambassador has been mandated to sit with us and let us find the way forward.
Steps are being taken beyond the shores of Nigeria in order to establish what is happening. Why is it happening and how we can stop it?
We want to be ahead of these criminals, we are right inside the port to track and monitor containers right from the ship. We are getting more advanced and employing all the technology we have, Col Ali said.
The Turkish embassy in Nigeria wasnt immediately available for comments for this story.
Diplomatic row
The Turkey angle is the latest possible diplomatic row Nigeria will be immersing self into following heightened tension in the country's Southeast over the activities of IPOB.
It will be recalled that the Federal Government of Nigeria has called out its France and UK counterparts for covertly lending their territories to the 'heinous' operations of Kanu and IPOB.
A statement issued on Sunday, September 24, on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, said the trial of 1,670 of the detainees in Wawa Barracks will commence in October.
It was disclosed that a special prosecution arrangement that will handle the trial has already been put in place.
The statement said that after exhausting the cases in Kainji, the cases of 651 suspects currently detained at Maiduguri prison, would be taken up by the special arrangement.
It said 220 other suspects detained in the Kainji detention facility would be released due to lack of evidence for any successful prosecution.
The soon-to-be-released suspects would, however, be subjected to "de-radicalization programme."
The AGF's spokesman, Mr. Salihu Isah, who signed the statement, said the 220 persons were "Boko Haram suspects who were hitherto investigated by the Joint Investigation Team set up by the Defence Headquarters otherwise known as DHQ/JIT and case files transmitted to the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and after a careful review of the cases based on their individual merit, it was discovered that they have no prima facie cases that will sustain a charge against them in any court of law hence were recommended for release and handed over to the Office of the National Security Adviser for rehabilitation and/or de-radicalisation."
ALSO READ: Many oil workers reported dead in Boko Haram ambush
Troops were said to have carried out some raids in Imo, Anambra and Abia States, where the arrests were made.
Recovered during the raids were locally made pistols and five Dane guns.
According to Punch, the army arrested 17 suspects in Obinze community in Imo while seven were arrested in the Ukukwa North Local Government Area of Anambra.
It was gathered that 10 suspected cult members were also arrested during two operations on Awara and Assa communities in the Ohaji-Egbema LGA of Imo.
The army said that another group of three kidnap suspects identified as Arinze Ugiri, 39, Okezie Nwobolo, 30, and Michael Sunday, 24 were arrested from a hideout in Abia State.
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The suspects were reportedly handed over to the police after the initial questioning.
Buhari and Osinbajo had said that the country's unity is settled and not negotiable but Tinubu said there is still room for dialogue on the kind of country we want and that restructuring will bring the much-needed balance to the country.
Tinubu stated this on Saturday, September 23, while speaking at the annual dinner of the King's College Old Boys' Association.
He said Nigeria has not sufficiently defined its governance.
"We are like the bewildered couple who has got their marriage license after a lavish wedding; yet neither of them really understands the meaning of marriage or their roles as husband and wife in it," the former governor of Lagos State said.
"Legally, they are married but functionally, their union is a crippled one. This couple will be at loggerheads until somehow they forge an agreement on what type of home they want and what are their respective duties in making that home come into existence.
"It is a rather curious lapse that a nation with such diversity as ours has not taken the time to give our legal marriage its proper functional underpinning. In other words, we all lined up to call ourselves Nigerians without gathering to discuss what it meant.
"We may be defined by political borders and boundaries but we have not glued ourselves to collective purpose and vision. Too many of us are born in Nigeria but not of it. Thus, our society is not a collective enterprise as important to each of us as our own personal endeavour. It is a platform, an arena, to claim whatever one can by whatever means available.
"Thus, we argue over matters that long ago should have been settled. The longer such fundamental questions fester, the more extreme become the proposed answers. Thus, we have people clamouring for secession in one part of the country and the murmur of such a course grows stronger in other sections."
The APC leader noted that blame and recrimination has replaced statesmanship, which he said would further make progress more difficult.
Tinubu added: "Constitutionally, we are a federation of 36 states. However, the vestiges of past military rule continue to haunt the democratic road we hew. We function like a unitary state in many ways. We cannot become a better Nigeria with an undue concentration of power at the federal level. Competition for federal office will be too intense, akin to a winner-take-all duel.
"Those who lose will bristle at the lack of power in the periphery they occupy. They will scheme to pester and undermine the strong executive because that is where they want to be. The executive will become so engaged in deflecting their antics, that it will not devote its great powers to the issues of progressive governance for which such powers were bestowed.
"Things will be in a constant state of disequilibrium and irritation. Such a situation tends toward the maintenance of an unsatisfactory status quo in the political economy. It is against reform.
"It would be better to restructure things to attain the correct balance between our collective purpose on (the) one hand and our separate grass-roots realities on the other. We must listen to what is being said so that we can determine what is really meant."
The APC leader, however, opposed the idea of Nigeria splitting, saying those clamouring for it are looking out for their personal interests.
He said, "Let us be frank. Many who cry separation do so because their personal ambitions will be better served by such a thing. They believe they will have greater chance at political power under a different arrangement. Yet the cry for separation has gained traction among average people. This is due to the chronic failure of government to meet basic aspirations.
"If over the years, government had delivered on the promise of growth, prosperity, and justice, those calling for such extreme remedies would be but a small fringe of little consequence.
"Our task is not to condemn but to listen and understand. I care not at all for this proposed solution. But I dare not discount the concerns and problems that have led many people into advocating such a thing.
"Here, I want to plainly state my position. I am a firm believer in Nigeria. I believe this land will become a great nation and a leader among other African nations. We can resolve our dysfunctions in a manner that will make this nation rise as a standard of decency, justice and prosperity for all Nigerians."
On September 20, 2017, a High Court in Abuja granted the Federal Government of Nigeria its request to have IPOB proscribed.
This followed renewed violent agitations for the realisation of an independent Biafra nation by IPOB and its leader Nnamdi Kanu.
The agitations led to skirmishes and bloody clashes between the Nigeria Army and pro-Biafra agitators in Abia, Southeast Nigeria.
As tension heightened around the country's South-East and South-South regions on the back of the army's 'Operation Python Dance II' and clashes between law enforcement and IPOB members, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) and South-East Governors immediately declared the activities of IPOB illegal and banned.
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Their proclamations were backed with the force of law a couple of days later when Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, obtained an ex parte court injunction formally proscribing IPOB a terrorist outfit.
However, the United States says it doesn't yet see the separatist group in that light.
A spokesperson for the American Embassy in Nigeria, Russell Brooks, told local newspaper, The Punch, that IPOB isn't yet proscribed within its borders.
The United States Government is strongly committed to Nigerias unity. Important political and economic issues affecting the Nigerian people, such as the allocation of resources, are worthwhile topics for respectful debate in a democracy.
Within the context of unity, we encourage all Nigerians to support a de-escalation of tensions and peaceful resolution of grievances. The Indigenous People of Biafra is not a terrorist organisation under US law, Brooks said.
According to Punch, the US embassy also declined to comment on whether the Federal Government of Nigeria had requested that the US treat IPOB as a terrorist organisation and help block IPOB financing from the United States.
Brooks also maintained sealed lips when quizzed concerning what the US position was on IPOB and its activities.
Asim Omer, who was studying at Khartoum University, was arrested in December last year and charged with killing the policeman after hundreds of students clashed with security forces at the campus on the banks of the Blue Nile in April 2016.
Last month the court found Omer guilty, and on Sunday sentenced him to be hanged.
"The judge sentenced Asim Omer to be hanged to death after finding him guilty of killing a policeman," defence lawyer Mohamed Arabi told AFP, adding he would appeal.
After the sentencing, crowds of students who had gathered outside the court began protesting and police fired teargas to disperse them, an AFP correspondent reported.
Students at Khartoum University several times last year demonstrated against what they said was a plan to sell off buildings belonging to the institution.
The government denied the charge, and police often resorted to firing teargas to disperse the protesters.
Demonstrations against local grievances occur frequently in Sudan but are often suppressed by police and state security agencies.
In late 2016, sporadic anti-government rallies were staged in Khartoum after the government raised fuel prices.
The demonstrations were swiftly broken up by security forces, and dozens of opposition leaders and activists were arrested.
The biggest crackdown on protesters was in September 2013, when dozens of demonstrators were killed during anti-austerity rallies.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Khartoum and in some other regions calling for the downfall of President Omar al-Bashir's regime, also after the authorities slashed fuel subsidies.
Rights group Amnesty International said at the time that about 200 people were killed, hundreds were wounded and more than 800 arrested.
The traditionally left-leaning Greens were seen winning around 9.5 percent and the Left Party some 9 percent.
By AP: Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc was on course Sunday for a lackluster victory in Germany's national election while the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany party was heading for a triumphant entry into parliament, projections suggested.
Merkel's main center-left rivals, the Social Democrats, were set to slump to a historic low after Sunday's vote. The party, led by challenger Martin Schulz, vowed immediately to leave Merkel's coalition government and go into opposition.
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The outcome puts Merkel on course to win a fourth term as chancellor - but leaves her with the very tricky task of forming a new government.
Projections for ARD and ZDF public television, based on exit polls and early counting, showed Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and their Bavaria-only allies, the Christian Social Union, winning around 33 percent of the vote - down from 41.5 percent four years ago.
Schulz's Social Democrats were seen trailing far behind, with 20-21 percent support. That would be the worst result since World War II for the party, which has served since 2013 as the junior partner in a "grand coalition" of Germany's biggest parties under Merkel.
Smaller parties were the chief beneficiaries of an erosion in support for the pair: above all the right-wing nationalist Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, which was polling up to 13.5 percent. It capitalized on discontent with established politicians but particularly targeted those angry over the influx of more than 1 million mostly Muslim migrants in the past two years.
Another big winner Sunday was the pro-business Free Democratic Party, which appeared set to return to parliament with 10.5 percent of the vote. The party was Merkel's coalition partner in her second term from 2009-2013 but lost all its seats at the last election.
The traditionally left-leaning Greens were seen winning around 9.5 percent and the Left Party some 9 percent.
The caucus leader of Merkel's Union bloc, Volker Kauder, said he "would have liked a better result" but voters had given the party the task of forming the next government.
The Social Democrats made clear that they don't want to be part of it.
"For us it is very clear that the voters have given us the task of going ahead as the strongest party in opposition," said Manuela Schwesig, a deputy party leader.
If the Social Democrats stick to that pledge, Merkel will effectively have only one option to form a new government: teaming up with the Free Democrats and the Greens in an alliance that has never yet been tried in a national German government.
That combination - known as a "Jamaica" coalition because the parties' colors match those of that country's flag - will have to overcome traditional distrust between both the Free Democrats and Greens and between parts of Merkel's conservative bloc and the Greens.
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The Left Party is incompatible with the conservatives and all others have voted not to work with AfD.
AfD co-leader Alexander Gauland vowed that "we will take our country back" and promised to "chase" Merkel.
"This is a big day in our party's history. We have entered the Bundestag and we will change this country," Gauland said.
Big cheers went up at AfD headquarters after the exit polls were announced. Some supporters chanted "AfD! AfD!" and others started singing the German national anthem.
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These are heady times for fans of the Apocalypse and those arming themselves for Armageddon. The continuing string of Atlantic hurricanes, wild forest fires in the West and deadly Mexican earthquakes is enough to get folks thinking about End Times.
Apocalyptic literature stretches all the way back to the Bibles Book of Daniel, in which that virtuous young man dreamed of the overthrow of Antiochus Epiphanes IV, the Seleucid monarch who persecuted the Jews; whose aggression touched off the Maccabean Revolt.
In his dream, Daniel laid out a detailed prophecy of the last days, how the enemy would march on Jerusalem and how this period of oppression would end in Gods triumph and a subsequent period of peace for the Jewish people.
This was a prophecy written after the event, but the Apocalyptic tradition taken up later by both Jews and Christians looks forward to a time yet to come. The fact it never quite arrived hasnt dampened peoples tendency to see in natural disasters a beginning of the End.
In our day, science also has gotten into disaster prediction. Excepting earthquakes, they have done a pretty good job, giving us ample warning of this years hurricanes and fire-inducing droughts. Unfortunately, they havent included much hope for a peaceful time after. Its just going to get worse.
The prospects for Armageddon are starting to increase as well, once again with no promise of peace and a regathering of Israel or any other country. Not since the 50s have we had to rethink the possibility of a nuclear holocaust.
Its not just that we have two unstable, pseudo-macho leaders with the authority to launch nuclear warheads. Its rather the realization we havent yet found a way to get the nuclear option off the table. Or, as a side note, the safe disposal of an ever-increasing accumulation of hazardous nuclear waste.
There are reckless people in the world who would like to blow everything up. Their motives range from simple anger to religious conviction. Some isolate themselves from the resultant suffering by imagining they will be raptured away before things get really ugly.
I rather suspect that, as Tim Lehrer suggested in an ironic song, we will all go together when we go. There will be no Edenic peace after a nuclear exchange. Hiroshima and Nagasaki have made a return after their obliteration but not to normal.
The weapons we have now are far more powerful, and sufficient in number, to irradiate the planet. The schoolyard taunts being exchanged by our president and North Koreas Kim Jong-un are typical of weak men pretending to be tough; we would like to dismiss this as cheap bravado. But unstable men are a danger, even when they are brandishing only handguns.
There is also a worrisome eagerness in some pious folks to exchange this world for the next, who happily accept destruction as a prelude to an imagined peace. Unfortunately, they will take with them those who arent ready to leave this one ahead of time.
There might be something consoling in putting our present natural problems and the unsettling possibility of future man-made disaster into a spiritual context. Ascribing it all to the will of God rather than human carelessness and ineptitude is an excuse; a lame one, at that.
We are stewards of the earth. We are our brothers -- and sisters -- keepers. We are more than the planets top predators -- and of the entire food chain, come to that. We are, at once, the product and the drivers of evolution. There can be no Apocalypse or Armageddon that is not of our making.
As Edward O. Wilson writes in his masterful work, "The Social Conquest of the World," Humanity today is like a walking dreamer, caught between the fantasies of sleep and the chaos of the real world. We have created a Star Wars civilization, with Stone Age emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology. We thrash about. We are terribly confused by the mere fact of our existence and a danger to ourselves and to the rest of life.
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Western media and analytical commentary on Zapad 2017 has focused on the numbers of Russian military personnel participating in the joint Belarus-Russia strategic exercise, speculating about whether Moscow was using the event as cover to launch a real attack against neighboring states, or promoting the notion that Moscow will leave some of the deployed forces in Belarus after its conclusion. However, there has been little attention to how the early phase of the exercise reveals key features in Russian military thinking. Compared with Zapad 2013, the exercise featured wider participation by Russian security agencies, but differed little in substance. In short, the scenarios and execution of Zapad 2017 are quite consistent with the central themes of past Zapad exercises. And this years Zapad war game has concluded peacefully (Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, September 15).
Zapad 2017 commenced on September 14, and its two active phases brought the exercise to its conclusion on September 20. Other than some media interest in an accidental helicopter strike on civilian vehicles situated close to observers, none of the Western hype appears to have been justified. Predictably, Zapad 2017 passed without Moscow initiating a military assault upon its neighbors. The exercise was certainly impressive in terms of its geographical coverage, logistics, and the sheer scale of activity among Russian forces; this extended well beyond the Western Military District (MD) to cover activities and tactical rehearsals of combat or related operations in all the other MDs. A number of parallel exercises were no doubt built into the exercise in order to offer the General Staff greater insight into Russias defense capabilities. While, the Russian Ground Forces and special forces units played a central role in the exercise, Zapad encapsulated the various branches and arms of service, providing opportunity to test a variety of improvements and lessons drawn from Russias recent experience of conflict. This involved six training ranges in Belarus and three ranges in Russia, with much of the activity centered on Luga (Voyenno Promyshlennyy Kuryer, September 19).
Despite the claims by Russias defense ministry that Zapad 2017 focused on a scenario featuring terrorist incursions into Belarus, much of the Russian military media identified that in the first active, defense-linked phase, the rehearsal involved countering a conventional force. It has long been known that the Zapad series of exercises rehearses the defense of the Belarus-Russia Union State against an intervention by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Zapad 2017, according to the reporting of the first phase, was no different. Russian military theorists and senior General Staff officers have studied the evolution of military interventions by the United States as well as NATO and concluded that high value is placed on the initial period of war; at that point, Western forces use mainly air power to attempt to shape the battlespace. This conclusionwhich also plays into the long-standing Soviet/Russian fear of a surprise attack, drawing on the events of June 1941, with reference to the NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999drives the investment into and military planning based on air-defense and conventional precision-strike systems. Beyond the observations that Zapad 2017 was a rehearsal for large-scale war, there are deeper lessons to be identified: from how Russian forces conducted the early stages of Zapad 2017, to how some of those themes carried through the entire exercise (Mil.by, accessed September 20).
Reported use of strategic down to tactical air defense, combined with the employment of additional assets, in the very early stage of Zapad 2017 confirms that the Russian military rehearsed a conventional response to a massive aerial attack. During the first phase, joint military forces worked on raising combat readiness among the deployed force groupings, moving troops, deploying command-and-control assets, as well as organizing interactions among these forces and affording force protection. Reportedly, aviation and air-defense units from the 6th Army Air Force and Air Defense in the Western MD conducted various tactical episodes aimed at repelling massive air strikes by a conventional opponent. Pilots also worked on striking ground targets and providing escorts for bombers. Operational-tactical and other tactical missiles were used during this process. The Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno Kosmicheskikh SilVKS) conducted sorties mainly using Su-27, Su-35, Su-30SM and MiG-31 fighters to destroy enemy aircraft, while Su-34 bombers struck infrastructure, columns of armored vehicles, and enemy command-and-control nodes; an Su-24MR jet was used for reconnaissance to transmit the coordinates of ground targets (Krasnaya Zvezda, September 17).
Anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) methods were quickly put into place to construct a multilayer air-defense bubble, similar to the Russian A2/AD assets used in Syria. Russian air-defense systems were forward deployed from their bases in the Western MD, including S-300s, S-400s and Pantsir-S1s. The simulation that ensued targeted enemy cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and aircraft (TASS, September 16). In Kaliningrad, TASS reported similar activity among Russian naval assets. Corvettes in the Baltic Fleet were used to strike aerial, naval and coastal targets, implying an A2/AD mission. In this case, the air attack was simulated by Su-24 attack aircraft alongside Ka-27 anti-submarine-warfare helicopters (TASS, September 17).
In this phase of the exercise, a number of other Russian A2/AD components featured in addition to identifiable air-defense systems. Notable among these was the Iskander-M, a dual-capable (nuclear/conventional) tactical ballistic missile. Successful Iskander strikes were reported at training ranges, including a 480-kilometer strike against a target at a training range in Kazakhstan from units in the Central MD, as well as a variety of cruise missiles fired from air, land and sea. The Missile and Artillery Troops (Raketnyye Voyska i ArtilleriyaRV&A), a Branch of Arms in the Ground Forces, serving as the primary means of destroying enemy forces by conventional and nuclear fires, were in action throughout Zapad 2017, rather than solely at the end. The RV&A also used the older Tochka-U system, which is in the process of being fully replaced by the Iskander-M (TASS, RBC, September 18). Traditionally, the Iskanders appearance in Russian exercises is assumed to indicate the rehearsal for a tactical nuclear weapons strike. In Zapad 2017, the Iskander was mainly conventional in its support of A2/AD. Moreover, the Russian missile forces appear to have rehearsed the use of the cruise missile that can be mounted on the Iskander platform, greatly extending the systems strike range well beyond 500 km (Livejournal, September 20).
The emphasis on A2/AD during Zapad 2017 and the use of Russias conventional precision-strike systems throughout the exercise suggest more than simply preparation for larger-scale war. It seems rooted in rehearsing conflict-escalation dominance and deploying forces and assets during a crisis to ensure the avoidance of a regional conflict intensifying to a global war.
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Angela Merkel's conservative bloc is on track to remain the largest group in parliament, opinion polls indicated, but a fracturing of the political landscape may well make it harder for her to form a ruling coalition than previously.
German chancellor Angela Merkel is likely to become the chancellor for the fourth time. Photo: Reuters
By Reuters: Germans began voting in a national election on Sunday that is likely to see Chancellor Angela Merkel win a historic fourth term and a far-right party enter parliament for the first time in more than half a century.
Merkel's conservative bloc is on track to remain the largest group in parliament, opinion polls indicated, but a fracturing of the political landscape may well make it harder for her to form a ruling coalition than previously.
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With as many as a third of Germans undecided in the run-up to the election, Merkel and her main rival, centre-left challenger Martin Schulz of the Social Democrats (SPD), urged them on Saturday to get out and vote. "We want to boost your motivation so that we can still reach many, many people," the chancellor, 63, said in Berlin on Saturday before heading north to her constituency for a final round of campaigning.
In regional votes last year, Merkel's conservatives suffered setbacks to the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which profited from resentment at her 2015 decision to leave German borders open to over one million migrants. Those setbacks made Merkel, a pastor's daughter who grew up in Communist East Germany, wonder if she should even run for re-election.
But with the migrant issue under control this year, she has bounced back and thrown herself into a punishing campaign schedule, presenting herself as an anchor of stability in an uncertain world.
Visibly happier, Merkel campaigned with renewed conviction: a resolve to re-tool the economy for the digital age, to head off future migrant crises, and to defend a Western order shaken by Donald Trump's US election victory last November.
"GRAVEDIGGERS OF DEMOCRACY"
Both Merkel and Schulz worry that a low turnout could work in favour of smaller parties, especially the AfD, which is expected to enter the national parliament for the first time. On Friday, Schulz described the AfD as "gravediggers of democracy".
An INSA poll published by Bild newspaper on Saturday suggested that support was slipping for Merkel's conservatives, who dropped two percentage points to 34 per cent, and the SPD, down one point to 21 per cent--both now joined in an unwieldy "grand coalition". The anti-immigrant AfD rose two points to 13 per cent, putting it on course to be the third-largest party.
Should she win a fourth term, Merkel will join the late Helmut Kohl, her mentor who reunified Germany, and Konrad Adenauer, who led Germany's rebirth after World War Two, as the only post-war chancellors to win four national elections.
The AfD's expected entry into the national parliament is likely to herald an era of more robust debate in German politics--a departure from the steady, consensus-based approach that has marked the post-war period.
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Coalition building after the election will be an arduous process that could take months as all potential partners are unsure whether they really want to share power with Merkel. All major parties refuse to work with the AfD. Electoral arithmetic might push Merkel to renew her grand coalition with the SPD, or she might opt for a three-way alliance with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and environmentalist Greens.
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At an Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement held Aug. 16, the majority of attendees felt some sort of action should be taken to recognize the problematic nature of Athens' confederate monuments.
In a major goof-up, Pakistans Permanent Representative to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi on Sunday flashed a picture of an injured Gaza girl with no connection to India while alleging she was a victim of pellet guns in Kashmir.
Exercising her right to reply hours after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj blasted Pakistan for its support to terrorism, Lodhi, on the floor of the UN General Assembly, held up a photograph of a woman whose face was peppered with alleged pellet gun wounds.
This is the face of Indian democracy, Lodhi claimed.
The picture of 17-year-old Rawya abu Jomaa of Gaza, an alleged victim of an Israeli attack was actually taken by award-winning American photo journalist Heidi Levine in July, 2014.
The picture is available on multiple news websites.
Rawya abu Jomaa, 17, at the Shifa hospital in GazaCity. Rawya was wounded when two Israeli air strikes hit her familys apartment. Three of her cousins and her sister were killed in the strike, says the caption of the photo on the website of the UKs Guardian newspaper.
Quite evidently, the picture has no connection with Kashmir.
Lodhi, who is quite active on social media, including on Twitter, was silent after it emerged that she posed a fake picture during her right of reply at the UN General Assembly.
The Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN also did not immediately respond to a question on Lodhis apparent use of such a picture.
Watch the video HERE
Image: Maleeha Lodhi waving dramatic pictures of a girl with pellet injuries on her face during her response to Sushma Swaraj's speech at the UNGA. Photograph: Twitter
By Manjeet Sehgal: The police on Sunday arrested two staff members of Om Public School on charges of gang raping a student.
Police action comes after an anonymous letter, believed to have been written by the victim, was sent to Prime Minister, President of India, chief minister and district-level officers.
In the letter, the victim mentioned that two school staff members, school building inspector Sukhbir and accountant Karanveer had sexually exploited her in school and at various hotels. And, now the accused were compelling her to bring her friend to a hotel.
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The matter, according to the victim, was also brought to the notice of the class teacher and school principal, but they did not take any action against the accused employees.
"I wanted to commit suicide, but was supported by my friend. We also spoke to our class in-charge who assured that she will speak to the principal who had said that "this happens". I also decided to speak to the director, but it appeared useless. Then wrote to you Modi uncle as my life has been spoiled. But, I saved my friend. I could not tell this to my parents as I belong to a rural area. My brother would have killed me. I am to die but after these people are punished. I will commit suicide if no action is taken. School Director will be responsible for my suicide," the letter said.
The police on Sunday also questioned school managing director, principal and other staff. The CCTV camera footage is also being scanned. Gohana SDM Subhita Dhaka along with a team of women and Child Development Department also visited the school.
"We are investigating the case thoroughly. The accused are being questioned and a case has been registered. The victim has neither mentioned her name nor her class or any contacts in the letter. The school sexual harassment committee has not received any complaint. The investigation is on," DSP Gohana, Mukesh Jakhar said.
Meanwhile, the school management has refuted the allegations and said the allegations were being levelled to sully the image of the school."If the allegations are true, strict action will be taken against the accused employees. The school will render all sorts of help to the victim if she comes forward," says Nirmala Lathar, managing director, Om Public School.
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Two soldiers were on Sunday injured as Pakistan opened fire at forward posts along the Line of Control in Balakote sector of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir, the army said.
Troops guarding the border retaliated and the exchange of fire between the two sides lasted for nearly 30 minutes.
A defence spokesman said that Pakistani troops opened fire and shelled forward posts along the LoC in Bhimber Gali area of Balakote sector around 0300 hours, resulting in splinter injuries to two jawans.
Hundreds of border dwellers have been forced to flee their homes due to the Pakistani firing and shelling and take shelter at camps set up by the government.
Incidents of ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops have increased sharply this year.
Till August 1, there have been 285 such violations by the Pakistan army, while in 2016, the number was significantly less at 228 for the entire year, according to figures by the Indian Army.
United States bombers flew off the east coast of North Korea in a show of strength carried out to demonstrate American military prowess amid escalated tensions between the two countries due to Pyongyang's weapons programs.
"This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the President (Donald Trump) has many military options to defeat any threat," Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Dana W White said in a statement on Saturday.
The US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam, along with the force's F-15C Eagle fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan, flew in international airspace over the waters east of North Korea on Saturday, she said.
The flight came after days of increasingly bellicose rhetoric between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's regime, as international alarm mounts over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
"This is the farthest north of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) any US fighter or bomber aircraft have flown off North Korea's coast in the 21st century, underscoring the seriousness with which we take DPRK's reckless behaviour," White said.
She said that North Korea's weapons program is a grave threat to the Asia-Pacific region and the entire international community.
"We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies," the Pentagon official said.
Representative image
UP CM Yogi Adityanath has sought a report in the incident, as various political parties criticised the government and condemned the police action.
IMAGE: A bike in flames during clashes between the students and police at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, late Saturday night. Photograph: PTI Photo
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in lathi charge by the police in the Banaras Hindu University which witnessed violence on Saturday night, in an ugly turn to a protest against an alleged eve-teasing incident.
In the wake of the violence, the university has announced holidays from Monday till October 2, advancing it from September 28.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sought a report from the divisional commissioner about the incident as various political parties, including Samajwadi Party, criticised the government and condemned the police action.
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in the lathi charge by the police.
Some policemen were also injured in the clashes during which students indulged in arson, police sources said.
IMAGE: An injured student writhing in pain after police allegedly beat them up during a clash at Banaras Hindu University late Saturday night. Photograph: PTI Photo
Violence erupted after some students, protesting against the alleged eve-teasing incident of Thursday, wanted to meet the Vice Chancellor at his residence on Saturday night, according to police and university sources.
The security guards of the university stopped them and the police was informed, according to the university sources.
BHU spokesperson said some students wanted to forcibly enter the VCs residence but they were stopped by the security guards of the university.
Subsequently, there was stone pelting by outsiders who had joined the students.
Police used lathicharge to control the situation.
I have sought a report from the divisional commissioner, Varanasi, about the entire incident, Adityanath said in Lucknow.
IMAGE: Nearly 1500 policemen including PAC personnel have been deployed in and around the campus to maintain law and order in the campus. Photograph: PTI Photo
The lathi charge on journalists led to protests in Lucknow with some journalists staging a sit-in near the CMs residence. They later gave a memorandum to the District Magistrate demanding action against the guilty.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav condemned the lathi charge of the students in BHU.
The government should resolve the issue by talks, not by lathi charge. It is condemnable. Action should be taken against the guilty, Akhilesh tweeted.
On Saturday night, the BHU issued a statement, saying the dharna by the students just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit was politically motivated to malign the image of the university.
The university also said that security guards were regularly patrolling the campus and assistance from the police is sought from time-to-time to maintain peace in the campus.
Senior officials including District Magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra and Superintendent of Police (city) Dinesh Singh reached the campus along with a large posse of police.
Nearly 1500 policemen including PAC personnel have been deployed in and around the campus to maintain law and order in the campus.
The BHU students have been protesting near the universitys main gate since Thursday against the rising eve-teasing incidents on the campus.
The trigger was an incident in which a woman student of the Arts faculty alleged harassment by three men on a motorcycle inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel.
IMAGE: An injured policeman after clashes between the students and police at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, late Saturday night. Female students at the prestigious University were protesting against the administrations alleged victim-shaming after one of them reported an incident of molestation on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo
The three men abused her and fled when she resisted their attempts, according to the complainant.
Sharad Yadav criticises police action Senior Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav denounced the alleged police action against Banaras Hindu University students protesting the increasing incidents of eve-teasing on the campus, and said the issue will be raised in Parliament. It has never happened before at BHU. It is sheer violation of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the Constitution, Yadav said in a statement. We will raise the issue in Parliament... It is intolerable in a democracy and the government should apologise, he said, adding people will take to the streets to protest it.
The woman alleged that security guards, about 100 metres from where the incident happened, did nothing to stop the men.
She said her warden, instead of taking up the issue with her superiors, asked her why was she was returning late to the hostel.
The wardens response angered the students colleagues, who sat on a dharna at the main gate midnight Thursday. One of the students even got her head tonsured.
BHU students have alleged they have to face eve-teasers on the campus regularly and the varsity administration was not taking any action to stop the miscreants.
Police and BHU professors tried to pacify the students on Saturday, but they refused to end their protest and sought an assurance from the university vice chancellor.
A large number of police personnel have been deployed near the campus as a security precaution, said the police.
Raj Babbar, Punia detained on way to violence-hit BHU
Congress leaders Raj Babbar and P L Punia, along with scores of party activists, were detained on Sunday when they tried to visit Banaras Hindu University where students were lathi-charged by police following overnight violence.
In the wake of the violence, the district administration issued instructions for declaring holidays from Monday till October 2 in all colleges and universities in Varanasi.
Police also detained 16 students who refused to end their dharna against the police action.
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar and former parliamentarian Punia were stopped near Gilat Bazar by police when they were on their way to meet the protesting BHU students, a police officer said.
Police tried to stop the Congress leaders at Varanasis LalBahadurShastriAirport as soon as they landed, but they headed for the varsity along with scores of party workers.
Many Congress workers sat on a dharna on the road after the leaders were detained, blocking traffic movement.
Rahul takes dig at BJPs Beti Bachao Beti Padhao drive
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party for the lathi charge by police on girl students of the BenarasHinduUniversity, saying it was the saffron partys version of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.
Attaching a link to a video of the students who alleged that they were beaten up by male policemen at the campus, Gandhi tweeted, BJP version of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao in BHU.
By Utpal Kumar/Mail Today: Everything about Hillary Clinton signifies struggle and hard choices, the latter being the name, and rightly so, of her 2014 memoir. Maybe her very name, Hillary, which was considered a boy's name at the time of her birth, was an allusion of things to come: Of her constant endeavour to succeed in what has predominantly been the men's world! Hillary fought her way out and had, not surprisingly, many firsts to her credit - as First Lady of Arkansas and the United States, and then the first female senator from New York. She, in 2016, became the first woman to be nominated for presidency by a major political party and had almost become the nation's first woman President. Almost! Till the Joker of Salman Rushdie's novel, The Golden House, emerged out of nowhere and took the wind out of her campaign with his visceral and often unpredictable antiestablishment and anti-immigrant postures. Hillary had ticked all the right columns for her place in the White House. "I thought I'd be a damn good President," she tells in her latest book, What Happened. And yet she lost, and that too to an apparent clown who often arouses revulsion for his ideas and mannerisms. How could this happen? How could Hillary's grand edifice built so arduously collapse like a house of cards, especially in front of Donald Trump's otherwise incoherent ideology, if there was any? So, when Hillary decides to tell "what happened" during the 2016 presidential elections, it is all but natural for the readers to get curious. No wonder over 300,000 copies got sold in the very first week of its release. But is the book worth the hype and hoopla? Sadly, the answer is a big 'No'.
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What Happened is definitely a more engaging book than Hillary's 2014 memoirs, Hard Choices, but it fails to deliver its main objective: What happened during and after the fateful elections? Why did Hillary lose the battle which she was all set to win? Hillary, in the book, remains self-obsessed and self-righteous, to the extent of blaming everyone else for her defeat. "After the election, I thought a lot about this. Maybe it's because I'm a woman, and we're not used to women running for President.
Maybe it's because my style of leadership didn't fit the times. Maybe it's because I never explained myself as bluntly as this," she explains. And as we read the 470-odd pages, we are made to realise that Hillary failed because she was too good for Americans. She failed because others ensured she failed. Interestingly, even when she concedes her mistakes, she qualifies them by saying that her ideas weren't communicated well; that history was against her presidential bid, reminding the reader how it was "difficult for either party to hold on to the White House for more than eight years in a row"; that Putin's Russia bugged the American polls. Then, of course, there was the gender issue. "Sexism and misogyny are endemic in America," she thunders, further reminding how sexism, in particular, "can be so pervasive" in the US that "we stop seeing it".
Maybe, as David F Wallace once observed, the most obvious realities are "often the ones that are the hardest to see and talk about"! Sadly, Hillary herself seems to have fallen victim to the Wallace-ian syndrome: All through the book she glosses over, deliberately or otherwise, some of the most obvious realities that dented her prospect as President - that she was popularly seen as corrupt and politically compromised. But her biggest drawback was that she became synonymous with the ills associated with the American political system. She was the best - or perhaps the worst - manifestation of the 'establishment' in the US. Hillary faced Trump in the same wave of global anti-incumbency against the traditional political class that brought to the fore the likes of Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal in India, and Emmanuel Macron in France. COMING to the book, had it not been its agenda to tell us what happened during the elections, and instead inform us about the personal tidbits of Hillary and those around her, the book would have been less disappointing. For, it tells how Hillary finds time for yoga, that Bill is "a night owl" and Hillary "an early bird", and the books and movies she likes reading and watching. But on the election front, the book scores badly. Even while explaining the tension and expectations of the election night in her hotel room, all she mentions is the names of her "brothers and their families" around, how "someone sent out for whiskey", and "someone else found ice cream". Hillary was 10 years old when her ambition of becoming an astronaut was stranded - NASA said it wasn't "accepting women into the programme". Feisty as she was, Hillary turned the 'disability' into her advantage. Six decades later, she is again at a crossroads. Will she reinvent herself? Going by her frame of mind in the book, it seems difficult. But then Hillary has proved her detractors wrong many times. She may do so again.
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By PTI: Kolkata, Sep 24 (PTI) Nepal?s Rs 13,000 crore CG Corp Global, the maker of Wai Wai noodles, holds India as a key and serious market for it.
"India is a key and serious market for us," CG Corp Global Executive Director Varun Chaudhary told PTI in a interview during his brief visit to the city to unveil Wai Wai City - a noodle bar.
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Currently, the group is functioning in 30 countries.
The only billion dollar corporation of Nepal, the group has plans in real estate, infrastructure, hospitality and food park among others in India, Chaudhary said.
He, however, declined to specify the amount of investments in India.
Chaudhary said they were assessing and waiting for the right time.
He said they were very close to inaugurate the mega food park in Rajasthan.
"We are looking to inaugurate the Greentech Mega Food Park this year. This is a ?farm to fork? model. The park so far attracted Rs 200 crore and of which our group is investing Rs 100 crore in a new noodle plant," Chaudhary said.
Currently, there are 12 outlets in the country but, the same would be scaled up to 50 by December and subsequently more than 200 in the next two three years.
The group said they would expand in overseas markets like the Gulf, Canada, the USA, Germany, Indonesia and Singapore.
In India, Wai Wai noodles claims to have 27 per cent market share with a sales of Rs 600 crore. PTI BSM RG PR PR
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WATERBURY James C. Smith, chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of Webster Bank, following a distinguished career with Webster spanning more than four decades, will retire from Webster and transition to non-executive chairman.
John R. Ciulla, President, will become the companys CEO and a member of the holding companys Board of Directors. Ciulla will succeed Smith, who has served as Websters CEO since 1987, and will be the third CEO in Websters 82-year history. These changes, effective January 1, 2018, reflect the culmination of a multi-year leadership succession planning process.
It has been an honor to lead Webster and work with our community-minded, values-guided bankers as weve built Webster into the leading regional bank we are today, said Smith. Over the past 10 years in particular, weve undertaken a transformation to position Webster for continued growth as a high-performing regional bank. We have successfully developed and implemented our strategic management framework, which invests capital and resources to support strategies that create value for our customers and shareholders.
John has contributed greatly to our successful transformation based on his consistently high performance, strategic acumen and strong leadership skills, said Smith. The Board and I are proud to select an internal candidate who understands well our business segments and who is a reliable steward of Websters culture, which is centered on its values of responsibility, respectfulness, trustworthiness, citizenship and teamwork. We are confident that John is the ideal leader to advance Websters mission of helping individuals, families and businesses achieve their financial goals.
Ciulla joined Webster in 2004 as senior vice president for Middle Market Banking and has served in a variety of management positions with increasing responsibility, including as chief credit risk officer from 2008 to 2010. He was promoted to executive vice president and head of Middle Market Banking in 2011, and became head of Commercial Banking in 2014. Ciulla was appointed president of Webster in 2015, and is currently responsible for the management of most of the companys business units and support functions. Ciulla is also the president of the banks holding company and a member of the Webster Bank, N.A. Board of Directors.
Berkshire Hathaway announces new launch
WALLINGFORD Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England and Westchester Properties and Doyle Auctioneers & Appraisers recently announced the launch of Luxury Real Estate Auction Services. This exciting new capability combines Doyle's 50-plus years' experience in the auction industry with one of the world's most trusted brands, Berkshire Hathaway.
For the past 10 years, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England and Westchester Properties has partnered with Doyle to offer superior auction services for their seller's personal property. This partnership has now expanded to include residential real estate auctions.
Auctions are the most efficient and effective method of presenting property to the broadest audience of buyers in the global marketplace. Buyers are attracted to the auction knowing that the property will be offered for competitive bids on a particular date. The dynamic nature of auctions is such that the property can sell in advance of, during or following the auction.
Doyle and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices' Marketing Department will develop a strategic marketing plan for each home to be auctioned. This comprehensive campaign will be implemented across multiple platforms, ensuring that both the home and the upcoming auction receive the broadest exposure, nationally and internationally. The new program offers a choice of two auction formats: a live auction event and a timed online-only auction.
The live auction event can be held at the property, at a Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices office, at Doyle, or at another venue. A range of live bidding capabilities will be offered, ensuring that all interested buyers can conveniently participate in the auction.
The timed online-only auction will take place on Doyle.com for a designated period of time. Buyers can place their bids online in competition against one another until the bidding period closes.
Auction services take place in addition to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices' regular sales activities and marketing initiatives including listing syndication, advertising, open houses and tours of the property to interested parties. The sales agent will also collaborate on the vetting of bidders and conduct negotiations regarding contract and sale of the property on the day of the auction.
The new Luxury Real Estate Auction Services is available immediately to homeowners in Connecticut, and Westchester County, New York. For further information, contact your local Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices office or agent, or visit bhhsNEproperties.com.
For more information contact:Melissa Sauer, Marketing Coordinator at 860-571-7065.
CHH welcomes new board members
TORRINGTON Charlotte Hungerford Hospital has announced the appointment of Maria Coutant Skinner and Douglas K. OConnell, Esq., to serve two-year terms on the hospitals Board of Governors.
We are so pleased to welcome Maria and Doug to our board of dedicated and seasoned members. I know that their commitment to our community and expertise in their respective fields will serve Charlotte well.
said John Janco, Chairman of the Charlotte Hungerford Hospital Board of Governors.
Maria Coutant Skinner is a licensed clinical social worker and executive director of the McCall Center for Behavioral Health. Maria earned her Bachelors degree in psychology from Springfield College and a Master's degree in social work at UCONN. Originally from Torrington, she is deeply committed to Litchfield County and serves as co-chair of the Litchfield County Opiate Task Force, is a board member of the Rotary Club of the Torrington and Winsted areas, is a volunteer and board member with the Winchester Youth Service Bureau and the Canton Youth Service Bureau, and an advisor to Litchfield Bancorp. Maria began working at the McCall Center in 1997 as part of the prevention team. Her lifes work includes developing programs for children, adolescents, adults and families with the goal of building capacity to cope with challenging life situations and make positive life changes. Maria and her husband Greg live in Canton with their daughters Emma and Abigail.
Doug is a partner at the Winsted law firm of Howd, Lavieri & Finch, LLP, where his practice focuses on estate planning, trust and estate administration, probate matters and tax planning for the principals of closely held businesses. He is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and received his law degree from Western New England College School of Law and a master of law degree in taxation from New York University School of Law. Doug was recently elected to the Board of Directors of Northwest Community Bank having served as an advisory board member and a Corporator of Connecticut Mutual Holding Company for numerous years. Doug is also actively involved in many local and civic charitable organizations, and has served and currently serves on many local boards including the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, United Way of Northwest Connecticut, The Chamber of Commerce of Northwest Connecticut, the Torrington Board of Education, and the Rotary Club of the Torrington and Winsted areas where he was named Paul Harris Fellow in 2007. Doug and his wife Linda reside in Torrington.
Maria and Doug join the following current members of the Charlotte Hungerford Hospital Board of Governors: Edward Arum, Edwin G. (Chip) Booth Jr., Jeff Borghesi, Debra Brandt, DO, Frank R. Buonocore Jr., Gladys Cerruto, Richard Dutton, MD, Stephanie K. Fowler, MD, Jamie Gregg, Kenrick Hom, MD, John Janco, John Lavieri, Diane Libby, CPA, and James OLeary.
The Charlotte Hungerford Hospital is a 109 bed, general acute care hospital located in Torrington, Connecticut, that serves as a regional health care resource for 100,000 residents of Litchfield County and Northwest Connecticut. CHH offers personalized attention from an expert team of caregivers and physicians that utilize advanced technology and clinical partnerships in a convenient, safe and comfortable patient environment. One Thousand Caregivers, One Job, Your Health. Visit www.charlottehungerford.org for information.
Abigail Miranda, Josh Weinshank named New Leaders in the Law
NEW MILFORD Cramer & Anderson Partner Josh Weinshank and Associate Abigail Miranda have been named 2017 New Leaders in the Law as part of the Connecticut Law Tribunes annual statewide Professional Excellence Awards.
This years New Leaders in the Law were announced Aug. 28. Professional Excellence Awards winners will be honored at the Connecticut Legal Awards Dinner Oct. 3 at the Bond Room in Hartford.
There are 25 recipients of the New Leader award this year, hailing from law firms throughout the state and covering varied areas of the law, from litigation to criminal defense, probate and education law, the Connecticut Law Tribune (CLT) said in announcing the winners online. They were chosen by outside nominations and internal review.
In nominating Attorney Weinshank, Partner Ken Taylor said he represents the epitome of a New Leader in the Law by engaging in high-caliber volunteer community service as a way of giving back, while also laying the groundwork for cultivating new clients and driving growth and success for the firm.
In 2016 Attorney Weinshank was appointed to the new Planned Giving Advisory Council formed by Ability Beyond, the Connecticut organization helping thousands of people with physical and mental disabilities discover their abilities and become a part of their communities. Less than a year later, based on his leadership, Attorney Weinshank became Co-Chair of the committee.
Earlier this year, Attorney Weinshank was named to the Associate Board of the Danbury Hospital & New Milford Hospital Foundation. Directors work with Foundation staff to foster charitable giving in support of the mission of the hospitals and their parent entity, Western Connecticut Health Network.
The role is more vital than ever in a time when hospitals seem to be under assault from state and national governments, leaving hospital foundation boards with heightened responsibility to raise funds for services, programs and initiatives, including efforts to support doctors and for new technology.
Both of these recent leadership roles dovetail with Attorney Weinshanks primary Practice Areas, Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Administration, and Elder Law & Special Needs. Though he is the firms youngest Partner, Attorney Weinshank is leading a bold plan for Cramer & Anderson to grow those Practice Areas strategically in Fairfield County.
The drive to help others selflessly, and to capitalize on challenging opportunities to elevate the firm, make Attorney Weinshank a perfect choice for a New Leaders in the Law award, Attorney Taylor said in nominating Attorney Weinshank.
In nominating Attorney Miranda, Partner John Tower cited her highly engaged caring as the attribute responsible for helping a young Associate blossom into a leader in client service, pro bono and reduced fee work, and volunteer community service.
Attorney Mirandas primary Practice Areas are Divorce & Family Law, Personal Injury Law and Civil Litigation, and Attorney Tower offered examples of the intersection of that highly engaged caring with impressive results.
On the Connecticut Legal Services, Inc. list of attorneys dedicated to helping those in need, Attorney Miranda took a pro bono custody case to trial in the summer of 2016. She secured a significant modification to a custody agreement for a woman who had been allowed to see her child only in a clinical setting.
In an ongoing pro bono custody case, attorney Miranda is advocating for a mother seeking a safe environment in which to reunite with her child. The former spouse was abusive, and proceeding is complex.
Within the past year, Miranda has also become a force in community service. She was named to the board of the Womens Center of Greater Danbury in November 2016, and was recently asked to join the board of the Greater New Milford Chamber of Commerce.
In the Womens Center leadership role, Attorney Miranda is guiding networking events and fundraising for a capital campaign that will support a new shelter in Danbury, among other important initiatives.
These efforts and others mentioned by Attorney Tower have also made Attorney Miranda a leader in fostering growth for Cramer & Anderson. The selfless caring she exudes, her genuine nature and the feeling of trust she instantly creates position her to naturally develop clients and cases.
Tough but compassionate, a beacon for the firm in essential community volunteer roles, dedicated to taking pro bono cases to aid and empower women in need, relentless in pursuing optimal outcomes but always collaborative, cordial and diplomatic, Attorney Miranda is truly a New Leader in the Law, Attorney Tower wrote in his nomination letter.
Both attorneys may be reached at 860-355-2631. Attorney Weinshanks email is jweinshank@crameranderson.com and Attorney Mirandas is amiranda@crameranderson.com.
The firm has offices in New Milford, Danbury, Litchfield, Washington Depot and Kent. For more information, call the New Milford office at 860-355-2631 or see the website at www.crameranderson.com.
During the American Revolution many local state militia units were created to help defend the rights of the colonies. The 2nd Connecticut Light Horse (1777), a militia unit from Connecticut, fought in support of the American cause.
Source(s): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_militia_units_in_the_American_Revolutionary_War
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Robert Weaver of Newport took first place for his shot Owl, in the NWR photo contest wildlife category.
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By PTI: uranium reserve
New Delhi, Sep 24 (PTI) India is engaging with various countries, including Uzbekistan, to procure nuclear fuel as part of its plan to create a strategic uranium reserve to ensure long-term security.
The plan is to have a stockpile of nuclear fuel for its strategic uranium reserve that can sustain the countrys reactors for the next five years so that they do not stop functioning because of the lack of uranium.
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In the past, the Indian power reactors were under- performing due to shortage of uranium, owing to the sanctions imposed by the West post 1974 Pokhran nuclear tests.
Talks are currently being held with Uzbekistan, a senior government official said, and a delegation from the Central Asian country had visited India last month to discuss the issue in detail.
The delegation came just two months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Astana in June this year, said a senior Ministry of External Affairs official, on condition of anonymity.
"We have been looking to import uranium from Uzbekistan in the past. Back then, they had refused to transport uranium to an Indian port. But now they have agreed to do so and negotiations are on," said a senior government official requesting anonymity.
According to the World Nuclear Association, an international organisation that represents the global nuclear industry, the landlocked Central Asian country is the seventh largest exporter of uranium in the world.
Attempts are also being made to procure uranium from Australia. A nuclear cooperation pact between the two nations was signed in 2014 and came into force in 2015.
Uranium mining in Australia is mostly done by private players.
However, a senior government official pointed out that Australian uranium is "impure" in nature.
"We have got nearly a kilogramme of uranium from Australia. This is being tested by the Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad to determine the price of the uranium. We are hopeful that the uranium import starts by next year," the official added.
Indias concerns to have a stockpile of nuclear fuel emanate from the time when its atomic reactors functioned below its capacity level due to the shortage of uranium.
The US and other nations had imposed sanctions on India following the Pokhran nuclear tests in 1974.
Post Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement, New Delhis quest to have an uranium reserve got traction as importing fuel became much easier.
Apart from domestic production, India currently imports uranium from Kazakhstan and Canada. This is primarily used to fuel its indigenously built Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors.
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It procures enriched uranium from Russia for its two Boiling Water Reactors at Tarapur in Maharashtra. As part of its contract, Russia also supplies uranium to fuel the two reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu.
Apart from it, it has agreements in place to import uranium from Namibia and Mongolia.
The government recently approved 10 Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors with a capacity to generate 7000 MW. Work on four reactors with a capacity of 1000 MW each is in progress, apart from seven domestic reactors.
"We will now have 21 reactors under construction and 22 reactors in operation. This will increase the capacity to over 22,000 MWe by the end of next decade. We shall continue to add more capacity in future," Sekhar Basu, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) secretary and chairman of the Atomic Energy said at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference at Vienna last week.
The IAEA is a global nuclear watchdog, with its headquarters in Vienna. PTI PR PYK ASK
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CHARLOTTESVILLE A lawsuit against an Albemarle County police officer accused of targeting African-American men for stops and intrusive searches likely will move forward to a jury trial later this year.
Attorneys representing Officer Andrew Holmes and the county recently filed a motion for summary judgment, asking the court to rule that the plaintiffs, Bianca Johnson and Delmar Canada, have no case because there are no facts at issue.
In federal court in Charlottesville on Thursday, Judge Glen Conrad heard arguments from both sides, but did not immediately make a ruling.
The lawsuit stems from a traffic stop conducted by Holmes on April 26, 2014. Parked near the 7-Eleven on Greenbrier Drive, Holmes was running the license plates of vehicles in the parking lot through a records system.
When he ran the plates of a BMW through the system, it showed the car was registered to Bianca Johnson. Remembering her name from a prior call for service, Holmes then searched other police databases for people associated with her.
A man named Delmar Canada showed up in his search, along with Canadas photograph, and information that his license was suspended. When Canada came out of the 7-Eleven and drove the car away, Holmes initiated a traffic stop.
After a short interaction with Canada, Holmes issued the man a traffic citation for driving while on a suspended license.
The next day, Holmes obtained a search warrant for the home shared by Canada and Johnson, his fiancee, to search for the suspension notification paperwork mailed to Canada about a year ago by the DMV. He executed the search five days later about 11 p.m., but did not find the paperwork he was seeking.
According to attorneys on both sides, this was the first time in recollected memory that an officer had conducted such a search.
By PTI: Islamabad, Sep 24 (PTI) Pakistani authorities were left embarrassed today when a flag similar to the one used by Islamic State militants and with a message in support of Caliphate was put up on a busy road here.
Authorities took action after a citizen informed police on its emergency number that a black flag used by the dreaded militant outfit was waving on a pedestrian bridge on the Islamabad Express road.
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Police later removed the trademark flag with inscribed message - Khilafat is coming.
Interior minister Ahsan Iqbal took notice and asked Islamabads Inspector General of Police to probe the matter and file a report.
However, Sattar Shah, Station House Officer of Khanna police station, said the police have not found any clue about who was responsible for putting up the flag.
Pakistan has repeatedly denied any organised presence of Islamic State (ISIS) in the country, but acknowledge that there might be some sympathisers in the country.
Army has already launched Operation Raddul Fassad to eliminate the supporters of the militants. PTI SH MRJ
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A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
All three militants have been eliminated by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Even before the snowfall in the upper reaches of the mountains in Uri, Pakistan yet again attempted to push in heavily armed terrorists into Kashmir.
Infiltrated lashkar fidayeen were killed in heavy gun battle after locals informed local police in Uri today. Police said the deceased planned a Uri encounter re run.
DGP SP Vaid told India today " The trio were part of suicide attack who wanted to unleash an Uri style attack."
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But in one of the first kind input from alert villagers near the Line of Control (LoC) , Jammu Kashmir Police was at 9pm informed about suspicious movement of terrorists who were heavily armed in Kalgai area of Salamabad inUri. The spot is nearly 3 kilometers away from the main town, which was a site of a fidayeen attack on September 18 by Lashkar group in which 20 Army personnel were martyred. It is 12 kilometers from Kaman post.
A massive joint search operation was launched during the night. Terrorist were tracked down at around 2.30 am. While one of the terrorists had forcibly entered into a civilian home and had taken the family members as hostage. In the early morning, the civilians were rescued and the terrorist was eliminated.
Hunt for two other terrorists was launched and one terrorist was found to have taken refuge in a local mosque.
This put forces in dilemma. Keeping religious sentiment and the sanctity of the mosque finally a Jammu and Kashmir Police team entered into the mosque and eliminated this terrorist as well.
The third terrorist was also killed later on.
DIG Baramulla range, Nitish Kumar told India today "JK Police is highly indebted and grateful to brave local population of Uri for informing us well in time helping us to avert a major terror attack."
According to sources "All the three terrorists appear to be from Pakistan" and with their elimination a major terrorist attack has been averted.
The group is believed to have recently infiltrated from Pakistani side of LoC. The operation was conducted by joint teams of Army, Police and CRPF.
Three AK series rifles, 10 AK Magazines, 10 Grenades, one UBGL and other war like stores were recovered from their possession .
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BREAKS The bull elk stood alone in a field just before dusk, and peed all over himself.
Its his way of courting females, and a van of tourists couldnt take their eyes off him, either. After more than 150 years of silence, the sound of bugling bulls echoes over the hills. Its rutting season in far Southwest Virginia, where a five-year-old elk restoration project attracts visitors and delights wildlife enthusiasts.
The randy bull in the field of a privately-owned reclaimed strip mine site 13 miles from Breaks Interstate Park is one of 200 elk that today range over parts of Buchanan County. They were stocked there by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries beginning in 2012. They range into Wise and Dickenson counties, where they also are protected from hunting.
One pregnant female has been seen at Breaks, but so far few elk have wandered into the mature forest that covers the 5,000-acre park, Superintendent Austin Bradley said.
Through a partnership with the Southwest Virginia Coalfields Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, guides take park visitors to the old mine site in April and May during calving season, and during the breeding season from August through October.
The goal is to drive tourism to the area, Bradley said. This area has been reeling from the decline of coal. Breaks is taking an active role in revitalizing the economy.
Established in 1954, Breaks Park straddles the border of Virginia and Kentucky and is managed by a commission comprised of officials from both states. It is one of two such "interstate" parks in the country. The other sits on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Breaks centerpiece is its 1,000-foot-deep gorge gouged out of Pine Mountain by the Russell Fork River. It has between 250,000 and 300,000 visitors annually. Bradley hopes to draw more with dozens of amenities, such as a new 2,200-foot long, 300-foot high zip line along the gorge rim thats set to open on Sept. 30. And the elk tours have been good for the park, too.
Elk can also be seen on public property in the countys Poplar Gap Park, DGIF elk project leader David Kalb said.
Homecoming
After more than a century of study and failed efforts to bring elk back from extinction in Virginia, in 2012, DGIF worked with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and other partners to stock the animals on the reclaimed mine site nearby Breaks Park. Over three years, the state brought in about 75 elk from Kentuckys 11,000-strong herd. The project cost about $1 million, with a portion of the funds coming from private entities, Kalb said.
Kalb said Kentuckys herd has remained free of the major diseases that worry cattle farmers: tuberculosis, brucellosis and chronic wasting disease. Farmers also worry about elk breaking livestock fencing and competing with their cattle for forage, Kalb said.
Originally, DGIF intended to stock elk in Dickenson and Wise counties, too, but they resisted the effort and the animals were released only in Buchanan. But Wise and Dickenson counties are designated as part of the restoration zone, and elk cant be legally hunted the three-county area.
Restoring elk offers sport and high-quality, organic meat to hunters, and the project is expected to drive tourism both for hunting and wildlife viewing, Kalb said. They also are a natural part of the ecosystem thats been missing for generations.
North American elk remains dated to 20,000 years ago have been documented in northwestern Virginia, according to DGIF. Elk ranged across most of the state and were most common in the Allegheny and Blue Ridge mountains. Explorers in the late 1600s described abundant elk herds, particularly in the Shenandoah and New River valleys.
With European settlement came habitat destruction and overhunting. The last wild Eastern elk in Virginia is thought to have been killed by Col. Gos Tuley of Clarke County in 1855. By the 1870s, the entire Eastern subspecies was extinct across its range.
Before settlers arrived, more than 10 million elk lived in the United States and parts of Canada, according to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Today, about one million elk live in the western United States, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina, and from Ontario west in Canada.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife began that states restoration in 1997 and by 2002 had stocked 1,550 wild western elk imported from Utah, Kansas, Oregon, North Dakota, Arizona and New Mexico. Today at least 11,000 elk graze across and estimated 4 million acres in 16 Eastern Kentucky counties. It is considered the largest wild elk population east of the Rocky Mountains.
And elk dont respect state lines. Following the stocking near the Virginia border, between 50 and 100 Kentucky migrants are thought to have crossed over. Efforts to trap and deport them were expensive and eventually discontinued. Virginia was going to have manage elk anyway. Then it started its own stocking project.
Leon Boyd, president of the Southwest Virginia Coalfields chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has been a major force behind restoration. He grew up one ridge over from the mine site and has hiked and hunted the surrounding hills for decades. In 2000, he went to New Mexico for an elk hunt "and I fell in love with it," he said.
Now Boyd does a lot of elk hunting at home with his high-end binoculars. He spends a good amount of time on a tractor, too, making sure the sites pastures are full of native wildflowers, warm-season grasses, clovers and other natural forage. That work has attracted a lot of other wildlife, including wild turkey and pollinators, Boyd said.
And there are other rewards.
"To do something like this and pass it on to your kids it's pretty special to see it," Boyd said.
Managing a growing herd
Virginia has completed its stocking efforts.
"We are allowing nature to do its thing now, they will reproduce on their own, Kalb, the project leader, wrote in an email. Its just a rather slow process. Right now we are seeing good recruitment numbers and we are seeing excellent health in the animals that we have.
Originally, the state proposed a restored herd of 1,200, but resistance led to a plan for a herd of no more than 400, according to DGIF documents. So far, there have been few problems with elk. DGIF has handled seven complaints since 2012, according to Kalb. Two were about damage to fencing, two were related to agriculture, two calls claimed the elk were too close to the public and one call was about damage to grass, he wrote in an email.
So far the 200-strong herd has remained in a seven-mile radius of the mine site, according to Kalb. To keep elk away from farm fields and pastures, hunters outside of the three-county restoration zone may legally harvest elk during deer season, using a deer tag. Since stocking began, two elk in Virginia have been legally killed, Kalb wrote in an email. But, in the past 3 years there have been no legal harvests of elk in Virginia.
There have been several instances of poaching, however, both inside and outside the restoration area, according to Kalb. The number remains small and wont affect the overall population, he added.
Aside from ecological benefits, wildlife can be a big economic diver.
DGIF estimated that in 2006 hunting and wildlife contributed $1.4 billion in economic activity, and elk could add to that total. Kentucky has allowed elk hunting by permit since 2001, and according to a 2015 report, estimates are that it brings in $3 million annually. The state has no estimate for the value of tourism from passive elk viewing, but out-of-state visitors drawn to the restoration zone are estimated to spend $480 each.
Virginia's restoration has been a long time coming. In 1917, the newly-minted Virginia Game Commission began importing elk from Yellowstone National Park to reestablish herds, placing animals in 11 counties, according to DGIF documents. Other introductions were made in Bath, Augusta and Rockingham. But they didnt gain a foothold. By 1926, small herds remained only in Giles, Bland and Bedford. By 1970, they had all died out.
But elk seem destined to regain their old home range as interest in them grows. West Virginia is in the second year of stocking a seven-county restoration area in its Southern Coal Fields Region.
So many more could have been injured in the Sopore grenade attack - or even killed - if it hadn't been for one Special Police Officer (SPO). Read on to find out why.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Two security personnel and a civilian were injured in a grenade attack, allegedly planned by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), near a State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Kashmir's Sopore.
But so many more could have been injured, or even killed, if it hadn't been for a Special Police Officer (SPO), who was one of those who suffered minor injuries.
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For it was his lightning-quick reflexes which made sure that the live grenade that fell into his bunker, manned by other police and CRPF personnel, didn't explode inside it.
The SPO didn't panic when the grenade fell into his lap. He threw it out, saving the lives of at least 15 people.
SSP Harmeet Singh told India Today that the SPO will be suitably rewarded. And he'll also be inducted into the force as a constable.
The Sopore Police have blamed the attack on the LeT, a Pakistan-based terrorist group led by 26/11 attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
The LeT has an almost negligible presence in North Kashmir, and the group appears to have hired a local for a hit job.
Meanwhile, an encounter between terrorists and security forces is under way in Kashmir's Uri. One terrorist has already been killed. Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid says they were planning an attack similar to the one that claimed the lives of 19 jawans last September.
VIDEO: Sushma Swaraj, India's external affairs minister, excoriated Pakistan for its covert support of terrorism in a hard-hitting speech at the UN General Assembly on Saturday.
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November 27, 1964 September 20, 2017 William Matthew Hart, 52, of Christiansburg, Va., died Wednesday, September 20, 2017. Matt was born in Christiansburg, November 27, 1964, to the late Henry Goldman Hart Jr. and the late Ann Daingerfield Hart. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Rex Hart. Matt is survived by a sister and brother-in-law, Pam and Wayne King; a sister, Fran Hart, all of Christiansburg; a sister and brother-in-law, Sydney and Hugh Thomson of Myrtle Beach, S.C.; a nephew and niece-in-law, Mickey and Joni King; a nephew and niece-in-law, Jon and Mitzi King all of Christiansburg; a nephew, Forrest Hart of Pulaski; a nephew, Michael Robertson and a niece, Chandon Thomson of Myrtle Beach; and a niece, Shannon Hart. Also surviving are a grandnephew, Ashton King, a grandniece, Peyton King, and grandniece, Parker Hart Pattishall, all of Christiansburg. In addition, Matt is survived by his beloved Jack Russell Terrier, Sammy; two canine nephews, Max and Cooper; and a canine niece, Kate. Other survivors include many cherished cousins and friends.Matt worked in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. His greatest joys came from writing and from seeing others participate in the learning process. Matt was honored to engage in both activities during his lifetime.In accordance with his wishes, Matt was cremated and his cremains will be scattered privately. A celebration of his life will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 1301 Gladewood Road, Blacksburg, VA, on Sunday, October 1, 2017, at 2 p.m.In lieu of flowers, any memorial contributions may be made to Christiansburg Head Start, c/o New River Community Action, 110 Roanoke Street, Christiansburg, VA 24073; the Women's Resource Center, P.O. Box 477, Radford, VA 24141; or to the charity of your choice. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.hornefuneralservice.com.
By Todd Pillion
Pillion, a Republican, represents Dickenson County, Russell County, and parts of Washington and Wise counties in the House of Delegates.
The news prompted an outpouring of pitches: Amazon is looking for an additional headquarters location. Every city was quick to highlight why they should be the (second) home to the global commerce giant. However, marketing efforts aside, the anticipated winner of the Amazon lottery will probably be a usual suspect: maybe San Jose, Boston, or Austin. Obviously, as a private company with its own bottom line to consider, Amazon will make the decision it believes best for its interests.
However, as a legislator representing Southwest Virginia, and as the father of four children who I hope will have the same opportunity to raise their own families here, I would be remiss if I didnt take this moment to ask a larger question to Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, or any entrepreneur out there today: If youre looking for your next location, why not think bigger? Dont just revolutionize our economy; revolutionize our country.
Southwest Virginia is home to thousands of men and women who simply cant be outworked. We do, though, face a lot of challenges. While other parts of the Commonwealth deal with population growth, here were encountering the reverse: the population of the Coalfields Region is poised to drop by 8 percent over the next 20 years.
The reason for this decline is straightforward: people are moving away to find work. As Qian Cai at the University of Virginias Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service said in a Richmond Times-Dispatch article, The people who migrate are younger, and they move out of the rural areas for educational or job opportunities. And when they move, they bring their families or start their families in these destinations.
The out-migration from Southwest Virginia is a tragedy, and it stems primarily from the ongoing decline of the coal industry. But this is a region hungry to reverse the tide, and primed to do so, with just a little help and some vision. What we need are companies who also believe this is an effort worth undertaking; that our nation is stronger when all regions prosper, not just a few fortunate communities.
Already we have seen companies stepping up. One is Dominion Energy. During the last session of the General Assembly, I was joined by Delegate Terry Kilgore (R-Scott County) and Senator Ben Chafin (R-Russell County) in sponsoring legislation to look into the feasibility of constructing a pumped hydroelectric storage facility in the Coalfields. The construction of such a facility would bring renewable energy to our region, while spurring economic development and job creation. Dominion, to its credit, is now moving forward to get this facility built. It is bringing 21st century jobs to Southwest Virginia.
In 2007, CGI opened their Southwest Virginia Technology Center in Lebanon. Since that opening the Center has created moret han 400 new jobs, and led to an annual economic impact of $68.5 million. What CGI and Dominion have recognized is that Southwest Virginia provides the best of both worlds: the workforce talent they seek, combined with cheap land and a low cost of doing business. And we are just getting started.
The University of Virginia at Wise is a sleeping giant when it comes to its potential to fuel and sustain the economic growth of the future, and the school will be growing in both size and academic offerings in the years ahead. That means a built-in, well-trained workforce will be right here, ready to go. In addition, broadband access continues to expand area-wide, making once physically remote areas now just a click away from anywhere on the globe.
Furthermore, the willingness of localities to work together is a benefit of the region. While each local government has unique challenges, we all suffer when it comes to jobs and revenue. With that mentality, our coalfield localities are in the process of forming entities that would allow for revenue sharing in economic development projects. Depending on the specific project, localities would have the opportunity to work together to lift up the region and each participating locality.
All the necessary components are in place for economic growth in Southwest Virginia. We have the workforce, the higher education hub, and other key supports and infrastructure. Now we need investors and entrepreneurs to join companies like Dominion and CGI in believing in this beautiful part of the world.
I get that its easy for companies to set up shop in communities that are already prosperous. But it would be truly transformative to locate here. Southwest Virginia is ready for that transformation.
The place: The Virginia Historical Society, in the fashionable Fan District of Richmond.
The occasion: A white-haired gentleman is on stage, delivering a lecture about the history of Virginia.
This would seem to be Virginia in its most venerable form, except for one thing. The speaker on this sleepy summer day isnt droning on about the genealogy of some Founding Father, or the minutiae of some Civil War battle.
Instead, August Wallmeyer is laying out, one eye-popping slide at a time, some of the starkest facts and figures about contemporary Virginia.
On poverty: In Wise County today, more than 50 percent of the people who live there receive one or more forms of government assistance.
On drug addiction: The number of opioid deaths equals a Virginia Tech massacre every week.
On health: If you live in Wise County . . . your life expectancy will be less than if you lived in Nicaragua or Uzbekistan or Latvia or Serbia or Algeria or Colombia.
This is not some happy, gauzy remembrance of the good old days. These are irrefutable data points about Virginia today. Or, more accurately, about rural Virginia.
Wallmeyer would seem to be the very embodiment of a Richmond insider, a creature not quite as despised as a Washington insider, but surely a related species. He has spent virtually his entire career in and around the centers of state power. He was a speechwriter for Attorney General Tony Troy, a Democrat, in the 1970s. He was the corporate spokesman and lobbyist for Virginia Power (now Dominion Energy) at a time when the utility was much more controversial than it is now. He went to become executive director for the Virginia Independent Power Producers, which is a fancy way of staying he was still a lobbyist.
From the mid-1970s until his retirement in 2014, Wallmeyer was known around Capitol Square as a firm but jovial advocate for whatever cause he was hired to represent. He was the type of lobbyist that any interest group would have been lucky to sign on, which is what makes Wallmeyers current endeavor so remarkable.
Today, hes essentially representing the most underrepresented and underprivileged interest group of all. Hes representing rural Virginia. And hes doing it for free.
After he retired, Wallmeyer faced the kind of unsettling adjustment that many retirees do. He was bored. After a while, I tried to take stock of whatever assets I had and to think about what I could do with them, Wallmeyer says.
He threw himself into a research project. For years, hed heard legislators talk about how rural Virginia was falling behind the rest of the state. A good lobbyist deals with facts, so Wallmeyer starting digging into whatever data he could find. Economic data. Health data. Crime data. He assembled it. He crunched it. He compared it. And he was shocked by what he found. There really are two Virginias a growing, affluent one in the urban crescent and a shrinking, poorer one everywhere else. Thats hardly a revelation, of course, but Wallmeyer found himself sitting atop a mountain of data that nobody had ever really collected in one place before.
Now what?
The teachings of my faith [Roman Catholicism] started nagging at me, Wallmeyer says. He started to feel compelled to do something. He decided to write a book.
The result is The Extremes of Virginia, published last year by Dementi Milestone Publishing, and a related website, extremesofvirginia.com (where you can also order a copy). Former Del. Ward Armstrong of Henry County, a Democrat, calls the book a brutally accurate diagnosis of economic disparity in the state. State Sen. Bill Stanley of Franklin, a Republican, says Augusts blunt assessments and sharp insight are spot-on. Former Gov. Gerald Baliles, a Democrat, calls it required reading for legislators and governors, in particular.
Excerpts of the book have been published in The Roanoke Times and the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The 2,000 or so copies hes sold wont make Wallmeyer any money, but thats not really the point. Perhaps more than anyone else, Wallmeyer had started a conversation in the state capital about the economic and social problems that plague many rural parts of Virginia. He was asked to speak to the Virginia Historical Society. Hes lecturing this fall at the University of Richmond. Hes heard that one state Supreme Court justice has used the book as teaching material in his Sunday school class.
It may seem odd to us west of the Blue Ridge that a book pointing out the obvious should be so popular, as if all this were somehow a new discovery. However, Wallmeyer points out something else that is also obvious: There is a profound lack of understanding about Southwest, Southside and the Eastern Shore among government officials. In his talk before the historical society, Wallmeyer noted that more than half the members of the General Assembly werent born in Virginia. They simply dont know the state outside the urban crescent and have little reason to learn about it.
For that audience, Wallmeyer delivers a kind of shock treatment about the Virginia they dont know, yet share. He talks about how school systems in Southwest Virginia are so poor they have to keep tabs on how much paper they use for tests. He talks about how dentists at the annual open-air medical clinic at the Wise County Fairgrounds measure one year to the next by the buckets of teeth they extract. He tells of places where meth and opioids are so common that you can have them delivered right to your front door just like a pizza, and you can pay for it with a credit card. He marshals a quote from the chancellor of the state community college system about how if rural Virginia were its own state, it would rank dead last in the country in terms of educational attainment while the urban crescent would rank second.
This is not a pretty picture, and it may strike even some who live in rural Virginia as not reflective of the communities they know. Yet the data is there, which goes to show that even some in rural Virginia may not know their communities very well.
So what happens next? Its unclear. Wallmeyer is out there raising awareness, but solving the economic problems of rural Virginia are ones that may take a generation. In the meantime, go buy Wallmeyers book. You might even make it required reading for your Sunday school class.
AIADMK leader Dindugul Sreenivasan on Friday alleged he was forced to lie about 'Amma's' demise. Last week, he said VK Sasikala's family was responsible for her death.
By Pramod Madhav: DMK Working President MK Stalin has called for a CBI probe into former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's death, two days after AIADMK leader Dindugul Sreenivasan alleged he was forced to lie about 'Amma's' demise.
Last week, Sreenivasan said VK Sasikala's family was responsible for her death. Sasikala was Jayalalithaa's closest confidante.
MK Stalin, the de-facto leader of Tamil Nadu's largest Opposition party, today lambasted AIADMK leaders, pointing out inconsistencies in the narrative about Jayalalithaa's death.
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"A minister under constitutional oath claims that nobody, including the Governor, had met her...it is evident that Deputy Chief Minister OPS (O Panneerselvam), who acquired the CM portfolio then, was involved too. How did she (Jayalalithaa) advise the Governor to transfer her portfolios to OPS on October 10, 2016?" he asked.
"The whole government was shifted to Apollo hospital. How did CM EPS (Edappadi Palaniswami) and Deputy CM OPS tolerate these atrocities back then? Even after saying that a probe would be initiated on her death, why had no steps been taken yet?"
'DHARM YUDDH OVER?'
Stalin asked if Panneerselvam, who called for a central probe into Jayalalithaa's death when his faction was still at loggerheads with Palaniswami's, had forgotten all about his 'dharm yuddh.'
"I can feel the anxiety of EPS and OPS to divert attention from Dindigul Srinivasan's speech. AIIMS doctors were involved. even Health Minister JP Nadda said extreme attention was being given to Jayalalitha's treatment. As the central government is also involved...in Jayalalitha's treatment, it is now its responsibility to bring out the secrets...(it) should immediately begin a CBI inquiry." Stalin said.
Neither Palaniswami nor Panneerselvam have responded to Stalin yet.
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The founder of the Russian mining science, mineralogy and chemistry, Mikhail Lomonosov, in his treatise "The First Foundations of Metallurgy or Ore Mining" (1763) predicted the possibility of discovering diamonds in Russia's "midnight lands," having stated this in his book On the Layers of the Earth: ... In the north ... we cannot doubt that diamonds could have happened there ... and they can be found. His prophecy came true in the 1980s, when the first primary diamond deposit on the Winter Coast of the Onega Peninsular was discovered and named after Mikhail Lomonosov.
In archival materials, there are references to the discovery of a diamond in the 18th century on the Severnaya Dvina River near the village of Orletsy.
In the 1950s, single crystals of diamond and its satellite minerals were found during a geological survey in the channel sediments of Mezen Pizhma, near the village of Nenoksa (1967-69), in the four first explosion pipes in the European part of Russia composed of alkaline-ultrabasic rocks related to kimberlites. The same type of pipes was found on the Kola Peninsula in the Kandalaksha Bay area.
The garnets discovered in 1974 on the Winter Bank of the Onega Peninsular in the channel sediments and beach sands of the White Sea were diagnosed as pyropes in 1975, the genetic satellites of diamonds. A peculiar kind of rocks identified as kimberlites were discovered in 1975 on the Mela River.
The Pomorskaya kimberlite pipe, the first in this area, was uncovered in 1980. In the 1980s, there were discovered new diamond pipes in the vicinity of Pomorskaya - Lomonosovskaya, Arkhangelskaya, Karpinskaya, Snegurochka, Pionerskaya and others.
The Arkhangelsk Diamond Province (ADP), Europe's first diamondiferous province of primary diamond deposits, is located on the northern outskirts of the European part of Russia. It is confined to the north-west of the Russian Plate (part of the Mezen Syneclise) and the Baltic Shield (the Tersky Shore of the Kola Peninsula) of the East European Craton (EEC). The unifying sign of the vast majority of ADP magmatic bodies is their occurrence in the form of explosion pipes with a sharply subordinate development of sills and dikes. Currently, there have been identified two diamond deposits, one named after Mikhail Lomonosov and the other after Vladimir Grib. The ADP includes a variety of volcanic manifestations developed along the coast of the White Sea: on the Winter and Summer Coasts of the Onega Peninsula an on the Tersky Coast of the Kola Peninsula. The manifestations of volcanism are confined to narrow linear uplifts and deflections of the northwestern strike in the ancient Archean-Early Proterozoic (more ancient than 1650 million years) granite-gneiss crystalline basement of the Russian Plate.
The kimberlite rocks of the ADP deposits are characterized by uneven distribution of diamonds in both horizontal and vertical sections. In general, the existing pipes belong to bodies with large diamonds, they have a geological structure that is classical for light-eroded kimberlite pipes - with clearly distinguished crater and vent parts. The thick (up to 120 m) crater part is composed of subhorizontal layers and bundles of various volcaniclastic, volcanocrystalline and simple sedimentary rocks - from quartz clay sandstones and breccia sedimentary rocks to tuffites and tuffs of kimberlites, their lower part containing thin injections of kimberlites.
A junior exploration company in Russia is a commercial entity. This is usually a small company, which is characterized by the following features: control of the company is carried out by one or more individuals; the company conducts geological exploration works (GEW) on one or several promising areas of the subsoil; it does not have real estate and does not generate income from other spheres of activity (including mining); the main goal of the company is to achieve a sharp increase in the market value of the allocated subsoil plot by increasing its prospects or discovering a deposit and then selling the plot with maximum benefit.
In our opinion, the specifics of geological exploration for diamonds and its difference from other fields of business can be summarized in the following way: geological exploration is a capital-intensive field of business and has a purely cost-intensive nature; in addition, it is characterized by the exclusivity of each diamond deposit, as well as by the poor exploration maturity of a particular area.
On the other hand, the discovery of a new deposit during exploration permits not only to compensate for all the costs incurred, but also to obtain profits inconceivable in other industries. Mar-West Resources, the company that discovered the San Martin deposit in Honduras in 1996, increased its capitalization by a factor of about 80, from CAD 554,460 to CAD 42.4 million (polymetals). In the case of commercial diamond-bearing assets this is hundreds of thousands of percent!
The success or failure of geological exploration largely depends on the intuition, qualifications and experience of the geologist who fulfilled the forecast, chose the site, and then planned and carried out exploration. Geological exploration, and especially its search stage, is the only field of business in which the intuition, creativity and ability to penetrate the depths of the earth with reason, bringing things and deeds to sunshine so strongly affect the financial performance of a company.
In Russia, there have not been created conditions for the formation of a small geological exploration business involving junior companies, similar to those operating in Canada and Australia. Russian junior companies cannot emerge under the current subsoil legislation in principle, for this is hampered by both the lack of protectionist measures in relation to prospecting and exploration and the absence of special markets for venture (risk) capital in the financial system of Russia.
Therefore, right now the term Russian junior company does not reflect the western characteristics of juniors. In Russia, such a system has not yet been created, so you cannot count on the arrival of private investment in this particular business area before a fundamental change in legislation.
The main problems in the management of the mineral reserve fund in Russia, which affect the activities of junior companies, are the following:
- Absence of measures of state support in the field of taxation of geological exploration;
- Complex and long procedure for obtaining and transferring the rights for using subsoil;
- Complete lack of opportunity to attract venture capital to risky projects.
In Russia, the very notion of venture capital has emerged quite recently, and the legislative framework governing its turnover is completely absent, so there is no corresponding market. The prospects for even a developed project are not large: the per capita GDP is very far from the possibility of attracting the Russian population to invest money in high-risk projects. There is no capital market for small private investors and it is not expected in the foreseeable future.
OOO Proex Service was established in 2008, and its main economic activities included scientific research and development in the field of natural and technical sciences, activities in creating and using databases, and the provision of consulting services. We have long sought to obtain licenses for the exploration and evaluation of diamond deposits on an application basis. In 2015, we obtained 5 search and evaluation licenses in the Arkhangelsk Region.
License areas of OOO Proex Service
The union of top-grade and highly professional geologists, geochemists and programmers is now more than 20 years. We did not commercialize our developments, this area was an integral, non-negotiable part of our daily geological work. And we still treat it like this: this is our "workhorse," which is a delight for all geologists, geophysicists, who managed to see it. It was created for our tasks, which included a complex processing of geological and geophysical data: a database, a cartographic information processing unit, a unit for processing primary geological information, a geophysical data processing unit, a remote sensing data processing unit, and a simulation module with the possibility of rapid modification and scaling. The software complex has the Certificate of Rospatent (Russias Federal Service for Intellectual Property). For more than 15 years of its use and modernization, we now perfectly imagine what particular tasks it can solve for other geological applications (ore and non-ore prospecting and evaluation). This is an exceptional software product for diamond prospecting and evaluation work.
Proex Service deals exclusively with diamond exploration. Its CEO Vladimir Shchukin, who has the Ph. D. degree in Geology and Mineralogy and is the main generating and driving force of our company, has a work record of more than 40 years in this field, while the average work record of the main "creative group" is 20 to 30 years. Vladimir Shchukin added his Canadian work experience to the search projects in the Arkhangelsk Region. Therefore, our knowledge of this region in the field of diamond geology is very complete. Our enthusiasm and constant search for new approaches and ideas, multiplied by experience, give good results. The kimberlite pipes, discovered at the end of 2016-2017, are the first for the last 10 years of work on all diamond exploration projects in the Arkhangelsk Region. And it is noteworthy that diamonds here are also sought for by ALROSA, Arkhangelskgeoldobycha, and other companies...
A few words about the explosion pipes in Finland... There have already been discovered more than 30 of them. As always, they have to be assessed to identify if they belong to kimberlite, kimberlite diamondiferous, commercial kimberlite diamondiferous pipes, etc.
With regard to manifestations of Precambrian kimberlites, the Eastern European platform is not an exception among the ancient cratons: the Neoproterozoic manifestations of kimberlite magmatism on the EEC are represented by the fields of Kaavi-Kuopio and Kuusamo and Lentiira-Kuhmo in Eastern Finland. They are among the kimberlite manifestations of the vast area on the passive edge of the Iapetus Ocean, which opened during the disintegration of the Rodinia supercontinent. Within the Russian part of the EEC, kimberlites of this age are not identified. However, manifestations of ultrabasic lamprophyres (tuffs, tuffites, thin sheets and veins) associated with the Late Vendian deposits are known in the Arkhangelsk Diamond Province on the Winter Coast of the Onega Peninsular and on the South-East Coast of the White Sea. These lamprophyres may represent the eastern extension of the extensive Neoproterozoic province of alkaline and alkaline-ultrabasic magmatism, which also covers the north of Canada and Scandinavia (A. A. Nosova, V. A. Kononova, 2009).
Crater facie sample from KL01 Pipe
Proex Service was able to timely receive 7 licenses (covering 15,500 sq. km) under the application principle (now it is reserved only for those areas where geologic exploration for this type of minerals was not performed). We are sure that the southern areas have a good resource potential, as there have been discovered diamond accompanying minerals with good technical characteristics and indicators received by ICP-methods, which make it possible to state that their primary sources are not the known kimberlite fields. We conducted aerogeophysical studies, ground-based magnetography to outline the magnetic perspective anomalies for drilling. The south of the Arkhangelsk Region is favorable in the natural and climatic respect, the area is sparsely populated, and there are no environmental or territorial claims of the indigenous population, and good logistics of the territory is also noted. The two new licenses to the north of the Grib Pipe is a completely new material for processing the previously made high-quality remote and geophysical surveys.
The kimberlite pipes we have discovered are of the classical type, typical for this region, with a thick tuffaceous stratum (the development of the Grib Pipe from 2014 to 2016 yielded 10 million carats of diamonds extracted from its crater part), and they differ from the pipes in Finland, Norway and Sweden. The latter are characterized by a deep erosion cut, which reveals mainly the basal parts of the kimberlite structures. The Phanerozoic kimberlites of the Arkhangelsk Diamondiferous Province are characterized by an erosion cut revealing mainly diatreme and often crater facies (A. A. Nosova, V. A. Kononova, 2009).
A very unusual and established fact for our kimberlites is that they contain a large number of iron-manganese-titanium-silicate spherules. It is known from literary sources that such spherules are present in the kimberlites of the Yakut diamond-bearing province and are often found in the Catoca pipe (Angola). At the moment, it is possible to consider the availability of such spherules in sediments as a search sign of diamond content (Yatsenko, 2011).
Spherules
The team of like-minded geologists has covered a long way they started from regional works, outlined promising areas for exploration and evaluation, conducted expensive aerial magnetic survey for most of the licenses, performed a large volume of work on ground-based grading of local magnetic anomalies, produced a large number of high-quality modern analytical analyses, tried out new methods of electrical survey, computer simulation, and are verifying their findings by drilling operations. The result was not long in coming: the company has added seven kimberlite pipes to its assets.
Prospects for an investor, who put his money in an exploration project and received a result in the form of a diamond-bearing pipe based on assessment materials, are quite tangible: a multiple increase in the capitalization of his stake.
By Irina Gogol, Deputy Director for Development of Proex Service, Geochemist, MBA
Williamson production to remain suspended for up to three months Petra Petra Diamonds says a preliminary estimate suggests that production at its 75%-owned Williamson diamond mine in Tanzania will be temporarily suspended for up to three months until a new tailings storage facility (TSF) is commissioned.
Chinas wholesale gold demand dips due to seasonality and COVID disruptions in October The average Shanghai-London gold price premium remained elevated in October but fell during the second half of the month as COVID-related uncertainty clouded local gold demand prospects. Seasonal weakness and COVID-related disruptions weighed on Octobers...
Nornickel introduces automated remote-controlled drilling at Norilsk mines The automated drilling technology significantly enhances performance, improves safety, and ensures a stable workflow and delivery against the targets.
Iamgold revises 2022 production guidance upwards Dual-listed Iamgold produced 184 000 ounces (oz) in the third quarter from three of its operations compared to 153 000 oz, a year earlier. Of the three operations, its 90%-owned Essakane Mine in Burkina Faso delivered strong results and achieved...
Supervisory Board of ALROSA holds a meeting in Mirny
24 september 2017 News
On Saturday, the Supervisory Board of ALROSA held a meeting in Mirny chaired by Russias Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, who is also heading the Supervisory Board. In particular, the Board members supported the decision to hire an independent consultant to investigate the causes of the accident at the Mir Mine. The meeting also considered the issues related to optimizing the structure of the company's Executive Committee.
The Supervisory Board heard the report of the ALROSA management on the circumstances of the accident occurred at the Mir mine on August 4, 2017, as well as on the support measures that the company provides to the affected miners, including the implementation of the employment program for the Mir workers. At present, the commission of Rostechnadzor (Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service of Russia) continues to investigate the causes of the accident and the results of this investigation will be summed up within a few weeks.
The management of ALROSA also provided information on measures to enhance industrial safety, which the company will implement. In particular, the members of the Supervisory Board reviewed the proposals for the selection of a foreign auditor to independently examine the accident at the Mir Mine and the efficiency of the design decisions chosen during its construction. Following the consideration, it was decided to hire SRK Consulting to perform this job. The auditors work will last until the end of this year.
The Supervisory Board also decided to optimize the structure of ALROSA's Executive Committee in order to ensure representation of the companys managers supervising all its underlying activities and to exclude duplication of functions. Until now, the quantitative limit of the Executive Committee was 13 members (with 3 seats remaining vacant). Ultimately, the quantitative limit has been reduced to 9 members.
Simulatenously, there were changes in the very composition of the Executive Committee. Ivan Demyanov and Igor Kulichik, who left the company, as well Alexander Makhrachev, the head of the Udachninsky Mining Division, Ravil Sanatulov, the head of the Aikhal Mining Division, and Alexander Chaadayev, the head of the Yakutniproalmaz Institute, who continue their work in these positions, were withdrawn from the Executive Committee, as they are functionally reporting to Igor Sobolev, the companys First Vice President and Operational Director, who is sitting on the Executive Committee. Sergey Barsukov, Vice-President for Interaction with Government Authorities and for International Activities, Aleksey Filippovskiy, Vice-President for Economy and Finance, and Evgeny Agureev, Director of the United Selling Organization of ALROSA, were added to the Executive Committee.
By India Today Web Desk: Classy, elegant, and simply beautiful--if these are a few praises you're used to throwing at Kareena Kapoor Khan, just wait till you take a closer look at her latest avatar.
B-Town parties are usually glittery events, where celebs always manage to bring their A game. And the ensemble that Bebo donned for one such party recently had us wondering if there's any more glamourous she can get.
Kareena Kapoor Khan, spotted on her way to a party in Mumbai. Photo: Yogen Shah
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The 37-year-old star arrived at the party dressed in a black, one-shoulder dress that announced the fact that she's back in shape, and how. The outfit is perfect for anybody who wants to flaunt a toned body, and that's precisely what Kareena has.
Picture courtesy: Instagram/therealkareenakapoor
Also Read: Learn how to look HAWT in a saree from Kareena Kapoor Khan
The Ashish Soni dress didn't just fit her body perfectly, but also managed to flaunt her sharp collar bones. The long sleeve on her left balanced the glamour of the one-shoulder pattern with such subtlety that it set the ensemble a class-apart from your everyday little black dress.
Picture courtesy: Instagram/mohitrai
And so did the front-slit on the skirt of the dress, which added to the drama quotient of her not-so-generic look. While most of us can think of basic skater dresses as LBDs, Kareena actually pulled off a body-hugging one with a beautiful front-slit!
Picture courtesy: Instagram/mohitrai Picture courtesy: Instagram/mohitrai
Then there are the stunning accessories Kareena paired with this attire. The gorgeous, leafy, emerald brooch designed by Farah Khan Ali added much-needed glimmer to the elegant number. Portraying her taste for classy accessories and high-end fashion, the brooch is nothing like the regular accessories we see celebs sporting.
Also Read: Kareena Kapoor, Malaika Arora & others are making workout attire sexy again
The pointy, silver-grey Louboutins blend with the black dress to give it the same smoky look that Kareena's makeup does. The beauty of those Louboutins is in how they stand out of the dark tone of the ensemble, and yet manage to blend in perfectly.
Kareena Kapoor Khan and Karisma Kapoor, on the way to the party. Photo: Yogen Shah
Kareena's iconic smoky eyes and nude-lips are something she usually sticks to. And this time, sticking to this oldie-but-goldie technique helped her slay once again. The whole tone of the ensemble and makeup creates an aesthetic blend of colours that can woo every single heart.
And that's just what Kareena managed to do as she went to party with her sister Karisma, cousins and friends.
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By PTI: Kochi, Sep 24 (PTI) Thousands of madrassas in Pakistan preaching Saudi brand of Islam produce "ruthless militants in hundreds", the Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP) has said.
In a message to the two-day South Asian Regional Seminar of Communist and Left parties held here, the Central Committee of the CPP said that long-term tactics were designed by the military in Pakistan to tear the social fabric of the society.
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M A Baby, a member the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), circulated a copy of the CPPs message at a press conference on the concluding day of the seminar today.
The CPP, founded in Calcutta in 1948, has a marginal presence in Pakistan.
Baby said CPP representatives could not attend the conference as they were denied visa by the Indian authorities.
The CPI(M) organised the seminar to mark the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution in Russia.
The CPP said that during periods of military rule in Pakistan, the party was banned and hundreds of its leaders activists were jailed. Many of them disappeared, it said.
Even under these circumstances, the CPP continued its struggle for the basic rights of the masses.
It said the Pakistani military, soon after imposing martial law in the country in 1980, established some 60,000 madrassas which started preaching the Saudi brand of Islam. "To glamourise jihadi culture, special recruitments were made in universities, schools and colleges. Areas adjacent to the Afghan border were surrendered to jihadi outfits," it said.
"Textbooks were revised and fanatic sectarian articles were included in the curriculum. Democracy and secularism were synonyms for curse," it said.
The party alleged that the same pattern was being followed by the "establishment" in Pakistan even today.
"Madrassas are producing ruthless militants in hundreds. ...Students from public educational institutions are encouraged to join the ranks of militants," it said. PTI TGB SMN SC SC
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MANCHESTER, England (AP) Joseph Parker prevented the Fury family from reclaiming a world heavyweight title by beating Hughie Fury by a majority decision on Saturday, with the judges rewarding the New Zealander's attacking approach in an uneventful fight.
Parker failed to land many clean punches but was never in danger against Fury, who came with a game plan of negating Parker's power with his movement and foot speed and then counterattacking.
Two judges scored the fight 118-110 in favor of Parker. The other judge scored it 114-114.
"I felt I won, put on the pressure," Parker said. "It was a close fight, but I felt I came out on top."
It was the second successful defense of his belt, leaving Parker (24-0) to look ahead to a potential fight against WBA and IBF champion Anthony Joshua. Parker's promoter, Dave Higgins, said the fight could be arranged for the summer of 2018 at a big stadium in Britain.
"I don't care who I fight next, everyone and anyone," said Parker, who was fighting in the UK for the first time and plans for more fights here.
Hughie was attempting to match the achievement of his cousin, Tyson, who beat Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015 to win the WBA, WBO and IBF belts. Tyson was in Hughie's corner at Manchester Arena and leapt into the ring after the fight was over, mobbing his cousin in an attempt to convince the judges.
It didn't work. The Fury camp said it will be appealing the result.
"Disgusted to be honest," Fury said. "They've ruined peoples' lives tonight. I didn't think the score was right. I thought I won the fight easy."
Fury, who lost for the first time in 21 professional fights, is the subject of an ongoing UK Anti-Doping investigation after low-level traces of the steroid nandrolone were found in samples given by him in February 2015. He has denied any wrongdoing and is challenging their findings, leaving him free to box.
Parker described Fury's wafted punches as a "pitter-patter" and said he wasn't hurt once. Fury landed two uppercuts but lacked power with his punches. His awkward, evasive style didn't make for an entertaining fight in the first sporting event at the arena since the bomb attack in May.
The Owner of Rendezvous Restaurant & Bar at Maluafou, Manwell Kurene Endemann, is appealing to the public for help to find equipment stolen from his business ransacked by a thief of thieves yesterday morning.
Rendezvous was broken into, he told the Sunday Samoan.
At the moment the matter is with the Police now and they are investigating the incident.
This is the first time ever since Rendezvous was established that something like this has happened to it.
On a social media post yesterday, Mr. Endemann appeals for help from anyone who might have seen or heard anything that may lead to finding the thief or thieves.
The post reads: Rendezvous restaurant was broken into early this morning.
It must have been between 1am-5am and it would have been more than one person because a lot were taken.
If someone (s) tries to sell you; 2 black Samson speakers, 1 samson mixer, 2 mics, 1 white projector, 1 container cables, speaker wires, 1 panasonic stereo and 2 small black Panasonic speakers then please contact the police on 22222 or Kurene on 7503110.
Please pass this along to your friends or relatives. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.
For the first time in nine years since we opened Rendezvous Restaurant this has happened.
Spirits were also broken.
Our Karaoke Thursday will be cancelled until further notice.
Attempt to get a comment from the police was unsuccessful.
Four police officers have been charged with assault.
The charges were confirmed in a press release issued by the Samoa Police Service on is Facebook page.
Four police officers have been charged with assault early this week, the statement reads.
The charges were the result of an internal investigation by the Police Professional Standards Unit in relation to an incident from last year.
The victims were both males ages 21 and 19.
The officers have been remanded in liberty and will appear in court for mention on the 10th of October 2017.
The S.P.S has a zero tolerance policy on this kind of behaviour from its officers and it is committed to ensure the public has confidence in its Police Service.
According to a police officer who spoke to the Sunday Samoan on the condition of anonymity, the incident occurred last year in December.
It was an incident in one of the villages within Faleata District where the police were contacted for help, said the source.
The said police officers responded to the call and when they arrived at the scene, they were attacked.
They managed to arrest one of the people from the family and they took him to the station.
On the next day the family of this person visited him and when he (the accused) came out he had bruises all over his face. So the family laid a complaint against the police officers.
According to the source it has been a while since the family laid a complaint.
Last week the Professional Unit Standard confirmed the charges and the police officers are remanded in liberty.
They are scheduled to appear in court on 10 October 2017.
The unfortunate increased permit fees targeting only American Samoan born citizens entering Samoa will be addressed at the Two Samoa Talks next month in Apia.
This is according to the American Samoa Attorney General, Talauega Elesalo Ale in response to the Samoa Observer questions following the increase of permit fees for U.S. nationals.
I am aware that Samoa is raising its fees targeting specifically U.S nationals born in American Samoa only.
While I see this as unfortunate, I have no say in the matter, said Talauega.
According to the Press Secretary, from 9 October, 2017 the fee for a permit for up to 14 days will double to $US20; for urgent issuance the fee will be $US30 and for multiple entries for 12 months will cost $US150. For U.S national overstayers there will be a new fee of $200 tala, or $US80, in addition.
The A.S.A.G. reiterated that American Samoa has no control over the increases fees.
Samoa is an independent sovereign country and she is free to impose whatever fees she wishes to impose on travelers to her shores, even if these fees are specific to those of us born in American Samoa.
We have no plans to respond in kind by raising our fees against Samoan citizens. Talauega further stated the fees they have in place do not target just Samoa citizens, they apply to all countries.
If anything we offer lower fees and special permits to Samoan citizens and try to make it easier for Samoa citizens to enter American Samoa.
In any event, I am sure this issue will be addressed at the Two Samoa Talks next month, said Talauega.
All the new fees and costs will go into effect October 9th, 3 days before the Two Samoa Talks.
According to the Press Secretary, the delay in granting entry permits for Samoan nationals to travel to Amerika Samoa has led to complaints registered with the Ministry of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Its an inconvenience that government has been trying for years to resolve with the territorial government as the bottleneck originates from American Samoa and her permit-approving procedures.
For instance, American Samoans wanting an entry permit to enter Samoa can apply in person to Samoas Consulate Office in Fagatogo and received their permits the same day.
But for local residents, they are required to email a passport copy, a return ticket and contacts of their sponsors in the territory to the American Samoa Immigration Office.
And from there, they wait.
Government has exhausted avenues to streamline the processing of entry permit request from our side, explained M.P.M.C.s Chief Executive Agafili Tomaimano Shem Leo.
But while we have streamlined our permit processes, we still have to comply with American Samoas procedures.
As the leading government agency organizing the Two Samoa talks to take place in Apia next month, Agafili says that the entry permit issue will be one of the issues on the agenda.
A two-day hearing against two men accused over a package intercepted by Customs Officers at the Fagalii Airport, which contained ice, started last week.
Scott Barlow and Fatu Vagana are facing one joint charge of possession of methamphetamine to which they have both pleaded not guilty.
In addition, Mr. Barlow faces a charge of possession of a utensil namely a pipe, commonly used to smoke ice/meth. He has also pleaded not guilty to this charge.
Presiding over the matter was Supreme Court Judge, Tafaoimalo Leilani Tuala Warren.
The prosecutor was Fatumanavaupolu Ofisa Tagaloa and Anne of the Attorney Generals office while Scott Barlow is represented by Aumua Ming Leung Wai.
Leiataualesa Jerry Brunt appeared on behalf of Fatu Vagana.
According to Fatumanavaupolu, the prosecution have 16 witnesses including a taxi driver Junior Pilitati Tavita, who drove Barlow and Vagana to the airport on the day of the incident and Harry Samau an employee of Talofa Airways who was working on the same day.
The first witness called was Junior Pilitati Tavita of Alamagoto.
He was a former employee of Scott Barlow and his wife back from 2007-2012 however, he no longer works for Barlow but is a taxi driver who Barlow occasionally contacts to pick up his wife and children.
During Mr. Tavitas testimony, he recalled on the 28th June, 2017 Mr. Barlow contacted him and asked if he could come to his home at Ululoloa.
I went and picked up his wife and daughter, dropped his wife at Lotemau and his daughter off at school, he said.
I was also instructed by Scott to come back around 10am.
When I came back to his house, he then told me to go to the wharf and pick up his friend.
So I went to the wharf arrived there just before 11 oclock and when the ferry arrived I picked up his friend and we headed back to Apia to Scotts house at Ululoloa.
On our way back, this person asked me if I had a pen. I told him where the pen was and I handed him my cash power receipt and thats when I saw him writing down the name Penina Setu.
We came straight back to Ululoloa to Scotts place but when we arrived, Scott was not there. So I left his friend there and came to get corn beef from his baby sitter and then I went back. Scott was there at the time and then we ate.
Mr. Tavita told the court that before they left Scotts home he (Scott) instructed him to get a tissue that was inside his van.
I went and got the tissue and I put it on the side of my door, he said.
It was Scott, Fatu, myself and Scotts employee who we dropped off at Lotemau then we went to Fagalii,
When we arrived at Fagalii Airport Scott went inside and came back and we waited for the plane. Not long after, the plane arrived and then Scott went inside the airport a second time.
About half an hour after Scott went inside the airport, thats when police arrived, searched my car and took us all to the police station.
Fatumanavaupolu then asked Mr. Tavita how he came to know what was inside the tissue.
When I went to get the tissue, Scott told me to hold it properly in case the pipe dropped out, said Mr. Tavita.
Meanwhile, an employee of Talofa Airways, Harry Samau who deals with the check-ins, as well as clearing the cargo, was working on the 28th June, 2017.
There was a man he was white but he spoke in Samoan. He came and told me that he had an envelope that is being brought in by our flight that he was there to pick it up, said Mr. Samau.
I told him then that when the flight arrived I would bring his envelope to him but it was around noon.
There was an envelope that came in on the flight 512 and I remembered this because this was the only envelope that came in on this flight 512 and cargo. I was the one who had the envelope because I was the one who cleared the flight.
I came and gave the envelope to the man who came and asked me before, however the man told me that the envelope was not his.
I then told him that this was the only envelope that came on this flight but he said no so I brought him inside our office where there were more envelopes that had arrived in the morning to see if we had his envelope that he was looking for.
We went through all the envelopes that were in the office and I was looking through our airways bill and while I was looking through the airways bill I turned around and thats when I saw him holding a bag.
I then told the man that he could not touch the bag and I took it away from him.
The man then told me that this was his bag.
I then said to him that he told me that it was an envelope he was seeking and that now its cargo but he insisted that the bag belonged to him.
Mr. Samau said he went through the airways bill and it matched the information on the bag and the information that was on the airway bill.
I asked him to confirm the names and I saw the airway bill that it matched the name that the man was saying.
The sender was Sera Apineru and the receiver was Penina Setu. I then asked the man if he had an ID of Penina Setu but he said he didnt have an ID of Penina Setu.
I then told him that if the cargo belonged to him it had to go through Customs and Quarantine. He didnt say anything else he just followed me there and thats where our service ended because it was now with Customs and Quarantine.
Scott Robert Barlow, who testified on the second day denied having any knowledge about ice/meth being sent from American Samoa nor about owning the pipe in question.
Before the day of the incident Fatu called me the night before and said that he needed some quick money because he was building a house in Savaii and he asked if I could help sell some ice for him, said Mr. Barlow.
He told me that he was coming from Savaii on the morning ferry and returning in the evening and he asked if I could pick him up from the wharf. I told him I couldnt but I would send someone to get him.
Junior Pilitati went and got Fatu from the wharf and then brought him to my home at Ululoloa but at that time, I thought that he had already had some ice on him.
Mr. Barlow told the court he did not know they were going to go to the airport until Fatu asked him if they could go pick up an envelope with money in it.
We got to the airport and I told Fatu that he had to tip someone at the airport to make sure the envelope arrived safely and didnt get mixed up, said Mr.Barlow.
Fatu said he did not have any money so I went and gave the employee of Talofa Airways, Harry Samau a tip of $50 to make sure that the envelope arrived safely.
When the plane arrived, Mr. Samau came and showed me some envelopes but the names on those envelopes did not match the name I was asking for.
While heading to the car Mr. Samau called me again and told me to come with him inside his office to try and find the envelope that I was looking for.
We got to the office and Harry went through everything and said to me there is no envelope by the name of Penina Setu.
I was sitting down at the time and my back was faced to the door. Not long after, another guy that was in the office asked what we were looking for. Both me and Harry answered Setu Penina. That person then told me that the name is on a pack bag.
Harry then picked up the bag, opened it and searched it. He walked to where the Customs and Quarantine were to search the bag and told me that there was no envelope inside the bag.
Aumua reminded his client yesterday that during Harry Samaus testimony, he had told the court that Mr. Barlow was the one who took the bag and held it (afisi pei se pepe).
I never touched that bag. It was Harry who got the bag put it on the drawer, opened it up and went through the stuff inside, said Mr. Barlow.
You can search for my fingerprints on that bag and you will find nothing because I never touched that bag.
Mr. Barlow also told the court when he was questioned by Aumua, how he came to know the name of the sender.
In response, Mr. Barlow said he was told by Fatu on their way to the airport of the senders name.
Mr. Barlow said when Harry took the bag to the Quarantine and Customs the person from Quarantine pretty much cleared the bag however the Customs officer was the one who went through the bag again.
So the Customs guy, Charles Bell brought the chocolates out, the lollies and also an ie lavalava, said Mr. Barlow.
When the guy brought the ie lavalava out there was a knot on the ie and at that time I felt nervous. I was worried and all these mixed feeling came rushing to me.
Charles asked what it was and I told them that I was there for an envelope with money in it, not a bag.
He opened the knot and that was when I saw two bags of crystal ice.
I then begged him to help me and I told him that I would pay them $5,000 tala each but to let me go because this is not what I was there for .I was there to pick up an envelope with money in it, I thought of my wife and my children at that time.
I told him I would do anything for them and the guy actually thought about it but he called the police anyway.
I had no knowledge whatsoever that we were going to the airport to get a bag because I was told it was money, I was told it was an envelope, not a bag.
If I knew it was ice, I wouldnt go to the airport.
The matter has been adjourned to the 3rd October for defense counsel and prosecution to put forward their final submissions.
Theres no place like home.
That is the belief of Junior Chang from Leusoalii.
When speaking to the Village Voice; the 27 year old said you cant find peace anywhere else but at home.Not for him the bright lights and buzz of Apia.
Home is where peace lies within, he told Village Voice. Where theres peace, theres happiness.
I love my life right now especially living a life in the rural village because I always feel at peace with no problems.
Its true we do run into minor problems from time to time within the village but life in the rural village; its manageable because everything is easy and everyone get along fine with each other.
Everyone just goes about doing their own thing without looking at what the other person is doing. They dont meddle with other families matters.
According to Junior, he cant imagine himself anywhere else but home.
For me, home is always the best place to be. You feel safe within your own walls and nobody has your back like your own family.
I am the eldest amongst my siblings and I am trying my best to be the best role model for the younger ones.
I think thats the problem in some families nowadays is that they dont know their roles and responsibilities anymore.
Too many people in Apia have made it so hard for people to find peace within themselves. Its too crowded and thats why they always end up somewhere else seeking advice and peace rather than from their own families.
But we always need time to be alone with our families especially our parents right?
Thats the good thing about staying in the rural villages; we are encouraged to take our families seriously. We are encouraged to know how to work out ways to put food on the table for our families.
Thats our focus and everybody else knows that so thats why over here; another person doesnt mind anothers business because they know their place and they know their responsibility.
PARIS (AP) Researchers say Islamic State supporters have found an ephemeral platform to share propaganda: Using Instagram's "stories" feature, which causes posts to disappear in 24 hours.
With successive military defeats in Iraq and Syria, many of its recruits dead or on the run and its Twitter and Facebook accounts being shut down, the group's propaganda drive is increasingly homemade. But a recent analysis found the networks of people inspired by the group remain strong elsewhere.
The software analysis identified more than 50,000 accounts linked to Islamic State supporters posting Instagram stories, according to Andrea Stroppa, who is part of the software research group called Ghost Data.
Of those 50,000, just over 10,000 are described as strongly-linked to IS they follow core IS accounts and are followed back, and about 30 percent of their posted content is about the group.
"They send a message that they know will disappear but they know who the audience is. They are using these stories because they know it is a safe channel to share information," said Stroppa, who is also affiliated with the World Economic Forum.
There is no sign that the majority of the posts are from Islamic State's central propaganda units rather, they tend to be personal snapshots with little production value, like a clip of the IS trademark black flag, or a bloody photo showing what happens to "traitors."
Instagram is owned by Facebook, which came under pressure to close accounts linked to Islamic State supporters after governments said it was being used as a propaganda and recruitment tool. At the height of Islamic State's recruitment drive in the West in 2014 and 2015, the group's propaganda was of a quality unseen in other extremist groups. On Wednesday, the U.N. General Assembly was focusing on extremist content on the internet, with social media front and center.
In a statement Wednesday, Instagram said "There is no place for terrorists, terrorist propaganda, or the praising of terror activity on Instagram, and we work aggressively to remove content or an account as soon as we become aware of it."
The company said its policy prohibits terrorist content, and that it has specialized teams that work to stop the spread of such posts from its platform.
Seamus Hughes, deputy director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, said the crackdown by Twitter and Facebook is a big reason why the content is moving elsewhere.
On places like Instagram and Tumblr, "you are usually looking at supporter-driven creations," he said. "I just don't see guys in Raqqa building Instagram stories."
Nathan Patin, who analyzes extremist social media for the website Bellingcat and reviewed the report and database, said the ability to scrape social media for geotags offers new insight into Islamic State supporters.
IS supporters still rely primarily upon the encrypted app Telegram, but Patin said they "will use every platform that's available." The difference with Instagram stories, he added, is that they're public and in "one post they're posting Islamic State propaganda and in the next they're posting at a restaurant that's geotagged."
The analysis bolsters a conclusion this week by Policy Exchange, a British think tank, that Islamic State's ability to reconstitute its online networks is undiminished. Policy Exchange found that Islamic State places a premium on speed and agility to move between platforms. It also said IS output of online activity remains consistent, even when the group is under pressure militarily, by finding a "dispersed and resilient form."
A potential weekend-long traffic nightmare got off to a smooth start Saturday, with transportation and border officials reporting no major issues as construction crews manning excavators tackled a crucial portion of the $741 million expansion of the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
All traffic southbound on Interstates 5 and 805 was shut down at Route 905, and drivers wishing to go into Mexico were directed to the port of entry in Otay Mesa. No vehicles were allowed to pass from the U.S. side of the border into Mexico at the San Ysidro port.
The closures began at 3 a.m. Saturday and will remain in place until noon Monday, a period totaling 57 hours.
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While cars and trucks are prohibited, public transportation such as the Metropolitan Transit System trolley is still in service, and pedestrian traffic is open on both sides of the border.
In order to avoid a Carmageddon of epic traffic snarls, authorities from the California Highway Patrol, Caltrans and the U.S. General Services Administration waged an informational campaign warning travelers of the freeway shutdown and posting electronic signs along interstates as far north as Los Angeles in the days and weeks leading up to the closure.
By 5 p.m. Saturday, it appeared drivers took the warnings to heart, as officials reported no major traffic problems.
Of course there might be some things we might see that are unexpected, like accidents, but so far we have been going according to the plan, said Lima Saft, a transportation engineer at Caltrans, who spent the day monitoring cameras from the CHP/Caltrans Transportation Management Center.
Watching from a pedestrian bridge overlooking the San Ysidro Port of Entry Saturday morning, General Services Administration senior asset manager Anthony Kleppe was pleased to see a 6,000-square-foot steel and canvas canopy spanning I-5 had already been removed by workers using hydraulic clippers.
This is a ballet, Kleppe said. Theres a tremendous amount of coordination between contractors and government agencies, including the U.S Customs and Border Protection.
By 8 a.m., Kleppe said the project was already about a half-hour ahead of schedule.
We have very clear milestones, Kleppe said. Were going to get what has to be done during the 57 hours If we dont hit our milestones, we can defer and do limited lane closure afterwards. But were going to open by noon Monday. Thats a hard date.
This weekends freeway shutdown is reminiscent of the original Carmageddon the closure of a large swath of Interstate 405 in Los Angeles for a highway expansion project in 2011.
Lessons from the I-405 experience as well as some smaller projects in the San Diego area in recent years have led Caltrans officials to think the best way to tackle massive highway projects is to concentrate them into separate and distinct time periods.
Sometimes it just makes sense to tell people: Just stay away, said Laurie Berman, Caltrans director for District 11 that includes San Diego and Imperial counties. We get a tremendous amount of work done over a short time frame and then were not out there closing this lane, closing that lane and inconveniencing you every single day.
The port at San Ysidro is the busiest border crossing in the Western Hemisphere with about 70,000 vehicles and 20,000 pedestrians moving between the U.S. and Mexico each day.
The San Diego Association of Governments recently estimated an 87 percent increase in vehicle traffic by 2030 in the San Ysidro area.
Before Saturdays construction began, five lanes of traffic moved vehicles from California into Tijuana.
On Monday, three lanes will reopen. Four lanes are scheduled to open Nov. 21, and by the time the project is slated to be completed in 2019, 10 lanes will be in use.
The road construction is part of a larger border project aimed at increasing efficiencies and commerce between the San Diego and Tijuana area.
This is just part of the process of delivering a lot of new capacity to the region, Kleppe said.
Thats good news for Cindy Gompper-Graves, president and CEO of the South County Economic Development Council.
This weekend is going to be an inconvenience, but it is a small price to pay to get a border that works, she said. The border is not working because wait times are extremely long, sometimes hours and hours.
A study conducted in 2012 by the Southern California Association of Governments and the Imperial County Transportation Commission estimated more than 4,800 jobs in California and about 3,900 jobs in Baja California were not created due to border delays, resulting in aggregate economic losses estimated at $620 million for California and $755 million for Mexico.
Anything that impedes commerce, that impedes business productivity, that is inefficient, is a problem for business, Gompper-Graves said. But once we turn that corner, and once we get this thing working right I think youll see the San Diego and Tijuana region begin to fully appreciate what it means to be a binational region.
The freeway closures made for a quiet day for many San Ysidro businesses.
At the popular Las Americas Premium Outlets, Jacob Lira, a sales associate at Signature Perfume, guessed customer volume at 11 a.m. was down about 70 percent compared to a typical Saturday.
Right now its like a Monday, he said. Its so slow.
About the same time, the Designer Studio, which sells trendy clothes and accessories for women and kids, was empty.
Manager Lorenzo Baillieux said the freeway closure will hurt business this weekend because drivers in the San Diego area will have to use surface streets instead of the interstate. If you do not know the area, you cannot come down, he said. There are a lot of tourists who wont come down here.
But Rene Padilla, a 21-year-old student from Tijuana, took the pedestrian bridge to the outlet mall to take advantage of the situation.
Im thinking the people arent going to cross (the border) so the malls will have no lines, he said.
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rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com
(619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 24 (PTI) In a bid to make the functioning of the countrys transparency watchdog CIC transparent, the Delhi High Court has directed it to maintain a record of daily proceedings and upload it within three days of the hearing a case.
The order came after the Central Information Commission (CIC) told the High Court that most of the cases were decided on the basis of a single hearing and hence, there was no requirement for maintaining the record of daily orders.
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"This submission is ex-facie unacceptable. The functioning of the CIC must be transparent, and it is necessary that a record of daily proceedings be maintained," a high court Justice Vibhu Bakhru said in a recent order.
He said even if the hearing is concluded on a single date, the order sheet maintained on that day should clearly reflect that the hearing has concluded, even though the decision is rendered subsequently.
The case pertained to RTI activist R K Jain who had challenged an order of former Information Commissioner Sushma Singh, alleging that during the hearing of his case, his plea was allowed.
But the written order, which came after over nine months, was completely opposite and did not factor in the arguments, submissions and observations made during the hearing.
He also claimed that no record of the proceedings or order sheet of the hearings is kept by the Information Commissioner.
Jain had also cited the case of another activist Subhash Agrawal, where the final order was completely different from the directives and observations made during the hearing.
In his plea, he had sought directions from the High Court for the CIC to maintain and keep the records of proceedings or order sheet of the hearings.
Justice Bakhru pointed out that in March 2016, the CIC had shown willingness to maintain the daily order sheets and prayed for some time from the High Court to evolve a procedure.
"Thus, sufficient time has been provided to the CIC to put in place a procedure for recording of order sheets; however, even today, the learned counsel (of CIC) is not in a position to inform this court, the procedure for ensuring recording of order sheets," the court said.
"In view of the above, the CIC is directed to maintain the order sheets for each hearing...The said order sheet would also be uploaded as expeditiously as possible and in any case not later than three days from the date of hearing," the high court directed.
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It also asked the Central Information Commission ensure that all the systems are accordingly modified to accommodate its directions. PTI ABS ARC DV
--- ENDS ---
CITY COUNCILS
CARLSBAD
The Carlsbad City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers at 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive. In regular session at 7 p.m., the council will consider an ordinance prohibiting commercial marijuana activity and regulating cultivation of marijuana for personal use, and making violations misdemeanors. The council will also consider an ordinance amending city code on second dwelling units (accessory dwelling units) to be consistent with changes to government code; and a resolution accepting the final Village, Barrio and beach area parking management plan.
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ENCINITAS
The Encinitas City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers, 505 S. Vulcan Ave., to discuss the first drafts of the Coastal Mobility & Livability Study related to the Coastal Business Districts parking study and the Rail Corridor Vision Study.
ESCONDIDO
The Escondido City Council will meet in closed session to discuss labor negotiations at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers at 201 N. Broadway. In regular session at 4:30 p.m., the council will hold a CalPERS pension workshop regarding unfunded liabilities.
SAN MARCOS
The San Marcos City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 1 Civic Center Drive, when it will give final approval to the subdivision map for the San Elijo Hills Town Center, and introduce an ordinance renaming the Community Services Department to the Parks and Recreation Department.
SOLANA BEACH
The Solana Beach City Council will meet in closed session to discuss personnel and litigation at 5 p.m. Wednesday in City Council Chambers, 635 S. Highway 101. In regular session at 6 p.m., the council will hear an update on the design proposed for the La Colonia skatepark and consider advertising for construction bids; will discuss adding $65,000 to the agreement with STC Traffic Inc. for Phase 2 of the Lomas Santa Fe Corridor Feasibility Study; will finalize a resolution to streamline the permit process for adding electric vehicle charging systems; and create a Solana Beach-Del Mar Relations Standing Committee to discuss matters affecting both cities.
VISTA
The Vista City Council is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in City Council Chambers, 200 Civic Center Drive, when it will discuss an initiative petition for an ordinance to legalize medical marijuana businesses. The council must either adopt the ordinance, without alteration, within 10 days; submit it to voters at the next election (Nov. 6, 2018) or order a report within 30 days, at which time the city must either adopt the ordinance or put it on the ballot. The council will also discuss options for permitting medical marijuana dispensaries, delivery, cultivation and testing.
SCHOOL DISTRICTS
DEL MAR
The Del Mar Union School District board is scheduled to meet at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Del Mar Union School District Office Training Center, 11232 El Camino Real, San Diego.
OCEANSIDE
The Oceanside Unified School District board is scheduled to meet in closed session to discuss labor negotiations, personnel and litigation at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Chavez Middle School, 202 Oleander Drive. In regular session at 6 p.m., the board will consider a resolution to approve a supplemental employee retirement plan for employees ages 55 and up and with a minimum of five years of service with the district.
SAN DIEGUITO
The San Dieguito Union High School District board will meet in closed special session at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Earl Warren Middle School, 155 Stevens Ave., to discuss changing the trustee election process to the by-district system.
laura.groch@sduniontribune.com
More than 40 years after it ended, the Vietnam War is back in the national conversation with the Ken Burns/Lynn Novick documentary currently airing in 10 parts over 18 hours on public television.
The war and its bloodiest battle are also at the center of Hue 1968, a book by veteran journalist Mark Bowden that became a New York Times bestseller shortly after its release in June.
Bowden, best known for Black Hawk Down, a reconstruction of the disastrous 1993 military raid in Somalia that left 18 Americans dead and more than 70 wounded, will be at Warwicks bookstore in La Jolla on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
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In his retelling, the weeks-long battle for Hue launched as part of the Tet Offensive by North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong forces helped alter the course of the war. There was no more conjecture that the war could be won swiftly or easily, he writes. The end was not in view. The debate was never again about how to win but about how to leave.
In addition to his books, Bowden writes for Atlantic, Vanity Fair and other magazines, and is the writer in residence at the University of Delaware.
Q: The Vietnam War is having a moment, with your book and the Ken Burns/Lynn Novick documentary on PBS. How have our feelings about the war evolved?
A: Probably half or more of people who would pick up my book werent even born when the war was fought. For them, its just a piece of history. For that reason, we can finally take a step back and try to think about the war apart from the political poles that have always defined it in American life.
Those of us who are old enough to have lived through it, were not allowed much gray area. Youre either for it or against it. Increasingly, there are vast audiences interested in the war who have none of that baggage. I think our feelings have matured, and thats because enough time has passed to give us some perspective, but not so much time that we dont have any witnesses left. Fifty years thats the sweet spot.
Q: What did you know about the Hue battle before you started researching it?
A: Almost nothing. Id heard about the Tet Offensive and I had dim memories from my youth of the press coverage, like photos in Life magazine. Id read Stanley Karnows Vietnam: A History. Most of the things Id seen focused on the overall Tet Offensive, and not Hue in particular.
Q: What is important about Hue?
A: It was the most important part of the Tet Offensive, even though it was not recognized as such at the time. The scope and devastation of that battle really shocked me. I knew Vietnam was terrible for those who fought it, but this kind of pitched battle in the streets, the urban warfare, is what we usually associate with World War II.
Working on this book gave me a deeper appreciation of the courage and sacrifice demanded of American soldiers and Marines, and a heightened appreciation for the sophistication of the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong.
Q: You point out the miscalculations American military commanders made about Hue. Why were they so often wrong?
A: Hanoi and the North Vietnamese Army were good. You have to give them credit. You cant move an army outside the third largest city in the country and not trip alarms from the citizens unless you are good at what you are doing.
But I think Hue also demonstrated some of the arrogance and ignorance of the American military leaders. Gen. (William) Westmoreland believed he had a far stronger command of the situation than was really true. Even after Hue was taken, he refused to believe it had happened. He generally couldnt believe that they could pull one over on the mighty United States of America.
Q: How did the battle shape Americas understanding of the war?
A: I think it tilted it. There was souring on the war already under way in the United States and it was growing. Eugene McCarthys decision to run against (President Lyndon) Johnson was an indication of how broad the opposition to the war was getting.
I do think the war was supported by most Americans, but the images from the Battle of Hue were so shocking it was not at all the war people had anticipated or been sold that it did help to tilt opposition to the war.
Q: What role did journalists play in this?
A: I think the reporting from Hue, which directly contradicted the official accounts, is part of what shaped Americas reaction. The Johnson administration and Westmorelands command set themselves up for a much greater fall by insisting everything was going great when they knew it wasnt true.
The accusation at the time was that journalists were painting an unfairly bleak image, but what I found is that they were telling the truth. When you interview hundreds of Americans and Vietnamese, and then you read the accounts in the New York Times and you read the public statements of Johnson and Westmoreland, its clear who was telling the truth.
When people tell me journalists lost the war, I tell them that if you count telling people the truth as losing the war, then youre right. Because what was actually happening there was horrific.
Q: This is very much a ground-level view of the war. Why did you want to tell it that way?
A: Thats the way I always work. Im not a historian by trade; Im a journalist. Im looking for the human element, the dramatic center of the story. You write from the ground up and you find the people most directly affected.
Q: It was interesting to me that the first people we meet in the book are Vietnamese. What message if any do you hope that sends the reader?
A: It signals to the reader that it is an account through the eyes of both the Vietnamese and the Americans. Thats whats new about this book.
Originally I had written a foreword about a 17-year-old kid from Philly named Lefty (Richard Leflar) who arrives in Hue and very quickly finds himself terrified, literally in a hole in the ground, curled in a fetal position and caught up in the worst battle of the war. I thought it would be interesting to then move immediately to an 18-year-old Vietnamese girl, Che Thi Mung, for whom the war is her life. Her family has been fighting for years.
As it turned out, I moved the Lefty story farther back into the book, which gave me an opportunity to paint a picture of Hue at the outset, and to introduce people to Che. Shes not at all what people think of when they think of the Viet Cong.
Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam, by Mark Bowden, Atlantic Monthly Press, 608 pages
john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-2236
More than 150 years after the Civil War ended, America still seems to be fighting that bloody conflicts battles, over and over again.
Confederate monuments remain flash points of this countrys shameful legacy of slavery, and the recent, racially charged violence in Charlottesville, Va. barely 60 miles from where Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union forces at Appomattox Court House demonstrates just how far weve failed to come.
In Suzan-Lori Parks Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3), set during the war between the North and the South, a slave gets a shot at freedom but only if he will agree to fight for the Confederacy alongside his master.
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This story of agonizing compromises and the sense that ones identity is under constant assault is told in contemporary language by Parks, a Pulitzer Prize winner in 2002 for Topdog/Underdog.
But that stylistic touch is hardly needed to establish the plays modern-day resonance. Just ask Antonio T.J. Johnson, the distinguished San Diego actor whos appearing in Intrepid Theatres local premiere of the 2016 work, and who has confronted some truths behind the play without even taking the stage.
He and cast mate Wrekless Watson, who is playing the central role of Hero, were at the downtown Horton Grand Theatre recently, working with scripts in hand, when they were (by Johnsons description) profiled as people who didnt belong in this area because of the color of our skin.
Security was called, and the actors, who are both African-American, were made to answer for themselves before going about their business.
We cant get away from it, says Johnson of the mindset behind the incident, which was instigated by someone outside the theater company.
Intrepid producing artistic director Christy Yael-Cox, whos directing the show, points to the episode as a great example of the insistent, pervasive, systemic racism from someone who Im sure did not feel they were racist, but made assumptions based on how this society is constructed that takes us all the way back to how America was built.
Its not for nothing that Part 1 of Wars is titled A Measure of Man; in the play, Hero is sized up as mere property, to the point that he himself wonders whether he has value beyond the cash someone is willing to pay for him.
And yet the actors and director say the 2014 work, patterned loosely and even playfully after Homers mythical epic The Odyssey, is far from some kind of screed.
Parks writes so beautifully and musically and lyrically, says Yael-Cox. She focuses on the individual experiences and the individual relationships, and tells the story through those individual experiences.
At the same time, there is something very sort of epic and classic about it. Its rare and remarkable to be able to create a piece of theater like this.
Shes been able, consistently throughout the entire play, to maintain that connective tissue between the Civil War and slavery, and today. We really are looking at that time in history through our experiences today.
It works so effectively because it makes it so resonant and visceral and accessible.
Finding the light
To Watson, a Brooklyn native and relative newcomer to San Diego stages, the humor is an important part of what makes the play hit home.
Even in the worst of times, you laugh, as he puts it. I dont care who you are you find something to smile about. It gives you the truth, it gives you the real it gives you the hard truth and the real.
But it also lets you smile and laugh and enjoy. Youre not going to come out of there feeling as though youre under a black cloud. It has it all love, romance, insecurities, jealousy, passion. Its such a well-rounded piece.
Whats also key to the play, Watson adds, is that its central character is not defined solely by race or any other label.
Hes what we all are, in a sense, Watson says. If you take it away from race, the black and white thing, or male and female, hes just an individual whos scared, who has his questions, whos insecure, who doesnt know who he should be sometimes. Who feels strongly about some things, and a question mark about these other things.
Its like, Wait, this human being is just as unsure about everything as I am! Thats how Ive been able to tap (into) the character.
To Johnson, the plural word Wars in the title is an important clue to the thrust of the play to its focus on battles both external and internal, finite and eternal.
There are so many wars going on, he says. Were fighting Mother Nature, were fighting each other. There are so many things, if you go down the list. It grabs all of us.
It does seem futile, but I think that part of it is about our journey. Even the futility is part of our journey.
Playwrights odyssey
Parks envisions an impressively epic journey for Wars, which she hopes will eventually encompass nine parts. The three parts of the existing work, which was named a Pulitzer finalist in 2015, also encompass Hero and his masters encounter with a captured white Union soldier named Smith, and Heros eventual homecoming.
Its three parts, but all one big story, says Yael-Cox, whose cast also includes Yvonne Brown, Rhys Green, Cortez Johnson, Tamara McMillian, Jim Mooney, Durwood Murray, Leonard Patton, Tom Stephenson and Sean Yael-Cox (the directors husband and fellow Intrepid founder).
It is like a soap opera or like a really great miniseries. And at the end of the third part, you feel pretty satisfied. But then at the same time, youre looking forward to seeing these people again.
That second part with Hero and the colonel and Smith, the captured Union soldier is not about ideology. Its about three people sitting and talking and understanding race and the history of the country through these individual lenses.
Its one of the more fascinating things that Ive ever seen onstage.
As unavoidably raw as the plays subject matter can be, given the tenor of our own times, Johnson says the ultimate obligation of the artists involved is to authenticity, not politics.
We really have a duty as performers to tell the truth, he says. We cant come into a situation as revolutionaries, bending the truth. The honesty of the play will take care of itself.
If its political, its by happenstance. We cant come into it politically. Its just not fair to the audience or the performer although it personally affects us, and we grit our teeth and we say Damn! sometimes.
Until we get through with the piece, we have to be real honest. Thats also the privilege and the honor of being in the business, is that we get to do that.
Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)
When: In previews. Opens Saturday (Sept. 30). 7:30 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Oct. 22.
Where: Intrepid Theatre at the Horton Grand Theatre, 444 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp Quarter.
Tickets: $29-$58 (discounts available)
Phone: (888) 718-4253
Online: intrepidtheatre.org
Changes at Intrepid
For Intrepid Theatre, Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) will conclude with a goodbye to the companys latest home, the Horton Grand Theatre.
Intrepid has announced that it is moving out of the Gaslamp Quarter space, which has been its performance base since early 2016 most recently in a sharing arrangement with San Diego Musical Theatre. (SDMT, for its part, has announced it will leave its own most recent venue, the Spreckels Theatre, and produce solely at the Horton Grand.)
Intrepid plans to shift its focus to the kinds of community partnerships exemplified by Exiled Voices: The Refugee Art Experience, a project that brought the stories of young San Diego refugee students to vivid life onstage last year.
We have always been a theater company that values community engagement, said Intrepid producing artistic director Christy Yael-Cox. Since (the 2015 production of) The Quality of Life, we have been inviting community leaders into conversation and partnership with our audiences to more deeply explore the themes in our plays.
We would like to continue this work on a larger scale, prioritizing our ability to support the community.
Exiled Voices really confirmed for us the impact of theater on a community and the power it holds to influence minds and hearts, Yael-Cox added. Even outside of San Diego, there has been interest in what we did here, in leveraging theatre to create empathy for the refugee population.
We have been asked to write about this project for the California Department of Social Services Refugee Bureau and to present on it at the 2017 Refugee Summit, and have received numerous requests from cities and schools across the country to replicate the program as a resource for communities and for social service workers who support the refugee population.
So we know that this work has value and that it resonates on a very large scale. We know that there is a need for it and we have decided to dedicate more space in our programming to fill that need, even if that means scaling back on our mainstage productions.
Intrepids next mainstage show will take place in mid-2018.
We cant reveal details about Season Eight at this time, including the venue, said Yael-Cox, but I can say that we just got the rights to Simon Stephens The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, a play we are deeply passionate about and excited to explore.
JAMES HEBERT
jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @jimhebert
Theres nothing like listing sandwich artist to burnish ones resume, right? But for Sheri, Ted and Jamie, three worker bees at an in-mall sandwich shop in Somewhere, U.S.A., its not about resumes its about living paycheck to paycheck while retaining if they can at least a slice of dignity.
When it looks like the sandwich shop wont be able to, through no fault of Sheri, Ted and Jamies, cut the mustard, Bess Wohls comedy American Hero turns existential. Its principals internal questions beckon: Why must awkward teen Sheri toil in not just one dehumanizing fast-food joint, but two? (She also works at a taco shop in the same mall.) How could middle-aged Ted, a casualty of corporate downsizing at Bank of America and a possessor of an MBA, be reduced to slapping two pieces of bread together? What did Jamie do to deserve having to wear a ridiculous vest and visor just to keep from losing custody of her kids?
But the truth is, American Hero is existential lite. Its plastic-gloved, assembly line trio may be mired in cringe-worthy circumstances ripe for pathos, but Wohls 2013 one-act is played largely for laughs.
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This is the case at New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad. Director Kristianne Kurner and a game ensemble of four (Cecilia Harchegani, Dallas McLaughlin, Wendy Waddell and Kamel Haddad) emphasize the plays physical and visual comedy, which are its definite strengths. The scripts narrative dead spots stem from its taxed flirtations with sobriety. While playwright Wohl may have intended otherwise, Chaplin-esque commentary on the dehumanization of the American worker (think Modern Times) this is not.
That distinction aside, American Hero is frequently funny during its 90 minutes. Inhabiting the storys most outlandish character, Waddell as Jamie brassily lets insults and profanities fly with equal ferocity and velocity. Often in their line of fire is Ted, whom McLaughlin makes the most officious but also the most sympathetic of the hapless sandwich artists. (In their task-defined roles, hes the finisher, Jamie is the wrapper, and Sheri is the baser.)
As for Sheri, Harchegani turns in a promising debut at New Village Arts in a low-key part that in lesser hands could be totally upstaged by the two broader characters behind the sandwich counter. Another newcomer to New Village Arts productions, Haddad rounds out the ensemble, playing four way over-the-top roles, including a costume-wearing talking sandwich thats not a misprint.
The ambient touches at New Village contribute to the fun or to the surrealism of the play, depending on your perspective. Kristen Flores sandwich-shop set boasts the requisite enforced sterility and cheerfulness of such places in its bright colors and serviceable furniture. Signage including Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sandwiches speaks to the clueless franchise approach to humor and relatability.
The transition music between scenes or in significant moments leans heavily on classic rock, though there are snippets that smack of retro lounge records, and, of all things, theres The Girl from Ipanema. A little samba with your sandwich, sir?
American Hero
When: 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Oct. 15.
Where: New Village Arts Theatre, 2787 State St., Carlsbad.
Tickets: $33-$36
Phone: (760) 433-3245
Online: newvillagearts.org
Perhaps in keeping with traditional Marine Corps subtlety, you really cant miss the pilots of Fighter Attack Squadron 232, the Red Devils.
Raybans and aviator watches could give them away, but theres also the Satanic iconography of their booth at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, replete with a howling Lucifer statue, plenty of pitchforks and patches from their 2015 combat operations in Iraq pledging to open the gates of Hell for Islamic State militants.
And, well, the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet strike fighter parked behind them. Next to a cherry red fightertruck a vintage fire engine with a large part of a jets tail section welded on its rump.
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People just want to know about the jet, said Capt. Justin M Bissell. And they kind of want to know the history of our squadron, the oldest fighter squadron in the Marine Corps. Weve got a really cool legacy.
Born on Sept. 1, 1925, VMFA-232 is the oldest and most decorated squadron in the Corps, flying sorties during the early years of the Chinese civil war before logging heavy combat in World War II, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Its satisfying, in a sense, to do what youre trained to do, said Capt. Mike Champ Frazer, who flew dozens of sorties over Iraq in 2015. A lot of pilots fly fighters for 20 years and never get to do that. But at the same time theres something very businesslike about it.
Often overlooked at the annual Miramar Air Show, where the tarmac explodes with pyrotechnics and the Navys Blue Angel aerial acrobats swirl and plunge across the canopy of the airshows sky, are the fighter pilots themselves, who consider it a key mission to help bridge the civil-military divide by greeting the taxpayers who fund the Corps and the veterans of the armed forces who served before them.
Bissell and Frazer spent much of Saturday morning hawking Red Devil patches, T-shirts and even baby onesies. Proceeds cut costs for enlisted Marines attending the annual squadron ball, but their focus was on being the face of the Corps fighter community to the American public during a turbulent time in Asia.
They returned home on Sept. 13 from a six-month deployment across the Pacific Ocean. While the Red Devils spent the bulk of the deployment training at Marine Air Corps Station Iwakuni in southern Japan, they also ventured north of Tokyo to fly alongside Japanese Air Self-Defense Force pilots, took part in the Northern Edge 2017 exercise in Alaska and helped the grunts of 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines master close air support operations in Hawaii.
The hours are hard, said Bissell. Ive got four kids. Thats hard and that was my first deployment. Being gone from them was tough, but working with Marines and flying obviously make it worth it.
Earlier Saturday, U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam, escorted by F-15C Eagle fighters from Okinawa, buzzed international waters near North Korea. It was the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone any American combat aircraft have ventured in the 21st century, according to a statement released by the Pentagon. The show of force was meant to demonstrate both American resolve and the capability of Americas aerial forces during an ongoing standoff with a nuclear North Korea building missiles that can strike the United States.
They dont broadcast it, but the Red Devils have been touched by tragedy in recent years.
Returning from combat in Iraq, Maj. Taj Cabbie Sareen, 34, died in 2015 when his fighter crashed near the Royal Air Force Lakenheath base in Great Britain. Then on July 28, 2016, Maj. Richard Stranger Norton was killed in a crash near Twentynine Palms during a training exercise. He was 35.
Both names are stenciled on the driver and passenger doors of the fightertruck.
Bissell drew some of the hardest duty in his career as the CACO Casualty Assistant Calls Officer to Nortons family, ensuring that they received the funeral and pay benefits that they deserved while honoring the sacrifice of the pilot.
Every time we go flying, well, you never know, said Bissell. Its a dangerous profession and theres minimal room for error, whether its a training flight or a combat flight.
MCAS Miramar Air Show
When: Through Sunday. Gates open at 8 a.m.
Where: Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Information: Directions and tickets available at miramarairshow.com
kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @kristinadavis
San Diego is in the middle of the largest hepatitis A outbreak since the late 1990s, and despite efforts from the city, cases are likely to continue to rise.
The homeless population is disproportionately affected by the disease, as well as illicit drug users. This highly contagious disease can still be spread to the general population. Typically ingestion of fecal matter, even in microscopic amounts, is the root cause for transmission.
Caseload
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As of Sept. 19, San Diegos 444 cases represent more than a third of all cases that occur in the nation in any given year, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Californias rate of infection is slightly higher than the national average, but overall, hepatitis A is an uncommon disease.
How and where infection occurs
The San Diego County health department reports that the majority of those sickened are either homeless or illicit drug users. Still, 35 percent of infections arent part of those populations.
Its most common for foreign travel to be the root cause for a hepatitis A infection in California.
Cleanup efforts
The city of San Diego has started street cleaning in order to remove human waste from the streets, as well as set up some portable bathrooms in downtown.
The city is also offering vaccinations for people who may be at risk. Additionally, one case of hepatitis A was discovered at the World Famous restaurant in Pacific Beach. Given the long incubation period, its difficult for health authorities to say if that case spread further.
San Diegos outbreak differs from previous ones because it hasnt been tied to a single food source. In response to the outbreak, Mayor Kevin Faulconer plans to house several hundred homeless people in tents, giving them access to restrooms and showers.
That wont be ready until the end of the year.
Additionally, streets downtown have been bleached and restrooms installed across the city in areas where the homeless congregate.
Hepatitis A is an infection of the liver and creates jaundiced eyes, fever, fatigue, abdominal pain, dark urine and clay-colored bowel movements. It is also asymptomatic in some people.
Washing your hands can prevent most infections, as well as getting vaccinated.
Learn more about hepatitis A on our podcast
Graphic sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, San Diego County Health Department.
Data Watch Videos On Now Data Point: Media Mergers 2:58 On Now Jaywalking infractions in San Diego 1:24 On Now Video: Finding the recipe for the perfect burrito 2:09 On Now Video: Where marijuana is legal in the United States 0:53 On Now Report: Correctional system fails women 1:22 On Now San Diego students have larger classes On Now Hierarchy of cuisine prices On Now Pay phones: Is that still a thing? On Now 2016 border apprehensions On Now STD trends, San Diego County
Reach the writer at: daniel.wheaton@sduniontribune.com or @theheroofthyme
Dozens of homeless folks on Thursday morning were sprawled out in the courtyard on 15th and Commercial streets outside of Father Joes Villages.
The crowd some listening to music on headphones and most toting multiple pieces of luggage gathered for a free lunch doled out regularly by the homeless shelter in East Village.
Frazier Johnson waited patiently among them as a line for food began to form around 11 a.m. The calm 47-year-old wore a fresh long-sleeved t-shirt and a white goatee framing a healthy looking face.
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Johnson said he closely tracks his meal times because they determine when he will need to be near one of the public restrooms accessible to the down-and-out.
If you dont then youre going to have a situation on your hands, he said with a soft smile and dark, lucid eyes.
Johnson, who arrived from Texas a few months ago, said finding a clean bathroom in downtown San Diego can be challenging. However, he doesnt blame local officials.
Theres not enough bathrooms, but if the city puts in bathrooms, you have a whole lot of homeless people that dont appreciate it, he said. Theyre going to go in there and do drugs. Theyre going to mess the place up. So the city has a heck of a problem to overcome.
One of the most frequently used public restroom is located just steps away through the doors of St. Vincent de Paul Village, which as part of Father Joes Villages, is the largest residential service provider for the homeless in the county.
The state and availability of such facilities has recently received intense scrutiny as the region grapples with a massive outbreak of hepatitis A that has killed 16 and stricken 444 people. Health officials believe the eruption of cases, which has now spread to Santa Cruz and Los Angeles, proliferated among the homeless as a result of poor sanitation and drug use.
Deacon Jim Vargas with Father Joes Villages had just finished giving his second news conference in as many days that morning, detailing efforts to keep facilities clean and combat the potentially deadly virus.
The nature of public restrooms in general is its a messy business, Vargas said. We are now having to clean those restrooms every two hours, far more than you would normally clean a restroom because of the clientele we have here. Some of them have mental health issues. Some have substance abuse issues. And that plays itself out in these public restrooms.
The mens room has two stalls, three urinals and a foul smell despite having recently been washed down. Some homeless people said that, like many restrooms that are open 24 hours a day, its not a place they frequent after dark because its a hot spot for meth and heroin use.
Large fans will be installed in the restrooms within a few weeks for the sole purpose of preventing people from using lighters in the facility, Vargas said, pretending to cook drugs in a spoon with his hands. It will blow out the flame and they wont be able to accomplish their goal there of shooting up, basically.
That could help keep the bathroom clear for folks who want to use it for its intended purpose, such as Marcos Vasquez. The 38-year-old has been homeless on and off for the last three years, and he says that while he does his best to make it to the public restrooms, many dont.
A lot of them are alcoholics that are too drunk or too wasted to go down the street and time it, Vasquez said of those who defecate in public, either into trash bags or directly onto the street. They dont care.
Ive had to clean the sidewalks myself off where I camp at, he added. Its gross.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer has ramped up efforts in recent weeks to combat the outbreak of hepatitis A. More than 28,000 people have received vaccinations, and crews have started power washing and bleaching sidewalks downtown.
The city recently added four portable toilets at the corner of C Street and 1st Avenue and another four at 14th and G streets. The facilities are cleaned at least twice a day and monitored around the clock by security guards. City officials said they would install another bank of such toilets in the East Village next week.
Homeless residents currently have access to about five 24-hour public restrooms in the citys urban core. There are more than a dozen other such facilities in downtown including those only open during the day and those along the distant waterfront. City officials said they are looking for locations to place additional temporary toilets.
Downtown property owners with space for portable restrooms are encouraged to contact the city with their willingness to be part of the solution to this public health emergency, said Katie Keach, director of communications for the city. If a site is workable and near at-risk populations, the city will arrange for the installation, maintenance and security of each restroom.
Down the block from Father Joes Villages at the Neil Good Day Center on 17th and K streets next to Interstate 5, homeless have access during the day to a bathroom and on Tuesdays and Thursdays free hepatitis A vaccinations.
We really need restrooms out here desperately, Steven Hillard, 52, whos been homeless for seven years, said on Thursday outside the center. Its just crowded. The lines are long or somebodys taking too long because they got to doctor themselves up in the bathroom not really using it.
Sometimes, I got to water the trees down or spread a little love in the dirt, he added.
Many people said that they would occasionally buy something cheap at a fast food restaurant or at a store, such as Walmart, just to use the bathroom. However, multiple people said that many retailers in and around downtown have started limiting the hours their restrooms are open to the public.
Two public restrooms outside of Halcyon coffee house in Fault Line Park at Island Ave and 14th Street were closed on and off for more than a year, despite developer Pinnacle International having received $1.6 million to maintain the bathrooms and open space.
Thursday afternoon, a number of homeless people hung out around the park using the restrooms, which were recently reopened after the city got wind of the situation. One of them, James David, 45, scrubbed down a pair of pants at one of the many hand-washing stations the city has placed around downtown in response to the outbreak.
I know were homeless, but were people, too, Davis said. We have to stay healthy so you stay healthy.
A few hours later, at one of most heavily trafficked public restrooms in downtown, located at C Street and 3rd Avenue near City Hall, an attendant sat in a booth behind a plastic window buzzing in people, up to two at a time.
Ive got diabetes so I need to be close to a bathroom, said 52-year-old Derek Williams. But this place is disgusting. Thats why I stay in Balboa Park because they have more bathrooms over there.
There are about 28 bathrooms in Balboa Park, half of which are now open 24 hours a day, according to city officials.
As night falls, Alvin Nelson, 54, makes his way from downtown to a restroom facility in Ruocco Park along the waterfront at Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway. Wearing a baggy t-shirt and a Bluetooth speaker dangling from a chain around his neck, he listened to a mix of rap and 60s-era pop.
These restrooms are clean but you have to watch out for the Harbor Police, he said. He likes to fill a small bucket in the sink and then wash himself in the stall so as not to attract attention.
A little bird bath, so if anyones walking by, you dont hassle nobody, he said.
The Port of San Diego said its officers make a point to treat everyone including the homeless with respect and dignity.
Along the way, Nelson meets up with John Lofton, 54, whos been homeless for the last three years. Chatting about the state of public restrooms, Lofton recalls the Portland Loo that the city removed from 14th and L streets next to the Petco Park parking lot. It was ripped out by the city in 2016 after about a year in operation, during which time businesses owners and residents complained about drugs, crime and lewd activity near the facility.
It used to be a rarity to see feces on the ground, Lofton said. Now its a commonplace thing. These people are acting like animals because people are treating them like animals.
Twitter: @jemersmith
Phone: (619) 293-2234
Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com
People in Los Angeles must be pretty annoyed with us these days. We keep sending them things they dont want. First, the Chargers. Now, hepatitis.
The hepatitis A outbreak is still a San Diego phenomenon, but it has grown tentacles. San Diego-related cases have been identified in Los Angeles, Santa Cruz and Imperial County. Their numbers are a fraction of San Diegos only one case in Imperial County, 10 reported in Los Angeles last week but its not lost on our neighbors that it started off small here last fall.
All but two cases in L.A. were traced to San Diego.
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As of Friday, San Diego had 16 hepatitis fatalities, with two more under investigation, and a total of 444 afflicted. No deaths had been reported in those other counties.
There hasnt been civic animus from those regions directed toward San Diego, at least publicly, probably because they have their own precarious homeless and sanitation problems that could explode at any time. Los Angeles skid row has been joined by encampments on overpasses and elsewhere. The homeless numbers in that county have skyrocketed in just the past year.
The hepatitis scourge has seemingly leapfrogged over Orange County for now but officials there are holding their breaths. The city of Anaheim recently declared a homeless emergency, largely because of the hundreds-strong homeless encampment along the Santa Ana River bed. Local agencies are providing some services, but not restrooms.
That is viewed with a sense of foreboding from San Diego, where the lack of decent public restrooms has created a sanitation nightmare that health officials say has contributed to the spread of hepatitis.
One lesson learned from San Diego was to act fast. Los Angeles already had been washing down sidewalks and public rights of way where sanitation is an issue, an ongoing practice from previous viral and sanitation concerns. But county health officials there formally declared a hepatitis outbreak just this past week as they announced the 10 cases.
San Diego county and city officials have taken criticism for waiting to declare an emergency just this month, given that they officially determined an outbreak existed in March, with the first case identified in November.
An image problem? Ya think?
Just because our neighbors arent badmouthing San Diego, that doesnt mean the citys image isnt taking a big hit. The hepatitis outbreak has become national news several times over.
This was once considered a problem among the homeless and largely ignored by the public. Now it has temporarily closed one restaurant, scared off one convention (though local officials suggest the outbreak was used as an excuse) and has required a broad effort by the hotel and tourism industry to calm the nerves of groups planning to visit.
While public health workers are working hard to improve the situation, you can almost sense civic leaders praying for a light at the end of the tunnel. But things may well get worse before they get better.
The city and county finally launched a public education campaign on Tuesday with recommendations on sanitation washing hands frequently is the big one and getting vaccinations. The determined, can-do vibe This is personal. This is our community. We will protect it, Mayor Kevin Faulconer said took a back seat to an ominous assessment.
Frankly, this outbreak could last for at least another six months, and unfortunately there are going to be more lives that are going to be at risk, said Dr. Nick Yphantides, the countys chief medical officer.
But the event had its intended effect. Residents lined up in droves to get vaccines at a free clinic outside City Hall while some medical groups said they were deluged with requests and calls.
Sniping as crisis grows
The were all in this together spirit wasnt universal, as City Councilman David Alvarez kept up his running criticism of Faulconer for being slow to act, and the mayors staff returning fire, questioning Alvarezs commitment to combating homelessness.
Then, after the Democratic council majority passed a resolution opposing President Donald Trumps enhanced border wall, the Republican mayors staff suggested council members had better things to do.
Faulconer spokeswoman Christina Chadwick called the resolution a distraction from the very real and immediate issues facing the city of San Diego right now.
Thats a slippery slope. Until hepatitis blew up into a crisis, the mayor was spending a fair amount of time addressing speculation that he might run for governor, making appearances and giving speeches out of town.
Two days after the council resolution, he appeared in a short promo for the ABC sitcom The Mayor, which premieres Tuesday.
The political toll
The mayor had been gliding through for a few years with public goodwill and relatively good relations with the council. But things have started to go south. The loss of the Chargers, despite extreme civic anguish, didnt dent his armor. A healthy economy and budget seemed to keep the city humming. However, the pension system and other issues are causing financial challenges. The council scuttled his plans for a November special election to expand the convention center and generate more funds for homeless programs and fix roads.
The slow pace of addressing increasing homelessness has been laid at his doorstep. And the criticism has been even harsher about whether he and others didnt take the hepatitis outbreak seriously enough early on.
Theres plenty of finger-pointing between the city and the county over who dropped the ball, but the only big-name player in all this is Kevin Faulconer.
Being associated with a hepatitis outbreak does not bode well for ones political future.
Tweet of the Week
Goes to Los Angeles Times (@latimes)
On last day of summer, California is hit by unusual snow and hail storms
For todays Back Story, reporter Peter Rowe discusses his Page One story about the anniversary of Alfred Olangos violent death in El Cajon.
Q. What galvanized the community a year ago and caused them to march in protest in the wake of the shooting?
A. You can and should expect an outcry whenever police shoot an unarmed man. (To be fair, Olango pointed something metallic at an officer. The object turned out to be a vaping device.) This incident, though, had national repercussions.
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Q. Why do you say that?
A. Olango was the latest in a long line of unarmed African-Americans from Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., to Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, La. recently killed in controversial encounters with police. The Black Lives Matter movement took note, as did the Rev. Al Sharptons National Action Network.
Q. Is Americas long, tortured history on race relations the only prism through which this incident is viewed?
A. Not at all. Friends and family say Olango was in mental anguish, mourning the suicide of a friend. This incident highlighted how we respond or fail to respond to people in emotional distress.
Q. In speaking with community activists, are they satisfied with the progress that has been made in the past year with regard to police relations with the community?
A. Satisfied? Not at all. Yet many are encouraged by the large turnouts at demonstrations and community forums. Some, like the National Action Networks Rev. Shane Harris, say they have been stonewalled by the El Cajon Police Department. Others, like Bishop Cornelius Bowser and his Community Assistance Support Team (CAST) have been invited to address that same department.
Q. Did the shooting lead to any action in Sacramento?
A. A bill co-authored by South Bays Sen. Ben Hueso began by proposing a statewide system of independent civilian review boards to investigate police shootings. An amended version of that bill died in the Senate, and its prospects in the next legislative session are iffy.
Q. Doesnt San Diego have a citizens review board?
A. In fact it has two. National City and San Diego County have similar boards. Shortly before Olangos death, the county grand jury recommended that cities without these panels including El Cajon adopt them. Again, this proposal has national repercussions.
Q. How so?
A. A lot police reform groups, including the newly formed Alfred Olango Foundation, advocate measures that were backed by Eric Holder, President Obamas attorney general. Under President Trump, the current Justice Department opposes these moves, arguing they damage police morale and hinder their primary mission, law enforcement.
Q. In the Obama era, police departments received guidelines on implicit bias. What is that?
A. Thats the notion that everyone makes assumptions about others, based on their gender, race or other external characteristics.
Q. You spoke with El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis. How does he feel about implicit bias?
A. He noted that his officers are constantly trained to deal with people of many different cultures something thats essential in El Cajon, with its large refugee population.
Q. You also spoke to Apollo Olango. What are his feelings about his late brother, a year later?
A. Hes directed a lot of his energies to the Alfred Olango Foundation, which is dedicated to police reform. He seemed sad, determined and modest. Im learning as I go, he said.
Q. Has the family taken legal action against the city of El Cajon?
A. Yes, they filed numerous lawsuits against El Cajon and the officer who shot Olango. In August, one federal case against the city was dismissed, but the case against Officer Richard Gonsalves is going forward.
Other cases are pending, as well. Today theres no legal resolution to this tragedy, just as theres no final accounting in the court of public opinion.
Harbor police pulled a mans body from San Diego Bay Saturday afternoon near the Embarcadero Marina Park South.
Someone called police about 12:30 p.m. reporting what appeared to be a body in the water near the entrance of the marina behind the Marriott Marquis hotel in downtown San Diego, said Harbor police Lt. Chris Woodward.
Police boats recovered the unidentified mans remains.
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We have no information about where or how he ended up in the bay, Woodward said.
While there were no obvious signs of trauma to the body, the lieutenant said it is too early to tell how the man died. The Medical Examiners Office will determine the cause and manner of death.
kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @kristinadavis
Ahead of Gandhi Jayanti and the Swachh Bharat campaign anniversary, Narendra Modi spoke extensively on the Swachhta Hi Seva drive and thanked people for their active participation in it.
By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's monthly radio outreach Mann ki Baat completed three years today and Prime Minister Narendra Modi described it as a journey to understand people better.
In the 36th edition of the programme, Narendra Modi invoked Mahatma Gandhi and Deendayal Upadhyaya and said that they lived for the nation and wanted to do something for India.
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Ahead of Gandhi Jayanti and the Swachh Bharat anniversary, the Prime Minister today spoke extensively on the Swachhta Hi Seva campaign and thanked people for their active contribution towards it.
The Prime Minister also pitched for Incredible India campaign and urged youngsters to experience India's rich diversity.
HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF NARENDRA MODI's MANN KI BAAT:
For value addition in tourism, we have to see India not just as a tourist but as a student; India needs to be internalised within Indians, said Prime Minister on Mann ki Baat.
PM @narendramodi urges people, specially youngsters to discover the wonders of #IncredibleIndia in the months to come. #MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/V3gedpGWt1
- PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 24, 2017
Prime Minister urges people, especially youngsters, to discover Incredible India. Unity in diversity is not just a slogan but a source of strength for us, said Narendra Modi during Mann ki Baat.
Sardar Patel unified the nation. Let us always preserve this unity. #MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/MzTjPUj7Gu- PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 24, 2017
Nanaji Deshmukh devoted his life towards the betterment of our villages, said the Prime Minister. Sardar Patel unified the nation, let us preserve this unity, Narendra Modi said on Mann ki Baat.
Be it Mahatma Gandhi, Shastri ji, Jaiprakash ji, Nanaji Deshmukh or Deendayal Upadhayay, they all lived for the country and wanted to do something for it; they not only preached this but practised this too, said Narendra Modi on Mann ki Baat. Narendra Modi invokes Mahatma Gandhi and Deendayal Upadhayay in Mann ki Baat. Credit: Twitter/@PMOIndia.
I congratulate 18-yr-old Bilal Dar, who has been made the brand ambassador for cleanliness by the Srinagar municipal corporation, said Narendra Modi on Mann ki Baat. Srinagar's Bilal Dar has cleaned more than 12,000 kg of garbage from the Dal Lake in a year, said the Prime Minister.
Role of media in furthering the cause of Swachh Bharat has been vital. Be it electronic or print media, they have demonstrated what Swachhata Hi Seva is about.
I am delighted to see the support towards Swachhata Hi Seva movement. People are actively contributing to a Swachh Bharat, said the Prime Minister on Mann ki Baat.
Let us support the movement for the growth of the Khadi sector, said Prime Minister on Mann ki Baat. The khadi ashram in Varanasi, which was closed down, is now operational.
This Gandhi Jayanti, let is buy a Khadi product and light the lamp of prosperity in the lives of the poor. #MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/a8JIKezLjO- PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 24, 2017
I get a lot of feedback for Mann Ki Baat. I am not able to refer to all of it (in the programme) but the inputs help us in running the government.
Acharya Vinoba Bhave always said a 'non-governmental' way of functioning is more effective... I have tried to keep common man as the focus in Mann Ki Baat and kept it away from politics.
People are at the centre of #MannKiBaat. pic.twitter.com/kFRjU8fTXY- PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 24, 2017
In these three years, Mann ki Baat has been a journey of understanding people.
ALSO WATCH: Rajinikanth tweets and praises PM Modi's Swachh Bharat initiative
--- ENDS ---
Federal officers with drug-sniffing dogs found more than 500 pounds of methamphetamine, some disguised as bottles of laundry detergent, in three vehicles in San Ysidro and Calexico late in the week, authorities said.
A Mexican citizen with his two children in his SUV was arrested at the San Ysidro Port of Entry Thursday. He is accused of smuggling 212 pounds of meth into the United States, according to a complaint filed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
He told officers he was bringing groceries to his sister in Chula Vista, authorities said. An officer checked the food in the trunk and noticed liquid laundry soap containers on the back seat. Officers found six containers of white crystalized powder that tested positive as meth.
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The driver told officers hed bought the laundry soap at an Ensenada Sams Club and didnt know there were drugs inside.
Also on Thursday, in Calexico, CBP officers arrested an American citizen after finding 308 pounds of liquid meth in her pickup gas tank.
She told officers that shed met a man two months ago who gave her $2,500 for taking a vehicle into the U.S. from Tijuana. On this second trip, she was promised $3,000 and ownership of the 2001 Ford F-250 if she would take it to a fast-food restaurant in Calexico, authorities said.
In a third seizure on Friday, federal officers in Calexico found 20 packages of meth weighing a total of about 20 pounds in the spare tire of a Nissan Sentra. The woman driver, a U.S. citizen, was arrested.
Racial profiling, homelessness and mental health issues should be the top priorities for San Diegos next police chief, residents said Saturday at the first of six forums to discuss the selection of the citys next top law enforcement officer.
We need somebody who knows mental illness has no color, said forum participant Donna Alexander. This is about humanism.
San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman must retire in March after three years in the job, because in 2013 she joined the citys five-year deferred retirement program. The city has begun a search for her replacement, a process that includes the forums, a selection panel, a national executive search firm, and approval by the City Council.
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Alexander and more than 80 other residents took part in Saturdays event led by a professional facilitator at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation on Euclid Avenue in Encanto. Participants met at round tables in groups of 10 to discuss their priorities for a new chief, and then a representative of each table presented a summary of their discussions to the overall gathering.
Several people, including Alexander, said the city should keep the candidate search local and look within the department.
We dont believe a national search is the answer, Alexander said. We need somebody who is homegrown from San Diego.
Racial profiling was a recurring theme at the forum, where many of the participants were black or Latino. The practice is all too common within the Police Department, residents said, especially to anyone living in neighborhoods south of Interstate 8.
We need a chief who is going to bring protection and safety to all our communities and not just profile our blacks and Latinos, said forum participant Lionel Smith.
An independent analysis of traffic stops compiled by San Diego State University researchers last year showed disparities in how often blacks and Latinos are searched and questioned. However, Zimmerman and other department officials have said the analysis showed no racial bias, and that blacks and Latinos are pulled over no more frequently than whites.
There is a culture in the Police Department that defends racial profiling, said forum participant Pat Bevelyn, adding that the practice is counterproductive and should be ended.
That blue code of silence has to be addressed, and it really has to be ended, she said. The main thing we want is a change for the better, where all citizens are treated equally.
Profiling is not always racial, residents said. It also can apply to the homeless, the poor and the mentally ill.
We need (police officers) to be properly trained for mental illness, said participant Christie Figueroa. Dont just pull out your guns on them it never ends well.
Too many police officers are too young, said Regina Jackson-Patton. The city needs to recruit older, more seasoned officers who can relate better to the residents.
We need people who can see themselves in us and our community, she said.
The San Diego department has struggled with recruiting and retention in recent years. Applications are down and vacancies are up.
Other residents called for more transparency in the police chief selection process and in the day-to-day operation of the department. They asked for more information such as crime reports and investigations to be available online for the public.
San Diego officials initially scheduled four of the community forums, then added two more in response to complaints that the process would not include enough input from neighborhoods with large minority populations.
San Diego Chief Operating Officer Scott Chadwick delivered opening and closing remarks Saturday.
We want to know what you want to see in our next police chief, Chadwick told the participants. We want the best candidate for the city of San Diego.
The forums will continue in neighborhoods across San Diego through mid-October. For more information, or to fill out an online survey, visit sandiego.gov/police/about/next-police-chief.
philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @phildiehl
The two best known candidates for the county Board of Supervisors first faced off five years ago, when they both sought to become the next San Diego mayor.
Neither Bonnie Dumanis nor Nathan Fletcher made it past the 2012 primary election. And both share a history of tainted political contributions ending up in their treasury.
Dumanis, the Republican former district attorney, and Fletcher, a former Republican state legislator who became a Democrat, received thousands of dollars from San Diego towing companies that were later found to have violated city campaign rules by funneling money through their drivers and others to mask the true source of contributions.
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In different ways, both had a role in a more serious political scandal that continues to reverberate today the intervention into local elections by a tycoon from Mexico who now has been convicted of 36 federal charges and is facing years in federal prison. The D.A.s mayoral bid benefited from hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal political spending. Fletcher and his team turned away the foreign donations, according to a federal indictment.
In prepared statements, Dumanis and Fletcher representatives said their candidates were blindsided by the improper financial support. They pledged to make sure illegal donations do not make their way into the supervisorial campaigns as they compete to replace Supervisor Ron Roberts, who cannot run for re-election because of term limits.
It is more important than ever that we be vigilant in reviewing each contribution and protecting Bonnie and the campaign, Dumanis consultant Jason Roe said. Weve put in safeguards to provide additional levels of review as necessary and are very sensitive to any donations that could be questionable.
The Fletcher team also said it was carefully following election laws, even informing donors of the rules before they contribute.
When we discover errors or are notified of an inappropriate contribution being made without our knowledge, we take immediate action and return the donations, consultant Dan Rottenstreich said.
Fletcher is pressing to create a county task force similar to the citys ethics commission, his campaign said. It would enforce campaign-finance laws and toughen oversight of county officials.
In the 2012 primary election, Dumanis and Fletcher finished behind Bob Filner and Carl DeMaio. Filner captured the mayors seat but resigned in August 2013 amid sexual-harassment allegations.
Fletcher ran for mayor in the ensuing special election but again failed to make the runoff. Dumanis was re-elected as DA in 2014 and resigned in July of this year in anticipation of her supervisor run.
The tow business
The San Diego Ethics Commission began looking into so-called straw donors within the tow industry in 2013, after a spate of suspicious contributions were reported in election disclosures.
At the same time, federal investigators opened a review of their own. By January 2014, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced criminal charges against four people in an illegal-donations scheme, including Jose Susumo Azano Matsura, a Mexican national and industrialist with two homes in Coronado.
Dumanis was re-elected as district attorney that June despite the revelation that she received more than $200,000 in support from Azano through straw donations and an independent expenditure committee.
In November 2014 the ethics panel issued a $20,000 fine to Amir Iravani, owner of NK Towing and Roadside Services, for reimbursing employees $500 each for donations to Dumaniss failed mayoral campaign.
Campaign money laundering undermines the integrity of the citys elections, commission Vice Chair Clyde Fuller said when the penalty was announced. As evidenced by the stipulations approved today, anyone who participates in this illegal practice will be held accountable.
Dumanis campaign reports show at least $3,200 in contributions from Iravani and other people with ties to NK Towing.
The case against NK Towing was just the beginning of the citys deep dive into illegal campaign contributions. By 2015, city ethics investigators had broadened their review to include Angelos Towing and Advantage Towing.
Angelos Towing owner Nashwan Habib, his family and employees donated more than $11,000 to Dumanis in recent elections. They also gave at least $1,500 to Fletchers 2012 campaign.
The Angelos Towing investigation was closed without charges. But last year, Advantage Towings Ayman Arekat was handed a record fine of $128,000 for laundering thousands of dollars in political contributions.
In total, Arekat acknowledged 32 violations related to illegal contributions to Dumanis, Fletcher and DeMaio. Arekat also gave $21,000 to three committees that supported DeMaio and Filner.
The purpose of the donations has never been clear, although tow companies do a lot of business with local governments. Thousands of cars are towed every year after crashes, drunk driving arrests or other crimes.
Each of the tow companies whose owners or employees donated to 2012 mayoral candidates hold contracts with the city of San Diego to transport cars after they are crashed or impounded.
The industry can be lucrative. Arekat told the ethics commission his business generates about $300,000 per month, and his contract work for the city amounted to $5,000 or $6,000 of that.
Azano connection
Early in December 2011, Bonnie Dumanis celebrated her 60th birthday with a fundraiser at the Cuvier Club, a La Jolla ballroom and reception venue. The event netted over $17,000 for her budding mayoral campaign.
Three weeks later, Dumanis held another successful fundraiser, generating more than $28,000 and pushing her total contributions for the year past $470,000, campaign filings show.
The Dec. 29 event attracted more than cash. It brought together an unusual assortment of gas station and convenience store owners, exotic car dealers and their staff, tow-truck operators and the wife and son of Azano, the Mexican tycoon.
Most of the contributors gave the maximum $500, whether they owned a luxury dealership or simply sold cars, whether they operated tow companies or merely drove the trucks.
Azanos wife, Margarita Hester de Azano, and son Susu were among those who attended the late December fundraiser. In the federal indictment, prosecutors said Azano illegally injected more than $500,000 into San Diego political races, including reimbursing donors to the Dumanis campaign tens of thousands of dollars.
I need to get a $500 check from you to help Susu and his father support the soon to be Mayor Bonnie Dumanis, one straw donor wrote to friends in 2011. We will give you the cash right away so you wont lose any money but your support is appreciated and very much needed.
Dumanis and her fundraising practices drew a lot of attention and criticism when she was called to testify at the trial last year. Azano, his son and three others were convicted.
Dozens of Dumanis donors also had ties to the unpermitted pot business, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported in April. Many of those donations were given as the San Diego City Attorneys Office pressed lawsuits against dispensary operators and their landlords. None of the donors faced criminal charges.
Dumanis told the Union-Tribune she had no idea she accepted more than $18,000 from pot shop operators, landlords or their attorneys. She said she knew tow-truck owners supported her, but was unaware they laundered donations until the ethics commission announcement.
The civil actions against some of those mentioned were not filed until after my elections were over, Dumanis said.
Explore the motivation
The Neighborhood Market Association political-action committee donated $5,000 to Fletchers campaign in 2012, records show. When Fletcher ran a second time, the committee spent more than $120,000 to help get him elected.
The NMA openly supports candidates and officials whose mission aligns closely with ours, association chairman Amad Attisha said.
One $10,000 contribution from the association to Fletcher was not properly disclosed, according to a May 2014 warning letter from the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
The Fletcher for Mayor 2013 committee also was scrutinized by the city ethics commission. Two years later, Fletcher admitted accepting improper donations.
Fletcher and his treasurer violated rules by filing a campaign statement that erroneously disclosed receipt of three contributions for $1,000 each from (Fernando) Aguerres children, when in fact these contributions were made with funds belonging to Aguerre, the order states.
The violators agreed to pay a fine of $3,000.
Experts say it can be difficult for politicians to study individual donors to make sure they meet election rules and do not make their living from a dubious business.
Its hard to say it is incumbent on them to go beyond the law, although politically it would be smart, said Joel Aberbach, a political science professor at the University of California Los Angeles. You wouldnt want a story saying Candidate X took money from Criminal A, B or C.
The question is whats reasonable, he said. For politicians, particularly on large contributions, its probably a best practice to find out something about the donor, simply for self-defense.
Former District Attorney Paul Pfingst, who lost to Dumanis in 2002, said it is impractical to research every donor. But he said candidates should proceed on instinct and appearance.
If there is something unusual about the contributions then you should look at it, he said. The larger the amount, the larger the obligation to determine where it came from.
Dumanis said she has run seven campaigns and always built a professional team that follows the law and campaign rules.
I respect the people of San Diego who have elected me as their District Attorney four times, she said in a statement. I believe they have confidence my campaigns are conducted legally and with the highest ethical standards.
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jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 24 (PTI) A committee set up by the Health Ministry to review its guidelines on seasonal influenza vaccination (H1N1), in the wake of a spurt in swine flu cases, has said there is "no need" for mass vaccination.
The committee, headed by Dr A C Dhariwal, Director of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has also suggested vaccinating people aged over 65 and children six months to eight years on a case-by-case basis.
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Swine flu has killed 1,714 people this year, six times the fatalities recorded last year, with a total of 34,009 cases reported across the country till September 17.
As a result, the demand for vaccines has shot up across the country.
"There is an increase in the demand for vaccines from states. However, globally, studies have shown that vaccination provides 60-70 per cent protection from the virus for about a year. Also, it takes at least two weeks for immunity to develop," said a senior health ministry official.
"The committee, in its report, has stated that mass vaccination is not recommended," the official said.
The ministry had earlier this month constituted the committee to redefine categories to be vaccinated on priority on the basis of the areas most hit by swine flu by revisting its guidelines on seasonal influenza vaccination (H1N1).
According to the existing guidelines, vaccination is recommended for pregnant women, persons with chronic illnesses and co-morbid conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and an impaired immune system.
It also recommends vaccination for health care workers in hospitals and institutional settings with a likelihood of exposure to influenza virus.
The guidelines state that elderly individuals above the age of 65 and children six months to eight years should also be vaccinated.
"At a meeting, some states said if we consider all these age groups and conditions, then the demand exceeds the availability of vaccines in the market.
"To meet this challenge, the committee was constituted to determine who all in the community should be vaccinated on the basis of high-risk zones," Dr Dhariwal said.
Till September 17, 568 people have succumbed to H1N1 infections in Maharashtra, 413 have died in Gujarat, 165 in Rajasthan and 86 in Uttar Pradesh.
Swine flu is a respiratory flu and has symptoms such as fever, sore throat, headache, cough, runny nose, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.
It is highly contagious and spreads quickly from person to person. It was declared a pandemic in 2009 by the World Health Organisation. PTI PLB GVS
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By PTI: next level
(Eds: Repeating after correcting a word in intro)
By Lalit K Jha
Washington, Sep 24 (PTI) US Defence Secretary James Mattis will seek to take the India-US defence ties to the next level during his visit to India this week, with discussion on F-16s and the security situation in the region likely to dominate the agenda.
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Firmly of the view that a stronger India ? both in terms of military and economy ? is in Americas national interest, Mattis would meet his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman, National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval and also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This is the first Cabinet-level visit to India under the Trump administration.
Informed sources familiar with the preparations of the visit told PTI that the trip would be used to develop new institutional mechanisms to elevate the status of India-US defense relationship, showcase enhanced strategic co-operation in Afghanistan and strengthen maritime security and rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region.
While no specific defence trade deal is likely to be announced during Mattis? India visit on September 26-27, sources said there would be discussions on two specific proposals of F-16 and F-18A under Modis Make in India campaign, along with efforts to identify new projects under the ambitious Defence Technology and Trade Initiatives (DTTI).
The Trump administration wants to sell F-18 and F-16 fighter planes to India, built by American companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin respectively. Both companies have offered to assemble these planes in India.
Ahead of his visit, Mattis met Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna at the Pentagon.
And in a rarest of the rare gesture, Mattis came down to the River side entrance of the Pentagon to receive Sarna.
The Indian envoy said meeting was "very positive and cordial."
And after the meeting, the Defense Secretary came down to see him off.
This is also the first follow up visit by a US cabinet official after Modis June trip to the US. During the visit, the two countries are expected to review the defence and strategic decisions taken by Modi and US President Donald Trump in June.
During his India visit, Mattis is likely to talk with Sitharaman and other Indian leaders on the new Afghan strategy and the Indo-Pacific region.
Trump while announcing his new Afghan policy had asked India to do more to help Afghanistan with its developmental needs.
According to officials, Mattis is interested in accelerating the pace of India-US defense co-operation and making it an effective tool in achieving the goal of peace and stability in the entire region ranging from South Asia to Indo-Pacific region.
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Mattis, it is learnt, is taking along with him some of his own ideas in this regard, which he would like to discuss with the Indian leadership and get their feedback.
And to take the relationship to the next level, including more exercise and sale of high-tech defence equipment, the Pentagon instead of the foundational agreements is now looking for some India specific documentation that would provide institutional mechanisms, address Indias concerns and meet the Congressional-mandated legislative requirements in this regard.
This could be seen as a major climbdown, as India had been resisting from signing any foundational agreements for the past several years because of sovereignty concerns.
In his interaction with the Indian leaders, Mattis is also expected to discuss how to advance and Major Defense Partnership, a designation given to India by the previous Obama Administration which has been continued by the Trump Administration.
Mattis India visit comes in less than a week after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had her first bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. PTI LKJ NSA
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By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 24 (PTI) Max Healthcare is bringing its domain expertise in patient care to people within the environs of their homes with the launch of its new vertical Max@Home, a senior company official said.
Under the new initiative, the healthcare major plans to offer a total of 17 types of services, out of which it has launched nine in the first phase, including nursing, patient care attendants and pathology services.
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To begin with, the company is focusing on the National Capital Region (NCR) along with Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, with plans to add other cities going forward.
"The idea of Max@Home came from certain big trends in healthcare that we were noticing, such as disappearance of family doctors especially in metros and urban centres and people coming to tertiary hospitals for even basic and simple things," Max Healthcare Senior Director and Chief Growth Officer Rohit Kapoor told PTI.
The new vertical facilitates real-time patient monitoring by connecting doctors, dedicated case managers, trained nursing staff and emergency services through an efficient technology-infrastructure, he added.
Max@Home plans to cover the whole spectrum from wellness to curative, backed by Max Healthcares hospital network, Kapoor said.
The homecare services will be provided through a team of over 300 trained staff. It will address a growing demand for long-stay and palliative care even in tertiary specialisations like cardiology, oncology, neurology and orthopaedics, he added.
"We have forayed in to this new vertical under the Max@Home brand and started with NCR, Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali. It is a standalone business unit of Max Healthcare," Kapoor said.
On the choice of NCR for launching the service, he said, "We are geographically very concentrated here. We have 11 hospitals in the NCR. We have proximity".
From next year, the company plans to expand it to other parts of North India, Kapoor said.
Asked how the company plans to fund the expansion, he said: "For us the expenditure will not be much, because we have the advantage of customer flow with us. For us the investment is mainly in technology and in people."
For technology platform the company has partnered with Wipro. It is a completely mobile based platform, Kapoor said. PTI AKT RKL ABM
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TIMMONSVILLE, S.C. Johnson Middle School in Timmonsville is hosting the Strengthening Families Program for the first time in school history.
The program is designed to improve communication between parents and children, help families plan goals and motivate them to meet those goals.
Starting today, the group will meet at 6 p.m. on Mondays to complete the 14-week course.
The night begins with a family meal. Then, parents and children go into separate training sessions for one hour. The sessions are led by group leaders who are trained in the Strengthening Families Program curriculum. To end the evening, families come back together for a 30-minute family skills training session.
Alexis Pipkins, executive director of Lee County First Steps, has overseen the training in other area locations.
Pipkins said the Strengthening Families Program can influence positive changes in family dynamics such as eliminating abuse and neglect, increasing good behavior and helping parents brainstorm new parenting strategies.
Pipkins said he is excited about bringing the program to Timmonsville. However, a participant does not have to live in Timmonsville to attend. The program is for anyone interested in strengthening their family. There is a limit of 15 families per program.
To sign up, those interested can call the Lee County First Steps Office at 803-484-5110 or site coordinator Diana Williams at 803-428-7869.
Transportation can be provided upon request.
The Strengthening Families Program is funded by the Childrens Trust of South Carolina in partnership with the Department of Social Services and Duke Endowment.
18-year-old Bilal Dar was mentioned by PM Modi in his Mann Ki Baat address on Sunday morning. The brand ambassador of cleanliness in Srinagar has appealed to the PM to give him a job.
By Praveen Shekhar: Bilal Dar, an 18-year-old boy from Bandipora district of North Kashmir, who was mentioned by Prime Minister in his Mann ki Baat radio address today has thanked PM Modi.
Dar also appealed to PM Modi to provide him a job as his family did not have any regular source of income.
PM Modi on Sunday addressed the nation on the third anniversary of his Mann ki Baat radio programme, saying an ideological movement is needed to make cleanliness a norm across the country. This was the 36th episode of Mann Ki Baat.
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During the address, PM also lauded Kashmiri youth Dar's effort for cleaning up Wular lake in Bandipora district of north Kashmir.
"I congratulate 18-year-old Bilal Dar, who has been made a brand ambassador for cleanliness by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation. He cleaned more than 12,000 kgs of garbage from the Dal Lake in a year," said the Prime Minister.
Who is Bilal Dar?
Bilal Dar, is an 18-year-old ragpicker who earns his living by picking up waste from the Wular Lake in Bandipora district of north Kashmir. He has taken upon himself to clean Wular Lake single-handedly. For almost five years now, Dar, a resident of Laharwarpora of Bandipora district, has been removing plastic trash from the lake and selling it for around Rs 150-200 per day, which helps him support his mother Mughali and two sisters. Dar's father Mohammad Ramzan Dar, a rag picker on the Wular himself, died of cancer in 2003. After his father's death, Bilal was burdened with the responsibility of looking after his family; he left his studies to fend for them. He had tried his hands at several attempts like that of working as a mechanic at an auto-repair shop, as a helping hand at a tea shop - but none lasted for more than a while. Braving several odds, Bilal continued to do his work on the lake. Bilal recalled that he had received no help or cooperation from the general public. Infamous for toxic debris, plastic, carcasses and much more, Wular Lake has been on the verge of dying, reducing from 273 km to just 72 km of water expanse. Bilal is reported to have cleared about 12,000 kgs of trash from the lake annually. On 15 July 2017, Bilal Dar was appointed brand ambassador of cleanliness by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). "He will be our brand ambassador. He is an inspiration for everybody. He has been earning his livelihood by cleaning the Wular Lake and removing garbage, used bottles and shoes among other things for many years now," said Dr Shafqat Khan, SMC commissioner. He has been asked to supervise the mission. He educates others about the importance of cleanliness. As a brand ambassador of the SMC, Bilal was given a special uniform and a vehicle to go and meet people in commercial and residential areas. He has been asked to supervise the mission. He educates others about the importance of cleanliness. Bilal is being seen as a cleanliness crusader for his commitment to environmental causes. He interacts with people and sensitise them about environmental issues, cleanliness and garbage disposal. Bilal features in a documentary 'Saving The Savior - Story Of A Kid And Wular Lake.' The documentary produced and directed by Jalal-u-Din Baba depicts the life of Bilal. He has become an inspiring figure. The Logical Indian community appreciates the work that Bilal has been carrying out on the Wular lake of Kashmir. Kashmir is known as the 'paradise on Earth' and Bilal is surely doing his part in keeping it that way. He is an inspiration to all and a real example of the proverb 'Rome was not built in a day.'
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A 10th grade student stunned the Social Welfare Minister Anjaneya by throwing a challenge at him on Saturday.
By India Today Television: A 10th grade student stunned the Social Welfare Minister Anjaneya by throwing a challenge at him on Saturday.
The minister had come to inaugurate a district-level talent competition orgainsed by Vidyavikasa School in Chitradurga.
The student identified as Nayana Jogi told the minister after the programme, "Don't just lecture, provide basic amenities in government schools , I will leave private school and join government school. Is this possible for you?"
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The minister Anjaneya only stated in response that all facilities she was asking in government schools has already been provided.
During his speech, he had appealed to the students to join government schools.
She further told the minister, "In Chitradurga district, if proper facilities are given to government schools, am ready to study PUC in government college. But, there is no proper classroom, atmosphere is not conducive to study. You provide all that I will join and also get 30 students to join along with me."
She added that she wants to study in a government school, but her parents are against that. To this, the minister told her to change her parents mindset. She then retorted that for this to happen it's the government's duty to provide good facilities.
Later, while speaking to the media, she said, "I had appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also last year, but nothing has been done."
She further added that unless the children of elected representatives study in government schools the conditions of government schools will not improve.
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Rhetoric between North Korea and the US escalated once again with Pyongyang saying that targeting the American mainland with missiles was inevitable. In a related development, US bombers flew off the coast of North Korea in a show of force
By Reuters: North Korea said on Saturday targeting the US mainland with its rockets was inevitable after "Mr. Evil President" Donald Trump called Pyongyang's leader "rocket man", further escalating rhetoric over the North's nuclear weapons and missile programs.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho's remarks to the United Nations General Assembly came hours after US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighters flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea in a show of force the Pentagon said showed the range of military options available to Trump.
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Ri's speech capped a week of rising tensions between Washington and Pyongyang, with Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un trading insults. Trump called Kim a "madman" on Friday, a day after Kim dubbed him a "mentally deranged US dotard."
Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn't mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never before!- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2017
On Saturday, the mudslinging continued with Ri calling Trump "a mentally deranged person full of megalomania and complacency" who is trying to turn the United Nations into a "gangsters' nest". Ri said Trump himself was on a "suicide mission" after the US president had said Kim was on such a mission.
"'President Evil' is holding the seat of the US President," Ri said, warning that Pyongyang was ready to defend itself if the United States showed any sign of conducting a "decapitating operation on our headquarters or military attack against our country".
"Now we are finally only a few steps away from the final gate of completion of the state nuclear force," Ri told the annual gathering of world leaders.
He said sanctions would have no effect on Pyongyang's resolve to develop its nuclear weapons, with the ultimate goal being "balance of power with the US"
Trump announced new US sanctions on Thursday that he said allow targeting of companies and institutions that finance and facilitate trade with North Korea.
Earlier this month the UN Security Council unanimously adopted its ninth round of sanctions on Pyongyang to counter its nuclear and ballistic missiles programs.
The US bombers' flight was the farthest north of the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea that any US fighter jet or bomber has flown in the 21st century, the Pentagon said.
"This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat," said Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White.
"We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies."
PROVOCATION
North Korea has launched dozens of missiles this year, several flying over Japan, as it accelerates its program aimed at enabling it to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile.
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Pyongyang conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on Sept. 3 and has threatened to test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific.
Ri met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after delivering his speech. Guterres expressed concern to Ri over the escalating tensions and appealed for de-escalation, the United Nations said in a statement.
The Pentagon said the B-1B bombers came from Guam and their US Air Force F-15C Eagle fighter escorts came from Okinawa, Japan. Previous shows of force with bombers have stayed south of the demilitarized zone.
The patrols came after officials and experts said a small earthquake near North Korea's nuclear test site on Saturday was probably not man-made, easing fears Pyongyang had exploded another nuclear bomb just weeks after its last one.
China's Earthquake Administration said the quake was not a nuclear explosion and had the characteristics of a natural tremor.
The CTBTO, or Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty Organization, which monitors nuclear tests, and officials of the South Korean meteorological agency also said they believed it was a natural quake.
The earthquake, which South Korea's Meteorological Agency put at magnitude 3.0, was detected 49 km from Kilju in North Hamgyong Province, where North Korea's known Punggye-ri nuclear site is located, the official said.
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All North Korea's nuclear tests registered as earthquakes of magnitude 4.3 or above. The last registered as a magnitude 6.3.
Tensions have continued to rise around the Korean Peninsula since Pyongyang carried out its sixth test, prompting a new round of UN sanctions.
Trump told the United Nations on Tuesday the United States would "totally destroy" North Korea if it threatened the United States or its allies.
North Korea's nuclear tests to date have all been underground, and experts say an atmospheric test, which would be the first since one by China in 1980, would be proof of the success of its weapons program.
The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce and not a peace treaty.
The North accuses the United States, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, of planning to invade and regularly threatens to destroy it and its Asian allies.
WATCH | Trump urges UN member states to isolate Kim govt until it ceases its hostile behavior
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Press Release
September 24, 2017 Legarda on CHED, SUCs Budget: 'Knowledge is Power' Citing the famous adage, "Knowledge is Power," Senator Loren Legarda stressed the importance of providing sufficient funding for higher education, especially for state universities and colleges (SUCs), to shape knowledgeable communities. During the hearing on the proposed 2018 budget of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and SUCs, Legarda said that funding the needs of the country's public tertiary education would encourage more students to enroll in SUCs, including in Science, Technology, Engineering, Agri-Fisheries and Mathematics (STEAM) courses. In line with this, Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, provided additional 10 million pesos for capital outlay for all SUCs and committed to look for additional funds to provide free Wi-Fi in all SUCs, even as she assured that the Senate will find the budget to implement the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. "According to the CHED, enrollment in STEAM courses, even in Agri-Fisheries, has been rising. In order to maintain an upward trend in STEAM enrollment, SUCs must have the equipment, special laboratories, expert trainers and teachers, and scholarship programs needed for the teachers to be able to be competent in giving our students the best STEAM education," she explained. "We cannot have leaking classrooms, unpainted buildings, and dirty waterless toilets. Clean structures and buildings are basic needs. More students will be attracted to take up college if our SUCs have the facilities needed and we have competent teachers," she added. Meanwhile, Legarda asked CHED and the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi to develop a program for cultural mapping of the intangible and tangible heritage--memories and materials left amid the war in the city. "It is saddening that the war in Marawi has affected Bangsamoro heritage, with precious artifacts and heirlooms in affected homes and heritage structures destroyed. We need immediate intervention so that the next generations would not be deprived of knowledge about this rich heritage. The process itself and the output of the cultural mapping can help in the psychological healing of the affected populace and in strengthening our cultural bond," she said. The Senator also asked SUCs to converge with other agencies of government to provide assistance for research and development to agencies that need such and, vice versa, to access programs of agencies that SUCs need. For instance, all local government units (LGUs) must have their local climate change action plans (LCCAPs) as mandated under the Climate Change Law. To date, only around 30% of LGUs have complied with the said requirement. "This is where the role of our SUCs becomes crucial. We need to fast track the creation of LCCAPs of all cities, municipalities, and provinces in the country. I ask the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI) and all SUCs to help the Climate Change Commission (CCC) in assisting LGUs to formulate their LCCAPs, which can be the tools to access grant-based funding from the People's Survival Fund, and even from international climate funds," Legarda explained. She also requested the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to collaborate with SUCs for equipment needed for livelihood programs through the Shared Service Facilities (SSF) of the DTI, like the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in La Union that does silk processing and weaving; the Mariano Memorial State University (MMSU) in Ilocos Norte for their biofuels project; and the Southern Luzon State University's (SLSU) nipa palm sugar processing center. "Our SUCs are valuable institutions in providing quality tertiary education and in building capacities of communities, especially through research and development. This is why we are providing our SUCs the funds necessary for them to undertake their crucial role in our society," Legarda concluded.
Press Release
September 24, 2017 SENATE MINORITY BLOC URGES SENATE TO LET DE LIMA JOIN SESSION The Senate minority bloc has urged the Senate leadership to urgently appeal to the court to allow Sen. Leila M. De Lima to attend to her legislative duties, including participation in the deliberations of crucial legislations, pending the resolution of the charges levelled against her. In a Senate Resolution 505, opposition Senators Franklin Drilon (Liberal, Senate Minority Leader), Bam Aquino (Liberal), Risa Hontiveros (Akbayan), Francis Pangilinan (Partido Liberal president), and Antonio Trillanes IV (Magdalo) maintained that De Lima is not a "flight risk" because she has willingly and voluntarily surrendered herself to proper authorities when warrant for her arrest was served more than six months ago. "In the exercise of the Senate's constitutional mandate to serve the people, it is in the best interest of the institution to allow Senator De Lima to continue her legislative duties pending the trial of her cases," the resolution said. De Lima, considered by many as the first political prisoner under the Duterte administration, has been slapped by the government with three charges of illegal drug trade based on false evidence and fabricated testimonies by convicted criminals. Although she could not actively participate in plenary deliberations on important measures, she has continued to file bills and resolutions despite being detained at the Philippine National Police-Custodial Center, in Camp Crame, Quezon City. To date, De Lima has filed 55 bills and 55 resolutions in the Senate. As a political prisoner, the Senator from Bicol has invoked her rights as provided and protected under Philippine laws and jurisprudence as well as the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights. The minority bloc in the Senate also explained that the Upper Chamber could very well take De Lima's custody and guarantee that she would be present whenever her presence may be required by the court or any other proper authorities at any given time. "By allowing Senator De Lima to continue performing her duties as a Senator of the Republic of the Philippines, we are heeding to the call of the overwhelming mandate of the electorate who wants Senator De Lima to represent them," they said. In the past, they noted, there have been cases such as those when then Senators Justiniano Montano and Juan Ponce Enrile were allowed to post bail and perform their senatorial duties despite criminal cases against them. In the 1950s, then Senator Montano was charged with multiple murders, a non-bailable offense, but was allowed to post bail and perform his senatorial duties. Enrile was also allowed to post bail in the plunder cases against him and served the remaining years of his term which expired in June 2016. "The experience of a detained legislator being allowed to continue performing his/her duties is not new in Philippine politics," they said.
By PTI: riverine islands
Photo: PTI9_24_2017_000089B
By Aarushi Thapliyal
Old Batuli (Assam), Sep 24 (PTI) No motorable roads, no electricity and two hours away by boat... But health workers say these are not the most difficult challenges they face while carrying out the immunisation drive in Old Batuli, surrounded by the swirling waters of the Brahmaputra.
The more arduous task is battling illiteracy, the stigma surrounding vaccination and the apathy of villagers.
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A dedicated team of health workers toils tirelessly to make 100 per cent immunisation on the riverine islands, known as saporis or chars locally, a reality.
For Rijumani Deka, for instance, an auxilliary nurse and midwife, the day begins at dawn in Sonitpur district?s Tezpur town. She collects two cold boxes containing vaccinations for 14 diseases such as diptheria, tuberculosis, tetanus and, hepatitis B from the primary health centre and reaches Jahazpur Ghat.
At 9 am sharp, the team leaves for one of the 28 islands in the district in a boat, dubbed the boat clinic.
Two hours later, they move to a smaller boat when they reach the shallow waters. Once on shore, they stack the medicines, cold boxes, tables, chairs and other paraphernalia on two bicycles and proceed towards the village school where their camp is held.
A gaggle of excited children surrounds them, but mothers, some with babies in their laps, shy away.
"People are still a little resistant to immunisation. The mothers, due to unfamiliarity with injections, feel their child is in a lot of pain from the vaccine. The bleeding afterwards also scares them," said Deka.
They vaccinate over 200 children every month in the district but the drive comes with its own set of challenges, she said.
"We try to ease their fears but there is a shortage of time so the best we can do is tell them about the vaccine being administered, the disease it is being given for and how it protects their children from diseases," she added.
According to Mousumi Duora, Sonitpur District Programme Officer, Boat Clinic, the biggest obstacle the medical teams face is the high number of child births at home.
"About 75-80 per cent of children are born at home as the mothers are unable to reach hospitals on time. Thus, vaccines like oral polio vaccine and BCG (for tuberculosis) which need to be administered within half an hour of birth cannot be provided," she said.
The migratory nature of the population on the saporis, where about 15,000 people live, is another challenge. The villagers, mostly Muslims, who are dependent on agriculture and fishing, leave the island and shift to either the mainland or to another island every year.
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The health team maintains a record of each child; if they are found on another island, their address is updated. The records inform them about the vaccines administered. Sometimes, the families return to the same village where they lived earlier, Duora said.
Immunisation rates are rising in the villages, but there is still some resistance, said community worker Mofiddul Islam.
Besides the stigma, there is also the belief that one vaccine does not make a difference. The life of the child is left to fate in many cases.
"The villagers say that theyve heard of people dying due to vaccination in other villages. They also are wary of the fever that children get after vaccination, as it means the mother will have to sit at home with the kid and lose out on a days work in the fields," Islam said.
He makes repeated visits to their homes, cajoling and patiently making them understand the benefits of vaccinating their child.
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Murtiza Khatun from Old Batuli village, a mother of three, was one of those reluctant mothers.
Now an ASHA (accredited social health activist), Murtiza said she was against vaccination due to the rumours surrounding it and also because it would have meant missing out on work if her baby got fever.
However, she was convinced to change her mind and now helps health workers dispel misgivings and encourage parents to get their children immunised.
The work of Murtiza Khatun and the health workers seems to be bearing fruit. The wall of resistance is slowly whittling away, said Duora, who had helped set up the Sonitpur boat clinic in 2009.
At a recent boat clinic here, Manuawar Khatun was amongst those who came with her grandson.
She could not get her five children vaccinated due to lack of facilities earlier, she said, but is now insistent that her grandson gets his shots.
The health team visits every village in the district once in 30-40 days and the boat clinic functions for 18 days every month.
The boat clinics -- a unique initiative in public private partnership mode by the Assam government to reach those living in the remote islands the 13 districts of the state function -- even during the annual floods.
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Overcoming parental resistance is not the only hurdle.
Duora said fewer children turn up for immunisation during floods.
For a couple of months in a year, medical teams have to make do without doctors, as doctors deployed for compulsory rural training resign to appear for their masters.
According to National Family Health Survey 4, 2015-16, full immunisation coverage is at 47 per cent in the state. In Sonitpur, it is even lower with health workers estimating that immunisation covers only 20-30 per cent of the people. PTI AAR MIN BSA
--- ENDS ---
The woman whose picture Pakistan's Representative to the United Nations showed the General Assembly earlier today was NOT of a victim of pellet gun fire in Kashmir. Read on to find out more about Pakistan's lie.
By Geeta Mohan, Ganesh Radha-Udayakumar: When Home Minister Rajnath Singh said his Cabinet colleague Sushma Swaraj had exposed Pakistan's "duplicity" on terrorism in her speech at the UN General Assembly, he had no way of knowing Islamabad would provide a textbook example of deceitfulness in less than 24 hours - in truly spectacular fashion.
Earlier today, Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's Representative to the UN, dramatically raised aloft a picture of a woman at the General Assembly. Her face, riddled with wounds, was the face of India, Lodhi said.
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It was a resounding lie.
The woman was not a Kashmiri. She was not a victim of pellet fire. She was 17-year-old Rawya abu Jom'a, a Palestinian woman who was injured in air strikes in Gaza, according to a report in the Guardian.
That happened In 2014 - two years before unrest broke out in Kashmir after Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter by security forces.
At that time, injuries and cases of partial or complete blindness caused by pellet gun use did attract strong criticism (and the Home Ministry even asked security forces to use plastic bullets instead), but the woman in the picture Lodhi used was not one of the victims.
Take a look at this screenshot of the Guardian report. The photograph was taken by Heidi Levine.
A screenshot from the Guardian's website
And here's a tweet which shows Lodhi holding up the picture.
In her reply to Indian FM's speech in UNGA, Amb. Lodhi showed a pic of pellet gun injured women frm Kashmir saying this is the face of India pic.twitter.com/StuG3arPoN- Pakistan Mission UN (@PakistanUN_NY) September 24, 2017
What's incredible is that Maheela Lodhi is a former journalist, and should know the basics of fact-checking. The website of Pakistan's Mission to the UN says she was "the founding editor of Pakistans leading English daily, The News," and "the first woman in all of Asia to become the editor of a national daily newspaper. "
At least two Pakistani websites participated in this failure of journalistic ethics.
Pakistan Defence, a website which claims to be that nation's "largest digital forum" and purports to disseminate news, retweeted the Pakistani UN Mission's message without bothering to do a fact-check. See for yourself.
Screenshot of Pakistan Defence's (@defencepk) Twitter page taken on September 24
Geo News, a TV channel, also failed to verify the information.
Screenshot of page on www.geo.tv, taken on September 24
Maleeha Lodhi said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had spread a "litany of falsehoods" in her blistering take-down of Islamabad on Saturday.
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In her reply, Lodhi said the Narendra Modi government had a "racist and facsist" ideology, and called Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath a "fanatic."
To top it all, Pakistan now wants the UN to declare India a 'state sponsor of terrorism.'
VIDEO: Here's what EAM Swaraj told the UN General Assembly about Pakistan and terrorism. Read the full text here.
--- ENDS ---
Sam Goody, a regular at political protests, stood behind a folding table loaded with T-shirts and buttons for sale Sunday as hundreds gathered at UC Berkeley for what would turn out to be a much-hyped but brief appearance by right-wing showman Milo Yiannopoulos.
One of Goodys screen-printed tops read Black Lives Matter, the letters formed out of the names of men and women who were killed in police-involved shootings. Another shirt decried President Trump in unprintable messages.
Goody, a Bay Area resident, makes it a point to counter Trump supporters every time they show up in Berkeley to rally, something they have done several times this year. Sundays event was largely peaceful, but pro- and anti-Trump factions have clashed at other demonstrations.
Im dedicated to my cause and giving people the means to express themselves in a nonconfrontational way, Goody said. The rallies are calm and peaceful in the beginning. Then it turns. They have gotten more radical and intense over time. I usually pack up and leave at that point. I dont want to be in the center.
Goodys proceeds somewhere in the $5,000 range this year, he said go to the Oakland chapter of Black Lives Matter.
One of those on the other side Sunday was Ashlee Soltero, 21, who was wearing a red Make America Great Again cap. She drove from Southern California with friends to share a perspective she feels is too often suppressed in the Bay Area.
The criminal justice student at California State University Long Beach said she needed to stand up to what she sees as leftists intimidation.
These people are here to oppose fascism, and yet theyre trying to silence someones free-speech rights, she said.
She was also lured by the star power of Yiannopoulos, a former Breitbart News editor embraced by many on the far right.
Its always cool seeing celebrities in person, Soltero said. Were definitely making history here.
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Tyler DeChance, 22, wearing a Trump-Pence Make America Great Again shirt, said he was there simply to engage like-minded people. The Berkeley City College student, who was far outnumbered by people who dont share his politics, said he was surprised to see so much hostility to his beliefs.
Its crazy its gotten this hyped up over a Republican speaker, he said. People should be able to speak regardless of their views.
Many protesters maintained that free speech goes too far when it becomes hateful, adding that is what Yiannopoulos offers.
Shauna Keddy, a 27-year-old elementary school teacher who lives in Berkeley, showed up Sunday in rainbow-colored clothes. She said she missed the Feb. 1 planned appearance by Yiannopoulos at UC Berkeley, which devolved into a melee when anarchist counterprotesters swarmed into Sproul Plaza. But she made it a point to attend this event.
Not everyone is committing violence, Keddy said. Its important to show that.
The killing of Kate Steinle on a San Francisco pier in July 2015 shook the law enforcement community when investigators traced the pistol that took her life to a federal ranger. Four days earlier, he had returned to his parked car in the citys downtown to find a window smashed and the weapon gone.
Over the next seven months, at least seven other guns were snatched from law enforcement officers vehicles in the Bay Area, and the rash prompted some chiefs and sheriffs to tighten policies on how officers secure guns, whether off-duty or on.
State legislators sought to punish cops who leave firearms vulnerable to car burglars. San Francisco supervisors took up the issue, as did Marin Countys civil grand jury.
But two years later, after criminals allegedly stole a gun from the personal car of a San Francisco officer and used it to kill a young man in the Mission District, critics say the push for changes fell short. The thefts keep happening, with devastating consequences. And though police have made some reforms, the efforts have been uneven.
Some departments bought officers lockboxes that can be fastened to the interior of their vehicles, providing stronger security, but many others have not.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors considered making it a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail for off-duty officers to leave a gun unsecured in a car. But they ultimately voted to exempt San Francisco officers and deputies and apply the measure to everyone else, as long as the police and sheriffs departments enforced internal policies.
The civil grand jury in Marin County, in a report released in May 2016, said just one police agency there had toughened policies on gun storage in vehicles since Steinles death on Pier 14, and that most agencies did not use lockboxes.
The Grand Jury believes that the best policy is for law enforcement never to leave a firearm in a vehicle, the report said. Short of that, lockboxes should be installed in every department vehicle and policies should state specifically how firearms are to be secured.
The problem persists as vehicle break-ins rise in some Bay Area cities. Victims reported 17,970 car burglaries in San Francisco through the end of July, or about 85 a day, up 28 percent from the same period in 2016.
Still, information about the theft of police guns is scarce: Local, state and federal authorities do not publish figures on how often it happens, and police agencies do not typically reveal whether or how they punish employees who lose guns in violation of internal policies, because of California laws that keep officer discipline private.
Law enforcement critics say police now more than ever should know better than to leave guns unsecured in vehicles and must be held to a higher standard.
You know what is out there, and you know what is happening every day, said attorney Frank Pitre, who is representing Steinles family in a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management. He also represents the family of Antonio Ramos, who was shot in September 2015 while painting a mural in Oakland by an attacker who used a gun stolen from the rented car of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
Criminals are just looking for opportunities, Pitre said, and youre giving them a gold mine when you allow them to steal a weapon they wouldnt have otherwise.
Some police officers and advocates, though, say theres no simple solution to stopping the thefts. They say officers obliged to carry guns are victims of the same scourge of home and car burglaries as civilian gun owners. According to federal gun regulators, 1.4 million firearms were reported stolen in the six-year period from 2005 to 2010.
The bigger problem is how do we address this rampant crime problem? said attorney Alison Berry Wilkinson, who represents Bay Area law enforcement officers. Everything from cell phones to water bottles to guns, any item left in a car is subject to being stolen right now. The reality is police officers are no less vulnerable to that than any other segment of the population.
She said that even in cases where officers put guns in lockboxes that are welded to vehicles, People can rip out entire pieces of equipment from a car. I know officers who have gone to great lengths to make sure they have secured their weapon, and still, criminals with blowtorches and crowbars are able to remove it from the vehicle.
Santa Clara County Sheriffs Sgt. Richard Glennon noted that officers who travel with guns cant take them in places where they are prohibited, such as post offices, or sporting events where a police presence is needed but guns are not.
For this reason, his boss, Sheriff Laurie Smith, purchased 750 special gun safes for her deputies personal vehicles last year.
We havent had any weapons taken since then, Glennon said.
Complicating the problem, some police officials said, is that thieves sometimes target officers, knowing they carry valuable weapons.
Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriffs Office said he had heard of cases in which crooks followed officers and other people home from gun ranges and then burglarized their homes. In 2013, thieves in Richmond poisoned two dogs at the home of a city K-9 officer before stealing two handguns and three long guns.
But in the mind of state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, the officers unique position only heightens their responsibility. And in some cases, he said, the irresponsible behavior is clear.
A carpenter has a tool belt that carries his tools all day and he doesnt think much about it when he tosses it in his car, but theres a major difference between a gun and a hammer, Hill said. It becomes a custom that they follow, but they need to wake up to the fact these are dangerous weapons, especially in the wrong hands, and when they are stolen, they invariably wind up in the wrong hands.
After the Pier 14 killing, the senator wrote a law that, as of Jan. 1, requires that officers who arent carrying out official duties secure a gun in a vehicles locked trunk or in a locked container out of view. A violation is an infraction punishable by a fine up to $1,000. The law considered in San Francisco would have been tougher, if the police and sheriffs departments had not been exempted.
Those agencies did enact internal policies, though they differ slightly from each other.
The sheriffs policy requires deputies who must leave a gun in an unattended car to stow it in a lockbox fastened to any part of the interior, as long as its out of view. The police forces policy mandates that officers secure a gun in a vehicles locked trunk for a short period of time at most, and never overnight. If the vehicle lacks a trunk, the gun must be in a lockbox affixed to the interior, out of view.
Its not clear whether Hills state law could apply to the recent San Francisco case, in which officials said a silver revolver and ammunition were stolen from a car that belonged to city Officer Marvin Cabuntala. Three days later, on Aug. 15, the gun was used in the killing of 23-year-old Abel Enrique Esquivel Jr. Three young men have been charged with murder.
Police officials would not elaborate on the circumstances of the theft, but said internal affairs is looking into the officers actions and could discipline him if he violated department rules. Cabuntala did not know his vehicle had been broken into until after the shooting, the police union said, suggesting that he did not follow the restriction on stowing a gun overnight.
The gun thefts that have plagued Bay Area officers in recent years have been spread among a number of agencies. In January, an FBI agent reported that a thief had stolen a submachine gun out of his parked car in Contra Costa County. The agency would not say how it had been secured.
Last weekend, it happened again: A newly hired San Francisco sheriffs deputy left his service pistol unsecured in a parked rental car in the city in violation of department policy, officials said, allowing a thief to break in and take it. The deputy, who was still on probation, was fired.
Pitre, the Steinle family attorney, said that as laws and policies change to force responsible gun ownership, agencies must hold officers accountable when they fail to do their part.
Until you really have a significant consequence such as termination of employment or suspension for a significant period of time, he said, only then are you going to get people who are going to think twice about leaving a gun unattended in a vehicle.
Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo
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An hours-long standoff in San Francisco came to a deadly end Sunday morning for a man holding two children and his wife hostage, when police burst through the door of his apartment and opened fire, authorities said.
The wife and two children, ages 5 and 11, were unharmed in the overnight confrontation on Russian Hill. Officials did not identify the husband, describing him only as a man in his 30s.
Investigators trying to determine what led to the shooting picked through a pile of debris outside the apartment building that included childrens toys and spent police rounds. Authorities did not say whether they had found a gun or any other weapon inside the apartment, although police reported hearing what they believed were shots during the standoff.
Officers responded to the building on Salmon Street, a short alley off Pacific Avenue, around 11:35 p.m. Saturday to check on a report of a domestic disturbance involving a man with a possible weapon, said Sgt. Michael Andraychak, a police spokesman.
Upon arrival, officers heard yelling coming from inside the apartment and within minutes they heard a shot from inside the apartment, Andraychak said. At that point, officers called in hostage negotiators and tactical officers.
Negotiators spoke to the man for several hours, but around 2:50 a.m. he stopped responding, Andraychak said. Moments later, police heard what they believed to be another gunshot from inside the apartment and, fearing for the safety of the hostages, sent in the tactical team, Andraycak said.
Once inside, officers encountered the man and shot him, police said. He was pronounced dead at San Francisco General Hospital.
The wife and children were treated at the scene and released. They were not shot or seriously injured, Andraychak said.
Neighbors on Salmon Street reported hearing the commotion throughout the night, including an explosion from a stun grenade.
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A woman who asked to be identified only by her first name, Cindy, said her mother lives across from where the shooting happened at the back of the dead-end alley. She said the children sometimes played in the street, but that her interactions with the man never amounted to more than a friendly wave.
Its shocking that something like this could happen in the neighborhood, she said. The neighbors all know each other, but that family pretty much just kept to themselves.
Police homicide and internal affairs inspectors are investigating the shooting, as are the district attorneys and chief medical examiners offices.
Police officials will hold a town hall meeting in the neighborhood within the next 10 days, which is department protocol.
Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
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There are few festivals in the United States where you can view the Academy Award winners of tomorrow, take in local documentaries, see the best of Cannes, learn about the craft of moviemaking, listen to live music and gaze at a few celebrities all while enjoying a mellow vibe.
That is the Mill Valley Film Festival, and if you act in a timely manner, all these events are reasonably accessible. For Bay Area cinephiles or even casual moviegoers of any age this event is a gold mine.
Here is a sneak preview of the festival, and some tidbits from its illustrious 40-year history:
And the Oscar goes to
OK, we admit it: Glitz is fun to talk about, and no Mill Valley festival tour would be complete without an Oscar preview. Thats because nine of the past 11 best-picture Oscar winners have screened at the Mill Valley Film Festival, including last years winner, Moonlight, and presumed runner-up, La La Land.
This year, there are probably at least a dozen films in the festival lineup worthy of Academy Award consideration of some kind. But handicapping an Oscar race is a dicey proposition, so keep this in mind as we list only a sampling of the contenders:
Call Me by Your Name: This sensitive, nuanced drama, about the relationship between a doctoral student and his employers 17-year-old son, will almost assuredly get an adapted screenplay nomination. Armie Hammer, Timothee Chalamet and Michael Stuhlbarg all stand solid chances of getting acting nods. The film has wowed critics (including this one) all over the world, and a best-picture nomination is within reach, even if the subject matter will be tricky for some.
9 p.m. Oct. 12, CineArts at Sequoia; 3 p.m. Oct. 14, Century Larkspur 2.
Darkest Hour: Americans love their British dramas, and this one has a pedigree that academy voters will love. Gary Oldman, who plays Winston Churchill in his most turbulent hours, is considered a front-runner for best actor. Expect this to be in the best picture field.
7 p.m. Oct. 5, CineArts at Sequoia.
Lady Bird: This highly lauded film, about a disaffected Northern California girl trying to escape her family, could get Greta Gerwig in the best-director circle and land a best picture nod. Saoirse Ronan appears to be a strong candidate for best actress, a category that appears to be loaded this year.
5 p.m. Oct. 15, Smith Rafael Film Center.
Last Flag Flying: Richard Linklater visits the festival this year with his latest, about three vets who go on a road trip. And talk about pedigree: The film is based on a sequel to the novel The Last Detail, a beloved movie of its own. This project is bound to be on the Oscar radar, particularly Bryan Cranston as best actor. But dont count out Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne, either.
7 p.m. Oct. 12, Smith Rafael Film Center.
Mudbound: Dee Rees film about racism on a Mississippi farm during the Jim Crow era is timely and has the hallmarks of a great story. Its bound to garner some kind of Oscar recognition, certainly for adapted screenplay and perhaps even in the best-picture and best-director categories.
6:30 p.m. Oct. 7, CineArts at Sequoia.
Special guests
The festival will honor these giants (in person, of course) with a tribute or spotlight event:
Sean Penn: One of the best actors in movie history. 3 p.m. Oct. 7, Smith Rafael Film Center.
Holly Hunter: Another one of the all-time movie greats. 7 p.m. Oct. 8, Smith Rafael Flm Center.
Kristin Scott Thomas: She has dazzled screens for decades and continues to do so in Darkest Hour. 6:30 p.m. Oct. 6, Smith Rafael Film Center.
Todd Haynes: A highly respected trailblazer of a director, Haynes will be featured in an onstage conversation, along with a screening of Wonderstruck. 7 p.m. Oct. 13, Smith Rafael Film Center.
Andrew Garfield: The 34-year-old actor, who will be on hand during the screening of Breathe, should have a long, distinguished career ahead of him. 7 p.m. Oct. 14, Smith Rafael Film Center.
Greta Gerwig: The Sacramento native is making her hometown proud, especially with Lady Bird. 5 p.m. Oct. 15, Smith Rafael.
Dee Rees: The Mudbound director is fast becoming an important voice in U.S. cinema. 6:30 p.m. Oct. 7, Sequoia.
5 reasons to honor
Sean Penn
Here are five of many reasons (i.e. movies) that Sean Penn is being honored at MVFF:
Mystic River: His moments as a grief-stricken parent are electrifying.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A surfer-dude performance that defined an era and made him famous.
Milk: He somehow channeled slain gay-rights icon Harvey Milk.
Dead Man Walking: Played an inmate who made your skin crawl and broke your heart.
Sweet and Lowdown: Lowdown is right, but he was hilarious and somehow garnered our sympathy.
5 reasons to honor
Holly Hunter
Here are five of many reasons (i.e. movies) that Holly Hunter is being honored at MVFF:
Broadcast News: Her complex career woman was a groundbreaking role.
The Piano: Won an Oscar, and deservedly so, without uttering a word.
Thirteen: Shes never shied away from risky material.
The Firm: One of many examples where she steals a film.
The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleading-Murdering Mom: A master class in satire.
Best bets
Mill Valley is not just about red-carpet galas and Academy Award contenders. The festival is a serious showcase for high-quality foreign and American narratives and documentaries from all over the world. Here is just a sampling:
The Desert Bride: In this lovely Argentine character study, a timid, middle-aged divorcee begins to come out of her shell after an unexpected entanglement in the countryside. 3:45 p.m. Oct. 7, CineArts at Sequoia; 6:30 p.m. Oct. 9, Smith Rafael Film Center.
The Deep Sky: This thought-provoking, sexy film concerns a couple whose views of love and sexuality change when they open up their relationship to a mysterious stranger. Its directed by Oakland resident Frazer Bradshaw and features a star turn by Luise Helm. 9:15 p.m. Oct. 7, CineArts at Sequoia; 8:45 p.m., Oct. 9 Lark Theater.
The Light of the Moon: This moving psychological drama concerns the insidious effects of sexual assault, as a young architect finds herself struggling to relate to those who love her. 8:45 p.m. Oct. 9, Smith Rafael Film Center; 6 p.m. Oct. 11, Century Larkspur 3.
The Long Shadow: Berkeley director Frances Causey digs deep into the roots of slavery and racism in this informative, powerful documentary. 6 p.m. Oct. 7 and 10 a.m. Oct. 10, Lark Theater; 11:15 a.m. Oct. 11, Smith Rafael Film Center.
On the Sly: In Search of the Family Stone: This fun documentary explores one mans quest to find the elusive Sly Stone. Along the way, we find out plenty about the legendary artist. 6 p.m. Oct. 13, CineArts at Sequoia; 9 p.m. Oct. 14, Century Larkspur 2.
A brief history
Here are some of the landmark moments from the Mill Valley Film Festival over the past 40 years:
1978: The festival opens for the first time and soon shows its cutting-edge ways by introducing video programming, marking the start of the digital cinema revolution.
1984: To avoid competing with Hollywoods summer blockbusters, the festival moves to September, then three years later to October. The switch puts the festival in an ideal spot to become a harbinger for the film awards season.
1980s: The festival works with increasingly influential distributors such as Miramax and Fine Line, and becomes a national player on the festival circuit. Celebrities abound at the festival, including French icon Jeanne Moreau, who takes a limo to go shopping at Cost Plus, and Jon Voight, who brings along daughter Angelina Jolie.
2006: The festival keeps growing in influence. Special guests Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Helen Mirren (The Queen) go on to win the leading acting Oscars for that year. It starts to become a pattern.
2017: Continuing its cutting-edge roots, the festival unveils a lineup in which women have directed 44 percent of the films. The breakthrough is part of the festivals Mind the Gap initiative, designed to pare down the gender gap in the film industry.
The festival, by the numbers
99
feature films
46
international feature films
17
U.S. feature films
22
documentaries
76
short films
9
world premieres
50
countries represented
David Lewis is a Bay Area freelance writer.
Katherine Bonniwell, a former publisher of Life magazine who was widely considered a role model for female magazine managers, died Aug. 31 at her home in Manhattan. She was 70.
The cause was lung cancer, her husband, William Leibovitz, said.
Ms. Bonniwell was an early glass ceiling breaker who led a groundswell of very talented women into top positions at Time Inc., Lifes parent company, said Chris Meigher, who was president of the organization during her time there.
She was strong and stalwart and could stand toe to toe with anybody, Meigher said.
Life, best known for its photo essays, was published weekly until 1972 and then monthly from 1978 to 2000. It now exists as a depository of 20 million photos and images on the Time website.
Ms. Bonniwell was publisher from 1988 to 1991, a period marked by high magazine readership but also by advertising downturns and shifts in consumer interest. During her tenure, the magazine increased its circulation to 1.4 million from 1.2 million and won two National Magazine Awards.
Ms. Bonniwell, known for her innovative solutions to complicated problems, was the second woman to serve as publisher of Life; the first was her immediate predecessor, Lisa Valk. She also served as worldwide director of circulation at Time Inc. and business manager for People magazine.
Leibovitz recalled that once, seeing that Time Inc.s Money magazine was performing poorly, Ms. Bonniwell proposed a new content strategy. Instead of publishing a mix of miscellaneous articles, she suggested that each issue of the magazine focus on a different theme. Her suggestion was adopted, and readership soared.
Ms. Bonniwells efforts to put Life back on a weekly publication schedule for the first time in a decade were driven by amazing intellectual and political brilliance on her part, said Jim Gaines, who was managing editor of the magazine at the time and later succeeded Ms. Bonniwell as publisher.
She made a compelling business case for producing more issues and probably would have succeeded, Gaines said, if not for external market pressures and concerns that a weekly Life could cannibalize readership from other Time publications.
Katherine Marbury Bonniwell was born in Manhattan on May 29, 1947, to Lucy and John Bonniwell. Her family was descended from British colonists who arrived in North America in 1670. Her middle name was a tribute to her ancestor William Marbury, of the landmark Marbury vs. Madison Supreme Court decision, which helped establish the doctrine of judicial review.
Ms. Bonniwell earned a bachelors degree in 1969 from Vassar College, where she studied art. She briefly worked at Sothebys auction house before returning to school for a masters from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1976.
Besides her husband, she is survived by her son, Alexander; a sister, Anne Gale; a brother, Charles Bonniwell; and a stepdaughter, Lynn Leibovitz.
Tiffany Hsu is a New York Times writer.
WASHINGTON - The Republican senators at the forefront of the latest effort to undo the Affordable Care Act plan to release a revised version of their bill Monday sending more health-care dollars to the states of key holdouts, as hardening resistance from several GOP senators left their proposal on the verge of collapse.
According to a summary obtained by The Washington Post, Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., will propose giving Alaska and Maine get more funding than initially offered. Those states are represented by Republican senators Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, and Susan Collins, Maine, who have expressed concerns about the bill but have yet to say how they would vote.
The Cassidy-Graham legislation would overhaul the ACA by lumping together the current law's spending on insurance subsidies and expanded Medicaid and redistributing it to states in the form of block grants. Alaska would get 3 percent more funding between 2020 and 2026 than under current law, and Maine would get 43 percent more funding during that time period, according to a summary obtained by The Post.
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The plan was distributed among Republicans late Sunday, with party leaders just one "no" vote away from defeat and as Republican senators from across the political spectrum were distancing themselves from the prior draft.
ALSO GOP scrambles to save health bill
Aides to Murkowski and Collins did not immediately respond to requests for comment late Sunday. Republicans close to the process have long counted Collins as an eventual "no," with some predicting that little could be done to the bill to change her mind.
The fresh discord over a signature Republican promise added turbulence to the start of a critical week for President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. In addition to health care, both are watching Tuesday's special-election primary runoff in Alabama, a high-stakes intraparty fight between establishment Republicans and conservatives that could set the tone for the midterm elections next year. GOP leaders also are expected to unveil their most detailed blueprint yet of tax cuts they hope to pass by the end of the year.
"Eventually we'll win, whether it's now or later," Trump said of the health-care effort Sunday as he prepared to board Air Force One to return to Washington after spending the weekend at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Collins, a moderate Republican who has opposed previous efforts that cut Medicaid and eased coverage requirements, said in a TV interview earlier Sunday that it was "very difficult" to envision herself voting for the health-care bill.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a conservative who has advocated a more far-reaching repeal of the ACA, commonly called Obamacare, said he and at least one other conservative colleague do not back the measure "right now."
And Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has stated definitively that he opposes the current measure, showed no signs of backing down without dramatic changes to the bill's core approach that probably would come at the cost of other Republican votes.
Graham and Cassidy pledged to keep trying to pass their bill - but the White House and McConnell gave differing accounts of the path ahead. White House legislative affairs director Marc Short predicted a Wednesday vote, while a McConnell spokesman declined to publicly embrace that timeline.
Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Collins cited concerns about how the Cassidy-Graham legislation would affect Medicaid recipients and people with preexisting medical conditions, among other things.
"It is very difficult for me to envision a scenario where I would end up voting for this bill," Collins said. "I have a number of serious reservations about it."
Collins voted against a repeal bill in July, and she is a key vote in the current dynamic. She said she chatted at length with Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday, but it wasn't enough to sway her. She said she wants to see the limited analysis due out this week from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office before making a final decision.
Two Republican senators - Paul and John McCai, Ariz. - have already said they will vote against Cassidy-Graham. A third would be enough to defeat the bill, since no Democrats are expected to support it. Republicans hold a 52-48 advantage in the Senate and can lose only two votes from their own party and still pass legislation with the help of a tiebreaking vote from Pence.
Trump said Sunday that the senators opposed to or leaning against voting for the bill, including McCain and Collins, would benefit from the block grants included in the proposal.
"Every state you're talking about, it happens to be particularly good for," Trump said.
The bill has been roundly rejected by influential national groups representing physicians, hospitals and insurers. Over the weekend, six such organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association, issued a joint statement urging the Senate to reject the measure.
While the CBO plans to release a "preliminary assessment" early this week, officials there have said they will not be able to provide estimates of how Cassidy-Graham would affect insurance premiums or the number of people with coverage "for at least several weeks." Trump and McConnell are trying to bring the bill to a vote by the end of this week to take advantage of a procedural rule allowing the plan to pass with just 51 votes.
It remained far from clear Sunday that they could get even close to that number.
Addressing Cassidy-Graham at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Cruz said: "Right now, they don't have my vote. And I don't think they have Mike Lee's either," referring to one of Utah's senators.
Cruz said that he and Lee met with Graham and Cassidy last week to propose changes to the measure that would get them to yes. Their changes were not included in the latest draft.
Conn Carroll, a Lee spokesman, said Sunday: "We want some technical changes. We are working with Cassidy, but we haven't committed to anything yet."
Graham and Cassidy appeared on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," where they defended their plan and vowed to keep up their efforts to shepherd it to passage.
"We're moving forward. And we'll see what happens next week. I'm very excited about it," Graham said.
The South Carolina Republican mentioned Collins and Paul as he made his pitch. "Rand Paul objects to the taxes," he said. "But when you look at the bill, Rand, we save a lot of money over time for Medicaid. We put a cap on Obamacare growth."
Paul said in a Sunday interview that he broadly opposes a keystone of the Cassidy-Graham plan: turning funding for the ACA into block grants for states.
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"The problem I have with block grants is that looks like I've affirmatively said I'm okay with 90 percent of Obamacare as long as we reshuffle it and give it to Republican states," he said. "That's a horrible message."
Paul said he is willing to listen to suggestions about how that element of the bill could be constricted. "Would I talk to them if they said they wanted to make the block grants half as much? I might," he said.
Paul presents another challenge as well: Winning him over would probably alienate Republican senators who oppose a more aggressive repeal. That left GOP leaders no better off in their quest to secure enough Republican votes to pass Cassidy-Graham.
The proposal, which would also dramatically cut Medicaid spending over time, has drawn concerns from Republicans from states that have expanded Medicaid under the ACA. In an interview on CBS' "Face The Nation," Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., whose state expanded Medicaid, said he needs more information before he will take a position.
"I think the CBO will have a role to play in this," Gardner said. "I believe there's information that will be coming through a committee hearing on Monday and additional text changes that will add additional information."
McConnell is also keeping a close eye this week on the Senate race in Alabama, where Republican Sen. Luther Strange is trying to get past insurgent primary challenger Roy Moore, a controversial but popular former judge. Trump and McConnell both back Strange, but supporters and associates of Trump, including former chief White House strategist Stephen Bannon and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, have praised Moore.
A Moore victory would be a blow to both McConnell and Trump, who have put their powerful political operations behind Strange. Some Republicans also say that outcome would embolden conservative insurgents to challenge other Republican senators in 2018.
Also this week, the "Big Six" negotiators from the White House, the Senate and the House are expected to unveil more details of their tax overhaul plan, which, like the health-care talks, could spark messy disagreements among Republicans.
Some of the elements of the plan have already started to take shape. Republicans are targeting a corporate rate of 20 percent in their overhaul, according to three people familiar with the emerging blueprint - a number that represents a substantial cut from the current 35 percent rate but falls short of the 15 percent Trump has advocated.
But for Senate Republicans, the first order of business this week is resolving the health-care push, one way or the other. Even the bill's champions have started pondering the prospect of failure.
Asked on "This Week" what he will tell people if he comes up short, Graham responded: "That I did everything I could to get money and power out of Washington to give you better health care closer to where you live, and I'm not going to stop fighting."
He also held up the possibility of using health care as a negotiating tactic in future legislative talks.
"I'm on the Budget Committee," Graham said, adding, "we're not going to vote for a budget resolution that doesn't allow the health-care debate to continue."
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The Washington Post's Robert Costa and Carol Morello contributed to this report.
SACRAMENTO Something was different this year.
As lawmakers in Sacramento approached the last night of their session the final opportunity to pass or kill bills for the year they had three days to figure out how to vote. Three days may not sound like much, given the magnitude of the decisions involved in shaping policy for 39 million Californians. But its three more days than lawmakers used to have to make up their minds on some measures.
A law voters imposed last year forbids legislators to act on a bill until its been available to the public for 72 hours. While most bills are published online for several weeks or months, every year lawmakers write some new ones at the last minute, leaving almost no time for the public or even their colleagues in the Legislature to scrutinize the proposals.
The new routine was met with mixed reviews as lawmakers pounded through hundreds of proposals before adjourning in the wee hours of Sept. 16.
It takes a lot of tension out of the Legislature in the last week because we dont have to be jammed with new bills that we havent read, said state Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose. When you get stuff thats written, like, two hours before, its tough to decide whats best for your constituents.
More by CALmatters California rethinks how it remembers its history
Beall said the three-day requirement helped him secure enough votes to pass a landmark package of bills intended to supply California with more affordable housing. It pushed the sponsoring lawmakers to explain the proposals earlier, he said, and answer questions. And when it came time to vote on the complex plan to raise real estate fees and streamline environmental reviews, Beall said, his colleagues were confident that no new wrinkle had been slipped in at the last minute.
It gives us a little more comfort level in voting for something like this that is very complex, he said.
On the other hand, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, blamed the three-day rule for torpedoing one of his key bills, saying it gave him less time to negotiate. Powerful unions and utility companies opposed his proposal for all electricity in California to come from clean, renewable sources, and the Assembly declined to take it up for a vote.
Its taken away a lot of the creativity in terms of last-minute, last-second negotiations, de Leon said. People dont understand: Seventy-two hours is like dog years during the last week of the legislative session. Seventy-two hours is like three months.
Eliminating such last-minute deals was exactly the point, said Charles Munger Jr., a Republican activist who spent nearly $11 million on the campaign for the law, which was Proposition 54 on the statewide ballot in 2016. Bills that cant withstand three days of public review are probably not good for the public, he said.
I think the process (this year) has worked better, Munger said. Im pleased so far, and I will find out in due course if there were any problems.
A fellow proponent of the initiative, former state lawmaker Sam Blakeslee, raised concern that the Legislature is not following its requirement to allow people to video-record legislative proceedings. The initiative says the Legislature must allow people to record and, by next year, make videos available online.
Blakeslee, a Republican from San Luis Obispo, said a rule the Legislature has proposed since the new law kicked in could limit access for people who want to make their own recordings.
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Were still working to help the Legislature come up with the right approach, Blakeslee said.
Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber (Tehama County), said that overall the new law has brought more transparency to the lawmaking process. But as the frenzy to pass bills reached a crescendo on the sessions final night, Nielsen complained that there remain ways to obfuscate.
We are having policy committee hearings as we speak, he said around 9 p.m. Committees on banking, education and health held night hearings on bills rewritten just a few days earlier. That gave lawmakers scant opportunity or none for meaningful input, Nielsen said.
The three-day law does not address how much time must pass between a committee hearing and a floor vote. It just says that before the bill goes to the floor, it must be published online for at least three days.
Thats a game changer for the hundreds of lobbyists who pack Capitol hallways in the final days of the lawmaking year. Theyre used to urging legislators to make minor tweaks and do wholesale rewrites all night long.
Now, lobbyist Paul Bauer observed as he waited outside the Senate chamber, You cant ask them to change the bill. They wont do it.
Laurel Rosenhall reports for CALmatters.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California politics.
Pakistan is lobbying in the United Nations to get India declared a state sponsor of terrorism, a leading Pakistan daily reported just hours after Sushma Swaraj tore into Islamabad at the UN General Assembly for supporting terror groups.
Sushma Swaraj tore into Pakistan at the UN General Assembly over its support for terrorism (Photo: Twitter/MEA)
By India Today Web Desk: "India is the mother of terrorism in South Asia," Pakistan told the United Nations in response to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tearing into Islamabad for its support for terror groups.
Now, it seems, Pakistan, which also targeted PM Narendra Modi in its response to Sushma, wants the world body to declare India a 'state sponsor of terrorism', a tag that carries with it threats of international sanctions.
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This is according to a report in The Express Tribune, a Karachi-based English language daily. The Tribune report, which cites unnamed sources, says that Pakistan has begun lobbying efforts in the United Nations to get India declared a 'state sponsor of terrorism'.
For this, the Tribune says, Pakistan is approaching China and Russia, two of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council, for support.
Pakistan lobbying in UN to get India declared state sponsor of terror https://t.co/OmGTexMVlC- The Express Tribune (@etribune) September 24, 2017
Beijing, Islamabad's all-weather ally, is already said to be on board, the Tribune report says. The newspaper's sources further say the United States, another permanent UNSC member, will also be 'taken into confidence' over the matter.
The report does not mention when Pakistan's lobbying efforts to get India designated a state sponsor of terror began.
Nor does the Tribune say whether Islamabad's actions were sparked by Sushma Swaraj's hard-hitting speech at the United Nations General Assembly where she excoriated Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups.
The report, which came hours after Swaraj delivered her speech, does mention Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's speech in the UNGA from earlier this week in which he accused India of running a "campaign of subversion and state-sponsored terrorism".
CAN PAKISTAN DO IT?
Can Pakistan really get India declared a state sponsor of terrorism? For Islamabad to be successful in the endeavour, it would require the support of all five permanent member of the UN Security Council - US, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China.
Even if the report were to be believed in that Beijing has indicated its backing for the move, it must be noted that Moscow has usually stood by New Delhi and that Washington has soured on Islamabad.
In recent times, the Donald Trump administration in the US has increasingly voiced its disapproval of Pakistan's 'double game' in the fight against terrorism.
President Donald Trump, in a departure from US tradition, explicitly called Pakistan out for offering terrorists "safe haven", when he unveiled his new South Asia policy.
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It must also be noted that even China has refused to get involved in the Kashmir issue, saying as recently as this week that the matter was something that New Delhi and Islamabad must solve on their own.
WATCH | Sushma responds to Pakistan PM Abbasi, slams Islamabad on terrorism at UNGA
--- ENDS ---
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America is terribly polarized.
And its all on account of California.
The trouble is not merely that California itself is such a politically polarized place. Or that California contributes to the many causes of polarization: partisan media, economic anxiety, technological change and income inequality.
No, the artichoke heart of the matter is that California is simply too big, too exceptional and too 21st century to fit an America governed by 18th century rules and mid-20th century nostalgia.
The way in which California fuels polarized national elections is paradoxical: We divide America precisely because we balance out the country culturally and politically. California, as a large progressive check on a conservative country, makes America a 50-50 nation in matters political.
But Americas political system is simply not set up to work in such a narrowly divided polity. The United States is famously a system of checks and balances, in which governance requires big majorities or broad consensus. One path to consensus is a strong and currently elusive ethic of bipartisanship. The other reliable way to achieve consensus is to have one dominant political party that can make changes easily. California blocks both paths.
As political scientist Frances Lee has shown, the country produced more compromise from 1933 to 1981, when Democrats dominated Congress and presidential elections usually produced landslide victors. But in the 80s and 90s, as California transformed into a Democratic stronghold, the dynamic shifted. There hasnt been a presidential landslide since 1988. And party control of both the House and Senate has flipped several times.
Because elections are so close, American politics has become so relentlessly competitive as to be dysfunctional. To win in this system, parties magnify their differences at the expense of governing and exploit every tiny advantage, from election procedures to the redistricting process.
When party control seemingly hangs in the balance, Lee writes in Insecure Majorities: Congress and the Perpetual Campaign, members and leaders of both parties invest more effort in enterprises to promote their own partys image and undercut that of the opposition. These efforts at party image-making often stand in the way of cross-party cooperation on legislation.
This dynamic creates two deep grievances involving the Golden State.
The first is the complaint, heard increasingly in other parts of the United States, that California is a great nullifier. Many Americans simply cant accept the power of Californias huge population, wealth, culture and technology to frustrate efforts to enshrine their old-fashioned bigotries in national policy. It makes America even madder that were not at all sorry about our exceptionalism. But so what? To quote the famously pithy Austro-Californian philosopher Arnold Schwarzenegger, Everybody pities the weak. Jealousy you have to earn.
The second grievance is Californias own. The rickety, old American Constitution routinely hamstrings our democratic preferences. The 2016 election made this plain: We voted in record numbers for Hillary Clinton, who won the national popular vote by nearly 3 million votes, but saw our choice nullified by the Electoral College, which makes the votes of people in a lightly populated state like Wyoming three times more valuable than our own ballots.
And dont forget the House of Representatives, which gives outsize power to rural voters in other states, and the Senate, which gives California the same two senators as the 49 lesser states. My fellow Californians, the next time some American apologist defends the countrys constitutional structure as anything but a conspiracy against California, look them in the eye and say: North and South Dakota, dude?
Because California stands at the heart of the problem, there are two ways to address American polarization. The first and better path is through democratic reform. Lets elect the president by popular vote and replace Congress with a 21st century parliament, in which one states huge size doesnt count against it.
In such a system, you could keep the checks and balances. One party, the Democrats, would dominate Congress and the presidency and be able to govern.
But if the Constitution remains inviolate, then the United States would be far more governable if California left the union. America would be far poorer, but Republicans would be the clear governing party.
For now, however, the country is in a stalemate. The rest of America wont surrender the excessive representation it has. And California wont bow to an antidemocratic America that nullifies our values.
If the United States is ever going to cure its polarization, something will have to give: the American Republic. Or California.
Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zocalo Public Square. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at SFChronicle.com/letters.
National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, former president of Goldman Sachs, said recently that only morons pay the estate tax.
Im reminded of Donald Trumps comment that he didnt pay federal income taxes because he was smart. And billionaire Leona Helmsleys comment that only the little people pay taxes.
What Cohn was getting at is how easy it is nowadays for the wealthy to pass their fortunes to their children tax-free. And, therefore, why no one should worry about getting rid of the estate tax, as Trump and Cohn plan to do.
Actually, theres good reason to go a step further by raising and expanding the estate tax.
Right now, the estate tax applies only to estates worth about $11 million per couple. Wealthy families stash money above this amount into dynastic trust funds that escape additional taxes.
No wonder revenue from the estate tax has been dropping for years, even as wealth has become concentrated in fewer hands. The tax now generates about $20 billion a year, which is less than 1 percent of federal revenue. And it applies to only about 2 of every 1,000 people who die.
Theres another part of the tax code that Cohn might also have been referring to, where revenue has been dropping capital gains taxes paid on wealthy peoples stocks, bonds, mansions and works of art when they sell them.
If the wealthy hold on to these assets until they die, the tax code allows their heirs to inherit them without paying any of these capital gains taxes. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this loophole saves heirs $50 billion a year.
The estate and capital gains taxes were originally designed to reduce inequality and prevent the growth of dynasties in the United States. Theyve been failing to do that. The richest one-tenth of 1 percent of Americans now owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent.
Many of todays superrich never did a days work in their lives. Six of the 10 wealthiest Americans alive today are heirs to prominent fortunes. The Walmart heirs alone have more wealth than the bottom 42 percent of Americans combined.
Rich Millennials will soon acquire much more of the nations wealth.
America is now on the cusp of the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in history. As wealthy Baby Boomers expire, an estimated $30 trillion will go to their children over the next three decades.
Those children will be able to live off of the income these assets generate, and then leave the bulk of these assets which in the intervening years will have grown far more valuable to their own heirs, tax-free.
After a few generations of this, almost all of the nations wealth will be in the hands of a few thousand families.
Dynastic wealth runs counter to the ideal of America as a meritocracy. It makes a mockery of the notions that people earn what theyre worth in the market, and that economic gains should go to those who deserve them.
It puts economic power into the hands of a relatively small number of people who have never worked, but whose investment decisions will have a significant effect on the nations future.
And it creates a self-perpetuating aristocracy that is antithetical to democracy.
The last time America faced anything comparable to the concentration of wealth we face now was at the turn of the last century.
Then, President Teddy Roosevelt warned that a small class of enormously wealthy and economically powerful men, whose chief object is to hold and increase their power, could destroy American democracy.
Roosevelts answer was to tax wealth. He advocated for the establishment of an estate tax. The modern U.S. estate tax was established in 1916, less than a decade after Roosevelts presidency ended, and the capital gains tax was established in 1922.
But since then, both have been eroded. As the rich have accumulated greater wealth, they have also amassed more political power, and theyve used that political power to reduce their taxes.
Roosevelt, a Republican, helped create a movement against dynastic wealth. Trump and todays congressional Republicans will not follow in his footsteps. I doubt even todays Democrats would do so if they had a chance. Big money has become too powerful on both sides of the aisle.
But taxing big wealth is necessary if were ever to get our democracy back and make our economy work for everyone rather than for a privileged few.
If Cohn and his boss cared about Americas future, theyd raise taxes on great wealth. Roosevelts fear of an American aristocracy is more applicable today than ever before.
2017 Robert Reich
Robert Reich, a former U.S. secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at UC Berkeley. He blogs daily at www.facebook.com/rbreich. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at SFChronicle.com/letters.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders swing through California and Hillary Clintons book tour underscore the Democrats problem in the aftermath of the 2016 election.
The problem: The partys two main factions are clinging to the leaders of yesterday rather than looking forward.
Berners have to come to grips with the fact that for all the energy the Vermont senator brought to the election, his voters did not turn out when it counted.
Had the Berners voted in the final showdown, Donald Trump would not be president. And, to this day, Sanders remains an independent. Like Trump, hes a one-man party.
The Sanders Partys biggest issue is single-payer health care, which would put the government in charge of your insurance. Aiders and abetters, who included Sen. Kamala Harris of California, decided to make their big push before the GOPs repeal-and-replace effort was officially dead a miscalculation that gave the Republicans a major talking point at exactly the time they needed it.
The non-Bernie Democrats are more nuanced and practical, focusing on saving Obamacare rather than pushing a plan that would mess with millions of Americans coverage. The problem is that they have no one at the top with the popular heft of Sanders unless you count Clinton, who hit the comeback trail at just the wrong time.
Not that there was a right time. Clinton would have made a fine president, but thats never going to happen, and the partys job is to figure out which Democrats have a legitimate shot in 2020.
That list doesnt include Clinton. Or Sanders I said Democrats.
What happened: I picked up the audio version of Clintons book. Im three hours in, and I still cant figure out what point she is trying to make. But I do love the sound of her voice.
Pelosi shout-down: There was no reason for activists shout-down of House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi at her pro-Dreamer news conference last week. But then, thats the way it is in politics these says the relentless anger eventually visits friends and enemies alike.
Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues who were prevented from speaking, Reps. Barbara Lee and Jared Huffman, are fully capable of absorbing varying points of view en route to arriving at better public policy. Some people may be disappointed that practicality is part of the equation, but without it, nothing gets done.
One-liners: Rec and Park boss Phil Ginsburg finally witnessed a family-appropriate comedy day in the park last Sunday. The best line came from from Will Durst: The trouble with Trump stories is that the Republicans believe that they are lies and the Democrats believe that they are true. Neither thinks they are funny.
It all happened in Sharon Meadow, which, thanks to a two-year effort by Durst and his wife, Debbie, is now Robin Williams Meadow.
Movie time: American Assassin. This action movie, starring Dylan OBrien and Michael Keaton, appears to have been made with the Trump audience in mind. It may be a little disquieting for the Trumpsters, however, because all the bad guys turn out to be American-born, American militarily-trained, and American-assassinated.
Fly away: I climbed aboard a twin-engine helicopter at Buchanan Field in Concord the other day for a trip to Oakhurst in Madera County, near the entrance to Yosemite National Park. The flight lasted an hour, or less time than it took to drive from San Francisco to Concord.
Once we landed, I headed to the Chateau du Sureau, a little-known but highly prized restaurant, for a fundraiser for Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno. The four-course meal started with corn soup and ended with apple strudel, which figures, because founder Erna Kubin-Clanin hails from Vienna.
Then it was back to Concord on the chopper. Now, helicopters are not my favorite mode of transportation, and I have to admit I was a bit nervous.
But then the the pilot said, Dont worry, Mayor Brown. I fly the most important person in the world in my helicopter.
Whos that? I asked, looking around.
Me. The pilot.
Now thats my kind of flight guy.
Want to sound off? Email wbrown@sfchronicle.com
Political events in the Bay Area
Town hall: Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, R-San Ramon, holds a town hall meeting at the Orinda Library auditorium, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Voter registration: Volunteers will help new U.S. citizens register to vote after swearing-in ceremony. Sponsored by Democracy Action, which works to advance Democratic candidates. 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday outside the Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. https://demaction.us
D.A. candidates: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy OMalley and 2018 challenger Pamela Price hold a town hall, sponsored by the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and Starbucks. 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Merritt College student lounge, 12500 Campus Drive, Oakland. http://bit.ly/2xkrDvH
Food stamps: Alameda County Community Food Bank hosts an event to raise awareness about SNAP (food stamps) and urge Congress not to cut antihunger programs. Free. 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at 7900 Edgewater Drive, Oakland. www.accfb.org
Conservation and cannabis: A discussion of the effects of legalized marijuana cultivation on Bay Area public and private lands, sponsored by the Bay Area Open Space Council. 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at the David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley. Tickets are $30 for nonmembers. Information and tickets: http://bit.ly/2w3dTm4
Veg fest: The 18th World Veg Fest promotes health, social justice and sustainability through vegetarian eating. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at the San Francisco County Fair Building, 1199 Ninth Ave. at Lincoln in Golden Gate Park. Tickets are $5 to $25, children 12 and under admitted free. http://bit.ly/2xgD7A9
Politics and media: Longtime San Francisco journalist Tim Redmond discusses media coverage and the Trump administration. Event begins at 2 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Richmond Meeting Room of the Sen. Milton Marks Branch Library, 351 Ninth Ave., San Francisco. http://bit.ly/2wJub72
To list an event, email Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com.
The Sonoma County Sheriffs Department on Saturday released the identity of a Santa Rosa man killed in a double shooting in Forestville Friday night that investigators suspect was drug-related.
Theros Frank Fountaine, age 46, was one of two men police found in a field near River Road at Trenton-Healdsburg Road in Forestville at around 6:40 p.m. Friday while investigating a shooting call.
Sam Goody, a regular at political protests, stood behind a folding table loaded with T-shirts and buttons for sale Sunday as hundreds gathered at UC Berkeley for what would turn out to be a much-hyped but brief appearance by right-wing showman Milo Yiannopoulos.
One of Goodys screen-printed tops read Black Lives Matter, the letters formed out of the names of men and women who were killed in police-involved shootings. Another shirt decried President Trump in unprintable messages.
Goody, a Bay Area resident, makes it a point to counter Trump supporters every time they show up in Berkeley to rally, something they have done several times this year. Sundays event was largely peaceful, but pro- and anti-Trump factions have clashed at other demonstrations.
Im dedicated to my cause and giving people the means to express themselves in a nonconfrontational way, Goody said. The rallies are calm and peaceful in the beginning. Then it turns. They have gotten more radical and intense over time. I usually pack up and leave at that point. I dont want to be in the center.
Goodys proceeds somewhere in the $5,000 range this year, he said go to the Oakland chapter of Black Lives Matter.
One of those on the other side Sunday was Ashlee Soltero, 21, who was wearing a red Make America Great Again cap. She drove from Southern California with friends to share a perspective she feels is too often suppressed in the Bay Area.
The criminal justice student at California State University Long Beach said she needed to stand up to what she sees as leftists intimidation.
These people are here to oppose fascism, and yet theyre trying to silence someones free-speech rights, she said.
She was also lured by the star power of Yiannopoulos, a former Breitbart News editor embraced by many on the far right.
Its always cool seeing celebrities in person, Soltero said. Were definitely making history here.
Tyler DeChance, 22, wearing a Trump-Pence Make America Great Again shirt, said he was there simply to engage like-minded people. The Berkeley City College student, who was far outnumbered by people who dont share his politics, said he was surprised to see so much hostility to his beliefs.
Its crazy its gotten this hyped up over a Republican speaker, he said. People should be able to speak regardless of their views.
Many protesters maintained that free speech goes too far when it becomes hateful, adding that is what Yiannopoulos offers.
Shauna Keddy, a 27-year-old elementary school teacher who lives in Berkeley, showed up Sunday in rainbow-colored clothes. She said she missed the Feb. 1 planned appearance by Yiannopoulos at UC Berkeley, which devolved into a melee when anarchist counterprotesters swarmed into Sproul Plaza. But she made it a point to attend this event.
Not everyone is committing violence, Keddy said. Its important to show that.
Pakistan has launched tirade against India after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's speech at the UNGA questioning the neighbouring country over its policy of state-sponsored terrorism. But, facts call for an introspection by Islamabad.
Hafiz Saeed at a rally in Islamabad. Former ISI chief Hamid Gul is sitting on his right. (Photo: Reuters file)
By Prabhash K Dutta: Following External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's speech at the UNGA where she exposed Pakistan over its doublespeak on terrorism, Islamabad has denied the charge that sponsored-terror is part of its state policy. At the United Nations General Assembly, India and Pakistan have traded charges accusing each other of sponsoring terrorism.
Despite the presence of terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Al Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Jaferia, Sipah-e-Sahaba, Al Badr, Harkat ul-Ansar, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi, Jamaat ul-Fuqra and Muslim United Army on its soil, Pakistan audaciously denied giving shelter to terror groups.
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Several of these groups are known to have direct patronage of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The ISI is known to train the jihadi fighters associated with these terror groups and fund their operations mainly in India and Afghanistan.
TERRORISM AS STATE POLICY OF PAKISTAN
Following the embarrassing defeat in 1971 India-Pakistan war, former Pakistan Army chief and later President of the country, General Zia ul Haq devised the proxy war strategy against India. He called it "bleed India through a thousand cuts" policy.
This became Pakistan's state policy when Zia ul Haq became President of Pakistan. Though he died in 1988, Pakistan executed his plans. Since then Pakistani authorities have had close links with the terror and jihadi outfits. These elements have been used as part of their foreign policy with regard to India and Afghanistan.
Experts believe that after 9/11 terror attacks in the United States, another dimension was added to it. Pakistan became a "partner" of the US in the fight against terror. But, experts say that with joining hands with the US, Pakistan began its double game. It is, now, on both sides of terrorism.
Pakistan works with the US to get billions of dollars and then uses the same money to fund its jihad-inspired terror factory. Pakistan diverts aids from the US to fund terror activities of the groups it has created and nurtured over the years. There is fear in Pakistani establishment that if they are not given patronage, the terror groups might turn rogue and inflict greater damage on the country.
Pakistan, instead, helps terror groups operating from its land to carry out their activities in India and Afghanistan. Investigation into big terror attacks like those of 26/11 Mumbai incident of 2008 and Uri attack of September last year has exposed Pakistan's deep state. In both the cases, Pakistan has tried to slow down the pace of investigation to almost dead.
TERROR FACTORY OF PAKISTAN
Ashley J Tellis, an expert on Pakistan's terror sponsorship and a senior associate at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has categorised the terror outfits nurtured by Islamabad under five categories.
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Sectarian: Terror groups like the Sunni Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and the Shia Tehrik-e-Jafria fall in this category. These are religiously motivated groups. Their terror acts are largely confined within Pakistan.
Anti-Indian: Groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad and Harakat ul-Mujahadeen are the ones which carry out terror acts in Jammu and Kashmir and rest of India. These groups are funded, trained and given directions by the Pakistani Army and the ISI. The Mumbai and Uri attacks, as per evidence collected by the Indian investigators, were carried out on the direction of the ISI and senior Pakistani Army officials.
Afghan Taliban: The terror group of Mullah Mohammad Omar was supported and aided by Pakistan's ISI. Pakistan government was one of the few countries which recognised the Taliban government of Afghanistan.
When Indian Airlines flight 814 was hijacked in December 1999, they flew to take shelter under Afghan Taliban. Pakistan's ISI coordinated with them at that time. The group has lost much of its strength thanks to American attacks but it continues to operate from Quetta in Pakistan with the help from the ISI.
Al-Qaeda and its affiliates: Owing sustained attacks by the US and allied forces, the Al-Qaeda's back was broken by the end of the first decade of the 21st century. When Osama bin Laden was hunted down from Abbotabad in Pakistan, it lost its supreme leader. After Laden's death, the group split into various factions. The factions continue to operate from Pakistan with recognisable support from the ISI.
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Pakistani Taliban: This is an amalgamation of over a dozen terror outfits. This group is in conflict with the Pakistani government. However, many believe that several top leaders and senior officers in the Pakistan establishment extend support to them for their fundamental character and emphasis on sharia.
PAKISTAN'S DOUBLESPEAK ON TERROR
At the UNGA, Pakistan called India "the mother of terrorism" because India deals with terrorists - coming from the other side of the LoC - with stern hands in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi was angry over External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's comparison between the growth paths taken by India and Pakistan over last 70 years.
Sushma Swaraj said that while India produced doctors, engineers and became information technology super power, Pakistan produced terrorists and became terror factory of the world.
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Earlier, India's first secretary to UN, Eenam Gambhir called Pakistan "Terroristan" after Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqqan Abbasi accused India of committing "brutalities" in Kashmir. Abbasi made the comment while referring to counter-terror operations by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, where Pakistan has been sending terrorists since 1989.
Inside Pakistan, the government shies away from taking action against anti-India terror outfits. In July last year, chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Lashkar-e-Taiba Hafiz Saeed led out a march of 30,000 fundamentalists in Karachi.
Hafiz Saeed openly called for violating LoC and carrying out attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and across India. But, Pakistan did not take any action despite it being a signatory to counter-terror conventions of the UN.
Several ISI officers including former ISI chief Hamid Gul were seen sharing dais with Hafiz Saeed, whom former Pakistan President Parvez Musharraf described as "our hero" in a TV interview.
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An hours-long standoff in San Francisco came to a deadly end Sunday morning for a man holding two children and his wife hostage, when police burst through the door of his apartment and opened fire, authorities said.
The wife and two children, ages 5 and 11, were unharmed in the overnight confrontation on Russian Hill. Officials did not identify the husband, describing him only as a man in his 30s.
Investigators trying to determine what led to the shooting picked through a pile of debris outside the apartment building that included childrens toys and spent police rounds. Authorities did not say whether they had found a gun or any other weapon inside the apartment, although police reported hearing what they believed were shots during the standoff.
Officers responded to the building on Salmon Street, a short alley off Pacific Avenue, around 11:35 p.m. Saturday to check on a report of a domestic disturbance involving a man with a possible weapon, said Sgt. Michael Andraychak, a police spokesman.
Upon arrival, officers heard yelling coming from inside the apartment and within minutes they heard a shot from inside the apartment, Andraychak said. At that point, officers called in hostage negotiators and tactical officers.
Negotiators spoke to the man for several hours, but around 2:50 a.m. he stopped responding, Andraychak said. Moments later, police heard what they believed to be another gunshot from inside the apartment and, fearing for the safety of the hostages, sent in the tactical team, Andraycak said.
Once inside, officers encountered the man and shot him, police said. He was pronounced dead at San Francisco General Hospital.
The wife and children were treated at the scene and released. They were not shot or seriously injured, Andraychak said.
Neighbors on Salmon Street reported hearing the commotion throughout the night, including an explosion from a stun grenade.
A woman who asked to be identified only by her first name, Cindy, said her mother lives across from where the shooting happened at the back of the dead-end alley. She said the children sometimes played in the street, but that her interactions with the man never amounted to more than a friendly wave.
Its shocking that something like this could happen in the neighborhood, she said. The neighbors all know each other, but that family pretty much just kept to themselves.
Police homicide and internal affairs inspectors are investigating the shooting, as are the district attorneys and chief medical examiners offices.
Police officials will hold a town hall meeting in the neighborhood within the next 10 days, which is department protocol.
Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
1 Officers shot: Two police officers were shot Saturday in New Haven, Conn., by a man authorities also suspect shot his wife. The officers responded to an apparent domestic shooting at a home around 10:30 a.m. When the officers arrived, they found a wounded 51-year-old woman. She was hospitalized in critical condition. The two officers were shot when they confronted the suspected gunman, identified as John Douglas Monroe. The officers, who are expected to survive, shot Monroe, who was hospitalized with serious injuries.
2 Staged death: A makeup artist helped police stage an Ohio crime scene to make the suspect in a murder-for-hire plot believe his requested target was killed by the would-be hit man, who actually was working with investigators. North Ridgeville police said Seljami Idrizi, of Grafton, was arrested last week after paying the informant, who provided him photos of the faked scene to prove the killing was done. Police say Idrizi asked a man he had befriended to kill a 43-year-old North Ridgeville man, and the would-be hit man contacted police in mid-September. No one was hurt. Police havent disclosed a motive.
By PTI: Shimla, Sep 24 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of an AIIMS hospital at Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh on October 3 and address a public rally there.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda, in whose home district the All India Institute of Medical Sciences is coming up, said the premier hospital would provide much-needed tertiary medical services to the people of Himachal Pradesh and its neighbouring states.
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BJP sources said Modi is also likely to formally inaugurate the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Dhaula Kuan in Sirmaur and lay the foundation stones for the permanent campuses of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala and Dehra through video link.
State party chief Satpal Singh Satti said the prime minister would address a rally at Bilaspur.
The hospital will come up in a 200-acre area on the Shimla-Bilaspur highway. The institution is centrally located in the state and is a 2 to 3 hour drive from from Shimla and Kangra sides.
The state goes to polls later this year.
Nadda said the establishment of the institute in Bilaspur is a milestone in the list of achievements of the NDA government in the health sector. PTI PLB/PCL BSA
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With the Berkeley debut of Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group Saturday, Sept. 23, at Zellerbach Hall, Cal Performances launched Joining Generations, an ambitious, four-part survey of African American choreography, to culminate in the spring with the 50th anniversary celebration of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
The California premiere of Wilsons 2013 Moses(es) inaugurates the project in arresting, if not entirely successful, fashion; still, it was past time to engage the Brooklyn dance maker, whose Bay Area debut seven years ago was memorable.
Wilson is thinking on a grand scale here; the unusual spelling of the title suggests, as does novelist Zora Neale Hurston, who inspired the piece, that there is more than one religion fostering its own Moses legend. Wilson seems to investigate several versions during the 70-minute piece.
It begins like a lecture as Wilson (all in white) and his seven dancers (all in red) introduce themselves, citing their years of service to the troupe. Wilson gathers up a bale of aluminum foil littering the stage, stuffing it all into a small red suitcase. He retreats to the sidelines, where he seems to control the performance, offering verbal cues and proposing a beat on a variety of unfamiliar percussion instruments, as well as an insistent clapping rhythm.
As for the dancing, which is heavy on shifting group unisons at the start, it encompasses a multiplicity of styles. The weighted manner and deep plies of West African movement are there, but somehow, the attack seems lighter. Just when you have had enough, Wilson will shuffle his dancers like playing cards. Near the middle, each of the dancers emerges from a nest of Jonathan Belchers lighting bridges, and their solos reveal surprising stylistic oddities; the mens lanky extensions suggest a troupe of Broadway hoofers.
Moses(es) is not, strictly speaking, a narrative, but the magnificent score provides some guides as to meaning. There are live vocals and cherished recordings by Louis Armstrong, the Klezmatics and the Blind Boys of Alabama, to cite just three. Wilson uses Wade in the Water very differently from how it is employed by Ailey in Revelations.
Despite one miscalculation, the second half of the work assumes a more tribal feeling. I loved the moment when the sound of the shofar generates celestial light, which turns out to be a cut-glass ballroom globe. And the seated dancers at the end may say more about the Exodus than a more up-tempo finale.
But Moses(es) is Wilsons only full-evening work to date, and the structure is uncertain. A sequence set to spoken texts (perhaps a tribute to postmodernism) in the second half seems poorly placed, if not irrelevant.
At least the dancers keep us interested here and everywhere else. In addition to the superb Rhetta Aleong, they included Yeman Brown, Paul Hamilton, Lawrence A.W. Harding, Raja Feather Kelly, Clement Mensah and Annie Wang. Those fanciful costumes were contributed by Naoko Nagata.
Allan Ulrich is The San Francisco Chronicles dance correspondent.
Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group, Moses(es). 3 pm, Sunday, Sept. 24, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, www.calperformances.org (510) 642-9988
Ultraconservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos prayed, signed autographs and took selfies for about 15 minutes on the steps of Sproul Hall at UC Berkeley on Sunday, an appearance that cost the university an estimated $800,000, university officials said.
Hoping to prevent the kind of violence that shut down a scheduled speech by Yiannopoulos on Feb. 1, UC officials brought in an unprecedented number of police officers they declined to reveal how many from about 10 jurisdictions, including the little Kern County city of Taft, as well as police from other University of California and California State University campuses.
Security included a labyrinth of orange barriers, which prohibited access to Sproul Plaza until shortly before noon, requiring attendees to pass through a single metal detector to enter the area. In the end, only about 150 people in Sproul Plaza saw Yiannopoulos. Hundreds were still outside waiting to get in when he left.
Because we were operating and planning in the blind we just were not getting information from the student group we had to plan for what we felt was going to happen with speakers of this magnitude here, said UC Berkeley Police Chief Margo Bennett. And thats why we staffed it the way we did.
Bennett said that campus police and administrators would decide Sunday night whether to provide special security for the rest of the week.
Yiannopoulos arrived on the steps of Sproul Plaza shortly after noon, fulfilling his vow to show up even after student organizers canceled what had been billed as Free Speech Week, a four-day event that was to include Steve Bannon, President Trumps former White House adviser, and controversial conservative author Ann Coulter.
Despite calling the event a defense of free speech, Yiannopoulos didnt give a speech. He was shouted down as he tried to talk. He wasnt allowed to use an amplification system, a rule university officials said would apply to any private citizen who would seek to make use of the Sproul steps for a similar purpose.
Wearing a U.S. flag hoodie and accompanied by an entourage that included private security, he greeted supporters for several minutes, knelt down to pray, took selfies, signed autographs and then started singing the national anthem as protesters yelled at him, challenging him on his views regarding immigration.
Then, security escorted him from Sproul Plaza while police held back people who tried to follow him.
No, I didnt get to say much, Yiannopoulos told The Chronicle later in a text message, adding that he plans to return later this week or sometime in the next several months. We will be back to Berkeley over and over again, until the university starts treating its conservative students fairly.
He also criticized police, saying they prevented people from entering.
Nonsense, said UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof. He said the security screening was slowed after one person was caught with plastic knuckles, a weapon that wouldnt be caught by a metal detector.
Our job as a campus and as a police department wasnt to facilitate this event, Mogulof said. What drove our arrangements and our preparations and our decisions was the safety and security of the public, the campus community and any private citizens that may have come onto Sproul.
Several hundred people descended on the south side of the campus in anticipation of Yiannopoulos visit, split between those who supported him and those who didnt.
Throughout the morning, verbal sparring and a few scuffles occurred between the two sides, as well as competing chants of, USA! and Fascists go home!
Police banned weapons of any kind as well as face masks, perhaps deterring groups like the black bloc or antifa from participating.
Eleven people were arrested on various charges, most for carrying banned weapons, police said.
As the protests wound down Sunday afternoon and the crowd dissipated, university officials said that they would likely be looking at changing policies on events and speakers.
Its unclear if existing rules can accommodate these kinds of unprecedented protests, Mogulof said, adding that Chancellor Carol Christ is considering putting together an advisory group of students, faculty, experts and administrators to review those policies.
He noted that the event was initiated by a student group called Berkeley Patriot, organized by two students after Yiannopoulos first speech was canceled.
We need to ask ourselves, Should a relatively small student group have the ability to schedule four straight days of events? he said. Theres a lot for us to examine and think about.
Jill Tucker, Kimberly Veklerov, Lizzie Johnson and Nanette Asimov are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com, kveklerov@sfchronicle.com, ljohnson@sfchronicle.com, nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JillTucker, @LVeklerov, @lizziejohnsonnn, @NanetteAsimov
The Rajasthan High Court has sought answers from the Jodhpur administration and the state government over rising crime graph in the city.
By Rohit Parihar: Rajasthan High Court has taken a serious note of rising crime in Jodhpur following a series of firing incidents at public places and complaints of extortion.
Jodhpur businessman Vaudev Israni was shot dead on September 17 after having survived a similar attempt on his life three months ago. He was murdered even though the police provided security following his complaint about threat to life.
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The incident took place in Sardarpura, a posh area and constituency of former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
HIGH COURT FURIOUS OVER RISING CRIME: THINGS TO KNOW A furious bench of Justices Govind Mathur and Arun Bhansali summoned Principal Secretary (Home) Deepak Upreti yesterday. Earlier, the high court had summoned police commissioner Ashok Rathore, who has been holding the post for few years. A common criticism of the Rajasthan police is that its leadership has been in the hands of weak officers. Jodhpur, for long known as a very peaceful city, too has shown a considerable rise in crime in recent years. The NCRB data for 2015 shows that Jodhpur has the third highest rate of crime among cities. It also has the highest crime rate (13.7) of an attempt to commit murder per lakh population against India average of 2.9. Jodhpur has the highest rate of rape at 13.4 per lakh population standing ahead of Delhi. Jodhpur reports the highest rate of assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty with. Its average is 38.7 for every lakh population against the national average of 9.6. Jodhpur also has highest rate of cruelty by husbands or his relatives at 70.7 against the national average of 11.9. The crime rate of causing death by negligence is also highest in Jodhpur at 45.3 against the national average rate of 9. The city has the highest number and the highest rate of forgery cases in the country. Congress leader and former CM Ashok Gehlot hit out at the government and police commissioner Rathore saying that the administration had deliberately neglected Jodhpur as it was his hometown. He demanded transfer of Rathore from Jodhpur. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has intervened to control the damage. She has asked the Special Operation group headed by IG Dinesh MN to track those involved in cases of murders, extortion and other serious crimes in Jodhpur.
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By Meetu Jain: From bringing "good quality chicken, mutton and fish", to training dogs, to fortune telling, to printing wedding cards: the pretexts used by visitors to the residence of the then CBI chief Ranjit Sinha are as interesting as the purposes for which they came, says a Supreme Court-appointed panel's report.
Mail Today has accessed details of the ML Sharma committee's findings that were submitted to the SC in a sealed cover this year. None of those questioned by the panel denied visiting Sinha but almost everybody cited purposes other than official.
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Most of the frequent visitors or their companies are being investigated by the CBI in scams.
The committee probed 36 most-frequent visitors to Sinha's house.
For instance, a person who came 148 times recounted that "Smt Sinha would requisition his services for buying good quality mutton, chicken and fish from the market and also to discuss politics with her as she was interested in contesting Assembly elections from Delhi or Bihar," says the report. This visitor works in the office of the chairman of one of India's biggest oil and telecom majors. The son of a former DGP of Tamil Nadu came 144 times to Sinha's house to "train the ex-CBI chief's dogs" and on occasions was purportedly helping Sinha get access to an astrologer.
It's a different matter that this person was being probed for defaulting on loans of about Rs 45 crore from two banks. A Gurugram-based printer came 44 times to Sinha's residence, supposedly for designing of wedding cards. But the person who had free access to the ex-CBI chief's house was a former general manager of the Central Mine Planning & Design Institute, Ranchi. He visited Sinha 298 times in 15 months after he "retired from a high position in coal sector and was under probe by the CBI". M L Sharma refused to comment on the report. But it's the high-profile visitors who have raised eyebrows. A top honcho of a telecom and power company who was questioned in the 2G scam and whose company was embroiled in the coal scam visited 28 times to have a "cup of tea" and discuss "Shri Sinha's son's education".
Another top executive of the same company- now overseeing its newfound defence manufacturing interests- came 26 times as he was apparently apprising the CBI of its image in the market and the "perception of the government regarding the CBI". The panel panned the visit of "liaison" men to the ex-CBI chief's residence, saying "their visits with Shri Sinha couldn't have been without a purpose but it's not possible for the committee to give a definitive ruling as the PE files have not been made available by the CBI". A top meat exporter who is being probed along with a predecessor of Ranjit Sinha by agencies was a frequent visitor. The committee wonders whether the visits were "only for old times' sake or they had a deeper purport".
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In the heart-wrenching letter, the girl says she was forced to watch a pornographic film.
By India Today Web Desk: A student who claims to be from a private school in Haryana's Sonepat has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging she was raped inside her institution's campus by two staff members.
In the heart-wrenching letter, the girl says she was forced to watch a pornographic film.
But that wasn't all. When she complained to school authorities, she says, she was given this response: Such things happen.
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She wants immediate action to be taken against the culprits, and has threatened to commit suicide if that doesn't happen.
A Hindustan Times report said the two staffers have been booked.
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From legal weed to spectacular natural landscapes to ridiculously good burritos, California can seem like a paradise.
But it seems like nothing gives certain right-wing pundits more joy than whipping themselves into a froth counting all the ways California is a terrible, no good, very bad place to live and fantasizing about its demise.
MEXICO CITY A strong earthquake shook Mexico on Saturday, killing at least one person, toppling already damaged homes and a highway bridge, and causing new alarm in a country reeling from two even more powerful quakes that together have killed more than 400 people.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the new, 6.1-magnitude temblor was centered about 11 miles south-southeast of Matias Romero in the state of Oaxaca, which was the region most battered by an 8.1-magnitude quake on Sept. 7.
It was among thousands of aftershocks recorded in the wake of that earlier quake, which was the most powerful to hit Mexico in 32 years and killed at least 96 people.
The government of Oaxaca state reported that some homes collapsed and one woman died when a wall of her home fell on her in the town of Asuncion Ixtaltepec.
Four people were injured in Juchitan and three in Tlacotepec, but none of their lives was in danger. Another person suffered a broken clavicle in the town of Xadani. Three hotels and two churches were damaged and a highway bridge collapsed. The Federal Police agency said the bridge already had been closed due to damage after the Sept. 7 quake.
Bettina Cruz, a resident of Juchitan, Oaxaca, said by phone with her voice still shaking that the new quake felt horrible.
Homes that were still standing just fell down, Cruz said. Its hard. We are all in the streets.
U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Paul Caruso said the new temblor was an aftershock of the 8.1 quake, and after a jolt of that size even buildings left standing can be more vulnerable.
Buildings swayed in Mexico City, where nerves are still raw from Tuesdays 7.1-magnitude temblor that has killed at least 305 across the region. Many residents and visitors fled homes, hotels and businesses, some in tears.
At the Xoco General Hospital, which is treating the largest number of quake victims, workers ordered visitors to evacuate when seismic alarms began to blare.
That included Syntia Pereda, 43, who was reluctant to leave the bedside of her sleeping boyfriend. Jesus Gonzalez, 49, fell from a third-story balcony of a building where he was working during Tuesdays quake and was awaiting surgery.
But she controlled her emotions, went outside and came back when the trembling was over.
We are getting used to this, Pereda said. Every so often we hear the alarm ... you say, well, it is Gods will.
Alejandra Castellanos was on the second floor of a hotel in a central neighborhood of Mexico City and ran down the stairs and outside with her husband.
I was frightened because I thought, not again! Castellanos said.
Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said there were no reports of significant new damage in the capital, and rescue efforts related to Tuesdays quake were continuing. He reported that two people died of apparent heart attacks during the new temblor.
At the site of an office building that collapsed Tuesday and where an around-the-clock search for survivors was still ongoing, rescuers briefly evacuated from atop the pile of rubble after the morning quake before returning to work removing cement, tiles and other debris.
As rescue operations stretched into the fifth day, residents throughout the capital have held out hope that dozens still missing might be found alive. More than half the dead 167 perished in the capital, while an additional 73 died in the state of Morelos, 45 in Puebla, 13 in Mexico state, six in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.
Along a 60-foot stretch of a bike lane in Mexico City, families huddled under tarps and donated blankets, awaiting word of loved ones trapped in the pile of rubble behind them.
Lidia Albarran, whose niece was buried in the collapse of an office building a block away, heard the alarm and worried that the latest quake could endanger those under the pile of rubble.
You feel fear. Before, earthquakes did not make me afraid, but now ... thinking about all that could have happened in the building, Albarran said.
In a city still on edge, many residents have spoken of lingering anxiety: imagining the ground is moving when it isnt, hearing a police siren wail and thinking its a quake alarm, breaking into sobs at unexpected moments.
There is collective panic. I feel afraid even when a car passes by, said Dulce Bueno, who came Saturday morning with her husband and daughter to the hard-hit Condesa neighborhood. They brought suitcases to collect the belongings of their daughter, who lived in a damaged building beside one that collapsed and who is now moving in with them.
They have told us it is well constructed, that its a bunker, Bueno said of her own home. But if the tremors continue, will it hold up?
Vicente Aparicio, 76, gazed at the building where he lived in southern Mexico City as his wife listened to an engineer explaining the damage it had suffered. He pledged never to return; his family is fortunate enough to have another apartment to go to and the means to go on with their lives.
But what about those who do not? Aparicio wondered.
He added: How does a city recover from a shock like this?
Peter Orsi, Maria Verza and Gisela Salomon are Associated Press writers.
COXS BAZAR, Bangladesh The huge exodus of Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar to escape brutal persecution appears to have slowed, but several recent refugees say tens of thousands are huddled near beaches or in forests waiting to escape.
Some Rohingya who have fled over the past week said Myanmar army soldiers were shooting at those trying to flee to Bangladesh. Others said thousands were stuck in Myanmar because most boatmen had made the crossing to safety themselves and soldiers had burned many of the boats that remained.
Over the past month, an estimated 430,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh as their homes and villages were set on fire by mobs of soldiers and Buddhist monks. They have brought with them accounts of soldiers spraying their villages with gunfire.
In the first three weeks of the latest convulsion of violence in Myanmars Rakhine state, tens of thousands of Rohingya poured into Bangladesh each day, walking for days through forests or taking rickety wooden boats on the rain-swollen Naf River. Many crossed into the country via the thin sliver of the Bay of Bengal that separates Myanmar from Bangladesh.
Syed Noor, a recent escapee, said Sunday that tens of thousands of Rohingya were waiting at border points in Myanmar desperately trying to cross the border. Noor said other people from his village and other villages near the Rakhine town of Buthidaung were hiding in forests near the Naf River.
They are stuck in one place because the Myanmar army is shooting at us, he said.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said Sunday that the exodus of Rohingya from Myanmar to Bangladesh is the most urgent refugee emergency in the world right now.
I was struck by the incredible magnitude of their needs. They need everything, Grandi said in Coxs Bazar.
Myanmars leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, said last week that military operations in the troubled areas had ceased a few weeks ago. She also said the great majority of Muslims within the conflict zone were still in their villages and that more than 50 percent of their villages were intact.
But Amnesty International said as recently as Friday that fresh fires continued in Rakhine.
Muneeza Naqvi is an Associated Press writer.
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(Adds details of divisional results, China Farms and Beingmate)
Fonterra Cooperative Group's full-year gross margin dropped about 4 percentage points as the dairy company paid more for milk, while rising prices offset a decline in volumes. The changing mix didn't alter Fonterra's forecast payout.
Fonterra's gross margin fell to 17 percent in the year ended July 31 from 21.1 percent a year earlier, the Auckland-based company said. Normalised earnings before interest and tax dropped 15 percent to $1.2 billion. Ebit from ingredients, its biggest business, fell 22 percent to $943 million, while earnings from consumer & food service rose 6 percent to $614 million as increased volumes and sales were offset by "significantly higher input costs."
Sales rose to $19.2 billion from $17.2 billion while cost of sales climbed to about $16 billion from $13.6 billion.
The full-year results gave Fonterra room to answer some critics about its offshore strategy, including its investment in Beingmate Baby & Child Food, the unprofitable Chinese infant formula producer and distributor that sells Fonterra's Anmum formula in China. It took an impairment loss of $35 million on its 18.8 percent stake, reducing the carrying value to $617 million, which it said reflected Beingmate's share price slide and recent losses. Still, "the market fundamentals remain strong and the changes to the regulatory regime, anticipated to be effective from 1 January 2018, are expected to have a positive impact on Beingmates financial performance," it said.
Fonterra also disclosed normalised ebit of $1 million for China Farms, its dairying operations in China, compared with an ebit loss of $59 million a year earlier. The turnaround was "due to our ongoing efforts to reduce costs through operational efficiencies, milk volume growth and the impact of the market-based internal raw milk price." Still, Fonterra's gross margin from ingredients included "a $38 million loss representing the difference between the domestic milk price and the internal raw milk price paid to China Farms."
Volumes at its ingredients division fell 5 percent to 22.4 billion litres of milk equivalent (LME), which reflected a "challenging New Zealand milk profile" and lower closing inventory carried into the year.
Volumes in consumer & food service rose 12 percent to 5.5 billion LME while the 6 percent growth in earnings reflected "significantly higher earnings in Greater China and strong sales and earnings growth by Soprole in Chile." Against that, significant increases in input costs put pressure on gross margins, partially offset by revenue growth, it said.
The company affirmed its forecast 2017/18 payout of $6.75 per kilogram of milk solids plus earnings per share in a range of 45-to-55 cents, making the forecast total available payout of $7.20 to $7.30, before retentions. The final cash payout was $6.52 for the 2016/17 season for a 100 percent share-backed farmer.
We will always need to manage variability across our cooperative both in global markets and in our local farming conditions," said chair John Wilson. "Weve demonstrated our ability to deal with those conditions and deliver on our strategy again this year. He said being able to maintain its forecast dividend "despite the milk price increasing by 57 percent over the year and the impact of negative stream returns was an excellent result."
Net profit was $745 million in the 12 months ended July 31 from $834 million a year earlier, Fonterra said.
Units of the Fonterra Shareholders' Fund rose 0.5 percent to $6.13 and have gained 1.7 percent this year.
(BusinessDesk)
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A news agency's initial report didn't say where the grave was found, or whether these Hindus were killed during the recent exodus of Rohingya from Aung San Suu Kyi's Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
By India Today Web Desk: Myanmar's Army has found the grave of as many as 28 Hindus killed by Rohingya militants, the news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) reported today.
AFP did not say where the grave was found, or whether the Hindus were killed during the recent exodus of Rohingyas from Myanmar.
Hundreds of Hindus are caught in the crossfire between Myanmar's military and Rohingya insurgents. They have fled to Bangladesh, and are placing their hopes on the Narendra Modi government in India.
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Nearly 500 are sheltered in a cleared-out chicken farm in a Hindu hamlet in Bangladesh's southeast, a couple of miles from where most of the Rohingya Muslims who have also fled violence in Myanmar since August 25 are living in makeshift camps.
The Hindu refugees say they are scared of going back to their villages in Buddhist-majority Myanmar's restive Rakhine state, but also wary of staying in mostly Muslim Bangladesh.
The Indian government, meanwhile, is making it easier for Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and other minorities from Bangladesh and Pakistan to gain citizenship in India.
UN CALLS FOR MASSIVE HELP
Meanwhile, the United Nations has appealed for massive help for the 429,000 Muslims who have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks. The exodus followed a Myanmar military offensive, after attacks by Rohingya insurgents targeted security posts and an army camp. About a dozen people were killed in those attacks.
Myanmar says the offensive is a legitimate operation against "terrorists," but UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was best described as ethnic cleansing.
The crisis has raised questions about Myanmar's transition to civilian rule under the leadership of Noble laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
After breaking her silence on the ongoing exodus in a State of the Union address, Suu Kyi told the news agency ANI that the Rohingya crisis was a complex problem which can't be solved overnight.
(Inputs from agencies)
--- ENDS ---
Z Energy says the first parcel of jet fuel will be pumped to Auckland International Airport later today now the refinery to Auckland pipeline, or RAP, is back up and running and it does not expect to change its full-year guidance after the disruption.
Restrictions were imposed last week after damage to the pipeline between the Marsden Point refinery and the Auckland depot disrupted fuel supply, prompting a joint industry and government response. Whangarei-based New Zealand Refining has said it expects to miss out on between $10 million and $15 million of pipeline and refining income after the disruption.
On Sunday, Energy and Resources Minister Judith Collins said the fuel would be ready to load on planes from early on Tuesday.
Z chief executive Mike Bennetts today said the parcel of jet fuel will be followed by more over the course of the week and petrol and diesel stocks will start to build, taking pressure off the truck bridging task.
"The industry will be reviewing airline allocations on a daily basis now and looks forward to resuming normal supply," he said.
Bennetts said Z is working to understand the potential impact on its financial performance given the uncertainty of how quickly the pipeline will get back to full capacity and will update the market with its half-year result on Nov. 9. However, "it remains unlikely that Z's full-year earnings guidance would change," he said.
For the current financial year, the company has forecast earnings, based on replacement cost operating earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and financial adjustments, of between $445 million and $475 million. It's 2017 earnings on that basis were $419 million.
Air New Zealand has also said it doesn't expect annual earnings to be impacted by the fuel disruption.
Bennetts noted that over the course of the outage the only inconvenience to Auckland motorists was a deliberate removal of 95 octane fuel from a small number of low volume sites, a temporary truckstop outage for a matter of hours and one equally short outage of 91 supply.
Z also said it would participate in any inquiry following the event. "This outage has highlighted how large part of the New Zealand economy rely on critical pieces of infrastructure and there is an important national conversation to be had around the cost/benefit of contingency investment," said Bennetts.
The company's shares last traded at $7.40 and have increased 1.9 percent so far this year.
(BusinessDesk)
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India Today visits refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Besides thousands of Muslim families, hundreds of Hindus have also taken refuge in Bangladeshi camps.
By Manogya Loiwal : Among those fleeing Rakhine province of Myanmar are also Hindu families from the Arakan region. Around 100 Hindu families from Rakhine have fled to Bangladesh following the attacks by Myanmar's security forces.
These families have taken shelter in camps raised at Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh. India Today visited the camps where Hindus from Myanmar have taken refuge alongside their Muslim neighbours.
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The Cox's Bazar camp is being looked after by a few activists and social workers, who have presently turned a poultry farm into a temporary camp. With around 105 families, there are presently 550 to 600 people in this camp but the challenge is of arranging food supply for them.
HOW CAMPS OPERATE IN BANGLADESH
Sujan Sharma, the coordinator of Hindu camp committee explained the challenges. "We have informed the local administration for support but we are yet to get any help. We are relying only on United Nations Food Programme and other supplies," Sharma said.
"We need more food from government but not much is happening. Only private organisations are helping. Government has sent only 10 kg rice and one litre oil for 100 families. UNFP has sent 25 kg rice till now. We are feeding through what we are receiving from private donations," he added.
Even septuagenarian Sarobala said, "We came from Myanmar because of torture. But, the same is being repeated here. If we are getting food, there is no shelter even in rainfall."
Hindu refugee camp at Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. (Photo: Manogya Loiwal
Malati, who wears sindoor and saree in Myanmar, is one of the refugees, who have fled Myanmar. She lives in the camp now. "We are living under constant threat to life. It is very dangerous situation. My father-in-law was called to other Rohingya camp and was beaten up because he asked for his dues. But, he got injuries in return," Malati said.
WHAT BANGLADESH OFFICIALS SAY?
The Bangladesh government has said that Rohingya people coming from Rakhine will be treated as a Myanmar national and identity cards will soon be issued for each of them. Only those having identity cards are being given relief materials including food and medicines.
The Bangladesh government has deployed its army for smooth distribution of the food and other relief materials at 12 camps. But, none of those camps shelter Hindu refugees from Myanmar. Deputy Commissioner of Cox's Bazar Mohammad Ali Hossain said, "They will be treated as Myanmar nationals and nothing else."
"There is huge number of Rohingya people, who have entered our country. The civil administration is doing its job properly. The civil administration has limited employees, so, we have taken a decision to involve the armed forces in distributing relief materials," he added.
--- ENDS ---
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By PTI: Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 24 (PTI) Sultan bin Muhammad Al- Qasimi, the sovereign ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, today arrived in Kerala on a five-day visit.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who had invited Al- Qasimi to the state during his visit to the emirate last year, received him at the airport here.
Welcoming the ruler of Sharjah to Kerala and expressing happiness over Al-Qasimi accepting his invitation, Vijayan, in a Facebook post, said the visit would strengthen the relations between Kerala and Sharjah.
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"Kerala welcomes HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. Still fondly remember his warm hospitality and the good words he expressed about Malayalees & Kerala during my visit to Sharjah last year (sic)," he wrote on the social networking website.
According to official sources, Al-Qasimi would call on Governor P Sathasivam at the Raj Bhavan here tomorrow.
He would also meet the chief minister and some of the other state ministers at the Raj Bhavan.
Vijayan is scheduled to host a dinner in Al-Qasimis honour at Kovalam, the famed beach resort near here.
On Tuesday, the ruler of Sharjah would take part in a convocation ceremony organised by the Calicut University at the Raj Bhavan, where the governor would confer an honorary D.Litt. degree on him.
Al-Qasimi is scheduled to leave Kerala on September 28, the sources said. PTI LGK RC RC
--- ENDS ---
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A masked gunman opened fire at a Nashville church Sunday, walking silently down the aisle as he shot unsuspecting congregants. At least one person was killed and seven others wounded, authorities said.
An usher confronted the shooter, who apparently shot himself in the struggle before he was arrested, police said.
The FBI said Sunday night it has opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ.
No motive was immediately determined. Church members told investigators that the suspect had attended services a year or two ago, said Don Aaron, a spokesman for the Metro Nashville Police Department. Nashville police did not immediately comment on several bizarre posts on the suspect's Facebook page in the hours before the shooting.
The gunman pulled into the church's parking lot as services were ending. He fatally shot a woman who was walking to her vehicle, then entered the rear of the church with two pistols and kept firing, hitting six people, Aaron said. Police said they later recovered another pistol and a rifle from the suspect's car.
Authorities identified the attacker as Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, of Murfreesboro, who came to the United States from Sudan in 1996 and was a legal U.S. resident.
It was unclear whether the self-inflicted wound to the chest was intentional, Aaron said.
The gunman was discharged hours later from Vanderbilt University Hospital but remained in police custody. The Metropolitan Nashville police tweeted Sunday night that Samson will be charged with one count of murder and that multiple "additional charges will be placed later." He was ordered held without bail by a judicial commissioner.
Witness Minerva Rosa said the usher was "a hero."
"He's amazing," said Rosa, a member of the church for eight years. "Without him, I think it could be worse."
The suspect said nothing as he fired. While the gunman made his way down the aisle, Rosa said, the pastor started shouting, "'Run! Run! Gunshots!'"
Aaron called the usher, 22-year-old Robert Engle, "an extraordinarily brave individual."
The woman who was killed in the parking lot was identified as Melanie Smith, 39, of Smyrna, Tennessee.
The gunman and six others were treated for gunshot wounds at nearby hospitals, along with Engle, who was pistol-whipped, Aaron said.
Among the wounded was Joey Spann, who is the church's pastor and is a Bible study teacher at Nashville Christian School.
After the attack, the nearby New Beautiful Gate Church opened its doors to Burnette Chapel churchgoers as they reunited with loved ones. New Beautiful Gate Pastor Michael Mosby said he is neighbors with Spann.
"As a pastor myself, you come with the expectation of sitting down and having a service and not thinking about what can happen around you," Mosby said. "You never know who is going to come to the door or what reasons they would come to the door, come to your church and do something like that. We're always on guard. We just thank God many more weren't hurt."
Forty-two people were at the church at the time of the shooting, and all victims were adults, Aaron said.
The small brick church describes itself on its website as a "friendly, Bible-based group of folks who love the Lord and are interested in spreading his word to those who are lost."
Photos on the church's Facebook page show a diverse congregation with people of various ages and ethnicities.
On Samson's Facebook page, a post in the hours before the shooting read, "Everything you've ever doubted or made to be believe as false, is real. & vice versa, B."
Another post read, "Become the creator instead of what's created . Whatever you say, goes."
And a third post read, "You are more than what they told us."
Samson also posted several shirtless photos of himself flexing his muscles. In some he wears a tank top that reads "Beast Mode."
Nashville Mayor Megan Barry said in a statement that the shooting was "a terrible tragedy for our city." She said her administration "will continue to work with community members to stop crime before it starts, encourage peaceful conflict resolution and promote non-violence."
--By Kristin M. Hall and John Raby
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Local talent was the draw at Fenix Studios Red Carpet Event inside Eve Ultra Lounge in Rossville Saturday afternoon.
Students of the studio's Artist Development Program took the stage with various acts -- from monologues and reenactments, to modeling, musical and choreographed performances.
The inaugural showcase, between 1 and 5 p.m., was set up by Fenix Studio's owner/producer Tony Hanson as a way for his students -- ages 4 to early-20s -- to show off their progression, both skillfully and spiritually.
"A lot of parents brought their children here and the kids would be scared just to sing in front of anyone," said Hanson. "Now, to watch them go from their shy beginnings, to putting on these amazing, skilled performances is truly eye-opening.
"The families and I get to see their skills grow, as well as growing as individuals."
Fenix Studios plans to host the event each September for the foreseeable future.
The Talent and Artist Development Program is aimed at helping and teaching "interested artists, of any age, with any disability, from every walk of life," says Hanson.
Fenix Studios is located at 4442 Arthur Kill Road; those interested in participating in future programs can reach out via phone at 718-227-2345 or visit the studio's website at FenixStudios.com.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Borough President James Oddo has partnered with Uber to offer free transportation to and from breast cancer screening appointments during the entire month of October for any woman who needs a ride.
Oddo hopes the service, launched in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, will entice women to get mamographies.
"I want to eliminate all barriers that are stopping women from getting screened," said Oddo. "I'm pleased to partner with Uber on this program, which will make it easier for women to get to and from their necessary appointments. Now there's absolutely no excuse for not getting screened."
Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in Manhattan, recommends women age 40 and older should have an annual mammogram, along with an annual clinical breast examination. Women with dense breast tissue may also require yearly ultrasounds.
"The earlier cancer is found, the easier it is to treat. Despite recommendations to the contrary from some organizations, experts continue to emphasize the importance of mammograms in detecting breast cancer," said Oddo.
HOW TO GET YOUR FREE RIDE
Those who want to participate in the program must call the Borough President's office for a single use code that can be entered into the Uber app to claim their free ride to and from the appointment. Women must provide their name, contact information, and the date and location of their screening to be eligible. Women should call (718) 816-2198 to receive the code.
"Access to transportation should never be a barrier to receiving care," said Sarfraz Maredia, Uber general manager for Northeast U.S. and Canada. "Uber is honored to work with the Borough President to offer all Staten Island women a reliable way to get to and from their appointments."
FREE MOBILE MAMMOGRAPHIES
In addition to the free rides, Oddo is sponsoring his fourth round of free mobile mammography screenings this year on Oct. 3.
An appointment must be made for the Oct. 3 screenings, that will take place at:
Beacon Christian Community Health Center (2079 Forest Avenue) from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., (877) 628-9090.
Hylan Plaza parking lot in New Dorp (near CVS) from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., (800) 564-6868.
Bricktown Commons (Michael's Parking Lot) in Charleston from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., (800) 564-6868.
The screenings will be available to eligible women ages 40 and older who have not had a mammogram in the past year. All insurance plans will be accepted, and co-pays and deductibles will be waived. The mammograms will be free to uninsured women.
These screenings are eligible for the free Uber ride. The Oct. 3 screenings are sponsored by the New York State Cancer Services Program, the Cancer Services Program of Staten Island, and the American-Italian Cancer Foundation.
FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) says the Graham-Cassidy bill -- the latest in the controversial proposed overhaul of the Affordable Care Act -- would have a devastating impact on the healthcare of tens of thousands of veterans nationwide.
"We are here to make it clear as day that this latest version of Trumpcare, the 'Graham-Cassidy' legislation, is no better than the last failed plan. It's even more dangerous and reckless than its predecessors," said Schumer on Sunday standing alongside veterans from New York and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA).
"This bill would cause millions to lose health coverage, but we are here today because a very critical cohort is at risk: our veterans. They put their lives on the line for this nation--both young and old--and they shouldn't have to go to war to save their critical benefits. I promise to continue fighting to protect the healthcare for millions and bipartisanly work to improve the health care system overall," he added.
Senators Schumer and Cantwell say the latest version of Trumpcare, Graham-Cassidy, poses a threatening $4.15 trillion cut from states over the next two decades, including $436 billion in cuts to New York.
Both senators staunchly oppose cuts to Medicaid, which has provided one in 10 veterans with care, said Schumer. Specifically, both senators said that veterans must have access to primary care health services as well as mental health services and substance abuse support.
"America's veterans have made tremendous sacrifices to defend our nation. With that sacrifice comes a responsibility from the federal government to continue to provide veterans with access to affordable healthcare," said Cantwell.
"The Medicaid program is a lifeline for about 1.75 million veterans nationwide and 56,000 veterans in Washington state. Senator Schumer and I are calling on Republicans to abandon their damaging and draconian cuts to the Medicaid program in this disastrous Graham-Cassidy bill. Now is not the time to cut our veterans' benefits," she added.
PROPOSED CUTS TO MEDICAID
Schumer and Cantwell said that by capping the Medicaid benefit, as well as ending the Medicaid expansion, the Graham-Cassidy bill threatens thousands of New York veterans who rely on Medicaid for their health care.
Since 2013, approximately 15,000 New York veterans have gained health insurance, many due to the expansion of Medicaid, leading them to be able to afford coverage on the individual exchanges, according to Schumer's office.
In 2015, nearly 1 in 10 veterans nationwide had Medicaid coverage, including 19,000 in New York. The Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion was responsible for reducing the uninsured rate of veterans by approximately one-third, from 9.1 percent to 5.8 percent, in 2015, said Schumer's office.
By Arpan Rai: The Delhi-based national child rights commission witnessed something unprecedented recently in the wake of the murder of Pradyuman Thakur. Within a week, angry parents from across the country flooded the commission with e-mails to take urgent steps to ensure the safety of kids on school campuses and wanted more control over on-campus activities.
Some even wanted the government to take over schools that failed to comply with the necessary security parameters. It was as if their worst nightmare had come true. (Seven-year-old Pradyuman was found with his throat slit in the washroom of Ryan International School , Gurugram, on September 8.) "Nothing else will scare a parent like this incident," recounted Sanjay Bal, a parent.
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Understandably so, because it is the school where a child spends most of his/her time after home. The commission has now compiled a 27 point suggestion list from the aggrieved mails which it has received. Some of the suggestions include granting online access of CCTV footage to parents , insisting on separate washrooms for school staff, preventing drivers and conductors from school corridors and installing CCTV in school buses.
The commission, which works in tandem with the ministries of women and child development and human resource development, has decided to forward the demands to the respective ministries.
"All the suggestions will be forwarded to the relevant ministries so that they can be included in the upcoming safety norms that the central government is likely to introduce soon," said Priyank Kanungo, member, National Commission of Child Protection Rights (NCCPR) overlooking protection of children in education sector. Meanwhile, institutions like Modern School and Delhi Public School have tightened overall surveillance to improve the safety of its students Modern School in the Capital, for instance, has a log book at the school gate for recording the entry and exit of visitors into the campus, specifying the time of the visit.
"In addition to this, school has a public address system which is used to alert everyone and convey instructions in times of emergency," said Principal Dr Vijay Datta.
Modern School in the Capital, for instance, has a log book at the school gate for recording the entry and exit of visitors into the campus, specifying the time of the visit. "In addition to this, school has a public address system which is used to alert everyone and convey instructions in times of emergency," said Dr Vijay Datta.
The authorities have also ensured that entry into the swimming pool area is not allowed when it is not supervised. The school has limited the access to washrooms to outside staff by ensuring only earmarked washrooms , away from academic blocks are used by members of the class IV staff and outsiders. At Delhi Public School, RK Puram and Noida parents can keep a tab on their kids in real time through technology. The school has issued Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) cards for all its students.
"My husband gets a message every morning when my daughter reaches school and when she leaves the school thanks to RFID. There's some sense of assurance we get every morning when we send our daughter to school. At least I know where my daughter is," said Poonam Kumar, a parent whose daughter studies at Delhi Public School in RK Puram. Nonetheless not all parents are assured.
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"All these technologies can easily be tampered with as we have seen time and again," said Pradeep Sharma, whose daughter attends Sardar Patel Vidyalaya. It (RFID) will only tell me if my daughter is in school, not if my daughter is safe within the school. The onus of protecting my child does not lie on technology. It lies on the measures a school is taking to prevent unwanted incidents," said Sharma. Teachers, on the other hand, emphasises the need to restore the age-old formula of trust and bonding between parents and students.
"There is a need to empower students and encourage parents to work with us. Even 1,000 cameras cannot beat the strength of mutual respect and trust that parents share with teachers," said Meenakshi Tandon, teacher, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya's senior secondary department. "Knee-jerk reactions force schools to apply band-aid solutions. Such quick-fix solutions will not help as much as regular inspections and the trust in school authorities would," added Tandon.
--- ENDS ---
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By PTI: (Eds: Updating with fresh details, reactions)
Varanasi/Lucknow, Sep 24 (PTI) A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a lathicharge by the police in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) where a protest last night against an alleged eve- teasing incident turned violent.
The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the varsitys vice chancellor at his residence last night, according to the police and BHU sources.
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Security guards of the university stopped the students and informed the police, according to university sources.
A BHU spokesperson said some students wanted to "forcibly" enter the VCs residence but they were stopped by the BHU security guards.
Subsequently, there was stone pelting by "outsiders" who had joined the students, he said.
The police baton charged the students in a bid to disperse them.
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in the lathicharge, the varsity sources said.
The police sources said some of its personnel were injured in the clashes during which the students allegedly indulged in arson.
Rajiv Singh, the station officer of the Lanka police station here, said that 16 students, who had been detained after the incident, were released this evening.
Following the violence, the district administration declared holidays from tomorrow till October 2 in all colleges and universities in Varanasi. The BHU had earlier announced that the holidays would start from September 28.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today sought a report from the divisional commissioner about the incident as various political parties, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), criticised the government and condemned the police action.
"I have sought a report from the divisional commissioner, Varanasi, about the entire incident," Adityanath said in Lucknow.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted, "Only a barbaric govt unleashes male police with lathis on women students. Why is BJP-RSS so scared of students?"
The baton charge on journalists led to protests in Lucknow with some scribes staging a sit-in near the chief ministers residence. They later submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate demanding action against the guilty.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav tweeted, "The government should resolve the issue by talks, not by lathicharge. It is condemnable. Action should be taken against the guilty."
Congress leaders Raj Babbar and P L Punia, along with scores of party activists, were detained today when they tried to visit the BHU. They were later released.
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The BHU issued a statement last night saying that the dharna by the students just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit was "politically motivated" to malign the image of the university.
The alleged eve-teasing incident had occurred on Thursday night after which the students started the protest.
The university also said that security guards were regularly patrolling the campus and assistance from the police had been sought to maintain peace in the campus.
Senior officials, including District Magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra and Superintendent of Police (City) Dinesh Singh, have visited the campus and police presence outside it beefed up.
Nearly 1,500 police personnel, includingcontingents of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), have been deployed to maintain law and order in the campus.
BHU students said that they undertook the protest near the universitys main gate against rising incidents of alleged eve-teasing on the campus.
A woman student of the Arts Faculty was allegedly harassed by three motorcycle-borne men inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel, triggering the dharna.
According to the complainant, the men abused her and fled when she resisted their attempts.
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The woman alleged that security guards, about 100 metres from where the incident happened, did nothing to stop them.
She said her warden, instead of taking up the issue with her superiors, asked her why was she was returning late to the hostel.
The wardens response angered the students who sat on a dharna at the main gate midnight Thursday.
BHU students have alleged they have to face eve-teasers on the campus regularly and the varsity administration was not taking any action to stop the miscreants.
The police and BHU professors tried to pacify the students yesterday, but they refused to end their protest and sought assurance from the university vice chancellor.
A press release issued by the information department of Varanasi said that a case has been registered against a Facebook page under the cyber law for allegedly posting provocative photos and videos relating to the violence. PTI CORR ABN KJ AKK SC KJ
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Guards at the Alexander Maconochie Centre gave escaped prisoners a two hour head start before telling police the men were missing, incident reports reveal.
Patrick McCurley, 28, and Jacob MacDonald, 21, fled the prison in September 2016 using a ladder to scale three fences in the space of ten minutes.
Prison guards did not notify police about the escape for two hours. Credit:Jay Cronan
The reports, obtained by The Canberra Times under freedom of information laws, show the men escaped at 11.13pm on September 2 but guards did not realise they were missing until around 4.30am on September 3.
It took another two hours until ACT Policing was alerted to the escape at 6.20am, by which time the men had been missing for more than seven hours.
Mount Rogers Primary canteen manager Amarylise Bessey coined a new phrase when the government introduced strict new guidelines on what could be sold in school tuckshops: hot dog syndrome.
The epidemic swept through some Canberra school canteens - and some still suffer the effects. The most telling symptom? The fear a canteen would no longer be profitable once junk food was wiped from the menu.
Amarylise Bessey and canteen helpers Ava Bessey 9, Hunter Taylor 12, Georgia Furbank 11, and Marylice Som 11 are proud to be selling healthier food. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos
"The successful canteens have proven that is not the case," Mrs Bessey said.
A recent Nutrition Australia ACT audit found 41 of 72 Canberra public school canteens have phased out unhealthy food and drink - classified "red" - over the past six years. Thirty now meet the National Healthy School Canteen Guidelines.
A Defence Department official has lost a legal battle centred on whether she should receive government compensation following an "unreasonable" work deadline.
The official took Comcare to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal earlier this month after the government agency refused her claim for workers' compensation.
The employee said an "unreasonable" deadline had significantly contributed to her anxiety. Credit:Michel O'Sullivan
She argued that an "arbitrary and unreasonable" deadline for a large piece of work had caused her to become "extremely distressed" and resulted in her suffering from anxiety.
The employee worked on procurement and contract support for areas of the Defence Department involved in tenders for work.
It was in Belconnen shopping centre, looking for a Christmas toy for his son in December 2007 when Jeremy Hanson was gripped by what may well have been a panic attack.
It was only weeks after returning from serving in Iraq and Jeremy's wife Fleur had asked him to pick up a toy car for Robbie.
Jeremy Hanson MLA has spoken of his struggles with depression. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong
"I went up to Belconnen mall and it's a normal environment, but what with so many people around and the lights and noise and I just sort of freaked out," he said.
"When I first got back I was fine, but then a few weeks later I sort fo fell into a big black hole into January and February and that's when I made the decision to get out of Defence."
Pakistan took the unusual step of sending its permanent representative to exercise its right of reply to Sushma Swaraj's United Nations General Assembly speech.
By Indo-Asian News Service: Pakistan has invoked acclaimed Indian novelist Arundhati Roy to attack External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's UN General Assembly speech where she denounced Islamabad as the "world's greatest exporter of havoc, death and inhumanity".
"Much of what is in the air in India now is pure terror, in Kashmir, in other places," Pakistan's Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi on Saturday evening quoted a statement made by Arundhati Roy.
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Delving into Indian politics, Lodhi also borrowed the standard lines of a section of Indian secularists who describe Prime Minister Narendra and his government as "fascist" and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as a "fanatic".
Usually a junior or mid-level diplomat delivers the rejoinders, but in a sign of how much it regards the impact of Sushma's speech, Pakistan took the unusual step of sending its permanent representative--one of the the senior-most officials in its diplomatic corps--to exercise its right of reply.
In her address earlier in the day, Sushma Swaraj said Pakistan was only interested in fighting India and sponsoring state terrorism.
Lodhi repeated the secularist line in India that "a racist and fascist ideology is firmly embedded in Modi's government and that its leadership is drawn from the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) which is accused of assassinating Mahatma Gandhi".
She slammed Adityanath's election to head Uttar Pradesh, saying "the government has appointed a fanatic as the Chief Minister of India's largest state".
"It is a government, which has allowed the lynching of Muslims," Lodhi said.
She went on to quote from Roy's November 2015 statement: "These horrific murders are only a symptom. Life is hell for the living too. Whole populations of Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, and Christians are being forced to live in terror, unsure of when and from where the assault would come."
Roy, who won the 1997 Booker Prize for her novel, "The God of Small Things", recently published her second novel, "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness", which unlike her first is political.
Lodhi took particular objection to Sushma's observation about Pakistan's founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, who, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said, bequeathed a foreign policy based on peace and friendship.
Sushma Swaraj said it "remains open to question whether Jinnah Sahab actually advocated such principles."
Lodhi said Pakistan remained open to resuming a comprehensive dialogue with India but it should include Kashmir and end what she claimed was a "campaign of subversion and state-sponsored terrorism".
ALSO WATCH: Sushma Swaraj responds to Pakistan PM Abbasi, slams Islamabad on terrorism at UNGA
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The Northern Territory will join the ACT and South Australia in lobbying for a national space agency.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner will sign his government up to an existing memorandum of understanding between the latter states at the International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide on Monday.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill signed a memorandum of understanding between their two governments to work together to put Australian into the space race in August. Credit:Finbar O'Mallon
Each jurisdiction will offer their assets and capabilities to help bolster Australia's space standing. Canberra has offered brains, South Australia land and research, and the Northern Territory its vast land primed for launch.
The state and territories will jointly lobby the federal government to increase Australia's international standing in the area.
ACT taxpayers have shelled out nearly $8000 per week for 24/7 security at a remote Aboriginal drug and alcohol retreat that has sat empty since it was built.
Clients won't start arriving at the controversial Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm until next month, almost a year after the building was completed.
The Ngunnawal bush healing farm.
Indigenous leaders spent years fighting a protracted legal for the site at Miowera, in the Tidbinbilla Valley, away from the "distractions of the city".
But since last November, one security guard has been stationed at the Tidbinbilla farm 24 hours a day, seven days a week conducting perimeter patrols and acting as a deterrent to trespassers and vandals.
What else will the banks do to avoid a royal commission?
It is estimated Australians will save hundreds of millions of dollars now that the big four banks over the weekend agreed to ditch fees for customers of other institutions using their ATMs to withdraw cash.
CBA was the first mover, and within hours the other three big banks quickly followed suit.
This is a good move for customers, and one that is long overdue.
The major banks' main domestic rivals are calling for an overhaul of the prudential regulator's caps on property investor and interest-only mortgages, claiming the curbs are stifling competition.
Proposals from the second-tier lenders include clamping down on mortgages only in the hottest property markets such as Melbourne and Sydney, or putting tighter speed limits on the big four than the rest of the industry.
For almost three years, banks have faced a 10 per cent annual growth cap in their housing investor loan portfolios, enforced by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). In March this year, APRA imposed a further restriction, capping interest-only lending at 30 per cent of new loans.
As big banks sell peripheral businesses to zero in on the housing market, regional banks say these "macroprudential" policies are having unhealthy side-effects for competition.
Former Commonwealth Bank chief executive David Murray says there remains a strong case for bank involvement in wealth management, despite the recent trend of lenders offloading life insurance and funds management assets.
CBA last week became the latest bank to retreat from "manufacturing" wealth products, selling its life insurance arm for $3.8 billion and saying it may spin off the investment business of Colonial First State in an initial public offering.
CBA is hanging onto its superannuation and financial advice businesses. But a float of Colonial's funds manager, if it proceeds, would mean the dismantling of most of CBA's wealth management arm, as ANZ Bank also looks to sell assets, and after National Australia Bank has sold out of life insurance.
Even so, Mr Murray said some of the strategic reasons CBA bought Colonial under his leadership in 2000 were just as relevant today, if not more so.
The electricity market is such a mare's nest of stuff-ups and problems it's impossible to see the deeply divided Turnbull government making much progress in fixing it.
The goals of halting runaway power prices and reducing the risk of summer blackouts wouldn't be quite so daunting, for instance, were it not for the third goal of "sustainability" the euphemism you use when you can't say "climate change".
It's tempting to focus on the first two and forget the third, but even that wouldn't work because the inescapable reality of climate change means that, until the Turnbull government ends the "policy uncertainty" about its treatment of fossil fuels relative to renewables, it's unlikely to get sufficient investment in new production capacity to keep prices controlled.
Even if Turnbull were to patch together some weakened version of an (already toned down) clean energy target, that wouldn't do the trick if it failed to win the endorsement of the alternative government.
Elon Musk, the most hyped entrepreneur in the world right now, is scheduled to touch down again in Australia this week.
The South African-born billionaire is due to speak at the International Astronautical Congress, being hosted in Adelaide.
Musk is best known for his electric vehicle and energy company Tesla, which won a lucrative contract earlier this year from the South Australian government to supply the world's biggest lithium-ion battery.
But he is also CEO of SpaceX, a company building reusable rockets that it attempts to land on barges in the ocean.
Cromwell Property has shocked investors with its decision to pull its 1.09 billion ($1.7billion) float of a portfolio of European assets, known as CEREIT.
The group told the ASX at 7pm last Friday that after feedback from its advisers and key shareholders the interest level in the float was low and possibly unlikely to gain any traction to get over the line. Marketing of the float had only started last week.
Cromwell Property Group chief executive Paul Weightman. Credit:Chris Hyde
Cromwell, run by Paul Weightman, had already signalled that it would increase its stake in the IPO from an original 13.2 per cent to 25.9 per cent, but that failed to stir investor interest in a stable of European properties.
The float was flagged at the group's full-year results in August, with Mr Weightman saying the European real estate investment trust, to be listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, was part of its strategy to diversify its capital sources and increase recurring income from the funds management business.
An open letter to more than half a million international students in Australia will urge them to check their pay packets to ensure they are being paid enough.
The Fair Work Ombudsman will send the letter on Monday encouraging them to get free help and advice from the agency about their workplace rights.
International student Rashid Saleem who was underpaid by a restaurant in the Illawarra Credit:Janie Barrett
Last financial year, 49 per cent of litigations the Fair Work Ombudsman filed in court involved a visa holder and more than a third of these involved an international student.
The Ombudsman has also commissioned research that found many international students were not aware of their rights under Australian workplace laws and did not know where to go for help.
Whenever Parliament sits, the House of Representatives begins with two prayers. For the first, Speaker Tony Smith says: "Almighty God, we humbly beseech thee to vouchsafe thy blessing upon this Parliament. Direct and prosper our deliberations to the advancement of thy glory, and the true welfare of the people of Australia."
Smith then recites the Protestant version of the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen."
Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd are practising Christians, but the number of people who identify as Christian has dropped to 52 per cent, according to the 2016 census. Credit:Glen McCurtayne
These prayers symbolise Australia's Christian and, more particularly, Protestant heritage. They show how certain religious values are embedded into our institutions and civic life. Other examples include the opening words to Australia's Constitution, which invoke the blessing of "Almighty God", and the fact that Australia's head of state, the British monarch, is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
Australia's Parliament has begun its proceedings with prayers since 1901, but the time has come to debate the practice. The fact that prayers have been read for the past 116 years is not by itself a good reason for this to continue. Indeed, there are sound arguments why there must be change.
The Pakistani representative to the UN took aim at the Narendra Modi government after Sushma Swaraj's hard-hitting speech that took Islamabad to task for supporting terrorism.
By India Today Web Desk: After Sushma Swaraj's hard-hitting speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan fielded a top diplomat to counter the external affairs minister.
Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations, not only once again raked up the Kashmir issue, but also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government.
Without explicitly naming PM Modi or the Bharatiya Janata Party, Lodhi invoked the 2002 Gujarat riots and said that the "current political luminaries" in India "belong to an organisation that has the blood of thousands of Muslims of Gujarat on their hands."
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"This so called democracy is the world's largest hypocrisy," the Pakistani representative said, going on to allege that the Indian government is one "in which a racist and fascist ideology is embedded".
Pakistan's Ambassador to UN told the #UNGA that India, the world's so called largest democracy, is in fact the largest hypocrisy pic.twitter.com/WfE6w4YdHJ- Pakistan Mission UN (@PakistanUN_NY) September 24, 2017
While Maleeha Lodhi, among the senior-most officers of the Pakistani diplomatic corps, did not name Modi or the BJP, she did mention the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, alleging that it was the organisation responsible for Mahatma Gandhi's murder.
"[India's] leadership emanates from RSS, [which is the] same extremist group accused of assassinating Mahatma Gandhi," Lodhi said as she exercise Pakistan's right of reply to respond to Sushma Swaraj's UNGA address that took Islamabad to task for its support of terrorism (read Swaraj's full speech here).
She even raised the Uttar Pradesh assembly election and called chief minister Yogi Adityanath a "fanatic". "The [Indian] government has appointed a fanatic as the Chief Minister of India's largest state," Lodhi said.
Lodhi's remaining speech (read our complete coverage here) raised the standard Pakistani accusations of India committing rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. Lodhi more or less echoed the message that her Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi delivered during his General Assembly speech earlier this week.
Abbasi had accused India of supporting terrorism in south Asia and had demanded an international enquiry into alleged atrocities in Kashmir. Responding to Abbasi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Saturday that those who were listening to the Pakistani prime minister's address were saying, "Look who's talking."
(With inputs from IANS)
WATCH | Sushma slams Islamabad on terrorism at UNGA
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Refugees have left one of Australia's offshore detention centres on Sunday for the United States as part of a swap brokered by former US president Barack Obama last year.
Refugee Action Coalition's Ian Rintoul said he had spoken to some of the group by phone and that 22 men were in Port Moresby on Sunday night.
A supplied image of asylum seekers leaving the Manus Island detention centre on Sunday. Credit:AAP/Supplied by Refugee Action Coalition
Mr Rintoul said the group - including Sudanese, Afghan and Rohingya asylum seekers - had been told they would be flown to the United States via the Philippines on Wednesday.
"They're happy they're going, and they never want to hear about Australia again," he said, speaking from Sydney.
Standards and practices vary around the world. Some screening is done by local customs agencies, some by freight companies, some by airlines and some by airport security operators. Credit:Bloomberg It is unclear whether the government is looking at stationing Australian customs or transport security personnel at overseas transport hubs. While Border Force is concerned with whether an item coming into Australia is prohibited, the OTS regulates security for inbound and outbound planes and ships. They will soon be side by side under the new Department of Home Affairs. Last year 42 million air cargo consignments came into Australia. Credit:Bloomberg Mr Outram said Border Force had been "push[ing] the envelope further out in the supply chain" by gathering as much early data as possible on incoming passengers and packages "rather than physically moving people offshore".
He added: "But certainly we'll have to continuously reconsider and rethink our approach to supply chain security, particularly with OTS and [Border Force] moving into Home Affairs and how we can work together and collaborate and share capability and information and data." The government is working with artificial intelligence and big-data researchers to streamline the movement of people and freight into Australia and detect threats. Transport companies operate according to complex logistics models that shift constantly. Each carrier has different routes on different days depending on the volumes coming from countries and how these are consolidated at international hubs. In theory, everything that goes on an international flight is screened before it is embarked but standards and practices vary around the world. Acting Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram said agencies needed to co-operate to gather information about parcels before they arrived in Australia. Credit:Australian Border Force
Some screening is done by local customs agencies, some by freight companies, some by airlines and some by airport security operators. Customs in Australia cannot check everything the volume is too large. Last year 42 million air cargo consignments came into Australia. The number of inbound people and packages is growing at double-digit percentages each year. "The magnitude of those increases are such that you just cannot deal with them with more officers," Maria Fernandez, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection's head of intelligence, told the recent Informa national security conference. Authorities already use intelligence-based risk assessment to prioritise people and items for scrutiny. The department's Strategic Border Command and the Border Intelligence Fusion Centre crunch and analyse data to produce profiles and alerts. But this would be dramatically increased by investment in cutting-edge machine-learning and big-data analytics, Ms Fernandez told the conference.
The department is working with the CSIRO Data61 innovation centre and Data to Decisions CRC a co-operative research centre involving government and industry on introducing this. The more information they can get, and the earlier, about who and what is bound for Australia, the better they can create risk profiles. But Sanjay Mazumdar, chief executive of Data to Decisions CRC, said the sheer volume of data from a wide range of sources not all of it nicely structured such as cargo consignment spreadsheets meant authorities risked "drowning in data", a challenge faced by all security agencies today. "The scale is growing too rapidly. Manually trying to do it is impossible, and so what they're looking for is more sophisticated techniques really to filter down all that data and present the investigator or the customs officer with 1 or 2 per cent of risky cases rather than the 98 per cent of clean cases." The kind of data that is useful obviously includes things like the place of origin of the package and any sender and addressee details. But it can include all sorts of other anomalies, including "dwell time in ports, inconsistencies in routing and other information taken from consignment documents", according to Warren Bradey of the CSIRO's Data61.
"For example, data analytics could quickly learn if a container has been held in a port for an unusual length of time," he said. "Packages have a great deal of data associated with them beyond just the sender and receiver note. Machine learning finds patterns between the enormous amount of data associated with a package and 'unusual' events." Mr Outram said all of this was compared with or "washed against" in security jargon intelligence information. "If we get an early heads-up from the intelligence agencies around the world, including our own here in Australia [that] ISIL or a criminal group are adopting a new method or are intending to do something different or new we can adapt our practices and processes and profiles and alerts, to be on the lookout for it without grinding the border to a halt." In the case of people, who have unique biometric data such as faces, the next generation of immigration "smart gates" at airports would allow people to walk through without stopping, Ms Fernandez said.
"By the time someone gets off the plane, with face-on-the-move technology, which our new-generation gates will allow, the gate can be open and someone can walk up to the gate and just with their face, the gate will be able to go 'I know you. I've got your passport information and just with your face as your passport, we know who you are. You hit no alerts. You've hit no profiles. You've hit no predictive models.' "The gate will remain open and you will just walk through a seamless, open border. Only if you hit on something will the gate close." As well as crunching much more data quickly, learning computers can also find patterns or anomalies that a human wouldn't have thought to look for. "Human-designed rules are based totally on the past experience of the agency in having seen the origin and pattern of where suspicious items come from," Mr Bradey said. "Whilst that is an invaluable source of information, it does not allow real-time learning of emerging trends or anomalous activity detection for new occurrences." Dr Mazumdar said computers were good at "picking up things that might not necessarily be perceptible to the human".
"That one pattern that might be in the noise a computer if trained well enough may be able to pick that up and present that to the analyst. "You might actually surface up stuff they wouldn't necessarily find because they haven't correlated seemingly uncorrelatable data." That may mean drawing in disparate "pattern of life" data, he said. As an example in immigration, a person who repeatedly enters the country with several female passengers and then leaves the country alone may be engaging in sex-trafficking. "Training the computers to look for those patterns amongst the data available to them is something a computer can do that a human can't do at scale," Dr Mazumdar said. Jacinta Carroll, a former security official now with the Australian National University, said understanding where the risks were allowed authorities to shift resources around as the threat landscape changed.
The Turnbull government has developed detailed plans to manage the return of as many as 70 children of Australian foreign fighters who may come home from the Middle East as the Islamic State's so-called Caliphate crumbles.
Justice Minister Michael Keenan told Fairfax Media the plan prioritises security but also looks at counselling, education and welfare and is being done "hand-in-hand" with the states, who would case-manage each child.
Justice Minister Michael Keenan says government is aware of about 70 children who had either travelled with their Australian parents or have been born to Australian parents active in the conflict in Syria or Iraq. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
His remarks come amid what experts say is an exodus from the so-called Islamic State's defacto capital of al-Raqqa in Syria as it is squeezed by a US-backed collection of local Kurdish and Arab opposition fighters.
Mr Keenan said the government was aware of about 70 children who had either travelled with their Australian parents or have been born to Australian parents active in the conflict in Syria or Iraq.
Australia has large untapped pool of potential deceased organ donors that could save the lives of hundreds of patients waiting on transplant lists, suggests a new study published Monday in the Medical Journal of Australia. Less than 2 per cent of Australians die in a way that allows them to donate their organ. Most deceased organ donors come from brain-dead patients, but the number of donations after circulatory death (DCD) has been growing. In 2016 DCD made up one-quarter of all deceased organ donors. The researchers analysed DonateLife data of patients who died in an intensive care unit or emergency department across the 75 Australian hospitals between July 2012 and December 2014. They identified DCD patients whose organs were donated, those who would have been ideal DCD donors but did not have their organs donated, and patients who met a set of expanded criteria to become DCD donors but did not become donors.
Of 8780 DCD patients, organ donation was not discussed with the families of 61 per cent of ideal potential donors (193 patients) and 72 per cent of those expanded criteria cases (313 patients). "That's potentially another 416 kidney transplants, 117 lungs, 41 livers and seven potential heart transplant recipients," senior author and intensive care specialist at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne Professor David Pilcher said. If 60 per cent of these families had consented to organ donation Australia's donation rate would have jumped from 16.1 per million population in 2014 to 21.3 per million population, the researchers reported. Surgeon Amanda Robertson works on a donor kidney at Melbourne Private Hospital. The lost pool of patients could have meant 416 kidney transplants. Credit:The Age "We know these patients are out there, and we know that finding this potential pool of donors will impact the lives of organ recipients," Professor Pilcher said.
They were typically older, dying of non-neurological conditions and were more likely to have chronic diseases compared to actual donors. "Historically many of them wouldn't have been considered for organ donation," professor Pilcher said. Their conditions may have prevented some of their organs being healthy enough to donate, but they could perhaps donate one or two, Professor Pilcher said. "They may have terrible lung disease but could donate kidneys," he said. The study's expanded criteria also lifted the age of potential donors, lengthened the time-to-death after patients were taken off cardio-respiratory support, and relaxed some exclusions like smoking history and renal risk factors.
"There has been an assumption that people who have chronic conditions or certain lifestyle choices can't be organ donors, but often they can and should be considered," Professor Pilcher said. "Some people who were smokers don't have lung disease and in theory someone who was a drinker could become a liver donor. "It just increases the level of complexity when it comes to assessing their suitability to make sure there is not damage or disease to that organ," he said. A donor heart re-animated and beating in the ex vivo perfusion rig, after circulatory death. Increasing the pool of potential DCD patients could mean more hearts available for transplant. Credit:St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney There was no standardised DCD suitability criteria, and it was hard to predict when patients would die after being taken off life support, which could be stopping many doctors from considering them for organ donation, the study authors said.
They recommended assessing all end-of-life patients in intensive care units for organ donation. "We'd like to see a situation where considering a person for organ donation becomes a routine part of end of life care [in ICUs]," Professor Pilcher said. "It doesn't change the way we treat a patient or whether a person would be taken off cardio-respiratory support ... it changes the timing of that conversation," he said. Circulatory deaths fit with what most Australians understand death to be, Dr Sam Radford, the Organ and Tissue Authority's deputy state director of DonateLife in Victoria, said. "The heart stops, breathing stops and blood-flow to all parts of the brain and body stop," he said.
DCD also encompassed a wider ranges of conditions than brain-dead donors, including stroke, spinal cord injuries, liver disease, heart attack, and fatal infections. A number of hospital ICUs have already adopted routinely considering organ donation referrals for patients nearing death, and Australia is now ranked sixth in the world for the number of DCD per million population. Dr Radford said clinicians were increasingly recognising DCD donors, and acknowledging that outcomes for patients who received DCD organs were good. "We've got a responsibility to transplant recipients to explore all opportunities so they have the best chance at a good outcome," he said. 1400 Australians and their families are at any one time waiting for a transplant.
Reducing Australia's per-capita alcohol consumption by just one litre a year would drive a significant reduction in head, neck and liver cancer deaths.
That's the conclusion of a new study that offers the first suggestive evidence that a decrease in Australia's population-level drinking - as opposed to individual-level - would reduce the prevalence of cancer deaths particularly among men and over 50s.
The report from the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR) and the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) examined the effect of a reduction in population drinking across different genders and age groups between 1968 and 2011.
The study found that across a 20-year period, a one litre decrease in annual alcohol consumption per capita was associated with reductions in head and neck cancer mortality of 11.6 per cent in men and 7.3 per cent in women.
Thousands of same-sex marriage supporters have door-knocked around the country, encouraging Australians to post their votes.
Teams of volunteers hit the streets of Leichhardt, in Sydney's inner west, on Sunday in what the Equality Campaign says is the county's largest door-knocking event.
Equality Campaign executive director Tiernan Brady says that, In the past 15 years, support for same-sex marriage has more than doubled. Credit:Louie Douvis
"This is incredibly important for people, this is about their lives and their dignity and we have a duty as a campaign to do everything in our power to win this on their behalf," Equality Campaign executive director Tiernan Brady said on Sunday.
In the past 15 years, support for same-sex marriage has more than doubled from 30 per cent to 65 per cent, he said.
Most days that the Lady Herron ferry passes the Sydney Opera House en route to its signature destination - Taronga Park Zoo - the ferry driver toots the horn. Regulars on the ferry service joke the driver is saying hello to the Opera House CEO Louise Herron, whose great aunt was the Governor's wife for whom the ferry is named.
But that sight and sound of Sydney Harbour may soon be no more as the last two Lady class ferries the Ladies Herron and Northcott Sydney's oldest, are due to be decommissioned. Another of Lady Andree Herron's descendants, her nephew Henry, has joined the fight which at last count is over 2000 voices strong to keep the single-hulled double-ended ferries on their iconic routes.
The Lady Northcott Ferry at Taronga Zoo Wharf. Credit:James Alcock
"We always proudly show our offspring the Lady Herron as she glides past and tell them stories about our 'aunty Bob' as we called her," Henry Herron recalled. He joined a group which gathered on Sunday at Nutcote, author and illustrator May Gibb's harbourside home, which also was due for demolition in the 1980s, until many in the same fight to save the ferries, also fought to save the historic house.
Annie Herron, who commissioned artist Peter Kingston to paint the Lady Herron for her husband Henry's 60th birthday, says Sydneysiders need to mobilise to keep this part of "old Sydney" operating. "It would be a shame if we let them go," she said.
Six shots have been fired into a house in Brisbane's south during a late-night drive-by shooting.
Police said security camera footage showed a car, believed to be a dark coloured Holden Commodore, drive past a Duncombe Street residence in Durack about 11pm.
Police are searching for the occupants of a Holden Commodore after a drive-by shooting in Durack. Credit:Queensland Police Service
The shots were then fired by a passenger, with bullets hitting the fence, gate and punching through the front door of the house.
Four adults inside the home, who were not believed to be known to police, were unharmed.
The Crime and Corruption Commission noted Project Synergy exposed the QPS to a significant fraud risk and was not transparent.
Brian Hay, the former head of the Queensland Police Service Fraud and Cyber Crime Group.
Former fraud squad head Brian Hay went on a year-long career break in 2015 but never returned to the service following a December 2016 report by the states corruption watchdog criticising a program he was responsible for.
A controversial fraud squad fundraiser remains under police investigation months after its former boss left the service.
But it failed to find any evidence of criminal conduct by three fraud squad officers subjected to complaints about a controversial fundraising project, or any other officer involved.
The allegations had included misuse of funds and QPS resources, misuse of corporate credit cards and inappropriate travel practices.
In an August 2016 media statement, the CCC said while it did not identify any criminal conduct by officers involved in Project Synergy, there were sufficient grounds for disciplinary action against one officer.
It identified a failure to comply with financial management practices and policies.
Fairfax Media has confirmed that officer was Mr Hay, who officially left the QPS in April.
Apple launch of the iPhone 8 kicked off with less fanfare than new models in previous years in the United States, Asia, Australia and Britain, as fans held out for the premium iPhone X, due out in early November.
In San Francisco's Union Square, 80 kilometres from Apple's Cupertino headquarters, just 80 people were lined up at the company's flagship store, a sharp contrast to years past when lines stretched for blocks when new products were released.
In Australia, hundreds of people usually gather at Apple's Sydney city store, with queues winding down George Street in the CBD. But there were fewer than 30 people lining up before the store opened on Friday.
Apple's flagship store in London's Regent Street also experienced a slim turnout.
Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani's son Naseem Geelani, Yaseen Khan of Kashmir Traders and Marketing Federation and some others have been summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to Delhi on Monday.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani's son Naseem Geelani, Yaseen Khan of Kashmir Traders and Marketing Federation and some others have been summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to Delhi on Monday.
According to sources, NIA has also summoned Shah Wali Mohammad of Sopore district and Abdul Hameed Magrey.
However, Naseem Geelani has sought more time for appearing before the NIA citing father Syed Ali Shah Geelani's ill health.
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Meanwhile, Kashmir Bar Association president Mian Abdul Qayoom is also likely to be summoned in the coming week. He has already been questioned thrice. A top source says he was Qayoom who was questioned on alleged hawala money and property which he forthrightly denied.
Though, Qayoom, who is a practicing lawyer, admitted to investigators about close links to Hurriyat, including founding separatist foundation. He allegedly also confessed he did not believe in Indian constitution.
A source said while businessman Zahoor Watali left lot of physical and technical trail in terror funding case, Qayoom has been a hard cookie to crack.
"Qayoom presented some papers as income tax proof which are being examined by sleuths. But, he has been smart enough to cover his trail. His support to the movement has been moral and legal. We are looking for a financial link as well," said the official.
While another top source said, "Prima-facie the documents show that Qayoom has filed income tax, but it appears be less than his known source of income. But, that alone may not make case till a direct connect is made in terror funding."
The agency, meanwhile, says it is digging deeper into the terror funding case.
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Just when you thought it was safe to bare your pale legs, winter has returned with a vengeance.
Saturday's sultry top of 30.6 degrees in the city was swiftly followed by cold winds and a forecast temperature of just 18 degrees on Sunday.
Blustery conditions have brought cooler weather after Saturday's brief taste of summer.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Rod Dixon said Saturday's hot weather was unusual for this time of year and unlikely to be repeated any time soon.
"It hasn't been this warm this early in September before," he said.
Three PSOs were involved in the incident.
Three PSOs have allegedly been assaulted outside Flinders Street Station. Credit:John Woudstra
Police have charged three people with assault over the incident, which allegedly occurred outside the station just after 1.30am on Sunday.
A Protective Services Officer has allegedly been bitten in an early morning attack outside Flinders Street Station.
Two of the officers were taken to hospital with injuries; one suffering a leg injury and another with a bite injury. The third was treated for facial injuries at the scene.
Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said a man in his 40s was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital with leg injuries.
He was released from hospital on Sunday afternoon.
Police spokeswoman Natalie Webster said a 19-year-old Blackburn man, 20-year-old Mooroolbark man and 18-year-old Blackburn woman had all been charged with assault PSO and resist PSO.
All three were bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on January 22 next year.
The Victorian Coalition has shaken up its frontbench as it prepares to fight the 2018 election, with population growth and cost of living pressures shaping up as major Opposition campaign themes.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has taken on the population shadow ministry while Nationals Leader Peter Walsh gained decentralisation.
Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy (right) and state Nationals leader Peter Walsh announce a new shadow ministry line-up. Credit:Scott McNaughton
Mr Guy said the reshuffle meant the "right changes" had been made in the lead-up to the November 2018 poll.
"We've sharpened our focus particularly around population and decentralisation, taking the pressure off Melbourne and ensuring that all of Victoria can grow sustainably," he said.
A late run of rainy weather across the city has kept big crowds away from opening day of the Perth Royal Show and forced a beer festival to cancel the last two days of its long weekend event at Elizabeth Quay.
Thousands of foodies were expected to soak up the atmosphere of the WA Beer & Beef Festival on Sunday but organisers were forced to abandon the event, just 24 hours after its opening day.
Thousands were expected at the beer event at Elizabeth Quay. Credit:Matthew Tompsett
The festival said the remainder of the long weekend's events planned for Sunday and Monday would be held next weekend instead.
"Regretfully we are cancelling the festival for Sunday 24th and Monday 25th September," a spokesperson said.
Berlin: In a country that kept the far-right restricted to the political sidelines for more than half a century, the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) marked a watershed moment on Sunday, according to first projections which showed the party winning more than 13 per cent of the vote.
The AfD won't be in a position to drive a legislative agenda, but Sunday's vote will likely provide it with something the far-right had so far always been denied: parliamentary legitimacy on a national level.
"Once a party gains access to parliament, chances become much lower that it will simply disappear again," said Tarik Abou-Chadi, a comparative politics researcher at Humboldt University in Berlin. "The election could remove the social stigma which has hampered other far-right parties in the past."
With seats in the Bundestag, the AfD will now be eligible to receive more taxpayer funding. As the only anti-immigration party in a mostly consensus-based national parliament, the AfD can also hope to further sharpen its profile as an alternative to Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Brussels/Berlin: Jewish groups in Europe and the United States expressed alarm on Sunday at the far-right Alternative for Germany's success in Germany's parliamentary election and urged other parties not to form an alliance with the AfD.
Early projections gave the AfD 13.5 percent of the vote, allowing it to enter the Bundestag for the first time, as Germany's third-biggest party.
A woman at the election party of Germany''s Social Democrats reacts as she hears firsts results of the parliamentary elections in Berlin. Credit:AP
The far-right has not been represented in parliament since the 1950s, a reflection of Germany's efforts to distance itself from the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust.
Ronald Lauder, president of the New York-based World Jewish Congress, called Chancellor Angela Merkel a "true friend of Israel and the Jewish people" and decried the AfD's gains at a time when anti-Semitism was increasing across the globe.
London: A fifteen-year-old boy has been arrested after six people were injured when a noxious substance was thrown during an incident at an east London shopping mall.
Three of the victims needed hospital treatment after they were hit with the substance during an "altercation" between two groups of males at the Stratford Centre.
Emergency services personnel at Stratford Centre after the suspected acid attack. Credit:AP
Horrified onlookers reported scenes of panic in the aftermath of the incident which was first feared to be a series of random attacks.
One witness described seeing a young male victim screaming in pain as his friends shouted "it is an acid attack, he is burning", while others rushed to wash the substance from their skin.
PHILIPSBURG:--- All members of the school bus association and current owners of school buses providing services to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (MECYS) are hereby invited to a mandatory meeting with MECYS Recovery Team on Tuesday, September 26th, 2017 at the New Government Building on the first floor at 2:00pm. Prior to the meeting, all school bus drivers are required to submit an assessment of the respective fleet of buses to determine the safety and operational status of the fleet. The assessment must be submitted by 2:00 pm on Monday, September 25th, 2017 at the New Government Building, in the Ministry ECYS designated meeting room on the ground floor.
Ministry of ECYS Press Release
ST. JOHNS, Antigua:--- LIAT continued its relief efforts to assist Dominica with a relief flight into the Douglas Charles Airport on Saturday 23rd September.
The relief flight not only brought in supplies to the north of the island but also took in members of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force and The Antigua and Barbuda Fire Service. It also carried in officials from the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA) who were able to do assessments of the airport facilities.
The flight is part of LIATs commitment to assist affected islands in the region and the airline is currently working on a schedule to aid in delivering relief supplies as well as allows passengers and persons from Dominica to fly out to other destinations. LIAT has been working along with several organizations to assist in the relief efforts to islands affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
LIAT Press Release
By Srijani Ganguly/Mail Today: The mind of a serial killer is a twisted place. The lives he takes don't matter much to him, it's all about what roles their deaths play in his scheme of things.
Such is undoubtedly the thinking of the antagonist in Arnab Ray's The Mahabharata Murders (Juggernaut Rs 350). He considers himself to be the reincarnation of Duryodhana from the Mahabharata, choosing victims according to the characteristics he believes they share with characters from the famous epic.
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Like the serial killer, the author too considers the Mahabharata to be the perfect muse. "The Mahabharata," Ray says, "draws fuzzy lines between right and wrong and, every time you read it, you seem to get a different story, different heroes and different villains. It's exactly the place a serial killer might want to anchor his moral compass." For Ray himself, the place that proved to be an anchor for 'serial killer' books was Kolkata. He says, "Growing up in Kolkata, I had a lot of 'serial killer' books procured cheap at the Kolkata book fair, from those written by FBI profilers to truecrime paperbacks.
Judge my understanding the darker aspects of the human psyche, few punched above Agatha Christie, even though it must be said that her writing hasn't aged particularly well." Although Ray seems fascinated by the darker side of the human psyche, his past books haven't all been written in the same mould. The author, who is known as 'Greatbong' in the blogging world, has also written about super-secret mining facilities (The Mine) and choices in the afterlife (Yatrik), amongst other topics. "Since I read in different genres," Ray explains, "and I want to write what I like to read, all my books so far have had very different themes. For my next two, I will however be retreating to familiar ground - Sultan of Delhi Resurrection will be the concluding part of my two-book 'Sultan of Delhi' crime saga, and Shakchunni will be a classic horror story set in a 1930s Bengali zamindar family.
--- ENDS ---
Shacuria L. Nicholoson, who was 20 at the time, pleaded last week to driving with a suspended license causing death and driving with a suspended license causing serious injury for the death of Lorena Washington, 43, and injury of a 61-year-old man.
The encounter took place after the Army and police started searches in Kalgai area this morning following inputs about movement of terrorists.
By Press Trust of India: Security forces today killed three militants in an encounter in Kashmir's Uri, thus thwarting plans of the terrorists to carry out an attack like the one on an Army base in the same area last year, officials said.
The encounter took place after the Army and police started searches in Kalgai area this morning following inputs about movement of terrorists.
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"A cordon was laid and search operation was started in Kalgai area of Uri this morning following information about presence of militants in the area," an Army official said.
He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants opened fire on the security forces.
"Three militants have been killed in the operation while one soldier has sustained injures," the official said, adding three civilians were also injured in the gunbattle.
Director General of Police S P Vaid said the militants were planning a "suicide" attack like the one carried out on an Army base in Uri last year that left 19 soldiers dead and several others injured.
"A big tragedy has been averted. Like the suicide attack on the Army base last year, they (militants) had similar plans this time, but the police and the Army got the information before hand. A joint operation is going on to neutralise the ultras," he said on the sidelines of an event here.
On September 18 last year, four militants stormed Army brigade headquarters in Uri, close to the Line of Control, killing 19 soldiers before being neutralised.
--- ENDS ---
Fifth. The Free Democrats are back, but Christian Lindner would probably rather have been head of the opposition in the Bundestag than one of two junior partners under Merkel. The last time the FDP joined a governing coalition with Merkel -- between 2009 and 2013 -- its domination by the CDU cost the Free Democrats representation in several state legislatures and it took them four years to recover.
Sixth. The Left Party has remained stable, but it still has zero prospects of becoming part of a governing coalition. And with the right-wing populists now a significant force on the opposition benches, the Left has lost its claim to being the primary representative of German protest voters. That is especially true in eastern Germany, where the Left has traditionally done well. This time around it is the AfD celebrating its greatest success in the states that belonged to the former East Germany.
After polls closed on Sunday, Schulz ruled out a continuation of the grand coalition and said it was a "bitter day" for Social Democrats in Germany. He also said that he would like to continue on as head of the party and lead the SPD into opposition in the Bundestag. Regarding the AfD's result, he said: "It is a turning point and no democrat can simply ignore it."
Merkel, meanwhile, was having to contend with a relatively poor showing of her own. Her conservatives have managed around 33 percent of the vote, a far cry from the 41.5 percent they received four years ago. "Of course we had been hoping for a better result," she said to cheering supporters on Sunday evening. But, she added, "we have a mandate from the voters to build the next government.
The following articles and headlines appeared in the Stamford Advocate decades ago on Sept. 25.
10 years ago
Dramatic dreams: Students make a play for High School Musical
Jamie Dolce attended her audition in character sequins on her pink shrug and flip-flops helped the 12-year-old channel the glamorous, if mean, spirit of the role she hoped to play in Stamfords first all-school musical.
Jamie wanted to be cast as Sharpay, the scheming diva in High School Musical, a Disney production that has become something of a sensation among middle-school children.
She wanted to feel the role, said her mother, Lori Dolce, who went with her daughter for the first day of auditions for fifth- through ninth-graders at Rippowam Middle School. The two snapped their fingers in time to the music as they waited for Jamies turn to sing.
20 years ago
New office tower for downtown
Stamfords revitalized office market has inspired the third developer in a year to propose a massive office tower for downtown.
Louis Dreyfus Property Group said it plans to build a 22-story, 500,000-square-foot office tower on Richmond Hill Avenue near the Stamford Transportation Center and Interstate 95.
Louis Dreyfus doesnt have a major tenant lined up but believes the office market is robust enough to fill the structure, said Jeffrey Sussman, president of the Stamford firm.
30 years ago
Plan ordered to maintain city beaches
City officials have demanded that Parks Superintendent Robert Book immediately formulate a preventive maintenance program to improve what they called Stamfords deteriorating beaches and parks.
City Rep. James Dudley, D-6, and Parks Commission Chairman William Cahill pointedly criticized Cook about the condition of Stamfords beaches and parks at the meetings of the Board of Representatives Parks and Recreation Committee.
Cook, his voice quivering with anger, rose and turned to leave the meeting.
I object to this, Cook then said, turning to Cahill. This is not the forum for accusations.
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University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst has warned that the Legislatures budget would be devastating, and might cause UConn to close some of its regional campuses.
On Saturday, two UConn students considered that prospect as they studied near a Stamford campus cafe.
Keren Chen and Kailin Zheng came to the U.S. for master of science degrees in risk management, and said the program in which they are enrolled is offered only at UConns Stamford and Hartford campuses.
That makes me nervous, Zheng said.
We came here to the United States about one month ago to complete this program, which takes 15 to 19 months to finish, Chen said. What will we do if this campus is shut down while were studying the program?
UConn was recently ranked the 18th top public university by U.S. News & World Report. But Herbst said the university could not maintain its offerings if the Legislatures budget were to take effect.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has pledged to veto the budget.
In an email message, Herbst said cuts in the budget lawmakers approved on Sept. 16 could force UConn to make some closures. The university has regional campuses in Stamford, Hartford, Waterbury and Avery Point, as well as its main campus in Storrs, a law school in Hartford and UConn Health in Farmington.
State budget cuts, Herbst said, would reduce UConn funding by roughly $309 million over two years, $185 million of which would be cut directly from the university and its campuses. She said $124 million would be cut from UConn Health.
Zheng said she remembered the presidents email, which she said the entire student body received. However, she said, she didnt initially grasp its seriousness.
At first I didnt even really read the whole thing, Zheng said.
Chen said she breezed through the email at first, but went back to it later.
What if its our major, what were studying? she said.
Zheng and Chen said another big concern is whether their tuition would go up.
For the 2017-18 academic year, UConn tuition for graduate programs at regional campuses is $13,553 for nine or more credits. The two women said they do not receive scholarships or financial aid.
We pay for ourselves, for our tuition. If tuition goes up Chen trailed off, shaking her head.
But Chen and Zheng said they would remain at the Stamford campus as long as it is not shut down even with a tuition increase.
Were going to stay here, Zheng said. We are going to finish our program and get our M.S. degree.
By Rajat Rai: The Supreme Court's ban on triple talaq has seemingly come as a shot in the arm for Muslim women in India and many of them, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, have started raising their voices against the evil practice. An SC bench last month ruled with a 3-2 majority that the practice of instant divorce in Islam was unconstitutional. The decision marked a historic victory for Muslim women who have spent decades arguing that the custom violated their right to equality. The court banned instant triple talaq for six months and asked the government to frame new legislation to replace the abolished practice the sharia law custom allowed men to end a marriage simply by saying "talaq" or divorce to their wives, three times in succession.
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The first signs of "rebellion" were visible in Meerut district barely 24 hours after the verdict as 23-year-old Arshi Nida came forward to say that her husband, Siraj Khan, who owns a school, had been harassing her for dowry since the first day of marriage and had given her instant talaq- the husband was arrested. now, two fresh cases have been reported from western UP.
Basti district
The matter came under media spotlight on Monday, when a woman named Asma Khatoon reached the police to narrate her woes. Khatoon was married to Mohammad Naseen, a native of Barahpur, and they had 10 kids. Khatoon reached the office of deputy superintendent of police Satish Chandra Shukla and gave him a written complaint.
"We had 10 children out of which 7 have died. we had 4 bighas of land, out of which Naseem has already sold 2 bighas. He was insisting on selling the remaining land and was also harassing me physically. on August 27, he sent a piece of paper mentioning triple talaq through my daughter's hand," Khatoon said. The cops were in a dilemma about how to fix the problem. "The SC verdict has come as a relief to Muslim women but constitutional arrangements are yet to be made. According to Section 125 of Criminal Procedure Code (CRPC), a married woman has the right to get maintenance from her husband," Shukla explained.
All possible help would be provided, he added. legal expert Awadhesh Pratap Singh said, "Such matters should be taken to the family court and a capable court should arrange for a hearing. If both the parties disagree an appeal could be made in the upper court." Most Islamic countries, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, had banned triple talaq much before India. Activists say over the years thousands of Muslim women, especially those from disadvantaged sections, have been thrown out by their husbands using the controversial custom.
Many were rendered destitute, with nowhere to go, or forced to return to their parental homes or fend for themselves.
Aligarh district
The second incident came to light in Aligarh district when a father of 10 children gave triple talaq to his wife.
The incident was reported from the Atrauli city with a woman named Sagina Begam as the victim. She married a man identified as Dilshad a few years ago and they had 10 children, of which eight are minors. A few months ago, Dilshad landed in jail and met a man whose name is reportedly Yusuf. While Dilshad got bail a few days ago, Yusuf was still in jail. Dilshad kept meeting him and kept pursuing his case, while he also kept meeting Yusuf's wife and they grew close.
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Sagina objected to this but an understanding was reached after discussions between members of the two families. "Dilshad has agreed to pay maintenance of Rs 20,000 per month and has also given the house to her in which she lives. The agreement was reached on a notary of Rs 100 stamp paper in presence of the lawyers of both the parties in the local court," station house officer of Atrauli, UC Patel, informed.
No police case was registered, he added.
--- ENDS ---
In an acrimonious attack on India, Pakistan's permanent representative to UN Maleeha Lodhi accused India of State-sponsored crimes in Kashmir at the UNGA.
By India Today Web Desk: After External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday denounced Pakistan as the "world's greatest exporter of havoc, death and inhumanity", in strong rebuttal, Pakistan's permanent representative to UN Maleeha Lodhi accused India of state-sponsored crimes in Kashmir.
"India is the mother of terrorism in South Asia," the Pakistani representative went on to say, adding that Sushma's speech "displays the hostility of Indian leadership against Pakistan".
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Lodhi's comments came at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly and followed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj launching a scathing attack on Pakistan for its support for terrorism. Lodi was using Islamabad's right of reply to make her new allegations.
Lodhi stuck to Pakistan's old record of raising Kashmir at international fora and criticised Swaraj for ignoring the 'core issue' of Jammu and Kashmir. She accused India of carrying out a "campaign of brutality... including shooting and blinding of innocent Kashmiri children with pellet guns."
Pakistan calls for international inquiry into India's war crimes in occupied Kashmir pic.twitter.com/QkKVX4LpQU- Pakistan Mission UN (@PakistanUN_NY) September 24, 2017
"Indian cannot hide behind semantics. Any interstate dispute is by definition international dispute. If parties fail to resolve dispute, the UN and the international community not only has the right but the obligation to intervene and help," Lodhi said in an attempt to, once again, internationalise the Kashmir issue.
Echoing Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who in his own UNGA speech demanded a special envoy on Kashmir, Lodhi said, "UN should take steps to investigate India's massive human rights violations in Kashmir, end the impunity enjoyed by India's security forces, lift the draconian laws and punish those responsible for genocide in Kashmir."
Demanding that India not be let off the hook over its 'terror antics' under the garb of national security, Pakistan urged the United Nations to define terrorism and include state terrorism in its list of condemnable exploits.
In stark contrast to Sushma Swaraj's affirmation that Pakistan has spurned every olive branch extended by India under the Narendra Modi government, Maleeha said that it is India that refuses bilateral dialogue with Pakistan - either comprehensive or composite.
TAKES AIM AT MODI, RSS
"This so called democracy is the world's largest hypocrisy," the Pakistani representative continued as she took direct aim at the Narendra Modi-led government in New Delhi.
"India's current political luminaries belong to an organisation that has the blood of thousands of Muslims of Gujarat on their hands," Lodhi said. "India is ruled by a Govt in which a racist and fascist ideology is embedded."
Pakistan's Ambassador to UN told the #UNGA that India, the world's so called largest democracy, is in fact the largest hypocrisy pic.twitter.com/WfE6w4YdHJ- Pakistan Mission UN (@PakistanUN_NY) September 24, 2017
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Lodhi continued targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, saying, "[The current Indian] leadership emanates from RSS. Same extremist group accused of assassinating mahatma Gandhi."
She went on to refer to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath as a "fanatic" and claimed that the Indian govenrment has "allowed lynching of Muslims".
"Pakistan remains open to resuming comprehensive dialogue with India. But this dialogue must be accounted by an end to India's campaign of subversion and state sponsored terrorism in Pakistan," Lodhi ended.
WATCH | Sushma Swaraj responds to Pakistan PM Abbasi, slams Islamabad on terrorism at UNGA
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 24 (PTI) The VHP today attacked former vice-president Hamid Ansari for attending an event organised by the womens wing of Popular Front of India which is under the scanner for alleged links with terror outfits.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad Joint General Secretary Surendra Jain said Ansari stands exposed after attending the programme.
"He was spreading dissatisfaction in the Muslim community even when he was holding the post of Vice President," he said.
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According to reports, Ansari attended an event in Kozhikode organised by the Institute of Objective Studies in association with the National Womens Front, the womens wing of the PFI.
Jain in a statement alleged that the PFI is nothing but a new and extended avatar of banned outfit SIMI.
He also alleged that the PFI is involved in terror activities and the killing of "patriots" in Kerala.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a report to the Union Home Ministry had claimed that the PFI has been involved in terror acts, including running terror camps and making bombs, and it was a fit case to be declared banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The PFI reportedly has presence in 23 states and is strongest in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. PTI JTR DIP
--- ENDS ---
GERING Gary Hashley has pastored at Calvary Memorial Church in Gering for 10 1/2 years. If you cant find him at he church he might be flying high above the community.
Hashley grew up deeply involved in the ministry as a missionary kid in Michigan.
I was born into a ministry family. My parents joined a ministry in Michigan called the Rural Bible Mission when I was a month old, Hashley said. My dads ministry had us constantly moving. I went to five different schools between kindergarten and 12th grade and we lived in 13 different houses.
Because of his parents ministry, Hashley came to faith early in life at the age of seven.
Growing up, Hashley had no intention or interest in becoming a pastor.
When I went to Bible school out of high school I was still 17. I went to the Grand Rapids School of the Bible and Music in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I started training to be a missionary pilot, he said. Thats where my flying began. My idea was to be a pilot, serving missionaries. My own personal goal was Alaska.
Hashley earned his private pilots license and was starting on his commercial and instrument license when God showed him that was not the plan.
Its easy to do, he ran me out of money, because flying has never been cheap, Hashley said, chuckling.
After meeting his wife Rachel in college and then lacking the funding to continue his piloting education, Hashley joined his father in Michigan.
So I joined the ministry. Rachel and I got married 40 years ago and I joined the ministry my folks were with and spent some years in that same childrens ministry still fighting back against being a pastor, Hashley said. That was never what I had in mind. And then, finally in 1981, I got tired of telling God no and finally told him yes and became the pastor of the first church I pastored in Langford, Michigan, in 1982.
Hashley and his family later moved to La Grange, Wyoming, in 1995 so he could teach at Frontier School of the Bible.
During his time at Frontier, Hashley worked as the interim pastor at Calvary Memorial in 1996 and 97.
I always dreamed of coming back some day and here we are, Hashley said smiling.
Hashley took a sabbatical from flying during that time. However, after moving back to Scottsbluff, Hashley and some friends founded the Panhandle Flyers Club.
I was out of flying for 30 years, back when it was feed the children or go fly and groceries took a precedent, Hashley said. Since Ive been back here weve formed a flying club in the area that owns a plane. By being a part of a flying club the expenses are shared to the point where I can afford to fly again.
Hashley expressed his excitement about being part of the Panhandle Flyers.
Its a wonderful thing because we have a daughter and her husband and five kids in Laramie so its quicker to get to Laramie to see grandchildren, Hashley said. So we use it a lot to go see the kids and the grandchildren.
Hashley talked about his favorite thing about flying.
I guess I never tire at looking down at the wonder of Gods earth he created from any altitude, Hashley said. To see the mountains, to see the valleys and the rivers out here and the reservoirs, its just astounding. I just love looking down on Gods beautiful earth.
As a child, Hashley had a fascination with planes.
I went up with a pastor friend of my dads who was giving away airplane rides as Vacation Bible School prizes, Hashley said. As the missionarys son I got to go along when they went to the airport and there was room to give me a ride. I must have been in fifth grade and Ive been in love with airplanes ever since.
Hashley also talked about the people who influenced him in the ministry.
My dad and his devotion to ministry, like I say I was a month old when he joined the mission, he said. My dad and mom were missionaries my whole life. In Michigan, not in Africa or South America, but their devotion and willingness to serve God even when the pay was small just was really a great role model.
Along with his dad, Hashleys pastor was also very influential.
My pastor in my high school years was named Paul Deal. Paul Deal was such an influence in my life, Hashley said. He was not only my pastor, he was my friend and when I became a pastor he became my mentor. I would call him with questions and doubts and frustrations and he was always there to help me.
While talking about the struggles and joys of pastoring, Hashley mentioned his favorite part.
People, he said without hesitation. I just love people. And in helping people and teaching Gods word, it gives me the opportunity to serve them, encourage them, support them and get close to them. Ive heard a pastor say Id love to pastor if it wasnt for the people. I thought he wouldnt be a pastor if it wasnt for the people.
Hashley said if he could go back in time to give advice to his younger self, hed say dont fight what God wants.
I probably would tell myself to not fight God about being a pastor, he said. Because I had a lot of reasons in my head why I didnt want to be a pastor and now looking back on 35 years of being a pastor and I wouldnt want to do anything else.
A white University of Kentucky student accused of physically assaulting a Black student worker while repeatedly using racial slurs says she will withdraw from the school. The decision announced Tuesday by a lawyer for 22-year-old Sophia Rosing came after hundreds of students rallied on campus the night before. News outlets report the students called for unity and for the university to quickly address the situation. Officials say Rosing has been charged with assault, public intoxication and disorderly conduct. She pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Monday afternoon. The altercation at Boyd Hall was captured on video and posted to multiple social media platforms.
Bilateral military cooperation, joint drills and exchanges of experience, both at bilateral and Alliance level, were some of the topics discussed by the Romanian Chief of the General Staff, General Nicolae Ciuca, with his Canadian counterpart, General Jonathan Vance.
According to a MApN release on Sunday remitted to STIRIPESURSE, discussions between the two officials also focused on the Canadian troops's presence in Romania, as part of the Ottawa authorities' contribution to the implementation of decisions adopted at the NATO Summit in Warsaw, through ensuring a discouragement and defence position on the Eastern flank of the Alliance."General Ciuca thanked his Canadian counterpart for the deployment of CF-18 Hornet aircraft on the Romanian territory for the execution of the air police missions alongside their Romanian colleagues, as well as for the presence of Canadian troops in the multinational commandments on Romanian territory."The Romanian official also attended the conference of heads of defence of nations participating in the Invictus Games Toronto 2017.The main issue tackled at this meeting was related to those troops who got wounded, invalid or psychically injured after participating in either internal military missions or missions in the operation theaters, and support for their families.The Chief of General Staff attended the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games Toronto 2017 alongside the Minister of National Defence, Mihai Fifor
Social Democratic Party (PSD) Chairman Liviu Dragnea announced on Facebook on Saturday that he had a telephone conversation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban about the situation at the Catholic High School of Targu Mures and assured the latter that the problem "will be solved."
"We agreed on two things, we'll solve the problem at the Catholic High School of Targu Mures and Hungary will grant again support for Romania for the accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. I explained that the situation of Targu Mures came up following a court ruling and doesn't represent an attack against the Catholic Church or the Hungarian minority, but it is the obligation of the Romanian authorities to find a legal and sustainable solution. I promised him we would find this solution," Dragnea wrote.The PSD Chairman added that PM Orban appreciated the availability for dialogue and "promised that Hungary will resume supporting Romania for the OECD."Romania's accession to this organisation is a "major" goal of Romania's foreign policy, which could be reached even this year, Dragnea added.
David Nicklaus David Nicklaus is a business columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow David Nicklaus Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
Even in the sometimes illogical world of trade law, Boeings complaint against Canadas Bombardier is quirky.
Boeing is complaining about sales that havent occurred yet, of a plane that doesnt compete with its own models. And yet experts say it has a pretty strong case.
We should know more Monday, when the U.S. Commerce Department is expected to make a preliminary ruling on the anti-subsidy part of Boeings complaint. Boeing also accuses Bombardier of dumping, or selling its C-Series plane for less than the cost of production.
By the time the case wraps up early next year, the U.S. could impose punitive duties that more than double the planes price. That might make Delta Air Lines, which has ordered 75 Bombardier CS100s with deliveries beginning next spring, rethink its commitment to the aircraft.
A victory on the trade complaint may come at a high price. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that unless Boeing withdraws the case, he wont move forward with a $5.2 billion purchase of 18 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters, which are made in St. Louis County.
Thats a big chunk of defense revenue risk over a commercial order that Boeing didnt even compete for. Delta wanted a 100- to 110-seat plane, and the smallest version of Boeings 737 seats 138.
U.S. law allows Boeing to claim potential future damage, though, and the company argues that the stakes are high. It doesnt want a subsidized competitor gaining a toehold and then going on to sell larger planes that would compete with the 737.
Fixing a problem for Boeings airliner business may create one for its military salespeople. Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst at Teal Group in Fairfax, Va., says Canada is also interested in buying P-8 Poseidon surveillance planes and CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
British Prime Minister Theresa May joined Trudeau in criticizing the trade complaint, because Bombardier makes wings for the C-series at a plant in Northern Ireland. Britain doesnt have any big aircraft orders pending, but its been a good customer for Boeing hardware over the years.
The economic value of Canadian and possible UK defense contracts dwarfs any possible damage from the C-series, Aboulafia said.
Ken Herbert, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity, assumes that Boeing has weighed the costs and benefits. The F/A-18 is an incredibly important product line, and Canada is one of the larger opportunities for it, he said. Clearly, Boeing has made its calculation and is willing to take a risk to establish some rules of engagement on the commercial side.
Boeing has a strong complaint on subsidies the Quebec provincial government invested $1 billion in the C-series when Bombardier was on the brink of bankruptcy but anti-dumping determinations are more technical.
Dan Ikenson, a trade expert at the Cato Institute, says the Commerce Department typically reviews a years worth of sales to determine if dumping has occurred. Bombardier wont have any sales until it delivers the first plane to Delta.
Another issue is determining production cost. Boeing and the Commerce Department know that in a high-fixed-cost environment, the first aircraft they make is going to cost 50 to 75 percent more than the 75th unit, Ikenson said. If they just ask for cost data on the first three or four planes, those costs are going to be enormous, and the price is going to be below cost.
President Donald Trump takes a tough stance on trade and is already tangling with Canada over lumber and dairy products, so his administration is likely to side with Boeing. The question is whether Boeing can afford the cost of victory.
It isnt just your imagination: Activist hedge funds do go after companies led by woman CEOs more often.
Thats a fact, borne out by new research. But the underlying causes are less clear, although female CEOs look as if perhaps they do a better job representing their investors in activist campaigns.
Also true: Female CEOs whose companies are targeted by activist hedge funds do worse themselves out of the deal. They lose more in total compensation and are more likely to be replaced than their male peers, found Bill Francis and Qiang Wu of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Yinjie Shen of Cleveland State University.
Activist hedge funds, which take stakes in companies and then push them to adopt new strategies or even new management, have become a massive force in financial markets, controlling more than $120 billion and launching two-thirds more major campaigns against companies with large market caps in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year.
A notable number of activists have taken after female-led companies, such as Carl Icahns 2015 stake in then-CEO Ursula Burns Xerox or Nelson Peltzs run at Indra Nooyis PepsiCo.
The data backs up the impression formed by anecdote.
Using a comprehensive dataset, we first confirm that activist hedge funds indeed regard female CEOs as preferred targets, the studys authors write.
In a given year, a female CEO has a 5.7 percent chance of her companys being targeted by activists, 54 percent higher than the 3.7 percent incidence for male CEOs, the data show. The study, which covered 2003 to 2014, examined more than 2000 hedge fund activist events.
As of now, just over 5.2 percent of Fortune 500 company CEOs are woman.
The raw numbers actually understate the extent to which female CEOs face activist campaigns. An exercise matching female CEOs to male ones with similar work and company characteristics found they were actually 78 percent more likely to face an activist campaign on an apples-to-apples comparison.
Note that 99 percent of activist hedge fund managers are men. A 2016 story in Fortune Magazine identified Dianne McKeever of Ides Capital as the only female running an activist shop.
The glass cliff?
One often-suggested theory is that female CEOs are more likely to be stuck with the kinds of companies that attract activist hedge funds; those undergoing a difficult executive transition, either due to change in the marketplace or at the specific company. This idea is sometimes called the glass cliff an echo of the glass ceiling that is said to block female C-suite advancement.
To look at this, the study examined firms that have had a male-to-female CEO transition, compared with male-to-male ones, further matching by firm characteristics. Even doing this and controlling for firm characteristics, woman CEOs were still more likely to find themselves in activists crosshairs.
One thing the study did find was that firms led by women showed a larger increase in operational performance and a bigger short-term stock market boost when news of the activist campaign breaks. The authors say this discounts pure gender discrimination by hedge fund managers.
Perhaps, but it certainly doesnt discount bias by the investors buying and selling shares in the woman-led companies involved.
What does seem to be true is that female CEOs take a more constructive and mature (and less self-dealing) approach to activist negotiations. This point is very much in their favor as stewards of capital, but perhaps makes them more attractive targets for outsiders.
We find that, instead of maintaining a defensive posture, female CEOs are more likely to communicate and cooperate with activist hedge funds. Specifically, when hedge fund activists target female CEOs, they are less likely to resort to hostile tactics, are more likely to obtain board seats, seek reimbursement, use letters to communicate with managers, settle before proxy fights, and, ultimately, are more likely to be successful at achieving all or part of their goals, according to the study.
Female CEOs also hold more board meetings and are less prone to adopt poison pill tactics to foil outside activists.
That all sounds like good management, at least to me.
Remember, activists very often have clever ideas for improving share price performance, though their record of creating lasting value is less clear. While activists can have good or bad ideas, what they almost always represent is a possible threat to the personal fortunes of the CEOs involved.
Female CEOs do worse, personally, out of activist events than their male peers, suffering larger cuts in pay, facing more pay-for-performance targets and getting shown the door more often. All of this makes the low number of female CEOs look not just unfair, but bad news for the investors those executives serve.
Laura Kerben had chosen the wooden casket, the cemetery plot and all the details required for her fathers funeral in Orlando, Fla. The one item that remained a mystery was the price.
Kerben asked the funeral home representative the cost. I asked several times, she said. I said, How much will it be? And he said, Ill take care of it.
The day before the funeral in 2007, with family already in town, Kerben received a bill for $16,735. Thats more than double the 2006 median cost of $6,195 for a viewing and burial, the closest year for which data are available from the National Funeral Directors Association. The 2014 median cost was $7,181, according to the most recent data from NFDA.
Had I known the prices upfront, I wouldve shopped around, Kerben said.
Situations such as Kerbens have prompted startups that want to pry open the costs in the funeral industry to allow for easier comparison shopping.
Experts say funeral prices have been hard to come by for disparate reasons, ranging from reluctance on the part of funeral homes to reveal the costs to confusion over how to easily disclose them. On top of that, American culture shies away from discussions of death and its associated costs.
The Federal Trade Commission requires funeral homes to give prices over the phone and on paper in person when asked. But the FTCs Funeral Rule doesnt require prices to be given online or by email. Right now, online pricing is required only in California.
Tech companies want to fill this gap. Tyler Yamasaki co-launched funeral comparison site Parting.com in 2015 after he had trouble finding costs online while planning his grandmothers funeral.
We originally went in with the premise that funeral homes werent putting out information because they didnt want to, said Yamasaki, chief executive and co-founder of Parting, which runs Parting.com. But once we worked with more and more funeral homes, we realized that they provide a really valuable service. Theyre really there to help. They just dont have the know-how or resources to really adapt to the new type of consumer that theyre faced with.
Parting.com offers prices for more than 15,000 funeral homes, covering about 78 percent of the 19,322 businesses in the United States. After initially obtaining prices by mystery shopping, Parting.com mainly relies on funeral homes to update their own pricing.
Our site is not necessarily meant to be 100 percent accurate, like what youre going to get. Its really to show comparison because the discrepancies in price are really wild, Yamasaki said.
Atlanta-based Funeralocity, a similar price comparison website, launched in May. The company published prices on the website for the 200 funeral homes in the metropolitan statistical area. Ed Michael Reggie, founder and CEO, declined to explain how Funeralocity keeps those prices updated, calling it a trade secret.
This is giving a transparency thats been needed to the funeral industry, and maybe thats going to help the reputation because so many people feel so, in a grief-stricken state, taken advantage of, he said. They have no idea what the prices are, and the fact that we can take a lot of that mystery away for them is a good thing for the industry.
The companies follow different profit models, though neither charges the consumer. Parting.com sells advertising packages to funeral homes that allow them to update their profiles. Funeralocity receives a fee when consumers book funeral homes that are part of the companys Excellence Program. Member funeral homes apply for free and can update their prices and profiles. Consumers who book through these businesses get a five percent rebate. A quarter of Atlantas funeral homes are part of the program.
If consumers on either site want to buy services, however, they have to directly contact the funeral home.
But startups alone cant solve the problem of price transparency, said Joshua Slocum, executive director of the watchdog group the Funeral Consumers Alliance. That is where the FTC comes in. The Funeral Consumers Alliance and the Consumer Federation of America are petitioning the federal agency to revise the Funeral Rule to require disclosing prices online.
Slocum said third-party price comparison websites shouldnt be necessary for publicizing funeral prices online. Clear online pricing should be a baseline requirement of all funeral homes, he said.
We have an industry that is so difficult to get prices out of that were actually discussing another, additional third-party industry as a tech startup to get the prices out of the primary industry, Slocum said. Thats sort of extraordinary, isnt it?
Reggie said startups had a place in the funeral industry as price aggregators. Slocum agreed, adding that these companies could normalize comparing costs.
We really encourage people to break this artificial taboo of refusing to talk about the cost of funerals as a reasonable part of the process, Slocum said. Just the act of looking at prices and comparing them in the same context that youre used to doing with cars and books and Amazon helps to make this less taboo and more normal.
RICHMOND HEIGHTS Police arrested at least 22 people in a protest at the St. Louis Galleria on Saturday afternoon amid the continuing reaction to the acquittal Sept. 15 of a white police officer in the shooting death of a black drug suspect.
On Saturday night, the protest group had moved to the Ritz Carlton hotel in Clayton and then outside the doors of the Target store in Brentwood. They left the area outside the store by about 8 p.m.
Some protesters remained outside the St. Louis County Justice Center in Clayton, as rumors circulated that those in custody would be released Saturday night. But a police spokesman said those in custody would remain overnight and state charges would be filed against them on Sunday.
One of the people waiting outside was Ian Barczewski, 29, of St. Louis, who said that his friend and colleague Zach Becker was in custody. Becker had gone to the mall to buy a suitcase for a work trip and saw a friend of his protesting. He stopped to talk, heard whistles and saw police approaching, Barczewski said. Two officers kneed Becker, then zip tied his hands in front of his body. He was able to send a message to Barczewski through Facebook: help help help.
Barczewski said Becker had a kidney transplant and takes medication regularly. He tried to get police attention at the Justice Center to get the medicine to Becker, but couldnt get a response. Eventually, a legal observer got in touch with a nurse who got the medication to Becker.
I dont have faith in the current police system, Barczewski said.
At the Galleria, police made the arrests and cleared the mall building of demonstrators after some in the group refused orders to disperse. Among those arrested was a 13-year-old boy, who was later released to his parents.
Basel Isa said he did not hear an order to disperse. He said all we heard were whistles and then police were arresting people.
It was chaotic, he said.
At one point, police prevented some protesters from getting on an escalator to join others already on the second floor. Some trash cans were overturned.
St. Louis County police said that an officer was taken to a hospital with a back injury and that two protesters had minor injuries. A tweet from county police said the charges were expected to include rioting, trespassing, disorderly conduct and assaulting a law enforcement officer.
Police said about 150 other people followed dispersal warnings and peacefully left.
Another tweet from county police said that no one has the right to destroy the property of others and remain on private property after being asked to leave.
The mall entrances were closed by police, but a Galleria security spokesman said the mall was open again before 3 p.m.
Richmond Heights police said in a Facebook post that the Gallerias management had initially allowed the peaceful protest to proceed. But police said management later asked that it be stopped when protesters refused to refrain from blocking shoppers access to escalators.
This was not tolerated by mall management, and they wanted all protesters removed from the mall, police said.
Police said the blocking was done in an attempt to take over the second floor of the mall.
Richmond Heights police said they gave three orders to disperse, after which the arrests began. County police were called in to assist.
Also Saturday afternoon, more than 100 protesters showed up outside Americas Center in downtown St. Louis. No one was arrested there.
The group at Americas Center first massed on the sidewalk outside the Washington Avenue entrance, then moved into the street.
The group then walked down Seventh to Convention Center Plaza. Watching them from inside glass doors to the facility were people attending a conference organized by evangelist Joyce Meyer.
Protesters included several clergy members. One protest backer, the Rev. Darryl Gray, said one of their goals was to get Meyer to speak out. Gray, in a statement issued before the protest, said Meyer had a national platform and we are calling upon her to use it to speak against police shooting of unarmed black people especially after the verdict.
A spokeswoman for Meyer, Lori Potter, said that Meyer would not address the group and that she had a full schedule at the conference.
The judges ruling that spurred the protests acquitted Jason Stockley, an ex-St. Louis police officer, in the death in 2011 of Anthony Lamar Smith.
Stockley argued that he shot Smith in self-defense after a suspected drug deal and a high-speed pursuit and crash.
CLAYTON Twenty-two protesters arrested during a demonstration Saturday at the St. Louis Galleria were released Sunday as the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri raised concerns about force used by police in taking them into custody.
About 200 protesters gathered Sunday afternoon outside the St. Louis County Justice Center in Clayton to meet those released. At times they blocked the street or marched through downtown Clayton as they waited for the final arrestees to be freed.
Seven were charged with state crimes, including misdemeanor counts of rioting and interfering with or resisting arrest. One woman was also charged with a felony, assaulting a law enforcement officer.
Police say the woman, the Rev. Karla Frye of St. Peter AME Church in St. Louis, jumped on an officers back as she tried to stop him from making an arrest. Police say he was taken to a hospital to be treated for a back injury. There was no update on his condition.
Photos taken by a Post-Dispatch photographer show her grabbing an officer from behind as he appears to be trying to arrest someone. A photo also shows her arrest, with a police officers hand at her neck. Protesters complained that she was being choked.
Defendant resisted her own arrest with physical force, a court document filed in her case says. It says Frye and others collectively refused police commands to disperse, and reacted to police commands with physical force and violence.
Family and lawyers say Frye was responding to the rough treatment of her 13-year-old grandson by police. The boy was taken into custody, but later released to family who say he was bruised and hurting from the encounter. But his arm was not broken, as had been rumored.
Bail for Frye, 56, of Bellefontaine Neighbors, was set at $10,000, with 10 percent needed in cash to free her. Protest leaders gathered donations from demonstrators outside the Justice Center to pay the bail.
Of the six other people charged, at least one had been arrested a week earlier during a protest in St. Louis that brought its own set of controversial arrests.
Fifteen other people were held overnight at the county jail but released without state charges. They will be referred to the Richmond Heights Municipal Court for local charges, police said.
Police say the arrested protesters had failed to head warnings to leave the Richmond Heights mall Saturday during a protest amid the continuing reaction to the acquittal Sept. 15 of a white police officer in the shooting death of a black drug suspect.
Police said about 150 other people followed dispersal warnings and peacefully left. But some protesters told the Post-Dispatch they had not heard an order to disperse, just whistles and then police moving in to arrest people.
The ACLU of Missouri complained about the nature of those arrests in a letter to St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger, St. Louis Police Chief Jon Belmar and Richmond Heights Mayor Jim Thomson on Sunday.
Weve seen images of what appears to be unnecessary use of force by police at the St. Louis Galleria, such as tackling people to the ground, and arresting them in ways that cause bodily injury, wrote Anthony Rothert, legal director of the organization.
Yet again, the nation watches St. Louis, the letter said. This is a unique time in our region. In order to move forward, we must learn from the lessons of our past. That means we must continue to allow nonviolent, robust freedom of speech. We must allow the community to continue to express its outrage, pain, and grief.
The nonprofit ArchCity Defenders law firm, meanwhile, complained that its lawyers had difficulty reaching clients inside the jail. The group said the courthouse was simply shut down.
At every turn, our lawyers were met with delay, miscommunication, and a general indifference to the rights of the people arrested and the attorneys who work with them, Thomas Harvey, executive director and co-founder of ArchCity Defenders, said in the statement.
Among those released Sunday was Zach Becker. On Saturday, a friend had worked to get needed medication to the jail for Becker, who had a kidney transplant. After the friend had trouble getting police attention at the jail, a legal observer got in touch with a nurse to get the medication inside.
Upon his release, Becker said he was going to a hospital to get checked out.
Denise Hollinshed of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
Bringing people into planet studies
The Anthropocene, or the Age of Humans, is the new name of the current era of our planets history. It refers to the massive impact humans now have on the planets climate and ecosystems. It differs from previous eras in many different ways, for example, that social and economic networks are now spanning the whole globe with planetary scale social-ecological feedbacks. In this new situation, the authors argue, it is high time to really bring socioeconomic dynamics explicitly into theory, analysis and models of Earth system science.
"We need a new paradigm in Earth System science that is founded equally on a deep understanding of the physical and biological Earth System and of the economic, social and cultural forces that are now an intrinsic part of it," they write.
The article, which is entitled Closing the loop: Reconnecting human dynamics to Earth System science, argues that both the planets biophysical and social complexity needs to be analysed. Oversimplifying the social complexity in our analysis means that scientific knowledge will fail to support the worlds societies in delivering on the ambitious Paris climate agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We then risk pushing Earths climate and biosphere out of the relatively stable state of the last 11,000 years a period called the Holocene by geologists.
Simple systems, complex outcomes
To illustrate the need to deal with the complexity of both planet and people, the article presents a case of a deliberately elementary representation of decarbonization in the energy sector. This model demonstrates how subsidies and other socioeconomic factors influence the energy market.
"This is a hugely simplified case, but it reveals non-trivial effects not usually taken into account in integrated Earth System modelling," they write.
The case shows that even including a minimum of socioeconomic dynamics can produce complex behaviour and multiple outcomes when modelling the different roads to decarbonization.
Earth system science and the SDGs
The Paris climate targets and the SDGs clearly show humanitys ambition to remain within a safe operating space and increase the wellbeing of all people. Earth System science should play a critical part in this endeavour, the authors write. This will require increased efforts to connect the science of human behaviour and impacts with biophysical processes and to seek to understand the very rich dynamics that result.
"We have existing tools and approaches to study such phenomena. Such analysis offers significant potential to augment existing models and methodologies and so help humanity chart a course towards a desirable Holocene-like Anthropocene," the authors conclude.
The Stratford delegation, including the Herald's Ben Lugg, lined-up with Chinese officials as they were welcomed to the opening ofChina and the UK 45 Years of Ambassadorial Relations Photo Exhibition and British Festival.
Friday 29th September - Stratford delegation home after hugely successful China trip.
Stratfords delegation to China has returned to the UK following a visit designed to cement friendships with the city of Fuzhou.
The jam-packed schedule included meetings with local government officials, the spectacular opening ceremony of the Tang Xianzu International Drama Festival and an array of cultural visits to local sites and landmarks.
The growing partnership between Stratford and Fuzhou is viewed positively by officials in China and Stratford district councillors, who say the relationship could potentially increase interest in Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu across the globe.
Though this trip is now over, a Chinese delegation is likely to visit Stratford next April for the Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations.
The Herald will be watching the development of Sang Weng Town, a planned cultural attraction near Fuzhou featuring recreations of some a number of Stratfords historical buildings, with great interest.
Read next weeks Herald for the views of reporter Ben Lugg and photographer Mark Williamson on the trip.
Follow how the trip developed, below.....
STRATFORD-UPON-AVONS links with China are set to grow stronger this week as a delegation from the town visits Fuzhou.
District Councillors, representatives of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Herald journalists set off from Stratford on Thursday for the visit that will feature the inaugural Tang Xianzu International Drama Festival in Fuzhou, celebrating the life and works of one of Chinas most influential dramatists, as well as an International Forum on Cultural Heritage and Innovation.
Building a replica of Stratford in China will also be discussed with further details about San Weng Town set to be revealed.
Here are the reports from Herald reporter Ben Lugg and photographer Mark Williamson as we get them...
Sunday: Fuzhous Tang Xianzu International Drama Festival kicked off with a spectacular opening ceremony last night, featuring hundreds of dancers and singers from across the globe.
Thousands of spectators, including a delegation from Stratford, looked on from a large stand opposite the main stage as performers, mainly local students, took part in a series of eye-catching displays.
In between flamenco and Hawaiian dancing routines, Shakespeare was honoured by around 150 local students, performing with swords in front of a huge inflatable model of the Bard, while singers performed a special song in dedication to Shakespeare called To be or not to be.
Locals watched as the photo exhibitioned was opened.
Stratford wasn't the only place to have a food festival this weekend, Fuzhou having a similar event in the city centre.
The Spanish segment of the show was a colourful affair.
The Herald was not the only media covering event, TV companies and a large number of Chinese journalists were also in attendance.
Members of the Stratford delegation such as council leader Cllr Chris Saint, Cllr Chris Kettle and Nicholas Fulcher from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust sat alongside a number of Chinese politicians in the front row.
The show ended with a spectacular fireworks display, a fitting launch for the second Tang Xinazu International Drama Festival, which officials in Fuzhou hope to develop into a popular annual event.
Earlier in the day delegation visited the Fuzhou Urban Planning Exhibition Centre, a huge building in the centre of the city packed full of displays and huge models detailing how Fuzhou will be developed over future years as the population booms.
The exhibition, which also used CGI graphics throughout, showed a number of projects on the drawing board, perhaps more ambitious then Stratfords controversial South Western Relief Road.
Later the Stratford delegation were guests of honour at special photography exhibition marking 45 years of ambassadorial relations between the UK and China.
The exhibition featured pictures from previous visits to China by Stratford officials as well as the Chinese visit to Stratford during the Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations.
Xiao Yi, municipal party secretary, was shown around the exhibition accompanied by Cllr Chris Saint and Karen Maddocks, consul-general of the British consulate in Guangzhou.
Afterwards the delegation were given the chance to experience some of the regions well known dishes at the Tang Xianzu International Food Festival before being treated to yet more delicacies at a banquet hosted by the Jiangxi Provincial Government.
Stratford and Fuzhous drama links through Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu were once again at the forefront of activities today as the International Forum of cultural Inheritance and Innovation took place.
160 scholars and guests from across the world gathered for the forum, which saw speakers draw attention to the themes of Shakespeare, Tang Xianzu and Cervantes and the relevance each playwright has to todays audience.
Overall there has been a great deal of positivity surrounding the blossoming friendship between Stratford and Fuzhou with both sides trying hard to cement the ties established over recent years.
Saturday: Excitement is building on the eve of Fuzhous Tang Xianzus International Drama Festival as officials from Stratford-upon-Avon prepare to help celebrate the Chinese playwright in his hometown.
The connection between Stratford and Fuzhou stems from their most famous sons, Chinas leading playwright Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare, both of whom died in 1616.
On Saturday the streets of Fuzhou were brought to a standstill as crowds gathered to watch a dress rehearsal of the festivals opening ceremony featuring hundreds of dancers.
It certainly looks like it will be hot in the city with temperatures set to reach 36 degrees.
Officials from Stratford and Fuzhou are keen to build on the friendship developed between the two over recent years and this weeks visit follows a number of others which have taken place over recent years.
It has taken around 15 hours travelling for our delegation to reach Fuzhou, broken up by a stop in Shanghai in which the delegation took in some of the citys spectacular sights enjoyed a range of local cuisines.
Speaking ahead of the festival's opening day, the Mayor of Fuzhou, Zhang Hong Xing, welcomed Stratfords delegation to the city.
He told me: This year 2017 marks 45 years since the UK and China established established ambassadorial relations and we are now in a golden era of relations between both countries. I feel we are not just good friends, we are like relatives.
We are planning to hold the International Drama Festival every year and we already have great plans for next year with more wonderful shows and performances. In China there is an old saying, the journey of one thousand miles starts with one step this festival is just a small beginning.
Mr Xing also told me that that work on Sang Weng Town was underway and that a delegation from Fuzhou would plan to come over to Stratford every year for the Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations.
Cllr Chris Saint, leader of Stratford District Council, said: It was great to be called an old friend as I walked in today. We look forward to continued cooperation with the Peoples Republic of China and I feel that this relationship has been very productive so far and will only grow in strength."
More updates to come from China.
A Bay of Plenty woman has been airlifted to hospital with a suspected spinal injury.
The woman was located in rugged bush on Sunday after a personal locator beacon had been activitaed near the Pakiki Hutt area.
The BayTrust Rescue Helicopter was called into to airlift the injured woman to Whakatane Hospital.
A spokesperson for the rescue chopper says they were dispatched by the Rescue Coordination Centre after the beacon was activated.
"The PLB had been set off after a 35-year-old Rotorua woman was found with suspect spinal injuries after a fall from a mountain bike.
"The woman was airlifted to Whaketane Hospital for medical treatment."
Rondell Scott
Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse man was found guilty Friday of murdering a 15-year-old boy and injuring two others after firing into a car stopped at a South Side intersection in 2015.
The jury took about four hours to find Rondell Scott, 36, guilty of murder, weapons and related charges in the shooting at Midland Avenue and West Newell Street, defense lawyer Tom Ryan said.
Scott shot and killed Tyquan Jones, 15, at close range, also hitting two others in the vehicle, as well, prosecutor Shaun Chase has said.
Scott inserted himself into a dispute between teenagers, Chase told the jury during opening statements. The dispute may have started over a girl, the prosecutor said.
A teen that Scott knew pointed out Jones and the other victims as they drove by. The teen told Scott he believed one of the occupants had a gun.
Scott then flagged down a neighbor and followed the teens. He got out in stopped traffic, walked up to their car and opened fire, Chase told the jury.
After the murder, Scott fled to Mississippi after police raided his house looking for evidence, Chase said.
He was caught in Greenwood, Miss. a couple months later.
Scott's trial took place last week before County Court Judge Stephen Dougherty. Lawyers gave closing arguments Friday morning. The jury broke for lunch and then began deliberating around 1 p.m., coming back with a guilty verdict around 5 p.m., Ryan said.
Chase could not be reached for comment.
Scott faces up to 25 years to life for the murder -- and possibly more time for the other shootings -- when sentenced in November. He remains in jail.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The site of a quadruple shooting early Sunday morning calls itself "Hush Lounge" but operates out of a boarded-up upholstery business. There isn't a sign, and the windows are boarded up.
Police are "looking into" whether the site is operating legally, said spokesman Sgt. Richard Helterline.
Four people were shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries at a shootout around 3 a.m. At least two guns were fired, and there were at least 10 gunshots, police said.
The shooting began after a "large fight" inside and outside the lounge, and bullets sprayed across East Fayette Street. The fallout was visible early Sunday morning: Bloody footprints and a Honda SUV damaged by gunfire.
Helterline said police are still investigating the circumstances behind the shooting. He also said the lounge has drawn investigators' attention.
They'll be looking into whether the lounge was serving alcohol. They would not be able to do so after 2 a.m. It was not immediately clear whether the lounge had a liquor license.
This screenshot from Facebook appears to show the inside of Hush Lounge, which operates out of a boarded-up upholstery business. Kawan Woodley, an owner, posted this picture from "teen night" about 11:30 p.m. on Friday.
"(Hush is) a place that hosts after hours events at times, and depending on what they are doing it may or may not be legal," Helterline said. "We are looking into it. They would not be able to serve alcohol there without a permit, and surely not after 2 a.m. At this time we do not know if they were serving or not."
The lounge could be operating legally if it does not serve alcohol, Helterline said.
"If they just have people over, then it may not be breaking any laws," he said.
The New York State Liquor Authority's website has no record of a liquor license at the address.
The site at 1226 E. Fayette is a boarded-up upholstery business called "Silverbush." On Sunday morning, the site was too dark to see inside except for a cigarette butt that sat inside on a windowsill.
Helterline said he was not sure if the upholstery business still operated.
Business records in Syracuse.com archives show a Hush Lounge was incorporated in 2014 on 1200 E. Fayette Street by Kenneth Kinsey and Kawan Woodley.
Woodley and Kinsey could not be immediately reached Sunday.
Woodley's Facebook page shows lively scenes at what he called "Hush Lounge" in recent days, including a post from Friday night around 11:30 p.m. for "teen night."
"Hush lounge teens rocking better then (sic) the adults," he wrote in the post, accompanied by a blurry picture or people dancing.
A neighbor who witnessed the shooting and heard about 10 gunshots early Sunday called the place a nuisance. He said he'd called 911 on it in the past. The neighbor declined to be identified out of fear of retaliation.
WASHINGTON - The floundering Republican attempt to undo the Affordable Care Act met hardening resistance from key GOP senators Sunday that left it on the verge of collapsing, even as advocates vowed to keep pushing for a vote this week.
With Senate GOP leaders just one "no" vote away from defeat, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a TV interview that it was "very difficult" to envision voting for the bill written by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he and a colleague were not ready to back the measure. And Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has come out against it, showed no signs of backing down in his own TV appearance.
As Graham and Cassidy pledged to keep trying to pass their bill, the White House and the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gave differing accounts of the path ahead. White House legislative affairs director Marc Short predicted a Wednesday vote while a McConnell spokesman declined to publicly embrace that timeline.
The fresh discord over a signature Republican promise added turbulence to the start of a critical week for President Donald Trump and McConnell, R-Ky. In addition to health care, they are both watching Tuesday's special election primary runoff in Alabama, a high-stakes intra-party fight that could set the tone for the midterm elections. GOP leaders are also expected to unveil their most detailed blueprint yet of the tax reform plan they hope to pass by the end of the year.
Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Collins cited concerns about how the Cassidy-Graham legislation would affect Medicaid recipients and people with preexisting medical conditions, among other things.
"It is very difficult for me to envision a scenario where I would end up voting for this bill," Collins said. "I have a number of serious reservations about it."
Two Republican senators - Paul and John McCain of Arizona - have already said they would vote against Cassidy-Graham. A third would be enough to defeat the bill, since no Democrats are expected to support it. Republicans hold a 52-48 advantage in the Senate.
The bill has been roundly rejected by influential national groups representing physicians, hospitals and insurers. On Saturday, six such organizations including the American Medical Association and American Hospital Association issued a joint statement urging the Senate to reject it.
Collins voted against a July repeal bill and is a key swing vote in the current dynamic. Last week, she said she was leaning against Cassidy-Graham. Privately, many Republicans have predicted that she will ultimately come out against the bill.
The senator said she had a lengthy chat with Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday. But that was not enough to sway her. Collins said she wants to see the limited forthcoming analysis of the legislation from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office this week before she makes a final decision.
"Even over the weekend, I was receiving emails suggesting that the sponsors of the bill are still changing the formula," she said. "So it may be difficult for the CBO to do the kind of in-depth analysis that it usually does, but that's what I would like to see before making a formal decision."
The CBO has said that it will not be able to provide an assessment of how Cassidy-Graham would affect insurance premiums or the number of people with medical coverage "for at least several weeks." But Trump and McConnell are trying to bring the bill to a vote by the end of this week take advantage of a procedural rule allowing the plan to pass with just 51 votes.
But it was far from clear Sunday that they could get even close to that number.
Addressing Cassidy-Graham at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Cruz said, "right now, they don't have my vote. And I don't think they have Mike Lee's either," referring to the Republican senator from Utah.
Cruz said that he and Lee met with Graham and Cassidy last week to propose changes to the measure that would get them to yes, but their changes were not included.
Graham and Cassidy appeared on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," where they defended their plan and vowed to keep up their efforts to shepherd it to passage.
"We're moving forward. And we'll see what happens next week. I'm very excited about it," Graham said. The South Carolina Republican mentioned Collins and Paul as he made his pitch.
"Rand Paul objects to the taxes," he said. "But when you look at the bill, Rand, we save a lot of money over time for Medicaid. We put a cap on Obamacare growth."
On NBC's "Meet the Press," Paul showed no signs that he was preparing to switch his position.
"I'm just not for this block-granting concept," he said. At the core of the Cassidy-Graham plan is a maneuver to turn funding for the ACA into block grants for states. It would also dramatically cut Medicaid spending over time.
Also on "Meet the Press," Short said, "We're planning to have the vote this week," adding, "we think it'll probably be Wednesday."
McConnell's office said last week that he intended to bring Cassidy-Graham to the floor this week but has provided no further details. Asked Sunday whether McConnell agrees with Short's timeline, McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said McConnell had not announced a vote schedule.
The Republican leader is also keeping a close eye this week on the Senate race in Alabama, where Republican Sen. Luther Strange is trying to get past insurgent primary challenger Roy Moore, a former judge. Trump and McConnell both back Strange, but supporters and associates of Trump, including former chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, have voiced support for Moore.
If Moore defeats Strange, it will be a blow to both McConnell and Trump, who have rallied their powerful political operations behind Strange. Some Republicans also believe it will embolden other conservative insurgents to challenge Republican senators in 2018.
Also this week, the "Big Six" negotiators from the White House, Senate and House are expected to unveil more details of their tax reform plan, which like the health-care talks, could be spark messy disagreements among Republicans that could complicate their next big legislative target.
Some of the elements of the plan have already started taking shape. Republicans are targeting a corporate rate of 20 percent in their overhaul, according to three people familiar with the emerging blueprint - a number that represents a substantial cut from the current 35 percent rate but falls short of the 15 percent Trump has advocated.
But for Senate Republicans, the first order of business this week is resolving the health-care push - one way or the other. Even the bill's champions have already started pondering the prospect of failure.
Asked on "This Week" what he will tell people if he comes up short, Graham responded: "That I did everything I could to get money and power out of Washington to give you better health care closer to where you live and I'm not going to stop fighting."
A Buffalo seasonal parks employee was charged after he stabbed a pit bull that was being walked by its owner Saturday morning.
Buffalo Police said a woman was walking her dog just after 8 a.m. Saturday near Mineral Springs Road and Frank Avenue when a man got out of the passenger side of a City of Buffalo vehicle, exchanged words with her and then stabbed her dog with a knife.
He got back in the car, which took off, but two men were caught a short time later in the 1300 block of South Park Avenue.
Police charged James Craddock, 46, with aggravated cruelty to animals, criminal possession of a weapon and menacing.
The dog was taken to a veterinarian clinic in Orchard Park, where it underwent surgery.
Police said Craddock is a seasonal parks employee, and was in a city vehicle at the time of the incident.
--By Barbara O'Brien, The Buffalo News, N.Y.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Latest on a shooting at a church in Nashville (all times local):
4:40 p.m.
Police have released the identity of a suspect in a Tennessee church shooting.
Metropolitan Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron identified the suspect as 25-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson of Murfreesboro.
Aaron says Samson has been discharged from Vanderbilt University Hospital and charging warrants are being obtained.
Aaron says the gunman arrived in the parking lot as services were being let out Sunday at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ. Aaron says a woman who was walking to her vehicle was fatally shot.
Aaron says the gunman then entered the rear of the church and six people were shot. Aaron says a churchgoer who confronted the gunman was pistol-whipped by the suspect, who then shot himself.
___
3 p.m.
A witness to a shooting at a Tennessee church is calling an usher who confronted a gunman "a hero."
Minerva Rosa has been a member at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in the Nashville neighborhood of Antioch for eight years. She was inside when a suspect opened fired Sunday.
Rosa says the suspect said nothing as he shot churchgoers. As the gunman made his way down the aisle, Rosa says the pastor started shouting, "'Run! Run! Gunshots!"
Metropolitan Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron say the usher was pistol whipped as he confronted the suspect, who then apparently shot himself during the struggle. Aaron says the usher then went to his own car to retrieve his gun, returned and stood over the suspect until police arrived.
Rosa says without the usher, the situation "could be worse."
Aaron didn't immediately identify the usher but calls him "an extraordinarily brave individual."
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2:15 p.m.
Nashville Mayor Megan Barry says a shooting at a church is "a terrible tragedy for our city."
Barry issued a statement Sunday afternoon after a suspect opened fire at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, killing a woman and wounding seven other victims at the church. Authorities say he also shot himself.
Barry says her "heart aches for the family and friends of the deceased as well as for the wounded victims and their loved ones. Their lives have been forever changed, as has the life of their faith community at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ."
Barry has dealt with her personal tragedy after her 22-year-old son died of an apparent drug overdose near Denver on July 29.
She says her administration "will continue to work with community members to stop crime before it starts, encourage peaceful conflict resolution, and promote non-violence."
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1:20 p.m.
Nashville police say a suspect in a church shooting apparently shot himself.
Metropolitan Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said at a news conference that the gunman arrived in the parking lot as services were being let out Sunday at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ. Aaron says the suspect fatally shot a woman who was walking to her vehicle.
Aaron says the gunman then entered the rear of the church and six people were shot. Aaron says a churchgoer who confronted the gunman was pistol-whipped by the suspect, who then shot himself.
Aaron said the suspect, who was in his mid-20s and was from Rutherford County, was taken to a hospital. Aaron didn't immediately release the suspect's name or condition.
Aaron says witnesses are still being interviewed.
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1 p.m.
Authorities in Tennessee say one person is dead and seven people sustained injuries after a gunman opened fire at a church in Nashville.
Metro Nashville Police Department says the gunman was wounded and was taken to a hospital. No details were available about his condition.
The police department said on Twitter that six of the injured were shot and one was pistol-whipped.
The alleged shooting occurred at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in the neighborhood in Antioch.
___
Authorities in Tennessee say at least six people were injured in a shooting at a church in the Nashville area.
Nashville fire department spokesman Joseph Pleasant tells the Tennessean newspaper that at least six to eight people were hurt and were being transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center. The nature of the injuries weren't immediately known.
A dispatcher quoted by the newspaper said that the scene was still "active" at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ as of 11:40 a.m. Sunday.
A Nashville police spokesman didn't immediately answer a telephone call or respond to an email on the shooting.
The levees lining Louisianas waterways designed to protect communities from flooding are becoming a growing source of friction between the people who own the land they cut through and those who want to use them for recreation or as convenient shortcuts to get to their destinations.
And the disputes over who has access to the levees may soon be headed to the courts to resolve.
The mostly gravel-top levees along the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers and other waterways that snake through hunting camps and sprawling agricultural pastures are, by law, private property even though they are maintained using public tax dollars.
Locked gates on private land along Mississippi River poses legal issue for Levee Board PORT ALLEN The Atchafalaya Basin Levee Board is asking the state's Attorney General's Offi
Young and old have traveled on the levees for more than a century, but access to them has become increasingly contentious. Some landowners have taken to putting up gates to keep people out.
The landowners say its to keep poachers away who hunt and fish on property they dont own and because they fear they could be held liable should someone be injured on their property.
"I really hate it for people because I know there are a lot of good folks that used it, but for every good guy there's about 10 bad guys," said Steven Kent, a Pointe Coupee businessman who put a locked gate on a levee that crosses through his property.
Others say its a public safety hazard because a locked gate on a levee road could close off a vital evacuation route in the event of a hurricane, train derailment or flood.
A dispute over a recently-installed, locked gate on a levee road that cuts through 500 acres Kent owns not far from the Iberville Parish town of Maringouin has put a fresh focus on the issue.
"The public has never been forbidden to go down that levee," says Matt Jewell, chairman of the Iberville Parish Council. "The public's money has been going into the upkeep of that levee all these years. How can you justify using tax dollars on property that has all of a sudden become private?"
Iberville Parish leaders like Jewell upset over the gate appear poised to challenge legal precedent and a Louisiana Attorney General's opinion asserting the state's levee system isn't the public domain that many may have thought.
Kent, who put up the gate to block public access to the levee road between Belmont Lane and U.S. Highway 190, said hes simply protecting his property and shielding himself from potential liability should someone be injured on his land.
After years of giving the public unrestricted access to his property, Kent said, he was fed up with teenagers and hunters wandering onto his property whenever they wanted to shoot and kill deer and other animals.
"We must have found 25 dead animals within the past year," Kent says. "There was a bunch of poaching going on. These guys would shoot deer from the top of the levee."
Trigger-happy trespassers aren't the only factor driving many property owners' decision to cut off the public's access to levee roads.
John Grezaffi, chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the Atchafalaya Levee Board, says there have also been reports of drivers running down cattle as they dart across levee roads.
And as more people riding ATVs use the levee roads for recreation, Grezaffi said, many property owners are worried they'll be liable if someone is hurt or killed while using a motorized recreational vehicle on their property.
"Times have changed," Grezaffi said. "When I was kid, I rode horses on the levee. Now we have four-wheelers and motorbikes. There's a lot going on that the public doesn't know exists, which has made people want to protect what they have."
Several property owners also complained about teens driving out on the levees to park and party.
Kent said he didn't expect his decision to put up a gate to protect his property to generate as much backlash as it has from locals who want to continue using the levee road. But their anger hasn't made him rethink what he did.
"People call me every day about it. Someone actually drove through the gate the other day, and we had to go back and put it back up," Kent said.
Jewell got the Iberville Parish Council to adopt a resolution recently asking that the Atchafalaya Basin Levee District, the governing authority that oversees the maintenance and upkeep of approximately 300 miles of the levee system within its eight-parish jurisdiction, to prohibit Kent from closing the levee road off to the public.
The town of Maringouin passed a similar resolution.
Iberville Parish officials argue the levee road on Kent's property is the most plausible evacuation route in that area for weather-related events or an emergency situation like a train derailment. Maringouin is home to a large railroad facility.
But the levee board isn't certain they have the authority to force Kent to keep the gate open. A 2016 opinion from the state's Attorney General Office has made the levee board's commissioners hesitant to weigh in on the brewing tension around Kent's situation.
That opinion details a similar situation in the Red River, Atchafalaya and Bayou Boeuf Levee District where local residents were trying to stop property owners from installing locked gates and fences along the 230 miles of levee under the district's governing authority.
The levee servitude the Army Corp of Engineers had to broker with property owners to create the levee system was described in the AGs opinion as a "peculiar" legal agreement.
The opinion states that even though taxpayer money is used by local levee districts to maintain levee roadways, "the landowner's right to exclude the public from the use of his property is not affected."
"Additionally, the public has no right to use levees as public thoroughfares," the opinion reads.
Chris Roy, chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the Red River, Atchafalaya and Bayou Boeuf Levee District, estimates that approximately 30 miles of their levee system has been closed off to public use by property owners who have installed locked gates and fences.
"Landowners own the levee unless it has somehow been converted to a public road of some sort," Roy said.
However, those who have installed gates are required to provide the levee district with keys to the locks so that annual inspections can be conducted by the Corps, and so that officials will have access when the threat of flooding looms.
The Atchafalaya Levee Board places the same regulations on property owners who install locked gates along its levee system.
Grezaffi says they've never had an issue getting keys to locks from property owners, nor has there even been an issue getting access to parts of the levee closed off from public access when the board needed it.
Jacques LaCour, a Pointe Coupee Parish farmer, has installed four gates along the levee roads on his property but doesn't lock them.
Despite knowing he has a legal right to keep the public out, LaCour recognizes how quickly and unexpectedly emergency situations can arise and would rather parish officials not have to fish around for a key to get access to the levee when they need it.
"But at the end of the day, it's a property owner's prerogative to have a gate or not," he adds.
The Atchafalaya levee board has asked for another AG's opinion specific to the Kent situation because Grezaffi says every situation along the levee is different.
"What we do hinges on what the Attorney General's Office says," Grezaffi said.
Jewell is quick to point out that an opinion from the state Attorney General's Office is just that an opinion, not law.
Should the Atchafalaya levee board decide they don't have the authority to tell Kent not to lock his gates, Jewell said, the parish could take their requests to the state and, if need be, to the federal level.
"I don't know where this thing is going to go," he said. "The public has never been forbidden to go down that levee. We're going to see about keeping it open. Hopefully someone will intervene and say they concur."
East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council members along with participants from the police policy committee have started a campaign to recruit potential community police ambassadors, volunteers they hope will serve as agents to merge the divide between the community.
The applications for the positions opened last week, and 20 were already submitted as of Friday, said Councilwoman Tara Wicker, who has been spearheading the committee along with Councilman Trae Welch since the spring of 2016.
"We anticipate there's going to be an overwhelming response, which is great," Wicker said. "It means people in the community want to have their voices heard."
Baton Rouge Police, from both former Chief Carl Dabadie and current interim Chief Jonny Dunnam, has pledged its support of the ambassador program. Dabadie and Dunnam were involved in the discussions of the program throughout the spring and summer and Dunnam has offered to help in training the ambassadors.
"Everybody seems to be very positive about this and thinks (the ambassadors are) going to help in moving those relationships forward in a positive direction," Wicker said. She held the first informational and recruiting meeting for the ambassadors on Sept. 19 at Delmont Library, and though she said the turnout was low, the word is just starting to get out.
On Friday, Wicker's staff disseminated a flyer on recruiting meetings, as well as began promoting the application.
The program aims to have two ambassadors from every neighborhood within the city of Baton Rouge working as liaisons between residents and the police. Program leaders have not yet placed either a minimum or a maximum on the number of ambassadors. Applications are open both online and on paper. Wicker said they will continue to accept applications through at least the end of October.
Police policy group irons out details for community police ambassadors, introduces police career mentorship program The proposed community police ambassador program aimed at decreasing the divide between Bato
The ambassadors will be essentially self-selected, meaning no one will choose one candidate over another, but to become an ambassador people will have meet requirements of living in the city limits, being of certain age and demonstrating through the application their involvement and interest in their community. They will also have to complete the required training, which has parameters still unspecified but will include information on law enforcement and the legal process, the committee previously decided.
"I think exactly what Trae (Welch) and I set out to accomplish has happened," Wicker said. "The community which includes Council members, residents, police officers everybody really had a chance to talk through the issues and then strategize together."
Momentum for the group picked up after the fatal shooting of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, by a white Baton Rouge Police officer in July 2016. Many of the ideas the committee has championed including the ambassador program came from open community forums that drew hundreds in the aftermath of the shooting, which was caught on a cell phone video and disseminated on social media.
The committee partnered with local academic institutions to draft policy recommendations that stemmed from the community forums and which were presented to the Metro Council in May. Wicker said she hopes the community ambassadors one of the recommended changes for Baton Rouge Police will be able to move forward the other proposals, like a citizen review board for police complaints and better policies for how officers respond to mental health calls.
"Life has been breathed into it," Wicker said. "We'll have people at the table who can move (our recommendations) forward."
Richard Slaughter, the resident who first brought to the city the idea for "community police ambassadors," said he's excited to see the program taking off. Though he is not eligible to apply because he now resides in Port Allen, he said he is still committed to seeing it through.
"I just want to make sure it's done the right way and we don't get off to the wrong start," Slaughter said."I've been in Baton Rouge most of my life; I'm invested."
Slaughter said he plans to be at the meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Scotlandville Library. After that, meetings will follow at that time on Tuesdays: at the Jones Creek Library on Oct. 3, Bluebonnet Library on Oct. 10, and Eden Park Library on Oct. 24. There are two other meetings to be scheduled at Broadmoor Baptist Church and St. Aloysius Catholic Church Parish Hall, with time and dates pending.
Slaughter said he plans to reach out to his friends, colleagues and family who are eligible and qualified to become ambassadors. He believes it's important that ambassadors already have influence in their neighborhoods and are dedicated to improving the area, and he said it helps if they already have a relationship with police.
"I want the right people involved," Slaughter said. "I just want to see things get better."
Clinton man dies in head on collision with tractor-trailer that also struck two other vehicles
WASHINGTON Months of furious work on a conservative health care overhaul by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and his staff will reach a culmination this week in a frenzied final uphill push for votes.
The odds appear to be stacking against the proposal Cassidy co-authored with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, with several Republican colleagues wavering over whether to support the bill just days from a Saturday legislative deadline to pass it through the Senate on a simple-majority, party line vote.
The Cassidy-Graham plan is slated for a late Monday morning hearing before the U.S. Senate's finance committee, the first stop on a potentially frenetic rush toward a vote on the Senate floor. A partial, initial analysis of the bill by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office is also expected on Monday morning.
Despite increasingly long odds against them, Cassidy and Graham have forged ahead, continuing to try to sell their colleagues on their strategy to fulfill years of Republican campaign promises to scrap the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the signature legislative achievement of former President Barack Obama. Their efforts have perhaps been buoyed by President Donald Trump, who prodded undecided Republican senators and ripped into opponents of the bill in a series of tweets Saturday morning.
Two key Republican senators Arizona's John McCain and Kentucky's Rand Paul have publicly indicated they'll vote against the Cassidy-Graham plan. Losing one more Republican vote would erase the party's narrow majority and, given united Democratic opposition, sink the bill. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told CNN on Sunday morning it was "very difficult for me to envision a scenario where I would end up voting for this bill" but said she was waiting to review the CBO score on Monday before making a final decision.
Just one more Republican defector joining McCain and Paul against the Cassidy-Graham proposal would kill it.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is also seen as a key potential swing vote on the Cassidy-Graham plan. Murkowski joined McCain and Collins in killing Senate Republicans' previous attempt to repeal Obamacare in July and has expressed concerns about deep cuts to Alaskan federal health care funding under the Cassidy-Graham plan.
"Alaska had a 200% plus increase in premiums under ObamaCare, worst in the country. Deductibles high, people angry! Lisa M comes through," Trump tweeted shortly before sunrise Saturday morning.
"Right now, they dont have my vote, and I dont think they have (Sen.) Mike Lees, (R-Utah) either," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said at a Sunday morning event in Austin, Texas.
Cruz's surprise skepticism of the Cassidy-Graham plan adds to growing unease from the Republican Party's conservative firebrands, likely complicating any efforts by the bill's sponsors to win over moderates like Collins and Murkowski through tweaks to the plan or its funding formulas.
The bill, largely drafted by Cassidy and his staff over more than a month of relentless work, would keep many (though not all) of the Affordable Care Act's taxes in place. Instead of spending billions of federal dollars on the Medicaid expansion and individual insurance subsidies, the Cassidy-Graham plan would package most of that money into block grants for states.
The formula would shift billions in funding away from states that expanded Medicaid including Louisiana or that have enrolled large numbers of moderate-income residents in subsidized insurance plans under the Obamacare exchanges. Most states that opted not to expand Medicaid would see a bump in funding under Cassidy-Graham.
The bill would repeal penalties for individuals who don't buy health insurance and repeal requirements that businesses of a certain size provide employer-sponsored health insurance. Also, federal funding for traditional Medicaid would be capped under the plan.
Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, and Dean Heller, R-Nevada, are co-sponsoring the plan. Former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pennsylvania, helped craft the proposal and has been lobbying former colleagues.
Analyses of Cassidy-Graham by a range of groups, including several left-leaning think tanks as well as the Trump administration's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, have indicated the proposal would cut federal health care funding by billions.
Opposition to the plan, which could potentially have far-reaching implications for health care in the United States, especially for the disabled and those with low incomes, has extended beyond the Democratic minority in Congress and includes a bipartisan group of governors and a number of health groups.
Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, and Cory Gardner, R-Colorado, have not indicated publicly which way they'll vote. All represent swing states that expanded Medicaid and would likely stand to lose out on funding under Cassidy-Graham.
The national Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and America's Health Insurance Plans, two major trade groups for the insurance industry, have come out against Cassidy-Graham, as did insurance firm Kaiser Permanente.
The American Medical Association, the nation's largest association of physicians, and the American Hospital Association also urged lawmakers to vote against it.
A study by the centrist Brookings Institution estimates that about 21 million more people would be without health insurance each year under Cassidy-Graham block grants than under the Affordable Care Act. The study's authors described those estimates as conservative, noting that individual states might face addition problems setting up their own health care systems.
Jeff Drozda, CEO of the Louisiana Association of Health Plans, which represents the health benefits industry, including managed-care companies that cover more than 1 million Medicaid recipients, said his group is optimistic the Cassidy-Graham bill could address issues in the health insurance markets.
But Drozda said he's also concerned about some of the language in the bill, particularly its impact on the roughly 435,000 Louisianans covered under the Medicaid expansion. Drozda, who has a meeting with Cassidy in Washington this week to discuss this bill and other issues, said he remains hopeful some language in the proposal could be tweaked.
"In the end, were very optimistic that there can be some movement on the issues on which were concerned," Drozda said Friday.
Louisiana hospitals support proposals that improve access to affordable coverage and critical medical services throughout our state, said Paul Salles, president and CEO of the Louisiana Hospital Association. We have concerns about the potential impact of the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson proposal and urge Senators to wait for a thorough analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. We appreciate Senator Cassidys engagement in health reform and want to continue working with him in this area."
"While several of this bill's provisions are cause for concern, our most pressing worry is centered around this bill's threat to the Medicaid program," said Ryan Sinitiere, a spokesman for the Louisiana Primary Care Association, a nonprofit group that represents community health centers across the state. "While we agree that state control over its policies and budget can be beneficial, we think that block granting Medicaid will be detrimental to Community Health Centers and their patients."
In general, key stakeholders in Louisiana's health care system appeared alarmed by the potential cuts in Medicaid funding and what the plan would likely mean for those covered by the Medicaid expansion.
But several also noted that premium increases and limited competition in the individual insurance markets under the Affordable Care Act just two companies now offer plans leave a serious problem to be addressed.
"From our prospective, consumers will not be able to afford what is coming in 2018, the (health insurance) plans are going to be limited, more narrow networks and no competition," said B. Ronnell Nolan, president and chief executive of the Baton Rouge-based Health Agents for America, Inc. "Washington needs to do something, because status quo is not working unless you are not working. We support this bill because it is a step in the right direction."
"We agree that change is needed. The ACA is not working as it is," said John Maginnis, spokesman for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, which did not take a position on the bill. "We applaud Sen. Cassidy for being willing to take action in proposing changes to improve the individual health insurance market."
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Bipartisan talks, led by Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, and Patty Murray, D-Washington, had aimed to craft some solutions to issues in the individual markets. Those talks, though, appeared to collapse last week amid the last-minute push to build support for Cassidy-Graham.
McCain, an 81-year-old Republican elder statesman now battling brain cancer, urged his colleagues to restart those discussions.
"The issue is too important, and too many lives are at risk, for us to leave the American people guessing from one election to the next whether and how they will acquire health insurance," McCain said in a statement Friday afternoon outlining his opposition to Cassidy-Graham. "A bill of this impact requires a bipartisan approach."
Graham, speaking with The Advocate on Tuesday, called the idea of a bipartisan solution to problems with the Affordable Care Act "an illusion" and contended the Republican majority in the House of Representatives would never pass "anything that props up Obamacare."
Addressing undecided colleagues like Murkowski, Graham pitched the repeal-and-replace proposal as the only alternative.
"That's the reality you have to deal with," Graham said. "All of us."
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly indicated Jeff Drozda has been meeting with Cassidy about the bill. In fact, Drozda is scheduled to meet with the senator this week about the bill and other matters. This story was modified on Sept. 24 to correct the error.
It was an idea from one state treasurer that dominated budget negotiations for months only to be quietly sidelined earlier this year by the concerns of another state treasurer and likely will be resurrected by the person elected next state treasurer this fall.
Basically, House Speaker Taylor Barras was looking for a way to chip away at the seemingly annual revenue shortfall that amounts to about a third of the money available to pay the states everyday expenses. He turned to the state treasurer, then John N. Kennedy, to bounce off a few ideas and came away with what he says is a legal way to divert money from previously untouchable statutory dedications to help pay the states debt and thereby free some dollars to help pay the states bills.
State treasurers have no official role in making the states financial machine. But like the oil-stained mechanic below decks, they touch every cog and know how plans from the drawing board operate in the real world.
Its an advisory function the candidates to replace Kennedy in the Oct. 14 election want to keep. A week of early voting begins Saturday.
For the past nine years, lawmakers have juggled a financial system that fails to raise enough revenues to pay the bills each year. Theyre heading into another crisis when $1 billion in sales taxes, passed to bridge a previous deficit, expires on June 30.
Cutting a third of the states services would plunge the state into a Third World morass. Raising taxes is equally untenable.
Barras wanted something that would lower the deficit to a point that a combination of spending cuts and revenue enhancements wouldnt be nearly as dramatic.
The Barras mechanism would take about 3 percent off the top of the monies for statutory dedications to help repay the states loans, about $400 million annually. Since debt payments are made out of the general operating fund, the maneuver would free about $97 million this fiscal year to pay other expenses.
Edwards Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne said initially he was intrigued. We discussed this at length and we were very interested, he said last week.
But as is often the case in governance, simple solutions dont always hold up to the constant pounding of the governments engine.
Dardenne said money from taxes, royalties and fees are deposited onto a metaphorical conveyor belt as deposited. Cash goes first into the Bond Security and Redemption Fund to repay debt mostly loans for roads, bridges and buildings until filled, then the money can be used for other purposes.
Statutory dedications are fees think hunting licenses imposed on people who use a service and the fees pay for that service. But that money doesnt come in as predictably as taxes.
One of the big technicalities is how those dollars are accounted for once the $400 million pot is filled?
The idea was tried during the late 1980s under Gov. Buddy Roemer, but quickly abandoned because the mechanics were so difficult, Dardenne said.
Treasurer Ron Henson, who took over from Kennedy in January until the elections, focused more on the Wall Street reaction. The big New York investors underwrite the states loans and they wondered, anxiously, why Louisiana leaders were messing with the system that guarantees the loans are paid first.
Its not a totally bad idea, particularly in theory. There are some difficulties in implementation, Henson said. He discussed those concerns with Barras and the matter was quietly dropped during the last legislative session.
But its not gone.
As late as Thursday, Barras said his idea will reemerge, though its not playing a role in the current negotiations with the governor.
Were working through the mechanics and technicalities, Barras said. We will address it again with the new treasurer.
He may find allies among the candidates for state treasurer, at least among the three major Republicans.
We have to follow the law, said former state Rep. John Schroder, R-Covington. The mechanics may be difficult with the current technology, but that shouldnt be the reason you dont follow the law.
State Sen. Neil Riser, R-Columbia, said the state must pay down its debt.
Thats most important. This has some technical issues that need to be worked out, Riser said. I am for whatever it takes to pay down our obligations.
Former Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis, R-Baton Rouge, said she would review the plan carefully. However, taxpayers should be assured that I wont take any action, whether the Legislature likes it or not, that may put the states credit rating at further risk.
Democratic candidate Derrick Edwards, of New Orleans, did not respond to queries seeking his input.
Transparency and accountability underpin effective and efficient public policy, political probity and good corporate governance all of which are involved in the government's proposed overhaul of political influence laws, a response primarily to concerns about clandestine and insidious meddling in Australia by the Chinese Communist Party.
There is good reason to toughen and update protections against foreign interference. Our laws were set up to protect against Cold War-style spying, not the "sub-espionage" level of commercial and institutional skulduggery that has emerged in recent decades along with globalisation.
Unlocking secrets involves more than Cold War-style spying. Credit:Tanya Lake
Attorney-General George Brandis has been given evidence by Australia's intelligence officials of lobbyists associated with the Chinese government attempting to influence decisions by local, state and federal governments. Chinese interests have also cultivated commercial and lobbying affiliations with former Australian politicians. Chinese tertiary students have become a leading source of export revenue for Australia, and universities are under scrutiny over commercial partnerships with enterprises linked to the Chinese government.
After a series of Fairfax Media investigations into improper external influence on Australian politics, Senator Brandis travelled to Washington in July for briefings about US legislation that curbs pernicious activities by "foreign agents". The laws require those working or lobbying for foreign powers to make full public disclosures. Australia is also looking at emulating the US by creating a publicly available register of foreign agents. That would seem well advised, does not encroach on anyone's rights and is in keeping with the principles of transparency and accountability.
"Most of the criticism has been based on misinformation": Jennifer Buckingham, the lead author of the report. Credit:Brendan Esposito The Australian Education Union argued the government needs to focus on adequate resources so schools can help vulnerable kids, rather than more testing. "It's an astonishing thing to be doing, quite frankly," president Correna Haythorpe said. Meanwhile, Queensland Education Minister Kate Jones described the test idea as an "insult to all education sectors". Grade 1 students from Bentleigh West Primary School in Melbourne are tested on phonics. Credit:Joe Armao All of this has left Buckingham, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies, scratching her head.
"The thing that has surprised me the most is the knee-jerk reaction," she says. "Most of the criticism has been based on misinformation." Nikki Burrows says she was amazed to hear daughter Goldie talking about the strategies she was learning for reading words: "That blew me away." Credit:Joe Armao Buckingham explains what is being proposed will only take between 10 and 15 minutes. And because it will be done with a teacher the student already knows, children are unlikely to even realise they are being assessed, as they often work like this with teachers during class. Buckingham adds that while there is already testing across different states and school systems, there is no nationally consistent process in the early years of schooling. And this means there are gaps. "We're not getting enough kids across the bridge to literacy at the developmentally appropriate time," says report co-author Pamela Snow. Credit:Joe Armao
"The first time we have any national assessment is in year 3 [with the NAPLAN test]," she says. "Year 3 is actually very late to intervene if there is a problem." The NSW Department of Education is already introducing mandatory one-on-one literacy and numeracy assessments at the beginning of Kindergarten to identify the "skills of students on entry to school". The Best Start Kindergarten Assessment will begin being rolled out across primary schools from term 1 next year, with all schools to implement it by 2019.
The NSW strategy is focusing on "an explicit and systematic approach to teaching reading, including the use of phonics", but does not exclusively assess children's understanding of phonics. There are plenty of kids who are having problems. About one in 20 year 3 students did not meet the national minimum standard for reading or numeracy in 2016. According to the Program for International Student Assessment in 2015, 18 per cent of Australian 15-year-olds were low performers in reading proficiency by international standards. More than 20 per cent of 15-year-olds were low performers in mathematical literacy. The literacy component of the proposed test would focus on "phonics" or decoding words, which Buckingham says is a strong predictor of later reading ability. The report recommends that Australia model its phonics assessment on Britain's test, which lists real and "pseudo" words like "vap" and "osk" and asks students to pronounce them to see if they understand how language is made up.
One of the report's co-authors, La Trobe Rural Health School head, professor Pamela Snow, says it is vital students are taught to decode words as part of their literacy education. This represents a shift away from a 40-year emphasis on "whole language" a view that children pick up reading as naturally as they do talking, and would learn it by being exposed to writing and memorising words. Snow is firmly of the view that effective phonics teaching has been a casualty of the so-called (and long-running) "reading wars". She says phonics teaches children the component parts of words, so children can work out what they are reading. Snow says while it can be easier for children to memorise their way through reading in the early years of school, once words become longer and less familiar, they need a system to fall back on. "We're not getting enough kids across the bridge to literacy at the developmentally appropriate time," Snow says. Nikki Burrows has seen the benefits of phonics instruction first hand with her two children, Lochie, who is in year 4, and Goldie, who is in year 1. The children attend Bentleigh West Primary School in south-east Melbourne, which introduced a phonics program and year 1 check in 2015. This means Goldie has had specific phonics education since the start of her schooling, while Lochie has not. Burrows says she was amazed to hear Goldie talking about the strategies she was learning for reading words, such as "g makes a soft sound when followed by e, i or y": "That blew me away."
Goldie is now reading at above-average level and Burrows wishes Lochie could have had the same opportunity. He has a "really good memory" and it took until the first NAPLAN test to reveal he needed extra help with reading. "None of us had any idea," Burrows says, adding she wishes they had known earlier. The numeracy element of the tests has attracted much less controversy, perhaps because there isn't a clear plan yet as to how it would be assessed, other than that it would focus on "number sense" and "position/location". Ann Gervasoni is an associate professor in mathematics education at Monash University, who was involved in developing a maths assessment tool used in Victorian schools. She too laments the lack of funding for intervention programs, noting "this is probably the most needed aspect". Gervasoni cautions it is important that assessments don't have a "ceiling" that is, that they can reflect the extent of a child's knowledge, rather than simply assess whether they meet a basic standard.
"In most cases, teachers won't learn anything new [about a student's performance]." Birmingham took the report about testing year 1 students to a meeting of state and territory education ministers last week. Fairfax Media understands some states are surprised the idea is being pushed by the federal government now, when David Gonski has been tasked with reviewing how school funding should be used to improve student outcomes and isn't due to report until March next year. Apart from Queensland and Western Australia, who have already indicated an unwillingness to introduce the tests, there has been a range of reactions from other jurisdictions. Victoria says it will consider the report's findings, NSW says it looks forward to seeing more detail, while ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry is "concerned" by the idea. Not only do Canberra students already undergo testing when they start school, but there is a fear the data could be used like NAPLAN scores, to create league tables (the government says this isn't the plan). "What's needed is a further commitment that jurisdictions could use any test according to their needs and without being ranked on a school-by-school basis," Berry says.
"She's never going to be successful in life." It wasn't the most promising of starts to high school.
My grade eight teacher had discovered that I was terrible at spelling and thought he best raise the matter with my parents - both school teachers - so they could manage my expectations. I was never going to get the Secretary General of the United Nations job when I grew up because I couldn't spell.
We have a long history of linking spelling skills to intelligence, despite evidence to the contrary. Credit:Paul Edmondson/Stocksy
My teacher was right about my spelling. Despite spending hours on spelling drills and memorising every spelling rule, it was still woeful.
Still, it came as shock to my 12-year-old self that my entire future would be decided by whether or not I could remember all the exceptions to the rule "i before e except after c".
Police are urging motorists not to leave children unattended in vehicles as temperatures soar for the second straight day.
The warning comes after police broke into a 42-year-old man's car after he allegedly left his three-year-old son inside the vehicle while he visited a licensed premises in Sydney's south-west on Saturday afternoon.
The alleged incident came as temperatures soared to 32.2 degrees on Saturday afternoon.
"Police would like to remind motorists that it is unsafe in any circumstances to leave a child unattended in a vehicle," a police spokesperson said.
Temperatures inside the car could have reached as high as 70 degrees in as little as five minutes, police said.
Firefighters remained at the charred shell of a Virginia factory on Monday morning where a huge fire had broken out at the weekend, shrouding the city in smoke.
An emergency situation was declared on Sunday afternoon after a fire destroyed the commercial factory in Brisbane's north, sending toxic smoke billowing into the air.
Firefighters brought the fire under control after 5pm at the warehouse, just off busy Sandgate Road at Virginia, but continued to fight the blaze long after. On Monday they were still hosing down the area to prevent reignition.
A police exclusion zone was reduced about 7.30pm and smoke-affected residents advised they could finally leave their homes after close to four hours inside.
Queensland Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls has voted in favour of same-sex marriage but said it was a difficult decision.
The LNP leader told reporters in Brisbane on Sunday he had filled out his postal survey earlier that morning, after a lot of "interesting" discussions with his wife and three teenage children.
Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls has announced he voted in favour of same-sex marriage. Credit:AAP/Dan Peled
"This has been really hard for me," he said.
"I come from a traditional marriage, a traditional background."
"Don't stuff it up and keep it going, it's a nice business to be in," was the advice Alister Haigh's father gave to him when he handed over control of Haigh's Chocolates to Alister and his brother Simon Haigh.
"At a company birthday he announced Simon and I were becoming joint managing directors with no prior discussion or anything else," says Alister Haigh.
Alister Haigh's father warned him not to stuff things up. Credit:Daniel Kalisz
Succession planning is much more structured these days at the iconic chocolate company which employs 500 staff and turns over $60 million a year.
Speaking at the Family Business Australia Conference in Hamilton Island last month, Alister Haigh and his daughter Emily Haigh, described the processes they have put in place to ensure a smooth handover when the time comes.
She eventually secured $3.5 million in seed funding. Tamar Krebs founded dementia and aged-care enterprise Group Homes Australia in 2012. "We run group homes for people living with dementia. Each house contains anywhere between six to 10 residents people living with dementia and end-of-life care needs. "Our residents live in the local community and get involved in everything. It's a social model not an institutional model like the big nursing homes." Deb Noller is the founder of Switch Automation.
The company has 10 homes in Sydney, with plans to expand to Queensland, Victoria and Adelaide. Group Homes Australia's revenue comes from fees paid by the residents of between $70,000 and $150,000 a year. Krebs says part of that is government subsidised. The company has 45 residents. Building resilience I would literally get shut down within minutes because the investor was not interested in our space. Deb Noller Julie Demsey, general manager of SBE Australia, says resilience is the fundamental answer to overcoming rejection.
SBE Australia is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting women-led tech companies to grow and scale their businesses. "Rejection from investors is not unique to female founders, every start-up will get knockbacks. "Males and females may handle and respond to that differently, so we help our female founders to practise and re-practise the pitch. "Keep trying, find another way. Just own your right to be there and focus on your business and your numbers because you know your business and your market better than anyone else." Don't take it personally
Deb Noller, chief executive of Switch Automation and alumnus of SBE Australia's Springboard Enterprises Australia Accelerator, says constant rejection can be demoralising but one must learn not to take it personally. Sydney-based Switch Automation, which has an office in San Francisco, is a platform for smart and connected buildings. "We connect data, systems, sub-systems and devices with people who own and operate portfolios of buildings, so they can make intelligent fact-based decisions." Noller says she still deals with rejection. "They say you pitch 1000 times before you get funded. I think I have easily got 500 pitches and investment conversations under my belt. "We were successful in funding in 2015 with a $US2.2 million seed round and we are $US2 million into a $US3 million-$5 million bridging round." She says in the beginning, nobody was interested in her industry. "I would literally get shut down within minutes because the investor was not interested in our space."
She says lately, enterprise platforms are where the investment crowd is heading. "The previous 10 years were dominated by apps and consumer tech. "In the end, your results speak for themselves so the only thing you can do is keep getting the wins and demonstrate the traction." She says her business is building three times year on year. "We will be $US100 million in less than four years." Learning on the way Brisbane-based Chris Rolls, who runs venture capital company PieLAB Venture Partners, has sat on both sides of the table.
When Rolls was raising capital for technology-enabled property management business Rental Express, one of the four companies he started and subsequently sold, he says they already had revenue as they were managing about 600 properties. "We thought it would be good if we had more money so we could expand quickly and potentially buy up other agencies. So, it was more of an acquisition strategy for growth." He says looking back, his first pitch was "frankly quite immature. I did not have a clear plan. We didn't even ask for a set amount of money." Rolls says with every rejection he learnt something. He did about 10 presentations before he secured $300,000 from an external investor. Another $1.1 million was raised from internal employees, followed by $600,000 also from the latter. After he sold Rental Express, Rolls thought rather than starting again from scratch, he would invest in businesses. In 2016 he created PieLAB Venture Partners.
"We invest in technology businesses that provide products and services to the real estate industry." He says PieLAB Venture Partners manages the $20 million Real Estate Industry Venture Capital Fund of which 70 per cent of the capital has already been raised from investors. Rolls says when entrepreneurs are looking for investment, they must be clear on what their business model is and they should know their numbers. "Investors want to know how many customers have you got, how much money are they paying you, and how quickly you are growing." He says an entrepreneur should understand who the competition is. "No investor is going to invest in a business without also looking at who the competitors are."
A track record as an entrepreneur is also important, he says. Rolls says don't place too much emphasis on forecasts. "The most astute investors take forecasts with a grain of salt. What they want to know is, is the market that you are in big enough to create a valuable business." He says many entrepreneurs pitch before they are ready. "But I also don't think that's not necessarily a bad thing. "If you wait until your pitch is perfect, and your documentation is perfect, and your traction is perfect, then you might be too late. "You have got to make some mistakes in order to learn."
It was the first place Europeans settled in Victoria in 1803, but intensive development took a long time to reach Sorrento.
Now, Point Nepean Road comes to a dead stop as tourists flood the peninsula each summer, forming long queues for fish and chips. As development becomes more concentrated, even the Continental Hotel, built in 1872, is planning apartments.
The proposed Sorrento ferry terminal. Credit:Searoad Ferries
And some locals worry that the expensive seaside township's summer crush is about to get even worse, with plans to expand the Sorrento ferry terminal.
"Sorrento has just become a shemozzle," says Catherine O'Byrne.
Madrid: At secret locations across Catalonia, activists have hidden the ballot boxes they plan to deploy in an illegal referendum on independence.
Those stashes are just one element in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse as the separatists try to deliver a vote on October 1 in defiance of the Spanish authorities. Police have already raided local businesses and Catalan government offices as they hunt for the ballot papers and officials suspected of helping organise the polling.
The separatist leaders are pressing on all the same.
"It's impossible for the Civil Guard to find 6400 ballot boxes across almost 1000 towns in Catalonia," Jordi Sanchez, head of the Catalan National Assembly, a pro-independence civic group, says in an interview. "What are they going to do, search individual homes? Where are the search warrants?"
Wellington: The leaders of New Zealand's two main parties will have to court NZ First's Winston Peters to help form government after Saturday's election failed to deliver a clear majority win.
The incumbent National party has 58 seats after Saturday's general election but is short of the 61 needed for a majority in parliament. Labour has 45, the Greens seven and NZ First nine.
The numbers may change when special votes are counted, but NZ First is the kingmaker.
National Party leader Bill English expects a call from Mr Peters in the next few days when they'll talk about the process of negotiating to form a government.
Kurds wave nationalist flags during a rally in Beirut, Lebanon. The September 25 vote has implications for the whole Middle East. Credit:AP (Since we spoke, the KRG's parliament in Erbil has held a snap session to ratify the referendum plan. But the opposition were absent, meaning only 68 of the 111 MPs voted.) At a house in the neighbouring suburb of Wollert, I am welcomed by Samey Barwari, 56, from Dohuk in Iraq's far north, and his daughter Venwar, 31, who admits with a laugh that she came to Australia in utero. But when talk turns to delaying the referendum, her smile disappears. Samey Barwari and his daughter Venwar support the plan for an independence referendum in Kurdish-held areas of northern Iraq. Credit:Darrian Traynor "This is not a party issue," she says. "This is about whether we are going to govern ourselves. You have to start somewhere.
"The Iraqi government cannot govern itself - it is controlled by Iran. When their control of the country broke down [with the fall of Mosul to Islamic State in 2014], they came to us to fix it. We have issues, yes, but let us have them in our own country." For many Kurds, the referendum is overshadowed by questions surrounding the political leadership of the Kurdistan region's president, Massoud Barzani. Credit:AP The elder Barwari has invited some friends over, and they remind me of Saddam Hussein's atrocities against them and his population transfers to "Arabise" Kurdish-majority areas, as well as the more recent failures of the "liberated" Iraq, which promised in its 2005 constitution that disputes over territory between the autonomous KRG and the central government would be resolved by the end of 2007. "We have our own language, our own culture, our land is different," says Sulaiman Barwary (no relation), 48. "Arabs come from the desert and our land is the mountains." November 2016: Kurdish fighters replace the cross on the dome of the Immaculate Cathedral in Qaraqosh, Iraq, after taking the town back from Islamic State. But how would Christian minorities fare in a Kurdish state? Credit:New York Times
The objections to their plans are shrugged off - Kurds are used to being under siege. "I would rather have a failed state than live under the Iraqi regime," says 52-year-old Farsat Dosky, a language consultant. "At least we can guarantee our existence - at least we can survive." It is clear that Barwari is the senior figure. But he is not comfortable joining a busy discussion in English. He asks if he can tell me a story in Arabic. Baghdad, November 2006: Saddam Hussein in court during his trial for genocide against Kurds. Credit:AP He takes me back to April 1991, and the days after the Iraqi army's defeat in Operation Desert Storm. "Forty thousand of Saddam's soldiers laid down their arms in [Iraqi] Kurdistan and we fed them and gave them vehicles for safe passage south," he says. "We don't bear enmity to anyone, not even those who killed us and burned our villages.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says he is prepared to intervene militarily if the referendum results in violence. Credit:AP "If that situation had been reversed, not even 40 of us would have been left alive." The world is used to hearing about tensions between Arabs and Kurds - or the desert and the mountains, if you will - in northern Iraq, but any Kurdish state there would have its own minorities, including the Yazidis and Assyrians. Soldiers sit under the Kurdish flag at a checkpoint on the border of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Credit:Kate Geraghty Nicholas al-Jeloo, 34, an Assyrian Melbourne University academic who also works for the Bureau of Statistics, compares these populations to "powerless children" caught in a divorce. And he talks about another landscape: that of the disputed Nineveh Plains, with its patchwork of ethnicities and villages.
"The atmosphere in northern Iraq is claustrophobic," he says. "The [ruling] KDP is drunk on a lethal cocktail of Baathism, Zionism and Kemalism, and people live in fear of the Asayish [the KRG's internal security force]. "What will happen to those in minorities who vote against independence? Will they be told to go to Iraq? The president of Iraq is a Kurd, the Kurdish language is recognised and appears on Iraq's currency ... do we really need more Balkanisation?" Al-Jeloo is not the only one who sees echoes of Zionism in a unilateral referendum. The father of Zionism, Theodor Herzl, famously said that "if you will it, it is no dream", which was aspirational but can also be read as a warning: once you move from political theory to action, you are confronted with the realities of your locale. A people's political status may change, but its geographical neighbours remain the same. One of the mothers at my son's school spent the first 30 years of her life in Dohuk but is not Kurdish. When I tell her about my interviews, she exclaims: "I swear that until 1991 I didn't know what an ampere was. Then I became an expert in how much you can do with two or four amperes of electricity. It is 26 years [of Kurdish autonomy] now and my little town still doesn't have reliable power or water. How can you talk about independence when the basics are not there? "The north is landlocked," she reminds me. "Don't they [the KRG] see what happened to Qatar, which is a proper state?"
Most of the Kurds I talk to do not believe that a 'Yes' vote will mean independence in the short term. But when I tell Samey Barwari that I worry about a blockade or about Kurds being forcibly displaced to "their" state by surrounding governments, he puts his faith in a surprising ally: Turkey. For some years now, the KRG has been selling oil through a pipeline to Turkey under a 50-year deal signed with Ankara. "There are 700 Turkish companies in the Kurdish region," he tells me. "That door will not close because billions of dollars keep it open." The Kurds opposed to a referendum are troubled by this "door" in particular, with the increasingly authoritarian Recep Tayyip Erdogan at one end and Barzani and his family - who also hold the posts of prime minister and security council chief - at the other.
"Why hasn't there been freedom in Kurdistan?" asks Dilawar Munzir, a 52-year-old from Sulaimaniya who works, like Samey Barwari, as a painter. He says his home town has been targeted with sanctions for dissent against Barzani, and he points to the murder of Kurdish journalists critical of Barzani's regime and its corruption, such as Sardasht Osman and Soran Mama Hama. "This will be Massoud Barzani's referendum, not the people's referendum," he says. Al-Jeloo is also sceptical. "It is naive. Do people believe that the same Turkey which is destroying Kurdish-inhabited towns in its south-east can somehow be trusted to deliver Kurdish independence elsewhere?" Unexpected ally: can the Kurds of Iraq rely on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan? Credit:AP He wonders if the whole referendum isn't just "hot air", designed to give Barzani and his KDP a boost in forthcoming regional elections.
"We don't want to be a backyard of Turkey," Germian says. "We could end up like [the unrecognised Turkish enclave of] Northern Cyprus." The referendum's supporters are fatalistic. Sulaiman Barwary reminds me that for decades "Lebanon was governed by Syria like a puppet ... maybe Turkey will play this role with us for a while". Mayda Ziabari, a 25-year-old born in northern Iran, admits she is troubled by the vote's timing and worried that things will not "happen properly". "I'm not sure we should be alienating our key ally," she says, referring to Washington, which arms the KRG and provides it with billions in aid. "Also Daesh [IS] is still there - we haven't dealt with that." But for her the governance issue is less of a concern: "I have faith in my generation and the next generation there."
On 14 October of 2016 the Aussie investing world, well aware of the stunning performance of medical marijuana stocks in the US and Canada, awoke to the news of the Narcotic Drugs Regulation 2016; an act opening the door for the production and licensing of marijuana for scientific and medical purposes here in Australia.
The race to cash in on the green rush was on. Less than one week later an article appearing in the Sydney Morning Herald entitled Pot Stock Soars after Medical Marijuana Legislation reported the 14% rise in the share price of newly listed Creso Pharma (CPH) on its first day of trading. New entrants flooded the market, with at least 14 pot stocks currently trading on the ASX and more on the way.
Flash forward to 17 March of this year for another pot stock article in the SMH; this one entitled Medical Cannabis Stocks are All the Rage, but Its Still a Bubble. A few days before the article appeared ASX investors were treated to a classic example of bubble investing.
Stem Cell United (SCU), a tiny company working on medicinal treatments extracted from plants, announced its intention to enter the medical marijuana market, appointing a well-known expert in the field as a strategic adviser. Investors reacted with a buying frenzy bordering on the manic.
The share price shot up from one $0.01 to $0.40, a staggering increase of 3,900%. Despite its dramatic fall, the current share price of $0.025 remains more than double its pre-announcement price.
The entire ASX marijuana (cannabis) sector is now in full retreat, although most stocks are still trading above their entry price but well off the lofty heights propelled by a stampede of hungry investors. The following table lists the price action of 14 ASX stocks engaged in some form in the marijuana or cannabis sector.
Keep in mind that the majority of these companies listed this year. The earliest listing was MMJ Phytotech (MMJ), listing in 2015. The rapidity and depth of the rise and fall in stock price suggests the possibility some, if not many, investors jumped in based on hot sector membership rather than any semblance of due diligence. While all these companies are members of the newly named cannabis sector, they have widely varying business models. To sort through the maze, investors need to first pay attention to the problem the companys product addresses and the size of the target market. While this may seem obvious, consider the number of investors jumping into a company Stemcell United with no qualifying factor other than an intent to move into medical marijuana and the addition of a strategic advisor.
The following graph from the US based market research company Grand View Research paints a bullish future for medical marijuana.
Add the increasingly legal sales of recreational marijuana to the mix and the outlook becomes even brighter. In 2013 retail cannabis sales in U.S. amounted to about US$1.6 billion, with a forecasted rise to a high of US$8.2 billion by 2018, with more than half of the total coming from recreational sales. Although it may be a long time coming, there is a move afoot to legalise marijuana for recreational use here in Australia. Some of these companies have operations or expansion plans into the US, where recreational marijuana is already legal in some states; and into Canada, where recreational marijuana may be legalised within a year.
Several of these companies are incorporating medical cannabis into existing, and sometimes complementary, operations, targeting a variety of medical conditions. Others are starting fresh focusing on growing and cultivation. A few are suppliers of growing systems while others are pursuing cosmetic uses.
The largest stock on the ASX by market cap, TPI Enterprises (TPE) is a grower and supplier of Narcotic Raw Material (NRM) for use by the global pharmaceutical industry. The company listed in 2015 and grew revenues from $2.1 million in that year to $7.2 million in FY 2016 but has yet to show a profit. In its 29 May Annual General Meeting the company announced its expansion into medicinal cannabis with a licensing application pending and a search for partners in process.
With an initial focus on the lucrative Canadian market, MMJ Phytotech is pursuing a farm to pharma business model with its triad of business units. The company acquired two subsidiaries from Canadas Harvest One Capital Corp along with a 60% interest in Harvest Ones two existing cannabis brands already in operation. The subsidiaries provide MMJ with growing facilities through United Greeneries in Canada; and research and development and manufacturing through Satipharm, a developer and manufacturer of cannabis-based health products with distribution partnerships in place. Satipharm has a patented oral delivery system the Gelpell Microgel Capsule. MMJ also has 100% ownership in an Israeli-based company working on cannabis-based therapeutics for commercial distribution Phytotech. MMJ is a stock to watch, with two Phase 2 Clinical Trials underway for pain relief using the Gelpell system.
The first pot stock granted a commercial growing license in Australia Cann Group (CAN) listed on 4 May and is the best performer in terms of stock price to date, increasing close to 90% since listing.
In addition to the growers license the company has two cannabis research permits for breeding and cultivation research program in conjunction with the federal governments CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research). To further boost investor confidence Cann Group has attracted the interest of Canadian medical marijuana producer and distributor, Aurora Cannabis Inc., with that company acquiring a 19.9% interest in the Cann Group.
Another 2015 listing, Medlab Clinical (MDC), is a bio-therapeutic medical research and development company with 31 products already on the market; many of them nutraceuticals, which are treatments extracted from natural sources such as Omega acids and probiotics. The company has turned its attention to medical marijuana, ideally suited to Medlabs NanoCelle Medicine Delivery Platform. On 22 February of this year the company announced it was nearing completion of the required steps to begin Australias first clinical trial incorporating cannabis into the companys delivery system to use for pain relief in oncology patients. With federal approvals in place, Medlab is awaiting clearance from Canadian authorities to receive the cannabis needed for the trial from that country.
Medlab is generating revenues but has yet to show a profit. The company has no plans to grow, cultivate, or research new applications. On 19 June Medlab received HREC (Human Research Ethics Committee) approval to begin the trials with two different medicines. The Medlab treatments, if successful, will be classified as clinical medicines, not medical cannabis treatments.
Auscann Group Holdings (AC8) has a Canadian partner Canopy Growth with an 11% stake from whom Auscann will import Canopys existing pain relief product line for distribution in Australia while the company pursues development of its own pain relief treatments. The company also has a joint venture partnership arrangement with Chilean marijuana grower Daya Cann. With cultivation licenses already in place in Tasmania and Western Australia, at the beginning of August the Office of Drug Control awarded Auscann a licence to manufacture medicinal cannabis products in Australia.
Creso Pharma (CPH) differs from the other pot stocks in that it focuses on animal treatments in addition to its plant-based (hemp) nutraceuticals and cannabis based treatments for the treatment of anxiety, epilepsy, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis in humans. The company has a development agreement in place with Domaco, a Swiss based food and pharma development company.
Zelda Therapeutics (ZLD) is a bio-technology company formed for the purpose of studying the uses of medicinal cannabis to treat a variety of ailments, with pre-clinical trials underway for breast, brain and pancreatic cancers and clinical trials on sleep disorders, insomnia, eczema and other dermatologic conditions.
Three of the remaining companies MGC Pharmaceuticals (MXC), Botanix Pharmaceuticals (BOT), and BOD Australia (BDA) are expanding their focus on skin care and dermatology products to include cannabis based treatments.
The Hydroponics Company (THC) and Roto-Gro International (RGI) both offer hydroponic growing systems for marijuana cultivation. The share price of both companies has fallen below the first day trading price.
The last and smallest pot stock in the table is Israeli-based Esense-Lab (ESE) that might best be described as a technology company focusing on pharmaceuticals. The self-description found on the companys website claims its purpose is Reverse Engineering Mother Nature to create natural plant-based products that heal and delight.
Esense-Labs complex technology extracts terpenes from plants for use in medicinal products, with cannabis medical treatments as its first target. The stock has not performed well, perhaps due to complexities of its manufacturing process. In essence, the company can make a cannabis treatment which contains no cannabis. It does this by extracting terpenes from a cannabis plant, or any plant for that matter, and reverse engineering a plant profile with the resultant flavour, fragrance, and other characteristics 99.9% similar to the original plant. After a hot start, investors may have awoken to the challenges facing this potentially disruptive technology entering a brutally competitive market.
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There are none so blind as those who will not see.
This phrase may have religious roots, but there is no better way to describe the dominant sect in economics today than as wilfully blind. A decade after the 2007-08 crisis, most still repeat the mantra that it could not have been predicted.
Nonsense. The data that showed what would cause the crisis, and arguments by non-mainstream economists that one would occur, were available before it hit. There was a runaway bubble in asset markets caused by too much credit being created by banks.
Credit your capacity to buy something with money borrowed from a bank, rather than from your own cash is exactly equal to the increase in private debt every year. The bigger this is compared to a countrys GDP (economic output), the more the economy is dependent on credit; and the bigger the accumulated debt is when compared to GDP, the more likely it is that a reduction in credit will cause an economic crisis.
The data is incontrovertible
The data, if you look at it, is incontrovertible especially if you consider the epicentre of the 2008 crisis, the US, in historical context. The Great Depression triggered by the crash of 1929 was preceded by a margin-debt-fuelled bubble on the US stock market, with private debt blowing out during the crisis and then collapsing. Thats exactly what happened in 2007-08 only with mortgage debt also getting in on the act.
Private debt affects the economy in two ways: the higher debt is, relative to GDP, the more that a change in credit impacts on total demand. And credit adds to total demand by allowing people to spend more than just the money they currently have.
The correlation between credit and employment in the US is staggering. This is not just because it is so big (the correlation coefficient is 0.8 on a scale of -1 to +1), but because according to mainstream economists such as Ben Bernanke, the correlation should be close to zero.
Bernanke, who got the job as head of the US central bank because he was supposed to be the expert on what caused the Great Depression, didnt even consider similar data that was available at the time, nor 1930s economist Irving Fishers thesis, which pointed the finger at the bursting of asset bubbles. Bernanke believed that credit should have no significant macroeconomic effects.
Empirically, this is manifestly untrue, but economists turn a blind eye to this data because it doesnt suit their preferred model of how banks operate. They model banks as if they are intermediaries that introduce savers to borrowers, not as originators of both money and debt. This deliberate blindness was, in a sense, excusable before the crisis. But its unforgivable after it especially since central banks are actually coming out now and saying that this Loanable Funds model is a myth.
Central Banks have therefore learnt something from the crisis, but academic economists are, in the main, trying to go backwards to their defence that this crisis could not have been predicted.
Crisis prediction
In fact, it was predicted, by economists who take banks, debt and money seriously, such as Ann Pettifor, Wyne Godley, and me. Using the same analysis today, I dont expect a crisis in the US and UK in the near future. I do expect stagnation like that which Japan has experienced since its asset bubble economy burst back in 1990.
There will be revivals and reversals, but not an outright crisis because a prerequisite for that is very high levels of credit. While the overhang of private debt from the last crisis persists, credit-based demand will be anaemic compared to pre-crisis levels.
Instead, crises are likely in countries which side-stepped trouble in 2007 by continuing their private debt bubbles. The pre-eminent candidate here is China, whose credit bubble is easily the fastest growing in the history of capitalism. It will have the company of South Korea, Canada, Australia, Belgium, and a number of others.
So there wont be another collapse like Northern Rock in the UK or Washington Mutual in the US. But mainstream economists need to quit sticking their heads in the sand over the relationship between private debt bubbles.
The future offers some hope that this is beginning to change. Some prominent mainstreams economists are now doing some serious navel-gazing at their models (people such as ex-president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Narayana Kocherlakota, and chief economist at the World Bank Paul Romer). But more likely change will come from central banks, and the new generation of economists such as the students who established the Rethinking Economics movement to address the real issues the world faces.
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Originally published by The Conversation. Author: Steve Keen. Head of the School of Economics, History & Politics, Kingston University
LERNA -- Along the trail past a wooded area at Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, Brian "Fox" Ellis pointed out something that had an impact on local history.
"This is the plant that killed Abraham Lincoln's mother," he said to those who'd joined him.
Ellis, a naturalist and historian, showed the group a stand of white snake root, which he said grew after pioneers cleared away forests.
The plant is only mildly toxic, but cows can eat enough of it that their milk can be poisonous to drink, and that's what happened to Nancy Hanks Lincoln, he explained.
The Bishop Hill resident conducted the tour and discussion of plant life during the historic site's annual Harvest Frolic event. It took place Saturday and Sunday with Ellis' presentations one of the new features of this year's activities.
At the time of Nancy Lincoln's death from what was called "milk sick," the plant's connection to milk poisoning wasn't known, Ellis said.
He told how a woman doctor came to Illinois because of few physicians in what was then nearly frontier country.
She conducted an experiment with the help of a Native American woman that showed the connection "but no one believed her," Ellis said. It wasn't until 30 years later that the experiment was replicated and credit given to the two women, he added.
Covering flora from prairie flowers to nut-bearing trees, Ellis explained how early settlers learned from animals and natives about how they could use some plants and that they should avoid others.
"If you were a pioneer here, if you did not know things I'm going to tell you, you would die," he said. "It's not just folklore."
The historic site features the home of Thomas Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's father, and Sarah Bush Lincoln, whom Thomas married after Nancy's death.
Thomas Lincoln was "a nut for nuts," Ellis said during his tour, and would regularly roam the woods in search of them.
"He disappeared for a couple of weeks every fall to hunt nuts," he said.
He also spent time showing people plants, and some insects, that are edible and explaining things such as how ragweed is more to blame for seasonal allergies than the goldenrod some people accuse.
Illinois was once half prairie and the ecosystem is "as rich as a rain forest" in its number of plant species, but most of it is now gone, Ellis also said. He said it's "vital" to protect native prairies but those on public lands are only a small part "so it's up to you in your yards," he said.
Ellis also urged those on the tour to become more familiar themselves with plant life around them, adding that it's not something you have to do all at once.
"Just learn one plant a year," he said. "When you get to me my age, look how much you'll know."
Students, faculty and staff members of Allen Academy celebrated the establishment of the school 132 years ago during a Founder's Day assembly on Sept. 13. Guest speakers included local historian and storyteller Frank Hooks, Allen Military Academy alum Mike Akins and Allen Academy class of 1998 graduate Rusty Baker. Bryan Mayor Andrew Nelson was also on hand to officially proclaim Sept. 13 to be Allen Academy Day.
Thoracic surgeon Jason Muesse has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas. He will also be an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine.
Muesse specializes in the surgical treatment of diseases involving the chest, including the lungs, esophagus and chest wall.
Muesse obtained his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Texas A&M University. He earned his medical degree at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine in College Station. After serving his internship and residency in general surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital, he completed fellowship training in thoracic surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. He also completed the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Graham Foundation Surgical Robotics Fellowship in 2017.
Jason is the son of Lily and Leonard Muesse of College Station.
A Nebraska law approved last year with no debate has set the nation's highest bar for independent candidates to qualify for statewide races such as governor and U.S. Senate, contradicting the state's history of downplaying partisan politics.
Critics said the measure was quietly inserted into an omnibus elections law to maintain the Republican party stranglehold on every statewide office.
The measure gained attention because former Republican Sen. Bob Krist this month quit the party to launch an independent run against incumbent Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts in 2018. A lesser-known independent, Doug Whitmore, hopes to run against Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer.
"This is a scare tactic that the parties use to keep people like me from running," Whitmore said.
The law requires nonpartisan candidates in partisan statewide elections to collect signatures from at least 10 percent of the state's registered voters roughly 119,000 people as of August. That's a tall order in the mostly rural state with only two major cities. Previously, candidates in Nebraska needed just 4,000 signatures.
By comparison, 37 other states require 10,000 signatures or fewer to place independent candidates on the ballot, according to an analysis by a national ballot-access activist. No other state has a signature threshold as high as Nebraska's, based on recent voter registrations.
Nebraska prides itself on a system of local elections that do not mention party affiliation on the ballot, but statewide office holders run in partisan elections. Nebraska also has the only unicameral Legislature in the nation and there are no party caucuses, although affiliations are known. The state elected an independent as U.S. Senator in 1936, George Norris.
In modern elections, it is especially hard for a candidate to be elected as a governor or U.S. senator without the backing of the Republican or Democratic party. The best-known independent is Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who ran for president against Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary. The only other Senate independent is Angus King of Maine. The only independent governor is Bill Walker of Alaska.
The new Nebraska requirement, introduced by a Republican, Sen. John Murante, was added to an omnibus elections proposal after a hearing in which no one but the measure's sponsor testified. Senators approved the package 45-0, just days before the session was scheduled to end a time when many lawmakers are tired and scrambling to pass last-minute bills.
Some senators said they were surprised to learn the law had been slipped into the larger package.
"I hate to say it, but I think most of us didn't fully appreciate that that was in there," said Sen. Laura Ebke, a Libertarian who has worked to increase ballot access for third parties.
A spokeswoman for Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale, a Republican, said his office took no position on the law. Nebraska Republican Party Executive Director Kenny Zoeller said the party didn't lobby for it.
Krist said he believes the law was "rammed through" the Legislature to help the GOP. To get around the requirement, Krist said he probably will create his own party, rather than run for governor unaffiliated. Parties only need about 5,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot.
"Any time a major party wants to secure its hold on a political base, the last thing it wants is for another party to move in," Krist said.
Murante, who is running for state treasurer, said he didn't introduce the measure to get at any one candidate or party.
He said Nebraska's previous policy made it too easy for independent candidates, who don't face the same rigorous primaries as party hopefuls. Winning a party's nomination sometimes requires candidates to secure more than 100,000 votes, he said.
"Candidates trying to get on the ballot should be held to roughly comparable standards," Murante said.
Nebraska Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Kleeb said she was unaware of the change but voiced concern.
"It's typical when you have one-party dominance in a state, that the Republican Party feels it can do whatever it wants," she said.
Nebraska's law is "plainly unconstitutional" based on federal court cases in Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio and other states with similar or less stringent requirements, said Richard Winger, a nationally-recognized ballot-access activist.
Winger, who publishes Ballot Access News, said the only legitimate reason for signature thresholds is to keep ballots from getting too crowded. One possible example was California, where a 2003 ballot to recall then-Gov. Gray Davis included 135 candidates.
If the threshold was too low in Nebraska the state would have a bunch of independent candidates, which has not happened, Winger said.
"It's ironic that one of the few states to elect an independent would do this," Winger said.
You have a character that goes through the scrutiny of being sexualised , and then an audience that does the same thing.
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Any interruption in Northeast Corridor rail service for a single day would cost the U.S. economy $100 million, according to estimates published last spring by the Connecticut Department of Transportation in support of its plans to replace Norwalks decrepit Walk Bridge.
As for the economic costs to Norwalk businesses as the bridge is replaced over a five-year span? That is anyones guess not to mention where business owners might go looking for any possible remuneration to keep the Northeast Corridor operating without a hitch.
In a project expected to cost $995 million, the Connecticut Department of Transportation is leading the replacement of the 121-year-old Walk Bridge in Norwalk, a rail bridge with four tracks that swings to allow boats to pass on the Norwalk River and connects to an elevated track running through the heart of South Norwalk.
The Walk Bridge is considered a critical piece of infrastructure to keep the Northeast transportation network running smoothly, with some 200 trains and 125,000 rail passengers traversing it daily, and ridership projected to double within 50 years.
With input from the Federal Transit Administration and Metro-North Railroad, Connecticut DOT considered nearly 70 options to replace the bridge, ultimately choosing a vertical-lift span with tower heights of up to 140 feet, allowing for vertical clearance of 27 feet when closed and 60 feet when elevated; and providing a 200-foot-wide river channel.
The design was chosen in part for offering the shortest construction schedule compared to alternatives.
Facing disruptions
The DOT opted for a phased construction schedule over five years with an eye on minimizing disruptions to commuters, residents and businesses, with preliminary track work already under way in East Norwalk and Westport advanced utility work to begin early next year and major construction starting in 2019 on the span itself.
But disruptions have already occurred A.J. Penna & Sons excavation contracting yard was uprooted for a Walk Bridge staging area and more are on the way, to include the future relocation of the Maritime Aquariums iMax Theater. Next year, South Norwalk traffic will be rerouted in both the spring and fall as a rail bridge on Ann Street is replaced as part of the project.
Given its regional importance, the Walk Bridge replacement has more than a few business owners and residents in Norwalk voicing the belief that they should be able to apply for federal or state remuneration for the impact of construction on the neighborhood.
In response to a Hearst Connecticut Media query, a Connecticut DOT spokesman indicated compensation for business losses are not covered under existing federal regulations on projects that cause disruption. He added Connecticut DOT has in the past referred businesses that have been displaced by projects to the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development or the federal Small Business Administration for additional assistance.
DECD has a number of programs to support small businesses, including a Small Business Express program that can award grants or loans on a need-based basis and an Urban Act grant program with wide latitude for varying projects. None are set up specifically, however, to address business disruption as a result of big capital projects that are critical to the larger region.
Speaking last week to members of the Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce, DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith urged business owners to make your voices heard and to be specific in any requests, while offering no immediate indication that state or federal agencies had any avenue for them to apply for compensation.
Dont just tell us you need the money what do you need the money for? Smith said. Its very challenging to know what exactly you need. You have to be that (specific).
Seeking help
Several economic development planning agencies nationally reference a 2010 study by a researcher at the University of Wisconsin, who, on behalf of the city of Milwaukee which has an economy nearly identical in size to the Bridgeport-Norwalk-Stamford corridor surveyed cities nationally on how they went about mitigating the impact of major construction projects. Only two, Kansas City, Mo., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, reported setting up direct compensation for businesses, and only in cases in which construction extended well beyond the scheduled end date, or involved unexpected street closures.
A half-dozen cities more offered loans to help businesses ride out the construction period, with San Jose, Calif., opting to eliminate the program due to small businesses receiving the funds proving likely to fail despite the infusions.
On Wednesday, South Norwalk businesses will get the opportunity to weigh in on the project in a Connecticut DOT forum, with the agency webcasting the proceeding on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WalkBridgeCT. Connecticut DOT has also taking feedback online at www.walkbridgect.com/contact, via email at info@walkbridgect.com, or in person weekdays at the Connecticut DOT Office of Engineering at 2800 Berlin Turnpike in Newington.
Robert Koch contributed to this report.
Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
Two words to avoid if you ever work for Jennifer Tombaugh: I cant.
Tombaugh, president of Wilton-based luxury travel company Tauck, doesnt want to hear it. Figure it out, she says. Get help if needed, but figure it out.
I believe our attitude controls how high you can go, she said. One of my pet peeves is hearing people say: I cant do that. There are solutions and different ways of getting things done. I find that people are pretty creative when faced with a challenge. They can come up with solutions.
Not that the 49-year-old mother of four would show anger toward a co-worker if she did hear those dreaded words. Her disposition is too positive for that. After all, she was a co-creator of YES, or Youre Extra Special, back in her high school days in West Virginia and traveled the country spreading positive vibes to other schools.
More likely, she would gather others with knowledge of the problem and get them in a room together.
Now Playing: Interview with Jennifer Tombaugh, President of Tauk Discovery Tours Video: Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media
Im not necessarily the smartest person in the room, but I think Im good at getting smart people in the room and figuring out how to get to an answer, she said from her modest-size, glass-walled office at Tauck headquarters.
A graduate of Harvard and Harvard Business School, her collaborative leadership style has led her to become the first person outside of the Tauck family to be named president of the company, which traces its roots back to 1924. It is a responsibility she does not take lightly.
Its a humbling position. Im the first non-family president, so I have big shoes to fill, she said. Its a little terrifying sometimes when you think about being a position that Arthur may have been in or Robin or Peter Tauck, or Dan (Mahar). I feel very blessed to be part of this organization and be part of the team here.
Tauck grows
Arthur Tauck founded the company 93 years ago when he took guests with him on a sales call to northern Massachusetts. Tauck was selling coin trays he invented himself. The trays were a big hit and are still by used by banks today, but it was his travel business that took off and charted the course for the rest of his life and that of his family.
What started as a business doing tours of New England foliage has blossomed into a company offering luxury tours to more than 70 countries and all seven continents.
While travel companies consolidate all around them, Tauck remains a family business fiercely committed to its clients and employees. Robin and Peter Tauck are former company presidents, Liz Tauck Walters is a board member and Kiki Tauck Mahar helped launch the Tauck Bridges division. Dan Mahar, Kikis husband, remains the CEO after shedding his president title when he moved to Rochester, N.Y., to be near family.
That opened the door for Tombaugh to take over day-to-day responsibilities at the companys headquarters, which employs about 150 people. She joined the company 16 years ago after returning from a stint working for advertising agency Leo Burnett Worldwide in Taiwan. She went to Taiwan to be with her then-boyfriend Phil Tombaugh, who is now her husband. He is a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Thats the best way to learn about a country, she said of her experience working in Taiwan. I still miss southeast Asia.
When they returned to the U.S. after working in Taiwan and backpacking around Asia for six months, the couple faced a crossroads. Tombaugh considered returning to the beverage industry, but travel especially adventure travel called to her.
Seeing the world
Tombaugh interviewed with several travel companies and most of them wanted to talk about exit strategies. When she interviewed with Tauck, she recalls Peter Tauck being moved to tears talking about a travel experience he had with his father, Arthur.
I walked out of the interview thinking this is an entirely different type of company, she said.
Mahar was part of the interview, as well, and decided to hire Tombaugh, initially putting her in charge of launching Tauck Bridges, which would become the companys highly successful division for multigenerational travelers.
I hired her and it was one of the best things Ive ever done, Mahar said. Her positive attitude is infectious and inspires people. Shes very humble and that fits in well with her desire to serve others, which is important here at Tauck.
Tombaugh started in May 2001, four months before 9/11. Tauck had thousands of guests traveling throughout the world at the time. She remembers Arthur Tauck addressing the employees on Sept. 12.
He told us: You take care of the guests and well take care of you. And I thought, Ill never go work for another company because who says that in this day and age, she said. Its all about the people: the guests and the employees. Thats been true in every decision weve made over the past 16 years since Ive been here and really since the company first began.
Since joining Tauck, Tombaugh has led various innovations at the company, traveled around the world, and had four children, who are now 13, 11 and twin 8-year-olds. Her family has twin white Labrador retrievers. She commutes along the Merritt Parkway from her home in New Haven, but first gets her children off to school and arranges the rest of their day.
Her organizational and communication skills go beyond what she does at Tauck, Mahar said. Shes very busy, but she handles it with a lot of grace.
Humble beginnings
She said her love of travel and humble nature come from her parents. She grew up in Fairmont, W.Va., the hometown of Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton. Tombaughs father did not graduate from high school and worked as a school bus driver before becoming an insurance salesman in the small mining town. He worked hard to win incentive trips so the family could travel.
We didnt have a lot of money, but if we had the opportunity to spend a little bit, it was always on travel, she said. Though that, it instilled in me the value of travel and the importance it plays in bringing families together. The history, the experiences you can have from it it really changed me as a person.
While serving on the student council in high school, she and friend created Youre Extra Special, a program that encouraged student leaders to create an environment of community and being a part of something bigger than themselves.
The message seemed to resonate in our little state of West Virginia and we were asked to speak at conferences around the country, she said. Its something I still believe in today.
The attitude flew in the face of what many people outside West Virginia thought of the Mountain State. As much as Tombaugh dislikes hearing I cant, she enjoys hearing You cant, because that creates the opportunity to prove she can.
When you grow up in West Virginia, people dont think you can do anything, she said. Ive heard all the jokes. Especially if youre a girl from West Virginia, they really dont think you can do anything. My dad was a big believer in that people can do anything because he did it. Its a whats-your-excuse kind of thing.
No excuses needed for Tombaugh. I cant is not part of her belief system.
cbosak@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3338
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NORWALK A young woman is scheduled to check into the Open Door Shelter Monday, but it wont her first time there.
Shes someone who is coming in who was here as a child, said Open Door Executive Director Jeannette Acher-Simons. Shes on our list to come in on Monday. Thats a hard thing to see because now shes a parent with her own children. We dont want kids following in their parents footsteps and yet it happens often. Its going to be interesting to see if we can end that cycle.
Its a cycle advocates are hoping to break as they begin targeting one of the more vulnerable, underserved and hard to locate homeless populations youth.
But tracking down homeless youth defined as those under 25 can be a difficult task, even though homeless counts are conducted annually by surveying those living in shelters and on the streets.
People realized we were under counting because youth are more hidden, Archer-Simons said. Theyre moving from place to place to place, and sometimes theyre afraid of coming forward because they think theyll have to switch schools or theyll get put in a home ... were more aware of where the youth are staying and what the issues are because were having this conversation and looking for the youth and working together to identify where theyre staying and what the issues are.
In its first statewide youth count in 2015, the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness identified 3,000 homeless and unstably housed youth. A second, more comprehensive youth count was held this January, and those results were given to a demographer who estimated 4,396 young people were homeless or in unstable housing at that time.
In Norwalk, an estimated 124 young people are homeless or unstably housed. Other area towns are estimated to have fewer than five each.
Instead of using shelters, young people are likely to stay with friends, to couch surf, or to sleep in cars, abandoned buildings or the open air. They dont use social services as much as older homeless adults.
The state has a goal of ending homelessness for anyone under 25 years old by 2020. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development started requiring states to collect data about youth homelessness this year.
During the statewide youth count in January, volunteers including youth who had been homeless in the past surveyed nearly 2,300 people across the state and identified 439 youth who were homeless or unstably housed. The majority were 18 to 24 years old, and the average age was 20.
Fifty-two percent of those counted were male and 43 percent female. Forty-three percent reported involvement with the state Department of Children and Families, 23 percent identified as LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual) and 23 percent indicated they were parenting or pregnant.
When asked where they slept on the night of Jan. 24, the majority said they had stayed with a friend.
Eighteen percent said someone had encouraged, pressured or forced them to exchange sexual acts for money, drugs, food, a place to stay, clothing or protection.
Youth-specific services lacking
Like many cities in Connecticut, Norwalk has no services specifically for homeless youth, Archer-Simons said.
Young people need different resources to be successful than other single adults, she added, the first being that many youth dont need a permanent housing intervention. They need a stable place to live as they are in school, beginning work, or determining their future, but will, in many cases, only need that intervention for a short period.
But, she said Fairfield County is at the forefront of collective impact work to bring resources together to assist homeless youth populations.
We actually have a reputation nationwide as being far ahead of the rest of the country, Archer-Simons said. Fairfield county is begin used as a role model ... were finding ways to break through system challenges. We understand what each group brings to the table, and support the data they collect. I think it really has allowed us to work more effectively together. We all need to realize were not experts at everything so we need to ask for help.
Connecticut hopes to bolster its youth-specific homelessness resources using new state-funded programs and a $6.6 million grant from the federal government.
The state Department of Housing is accepting applications for the two state-funded programs one that provides money for supportive housing for homeless youth and another that helps pay for improvements to existing homeless shelters, with a priority for renovations that will better accommodate young adults.
The federal grant will be used to create new housing with support service programs to serve youth experiencing homelessness.
Connecticut was one of only 10 areas in the nation selected by HUD to receive this award from more than 130 applicants. The state received the largest allocation of any grantee under this program.
Dan Arsenault, spokesman for the state Department of Housing, said state officials are creating a detailed plan for the money, which the state expects to submit to HUD this fall.
Arsenault said the goal is to be certified by the federal government as having effectively ended youth homelessness. Achieving this goal does not mean youth in the state will never again experience homelessness, he said, but the state has built a system to ensure episodes of youth homelessness are brief, rare and non-recurring.
Arsenault said several initiatives have been undertaken since 2011 to prevent and end homelessness.
In February 2016, Connecticut was the second state to receive certification to have effectively ended veteran homelessness, and in December, the state met its own goal of matching all chronically homeless people to housing.
What was once only a dream ending homelessness across all populations is now within our grasp, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a statement. We know that with smart investments and providing needed services we can accomplish this goal.
By focusing on youth homelessness in particular, we are protecting those most vulnerable to abuse and neglect, he said. Assisting with access to safe and consistent housing for children isnt just smart policy it is the morally correct action to take.
Lincoln Police say an officer who was assaulted Friday night is in the hospital with facial injuries.
Eighteen-year-old Kevin Estrada allegedly punched the officer at 9 p.m. Friday during an arrest, according to Capt. Don Scheinost.
The injured officer was one of two who responded to a disturbance in the 1000 block of Y Street after receiving calls about a man yelling in the street and knocking over parked motorcycles.
Estrada was later arrested for first-degree assault on a police officer, a felony.
NORWALK Want to know what happens after you vote?
The Norwalk League of Women Voters, in partnership with the Norwalk Registrar of Voters Office, is hosting a voter education event for National Voter Registration Day from 4-5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26 in Norwalk City Halls Community Room, 125 East Ave.
Regent Anna Goodwin Jensen called to order the Sept. 12 meeting of Catholic Daughters Court Queen of Peace 2227 at Blessed Sacrament.
Sister Bernadette Englehaupt spoke on how adoption affects families throughout their lives. She spoke about her personal experience counseling both families.
A thank-you note was read from Marianne Koziols family. Donations will be made to Cross Catholic and Spirit radio and the four national charities the group normally gives to: Smile Train, Father Paden, Catholic Disaster Fund and SOAR (retirement for sisters).
Dorothy Woltman reported that the rosary is no longer being said the third Monday of each month for Right to Life.
The Grand Island Diocesan Council of Catholic Women had its fall institute Sept. 15 in Loup City. Guest speaker Kate Wieland from Cross Catholic Outreach, said they will be packing Boxes of Joy.
Barb Wieczorek reported giving 400 rosaries to Spirit Radio, which were used at the Hall County Fair, Nebraska State Fair and Husker Harvest Days.
In celebration of 100 years of Fatima, the Knights sponsored the movie, The 13th Day. This year is the 100th anniversary of the aberration. It was shown at the Grand Theatre Sept. 13.
Mary Bohnart thanked everyone for their prayers and cards for her son during his illness.
The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10.
The GFWC/NFWC Caring Women met Sept. 11 at First Christian Church, with Barb Gillham serving as hostess.
President JoAnn Oseka led the group in devotions and presented the program, Patriot Day and National Day of Remembrance. Members participated by sharing their memories of Sept. 11, 2001.
The District V/VI Convention was Sept. 9 at the Kearney Womens Club clubhouse in Kearney. Oseka, NFWC secretary and president of Caring Women, represented the group.
Coupons for active military personnel were collected, as well as items for students in the Community Based Instruction Program. Members discussed the various charities the group contributes to and made plans for the upcoming year.
The second annual talent show fundraiser is scheduled for the end of April 2018. Members are beginning to find local acts that would be interested in participating. Anyone interested can contact a member of Caring Women.
The next meeting will be Oct. 2 at First Christian Church. The program will be Celiac Disease, coordinated and presented by Marlene Schmidt, who will also provide devotions and be the hostess. New members are always welcome.
For more information regarding upcoming meetings or GFWC/NFWC Caring Women in general, contact Louise Zimmerman at (308) 395-8352 or by email at lzimmer@cccusa.net.
Obermillers open car electronics business
Adam and Jama Obermiller of Grand Island have opened Miller VK Electronics in their Miller Used Tire Warehouse building at 811 W. Fourth St.
The electronics store specializes in car audio, home audio, remote starts, car alarms and home theater systems. It has a mobile home repair and installation technician on staff. The staff has a combined 40 years experience in car and home audio.
VK Electronics has a four-bay facility and a 10,000-square-foot show room shared with Miller Used Tire Warehouse. The Millers also own Miller Tire Pros & Service at 707 N. Eddy St.
The electronics store is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, call (308) 675-2449.
Blackburn opening podiatry clinic
Dr. Corey Blackburn, a Grand Island podiatrist, will soon open Prairie Foot & Ankle.
The clinic at 800 N. Alpha St. will open within the next couple weeks.
Blackburn said he loves Grand Island and wouldnt want to work anywhere else, so he will be opening his clinic here.
For more information, call the clinic at (308) 646-0077.St. Francis Cardiovascular/Pulmonary Rehabilitation program certified
St. Francis cardiovascular, rehab program certified
CHI Health St. Francis cardiovascular and rehabilitation program has been certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
St. Francis was recognized for its commitment to improving quality of life by enhancing standards of care. Cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation programs are designed to help people with cardiovascular problems and pulmonary problems recover more quickly. Both programs include exercise, education, counseling, and support for patients and their families.
The St. Francis cardiovascular/pulmonary rehabilitation program participated in an application process that requires extensive documentation of the programs practices. AACVPR Program Certification, which is effective for three years, is the only peer-review accreditation process designed to review individual programs for adherence to standards and guidelines developed and published by AACVPR and other professional societies. Each program is reviewed by the AACVPR Program Certification Committee and certification is awarded by the AACVPR Board of Directors.
Allen Capital Group opens new office in Omaha
OMAHA Nebraska wealth management firm Allen Capital Group, with offices in Grand Island, Central City and Scottsbluff, will open its first Omaha location at 10050 Regency Circle this month.
This expansion into the Omaha market represents another step forward in the firms rapid, strategic growth and its commitment to a client-centered approach.
Allen Capital Group traces its roots back to 1975, when Eric Allen opened a one-man financial planning business. Allen and his son, Mark, expanded the business into what is now Allen Capital Group in Grand Island in 2005.
The firms team includes specialists in estate planning and portfolio management, as well as accounting and investment research. The firms wealth management services include asset management, retirement planning, financial planning, estate planning, and income tax planning.
The new office, which will offer the same services as the firms three other Nebraska locations, will open with five employees. One of Allens short-term goals includes growing the Omaha team to 15 to 20 wealth advisers and staff.
Northwestern Mutual wins award for support of childhood cancer fight
Northwestern Mutual Nebraska has been named Most Exceptional 2017 Childhood Cancer Impact Award winner, receiving a $100,000 grant.
Managing partner Michael Tews and Nebraska office members have spent more than 2,500 hours volunteering and raised more than $250,000 toward childhood cancer programs since 2016. The office holds the fight against childhood cancer near and dear, as Nebraska is ranked third nationally in pediatric cancer rates.
The annual Childhood Cancer Impact Award is given to the office that is recognized most for its outstanding commitment to local nonprofits focused on childhood cancer research and family support. This award will contribute to childhood cancer research and family support in Nebraska.
Northwestern Mutual Nebraska supports the following organizations in the fight to end childhood cancer: Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation, the Childrens Hospital & Medical Center, Camp CoHolo, Sammys Superheros, Pediatric Cancer Action Network, the Emma Strong Foundation and the Shootout for Cancer.
Several area schools are among employers receiving this years Governors Wellness Awards.
A total of 54 Nebraska employers representing 34 communities are being honored for offering evidence-based worksite wellness programs for their employees.
The businesses recognized today are putting people first and are making the workplace a healthy environment, Gov. Pete Ricketts said in announcing the recipients. Worksite wellness provides an opportunity for Nebraskans to live healthy lives, improve quality of life, and help grow a healthier Nebraska for the next generation.
Receiving the Sower Award, which recognizes workplaces that have established quality wellness programs, were Loup County Public Schools in Taylor and Shelby-Rising City Public School in Shelby.
Receiving the Grower Award, which honors businesses and organizations demonstrating significant improvement in employee health behaviors, were Boone Central Schools in Albion, Educational Service Unit 9 in Hastings, Grand Island Central Catholic School, Hastings Public Schools, and Head Start Child and Family Development Program in Hastings.
Employees clearly benefit from worksite wellness programs and recent health-related outcomes have been significant, said Judy Martin, deputy director of community and environmental health for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. In this past year, award recipients increased the percentage of people meeting Surgeon General Guidelines for Physical Activity by more than 16 percent, reduced tobacco use by almost nine percent, and decreased overweight/obesity by nearly 3 percent. Great work also continues to manage stress and improve culture within these organizations.
Awards will be presented to this years winners at four separate award ceremonies. The first was Sept. 21 in Gering. Others are planned for Sept. 28 in Kearney, Oct. 11 in Lincoln and Nov. 7 in Omaha.
Jones new marketing director for Paul Davis Restoration
Tasha Jones has joined Paul Davis Restoration in Grand Island as marketing director.
Jones will coordinate and participate in industry trade shows, along with client and charity events, and other community-based projects.
Most recently, she served as a business account executive in the telecommunications field. She brings a background of more than six years in banking and finance, along with vast expertise in customer service, sales and marketing.
Jones and her spouse reside in St. Paul with their two children. She can be reached at Tasha.Jones@pauldavis.com or call (308)398-0370.
Allen, Waddington attend conference
Jordan Allen and Tracy Waddington of Family Resources of Greater Nebraska attended the Institute for Brain Potential conference, How People Change their Minds and Adopt Healthful Attitudes, on Sept. 15 in Kearney.
The conference was led by Dr. Bill M. Kelley, professor of psychological and brain sciences and director of the Dartmouth Brain Imaging Center at Dartmouth College, an expert in the study of how people learn to control their thoughts, behaviors, emotions and desires. Kelley presented on applying social psychological methods to change minds and the brain, self-regulation and the habit brain.
A family vacation turned into an unforgettable experience after Hurricane Irma hit.
Brian and Angie Mustion took their family, which included six adults and five kids, to the Turks and Caicos islands in the beginning of September. The vacation was a Christmas present. The family knew it was hurricane season, but it was the time that worked out best for everyones schedule.
Brian said the odds of anything happening to them were slim but this time it got us.
The family was supposed to be in the islands Sept. 1-8, but because of the hurricane they left Sept. 12. Though the experience of having a hurricane hit was nerve-wrecking, it couldve been much worse.
The resort Brian and Angie stayed at was a Sandals resort.
Angie said the resort was well prepared for the storm and had a meeting that Tuesday, Sept. 5, and Wednesday, Sept. 6, before the hurricane hit. She said they informed guests that certain portions of the resort would close to be boarded up. Brian and Angie said the operation manager of the resort flew in with his wife to weather the storm with everyone.
He came in kind of as a calming force, Angie said.
The manager warned them what would happen, as the island has braved hurricanes before.
He was very confident in their buildings, Brian said.
Everyone was to stay inside during the storm, as trees would fall over and debris would be flying in the wind. Brian said the resort had about 1,350 people on the property, including staff and their families. He said the staff was calm and seemed prepared.
Angie said before the storm hit was the worst of it all.
For me it was probably the most anxiety because you didnt know what was going to happen, Angie said.
The whole experience wasnt as bad as some other places or what some media made it seem like, they said. The resort had generators that kicked in, so they never lost power. Brian and Angie said the staff always had food for the guests, even when they had to take it back to their room and wait out the hurricane the day it hit. Angie said the kids slept through the hurricane.
It was very noisy, Brian said of the hurricane and of the wind blowing off doors and such.
The family stayed in their suite waiting out the storm and high winds, which blew in some water.
No one was hurt in Hurricane Irma where they were. Brian said they wouldve taken back the damage that happened to the island and the peoples belongings, but some good came of the hurricane. He said people were there from all over the world, and they all responded universally: they helped each other.
The human dynamics really changed, Brian said. It was refreshing, actually.
He said once people realized the hurricane was coming, no one was in vacation mode. People made their own beds and such because they didnt want to bother staff. Guests were concerned for staff and their families. People bonded with each other and all pitched in.
Brian and Angie said they were very grateful to Delta airlines because they brought in a flight to the islands so people could get back home. Delta brought in all of their own staff, as the airport wasnt open. Tickets, Angie said, had to be handwritten and passports had to be manually called in.
Hopefully the next family vacation wont include a hurricane.
It will be a memory that well all have, he said.
The list of qualifications for playing the mountain dulcimer is extremely short. In fact, there are none.
Absolutely anyone can play the instrument, which is also called the Appalachian dulcimer.
Because a precise grip isnt necessary, even people with arthritis in their hands can play.
No experience with any instrument is necessary. You dont even have to read music.
Within five or 10 minutes, you can be strumming your first song. Thats because people play by number, rather than reading musical notes. So if youre afraid you cant play, dont fret.
The Prairie Dulcimer Players play their stringed instruments almost every Thursday at nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the area. This past Thursday, they played at Tiffany Square and Lebensraum Assisted Living.
Playing were seven members of the group, who clearly enjoyed themselves.
Its fun. Were having a blast, said Pam Aldana of Hastings.
The goal is to lead people to dulcimer bliss.
Kay Stoppkotte of Chapman said its fun to see the smiles of appreciation on the audiences faces.
Nursing home residents love to hear You Are My Sunshine, Amazing Grace and patriotic numbers. The show also includes Polly Wolly Doodle, Will the Circle Be Unbroken and In the Good Old Summertime.
Aldana, who is the emcee, invites audience participation on Shell Be Coming Round the Mountain. She encourages listeners to say Here she is, Hi babe and other expressions during the song. They pretend to chop an old red rooster, saying chop chop, and rub their stomachs as they say yum yum, thinking about eating chicken and dumplings.
The Prairie Dulcimer Players say the instrument produces a quiet and soothing sound.
Felix Aldana, who is Pams husband, says the dulcimer is relaxing to play.
Carole Grady, who lives in Sutton, likes to play at nursing homes. Dulcimer music, she noted, seems to soothe people with Alzheimers. Grady is also in another group, the Hamilton County Band.
Marilyn Hoffman, who lives in Juniata, practices on her dulcimer for an hour each day, seven days a week.
She likes many of the songs, including the religious ones and the traditional backhills songs. On the sad songs, she sometimes makes up her own lyrics as she practices.
Appalachian dulcimers typically have three or four strings. The fretted instrument is part of the zither family.
According to a sheet handed out by the group, dulcimers are played while seated and were considered a parlor instrument because of the modest sound they produce.
Fourteen people make up the Prairie Dulcimer Players. Eleven of those people are either woodcarvers or married to woodcarvers.
John Robbins, who lives in Sutton, got interested in dulcimers about three years ago when he and his wife, Mary, attended a craft show in Summerfield, Kansas. Robbins, who is both a woodworker and a woodcarver, was intrigued by the two dulcimer groups that played at the craft show. One of the groups was from Beatrice.
Robbins, who had already made many cigar-box guitars, started making dulcimers. He has now made more than 200, including most of the instruments used by the Prairie Dulcimer Players.
Each one Robbins makes is better than the last, said Felix Aldana, a woodcarver himself.
The groups other woodcarvers include Stoppkotte and Loretta Broberg of Grand Island.
The Prairie Dulcimers group started playing in March 2015. About half of the members can read music.
John and Mary Robbins credit Forrest and Eileen Smith of Beatrice for spreading the popularity of the mountain dulcimer.
Over the last couple of years, Robbins, 75, has taught at a Mid-America Woodcarvers Association gathering at Doane University and the Gretna Wood Carvers Retreat. At both, he taught people how to build and play a dulcimer.
John and Mary Robbins have helped spread the gospel of the mountain dulcimer. Six Omaha residents have built their own instruments and are starting to perform.
The Prairie Dulcimer group has donated dulcimers to St. Michaels Elementary School in Hastings.
Members of the group played eight of the 10 days of the Nebraska State Fair.
One audience member, Felix Aldana recalled, said she didnt want to learn to play. She just wanted to sit and listen to the gentle music.
Other members of the Prairie Dulcimer Players include Nancy Oluffsen of Lincoln, Ralph and Jonell Burnside of Hastings, Jeannette Schmidt of Wood River and Traci Bates of Sutherland.
The Prairie Dulcimer group has played at nursing homes in Grand Island, Hastings, Sutton, Henderson, Doniphan, Harvard and Red Cloud.
For information about the group, call (308) 627-4435 or (402) 469-9666.
Paris Tebrink was determined to win Saturday in the senior clover leaf barrel racing competition at the Aksarben horse show.
As her contestant number, pinned next to her saddle, was called, Tebrink, 16 of Denton, and her horse, Melvin, galloped full speed forward into the Thompson Open Air Arena. Tebrink led Melvin to the right, rounding a barrel, before going to the left and rear to round all three barrels placed in a triangular pattern in the middle of the arena.
The goal was to round all three barrels faster than the other contestants in the barrel racing competition.
After she rounded the three barrels, the announcer announced Tebrinks time: 18.28 seconds enough to be crowned champion of the senior clover leaf barrel racing competition.
Tebrink said after the competition that the win was unexpected and felt good.
The senior barrel racing was one of the competition events featured at Saturdays Aksarben horse show part of the Aksarben stock show, one of the nations largest 4-H stock shows, held this weekend and next weekend. Saturdays Akarben horse show consisted of six events: junior and senior reining, pole bending and barrel racing.
Kate Pulec, horse superintendent of the Aksarben stock show, said there are 84 exhibitors in this weekends show, held Saturday and Sunday, and 323 entries. She added competitors must be between 12 and 18 years of age and reside in Nebraska or surrounding states to compete in the show.
Out of those exhibitors, they can pick certain events, she said. The reining pattern shows real versatility of the horse and the relationship it has with the rider, its capabilities and how well trained it is. The poles and barrels both have a pattern as well. It is more about the speed and agility of the horse with the rider. They work to ride that pattern at the fastest possible time they can.
Tebrink said this was the first time she competed at the Aksarben horse show.
In addition to competing in the senior clover leaf barrel racing competition, Tebrink, who competed the Aksarben stock show with her twin sister, Paytra, also competed in the senior pole bending competition. Unfortunately, Tebrink said, she hit one of the six poles in the pole bending event and fell short of a win due to having a two-second penalty added to her total time.
Pole bending is a lot harder because you have so many more times to make an error because there are six poles, Tebrink said. It takes a lot more work to work on bending their (horses) neck and using my feet on him.
But in order to even compete at a show, such as the Aksarben horse show, Tebrink said, a lot of preparation is needed.
We set patterns (to prepare) for the barrel racing and set cones out so they can go around in certain directions, she said. Every day, we have to train them so they are flexible and can bend around them. We also have to condition them throughout the race and we have to long-trot them.
Tebrink added to prepare for the pole bending competition, she also places poles in different patterns because the horse begins to memorize the pattern. She said she wants the horses to have a variety of patterns to run through.
As for the Aksarben stock show, Pulec said this is the 90th year of the show, but the first year it has been held at the Nebraska State Fairgrounds. She added she appreciates the facilities at the fairgrounds and said the location has helped attract more competitors.
Horse entries are up from past years, so thats a good sign for this location, Pulec said. People like being in the center of the state and exhibitors make the travel.
For the first time, the Aksarben 4-H Stock Show and Purple Ribbon Auction have come to Grand Island, and the city is happy to have the event here.
After 89 years in Omaha, the Aksarben Foundation decided to move the event to Fonner Park. Why? Mainly because of the beautiful, large and extremely functional facilities that were built there when the Nebraska State Fair moved from Lincoln to Grand Island in 2010.
It is hard to beat the facilities at Fonner Park for livestock shows, and group after group is finding that out. There is the Five Points Bank Arena, Swine Arena, the Thompson Arena (including the renovated outdoor arena) and outstanding stalls and barns in which to keep the livestock.
And that is not even mentioning the Heartland Events Center, the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center, the Bosselman Conference Center or the Raising Nebraska building. All of those are available for big gatherings.
Livestock group after livestock group has found the facilities just about perfect for what they need and many committed to coming back to Grand Island.
Community leaders are confident that Aksarben will feel the same way.
In fact, Aksarben may be the biggest catch of all. More than 2,000 youths will be participating in various aspects of the show. And, of course, family members will be coming with them. So, in all, the show is expected to bring 5,000 people to Grand Island.
Events started Saturday and continue today with the horse show and will also continue next weekend with beef, lamb, goat and swine shows. In addition, one of the biggest events will be the National 4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl on Saturday that will bring in competitors from all across the country to the Bosselman Conference Center.
The facilities, along with a strong pitch by G.I. leaders, are what has brought the show to Grand Island, Aksarben officials said. In Omaha, getting the Century Link Center ready and the logistics of holding the event there were just too cumbersome.
The event also holds the possibility of expansion in the future. In coming years, a rodeo and even concerts could be held in conjunction with it, bringing even more visitors to Central Nebraska.
So the Aksarben 4-H Stock Show coming to Grand Island is a big deal and the community is certainly glad to have them here. Its hoped the participants will have a good time.
All of the competitors are certainly wished well, and local residents have the opportunity to go see some of the finest livestock being shown anywhere in the country.
This past weekend, I saw a few cars flying Mexican flags.
My first reaction was fear -- I live in an area where you're as likely to see a "Si se puede" sticker on a car as you are a Confederate flag or a "Make America Great Again" yard sign. Naturally, I was concerned that whatever brave soul dared to conspicuously celebrate Mexican Independence Day was courting danger.
I honked to offer moral support. And I recalled that just the other day I said to my class of Hispanic students -- in the most deadpan voice I could muster -- "Soon it'll be Hispanic Heritage Month. Yay."
This is arguably the worst month of the year.
Not because there isn't beauty and pride to be found in the spotlighting of folkloric dances and music, traditional cooking and the works of artists of Latin American descent. But because (like everything else these days) it is so fraught with symbolism and politics that it has become a designated period of grievance-airing.
It used to be that the "celebration" would inspire mere political pandering and insane product marketers adding a taco, pinata or mariachi hat to packaging in order to feign relevance to the Latino community.
Over the past couple of years some have renamed Hispanic Heritage Month to "Latinx Heritage Month" -- because the term "Hispanic" is, to them, passe and "Latino" is not gender-inclusive enough.
Others put down the whole thing as illegitimate. Political observer Adriana Maestas recently wrote: "People of Mexican, Central American and South American descent shouldn't have to celebrate heritage that is tied to invaders and colonizers."
This rolls straight into bitter arguments, impassioned pleas and (hopefully nonviolent) protests sparked by those who believe Columbus Day should be renamed "Indigenous Peoples Day."
This is all topped off by a whole October's worth of manufacturers and retailers taking the looks and styles of the religious Day of the Dead traditions practiced across Latin America and selling them as cheap Halloween decorations and costumes.
It's beyond exhausting. The so-called conversations about these "issues" that permeate the internet at this time of year are a colossal waste of time and energy within an already very loosely united populace. Sure, these people all share a common tie to Latin America but they diverge widely when it comes to country of origin, language, customs, culture, political views and interest in "what it means" to be what the U.S. Census calls the "Hispanic population."
I trace some of these troubles to the obsessive -- and completely ineffectual -- fixation on the semantics of Hispanic identity.
The hours and hours of time, effort, money, talent and energy that some have spent arguing about whether "Hispanic" or "Latino" is the better moniker, lobbying for the term "illegal immigrant" to be banned, and policing the use of the word "American" (the logic being that anyone from North and South America is an American, though there isn't a soul outside the United States who would call someone from Chile or Mexico or Canada anything other than a Chilean, Mexican or a Canadian) have been fruitless.
And the next frontier seems to be the phrase "nation of immigrants."
People who use it typically do so to defend immigrants and portray them as an integral part of our country's fabric. Critics say that this phrase excludes and marginalizes Native Americans, Hawaiians, Puerto Ricans and blacks.
In the Chicago Sun-Times, Natalie Moore explained it: "When we hear platitudes like 'we are a nation immigrants' (sic) or 'immigrants built this country,' it feels like an erasure -- not just of native people but black Americans who are descendants of enslaved Africans."
Victor Landa, editor-in-chief of the Hispanic-focused news website NewsTaco, said in a recent Facebook Live video that we need to stop saying the term because it has become lip service: Why do we celebrate going to Chinatown or Little Italy but get mad when we see a neighborhood where the business signage is in Spanish?
These are interesting concepts to question and vital conversations to engage in -- and we shouldn't relegate them to a made-up heritage month. But it's worth noting that while words do matter, they become a brick wall if we can't get beyond terminology to actually participating in meaningful dialogue.
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Linkedin Rob Lever (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Sun, September 24, 2017 11:45 1877 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21c6a70 2 Science & Tech technology,tech-companies,Google,Facebook Free
With a handful of US technology giants growing more powerful and dominant, debate is intensifying on whether big tech's growth is healthy or not.
Over the past few years, Apple, Google parent Alphabet, Facebook and Amazon have become among the world's most valuable companies.
Along with stalwarts like Microsoft and rising stars like Netflix, the tech firms exercise enormous control over what people see and how they live.
Increasingly, policymakers and others have begun to consider breaking up or regulating the biggest technology companies, although imminent action appears unlikely.
While many consumers welcome innovation from the tech sector, critics have complained about the power of "gatekeepers" of information and other content.
Google holds around 90 percent of the internet search market in the United States and Europe. Facebook and Google scoop up some 60 percent of digital ad revenues and are eating up 90 percent of new ad growth in the United States.
Google's Android and Apple's iOS power the overwhelming majority of mobile devices. Amazon accounts for nearly half of US online sales and is expanding into new sectors.
- Concentration of power -
Barry Lynn, executive director of the Open Markets Institute, said three firms -- Google, Facebook and Amazon -- "have more power than any previous monopolies we've dealt with in the past century."
Read also: Google executive downplays AIs possible threat to mankind
"We have to be incredibly concerned about the power of Facebook, Google and Amazon," said Lynn, who launched his research center last month after his team was ousted from the Google-funded New America Foundation.
"They have their hands on the flow of news, the flow of books and they are manipulating that flow in a conscious way to promote their interests."
Even though the idea of taking on the tech giants appears extreme, the upheaval in US politics over the past year has brought together allies from across the spectrum worried about their concentration of economic power.
The recently formed "New Center" political alliance that includes leaders from the traditional right and left has placed "challenging big tech" on its agenda.
Bill Galston, a former White House advisor under Bill Clinton and co-founder of New Center, argued that tech monopolies are hurting wages, entrepreneurship and could be distorting the political landscape.
"The big tech firms have almost unlimited funds they can throw into lobbying, and they have been ramping this up steeply," Galston said. "Is that a good thing for democracy?"
Lou Kerner, partner at the investment firm Flight Ventures, said this monopoly power is more concentrated than any in recent history, and expressed concern it will "strangle innovation" and increase income inequality.
But Kerner said he opposes heavy-handed regulation or breakup of the tech giants.
"By their nature regulators move slowly and by the time they address the problems they are no longer problems," Kerner said.
"Historically the market has been much better at addressing monopoly powers in technology."
- Rewriting the book -
Ed Black, president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which represents firms including Google, Facebook and Microsoft, said breaking up the tech giants could have a "chilling effect on innovation."
Read also: Google looking to help news outlets win subscribers
"If our goal is really to maintain innovation, spur the entire economy, and grow higher paying jobs, asking the government to penalize a successful foundational economic sector, absent bad behavior or consumer harm, seems illogical," Black said.
European regulators have taken a more aggressive approach, imposing a hefty fine on Google after concluding the search giant illegally favored its own shopping services, one of three antitrust investigations into the company.
In Washington, the rise of Donald Trump suggests a possible shift in US policy after years in which Silicon Valley was seen as close to the White House.
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon said recently he was leading an effort within the administration to turn Facebook and Google into "public utilities."
But Federal Trade Commission chief Maureen Ohlhausen, who would lead any US antitrust action, signaled any effort to break up tech firms is remote.
"Given the clear consumer benefits of technology-driven innovation, I am concerned about the push to adopt an approach that will disregard consumer benefits in the pursuit of other perhaps even conflicting goals," Ohlhausen said in a speech at Georgetown University.
She said some tech critics want "to rewrite the modern rules" of antitrust enforcement to "pursue a wide variety of goals other than consumer welfare."
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Linkedin Joshua Melvin (Agence France-Presse) Milan, Italy Sun, September 24, 2017 10:50 1877 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21c5d0e 2 Lifestyle Salvatore-Ferragamo,fashion,#fashion,fashion-designer,#fashion-designer,Milan-Fashion-Week Free
Venerable Italian house Salvatore Ferragamo gave the finger to the gathered Milan fashion week glitterati on Saturday as the backdrop for the label's glitz and glam runway show.
The finger in this case was the notorious massive marble sculpture outside Milan's stock exchange of an outstretched middle digit that has sparked debate in the Italian fashion capital.
But there was no mention by organizers of the artwork looming over the show, which was all bright colors, exotic materials and vertiginous high heels -- not exactly a statement of aggression.
The sculpture, by Italy's most famous living artist, Maurizio Cattelan, is titled L.O.V.E. But it has been criticized as being anti-capitalist due to its location, which the artist denies.
When asked about the collection, creative lead for women's ready-to-wear Fulvio Rigoni stuck to the clothes saying "the idea was of taking different pieces from different VIP clients of Salvatore Ferragamo last century and mixing them up."
The outdoor show, set in a field of sod laid for the occasion and backgrounded by the finger sculpture, saw models walking the looks on a glass catwalk among bloggers, buyers and fans of the 90-year-old house which won renown for its shoes.
The hand-painted python skin, flapper-type dresses bursting with tassels and satin gowns at Ferragamo, were the antithesis of the collection unveiled earlier by minimalist label Jil Sander.
Husband and wife duo Luke and Lucie Meier's first show at the creative helm of the German-founded house sent models down a spare outdoor runway wearing the white, flowing garb of a mystic, offering an antidote to the Milan fashion week flash.
Rejection of excess
The designs were an embrace of "purity... we're not interested in excess at all," Canadian Luke Meier told reporters backstage after the show.
"I don't think we do it from the perspective of what is going on (in fashion). We do it from the perspective of what we like and what we feel is right at the moment."
Read also: Hot new talent to light up Milan Fashion Week
There was also a suggestion of innocence in the designs, with a handbag made to look like a school boy's books wrapped in a leather strap, and suits big enough to look like adult clothes on children playing dress up.
The Meiers, a rare married duo of co-directors, come from Dior for her and Paris-based menswear brand OAMC via iconic streetwear label Supreme for him.
"Lucie and I work together very naturally," Meier told Vogue in June of his Swiss-born wife.
"We have had an open dialogue about the approach to design for over 15 years and have often spoken of working together one day."
'All these easy pieces'
At the other end of the spectrum Italian fashion house Bottega Veneta had Hollywood star Lauren Hutton bobbing her head to hip-hop earlier in the day as it showed off a playful, nightclub-ready collection heavy on jewels, mirrors and fringe.
The venerable Venetian outfit transformed a warren of rooms and halls at the 19th century Palazzo Archinto -- now a school -- into a sprawling runway at Milan fashion week.
The co-ed Spring/Summer 2018 collection featured airy shirt-dresses, fringe strung with tiny glass beads and several slinky floor-length dresses covered in rhinestones.
Kardashian mum Kris Jenner was front and center, watching her daughter Kendall pass in a geometric-pattern swimsuit and shiny trench coat. Superstar Bella Hadid was on the runway too, after shows for Fendi and Moschino.
Bottega regular Hutton -- who famously sported a red leather Bottega purse when she starred alongside Richard Gere in "American Gigolo" -- sat in the front row tapping her toe and nodding along with the booming sounds of rapper 50 Cent's 2003 smash "In Da Club".
"It's all these easy pieces," Bottega's long-time creative lead Tomas Maier said in his design notes. "Even the long dresses are like T-shirts."
The women's silhouettes were clean and utilitarian, but there was tonnes of embellishment -- with tiny round mirrors, exotic skins like anaconda and metal eyelets of varying sizes.
Designs for the fellas were sporty but sharp, including dapper tapered trousers and pointy shoes. Materials like antique satin, suede and cotton pique ruled the day.
"It makes for a very precise silhouette," Maier's notes said.
Now owned by French conglomerate Kering, which also has Gucci in its stable of luxury brands, Bottega Veneta was founded in 1966 by Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro.
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Linkedin Anna Shiryaevskaya (Bloomberg) Sun, September 24, 2017 16:06 1877 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21cdd35 2 Science & Tech Uber,London,application Free
Uber Technologies Inc. collected more than 500,000 signatures in less than 24 hours on a petition to protest Londons decision to not renew the companys taxi license, a setback in one of its most lucrative markets.
The campaign on the website Change.org asks London Mayor Sadiq Khan to reverse Transport for Londons Friday decision, and is being promoted on the companys app in London. While the ride-hailing app is targeting 1 million supporters, Khan defended his position that while he supports innovative businesses, all companies must adhere to high standards of safety and security.
I have every sympathy with Uber drivers and customers affected by this decision but their anger really should be directed at Uber, Khan said in a response posted on the website Saturday. They have let down their drivers and customers by failing, in the view of TfL, to act as a fit and proper operator.
Uber said 3.5 million Londoners rely on Uber for "a safe, reliable and affordable ride" and that 40,000 drivers depended on the app for their livelihood. The company said its drivers have been through the same enhanced background checks as black cab drivers.
While the petition doesnt trigger any legal or regulatory process, the San Francisco-based company has a history of successfully using petitions and loyalty of the public to pressure city governments. It succeeded in reversing regulatory decisions in London and in New York in 2015. Uber urged customers to sign the petition in a tweet posted at 12:41 p.m. Friday, about two hours after the London agencys decision.
Uber has 21 days after the Sept. 30 revocation to file an appeal. It can continue the service until the end of the appeals process.
Topics : Uber London application
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Can Tho, Vietnam Sun, September 24, 2017 12:41 1877 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21c6d1c 2 Food Vietnam,Vietnamese-food,culinary Free
Stuffed, rolled, baked or fried: rice paper rules in food-obsessed Vietnam, where diners have spurned factory-made versions for homespun ones, propping up a thriving cottage industry in the Mekong Delta.
They're a staple on dinner tables from north to south, eaten fresh with fish, fried with pork, or baked on an open flame and eaten like crackers -- a popular bar snack.
But regardless of how they're prepared, one thing most people in Vietnam agree on: homemade is always better.
"It's better than the factory version, try it, it's tastier," Nguyen Thi Hue told AFP, offering a baked coconut version at her roadside snack stop in southern Can Tho province.
She sources her 'banh trang' in nearby Thuan Hung village, known for producing some of the finest in the Mekong Delta, long renowned as the "rice bowl of Vietnam".
Some families earn a living making rice paper, even as factories have popped up producing creative flavours like salted shrimp, coconut or versions made with the notoriously potent durian fruit.
"Customers prefer those produced handmade in the village. We don't use chemicals, they're just natural," said 26-year-old Bui Minh Phi, a third-generation rice paper maker in Thuan Hung.
He can earn $65 per day spinning the trade, or double that during the busy lunar new year period.
It's a common sentiment in Vietnam, where many diners eschew fast food joints for home-style restaurants serving pho noodle soup or banh mi sandwiches like their grandmothers might have made it.
Read also: Recipe to promoting Indonesian street food
Rice paper making is a matter of family heritage for many like Ha Thi Sau.
On a recent morning in Thuan Hung, she tutored her daughter on the age-old technique she learned from her aunt: pour the sweetened batter -- a secret family recipe -- onto a pan, before transferring to a bamboo mat.
The operation remains a family affair: Sau's son-in-law feeds the fire with rice husks, while her 83-year-old mother washes dishes on the river bank. Though other jobs are available in her village -- once a rural backwater now dotted with modern cafes and mobile phone shops -- she doesn't dream of abandoning her trade.
"I've been making rice paper for so long, I don't want to leave it for another job," she said, as the scent of coconut wafted in the air.
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Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, September 23 2017
Bank Indonesia (BI) is continuing its easing policy in a bid to help spur the countrys lower-than-expected economic growth, leaving narrower room for a further rate cut this year amid looming external risks from the policies of the United States Federal Reserve.
After holding a two-day Board of Governors meeting, the central bank announced on Friday its decision to lower its policy seven-day reverse repurchase (repo) rate by 25 basis points to 4.25 percent.
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Linkedin Daniel Wools (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Sun, September 24, 2017 16:11 1877 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21cede1 2 World North-Korea,US,kim-jong-un,war Free
US bombers and fighter escorts flew off the coast of North Korea Saturday in a show of force against its nuclear weapons program, escalating already sky-high tensions.
The hermit state's foreign minister meanwhile derided Donald Trump as "mentally deranged" at the United Nations, while the US president fired back on Twitter with fresh threats.
The latest exchange of bellicose rhetoric comes as international alarm mounts over Pyongyang's weapons ambitions -- including a suggestion this week that the country is considering detonating an H-bomb over the Pacific.
US bombers have carried out similar flights before, as the United States and the international community struggle to rein in North Korea's weapons programs.
But in a new stage for such show-of-force operations, the Pentagon stressed this was the furthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas that any US fighter or bomber has flown off North Korea's coast in this century.
"This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said.
"We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies."
The Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers flown Saturday are based in Guam, and were accompanied by F-15C Eagle fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan, White said. They flew over international waters off the east coast of North Korea.
There was another reason for concern after an underground rumble near North Korea's nuclear test site. China at first said it suspected an explosion.
But it was later ruled by a nuclear test ban watchdog and other experts to be a shallow 3.5-magnitude earthquake and likely an aftershock from the hermit state's latest nuclear test on September 3.
This week saw a blistering war of words between Kim and Trump, with the US leader using his maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly to warn that Washington would "totally destroy" the North if America or its allies were threatened.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 24, 2017 18:38 1877 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21d1d76 1 Politics propaganda,communism,PDI-P,TNI,Gatot-Nurmantyo Free
Secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Hasto Kristiyanto said that Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo could stir up fresh controversy with his order on the screening of the propaganda film Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI (Betrayal of the Communists).
Hasto said that although the TNI commander had the authority to order the screening, the program could in fact create more problems in the society.
"What the PDI-P wants is that we should look to the future by learning from what happened in the past," Hasto said as quoted by tempo.co, adding that a leader should make efforts to unite the country and not create division.
Gatot has ordered TNI personnel to hold screening of Pengkhinatan G30S/PKI in an effort to teach the young generation about the danger of communism.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has not commented on Gatot's plan.
Pengkhianatan G30SPKI, which is directed by acclaimed director Arifin C. Noer, tells the story of Gen. Soeharto in quashing a coup blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). In the big-budget film, communists are depicted as godless savages who mutilated military officers in a frenzy.
Last week, while visiting the tomb of Soeharto in Surakarta, Gatot praised the former leader, saying that he should be a role model for all TNI personnel.
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Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar, Bali Sun, September 24, 2017 17:46 1877 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21d05ce 1 National bali,Mount-Agung,eruption,Volcano,#MtAgungVolcano Free
As thousands have been evacuated amid intensified seismic activity at Mount Agung, tourism on Indonesias popular resort island remains unaffected.
Fake news, however, has spread on social media with the aim of creating panic on the island, chairman of the Bali office of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies, I Ketut Ardana, said. The fake news had also prompted questions from travel agents and operators from across the globe in relation to conditions in Bali.
We are trying very hard to explain the actual conditions. We are glad they understand, he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
Ardana said fake news disseminated on social media said Mt. Agung had erupted and that the eruption had caused deaths.
As of now, tourism has not been affected. There have been a few cancelations, but not many, he said, adding that his agency would continue to disseminate correct information to all stakeholders.
Local authorities recorded that more than 40,000 people had fled their homes owing to increased seismic activity at Mt. Agung, which last erupted in 1963. (rin)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 24, 2017 13:45 1877 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21c9507 1 City murder-case,North-Jakarta Free
The Jakarta Police have arrested Peri Sugianto, 27, an online motorcycle taxi driver, for the alleged murder of sales promoter Dini Oktaviani, 19, in her apartment in Laguna Tower, Penjaringan, North Jakarta.
Jakarta Police general crimes deputy chief Adj. Comr. Didik Sugiarto said the suspect killed Dini on Sept. 13 and that he was arrested on Thursday.
Her family from Pangkal Pinang [in Bangka Belitung] could not contact her, so they visited her apartment, which was unlocked, and found her dead on Monday, he said.
According to findings by the police, prior to the murder, Dini asked Peri to find moneylenders to borrow money.
He then allegedly killed her and took her valuables, including her phone and jewelry.
Jakarta Police automotive robberies head Adj. Sr. Comr. Antonius Agus said the suspect had known the victim since 2010.
He said that Peri had previously worked as a DJ at a nightspot and lived close to the victim's house in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta. The victim reportedly used Peris service as a motorcycle taxi driver.
Antonius said the motive behind the alleged murder related to debt.
Peri was charged under Article 365 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on violent theft and Article 338 of the KUHP on murder, which carry a combined maximum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment. (dis/wit)
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Linkedin Gemma Holliani Cahya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 24, 2017 19:56 1877 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21d28b8 1 Politics Wiranto,weapon,Gatot-Nurmantyo,TNI,BIN,police Free
Coordinating Political, Security and Legal Affairs Minister Wiranto issued a statement Sunday to give clarifications to a controversial statement made by the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo who suspected that a plan had been in place to import 5,000 illegal firearms to the country.
Wiranto said that there had been a miscommunication regarding a plan to import firearms for educational purposes.
There has been a communication breakdown between institutions involved, Wiranto said in a press conference on Sunday.
During a speech he delivered on Friday in front of retired military personnel, Gatot said that he received intelligence information that a number of institutions had ordered the shipment of firearms from abroad and that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo had not been briefed about the matter.
Wiranto said he had spoken with Gatot, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian, the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Gen. Budi Gunawan as well as other relevant officials, to discuss the allegation and came to a different conclusion.
There is a procurement of 500 non-TNI standard firearms ordered to Pindad, not 5,000. It was BIN that made the order for intelligence education purpose, he said referring to the state-owned weapons producer.
Wiranto said given that the firearms were not TNI-standard, the procurement would not need a permit from the military or the President.
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Linkedin Sri Mulyani Indrawati (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 25 2017
On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last week, I spoke with business leaders at the Bloomberg Forum to underscore Indonesias commitment to its climate-resilient future. As finance minister, the climate financing aspect of this development challenge is within my purview and something I am deeply passionate about.
There is continued support and growing expectation for the private sectors increased role in developing creative and innovative financing including concessional sources for adaptation and mitigation projects. The function of local governments is also widely recognized as more important to solve the challenges related to their critical role at the grassroots level.
By 2050, the world will need to feed 9 billion people while reducing emissions and ensuring climate-resilient food security. An additional 1.1 billion people will require access to electricity while transitioning from fossil fuels. Climate change remains the top concern of global leaders per last years World Economic Forum survey. These challenges and more are just over the horizon.
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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 24, 2017 09:20 1877 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21c3bc7 1 Guide To Jakpost-guide-to,jalan-wijaya,South-Jakarta,cafe,coffee Free
With the South Jakarta Mayor Office at one end, Jl. Wijaya I in Kebayoran Baru stretches from Jl. Prapanca Raya to Jl. Wolter Monginsidi. Set in an upscale neighborhood, the road presents eateries and other retail stores catering to the area's residents, and entices visitors from other areas of the capital city.
How to get there
As public transportation to the area is scarce, you may want to bring your own vehicle to reach the road, where there are also plenty of designated parking spaces for each destination or retail store.
App-hailing a ride or taking a taxi would also make a convenient choice, especially after a drink or two at one of Jakarta's most talked about bars, which is located on Jl. Wijaya I.
What to wear
Your outfit depends on what you plan to do. Some eateries are upscale, so you may want to take the opportunity to dress up to dine out. If your plan consists of stopping by for groceries or a quick bite, wearing casual clothes would be most comfortable.
What to do
A branch of the Institut Francais dIndonesie (IFI) is located on Jl. Wijaya I no. 48. So if you've been looking to learn French, visit the office to ask for programs best suited to your needs. The institute (http://www.ifi-id.com/jakarta) offers classes as well as private lessons that lead to certification.
A branch of the Institut francais dIndonesie (IFI) is located on Jl. Wijaya I no. 48. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
There is also Conclave, a coworking space for those looking to get some work done. According to their website (http://www.cnclv.co/#pricing) prices for local membership start at Rp 100,000 (US$7.50) per day, or Rp 50,000 for students with a valid ID. Facilities include internet, free flow espresso and free daily printing.
Meanwhile, if you're looking to do some beauty maintenance, Narsih salon could be your pick. Popular for its affordable prices, the house-based salon is not located on the main road but on a smaller street Jl. Pulo Raya I.
It provides waxing services, but it is mostly known for eyebrow threading. The salon is notorious for its long lines, especially on the weekends, so come early for a chance of an appointment.
Read also: Jakpost guide to Jl. Barito
Where to shop
Atalia shoe store creates custom-made shoes for dance, special occasions, as well as orthopedic and other special-needs shoes. Established almost 10 years ago, the store has continuously created a variety of dance footwear, from ballroom to tango and jazz.
Atalia shoe store creates custom-made shoes for dance, special occasions, as well as orthopedic and other special-needs shoes. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
All dance shoes, as well as special occasion shoes, range from Rp 1.2 to 1.7 million. Meanwhile, orthopedic shoes and special-needs shoes are usually based on a doctor's prescription and need particular attention. This specially-designed footwear for children usually ranges from Rp 875,000 to 975,000, while a pair for adults could cost from Rp 1.5 to 1.7 million.
A pair of custom-made shoes, either for dance or on doctor's orders, typically takes around two weeks to construct.
Further down the road, there is also a Korean grocery store, New Soul, which sells imported products from South Korea. The shop sells ingredients to make authentic Korean food at home, such as the ever-popular kimchi.
What to eat
There are several eateries on Jl. Wijaya I, most of which serve western-style food.
One of the local culinary restaurants is Rasaroa, which serves traditional Manadonese dishes. Among the popular dishes at Rosaroa include red beans, stir-fried papaya flowers with cakalang (Manadonese-style tuna), cakalang fufu and Manadonese-style porridge, which is served with yam, corn, water spinach, green spinach and red spinach. A main dish typically costs from Rp 38,000 to Rp 58,000.
Several cafes also line the road, each presenting a different atmosphere, depending on your preference and mood.
For a laid back spot to grab a meal, head on over to Domadona coffee. Upon entering the cafe, you can't help but notice the roastery right as you step in. Boasting local coffee beans sourced from South Sulawesi, the cafe also sells their signature roasted coffee beans to enjoy at home, which include Toraja Minanga, Toraja Mamasa and Toraja Sapan.
Domadona Coffee on Jl. Wijaya I. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
The cafe's interior, which is a mix of an industrial style layout with modern touches of wood and metal, creates a comfortable atmosphere, making it the perfect spot to spend time with friends or even alone with your work.
Nearby is Tivi, a cafe established in 1968, which also serves lunch and dinner. Outside of dining hours, the restaurant is closed, leaving only a small section open, which sells traditional Indonesian snacks, including nasi kuning.
For a fancier occasion, you could head to Pand'or to enjoy its lavish interior and colorful cakes and pastries on display, while sitting down for a coffee or tea with friends.
A special dining experience meanwhile, could take you to Leon, where you can enjoy luxurious meals and beverages in an opulent setting. One of the most talked about restaurants and bars at the moment, visitors seem enticed by the leather and metal interior basked in an abundance of of light coming in from the floor to ceiling windows during daylight.
A post shared by LEON (@leon_jakarta) on Aug 2, 2017 at 11:05pm PDT
Leon is located in the same building as another cafe, Twenty Fifth Coffee, which provides a more friendly atmosphere in comparison. (asw)
Read also: Jakpost guide to Jl. Radio Dalam
Tips:
- The cafes along Jl. Wijaya I are beautifully decorated, so it may be worth it to dress up and be ready for pictures.
- Leon transforms into a nightlife hot spot in the evening, you can check out schedules for their performing artists on their Instagram account.
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta Sun, September 24, 2017 13:04 1877 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21c7892 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Bali-tourism,piano,Competition Free
Bali Open Piano Competition (BOPC) 2017 is entering its second day on September 24. The two-day event had its official start on the day before with the competition is being held at the ballroom of Padma Resort Legian, Kuta, Bali.
The tourism ministrys head of man-made promotion Ni Putu Gayatri said that the event is going well amid the recent alert status of Mount Agung.
Everything is going smoothly and in order, said Ni Putu.
International and local pianists from Australia, South Korea, France, Singapore, Japan, Jakarta, Bandung, Pekanbaru, Semarang and Bogor were seen busy doing registration and tuning the grand piano on September 21, one day before the competition began.
Read also: Popular tourist sites in Bali safe amid tremors around Mount Agung
The competition consists of 12 categories, divided into two groups: Six categories for 'Free Choice' group and another six for 'Selection Choice' group.
[The participants] are competing with other countries who came here with their own piano teacher and family members, said the events committee head, Eleonora Aprilita.
One participant in the category A of Free Choice group named Emma Rose Koeswandy is a six-year-old who came all the way from Sydney, Australia with both of her parents.
This is the first competition outside of Australia that Emma is participating in. Music is about exploring [the] performance, music cant be forced and theres not an instant way doing it. As a parent we have to accompany and follow the kids music process, said Lusi Koeswandy, Emmas mother.
Read also: ESSAY: Watching 'Floating Chopin' in Bali
Emma Rose has won Eistedford Ryde 2017, Australia World Category 7 and Under The Most Potential piano competitions, added Eleonora.
Lusi also said that by participating in this competition, children will have a platform to learn from other contestants. They will be trained to be in the presence of other contestants who are outside of their own community.
If it was held on school holidays, of course, it would have more participants from Australia since we can also go on a vacation while competing, told Lusi.
Another contestant named Yuhana Okumura is a Japanese pianist who is competing in the Free Choice D category.
Im so excited for this competition, seeing other great contestants makes me feeling more excited, said Yuhana. (asw)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta Sun, September 24, 2017 14:02 1877 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21c9ce7 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Slank,atambua Free
Rock band Slank recently rocked the Wonderful Indonesia concert that was held on Sept. 22 at Simpang Lima Public Field, Atambua, Belu, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
Hours before Slank went up to the stage, the area was already filled with thousands of people, both locals and concertgoers from neighboring country Timor Leste.
The theme of the concert was Peace, Love, Unity and Respect, at the concert Slank performed 22 of their hits such as Gara Gara Kamu (Because of You), Virus, Ku Tak Bisa (I Cant) and Garuda Pancasila as well as songs from their 22nd album like Palalopeyank.
Slank isnt just a musician, the band is also a messenger. They have a strong influence to invite both Indonesians and people from Timor Leste to care about arts and tourism in Indonesia, said tourism minister Arief Yahya.
Read also: On the road with Jose Ramos-Horta
Prior to Slank, Atambua also hosted two renowned Indonesian rock bands Cokelat and Jamrud for a concert held on August 28. The event was attended by thousands of people from around the area as well as from Timor Leste.
Our appreciation goes out to the tourism ministry who keeps on working hard in making Atambua as a festival city. This event also means a lot for the economy, it provides income for the local people and moves the economic cycle, said Belu regent Wilibrodus Lay.
The ministry's archipelago tourism marketing development deputy Esthy Reko Astuti said that she will keep on pushing cross-border destinations as a potential market including NTT which is adjacent to Timor Leste.
One of the ministrys efforts is opening direct routes to some popular tourist areas as well as easing up the regulation at every cross-border post (PLBN).
There are three potential entrance gates in the cross-border area which are PLBN Motaain, Motamasin and Wini. The permission can be obtained easily now, added the ministrys head of man-made promotion, Ni Putu Gayatri. (asw)
Don't cry for Mitch & Paul. The truth is they never served you.
These Republican swamp dwellers only serve their own interests, which they've hitched to the wagon of the Washington establishment. To join this club, members of both parties must take an oath never to put public service or doing the right thing ahead of more important things such as getting re-elected, taking care of the powerful, and maintaining the status quo.
Now that Donald Trump has forged alliances with Democrats on disaster cleanup, immigration and possibly even tax reform, it's tough to muster sympathy for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan.
You might think some compassion would be in order. The Republican congressional leaders look painfully weak and pathetic, like a couple of teenage boys home on Saturday night because their girlfriends took other dates to the prom.
But from the sound of the public discourse, not many Americans are bothered that McConnell and Ryan have been left out in the cold. In fact, in a rare example of bipartisan agreement, elements of both parties insist that they had it coming.
As you would expect, the folks on the left have no use for these GOP leaders, other than as election-year foils. After all, my liberal friends say, McConnell and Ryan knew well before ballots were cast that they were getting behind a flawed and divisive figure with a knack for doing and saying the wrong thing.
They also knew that their party's standard-bearer had a long history of supporting Democrats and espousing liberal views. But, once Trump became the nominee, they supported him anyway.
Even after the release of the "Access Hollywood" videotape revealed Trump to be a truly despicable human being, and some Republicans called for party leaders to pull their support, McConnell and Ryan stuck by the GOP nominee.
So, as far as many Democrats are concerned, Republican leaders dug their own graves. McConnell and Ryan helped normalize Trump, and thus they empowered him. There may have been a time -- in the beginning of his campaign -- when the billionaire businessman needed their help and would have appreciated their support.
But those days are gone. If there is one thing that Trump learned on the campaign trail, it's that he could get as much mileage from working against the party establishment as he would from working with it.
Regarding all this civil warfare across the aisle, the Democrats couldn't be happier. But, as is usually the case in politics, there is a catch: There are those on the left who would rather not see Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi get cozy with Trump as they work out backroom deals. Some seem to be worried that Trump will get the best of the Democratic leaders.
Those nervous liberals needn't be concerned about that. The opposite is more likely to happen. Trump will be lucky to leave any negotiation without being fleeced by these lifelong politicians.
Meanwhile, what's much more surprising is what is happening on the right and how Trump voters are reacting to all this political horse trading.
They're not loyal to McConnell and Ryan in the least. If Trump wants to work with Democrats to address pressing issues, that's fine by them. They trust him, and they certainly can't say that about the GOP establishment.
They also seem extremely pragmatic in that they're interested in solutions over ideology. They don't seem to care who gets the credit, as long as problems get fixed and their concerns get addressed.
This makes sense. It fits the profile of the Trump voters. Having thrown their support behind a renegade and bomb-thrower who few people expected to win, they're not big on party loyalty. As such, they're the ultimate political free agents.
Suddenly, it's McConnell and Ryan who find themselves without a constituency. And it all started when they held their noses and backed Trump in the first place, without getting anything in return or modifying his behavior in any way.
Why would these two leaders humiliate themselves like that? That's easy. Because they wanted their party to win the White House at all costs.
Well, now that McConnell and Ryan are the odd men out, you have to wonder: Are they tired of winning yet?
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Voters in 15 counties soundly defeated Southeast Community Colleges $369 million bond issue last November by a nearly 2-to-1 majority.
Yet, this week, the SCC Board of Governors approved a 21 percent levy increase jumping from 7.52 cents to 9.07 cents per $100 of taxable valuation for the 2017-18 school year to pursue some of the facilities improvements sought in the unsuccessful bond issue.
Following the same boards approval of a 26 percent hike two years ago, SCCs levy has jumped from 5.98 cents to 9.07 cents, a 51 percent increase, since 2014-15. With such a steep jump, coupled with this years revaluation of residential properties in Lancaster County by far the largest county in SCCs service area the means to this end miss the mark.
Between 2009-10 and 2017-18, the taxable valuation in the 15 counties SCC serves has increased 63 percent, from $35 billion to $58 billion, according to the colleges data. During that same duration, however, the property tax revenues collected by SCC have jumped by nearly 120 percent, from about $24 million to almost $53 million.
The 21 percent increase approved Tuesday will generate just shy of $11 million more revenue than last year and $23 million more than SCC received in 2014-15.
Back in October, the Journal Star editorial board called the bond issue proposal too ambitious and rued that community colleges didnt have another mechanism to raise revenue to pay for needed improvements. Instead, we said the proper way to obtain the facilities sought by SCC was to take on critical projects one at a time, rather than all at once, because of the astonishing price tag.
After the defeat of the bond issue, SCC administrators estimated the college had building deficiencies totaling $500 million across its campuses. Those havent diminished since November, and we believe greatly in the benefits SCC and community colleges across the state contribute to Nebraskas economy.
SCC sees a need that must be filled a shortage of skilled workers who may not necessarily need a four-year degree. A lack of available space has caused some waiting lists, too. Adapting and evolving with a changing economy sometimes requires new facilities, though costly, to keep up with demand.
Certainly, the facilities paid for with revenue from the levy increase a new health sciences education center in Lincoln, new classroom space in Beatrice and a diesel technology facility in Milford are worthwhile. But SCCs leaders must practice patience and fiscal prudence to bring them to reality.
Though the goal of modernizing buildings and expanding a physical presence to other communities in SCCs service area is noble, hiking the levy by leaps and bounds again isnt the proper approach to create needed change.
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has sent a loud message to women, especially college-aged women, that there is no support from this administration if they are sexually assaulted or raped on campus.
DeVos seems more interested in undoing the previous administrations instructions on how schools must investigate and adjudicate accusations of sexual violence than creating a more equitable solution a trend that has been evident throughout the Trump administration.
While DeVos should solicit public feedback before putting new policies in place, when she includes the voices of mens rights activists who belong to groups that have been classified as "hate groups" and are claiming to be "victimized," one is left to wonder who these policies are intended to protect.
Young people deserve better than this. They deserve access to comprehensive education that discusses healthy relationships, consent and intimate partner violence.
One of the top providers of this education in our area is Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. These educators are experts in the field of sexual health and are trained in inclusive and trauma-informed approaches. However, funding for these education programs and Planned Parenthood have been threatened or eliminated under this current administration.
The Education Secretary should be the biggest champion of prevention education, but she instead chooses to admonish the largest provider of sex education in the nation.
Meghan Francis, Omaha
An opportunity for foodies and beer lovers to get lost in a world of food and drink from a hand-selected range of food trucks and breweries from around New Zealand.
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Dembowski of 2105 Lakeshore Drive, Kansasville, celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary with family and friends at Michaels Restaurant in Kansasville on July 22.
Dembowski and the former Shirley Francois were married on Sept. 4, 1947, in St. Rita Catholic Church.
Dembowski was employed by Christensen Machine before becoming the owner of Michaels Machine Co. on Douglas Avenue. He started the business in the basement of the house on Douglas Avenue until he could build and move the machinery into a new building next door.
Dembowski, 96, served in the U.S. Navy as a small sub-chaser. He is a member of the Veterans Club in Kansasville, and sold can holders for the V.A. Auxiliary at Racine County Fair every year. He cooks and bakes bread.
Mrs. Dembowski was born in Racine and went to Gilbert Knapp School until her father lost his job. A relative in Oconto called and gave them her farm. She graduated from Oconto High School and came back to Racine, where she worked as a secretary at the Wisconsin Gas and Electric Co. until she was married. She later became the secretary at Michaels Machine Co.
Mrs. Dembowski is a member of the V.A. Auxiliary, sews for the elderly in Florida, makes baby blankets and bag holders for fairs in Florida.
They built a house on Eagle Lake where they spend their summers and they winter in Florida.
The couple has two daughters: Kathy (Timothy) Johnson of Boynton Beach, Fla.; and Michele (Neel) Long of Heathrow, Fla. They have two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
This year, when we are celebrating 70 years of our independence, it is also the time when 70 years have passed since the tragic Partition that created havoc in the lives of people who became homeless and witnessed unprecedented violence that tore apart families. For a long time, people would remember the Partition with pain and horror and talk about it to their next generations, in both countries.
As time is a great healer, the shock and suffering has perhaps, begun fading somewhat and the beautiful memories of the good times are beginning to resurface. Bridge Across the Rivers:Partition Memories from the Two Punjabs, a book brought out recently by Niyogi Books, is a collection of stories by authors from both countries (translated into English from Punjabi and Urdu) that takes us on a journey of warmth and affection, of love and attachment in the context of the division of the country and the terror and bloodshed it brought in its wake.
Edited by Jasbir Jain and Tripti Jain, who witnessed the partition as children, the book has 16 moving tales and is dedicated to the faith of those who build bridges and cross over in friendship. In the introduction titled Partition, Dislocated Homes and Homelands, the editors write that in their placing, the narratives gradually become a narrative of expectation, hope and harmony, its sudden disruption, flight and violence over and over again they raise the question: how do we remember the past.
There is one story Gurbachan Singh BhullarsFattu the Bard (Translated by Hina Nandrajog) that expresses the experience of returning home after the Partition as Fattu comes back to his native village from Pakistan to settle down there again. He lost a son and daughter in the Partition but his sense of belonging struggles to absorb those losses.
Many of the stories are based on personal experiences. Some writers admit that they are writing about their own memories. Mohinder Singh Sarnas story,A Defender of Humanity (translated by Navtej Sarna) talks about a Pathan driver who stakes his own life to ferry his passengers across the border, from Rawalpindi to Srinagar. Violence and survival, evacuation and rehabilitation are the issues dealt by these stories, all of which have the same intensity that is associated with the experience of the Partition and its memories.
Baldev SinghsCome, Sister Fatima (translated by Hina Nandrajog) is a very powerful story in which an old woman holds on to her friends spinning wheel that was handed over to her during the Partition , indifferent to the slim chance of ever restoring it to her. She tells her son about Fatima, her friend.
I met her in my dream yesterday. No one can stop that, can they? In several other stories in the anthology, there is an inevitable return to the past, seeking in it moments of shared happiness and belonging .Surjit Sarnas two stories The Distance to Lahore (Translated by Jasbir Jain) and A Bunch of Narcissus (translated by Tripti Jain) are about the years 1946 and 1947 and graphically portray the creeping in of a sense of desolation on the city of Lahore as friends and lovers are pulled part, as lives are dislocated, dreams die and flowers fade.
A Bunch of Narcissus is a narrative of disappointed love and a romantic relationship cut short. Keki Dauwallas Black Waters, Dark Well crosses over from the present to the past and then back again. It paints a dark moment in the countrys Partition when young love is sacrificed. The lovers panic due to the violence and are driven to death by jumping into a well.
Tahira Iqbals Ones Own Country (translated byTripti Jain) describes fond memories of the pre-Partition years as well as the sense of loss of ones motherland. Remembrance, regret, guilt and nostalgia are the emotions touched by this story as well as by Sanwal Dhamis Ointment (translated by Tripti Jain) which is the last story in the collection.
In Ointment, we see Fazal returning from Lahore in Pakistan to his village Nauru Nangal for a few days, many years after the Partition. The love and respect showered on him by his old friends and neighbours overwhelm him. It was Karamdin, Fazals father, who was known for an ointment which could heal the oldest and deepest wound (a formula that had come down the generations).
When Fazal comes to visit India, he brings a boxful of this marham as a gift for the villagers. When he leaves for Lahore, he says May Allah save everyone from further tragedy. May no one be inflicted with wounds. And, if they are, then this ointment would surely heal their wounds.
I have given the prescription of this ointment to Amolak. Farewell. Each story pulls at our hearts; the emotions described are strong and deep. For those who remember the Partition, this is, no doubt, a cathartic experience. But even for others, it evokes emotions that are eternal. Pity, fear, sympathy, longing, nostalgia, terror and the tendency to look back at the past all of these hold the stories close together and keep us gripped to this wealth of memories. They are beautiful as well as ugly.
Jairam Ramesh states he did not set out to assess or judge Indira Gandhi but in the process of depicting the former prime ministers love for nature and the environment, he has produced a superb book. He has told us all we need to know and considerably more about Indira Gandhis interest since early childhood in trees, birds, animals and ecological balance. Although I was born on one of the flattest plains of the world, I have always regarded myself as a child of the mountains, she writes wistfully.
In fact, such is the measure of Rameshs research that this work could well be described as the Collected Works of Indira Gandhi on Trees, Birds, Animals and Reptiles. Indira drew greatly from her father Jawaharlal Nehrus interest in natural history; his influence was seminal. So also was her uncle Kailas Nath Kauls, a botanist and collector of snakes. Indira was a naturalist and considered herself as one.
I have always loved trees, trees more than flowers. And animals she wrote, Bird watching is one of the most absorbing and rewarding activities. She is credited with several legislative interventions and personal initiatives to protect wildlife, forests and the environment. She saw nature and culture as two sides of the same coin, and her aim was to strike a balance between ecology and economic growth. Her interest holistically embraced town planning, conservation of old monuments and architecture.
Ramesh is a fine and persuasive writer, with only occasional instances of overwriting. He gives us some unexpected facts, such as the inclusion of a famous ornithologist in the US team that came to India to condole Indiras death, and the cheetah was, and still is, the only mammal to have become extinct in India. Indiras network of international wildlife enthusiasts was vast and each finds a mention in this book. So do the many institutions in India and abroad she either set up or supported. Herein lies the rub. If one dares carp at what is obviously an emotional enterprise on the authors part, it is that he overburdens the reader with excessive detail.
An equally telling but much shorter book could have been produced with strict editing; the enumerations of species protected lion, tiger, rhino, crocodile, deer, fish, black buck and their habitats Bharatpur, Sariska, Kanha, Gir, Corbett, Guindy, Chilka, Dudhwa, Sultanpur are repetitious and wearying, and the multiple quotations from correspondence become tiresome as the book progresses to its 400-page plus conclusion. So too are the various institutions with which Indira was associated, with their initials IBWL, UNEP, BNHS, ISCON, IUCN, NCEPC et al strewn among the pages without the benefit of a table of abbreviations.
Not surprisingly, the cast of characters is also vast; some of the heroes are Karan Singh, Salim Ali, Pitambar Pant, even the egregious Bansi Lal; together with some of Indiras staff such as Malhoutra, Haidar and Rajamani. It is unusual for a former minister such as Ramesh to give any credit to civil servants who propose but never dispose, and perhaps he exaggerates their contribution. The villains are the usual suspects; some chief ministers, members of parliament and the military, who did little to appreciate or support the prime minister.
This is a well-produced book that gives considerable satisfaction in its appearance, its original jacket cover, and its excellent photos. Some excerpts of correspondence are so personal that it makes the reader feel as uneasy as a voyeur. The prime ministers political career is well moulded into the text without detracting from the authors main theme.
Ramesh stresses more than once the frustrations of implementing measures in a federal structure, and takes pains to show that Indiras reputation as autocratic was unjustified, at least as far as this aspect of her interest and activities were concerned, Environmentalists worry about a single objective.
Political leaders have to balance competing demands and choose, if not the most desirable, then at least the least undesirable option In fact more of the authors own reflections and obiter dicta would have been all to the good. The bustard, he writes, already endangered, faced near extinction, till the bird came to Indira Gandhisattention This aspect might have been worth further attention does it reveal the Indians propensity to do nothing unless a directive comes from above, or the inclination to refer all matters, however obvious, to the highest possible level or both?
Rameshs considerable achievement, apart from filling a gap in the knowledge of Indira Gandhi with a well-merited account of her dedication to nature, is to make his readers like and respect Indira Gandhi more than they did before they started this book.
A short chapter indicating to what extent Indiras successors carried forward her ideas on ecological balance would have rounded the story off. And what a shame Indira did not get round to tackling sound pollution with vigour! No population in the world is as afflicted with it as grievously or as consistently as us unfortunate Indians.
(The reviewer is Indias former Foreign Secretary)
Indias rice output is likely to fall by 1.9 million tonnes (MT) to 94.48 MT in kharif season this year on account of poor rain as well as floods, official sources said.
The production of pulses and coarse cereals is estimated to have fallen, dragging the overall foodgrains output in kharif (summer-sown) season to 134.67 MT from record 138.52 MT in last kharif, as per the sources.
Kharif foodgrain basket comprises rice, pulses and coarse cereals. Harvesting will start from next month.
Barring sugarcane, the production of all major kharif crops is likely to decline.
The Union Agriculture Ministry will release its first advance estimate on Monday.
Rice ouptut is estimated to fall at 94.48 MT in the kharif season of the 2017-18 crop year (July-June) from the record 96.39 MT in last kharif, the official who did not wish to be named said.
Pulses output could drop to 8.71 MT from the record 9.42 MT due to depressed prices and poor rains. The production of tur and urad are pegged at 3.99 MT and 2.53 MT, respectively.
Suspected Naxals killed a 57-year- old revenue official of a village on suspicion of him being a police informer in Chhattisgarhs Kanker district, police said today.
The rebels attacked the kotwar, identified as Sukku Nareti, last night in Sureli village under Antagarh police station area, Kankers Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jaipraksh Badhai said.
A group of armed ultras stormed into Naretis house and dragged him out on the street. They then strangled him with a rope and threw the body on a road near the village, the police official said quoting eyewitnesses.
The ultras then fled the spot raising slogans in support of the outlawed Naxal movement, he said.
A police team visited the spot this morning and sent the body for postmortem, the ASP said.
Some Maoists pamphlets were recovered from the spot in which Nareti was branded as a police informer, he said.
A search has been launched to nab the assailants, the police official added.
Incidents of fresh violence rocked West Bengals Darjeeling hills on Sunday as a vehicle on way to Lebong area in the district was set ablaze allegedly by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) activists, police said.
A vehicle moving from Darjeeling to Lebong was vandalised and torched by pro-shutdown GJM activists on Sunday morning. One person was injured, Darjeeling Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Kumar Chaturvedi said.
He said no one was so far detained in the case.
A number of shops and other business establishments opened in Darjeeling on Sunday after remaining shut for 101 days over the demand for separate Gorkhaland.
Though the GJM-sponsored indefinite shutdown has not been lifted from the area, pockets of Darjeeling hills were limping back to life as schools, colleges and government offices have started to function since the last one week.
The state government has appealed to the local populace to lift the shutdown and assured necessary security to those willing to open their shops or resume business activities.
A section of hill parties spearheading the agitation, including the GJM, remain defiant over the withdrawal demand till tripartite talks between the central and state governments and other stakeholders are organised.
Kolkata might be the cynosure of Durga Puja celebrations, but not far behind is the national capital, which plays host to more than 350 pandals (marquees). And the Kashmere Gate Durga Puja has been continuing this yearly ritual for the past 108 years, making it Delhis oldest Puja.
Its theme has always been traditional. From maintaining the quintessential sabeki ek-chala-thakur (traditional one platform) goddess Durga to carrying the idol in a bullock cart for the visarjan (immersion), this Puja stands out against the rest.
The bullock cart visarjan is organised only by us. No other pandals organise such a procession in the national capital, Samarendra Bose, a committee member of the Delhi Durga Puja Samiti,said.
And the Bhog! It is also a highlight of our celebration. Every year we feed the afternoon meal to around five to six thousand people. And on Ashtami (the eighth day), the turnout crosses more than 10,000. Its a big responsibility on our shoulders and we make sure that everything goes smoothly during the Puja, he said.
Theres quite a history attached to this Puja. Due to the efforts of an unnamed railway employee, the first Puja was organised in 1909 at the Roshanpura Kali Mandir near Nai Sarak. From 1913 to 1946, the Puja used to be organised in a dharamshala (community hall) near Fatehpuri Mosque. Later it was shifted to the Bengali Senior Secondary School at Alipur Road near Civil Lines but the nomenclature continued unchanged.
In the initial years, the idol used to be brought from Benaras, but from 1926, the idol began to be made in the city itself. And now its made within the school premises, Bose stated.
What hasnt changed are the customs associated with the Puja. No matter how popular theme pujas are becoming, the Kashmere Gate Puja continues to be a traditional one.
Theme idols can never reflect the charm or the beauty of a traditional one. We dont bring the idol from CR Park or Kolkata; rather it is made inside the school premises, like the way it happens in home Pujas, Bose pointed out.
For the five days the Puja lasts, the atmoshphere within the pandal turns into a mini Bengal. From people clad in their traditional attire to cultural programmes and, of course, Bengalis favourite cuisine biryani turns it into a major draw.
We organise cultural programmes but only the local residents participate. We dont invite artists (like most pandals do). Also, we make sure that at least during the five days, all the functions are conducted in Bengali, Bose said.
The charm of this Durga Puja couldnt even be ignored by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who visited the pandal in 1969. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is also believed to have attended the celebrations in 1935.
The priest and the dhakis (drummers) have been brought from Kolkata. We make sure that there is no dearth of bhog. After all its a major attraction of Kashmere Gate Durga Puja, Bose said.
So, make sure that Kashmere Gate Puja is on the must-visit pandals list this year!
Director Hansal Mehta, who is writing the film adaptation of The Accidental Prime Minister, says the movie will have a balanced account of Dr Manmohan Singhs stint as the prime minister.
The movie is based on the book of the same name written by Singhs former media adviser Sanjaya Baru.
Filmmakers often face trouble from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and political outfits if a movie has a political background. Mehta, however, says he does not get bothered by such pressure.
In an interview, Mehta says, I am never bothered about it. The Accidental Prime Minister is in early stages of development. It is an important film and the idea is to make it in a very balanced manner.
Actor Anupam Kher will play the role of the former prime minister in the movie.
The 2014 memoir gives a detailed account of Singhs tenure (2004-2014) and an insight into the Indian political scenario during those years.
The film, slated to release later next year, will be directed by debutant Vijay Ratnakar Gutte.
Mehta is excited about his upcoming directorial venture Omerta. The film chronicles the story of the British-born terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who kidnapped and murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002.
Omerta is a political thriller and it had its world premier in Toronto. It is explosive and can be controversial.
But I am not shying away from it, says the director.
Mehta adds that be it Shahid or now Omerta, he has never struggled to find like-minded people, who support a true story and not shy away from taking risks.
I have never struggled to find like-minded people, who would support your vision wholeheartedly and give the film as much love as you would give it. Money is the by-product. You need people to invest in your ideas.
The makers are planning to release Omerta later this year or early next year.
Clashes between students and police officials broke out at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on late Saturday night, after police lathi-charged on protesting.
According to media reports, several students were injured in the clashes, who were protesting against alleged molestation of a university girl and the failure of the administration to act against the attackers.
Women students were also latthi-charged by the police, who allegedly tried to enter women hostel.
The protests began on Thursday after a resident of a womens hostel was allegedly molested by bike-borne men inside the campus.
The student lodged a complaint with the office of the proctor, which is responsible for campus security but the chief proctor refused to take action and some officials allegedly tried to blame the student, sources said.
Angry students launched a protest, demanding action against the men who attacked the girl.
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav expressed his concern and condemned the use of force against the students on Twitter.
Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) September 24, 2017
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on social media criticised the action taken by the authorities.
BJP version of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao in BHU https://t.co/2XWIG5CG2q Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 24, 2017
Politician Yogindra Yadav posted a tweet asking the government to protect girls in the university.
Barbaric lathi charge on protesting girl students of BHU by police and the proctorial gang, many girls injured.
Beti Bachao sarkar! Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) September 23, 2017
A heavy police force has been deployed at BHU to control the situation.
Two soldiers were injured on Sunday after Pakistan indiscriminately fired at forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakote sector of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir, the Army said.
The exchange of fire between the two sides lasted for nearly 30-minutes. Army sources have ruled out action by Pakistans Border Action Team (BAT).
A defence spokesperson said, Pakistani troops opened fire and shelled forward posts along the LoC in Bhimber Gali area of Balakote sector around 0300 hours, resulting in injuries to two soldiers.
Hundreds of border residents have been forced to leave their homes and take shelter at camps set up by the government due to indiscriminate shelling and firing by Pakistani troops.
Pakistans Permanent Representative to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi in its attempt to take on India at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), tried to pass off a photo of an injured Gaza girl as a Kashmiri.
Lodhi was responding to Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs description of Pakistan as an export factory for terror.
However, the photo Lodhi displayed to highlight the alleged atrocities in Jammu and Kashmir was taken by an award-winning photographer Heidi Levine inside the Gaza strip in 2014. The photo is of a 17-year-old Rawya Abu Jom, who was injured when two Israeli airstrikes hit her familys apartment in Gaza during the 2014 war.
Exercising the Right of Reply, Lodhi accused India of crimes against humanity and of carrying out a campaign of brutality in the Kashmir.
To prove her point, she held the photo of the girl whose face was riddled with wounds, which later was spotted by multiple media portals as misrepresentation of information.
Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad took shared a post social media to criticise the step taken by Pakistan in UN.
China and India are working together to take forward their relationship leaving behind the Dokalam episode, the Chinese Consul General here has said.
Chinese Consul General Ma Zhanwu also asserted that by working together cooperation and exchanges can be further enhanced.
India and China are working together. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping had a meeting on September 5 to discuss how to enhance the relationship, Zhanwu said here last night while addressing an event to mark the 68th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China.
As long as the two countries work together, we will able to enhance and develop exchanges and cooperation, he said.
Asked if both the countries have left behind the Dokalam episode, Zhanwu said, Yes we have left that behind and are working together to take forward the bilateral relationship.
Prime Minister Modi had met President Xi on the sidelines of the 9th BRICS Summit on September 5.
The two leaders had agreed that both the countries should put in more effort to strengthen the cooperation between their security personnel and ensure that Dokalam-like incidents do not recur.
The Chinese and the Indian troops were engaged in a prolonged standoff in the Dokalam area of the Sikkim sector since June 16 after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road by the Chinese Army.
On August 28, Indias External Affairs Ministry announced that New Delhi and Beijing have decided on expeditious disengagement of their border troops in the disputed Dokalam area.
Shopkeepers, among them grain sellers specially, are often accused of cheating by giving short weight.
Nadir Shahs 1739 massacre in Delhi followed a dispute between Persian soldiers and a dealer selling pigeon feed (some say also birds). Earlier in the 14th century Alauddin Khilji had fixed prices of all edible items and punished with a heavy hand those who violated the order.
Sher Shah Suri was equally stern two centuries later. Many years ago one lived in Devnagar, mainly inhabited then by Reghars, who kept a very stern eye on their women, with daily evening beatings of some for allegedly staring at neighbours or passers-by.
One of them came up the stairs of this scribes house, quite drunk and abusive. He had just slapped his wife, accusing her of exchanging glances with the neighbour (me), when the poor girl was actually trying to cheer up the crying child in his arms.
In such an ambience there were aggressive grocers , no doubt in the area market, who tried to hoodwink customers. But there was an exception: a bulky silver-haired dealer of a Fair Price shop.
Before putting each weighed quantity of wheat in the customers bag, he would religiously intone, Barkat ji, meaning blessing on you. No wonder he came to be known as Barkatji.
The man must be dead now but one still remembers him for another thing too. Once in the wheat there were too many suris (grain bugs). A customer with a big tilak on his forehead remarked that such grain should be sold to meat eaters alone.
Barkatji retorted, Only things which should be eaten are eaten, not everything. It was a very pragmatic reply from one, who himself was a strict vegetarian. Where do you find such shopkeepers now?
US President Donald Trump has warned the new missile successfully tested by Iran on Friday may be able to reach Israel.
Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea, Donald Trump wrote on his personal Twitter account on Saturday, Efe news reported.
Not much of an agreement we have! the President added in his tweet, apparently alluding to the agreement signed in 2015 between Tehran and six international powers, including the US, on the Islamic Republics nuclear programme.
The President tweeted the brief message after Iranian media reported that Iran successfully tested its new ballistic missile, called Khorramshahr, with a range of 2,000 km, which was unveiled on Friday for the first time during a military parade in Tehran.
The missile was launched from an unknown location in Iran and a few hours after it was shown during the parade, the Iranian television channel Press TV released a video of the launch, on Saturday.
The Khorramshahr missile was paraded Friday, despite warnings from the US against Irans weapons program, in the presence of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and senior military leaders.
This new arms build-up is taking place despite the fact that Washington has imposed several rounds of sanctions against Iranian entities and individuals linked to the Tehran missile program in recent months.
This week, Trump left his allies in the lurch by announcing that he has made a decision on his countrys participation in the nuclear agreement signed with Iran in 2015, a pact that, according to his government, has clearly not met their expectations.
I have already decided, he told reporters about his stance on the Iran agreement during one of his meetings in New York, where he was at the UN General Assembly, without divulging his decision.
In his address to the UN General Assembly on September 19, Trump declared that the nuclear agreement is a disgrace that his government could abandon, if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program.
The nuclear agreement, signed in July 2015 by Iran and six major powers (US, Russia, China, France, UK and Germany), ended 12 years of conflict over the Islamic Republics controversial nuclear programme.
India-US defence cooperation is set to get a boost when US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis visits India next week during which he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hold talks with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The visit, from September 26-28, is the first Cabinet-level visit to India under the Trump administration.
It will help underscore the enduring US commitment to strategic partner India, said a US Embassy press release.
Mattis will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the India Gate, meet Sitharaman, and also Prime Minister Modi.
The Secretary will emphasize that the United States views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia. The Secretary will also express US appreciation for Indias important contributions toward Afghanistans democracy, stability, prosperity, and security, a Pentagon press release said.
His visit comes after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in New York earlier this week on how their two countries can jointly fight terrorism and promote security in the Indo-Pacific region.
This follows President Donald Trumps announcement last month that strategic partnership with India would be a critical part of the South Asia strategy for America, placing those issues high on the bilateral agenda.
The two discussed regional issues, with a focus of Pakistan, Afghanistan and terrorism and reviewed all aspects all the bilateral relationship, including expanding our trade and investment relations.
In his speech on new Afghanistan policy last month, Trump had said a critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India and asked for more help from India in Afghanistan, where he was recalibrating US policy.
remaining of
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This list is not comprehensive. Municipalities are listed as they appear on the criminal complaint. Suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. To see mugshots of the accused, visit www.journaltimes.com/gallery. Additional information about the complaints can be found at: journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts.
Mason A. Alioto, 8300 block of Greenbriar Road, Wind Lake, maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana.
Dennis O. Beard, 18900 block of W. Coffee Road, New Berlin, bail jumping, possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Arnell N. Broughton, 900 block of Hamilton St., Racine, possession of a firearm by a felon, and obstructing an officer.
Tieria S. Brown, address unknown, Racine, criminal trespass, and disorderly conduct.
Kayla M. Bublitz, 3800 block of Wyoming Way, Racine, delivery of schedule I or II narcotics, possession with intent to deliver/distribute a controlled substance on or near a school, and maintaining a drug trafficking place.
Elias J. Burgos, 2300 block of S. 19th St., Milwaukee, first degree intentional homicide, and use of a dangerous weapon.
Heatheranne Caruso, 1200 block of Melvin Ave., Racine, possession with intent to deliver or manufacture marijuana.
Daniel R. Clark, 100 block of N. Milwaukee St., Plymouth, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, possession of a firearm by a felon, concealing stolen firearm, and bail jumping.
Travian J. Clark, 5000 block of Byrd Ave., Racine, manufacture/deliver cocaine.
Brian S. Coey, 2500 block of Phillips Ave., Racine, manufacture/deliver cocaine, and burglary of a building or dwelling.
Glenn E. Conroy Jr., 600 block of S. Green Bay Road, Mount Pleasant, fourth degree sexual assault.
Larry Cook, 1200 block of Carlisle Ave., Racine, theft, and resisting an officer.
Timothy P. Day, 2000 block of DeKoven Ave., Racine, theft.
James R. Degerstedt, 1300 block of 43rd St., Caledonia, operating while intoxicated.
Kent A. DeGroot, 1500 block of Kremer Ave., Racine, aggravated battery-physically disabled, domestic abuse assessments, and disorderly conduct.
Dawson P. Demant, 3300 block of 51st St., Franksville, possession with intent to deliver or manufacture marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possess/illegally obtained prescription.
Alexandria B. Ellsworth, 4000 block of 39th Ave., Kenosha, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, possession of a firearm by a felon, and concealing stolen firearm.
Beverly Fisher, 1300 block of N. Wisconsin St., Racine, bail jumping, and operate motor vehicle while revoked.
Ryan F. Gast, 500 block of Sixth St., Waterford, theft.
Lukas S. Goller, 100 block of S. First St., Watertown, possession of narcotic drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, and bail jumping.
David J. Grauer, 500 block of Dunbar Ave., Waukesha, possession of drug paraphernalia, operate motor vehicle while revoked, operate with detectable amount of restricted controlled substance in blood causing injury, operating with restricted controlled substance in blood, and bail jumping.
Nicholas D. Harlan, 5300 block of N. 87th St., Milwaukee, attempting to flee or elude a traffic officer.
Michael R. Harrington, 4200 block of Olive St., Racine, attempting to flee or elude a traffic officer, and obstructing an officer.
Sheldon R. Hawkins, 3100 block of W. Flournoy Ave., Chicago, Ill., battery, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct.
Sean E. L. Herndon Jr., 900 block of Chicago St., Racine, theft in a business setting.
Cornelius S. Jackson, 1300 block of Thurston Ave., Racine, obstructing an officer.
Demetrius L. Johnson, 1900 block of Phillips Ave., Racine, obstructing an officer, battery, domestic abuse assessments, use of a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct, and criminal damage to property.
Reginald A. Johnson, 2700 block of N. 21st St., Milwaukee, possession of a firearm while intoxicated.
Darrell D. Jones, 3900 block of Erie St., Racine, battery, domestic abuse assessments, and disorderly conduct.
Joshua J. Kroes, 1700 block of Lydian Drive, Racine, possession of narcotic drugs, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Bridgette M. Lagalbo, 2000 block of S. 12th St., Milwaukee, manufacture/deliver marijuana, distribution to minors, contribute to delinquency-ACTS/omissions.
Rodolfo R. Lopez, 4500 block of Byrd Ave., Racine, manufacture/deliver heroin.
Zavon Q. Luckett, 900 block of Peck Ave., Racine, disorderly conduct.
James E. Marlow Jr., 3900 block of Erie St., Racine, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments, and bail jumping.
Amber J. Martin, 600 block of Meadow Lane, Burlington, recklessly endangering safety, and theft by acquisition of a credit card.
Sarah L. Mastaglio, 8700 block of Buckingham Drive, Sturtevant, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Jeffrey E. McGraw, 600 block of Meadow Lane, Burlington, recklessly endangering safety, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Deion M. McMorris, 3800 block of Washington Ave., Racine, bail jumping, and attempt criminal trespass.
Francene J. Mickelson, 2300 block of Kinzie Ave., Racine, aggravated battery, use of a dangerous weapon, battery, and disorderly conduct.
Keith A. Mickelson, 6800 block of Middle Road, Racine, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct, and bail jumping.
Kristopher J. Miller, 800 block of Eighth St., Racine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana.
Colton K. Newman, 2500 block of Honey Creek Circle, East Troy, bail jumping, and operate motor vehicle while revoked.
Justin A. Onslow, 1600 block of Edgewood Ave., Racine, battery, domestic abuse assessments, disorderly conduct, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Robert R. Petty Jr., 2500 block of Jerome Blvd., Racine, possession of marijuana, and bail jumping.
Adrian P. Pitel, Prospect Drive, Muskego, criminal trespass, and theft.
Rajelio Ramirez, 3400 block of 92nd St., Sturtevant, attempting to flee or elude a traffic officer, recklessly endangering safety, and obstructing an officer.
Jeremy A. Randall, 2600 block of E. Adams Court, Cudahy, robbery with use of force, substantial battery, physical abuse of a child-intentionally cause bodily harm, intent contribute to the delinquency of a child, and strangulation and suffocation.
Stephne L. Ransom, 1600 block of Winslow St., Racine, possession of narcotic drugs, possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine, obstructing an officer, and fail/cause child to attend school.
Bryan M. Robertson, 10300 block of Caddy Lane, Caledonia, battery, domestic abuse assessments, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct, operate motor vehicle while revoked, and bail jumping.
Kevin A. Robinson, 900 block of Wisconsin Ave., Racine, recklessly endangering safety, and manufacture/deliver heroin.
Jeanette A. Rule, 1500 block of Thurston Ave., Racine, burglary of a building or dwelling, and criminal damage to property.
Gabriela M. Sanchez, 1400 block of Villa St., Racine, physical abuse of a child-intentionally cause bodily harm, and physical abuse of a child.
Pauline F. Sanders, 22700 block of Deer Meadow Drive, Kansasville, bail jumping, and intentionally abuse a hazardous substance.
Chad D. Schlaikowski, 1900 block of E. Iron St., Milwaukee, bail jumping.
Michael Schroeder, 1500 block of S. Laurie Lane, New Berlin, possession of narcotic drugs, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and bail jumping.
Michael E. Shirley, 4800 block of 26th Ave., Kenosha, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, operate motor vehicle while revoked, and bail jumping.
Alan G. Spence, 4800 block of N. Green Bay Road, Racine, possession of narcotic drugs, possess/illegally obtained prescription, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Andrea R. Stephens-Ball, 4200 block of S. Beaumont Ave., Kansasville, physical abuse of a child-intentionally cause bodily harm, disorderly conduct, and child neglect.
Abdallahi H. Sy, 1400 block of Midland Blvd., University City, Mo., personal identity theft.
Marlo L. Thomas, 1600 block of Morton Ave., Racine, forceful abduction of a child, physical abuse of a child, intentionally cause bodily harm, and contributing to the delinquency of a child.
Jody J. Wyskochil, 1700 block of Durand Ave., Mount Pleasant, operating while intoxicated.
The last days of the Newfie Pride
There were many nights he didnt sleep. The numbers and scenarios turned over and over in his mind, making rest impossible. Id get up two, three oclock in the morning, night after night, come out to the kitchen table and work the numbers every ...
Patnaik's close aides say that to understand him, one has to understand his empathy
By Pratul Sharma/Photos Sanjay Ahlawat
OPEC and other oil producers are clearing a glut that has weighed on crude prices for three years and may wait until January before deciding whether to extend their output curbs beyond the first quarter of 2018, ministers said on Friday.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and several other producers have cut production by about 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) since the start of 2017, helping lift oil prices by 15 percent in the past three months.
OPEC and its allies have been considering extending the deal beyond the end of March when it is due to expire.
Russias energy minister said no decision was expected before January, although other ministers suggested such a decision could be taken before the end of this year.
I think we can return to this issue not earlier than January next year, Russias Alexander Novak said when asked about a timeline for any decision on extending the pact to curb supplies.
Speaking after Fridays meeting of oil ministers in Vienna, he also said OPEC and the other producers needed to continue working closely together well into 2018.
We need not only to keep up the pace but continue our coordinated joint actions in full, but also work out a strategy for the future, to which we will stick starting from April 2018, he said, adding oil demand was rising at a high pace.
Other ministers said a decision on extending cuts could be taken in November when OPEC holds its next formal meeting.
In November, were going to take decisions, Venezuelan Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino told reporters, adding the group was evaluating all the options including an extension to the pact.
Benchmark Brent crude is now trading at more than $56 a barrel, although it is still half the level it was in mid-2014.
MARKET REBALANCING
Kuwaiti Oil Minister Essam al-Marzouq, who chaired Fridays meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, said supply cuts were helping cut global crude inventories to their five-year average, OPECs stated target.
Since our last meeting in July, the oil market has markedly improved, Marzouq said as he opened the Vienna gathering. The market is now evidently well on its way towards rebalancing.
He said there were a number of positives in the market, including stock levels in industrialised OECD states in August that were 170 million barrels above the five-year average, down from 340 million barrels in January.
He also said oil in floating storage was falling and cited a shift of benchmark Brent prices into backwardation, a market condition in which it is more attractive to sell oil immediately rather than keeping it stored. This indicates tighter supplies.
The Kuwaiti minister also said the ministerial monitoring group would continue watching production data, but would also propose a review of export data as well.
OPEC officials have said exports have a more direct impact on the international supply than production.
The supply pact sets production limits for participating OPEC and non-OPEC states but puts no restrictions on export levels, so some producers have been able to keep exports relatively high by dipping into their stored reserves.
In addition, rising crude prices have encouraged U.S. shale oil producers to ramp up output, a further reason why the drawdown on global inventories has taken longer than expected.
Ministers from Libya and Nigeria, both OPEC members but exempted from supply curbs as their oil industries recover from years of unrest, were invited to Fridays meeting.
The Kuwaiti minister said the two nations would contribute to supply cut deal once their production stabilises.
Back from a fortnight-long trip to the US which reverberated politically in India, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is set to hit the campaign trail in poll-bound Gujarat. He will embark on a three-day election yatra in the state on Monday, starting from Dwarka in Saurashtra region.
Gandhi is scheduled to start the campaign with a visit to the famed Dwarkadhish Temple, and over the next three days, he will travel the Saurashtra region in a specially designed bus, holding meetings with various groups of representatives, including farmers, traders, grassroot-level elected representatives and members of the Patidar community.
Having impressed all with his speeches in the US, in which he targetted Modi government and outlined his vision for the country and for the Congress, Gandhi, who is expected to take over as party president next month, would be looking to make an impact as an election campaigner in Gujarat.
Among the issues to be raised by him are problems faced by farmers, losses incurred by the trading community, unemployment and alleged government apathy towards the flood-hit people.
The Congress scion is scheduled to undertake four yatras in the state where he sounded the poll bugle on September 4 when he addressed a meeting of grassroot-level elected representatives of the party in Ahmedabad. Each yatra will span three to four days.
While in Saurashtra, Gandhi will move from Dwarka to Jamnagar and thereon to Rajkot, where he will visit the Khodaldham Temple, which is dedicated to a deity of the Patidars. He will interact with representatives of the Patidar community. On the last day, he will visit Surendranagar and then Viramgam. The Congress vice president is also expected to take part in Navratra celebrations. Saurashtra is important electorally as it sends one-third of the elected representatives to the state assembly. It is also the home turf of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
The Congress has been out of power in Gujarat for 19 years now and Gandhi has the tough job of getting the faction-ridden state unit of the party poll-ready.
The party is in the process of preparing its manifesto for the elections and is crowd sourcing ideas for it under a programme called 'Ichcha Tamari, Sankalp Hamaro' (Your wish, our commitment). Its campaign slogan 'Congress Aave Che, Navsarjan Lave Che' conveys the promise that the party will bring about a resurgence in Gujarat.
A militant was killed on Sunday in an ongoing gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's border town of Uri, police said.
The security forces launched an operation after receiving specific inputs about militants hiding in the Kalghi forest area.
"As the cordon was tightened, the militants opened fire at the security forces triggering the gunfight," a police official said.
RACINE COUNTY With the Foxconn Technology Group set to begin building a massive facility to produce liquid crystal display screens for Apple products, details about its location and local impact arent widely known.
The legislature passed a $2.85 billion incentive package, signed Monday into law by Gov. Scott Walker, that provides tax credits to Foxconn if the company meets certain benchmarks.
The Journal Times asked local legislators state Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine; Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester; and state Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, about what will happen locally once Foxconn arrives.
The responses are listed in alphabetical order. State Rep. Tom Weatherston, R-Caledonia, declined to participate.
What will happen if some owners of property Foxconn needs refuse to sell?
Mason: Foxconn has stated it needs more than 1,000 acres to build their campus. Some people will be willing to sell; others will not. It will be up to Foxconn to acquire the land for their campus.
Vos: Nothing in the Foxconn legislation alters current law dealing with eminent domain. Local governments have the ability to work with property owners to come to an agreement.
Wanggaard: Nothing, although those property owners may end up on an island. Foxconn has been working with local landowners for several months. There is nothing in the bill that expands eminent domain, or anything similar. Whether or not individual property owners sell their property to Foxconn is their decision alone.
What portion of the jobs do you think will be filled by Racine County residents? What is being done to incentivize local hiring?
Mason: The number of jobs that will be held by people from Racine largely depends on how quickly we can prepare our workforce. We must take advantage of the more than $15 million set aside in the Foxconn bill for worker training.
Vos: In the Foxconn legislation, lawmakers provided $20 million to help train Wisconsin workers for these careers. Our workers will stand to benefit due to the proximity to the project alone and from the training that will be available, which our technical colleges and universities are going to provide.
Wanggaard: I suspect that a good portion of Foxconns employees will come from Racine County, and probably an equal number from Kenosha County. As with other large employers, I also believe that many Foxconn employees, regardless of where they live now, will relocate to the immediate area once they begin working at Foxconn.
The Racine area has a well-known job skills gap. How will that be overcome so residents here can get and keep jobs with Foxconn?
Mason: Foxconn coming to the area means a much-needed increase in funding for apprenticeships and technical degrees. Gateway Technical College and UW-Parkside will be critical partners in educating engineers and computer science professionals.
Vos: The legislation that was signed into law provides $20 million to help train Wisconsin workers for these careers. I am pleased that our technical colleges and universities are working to provide the necessary training for these types of positions.
Wanggaard: The skills gap is not just a Foxconn issue it is an issue for employers across the state. Were constantly looking to close that gap and matching skills to jobs. I know Foxconn is already working with Gateway Technical College, UW-Parkside and Community Action Programs to fill their needs.
What environmental protections/oversight will be in place, and how will that situation be monitored?
Mason: The environmental exemptions given to Foxconn in the incentives bill are just lousy. However, all the environmental protections around the operation of the plant under state and federal law remain in place for water, discharge, and air quality. We must be dogged in ensuring that the environment is not destroyed in the process of Foxconn coming here.
Vos: No environmental laws are changed. These are the same protections and oversight of our natural resources as the rest of the state. The Legislature also reinforced the DNR oversight while eliminating any duplicative processes.
Wanggaard: No environmental standards or enforcement mechanisms are changed for Foxconn. All current environmental protections remain in place. As with any project, the DNR, EPA, OSHA, and Army Corps of Engineers, along with others, will be monitoring the project for compliant with current law.
After Interstate 94 is widened, will that be enough to handle commuters to 13,000 new direct Foxconn jobs and 22,000 predicted indirect jobs?
Mason: If I-94 is widened, it will easily handle any incoming workforce. If we do the necessary work to skill up our people, the workforce wont need to commute; they will come from right here.
Vos: I am pleased to see that the needed improvements to the I-94 North/South were included in the project. Hopefully, the reconstruction of the Interstate will also help attract new businesses and allow current ones to grow.
Wanggaard: We know that the current roadway on I-94 is not able handle the amount of traffic currently. The expansion of I-94 is designed for the future, however. Once a location is announced, I suspect DOT will need to re-evaluate specific interchanges and roadways that surround the facility.
Are you concerned about continuing discord on the Mount Pleasant Village Board when Foxconn appears likely to locate in that village?
Mason: I believe the Mount Pleasant Board will step up to the plate for the people of this region.
Vos: It has been great working with the state and local officials on the Foxconn project. I know a massive opportunity like this one also may present challenges.
Wanggaard: The situation on the Mount Pleasant Village Board is concerning because of the impact it is having on the community, not just Foxconn. It is unfortunate that some members of the community cannot get past the last election. I look forward to a special election being held to fill the vacancy.
If Foxconn shut down its plant at some point, how could a 1,000-acre, 20 million-square-foot complex be redeveloped into another use? Would Foxconn be held responsible for selling or maintaining the structures?
Mason: I hope and expect Foxconn will be an employer in the area for many years. If they were to shut down their plant, reusable industrial and warehouse space near an interstate between Milwaukee and Chicago would be prime for redevelopment.
Vos: Our initial conversations with Foxconn officials focused on constructing a campus of buildings. The company, like any other in the state, must maintain the property in accordance to state and local laws. Its my hope that the contract with state addresses the concern posed in the question.
A major terror attack was averted after three Pakistani 'fidayeen' were shot dead in a gunfight in a forested area near the border town of Uri in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said.
"All three Pakistani fidayeen terrorists were killed in Uri area of Baramulla district," said a police officer said.
Director General of Police S.P. Vaid told reporters here that the slain militants had planned a major suicide strike and their elimination has averted a major attack.
Security forces had launched an operation in Kaghi forest area of Uri tehsil on Sunday morning following specific information about a group of heavily-armed militants hiding there.
As the security forces tightened cordon around the area, the hiding militants opened fire at the security forces triggering a gunfight.
Police, however, have not confirmed whether the slain militants had recently infiltrated into the Valley from Pakistan-administered Kashmir or had been operating here for some time.
Pakistan has invoked acclaimed Indian novelist Arundhati Roy to attack External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's UN General Assembly (UNGA) speech where she denounced Islamabad as the "world's greatest exporter of havoc, death and inhumanity".
"Much of what is in the air in India now is pure terror, in Kashmir, in other places," Pakistan's Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi on Saturday evening quoted a statement made by Roy.
Delving into Indian politics, Lodhi also borrowed the standard lines of a section of Indian secularists who describe Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government as "fascist" and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as a "fanatic".
Usually a junior or mid-level diplomat delivers the rejoinders, but in a sign of how much it regards the impact of Swaraj's speech, Pakistan took the unusual step of sending its permanent representativeone of the the senior-most officials in its diplomatic corpsto exercise its right of reply.
In her address earlier in the day, Swaraj said Pakistan was only interested in fighting India and sponsoring state terrorism.
Lodhi repeated the secularist line in India that "a racist and fascist ideology is firmly embedded in Modi's government and that its leadership is drawn from the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) which is accused of assassinating Mahatma Gandhi".
She slammed Adityanath's election to head Uttar Pradesh, saying "the government has appointed a fanatic as the chief minister of India's largest state".
"It is a government, which has allowed the lynching of Muslims," Lodhi said.
She went on to quote from Roy's November 2015 statement: "These horrific murders are only a symptom. Life is hell for the living too. Whole populations of dalits, adivasis, Muslims, and Christians are being forced to live in terror, unsure of when and from where the assault would come."
Roy, who won the 1997 Booker Prize for her novel, The God of Small Things, recently published her second novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, which, unlike her first, is political.
Lodhi took particular objection to Swaraj's observation about Pakistan's founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, who, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said, bequeathed a foreign policy based on peace and friendship.
Swaraj said it "remains open to question whether Jinnah Sahab actually advocated such principles."
Lodhi said Pakistan remained open to resuming a comprehensive dialogue with India but it should include Kashmir and end what she claimed was a "campaign of subversion and state-sponsored terrorism".
(IANS)
US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers, escorted by fighter jets, flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea on Saturday, in a show of force the Pentagon said demonstrated the range of military options available to President Donald Trump.
The flight, which was disclosed shortly before North Koreas foreign minister was due to address the United Nations, was the farthest north of the demilitarised zone separating North and South Korea that any US fighter jet or bomber has flown in the 21st century, the Pentagon said.
This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat, said Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White, calling North Koreas weapons program a grave threat.
We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies.
North Korea has launched dozens of missiles this year, several flying over Japan, as it accelerates its programme aimed at enabling it to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile.
The flight follows a week of heightened rhetoric from Washington and Pyongyang, with Trump and Kim Jong Un trading insults. Trump called the North Korean leader a madman on Friday, a day after Kim dubbed him a mentally deranged US dotard.
Pyongyang conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on September 3 and has launched dozens of missiles this year as it accelerates a program aimed at enabling it to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile. The North has threatened to test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific.
The Pentagon said the B-1B Lancer bombers came from Guam and the US Air Force F-15C Eagle fighter escorts came from Okinawa, Japan. It said the operation showed the seriousness with which it took North Koreas reckless behavior.
The patrols came after officials and experts said a small earthquake near North Koreas nuclear test site on Saturday was probably not man-made, easing fears Pyongyang had exploded another nuclear bomb just weeks after its last one.
North Koreas Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho warned on Thursday that North Korea could consider a hydrogen bomb test of an unprecedented scale over the Pacific.
Ri did not respond on Saturday when asked by reporters whether North Korea had conducted a new nuclear test.
Chinas Earthquake Administration said the quake was not a nuclear explosion and had the characteristics of a natural tremor.
The CTBTO, or Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty Organisation, which monitors nuclear tests, and officials of the South Korean meteorological agency also said they believed it was a natural quake.
A US intelligence official and US-based non-governmental experts said their initial assessment was that the quake was either natural or connected to North Koreas latest and largest nuclear test on September 3, and not caused by a new nuclear test.
An official of South Koreas Meteorological Agency said acoustic waves should be detected in the event of a man-made earthquake.
In this case we saw none. So as of now, we are categorising this as a natural earthquake.
The earthquake, which South Koreas Meteorological Agency put at magnitude 3.0, was detected 49km from Kilju in North Hamgyong Province, where North Koreas known Punggye-ri nuclear site is located, the official said.
All of North Koreas six nuclear tests registered as earthquakes of magnitude 4.3 or above. The last test registered as a 6.3 magnitude quake.
A secondary tremor detected after that test could have been caused by the collapse of a tunnel at the mountainous site, experts said at the time. Satellite photos after the September 3 quake showed numerous landslides apparently caused by the massive blast, which North Korea said was an advanced hydrogen bomb.
Tensions high
The US Geological Survey said it could not conclusively confirm whether the quake, which it measured at magnitude 3.5, was man-made or natural.
Tensions have continued to rise around the Korean Peninsula since Pyongyang carried out its sixth nuclear test, prompting a new round of UN sanctions.
Trump said the United States would totally destroy North Korea if it threatened the United States or its allies.
On Thursday Trump announced new US sanctions that he said allow targeting of companies and institutions that finance and facilitate trade with North Korea.
Earlier on Saturday, China said it will limit exports of refined petroleum products from Oct. 1 and ban exports of condensates and liquefied natural gas immediately to comply with the latest UN sanctions. It will also ban imports of textiles from North Korea.
North Koreas nuclear tests to date have all been underground, and experts say an atmospheric test, which would be the first since one by China in 1980, would be proof of the success of its weapons programme.
When Kiren Rijiju went vocal about the need to deport the Rohingya refugees, little did he realise that there might be trouble, literally in his backyard, just at that moment. First came the advisory of the Union home ministry's foreigners division, handled by the minister of state, asking state governments to identify Rohingyas and deport them. The home ministry termed them a national security threat.
The minister was echoing the sentiment of his government as well as the BJP, which is in power in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Sikkim. These states claim to have suffered a demographic change with the influx of Bangladeshi migrants and do not want the Rohingyas settling down there.
When human rights groups decried the move to deport the Rohingyas, Rijiju talked tough: Branding India as villain on the Rohingya issue is a calibrated design to tarnish India's image. It undermines national security.
In the next few days, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was seen trying to do a balancing act. She called up Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, offering support to Dhaka's humanitarian challenges. But the home ministry in its affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on September 18 made it clear that the Rohingyas had links to terror groups like Islamic State and that they were a strain on national resources.
Little did the ministry realise that while it was racing to pack off the Rohingyas, it would soon be pushed to consider citizenship to another set of refugees. The Supreme Court asked the Centre to grant citizenship to the Chakma-Hajong refugees, who have been staying mostly in Arunachal Pradesh since 1964. According to the 2011 census, there are 47,471 Chakmas in Arunachal Pradesh. Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, found himself caught in a tricky situation because the file landed on his desk.
In 2015, when the Supreme Court had first ordered citizenship to the Chakma-Hajongs, who fled from Chittagong in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1964-65, several groups in Arunachal Pradesh vociferously opposed it saying it would change the state's demography. On September 18, Chief Minister Pema Khandu shot off a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking protection of tribal rights and securing the sanctity of the inner line permit in Arun-achal Pradesh. Rijiju said a middle ground would be worked out, but did not rule out full citizenship.
The home ministry is confident that its policy of dealing with illegal immigrants on a case-to-case basis has stood the test of time. Officials said while the Chakma refugees might be given citizenship, they would not be granted the right to purchase land. They may be allowed to work and travel after obtaining inner line permits. Sources indicated that the move to allow them to stay on as citizens could be in line with the government's stance of granting citizenship to those who have taken shelter in India after facing religious persecution. The Chakmas are Buddhists and the Hajongs are Hindus.
The Supreme Court has ordered to grant them citizenship status and the MHA will respond in the court. But as per the constitutional provisions and various existing regulations, we cannot treat them at par with the indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh, said Rijiju. He said the Chakma-Hajong issue was different from the Rohingya crisis. These cannot be compared. More deft balancing will be needed from Rijiju in the coming weeks as the government comes under pressure on the Rohingya issue.
KENOSHA WGTD (91.1 FM) is owned and operated as a public service of Gateway Technical College and is an affiliate of Wisconsin Public Radio. For an updated schedule, visit its website at www.wgtd.org.
The Morning Show airs every weekday between 8:10 and 9 a.m. Following is a schedule of show topics for the coming week:
Monday Lewis Sorley, author of A Better War. Sorley is a well-respected military historian and veteran who worked in the Pentagon and taught at West Point. His book is a comprehensive look at U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
Tuesday Barbara Brattin, director of the Kenosha Public Library, and Angie Aker, vice president of the Kenosha Public Library Foundation. The KPL Foundation is hosting its first gala fundraising event on Oct. 7. The official honorees of the gala are Betsy Brown and her late husband, Howard Brown.
Wednesday Martha Brockenbrough, author of Alexander Hamilton: Revolutionary.
Thursday Dr. Eduardo Garcia-Novelli, conductor of the Carthage College Choir, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this fall.
Friday Gateway Technical College president Bryan Albrecht.
Saturday Saturday programming includes Financial Overview at 9 a.m., Breakfast Bytes at 9:45 a.m., Education Matters at 10:30 a.m. and Community Matters at 11:15 a.m.
(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews donates 28,000 gift baskets, 4,000 store vouchers, for Rosh Hashanah.
Ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) provided 28,000 gift baskets and 4,000 store vouchers to Jewish families in Russia and Ukraine who suffered financially during years of military conflict between the two countries and resulting economic sanctions.
The IFCJ teamed up with the Federation of Jewish Communities in the CIS (FJCCIS) to distribute the food baskets and store vouchers for clothing, altogether worth more than $1.6 million.
About half of the food baskets were distributed to children and young people, while the other half went to adults and the elderly. About 10,000 baskets were donated in the Moscow area, and another 5,000 to Jewish refugees from the war-torn region of eastern Ukraine, altogether worth more than $1.2 million.
Another 4,000 store vouchers were distributed to families in distress in Jewish communities throughout the former Soviet Union. Each voucher can be used for the purchase of $100 in clothing, altogether worth more than $400,000.
Last week in Moscow, IFCJs Founder and President, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, joined Russias Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar and a group of volunteers to pack thousands of the food baskets to send to the former Soviet Union.
This Rosh Hashanah, when we all sit around a table laden with delicacies, its vital that we recall our brothers and sisters in distress both in Israel and in Jewish communities around the world. At the Fellowship, weve been working for years to enable Jews in every place in the world to celebrate the holidays with joy and dignity, Eckstein said.
Rabbi Lazar added: One of the paramount messages in Judaism is unity not just for national purposes, but in order to complete the spiritual whole of the Jewish nation. This is especially true when discussing Rosh Hashanah, one of the central holidays in the Jewish calendar. The unity of our people is incomplete if we do not concern ourselves with our weaker elements. This support, in a way, does more for us than for others, because it allows us to reach this Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment, as one unified nation.
Aside from the help provided to Jewish communities in the former Soviet Union, the IFCJ is also distributing Rosh Hashanah aid to needy families throughout Israel, including food and clothing vouchers to 39,000 families, children in orphanages and welfare institutions, soldiers and women in abuse shelters. That aid amounted to $2.28 million, or 8 million Israeli Shekels.
As it does each year, the IFCJ led a major effort to help the needy for Rosh Hashanah in Israel. That aid included: 8,500 vouchers to buy $85, or 300 Israeli Shekels, worth of food in the Shufersal supermarket chain to single-parent families living in public housing; 5,000 vouchers to buy food for families participating in the National Program for Nutrition Protection; 5,000 baskets and vouchers to buy food for families and the elderly living in poverty through Home and Hand in Hand Charity Organization; 8,300 vouchers worth $71, or 250 Israeli Shekels, to buy clothing in the FOX chain of clothing stores for abused women and children in welfare settings; and 12,000 grants for the purchase of up to $142, or 500 Israeli Shekels, to Lone Soldiers those serving in the Israel Defense Forces without family in Israel and to soldiers who receive state assistance to families.
(YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit FJCCIS)
In response to the Iranian firing of a ballistic missile on Shabbos, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman responded by explaining Iran is testing Israels response.
Lieberman was quoted telling Yisrael Hayom that this is part of Irans ongoing effort to become a world power.
Iran on Shabbos tested a mid-range ballistic missile capable of carrying four warheads and traveling 1,250 miles, placing both Israel and US military bases in Saudi Arabia in range.
(YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
It was not too long before Rosh Hashanah that officials in the Trump administration signaled they may not comply with the agreement signed by the Obama administration and Tehran. These words were met by an Iranian response, warning the new administration doing so would result in Washingtons loss of credibility in the international community.
If we move ahead just a bit, to Shabbos, 3 Tishrei 5778, we now face a new reality, a brazen Iranian move, the firing of a ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads, a missile that was just revealed to the international community on Friday, during a military parade in Tehran.
The Khorramshahr missile has a range of 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) and can carry multiple warheads, according to Press TV.
The Khorramshahr missile has become smaller in size and more tactical and it will be operational in the near future, the broadcaster said. The new missile places Israel within range, as well as American bases in Saudi Arabia.
Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel.They are also working with North Korea.Not much of an agreement we have! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
President Hassan Rouhani spoke during the parade, telling the world Tehran is strengthening its defense capabilities, adding Whether you like it or not we are going to help Syria, Yemen and Palestine, and we will strengthen our missiles.
The firing is the second launch of a ballistic missile by Iran in the last month and US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power announced the video footage of the launch released by Iran is being verified. The ambassador added if the launch is confirmed, the matter will be taken to the UN Security Council.
In his address to the UN General Assembly in NYC on Tuesday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said, We must speak the truth about Iran, explaining Iran continues to vow to destroy my country every day.
The prime minister added, President Trump rightly called the nuclear deal with Iran, he called it an embarrassment. Well, I couldnt agree with him more. And heres why: Iran vows to destroy my country every day, including by its chief of staff the other day. Iran is conducting a campaign of conquest across the Middle East and Iran is developing ballistic missiles to threaten the entire world.
Two years ago, I stood here and explained why the Iranian nuclear deal not only doesnt block Irans path to the bomb, Irans nuclear program has whats called a sunset clause. Let me explain what that term means: It means that in a few years, those restrictions will be automatically removed not by a change in Irans behavior, not by a lessening of its terror or its aggression. Theyll just be removed by a mere change in the calendar. And I warned that when that sunset comes, a dark shadow will be cast over the entire Middle East and the world, because Iran will then be free to enrich uranium on an industrial scale, placing it on the threshold of a massive arsenal of nuclear weapons.
Thats why I said two years ago that the greater danger is not that Iran will rush to a single bomb by breaking the deal, but that Iran will be able to build many bombs by keeping the deal.
Now, in the last few months, weve all seen how dangerous even a few nuclear weapons can be in the hands of a small rogue regime.
Now imagine the danger of hundreds of nuclear weapons in the hands of a vast Iranian Islamist empire, with the missiles to deliver them anywhere on earth.
I know there are those who still defend the dangerous deal with Iran, arguing that it will block Irans path to the bomb.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thats exactly what they said about the nuclear deal with North Korea, and we all know how that turned out. Unfortunately, if nothing changes, this deal will turn out exactly the same way.
Thats why Israels policy regarding the nuclear deal with Iran is very simple: Change it or cancel it, fix it or nix it. Nixing the deal means restoring massive pressure on Iran, including crippling sanctions, until Iran fully dismantles its nuclear weapons capability. Fixing the deal requires many things, among them inspecting military and any other site that is suspect, and penalizing Iran for every violation. But above all, fixing the deal means getting rid of the sunset clause.
And beyond fixing this bad deal, we must also stop Irans development of ballistic missiles and roll back its growing aggression in the region. I remember we had these debates. As you know, I took a fairly active role in them. And many supporters of the nuclear deal naively believed that it would moderate Iran. It would make it a responsible member, so they said, of the international community.
Well as you know, I strongly disagreed. I warned that when the sanctions on Iran would be removed, Iran would behave like a hungry tiger unleashed, not joining the community of nations, but devouring nations, one after the other. And thats precisely what Iran is doing today.
From the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, from Tehran to Tartus, an Iranian curtain is descending across the Middle East. Iran spreads this curtain of tyranny and terror over Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere, and it pledges to extinguish the light of Israel.
Today I have a simple message for Ayatollah Khamenei, the dictator of Iran: The light of Israel will never be extinguished
But I also have a message today for the people of Iran: You are not our enemy; you are our friends. Shomaah doosteh mah hasteed [You are our friends]. One day, my Iranian friends, you will be free from the evil regime that terrorizes you, hangs gays, jails journalists, tortures political prisoners, and shoots innocent women like Neda Sultan, leaving her choking on her own blood on the streets of Tehran. I have not forgotten Neda. I am sure you havent too.
And when that day of liberation finally comes, the friendship between our two ancient peoples will surely flourish once again.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Israel knows that in confronting the Iranian regime, we are not alone. We stand shoulder to shoulder with those in the Arab world who share our hopes for a brighter future. Weve made peace with Jordan and Egypt, whose courageous President Abdel Fattah a-Sisi I met here last night. I appreciate President a-Sisis support for peace, and I hope to work closely with him and other leaders in the region to advance peace
PUBLISHED ON MOTZEI SHABBOS IN ERETZ YISRAEL.
(YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The disgraced bankers who brought Lloyds to the brink of collapse through its catastrophic takeover of HBOS are being hauled before the High Court to explain themselves.
Bosses including former chief executive Eric Daniels and chairman Sir Victor Blank will be forced to detail how they came to buy HBOS for 12billion as the financial crisis raged in 2008.
The weight of bad debts at HBOS almost sank Lloyds forcing British taxpayers to step in with a 20.5billion bailout.
Furious investors whose shares tumbled in value as a result of the disastrous deal are now suing the lender for up to 700million over claims they were misled.
Ex-chief exec Eric Daniels,66, left, and ex-Chairman Victor Blank, 74, right, will be forced to detail how they came to buy HBOS for 12billion as the financial crisis raged in 2008
Other witnesses will include ex finance- chief Helen Weir, 55, left, and ex director Truett Tate, 67, right
Lawyers for the shareholders will call the banks former bosses as witnesses and their testimony could shed fresh light on how Lloyds came to make its offer, as well as the political manoeuvring behind the scenes.
In addition to Blank and Daniels who has begun his own court action against his former employer over 500,000 in unpaid bonuses other witnesses will include former finance director and retail bank boss Helen Weir, who now oversees the finances of Marks & Spencer.
Ex-investment bank chief Truett Tate and one-time insurance executive Archie Kane, who now governs Bank of Ireland, are also expected to give evidence, as is former top regulator Sir Hector Sants, who was in charge of the Financial Services Authority at the time of the deal.
As markets plunged and the financial system came within hours of total collapse following the failure of Lehman Brothers in 2008, speculators turned on HBOS and caused wild swings in its share price.
Lloyds, which had long considered a tie-up with the bank, was seen as a white knight able to rescue it. The Labour government even changed competition law so the deal could sail through.
Gordon Brown, who was prime minister at the time, is said to have told Blank at a cocktail party in Spencer House, an 18th century mansion in central London, that he would help.
Lloyds had been seen as a reliable dividend-producing machine, run far more sensibly than its free-wheeling, risk-taking rivals.
Many ordinary savers invested in the stock as a result.
But in October 2008, bosses were forced to beg the Government for support triggering years of losses and a prolonged slump in the share price.
This led to the formation of Lloyds Bank Shareholder Action, a group of 5,700 retail investors and 300 institutions, which brings the civil case next month.
A Lloyds Banking Group spokesman said: The groups position remains that we do not believe there to be any merit to these claims and we will robustly contest this legal action.
The bank is likely to argue that it gave detailed disclosures to investors about HBOSs finances before they voted on whether the takeover could go ahead.
Insiders say a similar case in the US courts was dismissed.
In his modest offices in a quiet street in Londons Victoria, Tony Durrant speaks in the measured tones of a former banker.
This summer, though, he could have whooped like a Texas oil baron in cowboy boots and a Stetson hat because boy, did he strike oil up to two billion barrels of the black stuff.
It was one of the biggest finds in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico for decades. And the strike couldnt have come at a better time for Premier Oil.
Tycoon: Tony Durrant speaks in the measured tones of a former banker despite striking gold
The company had only just finished talks with its lenders, a group of 40 banks, after more than a year of wrangling over its $2.8 billion (2 billion) debt. So the boss grins from ear to ear as he remembers that day in July.
There was a buzz of excitement, everyone was chattering furiously and thats always a good sign. You know from the moment you hit the top of the reservoir whether youve struck oil or water because the rock is different.
Then the longer the drilling continues and the deeper it gets, the better it is. In our case wed continued till we got to the equivalent height of The Shard. All of that height was the right stuff, oil-bearing rock, he says.
The discovery meant Durrant could breathe a little easier.
Premier had been caught out by the drop in the price of oil and had racked up its huge debts developing the $1.6 billion Catcher field in the North Sea. That meant white knuckles and wakeful nights for Durrant.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the Falklands... their own sovereign wealth fund
We lost $1 billion cashflow as a result of the oil price being lower than expected. Consequently, we had a billion dollars more debt than anticipated. Did I lose sleep? Sometimes you dont even get to sleep.
I know very personally that June 2014 was the peak of the oil price because thats when I took over at Premier. It started to fall very soon after. But I knew we had a good business, we were just caught out by the commodity cycle, he says.
The Zama discovery off the Tabasco coast, in a consortium formed with a Mexican and a US firm at a cost to Premier of just $16 million, came at an opportune moment, sending Premiers shares one third higher.
We certainly enjoyed telling our banks about it, he says. Well see first oil in 2022 or 2023, he says.
Premier had been caught out by the drop in the price of oil and racked up huge debts developing $1.6 billion Catcher field in North Sea
Under its new deal with its banks, Premier has to use the cashflow from the 80,000 barrels of oil a day it pumps to repay its debts for the next couple of years.
But after that it can continue with its exploration and production schedule including in Mexico, the North Sea and the Falkland Islands.
The banks understand that if we dont keep moving forward we will disappear, says Durrant.
He is keen to dispel the public perception that Premiers other key location, the North Sea, is in decline. This is simply at odds with reality, says Durrant. As much as 40 per cent of reserves in the North Sea have not been produced.
The major oil companies have decided the UK North Sea is not their playground but that leaves opportunities for companies our size.
We lost over $1bn cashflow. Did I lose sleep? Sometimes you dont even get to sleep...
Over the last 12 months you have a generation of new players, some quoted companies like us, but at least three or four private equity firms investing in existing management teams doing reasonable sized acquisitions.
So there are at least half a dozen new firms that are committed to investing in the North Sea now.
Premier discovered the Catcher oil field in 2010 and bought German energy giant E.Ons North Sea assets for $120 million in 2016. The firm currently produces 45,000 barrels a day in the North Sea and this is set to rise to more than 50,000 when the Catcher field comes on stream later this year.
The industry may have had to pare back operations in the face of a falling oil price, but costs have fallen sharply at the same time. That means its now viable to recover oil and gas from the North Sea. We needed $35 a barrel to cover costs in 2012, and now its only $20, he says.
The oil price has fallen from $116 a barrel to about $55 after Saudi Arabia opened the taps three years ago. It aimed to protect its share of the worlds oil market by forcing rival rapidly growing US shale oil producers out of business.
American shale oil firms need higher oil prices to make their operations economical.
Durrant could have whooped like a Texas oil baron in cowboy boots and a Stetson hat because boy, did he strike oil up to two billion barrels of the black stuff
Now Saudi Arabia and other big oil-producing countries believe their plan has worked. They are scaling back production to push oil prices up again.
Production information on American shale oil, which accounts for five million barrels out of a worldwide production of 95 million, is readily available and any slowdown is evident, says Durrant.
However, information on oil production across the rest of the world is less clear cut.
But I strongly believe the rebalancing of supply and demand is well under way, says Durrant. So I think petrol is going to get more expensive for motorists but I think the retailers do a pretty good job of jumping on any hint that the oil price is recovering anyway.
Premiers other projects include its Sea Lion field, jointly being developed with AIM-listed exploration company Rockhopper, 150 kilometres north of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.
Durrant expects to make a final investment decision on the $1.5 billion scheme next year. Britain defeated Argentina in its war over possession of the islands in 1982. Argentina continues to try to make life awkward.
As a project we have never needed Argentina, we dont physically touch Argentina and we dont use Argentinian companies. We have discovered 500 million barrels in the North Falkland basin but will develop 220 million barrels in the first phase.
These are fields which will produce for 25 years with first oil probably in 2022, he says. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the Falklands to establish 100 years worth of revenue potential for everything they want to do in future its a kind of sovereign wealth fund for the islands.
He gives short shrift to the likes of Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, who have warned that oil companies reliance on fossil fuels risks leaving them with stranded assets they cannot exploit as the world turns towards greener energy.
Its easy to talk about making all cars electric but no one talks about how power will be generated to supply electrification. Renewable energy does not plug the hole in future energy supplies. I dont think the oil and gas industry has a ticking clock over it at all, he says.
After his summer of good fortune, Durrant, who took home 1.4 million last year, can afford to take a robust view of the world. After all, he has followed the maxim of the famous oil baron J Paul Getty: Rise early, work late strike oil.
Nearly 100 years ago, as immigrants were pouring into this country for new life and opportunity, Racine Rotarians recognized the importance of building friendship and understanding across cultures with their neighbors.
In the 1920s, the relatively new club organized an International Night, when Rotarians would create time for their foreign-born members to talk about their homeland, their customs and how they were blending these into life in Racine.
This special evening became such a tradition that by 1931 Rotarian George T. Coleman chaired an International Council, through which the Racine Rotary invited two dozen or so ethnic fraternal organizations to join the effort in discovering each other. Soon, the Danish Brotherhood, Sons of Norway, the Jewish Community, Lithuanian National League, Hungarian Young Mens Society, the Greek-American Progressive Society, The Slovak Sokol, Sons of Italy, Croation Society and the Womens Club were gathering together to discuss international questions and interracial relations and to develop friendship and understanding.
Eventually, the gatherings grew into some of the ethnic festivals and dinners that still exist today in Racine. By 1938, the International Council became its own organization.
Reaching out
to youth
Racine Rotary continued to foster international understanding in other ways, particularly among young people. In the early 1960s, the Racine club created the International Student Weekend and invited foreign students attending universities and colleges in Southeastern Wisconsin to spend a weekend with a Rotary host family during the January winter break. The students would get a tour of the city and then gather with Rotarians at Wingspread for a dinner, at which they would share something about themselves and their homeland.
In the 1970s, Racine Rotarians joined with other Southeastern Wisconsin Rotary Clubs to form the week-long World Affairs Seminar, which takes place every summer on the Carroll University campus in Waukesha. High school students from around the globe gather there to learn about and discuss a pivotal world issue and to develop further understanding. The 2018 World Affairs Seminar will focus on innovation. For more details, high school students can visit the website at: http://worldaffairsseminar.org/was-2018/.
Dozens of Racine high school students have expanded their knowledge of the world through the Rotary Youth Exchange program. The Racine Founders Rotary Club hosts students for a year from another country and assists in sending local students abroad. The most recent in-bound exchange student was Olcha, from Poland. She attended Horlick High School during the last academic year and returned home in August. The experience, she said was life-changing.
As issues of international peace and understanding continue to emerge in these times, Racine Founders Rotary Club remains committed to the very ideas that club members had 100 years ago: The only people you dont like are those you do not know.
Mining giant BHP Billiton has cut its chairmans annual pay and clamped down on perks that allowed the spouses of non- executive board members to go on business trips.
The company has reduced incoming chairman Ken MacKenzies salary by 8 per cent from $960,000 (710,000) to $880,000 (651,000).
MacKenzie, who joined the board as a non-executive director a year ago, was promoted to chairman at the beginning of the month.
DEAL: BHP Billitons Ken MacKenzie
The company said the cut, effective from the beginning of last July, was an outcome supported by the new chairman.
It said the decisions had followed an annual review into pay that included benchmarking against peer companies.
Sarah Wilson, at shareholder advisers Manifest, said the pay cut was an unusual move for a FTSE 100 company but one that she saw as positive.
Getting rid of the travel allowance is also very much something that shareholders will welcome, she said.
This is really how you would want companies to respond to feedback and it shows that it is possible for companies to change without coming to blows with investors.
The company should be applauded for understanding the way the market is moving.
Earlier this month an investigation by The Mail on Sunday revealed that almost a third of FTSE 100 firms have been subjected to a pay revolt vote of more than 20 per cent in the past four years.
The Government has said that in future such firms will be placed on a blacklist in an effort to embarrass them into reducing excessive pay and perks.
It is the second time BHP has reduced the chairmans pay within three years. It slashed the salary of the former incumbent, Jac Nasser, by 13 per cent from its previous level of $1.1 million (810,000) in July 2015.
A third of FTSE 100 firms have been subjected to a pay revolt vote of more than 20% in the past four years
Shareholders will be invited to vote on the modifications to pay and perks at the annual meeting next month. Chief executive Andrew Mackenzie retains his right to take his spouse away on business worldwide with the company footing the bill.
He was paid 4.1 million after the company swung back into profit in its last financial year. That compared with 1.7 million last year when he did not take a bonus following the death of 19 people in an accident in Brazil.
This year his health and safety bonus was cut by 180,000 after the death of an employee in Chile.
Aggrieved shareholders in collapsed banks should take legal action against the auditors, Lord Lawson said this weekend.
I think it is deplorable that there has not been any litigation, the former Chancellor told Financial Mail. He singled out the auditors as a target alongside some of the executives who were clearly culpable.
There was anger last week when the Financial Reporting Council, which regulates auditors, said it would not bring disciplinary action against KPMG over its 2008 audit of HBOS shortly before it was rescued.
Lord Lawson with daughter Nigella Lawson
Lawson said that in the past audit firms had been successfully pursued over bank failures. When I was Chancellor there was the collapse of Johnson Matthey Bankers in 1984.
The Bank of England, with my approval, sued the auditors, Arthur Young, and sued them successfully.
The Bank became the owner of Johnson Matthey Bankers, which had been set up by the chemicals giant after it collapsed under the weight of hundreds of millions of pounds in bad loans.
It sued Arthur Young which became part of Ernst & Young, now known as EY. The auditor paid a substantial sum in an out-of-court settlement.
Lawson said he did not believe it is any harder to sue auditors today but that regulators were reluctant to do so. They find it easier to go to the taxpayer to get a bailout rather than entering into litigation.
He was part of a House of Lords review into auditing in 2011 which was highly critical of their role during the financial crisis.
At the time he told auditors they were extra-ordinarily self-satisfied to claim there had been no failure in the lead-up to the crisis. He later said a rating system for bank audits could help stem moral decline in the financial system.
The FRC said last week that on HBOS there was not a realistic prospect that a Tribunal would make an adverse finding against KPMG in respect of the matters within the scope of the investigation.
RACINE Rarely does a section on rumors about a city project appear on a Racine meeting agenda.
But the Ad-Hoc Mayors Advisory Group isnt your average city committee.
The group, which includes leaders from many of Racines most prominent businesses, met for the second time Thursday at the Johnson Bank Building, 555 Main St., to discuss the status of the event center (arena) project. The groups assembly was one of 10 goals laid out by the City Council that could eventually lead to approval of the project.
Thursdays meeting was a wide-ranging conversation, mostly led by interim Mayor Dennis Wiser, and was designed to clarify concerns held by the business leaders about the project. Wiser directly addressed big questions surrounding the project, including the possibility that his successor, either state Rep. Cory Mason or Alderman Sandy Weidner, wont support the plan.
Wiser was asked if he believes the council would override a veto from the Mayors Office on the plan.
We have the votes right now to do it, and I dont anticipate those voters changing, he said. It takes 10 votes to have it solid and right now we have 10 solid votes.
Julys vote to continue work on the project had nine votes in favor, so Wisers number presumes him as the 10th once he returns to his role as 10th District alderman after the Oct. 17 special mayoral election.
Foxconn effect
Wiser also discussed the effect of Foxconns potential arrival on the event center project. While the mayor reiterated his contention that Foxconn would be a major boost for the event centers relevance, he also discussed a potential downside of Foxconns arrival that could speed up the citys project timeline.
Foxconn Technology Group plans to build a massive facility to produce liquid crystal display screens for Apple products, and western Mount Pleasant has been rumored as the likely site for the plant. The state has approved nearly $3 billion in incentives to help the company locate in southeast Wisconsin.
Foxconn is talking about hiring 10,000 construction workers, Wiser said. Were nervous that if we dont get at this real quickly, well find ourselves looking at increased construction prices. We may be paying through the nose for concrete and such. So we would like to get this going as soon as possible.
He also addressed the rumor that Foxconn would build a massive apartment complex for its employees and the positive effect that would have on the area.
We could have a rapidly expanding market, depending on what happens with the employees at Foxconn, Wiser said.
Misinformation
Wiser also talked about misinformation he has seen spread by mayoral candidates regarding the price of the event center project and the use of Festival and Memorial halls. Venuworks, the company that runs those venues, had its contract extended through June 2019 this week and has agreed to take on additional responsibility with the proposed event center.
Joe Cronin, a financial adviser at Robert W. Baird who was representing Downtown Racine Corp. at the meeting, was concerned that the candidates in last Tuesdays mayoral primary werent fully informed on the proposal.
None of the six candidates seemed to know anything about the 10 steps necessary to bring this to fruition, Cronin said. How do we get that information out to the public?
Wiser said the misinformation is something hes had extensive conversations with his staff about.
Im debating whether I should be the one to put a little fact-finder letter as necessary in the newspaper, he said. I have already stated I am not going to run for the job (of mayor), so if people want to yell at me for putting that stuff out, I have no problem with that.
He also asked the group to provide him with suggestions if they have ideas about getting the information out to the public.
Immediately after Wisers comment about the letter, multiple group members noted that transparency is the most important part of getting the information out to the public.
Its got to get out there, Cronin said. It has to.
Chancellor Angela Merkel clinched a fourth term in Germany\s election Sunday, but her victory was clouded by the entry into parliament of the hard right AfD, the best showing for a nationalist force since World War II.
Merkel, who after 12 years in power held a double-digit lead for most of the campaign, scored around 33 percent of the vote with her conservative Christian Union (CDU/CSU) bloc, according to exit polls.
Its nearest rivals, the Social Democrats and their candidate Martin Schulz, came in a distant second, with a post-war record low 20-21 percent.
But in a bombshell for the German establishment, the anti-Islam, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) captured around 13 percent, catapulting it to become the country\s third biggest political force.
Commentators called the AfD\s strong performance a "watershed moment" in the history of the German republic. The top-selling Bild daily called it a "political earthquake".
Supporters gathered at the AfD party headquarters in Berlin cheered as public television reported the outcome, many joining in a chorus of the German national anthem.
The four-year-old nationalist party with links to the far-right French National Front and Britain\s UKIP has been shunned by Germany\s mainstream but was able to build on particularly strong support in ex-communist eastern Germany.
It is now headed for the opposition benches of the Bundestag lower house, dramatically boosting its visibility and state financing.
Alarmed by the prospect of what Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded "real Nazis" entering parliament, the candidates had used their final days of campaigning to implore voters to reject the populists.
Merkel basked in her win but admitted that she had fallen far short of the 40-percent goal her party set.
"There\s a big new challenge for us, and that is the entry of the AfD in the Bundestag," said Merkel, adding: "We want to win back AfD voters."
Germans voted in a splintered parliament, reflecting an electorate torn between a relatively high degree of satisfaction with Merkel and a desire for change after more than a decade of her leadership.
Another three parties cleared the five-percent hurdle to be represented in parliament: the liberal Free Democrats at around 10 percent and the anti-capitalist Left and ecologist Greens, both at about nine percent.
As Merkel failed to secure a ruling majority on her own and with the dejected SPD ruling out another right-left "grand coalition" with her, the process of coalition building was shaping up to be a thorny, months-long process.
Merkel, 63, often called the most powerful woman on the global stage, ran on her record as a steady pair of hands in a turbulent world, warning voters not to indulge in "experiments".
Pundits said Merkel\s reassuring message of stability and prosperity resonated in greying Germany, where more than half of the 61 million voters are aged 52 or older.
Her popularity had largely recovered from the influx since 2015 of more than one million mostly Muslim migrants and refugees, half of them from war-torn Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
But the AfD was able to capitalise on a wellspring of anger over the asylum issue during what was criticised as a largely lacklustre campaign bereft of real clashes among the main contenders.
The party has made breaking taboos its trademark.
Top AfD candidate Alexander Gauland has called for Germans to shed their guilt over two world wars and the Holocaust and to take pride in their veterans.
He has also suggested that Germany\s integration commissioner Aydan Ozoguz, who has Turkish roots, should be "disposed of in Anatolia".
Law student Sabine Maier dismissed the AfD as "too extreme" as she voted in Berlin.
But she also criticised the media for lavishly covering the most outrageous comments by the upstart party.
"They aren\t all fascists," she said.
The SPD said its catastrophic result would lead it to seek a stint in opposition to rekindle its fighting spirit.
"This is a difficult and bitter day for German social democracy," a grim-faced Schulz, a former European Parliament chief, told reporters, adding that he hoped to remain party leader.
This would leave Merkel in need of new coalition partners.
If the SPD sticks to its refusal to play ball, mathematically the most likely scenario would be a link-up with the pro-business Free Democrats, who staged a comeback after crashing out of parliament four years ago, and the left-leaning Greens.
That so-called "Jamaica" coalition, based on the party colours and the Caribbean nation\s flag, would be a risky proposition, given the differences between the parties on issues ranging from climate policy to migration issues.
Schulz, 61, struggled to gain traction with his calls for a more socially just Germany at a time when the economy is humming and employment is at a record low.
The SPD also found it hard to shine after four years as the junior partner in Merkel\s grand coalition, marked by broad agreement on major issues, from foreign policy to migration.
SOURCE: AFP
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North Greenbush
These are busy times for North Greenbush.
Anyone who has driven Route 4 between the Troy and East Greenbush lines has encountered plenty of construction along what is developing into a major north-south corridor in the southern half of Rensselaer County.
Among the projects:
A new mixed-use development is nearing completion across from Hudson Valley Community College;
The Capital Region's first authorized Tesla collision repair shop opens this week on Route 4 with the completion of the newest Cole's Collision Center;
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is expanding the parking lot at the former MapInfo Corp. building in the Rensselaer Technology Park to accommodate another 442 spaces. Town Supervisor Lou Desso said he understands the biopharmaceutical company is bringing 700 high-paying jobs to the town;
The long-stalled Van Rensselaer Square shopping center is moving ahead with the construction of the county's first ShopRite supermarket, due to open before the end of the year.
The two-lane road is quickly turning into the town's main street, with HVCC, the tech park, shopping and now housing drawing students, employees, residents and visitors.
Community Care Physicians developed a new medical building and urgent care center at the entrance to the tech park, while Pat's Barn at the tech park has become a venue for meetings, weddings, galas and other social events.
"Development initially follows access," observed Mark A. Castiglione, executive director of the Capital District Regional Planning Commission, who compared it to growth in Albany and Saratoga counties following the opening of the Northway.
Route 4 gives North Greenbush and East Greenbush easy access to Interstate 90 and from there to much of the rest of the Capital Region.
Traffic hasn't grown to quite the extent that it has on Wolf Road, which sees 30,000 or more cars each day.
The busiest section of Route 4 in the town handles about 22,000 vehicles daily, with the least-busy stretch, between Winter Street Extension and Glenmore Road, handling about 12,500 vehicles, according to data from the state Department of Transportation.
Those figures are expected to grow as employers and retailers expand through the corridor.
Desso attributes the corridor's attractiveness at least in part to architectural design guidelines that encourage such features as peaked roofs, specific colors, and materials such as stone.
The town has already received $3.1 million from New York state to make improvements at the Van Rensselaer Square intersection, and it's pursuing additional money to widen and improve Route 4, Desso said.
Among the goals: sidewalks and bicycle paths along Route 4, as part of infrastructure improvements there.
Asked what else he'd like to see, Desso had no shortage of ideas.
"We need a gym in town. We need a few more restaurants. We need, and we are working on, a very nice town park," he said.
Meanwhile, the businesses keep coming.
Across the river on Broadway in Menands, Save-More Wines & Liquors posted a sign last week that it would close Friday after 40 years in business along what was once one of the Capital Region's busiest commercial strips.
It plans to open later this week on Route 4 in North Greenbush.
eanderson@timesunion.com 518-454-5323
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Allowing a former police officer to decide your criminal case might sound unfathomable.
But at least one defendant in Albany County Court took that chance recently with Judge William Carter, a former state trooper, even though she was charged with assaulting a Bethlehem police officer.
And that defendant, Aisha Talley, 37, of Orange County, was acquitted. This was after the prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Shanza Malik, told the judge in her opening argument that the officer required months of physical therapy for an injury to the officer's hand that made it appear "broken and bent in a million directions."
Law Beat knows of at least one other defendant who is willing to take that same chance before the veteran judge.
If this is the start of a trend, the well-documented history between Carter and Albany County District Attorney David Soares' office makes it all the more interesting.
Soares and Carter waged a three-year war that ended up being decided at the Court of Appeals, the highest court in the state, over the very minor arrest of Occupy Albany protesters. That was over the issue of whether the judge could compel Soares to call witnesses at a pretrial hearing and whether he could hold Soares and his office in contempt if he refused.
The Court of Appeals eventually ruled in Soares' favor but even then-Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman noted the case involved a "personal issue back and forth" between Carter and Soares.
Is that enough of a reason for defense attorney to advise a client to risk a non-jury trial? One would imagine not.
But it's certainly possible the perception alone of those past issues between the judge and district attorney's office could sway a lawyer to make such a recommendation.
It is not to say that Carter did not decide the Talley case on the merits. Talley's decision to waive a jury trial to have her assault-on-a police-officer case decided by a former state trooper was certainly an unusual choice that obviously paid off.
The next defendant might face a different outcome.
When a criminal defendant waives the right to a jury trial and puts their legal fate in the hands of a judge, it is a risk.
Judges know the history of the case. They know the defendant's criminal record. They know the law and court system and won't acquit someone because the case failed to have devastating forensic evidence as seen shows like "Law & Order: SVU."
And, of course, they might be former prosecutors -- or former cops.
Washington
Federal agencies grappled Saturday with the vast scale of the disaster in Puerto Rico left by Hurricane Maria, the third major storm to strike the U.S. in less than a month.
Three days after the massive hurricane crossed the U.S. territory, towns remained without fresh water, fuel, power or phone service.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said meals, water and supplies were being delivered to the island and some airports were reopening. But it was not clear how quickly relief and fully restored power and phone service would reach residents.
"This is going to be a long and frustrating process for everybody. There is tremendous damage on the island," said William Booher, director of public affairs for FEMA.
Booher said there was no difference in the agency's response in Puerto Rico, compared with Texas, Louisiana and Florida after recent hurricanes. FEMA has had sufficient resources to deal with back-to-back-to-back hurricanes, he said, adding "we've been able to address each one of them."
Still, while FEMA officials train to respond to more than one disaster at once, three blows in the space of a few weeks offered a monumental challenge. Booher said there were about 5,000 emergency personnel in Puerto Rico, including some staff permanently assigned to the island.
President Donald Trump has issued disaster declarations for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
He visited Texas, Louisiana and Florida in the wake of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, but he had not yet traveled to Puerto Rico.
"We're going to start it with great gusto, but it's in very, very, very perilous shape. Very sad what happened to Puerto Rico," Trump said.
Several airports opened. Ships carrying food, water, generators headed to the islands as supplies flew in. Sailors and Marines conducted damage assessment flights, beach assessments and evacuated a U.S. Virgin Islands hospital.
Officials said 1,360 of the island's 1,600 cellphone towers and 85 percent of phone and internet cables were knocked out.
Suggesting a long slog ahead, the Energy Department said roads must be cleared before emergency responders assess damage so "work of power restoration can begin." More than 120 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers offered temporary roofing, infrastructure evaluation and debris removal. More than 1,600 National Guard service members aided both islands.
There were no on-camera briefings from FEMA Administrator Brock Long as there were after Harvey and Irma.
Booher said "we continually evaluate how we can get that messaging out."
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New York
The destructive floodwaters of Superstorm Sandy receded quickly, but some storm victims are still neck-deep in a battle over insurance payouts. And many victims of this year's storms in Texas, Florida and elsewhere should brace themselves for a similar fight, lawyers involved in Sandy insurance battles say.
As Sandy's fifth anniversary approaches Oct. 29, more than 1,000 families in New York and New Jersey are still fighting with the Federal Emergency Management Agency over their flood insurance claims, according to government statistics.
The FEMA-run National Flood Insurance Program paid out $8.2 billion to about 144,000 policyholders after Sandy, a critical safety net that saved many homeowners from financial ruin.
But many victims complained they were shortchanged by private insurance companies hired to administer the program and left with too little money for repairs. Under pressure from Congress, FEMA reopened the Sandy claims process in 2015 and since then has paid out an additional $396 million, but some property owners continue to argue in that they are owed more.
In the barrier island city of Long Beach, Jamilyn Spellman is among those still fighting, even though her Sandy-damaged home has long since been demolished, the land beneath it sold, and its original owner her mother has died of cancer.
"She just wanted to die at home," said Spellman. But "she died displaced ... literally, in the hospice, talking about FEMA."
After nearly every major storm, lawyers for Sandy victims said, disputes arise over fair payouts that can be maddeningly difficult to resolve.
"It has been a struggle every step of the way," said August Matteis, a Washington, D.C., lawyer whose firm is representing about 1,200 policyholders going through the FEMA review. "FEMA is still fighting us tooth and nail for every penny."
Amy Bach, executive director of the advocacy group United Policyholders, said the lessons of Sandy and other past storms show that victims of this year's hurricanes need to take an aggressive approach to their claims, too. She said, victims should thoroughly photograph their home's condition, inside and out, before making even temporary repairs or cleaning out debris.
"You need to be proactive in documenting and valuing your losses if you want to get a fair, full and timely settlement," she said.
The National Flood Insurance Program was created to protect homeowners unable to buy private sector insurance because they live in high-risk flood zones.
Many homeowners with Sandy policies settled quickly but more than 2,000 sued over what they called sloppy work by insurance adjusters and structural engineers rushed into the disaster zone to evaluate damage.
Some homeowners and their lawyers uncovered evidence that at least two engineering companies hired by insurers had a practice of rewriting reports turned in by field inspectors. This caused FEMA to take the unprecedented step of allowing all Sandy victims to have their claim re-examined. About 19,500 policyholders asked for a review.
According to the last FEMA update, released Sept. 8, most of those reviews had been completed. But about 1,100 policyholders were still in an appeals process, with a neutral reviewer going over their claim.
FEMA officials said their priority is getting claims paid fairly as quickly as possible. It set a target of Oct. 25 for completing arguments in the Sandy claim review.
The agency has also undertaken a series of reforms since Sandy. Among other things, it has already decided to give victims of Hurricane Harvey a year to document their losses. Sandy victims were initially told they had just 60 days, though deadlines for many were later extended.
The Spellmans' insurance fight is similar to a lot of the other insurance disputes that have dragged out.
Sandy's storm surge inundated the property with 3 feet of water, opened a small sinkhole under part of the house and put a hole in the foundation.
An engineer hired by the insurance company said the building could be saved and FEMA awarded the family about $104,000 for repairs. Contractors hired by the family said the damage was bad enough that it would cost at least $300,000 more than the family's $250,000 policy.
The house was eventually razed in hopes the family could put up a modest modular home. And finally, the lot was sold last December because the family could no longer afford the mortgage and taxes.
Jamilyn Spellman holds onto hope that when the fight with FEMA ends, she'll end up with what her mother was "rightfully entitled to and fought for."
"It would help so much ... but the damage is already done," she says. "My mother's gone. The house is gone. For me, I feel like I've already lost what's important."
Baglung benefits from Muktinath tourism
The number of tourists travelling to Mustang, home to one of the most revered temple in Nepal, Muktinath has surged recently. This has boosted the tourism industry in Baglung district as tourists stop in the district on the way to Mustang.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Police are investigating after a man was shot near Otter and Sni a Bar Rd. Saturday afternoon. According to police, three black males approached the victim and asked him for a ride. The victim declined and tried to drive away.
OLATHE, Kan. -- Police are investigating a reported shooting in Olathe Saturday night. Officers were called to the area of 144th and Kaw Drive just before 10:30 p.m. When they arrived, they found a man with an apparent gunshot wound. He was taken to an area hospital in serious condition.
Based on provisional data by the Bank of Greece, in July 2017 the balance of travel services showed a surplus of 2,735 million, up 6.6% from a surplus of 2,566 million in July 2016. More specifically, travel receipts rose by 5.3% to 2,925 million in July 2017, from 2,777 million in the same month of 2016, while travel payments decreased by 9.8% (July 2017: 190 million, July 2016: 211 million). The rise in travel receipts is attributed to a 10.2% increase in inbound traveller flows, as average expenditure per trip fell by 4.5% to 552. Net receipts from travel services accounted for 84.4% of total net receipts from services and more than offset (181.3%) the goods deficit.
In January-July 2017, the balance of travel services showed a surplus of 5,909 million, up 8.1% from a surplus of 5,467 million in the same period of 2016. This development was driven by both an increase in travel receipts (up 420 million or 6.4%) and a drop in travel payments (down 21 million or 1.9%). The rise in travel receipts was due to an 8.0% increase in inbound traveller flows, as average expenditure per trip declined by 1.4%. Net receipts from travel services offset 55.3% of the goods deficit and accounted for 69.6% of total net receipts from services.
Travel receipts
In July 2017, as mentioned previously, travel receipts increased by 5.3% year-on-year. In more detail, receipts from residents of the EU28 rose by 2.4% to 1,910 million, while receipts from outside the EU28 also rose, by 11.8% (July 2017: 930 million, July 2016: 832 million). The rise in receipts from within the EU28 was due to increased receipts by 3.6% from euro area residents (July 2017: 1,173 million, July 2016: 1,132 million) and by 0.5% from residents of non-euro area EU28 countries (July 2017: 738 million, July 2016: 734 million). Breaking down receipts by visitors country of origin, receipts from France fell by 11.0% to 188 million, whereas receipts from Germany increased by 10.1% to 370 million. Receipts from the United Kingdom also increased by 12.7% to 385 million. Turning to non-EU28 countries, receipts from Russia rose by 12.0% to 110 million, whereas receipts from the United States decreased by 11.6% to 127 million.
In January-July 2017, travel receipts increased by 6.4% year-on-year to 7,039 million. This development is attributed to increases in receipts from within the EU28 by 5.6% to 4,595 million and in receipts from outside the EU28 by 8.5% to 2,195 million. In particular, receipts from euro area residents rose by 9.7% to 2,868 million, whereas receipts from residents of non-euro area EU28 countries fell by 0.7% to 1,727 million. Specifically, receipts from France rose by 3.9% to 465 million and receipts from Germany increased by 13.5% to 1,059 million. Receipts from the United Kingdom also increased, by 7.5% to 1,015 million. Turning to non-EU28 countries, receipts from Russia rose by 11.3% to 231 million, whereas receipts from the United States decreased by 11.2% to 366 million.
Inbound traveller flows
In July 2017, the number of inbound visitors rose by 10.2% year-on-year to 5,142 thousand. Specifically, visitor flows through airports increased by 10.3% and visitor flows through road border-crossing points increased by 10.6%. This development is attributed to higher visitor flows from both within the EU28 (up 8.7%) and outside the EU28 (up 13.4%). In greater detail, visitors from the euro area increased by 6.9% to 1,737 thousand, while visitors from the non-euro area EU28 countries also rose, by 10.7% (July 2017: 1,679 thousand, July 2016: 1,517 thousand). Specifically, the number of visitors from France increased by 4.4% to 274 thousand, as did the number of visitors from Germany, by 13.9% to 514 thousand. The number of visitors from the United Kingdom also increased, by 24.3% to 560 thousand. Turning to non-EU28 countries, the number of visitors from Russia rose by 6.4% to 127 thousand, whereas the number of visitors from the United States fell by 14.9% to 117 thousand.
In January-July 2017, the number of inbound visitors rose by 8.0% to 13,082 thousand (January-July 2016: 12,111 thousand). Specifically, visitor flows through airports increased by 10.9%, while visitor flows through road border-crossing points also increased, by 1.8%. In the period under review, the number of visitors from within the EU28 increased by 8.2% year-on-year to 8,748 thousand, as did the number of visitors from outside the EU28, by 7.7% to 4,334 thousand. Visitors from the euro area increased by 13.8%, while visitors from the non-euro area EU28 countries also rose, by 2.6%. Specifically, the number of visitors from France increased by 9.0% to 687 thousand, as did the number of visitors from Germany, by 16.6% to 1,562 thousand. Visitors from the United Kingdom also increased, by 10.1% to 1,518 thousand. Finally, turning to non-EU28 countries, the number of visitors from Russia increased by 11.4% to 313 thousand, whereas the number of visitors from the United States fell by 6.2% to 416 thousand.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Dimboukas License: CC-BY-SA
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has agreed to pump $150 million in direct investments in Egypts agriculture sector in partnership with the countrys private sector, a senior Egyptian government official said.
The investments aim at developing the countrys nutrition sector, introducing the newest technologies in manufacturing, as well as providing new job opportunities for the youth Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr was quoted as saying Emirates news agency Wam, which cited Ahram Online.
The IFC is a member of the World Bank Group, which focuses on developing the private sector in developing countries.
The deal comes following a meeting between Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi with World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim in New York on Thursday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings, where the two discussed cooperation between Egypt and the bank.
Nasr expressed her aspirations for further cooperation with the World Bank group, and hopes to sign new investment agreements during the upcoming annual meetings of the Bank in Washington in October.
According to the World Banks data, the current portfolio of the World Bank in Egypt includes 26 projects for a total commitment of $5.92 billion.
Egypts net foreign direct investment rose by 14.5 per cent to $7.9 billion in the 2016/17 fiscal year.
Constitution accommodates aspirations of all Nepalis: PM
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that the Constitution of Nepal accommodates the aspirations of all Nepalis and lays the foundation for the countrys inclusive development and economic prosperity.
AIM Startup, a major initiative by the UAE Ministry of Economy and part of the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM), has partnered with key Saudi Arabian institutions that will help spearhead entrepreneurship in the region.
Dawood Al Shezawi, chief executive officer of AIM Startup, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Osama Ashri, head of Development and Strategic Alliances of Prince Mohammad Bin Salman College of Business that will see both organisations nurture the growth of entrepreneurship in the region.
Al Shezawi also signed an MoU with Nawaf Al Sahhaf, chief executive officer of Badir Programme for Technology Incubators KSA, confirming the programmes participation as a Gold Sponsor Saudi of AIM Startup 2017-2018.
Entrepreneurship is an important solution to the needs of the Arab youth and we have seen a major shift in government policies to empower the youth with the right tools so that they can become job creators, instead of becoming job-seekers, Al Shezawi said, following the signing of the agreements.
AIM Startup with a theme of Technology for Sustainable Development and Inclusive Growth is going to become the epicentre of entrepreneurship and start-up movement in the Arab World and the latest partnership with three key Saudi institutions will help us to strengthen the start-up movement in the region and help spearhead youth employment.
AIM Startup is a platform where disruptive startups from across the world gather to present their groundbreaking products or services on a truly global stage. AIM Startup was launched in 2017 as an initiative of the UAE Ministry of Economy to connect promising startups with investors and business partners from other parts of the world.
AIM Startup is set in the heart of the UAEs Annual Investment Meeting, the worlds leading FDI Platform for emerging markets and held under the Patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
This year, 200 promising startups will convene under one roof to meet with investors, corporates, government representatives and industry experts and will be given the opportunity to demo their groundbreaking solutions to a global audience of more than 20,000 people.
Our deals to partner with three Saudi Arabian institutions are aimed at supporting the public sector initiatives with private sector participation and help the development of a healthy entrepreneurship eco-system that will continue to develop and help fund start-ups and create new tech-based employment, Al Shezawi said.
The number of start-ups in the Mena region spiked during the early 2000s with more than 150 initiatives by business incubators and non-profit organisations able to provide support services to aspiring entrepreneurs. In fact, for technology start-ups alone, more than 450 deals in the Mena region received a total investment of $750 million between 2013 and 2015, according to the State of Digital Investment in Mena report published in 2016.
A World Economic Forum report said: Middle Eastern cities have a long way to go before they can compete with leading global start-up hubs. Not a single Arab nation featured in The Global Startup Genome Ecosystem Report 2017, a survey which ranks global cities according to their ability to create environments in which start-ups thrive.
The good news is there is plenty of room for growth: Just 8 per cent of businesses in Mena have a digital presence, as compared to 80 per cent in the US, while 1.5 per cent of Menas retail sales are transacted digitally. The digital market is estimated to add $95 billion in annual GDP by 2020, with each digital job creating 2-4 more jobs in the economy.
AIM Startups initiatives will help increase the number of Arab entrepreneurs who will create employment and help absorb millions of young men and women waiting to be hired in the GCC and the wider Mena region.
Recent research by the Magnitt a large startup facilitator found the region now has over 3,000 startups and looked more closely at the founders of Menas top 100 funded startups.
It estimates there has been more than $870 million in startup investment last year. It found that the top 100 startups together have raised over $1.42 billion in funding and each startup has raised more than $500,000 individually.
It also found that on average, founders of the top 100 startups in the Mena region have 9 years of experience before starting. Some 40 per cent of startups were created by sole founders and 39 per cent have two co-founders. In terms of diversity, 12 per cent of successful founders are female in comparison to 15 per cent in the EU and 17 per cent in the US. It also found the UAE hosts 50 per cent of Menas top funded startups.
Some 68 per cent of Mena startup founders originate from the Middle East, despite many having dual citizenship. In terms of origin, 38 per cent of Menas 100 startup founders are from Lebanon and Jordan with only 16 per cent of startups headquartered there. That betrays something else: Dubai has become the Delaware of the Middle East, with actual HQs and development teams elsewhere.
With world population nearing 9 billion by 2025, sustainability should be at the heart of every conversation today. With world hunger, poverty, water scarcity, wasteful consumption, climate degradation and inequality threatening the very fabric of our social, environmental and economic well-being, now is the time to get actively involved if we wish to create the future that we desire, Al Shezawi concluded.
AIM Startup will host the second edition of its annual Innovation Showcase and Pitch Competition from April 9-11, 2018, in Dubai, UAE, in conjunction with the Annual Investment Meeting, Dubai International Government Achievements Exhibition, International Property Show, and Future Cities Show. TradeArabia News Service
Following last years success, leading platform Propertyfinder has signed up as the official property portal partner for the 10th edition of The Bahrain International Property Exhibition (Bipex) which opens its doors next month.
The event will be held at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Center from October 26 to 28 under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.
At the upcoming show, Propertyfinder.bh will be showcasing its comprehensive and technologically advanced portal and app to real estate professionals and visitors, said the event organisers, Bahrain Society of Engineers (BSE).
The Propertyfinder Group established in the UAE in 2007, is now present in seven key Middle Eastern markets with over 150,000 unique property listings across the propertyfinder Group network.
Each month, there are over 1 million visitors to propertyfinder Group sites with more than 7 million page views, they added.
Mohammed Khalil Alsayed, the chairman of Bipex 2017 board of directors, said: "We are happy to have propertyfinder.bh support us this year once again. This platform is an added value to all our exhibitors as it allows them to extend their reach in the GCC to the targeted audience."
As Bahrains leading property show, Bipex holds a significant place in the kingdoms real estate industry calendar of events, noted Alsayed.
"Several exhibitors have seen successful results using the portal and propertyfinder.bh will share that success during the exhibition. We both share the vision of promoting real estate projects by top developers that are helping to shape the region, and the economy overall," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Aramco took part in the four-day Biban SMEs Forum 2017, organised by the Small and Medium Enterprises Authority (Monshaat), which concluded recently (September 20) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulaziz Al-Abdulkarim, vice president for Procurement & Supply Chain Management of Saudi Aramco, speaking during a panel discussion, said that such events serve economic development by supporting the crucially important entrepreneurship sector, fostering communication among SMEs, government and private sector, and leveraging innovative ideas.
In addition, promoting the success of SMEs, especially within the energy sector, aligns with Saudi Aramcos In-Kingdom Total Value Add (iktva) Program that aims at developing local content, creating jobs, and increasing the Kingdoms exports of energy products and services, he added. During the past three years, an annual average spending of approximately $12 billion was spent with over 4,000 SME, either directly by Saudi Aramco or through its supply chain.
Saudi Aramco participated in the event as a diamond sponsor and exhibitor through its Entrepreneurship Center (Waed) to highlight Waeds strategies and programs that nurture entrepreneurial ideas into viable projects and businesses.
An enabling ecosystem for small and medium enterprises is vital to the Kingdoms economic development and diversification objectives. Saudi Aramco took the initiative by creating Waed as a business incubator that offers entrepreneurs training, consulting services, non-collateral loans, and venture capital funding. It also helps in building relationships with key stakeholders in human resources, finance and market access, Al-Abdulkarim said.
Since its inception, Waed has provided $74 million in funding to about 96 companies, including a number of projects in the medical sector, technology marketing, and innovative solutions such as online payments. Waed plays a vital role in the Kingdoms knowledge-based economy amid expectations that start-ups will offer valuable products and services and create thousands of new jobs.
Biban Forum aims to develop the Kingdoms SMEs, which are represented by senior officials from different sectors, government bodies, investors, entrepreneurs, advisors, and organizers. TradeArabia News Service
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states have provided assistance to Yemen worth more than $15 billion over the last ten years, a senior GCC official revealed.
''Since 2015 until August 2017, the amount of humanitarian assistance provided to Yemen stood at $3 billion. Pledges of GCC donors within the international response plan for 2017 was more than $450 million while that outside the response plan amounted to $2.7 billion,'' Dr Abdulaziz bin Hamad Al-Owaisheq, Assistant Secretary-General of the GCC for Political Affairs and Negotiations, was quoted as saying by Wam, the official Emirates news agency.
He was speaking at a UN-organised, high-level meeting, which was held in New York on Friday on the fringes of the UN General Assembly's 72nd session, to discuss the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
During the meeting, in which GCC participated as an associate president together with the Kingdom of Sweden and the Kingdom of Holland, Dr. Al-Owaisheq confirmed the pioneering role of the GCC member countries in providing support for Yemen to help its people sustain the current crisis.
Developmental assistance, appropriated for infrastructure and rehabilitation projects, was over $11 billion. The GCC states have donated more than $90 million to curb cholera in Yemen and provided more than $600 tonnes of venous solutions targeting more than 350,000 beneficiaries, he informed.
Dr. Al-Owaisheq urged the donor community to increase their finance levels for the response plan for Yemen and accelerate the procedure of disbursing the pledges they made at Geneva on 25th April, 2017. He noted that some countries including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Britain and the United States have financed the plan with more than they previously pledged.
ON THE MOVE: Wedbush Hires Pair of Futures Traders
Wedbush Securities has hired futures trading veterans William Barry and Steven Slovak as Managing Directors to help grow and serve its institutional clients. The pair will work in the firms Fixed Income Financing, Futures and Rates Group and report to Managing Director Scott Skyrm. The two are based in Wedbushs New York office and will focus on expanding Wedbushs presence in the futures, options, and fixed income spaces leveraging a combined 60+ years of experience to help establish and further develop relationships with institutions seeking customized, low-latency trading services.
Bill Barry brings over 27 years of experience in securities trading business development. Previously, he served as Head of Global Business Development at Sage Trader, and as Managing Director at TFS Derivatives Corporation in New York. With a track record of work with institutional clients, Barry also worked in global business development at Jefferies, and 15 years leading international business development at Penson Worldwide.
Steve Slovak also served in Global Futures Business Development at Sage Trader, and as Director at TFS Derivatives Corporation. Previously, he worked at Jefferies, Inc., spending five years working in business development at Penson, and 12 years managing the international trade desk at Fimat USA, LLC.
If you have a new job or promotion to report, let me know at jdantona@marketsmedia.com
Market veteran Nick Savona has joined AX Trading as a Senior Advisor. Savona, a 26 year professional, was last with Global Maxfin Capital, a Toronto-based investment broker-dealer. While there, he sat on the institutional sales desk and launched a business handling employee stock option exercises and buybacks for public and private issuers. He has worked at TD Securities, ITG Canada, Northland Capital Partners and Liquidnet, as well as being active in the Securities Traders' Association.
Torstone Technology, a provider of post-trade securities and derivatives processing, has hired Mack Gill as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and member of the Board of Directors, based at Torstones London headquarters. Gill has a wealth of experience in capital markets technology, having worked with the worlds leading exchanges, clearing houses, depositories, banks and brokers; most recently in his role as CEO of MillenniumIT, a leading trading technology company and subsidiary of London Stock Exchange Group. Prior to that, he had a long tenure as a senior executive of global technology group, SunGard (now FIS), where he held a number of leadership roles including president of SunGard Technology Services, with responsibility for SunGards global technology strategy and consulting business.
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Rautes in Dailekh get help for Dashain festival (With photos)
Rautes in Dailekh district have received help from the Home Ministry to celebrate this year's Dashain festival.
Doctors protest hits patients hard
The ongoing strike called by the Nepal Medical Association has affected hundreds of thousands of patients across the country.
Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, September 24
A city resident, Parvesh Masih, who has twice toured the country on bicycle, now wishes to go on a world tour. For this, he is seeking the Union Governments assistance.
The objective of his cycle expedition is to promote world peace and prosperity.
Earlier, he had toured the country on January 20, 2009 that began from Attari-Wagah border. He covered thousands of kilometres, visiting UP, Uttarakhand, Tibet, Leh, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Nepal, Assam, Sikkim, Bhutan, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Silchar, Mizoram and Manipur. He also toured Nepal and Bhutan in that expedition. It was his second expedition.
He said during his tour across the country he found countrymen peace loving and respectful. There was no discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, big or small. Politicians create trouble in order to increase their number of supporters, he said.
Responding to how he got the idea of his bicycle trips, he said, When I was small, I saw in movies the beautiful scene of nature, seas and mountains. There was an urge to see the natures beauty. It was then I decided that whether I have money or not, I will see the entire world and sought Gods blessing to undertake this journey.
His first cycle trip was from Amritsar to Kanyakumari. His cycle trips were not sponsored except that he was helped by the public wherever he reached.
He is married and has two sons and two daughters.
Tribune News Service
Mohali, September 24
The police today claimed to be close to cracking the blind double murder case of 65-year-old senior journalist KJ Singh and his 92-year-old mother Gurcharan Kaur.
Sources said the case had almost been cracked as the police had zeroed in on certain acquaintances of the victims as suspects, but was avoiding coming on record in this connection. Inspector General (Crime) Shashi Prabha Dwivedi, who is heading the special investigating team (SIT), said there was some development. However, she did not reveal anything.
Our teams are working on scrutinising the CCTV footage and call details in the case. We are sure that there will be a result in a day or two, said the IG (Crime).
A senior police official said on condition of anonymity that they had zeroed in on certain suspects. We are working on two-three theories, including a property angle and some relation, in the case. We have zeroed in on certain suspects in this regard. Certain facts are being verified, said the official, indicating that the case was on the verge being worked out.
After the cremation of both victims, Mohali SP (Detective) Harbir Singh Atwal, along with DSP Alam Vijay Singh and Inspector Sukhwinder Singh, reached the victims residence to record the statements of some close relatives again.
Atwal said they recorded the statements of some close relatives of the victims this evening as some facts needed to be verified again.
Apart from the SIT, teams of the Mohali police have been constituted to investigate the case.
Call details
KJ Singhs mobile phone, which the assailants took along, was switched on till around 9.15 pm on Friday. The last call, which lasted 280 seconds, was made by KJ Singh to his elder brother VP Singh at 7.27 pm on Friday. After that two messages from the service providers were received on KJ Singhs mobile phone at 8.49 pm. Ajay Pal, nephew of KJ Singh (who had gone to give lunch to his uncle on Friday), claimed that he too had sent some jokes to his uncle around 9.15 pm the same day. My messages were delivered to him but these were not seen. My uncle used to come online within 10 minutes normally but that wasn't the case on Friday, said Ajay Pal. The police claimed that 14 phone calls were made/received by KJ Singh on Friday. There was no call to/from any unknown person. Apart from the calls, the details of his phone showed some messages, most of which were sent by the service provider, said the police. The mobile phone of Gurcharan Kaur, which was also taken away by the miscreants, was found switched off. The police said she received a call from her daughter around 12.15 pm on Friday.
CCTV footage
According to the police, they have procured the footage of two CCTV cameras so far. The police are waiting for a neighbour, who is out of station, to return to get the footage from a third CCTV camera. Sources said the footage of one of the cameras showed rain. We are checking the movement of any vehicle or the Ford Ikon car which was taken away by the assailants after the crime, said the sources, adding that they were hopeful of getting some vital information from the CCTV footage.
Cremation
KJ Singh and his mother were cremated around 1.30 pm at the Mohali cremation ground on Sunday. The last rites were performed by KJ Singhs elder brother VP Singh. The Media Adviser of Capt Amarinder Singh expressed condolences to the family on behalf of the Chief Minister. Apart from close family members, a number of journalists from the tricity were present at the cremation ground. Earlier, the police handed over the bodies of the victims to the family after the postmortem around 12 noon.
KJs last chat with brother
According to family members, during his last chat on the phone with his elder brother VP Singh on Friday, KJ Singh talked about some person keeping an eye on his house for at least for "two and a half hours". He (KJ) told him (VP Singh) that a person was keeping an eye on the house since 4 pm and remained there till he (KJ) locked the main gate around 6.30 pm, said Yashpal Kaur, KJ Singh's younger sister. She said KJ Singh had also told her about somebody having thrown a thin but sharp iron rod in the house around 15 to 20 days ago. He told me that when he came out to check, he found nobody there, said Yashpal Kaur, adding that had her brother apprised the police of both incidents, the lives of her mother and brother could have been saved.
No clue of KJ's Ford Ikon
The police have no clue of KJ Singhs green Ford Ikon car, which the miscreants took along after the crime. Mohali SSP Kuldeep Singh Chahal said the police had no clue of his car. The car is still untraceable, said Chahal.
Gate lock mystery
While family members claimed that KJ Singh used to lock the gate of the house from inside around 6.30 pm every day, the police claimed that they found no lock on the gate. According to Rekha, the domestic help, she came around 9 am on Friday. She rung the door bell several times from outside the gate of the house, which was found closed.
Multiple stab injuries
According to the preliminary postmortem report, KJ Singh received multiple stab injuries, between 14 and 17, with some sharp weapons while his mother was strangled to death. According to a member of three-member medical board, which conducted the postmortem of the victims on Sunday, the victims seemed to have died between 2 am and 4 am. On multiple injuries on KJ Singhs body, the doctor said one stab injury was close to his heart. His throat was also slit. He was stabbed repeatedly in the chest and abdomen. Besides, three fingers of his right hand were also found cut. He had multiple cut marks on his arms, hands and other body parts, said the doctor on condition of anonymity. The final report of the postmortem would be submitted to the police on Monday.
3 suspects seen in the locality
At least three criminals are suspected to be involved in the crime. An eyewitness saw three persons standing near the Ford Ikon car of KJ Singh around 9 pm on Friday, the day of the crime. The eyewitness told the police that one of them was smoking. The police are scrutinising the CCTV footage to get further clues in this regard.
Sandeep Sinha
The first time I heard of KJ Singh was when I met the then Editor-in-Chief of The Tribune, Mr HK Dua. I was then working for Hindustan Times in Delhi and had appeared in an interview for a job with The Tribune. I received a call from Mr Duas office asking me to meet him at the India International Centre (IIC) in Delhi.
Over a breakfast of vada-sambhar, Mr Dua told me it had been decided to hire me. He then asked me about my expected salary. My problem is that the CNE, Mr KJ Singh, gets this much, so I will have to keep it less, he said. I mumbled my agreement.
It was KJ Singh as the CNE that the Bathinda edaition of The Tribune was launched. I did not work with him in the Newsroom at Chandigarh but he helped wherever required.
Before leaving for Bathinda, he asked me to meet everyone in the Newsroom, especially Devinder Bir Kaur, who then headed the Punjab Desk and with whom I was to interact frequently. Do you make your own page? he asked. I also do it, he said.
He sent me the style sheet saying I had too much influence of my previous organisation on me and would keep telling me to retain good stories for the local pages as the edition needed a boost.
Surrounded by a bunch of young enthusiastic greenhorn reporters who saw me as their passport to the Punjab pages in the main paper, he sensed my predicament. Tell them not to push their stories.
The gentle but firm message had its effect.
He would be abreast of developments calling me up once early in the day to say there had been a canal breach in Bathinda. Was I aware? Certainly not sir!
KJ was a stickler for deadline. Copies were expected by 7.30 pm. Early in 2008, there was a tragedy at Chuhar Chak village in Moga district where a train had rammed into a school bus in the early winter morning fog at an unmanned crossing.
I accompanied the reporters to the spot. In the evening, noodle burgers in hand, we sat down in a cyber cafe to file the copies. I called up KJ Singh. We have taken agency copies, he said pointedly. I was astounded. It was only 6 o clock in the evening. I told him the reporters had slogged hard. He then drove home the point, Will the copies come in by 7.30? Needless to say, they were sent.
Outside of work, he was full of warmth on the few occasions that I met him, never refusing me leave, and always replying to my Diwali greetings with, Have a blast.
My last interaction with him was on Facebook where on Gandhi Jayanti day in 2015, I posed a question, Majboori Ka Naam Mahatma Gandhi Kyun Hai?
In reply, he sent me a brilliant blog that analysed why it was so: How Gandhi was helpless when Partition took place, why when all options fail, Gandhi remains the best bet, how Gandhi overcame all majbooris (difficulties) in life, how currency notes have an imprint of Gandhi because majboori emanates from money or lack of it, and relying on Gandhi was everyones majboori as there was no one else.
It was sad and shocking to hear of his death, even more so the manner of it. But his warmth and friendliness, I am sure, will continue to ring a bell.
Focus on farming
The evolution of agriculture in any country is gauged by its average farm size. As agriculture adopts new technologies and innovations, it gradually rises up in scale and subsequently production.
Nitin Jain
Let her be, at least now... Gauri Lankesh met with a violent end. She was not violent. Only she firmly believed in what she did and spoke her mind about it. Time for a dignified mourning for a fine journalist and not wasteful talk whether activism makes one a lesser newsperson or not. By doing so, we are merely laying bare our own, hyperactive allegiances, little else.
Little did KJ Singh, brutally murdered along with his bedridden nonagenarian mother at his Mohali residence on Saturday, who posted these remarks on his Facebook wall on September 6, imagine that he too would meet the fate of Gauri Lankesh, who was gunned down at Bengaluru in Karnataka on September 5.
A tearful farewell was given to Singh and his mother on Sunday afternoon.
Recalling their association with KJ Singh, who had worked in senior positions in The Indian Express, The Times of India and The Tribune, seasoned journalists paid rich compliments to the departed soul and mourned the grave loss to the world of journalism.
Former Senior News Editor of The Indian Express, Parveen K Modi, said: A friendly backstop and a dependable ally, he was an asset on the news desk. Always full-sleeved even on hot and humid summer days, KJ nickname for Karan Jeet; not many of his peers knew his full name had the ability to polish any copy to make it readable. He took to computers like a fish takes to water and knew the language and its nuances well. His tragic death is a great loss to the world of the media, especially the desk. May his soul rest in peace.
His peers also took to the social media to express their outrage.
Kharar AAP MLA Kanwar Sandhu said: I am shocked at the murder of KJ Singh, my journalism colleague of many years. While the police are still investigating the gruesome murder and it may be too early to hazard any guesses, but on first thought one cannot but help saying that this is a telling commentary on the lawlessness that prevails in Punjab. Time for the CM to appoint a full-time Home Minister. I had an occasion to work with KJ closely when I was the Resident Editor of The Indian Express, Chandigarh, from 1993 to 2000. He was one of the senior colleagues on the desk and was instrumental in the launch of Chandigarh Newsline, which became a trendsetter of city pullouts in the country. KJs editing and layout skills were exemplary. He later went on to work for ToI and became the Chief News Editor of The Tribune. Though I had not met him for some time now, his diligence at work and quiet demeanour remains fresh in my memory and will remain so always. Farewell, KJ, my friend!
I still cant believe he is no more. A thorough professional and gentleman. He wouldnt hurt a fly and someone has taken his life so brutally, wrote the former Resident Editor of The Indian Express, Vipin Pubby, on his FB wall.
Senior journalist Manraj Grewal mentioned, Terribly heartbreaking. He was such an amazing person, an awesome teacher. Still cant believe this.
Former Chief of Bureau of The Tribune Prabhjot Singh expressed: Very sad to learn about this gruesome incident. KJ was a lovable, warm, friendly and a peaceful man. Why good people like him had to be a victim of such dastardly violence. My heartfelt condolences to all those who knew him. He was a great friend and a wonderful human being. It is a great personal loss.
Former journalist Ritu Ghai recalled: Fountain pens with different colour inks (something I copy till date), silk scarf around his neck and the infectious smile is what I want to always remember him for and not for September 23. Hope I got the language and punctuation right, KJ! Rest in peace...
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 24
The Panjab University (PU) Senate today decided to suspend assistant professor Komal Singh of public administration department on the campus for being a chronic molester and issue a show-cause notice to him asking why he shouldnt be removed from the service. There have been four complaints against Komal Singh. In two, he has been held guilty, one is still pending and another was later withdrawn.
The Senate is the punishing authority in his case. Meanwhile, some Senators expressed views for reducing punishment against him.
Debate in Senate
Senator Ajay Ranga said, The inquiry report has a lot of loopholes. He (Komal Singh) has problems. He is alcoholic. A family is also attached with him. The punishment of removal from service is harsh and should be lesser. He claimed that recent complaint against him was false.
Prof Chaman Lal said, I have no sympathy with Komal Singh. He is psychologically sick. We have to think about reformative justice, and recommended for sending him on a long forced leave. DP Randhawa also called for lesser punishment and claimed that he was an intelligent person. Prof Shelley Walia called for his rehabilitation.
But Vice-Chancellor Arun Kumar Grover said, How will we ensure safety of women students? He couldnt be allowed to remain in touch with women students. Without students there is no university. Despite being guilty in two cases, a third complaint is pending against him. He added that after his first complaint, he was sent to the University School of Open Learning (USOL) so that he could rehabilitate but he didnt. The USOL is a correspondence studies department.
He forced me to send him back to the public administration department. Then second incident took place. Who pays for his family? They are taxpayers and their wards are being molested, said Prof Grover.
Senator Prof Navdeep Goyal, who is also chairperson of physics department, called for action. As per the Sexual Harassment Act, the employer has to act in 60 days. There is no need to violate it further. The Syndicate has recommended twice for major penalty against him, he said.
IS Chadha and VK Sibal also called for major penalty, which is removal from service. What kind of message will we give to the outside world? said Sibal.
President of the Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA) Prof Rajesh Gill said, He (Komal Singh) is mentally sick and has been indulging in verbal abuse. I agree with Ranga that inquiry report should be discussed. An appropriate action as per the act should be taken.
Prof Rajat Sandhir, former PUTA president, said he had encountered a case where Komal Singh was dragging a girl student in the car. We must accept the report. Society is looking at us. The girl students are looking at us. I am fine with sending him on forced leave of three years for rehabilitation, he said.
Dean of University Instructions Prof Meenakshi Malhotra said, Such cases should be taken seriously. We are sending message that our children are not safe.
Cases against Komal Singh
The first complaint against Singh came when he misbehaved with a student and wrongfully facilitated her in getting a hostel room. Later, the complaint was withdrawn but he had to resign from chairpersonship.
On September 10, 2015, an MA student lodged a complaint against him as he indulged in sexual talks with her. The victim told that on September 4, 2015, Singh called her on phone and said, Teri ankhen badi sundar hai, meri wife se milti hai (Your eyes are very beautiful and are similar to my wifes). Teri ankhon mein bada dard hai (There is pain in your eyes), and I love you, I love you. After the Panjab University Committee against Sexual Harassment (PUCASH) held him guilty, the Syndicate on May 28, 2017 decided to remove him from service which however doesnt disqualify him from future employment.
In the second proved case of sexual harassment of a 3rd year student, as per PUCASH, he used sexually coloured abusive language and pulled the hair of the victim. He was alleged to be drunk. The PUCASH in its report dated May 31, 2017 commented that repetitive misconduct always warrant more stringent punishment and called for major penalty.
The Syndicate in its meeting on June 25 again recommended for his removal from service and condemned him for writing to chancellor too.
In the fourth case, he entered into a class in inebriated condition and misbehaved with women students in the public administration department. The students later lodged the case. It is pending with the PUCASH.
Kharar: A student of CGC-Jhanjeri, Gurjot Singh, suffered serious injuries when his motorcycle was hit by a Santro car near Sante Majra village on the Kharar-Landran road this evening.
He is staying with his friends as a paying guest in Shivalik City. Gurjot was taken to the Civil Hospital, Kharar, where doctors referred him to the PGI. OC
Lt Gen (Retd) Vijay Oberoi
Lt Gen (Retd) Vijay Oberoi
THE media has dubbed the recent Cabinet reshuffle the BJP plan for the 2019 general election while it views the appointment of the new Raksha Mantri (RM) Nirmala Sitharaman more in gender terms rather than abilities! Maybe so, but there was a sense of relief in the bulk of the military fraternity, that this government has stopped treating the defence portfolio as a temporary parking place for political leaders.
But Ms Sitharamans appointment wasnt really a der aaye durust aaye moment though it seems PM Modi has realised that defence was neither a part-time portfolio nor one for a light-weight provincial.
Seasoned political punters were convinced from day one that an IIT graduate like Manohar Parrikar would not be allowed to survive in Delhis political system. Before Parrikar, PM Modi had rewarded a loser at the polls with the two most important portfolios finance and defence forgetting that the incumbent had a bone to pick with the military, as he blamed them for losing the only election he had fought in his long political career!
However, when he brought back the gentleman again as a temporary stand-in, it was perplexing indeed! If he had gone back in time, he may have realised that giving two major portfolios to one person is fraught with danger.
During PM Vajpayees time when External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh was given additional charge of the Defence Ministry, the Indo-Pak Agra Summit was a disaster, possibly because there was one less adviser in the Cabinet.
The importance of a permanent RM is obvious, as the incumbent is a member not just of the Cabinet Committee of Security (CCS), but also of the Cabinet Committee of Political Affairs (CCPA) and Economic Affairs (CCEA), the three most important policy-making committees of the executive. The RM also sits on the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. The RMs presence and independent advice are therefore essential on major policy decisions.
The new RM has ingrained professional abilities: high IQ level; dedication; and common sense; the last being extremely crucial as it is the man behind the gun who is the most important component of the military. There is a need for application of mind before issuing orders and instructions that affect Army personnel. Ms Sitharaman had displayed these attributes when she was the party official spokesperson. Her competence and panache were visible in what are called debates/ panel discussions by our TV channels but actually are verbal slugfests of the worst kind!
After the 2014 elections, she was given the important Commerce portfolio. She may have handled her portfolio well but she did build a positive reputation of being a feisty lady who kept the bureaucracy in line and carried out her assignments without the usual fanfare that political leaders are known for.
Her elevation to head an extremely important ministry was therefore welcome. This Ministry is stuffed with a huge number of bureaucrats, including four Secretary-level officials, who need a strong leader as the defence minister. Hopefully she will be able to deflate their egoistic image of themselves!
But the new RM has started her innings by issuing incorrect orders to the armed forces. Apparently this was done at the behest of the PMO to clean up the litter left by tourists in high-altitude areas. She also issued sundry instructions regarding cleanliness in military stations, cantonments and bases. These orders are absurd, to put it mildly. Obviously, no one has recalled that similar orders were issued in the late 1950s that eventually resulted in the 1962 fiasco.
At that time, then RM VK Krishna Menon had embarked on Project Amar (construction of barracks and family accommodation by troop labour) despite objections by the then Army Chief General KS Thimayya. They were implemented by the ambitious Bijji Kaul, then GOC of 4 Infantry Division at Ambala. The result was the Division had no time to train for war.
Even when the Division had been ordered to move to NEFA (now part of Arunachal Pradesh), plans, Mr Menon was drawing up a blueprint for Project Amar II, which were mercifully jettisoned at the behest of the Army hierarchy. When the war with China erupted in 1962, it was this very division that was annihilated. One need not go into any more details, except to say that if you use the armed forces for carrying out non-military tasks, the result is catastrophic.
Our northern borders continue to be in dispute. Hopefully the sterling role played by the Army in handling the Doklam stand must be fresh in memory. Till the border problem is solved, such incidents will continue. Yet, the mandarins in the PMO have issued an illogical order asking the Army to clean up the litter left behind by uncaring tourists in high-altitude areas, obviously at the cost of their operational tasks and training. It is the dumbest order in the last 50 years. The MoD as usual has acted as a postman and simply forwarded it to the armed forces with the new RM publicly announcing it during her maiden visit to Western Command.
The authority of the civil administration extends to the remotest corners of the country and includes the entire stretch of all land borders of India. It is the job of the civil administration to administer all assigned areas under their control. Why are they first not ensuring that no tourists leave any litter? And if they fail to do so, they have the resources, funds and authority to clean up. The armed forces, both in field areas, peace stations and different types of bases have always kept their habitat clean, green and hygienic. They are actually models for the civilians to emulate. So why have such orders/instructions been issued?
The last pay commission, despite vehement opposition by the armed forces, also decreed high-altitude allowances for civil officials of all categories! Are they earning them?
It appears that since the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has made little headway, the government wants to boast of at least cleaning up the litter of tourists so that their propaganda machinery can save face.
The RM, the PMO and the MoD must rescind this absurd order immediately.
The writer is a former Vice-Chief of Army Staff
Auckland, September 24
Three Indian-origin politicians, including two women, have been elected to New Zealand's Parliament in the General Election, in which the center-right governing party has been placed first but failed to capture a parliamentary majority.
Kanwaljeet Singh Bakshi, Dr Parmjeet Parmar and Priyanca Radhakrishnan have successfully made it to the 121-member Parliament in New Zealand.
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While Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi is all set to begin his fourth successive term, it will be Parmjeet Parmar's second term (both list MPs of National Party), and 38-year-old Priyanca Radhakrishnan will debut as the Labour Party's list MP.
The centre-right National party will have to assemble a coalition if it wants to extend its nine-year hold on power.
The National Party got 46 per cent of the vote, beating back a late surge by the center-left Labour Party, which received 35.8 per cent, New York Times quoted the Electoral Commission statement. Smaller parties took the rest.
The centre-right National Party, which has been in power for nearly a decade, led by Prime Minister Bill English was contested by the centre-left Labour Party led by Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand First Party and the Greens. Prime Minister Bill English delivered a victory speech in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, but his main challenger, the Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern, did not immediately concede defeat.
Bakshi is both, New Zealand's first Indian and first Sikh member of parliament. He was first elected in the 2008 elections. Delhi-born Bakshi graduated from the University of Delhi in 1985 and moved to New Zealand in 2001 with his family.
Mahesh Bindra, a sitting list MP of New Zealand First Party, is out of the Parliament as his party failed to garner enough votes.
Parmar, who lives in Auckland, migrated to New Zealand from India in 1995. She holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Auckland and Bachelor and Masters degrees in Biochemistry from the University of Pune.
Radhakrishnan, born in Paravur in Ernakulam district of Kerala, grew up in Singapore before finally moving to New Zealand as an International student. She attended Victoria University of Wellington and graduated with a Masters degree in Development Studies.
Bakshi, who contested from Manukau East constituency in Auckland, could only secure 3,969 votes against his main Labour Party rival's 14,004. Parmar did better in the Mt Roskill, Auckland constituency and 10,168 people cast their vote in her favour against Labour Party candidate securing 15,843.
Radhakrishnan, who could not secure enough votes in 2014 election to make it to the Parliament, lost again this year and received 10,395 in Maungakiekie, Auckland seat against her rival's 12,338 votes. ANI
When in opposition, politicians want the courts to breathe down the government's neck. Those at the receiving end of the courts' interest, term it as needless judicial activism. On Friday, the Supreme Court asked the states to frame schemes to compensate victims of crime, including cow vigilantism. It had earlier asked states to appoint nodal officers by October 31 to nip this menace. The Court will have more to say when the states file their compliance reports later this month. But the Narendra Modi government can hardly complain about the Supreme Court's order on reigning in the so-called cow protectors. The PM is on record in two speeches in which he decried, with customary practiced passion, the mayhem let loose by self-appointed saviours of bovines. His ideological mentor and the RSS chief has also spoken on the issue, at a closed door meeting with foreign envoys. There is widespread recognition that the turmoil on the streets of India is troubling overseas investors with a social conscience such as the pension funds.
The state is the first responder to any disturbance in law and order. But the ghastly business of cow vigilantism took firm organisational roots with the advent of the BJP government at the Centre. Its karyakartas who became Ministers provided the social and moral legitimacy to the so-called cow protectors as part of their push to create a nation-wide eco system of obscurantist beliefs like Durga being the first Defence Minister. The zealotry of religion has now created terror among professions transporters, dairy farmers and meat traders as well as societal groups, especially the Muslims and Dalits.
The Central Government's quiet acquiescence gave moral legitimacy to the vigilantes by tightening the laws on cattle slaughter. This left the courts as the sole arbitrators of life and liberty. It has stepped into the breach by passing orders for the appointment of senior police officer in every district to stop violence in the name of cow protection. The Modi government's unhelpful attitude and deliberate slothfulness has forced the Court to draw the lines of responsibility and restraint.
Parveen Arora
Tribune News Service
Karnal, September 24
The state crime branch has started inquiry into the death of Bharat, alias Sonu Wadhwa, younger brother of Deputy Mayor Manoj Wadhwa.
Sonus body was recovered from the augmentation canal near Bhusli village on September 15, two days after his car was found abandoned on the bank of the same canal near Unchasamana village.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar visited Manojs residence today to pay his condolences. Leaders of various political parties, local traders and family members and relatives of the deceased handed over a memorandum to Khattar, demanding a fair inquiry.
An INLD leader, Manoj had contested the last Assembly elections against Khattar. Manoj told the Chief Minister that his brother was innocent and was not an accused in the case registered at the Taraori police station on December 30 last.
He said the case was registered against him and their father Radhe Shyam. He said the police had recovered Rs 16.42 lakh from their accountant Mohit and claimed that the amount was Rs 70 lakh.
We had got a clean chit from the Income Tax Department after producing all relevant documents, but the police had been harassing us deliberately, which drove my younger brother to suicide, Manoj told the Chief Minister. Manojs counsel and Congress leader Varinder Rathore told Khattar that the police stated in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on September 21 that the custody of any member of the Deputy Mayors was not required in connection with the case and the court directed the police to file an affidavit.
The Chief Minister assured the bereaved family members that justice would be delivered and the guilty would not be spared.
SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa said SPs Kamal Deep Goyal and Surender Pal Singh had started investigation into the case registered at the Taraori police station and Manojs complaint against two DSPs and an Inspector.
Goyal is inquiring the case registered against Radhe Shyam and his son and Singh is investigating the allegations levelled by Manoj, he said. They had recorded the statements of Manoj and his father while the statements of their accountant and family members were yet to be recorded, he added.
Mukesh Tandon
Tribune News Service
Panipat, September 24
Four days after the molestation of a nine-year-old student in the toilet of The Millennium School, the management removed Amita Kochhar from the post of principal today.
The school management issued a press note this evening that in view of formation of a special investigation team by Deputy Commissioner Chander Shekhar Khare to probe the matter, it decided to relieve Kochhar from her post with immediate effect.
The school management appealed to parents to restore calm and come together for reopening of the school in the interests of education of children.
Enraged over the molestation, score of parents took out a protest march from the school to the women police station in Sector 13.
Members of various social and business organisations took part in the march. Hundreds of protesting parents and children held banners demanding justice and safety.
The protesters staged a dharna in front of the gate of the women police station. The gate of the police station was closed and heavy police posse deployed at the dharna site.
The parents staged a dharna for more than three hours and demanded arrest of the school principal. SDM Vivek Chaudhary and other officials tried to pacify the protesters, but they remained adamant on their demand for arrest.
The parents also gathered in front of the school gate this evening and raised slogans against the school management and principal.
Teachers back principal
Teachers of The Millennium School protested at the DCs residence against sacking of Amita Kochhar, alleging that the principal was removed under pressure. They said principals and teachers of all private schools in the district would take to the streets on Monday if the principal was not reinstated.
Ashok Raina
Kangra, September 24
Tension gripped Kangra town today following the murder of a 29-year-old labourer from Uttar Pradesh and subsequent protests against the police for not nabbing the actual culprit even after the lapse of 18 hours.
Sanjeev Chauhan, Sub-divisional Police Officer, Kangra, said Sewa Lal Nishad, a resident of Lockipur in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, was working as a labourer here and was stabbed to death in the Jayanti Vihar locality of the town last evening.
He said three persons were suspected to have been involved in the crime and one of them was arrested under Section 302 of the IPC and the police were looking for the other two co-accused persons involved in the crime.
According to the relatives of the victim, at 8.30 pm, the victim received a call from his co-workers from Jayanti Vihar that there was an altercation between two other persons. Sewa Lal rushed to the spot where one of the accused persons arrived and allegedly stabbed Sewa Lal to death. Raju Nishad, cousin of the victim, alleged that the police arrested only one person and were lax in nabbing the other culprits. He alleged that the actual person was absconding due to police inaction.
The relatives of the victim and other migrants gathered outside the police station and kept the body there and blocked the main bazaar road leading to the temple. They raised slogans against the police and demanded justice. The protesters were joined by the wife of the victim and his other women members of the family. At one point of time, even the protesters tried to gatecrash into the police station. The police, however, stopped them from entering the police station.Chauhan tried to persuade the protesters, but in vain.
Meanwhile, the protesters took away the body from outside the police station and placed it on the Matour-Shimla state highway at Tehsil Chowk, leaving the traffic blocked on both sides. Tension prevailed in the area when hundreds of vehicles got stuck and the unarmed police was a mute spectator to the situation. Thousands of pilgrims are visiting the temple town in connection with the Ashwin Navratri and they had to face inconvenience.
The road remained blocked for one and half hours and even after an additional force arrived on the spot and Bhadur Singh, SHO, Kangra, tried to persuade them, yet the police were unable to pacify them. The police then took away the body from Tehsil Chowk. The protesters tried to chase the vehicle carrying the body, but in vain.
It was following the action by the police, the traffic was resumed on the highway. The police later handed over the body to his relatives and the body was cremated this evening.
The protesters sought intervention of the Utter Pradesh Chief minister Yogi Aditinath for giving them justice.Chauhan said that some protesters were booked for blocking the highway.
Blocked road opens after cops take away body
The road remained blocked for one and half hours and even after an additional force arrived on the spot and Bhadur Singh, SHO, Kangra, tried to persuade them, yet the police were unable to pacify them. The police then took away the body from Tehsil Chowk. The protesters tried to chase the vehicle carrying the body, but in vain. It was following the action by the police,, the traffic was resumed on the highway. The police later handed over the body to his relatives and the body was cremated.
Our Correspondent
UNA, SEPTEMBER 24
Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Prem Kumar Dhumal today said that the decision of the Virbhadra Singh government to seek additional loan amounting to Rs 700 crores was not right. Addressing media persons while on way to Delhi, he said the decision will put an extra burden on the states exchequer.
Dhumal said it was Virbhadra Singhs old habit of taking huge amounts of loans just before the expiry of his term to seek cheap publicity. He said the BJP governments have been forced to re-pay the installments when they come to power. He quipped that Virbhadra Singhe ideology was the same as that of ancient Indian sage Chavarak, who believed in living happily on the basis of the loans secured.
Dhumal said BJP chief Amit Shahs rally at Kangra had inthused the party cadres, who have fanned out to their respective areas to campaign for the BJP.
Reiterating that a number of Congress ministers and MLAs were ready to join the BJP, he said these leaders have been categorically told to join the BJP unconditionally.
Dhumal said the Central and state BJP leaders are keen to decide party candidates for the Assembly elections at the earliest. The BJP has conducted many surveys across the length and breadth of the state, which will help the party identify the winning candidates for the elections. He added that winnability would be the only criteria for allocation of party tickets for the Assembly elections.
Leaving out experts suggestions will have consequences: Dr KC
As parliamentarians rush to endorse the Health Profession Education (HPE) Bill without incorporating major suggestions of experts, Dr Govinda KC has warned of a fresh hunger strike from October 6.
Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, September 24
Three unidentfied militants were killed in a gunfight close to the Line to Control in Baramulla district of north Kashmir, Army said, adding that a combing operation is under way.
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The gunfight broke in Kalgai Uri, over 110 km from Srinagar, when the Army noticed movement of militants during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.
"An operation was immediately launched and a gunfight broke subsequently when militants believed to be three in number opened fire," defence sources said.
The operation was carried out en route from border town of Uri to Kaman. There was a possibility that the militants may have infiltrated only last night.
Army said three militants have been killed and a combing operation is under way. The identity of the slain militants is yet to be ascertained.
Two civilians and a soldier have also been wounded.
Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Shesh Paul Vaid said the militants trapped in Uri were planning a fidayeen attack on the lines of last year that had left 19 soldiers dead.
Last year, on September 18, an Army base in the Uri responsible for guarding the LoC came under attack, when a group of four fidayeen of the Lashkar-e-Toiba stormed it. At least 19 soldiers were killed in the attack. This was followed by the Army launching surgical strikes on militant launch pads in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, September 24
An alert Special Police Officer (SPO) on Sunday morning threw back a grenade tossed by militants inside a security vehicle in north Kashmir Sopore sub district on Sunday morning, averting a major tragedy as 15 security men were inside the vehicle.
However, the grenade exploded outside injuring four men, including the SPO.
Police said militants lobbed grenade towards a security forces vehicle in the main market near the State Bank of India branch and it fell inside it.
The alert SPO threw away grenade to safer place, which was hurled inside SF vehicle thus saving lives of dozen police, CRPF and civilians in Sopore, a police spokesman said.
Four persons, including the SPO, were injured in the grenade explosion.
"The injured were shifted to hospital where their condition is stated to be stable," a police officer said.
The area was immediately cordoned by the security forces to trace the militants involved in the attack.
Newton
A black-comedy film directed by Amit V Masurkar, Newton has been produced by Drishyam Films. In 2013, Masurkar had debuted in Bollywood with an independent film titled Sulemani Keeda. Newton is his second film and had its world premiere at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. The story of the film revolves around Newton Kumar, a rookie government clerk sent on election duty to a Naxalite and conflict-ridden jungles of Chhattisgarh, India. Stuck between security forces and communist rebels guerrilla attacks, he tries to conduct fair voting.
The film is meant for a niche audience and is backed by a compelling social message. My mom and I liked the movie, but we dont think masses will take to it the way we did.
An extraordinary make
The film has a nice concept, especially about fair elections in Chhattisgarh. The makers of the film have left no stone unturned to make the film look good. However, it is a one-time watch.
Sahil, ex-student of DAV College, Sec. 10
Haseena Parkar
Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, Haseena Parkar is a biographical crime thriller that has been produced by Nahid Khan. The film, which was initially titled Haseena: Queen of Mumbai, is based on the life of Dawood Ibrahim's sister Haseena Parkar. The film features Shraddha Kapoor's in her first-ever female lead role. Kapoor's real brother, Siddhanth Kapoor, portrays the role of Dawood Ibrahim, and Ankur Bhatia plays the role of Haseena's husband.
You can do better
In my opinion, Shraddha Kapoors acting was not too good. However, her on-screen husband, Ankur Bhatia, and the opposition lawyer have acted very well in the film. Also, Siddhanth Kapoor could do with some acting classes as well.
Mrinaal, student UILS department, PU
Average job
The storyline and direction of the film were very poor. Both, Haseena Parkar and Dawood did not act well in the film. Their characters, and the storyline, were weak. Overall, its not even a one-time watch.
Jyoti, works in a private company
Bhoomi
Staring Sanjay Dutt, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Sidhant Gupta in lead roles, Bhoomi is a revenge and action thriller. It has been directed and co-produced by Omung Kumar. The film revolves around the story of a doting father (Sanjay Dutt) and his daughter (Aditi Rao Hydari). Like any father, Sanjay chooses the best man for his daughter and dreams of seeing her tying the knot but then she gets sexually assaulted by Sarad Kelkar. What follows is Sanjay Dutt seeking revenge from those who ruined the life of his daughter.
Well-directed
I like the story of the film and it has been directed well too. Aditi Rao and Sanjay Dutts acting is brilliant. Overall, it is a must-watch.
Naman, a BBA student, Chitkara
University
Superb acting
Sanjay Dutt has made a great comeback with this film. I liked the story of the movie. One should go and watch the movie.
Nimrat, student
Nikka Zaildar 2
Starring Ammy Virk, Sonam Bajwa, and Wamiqa Gabbi in prominent roles Nikka Zaildar 2 is a Punjabi drama film directed by Simerjit Singh.
A good act
This is a great film. I hope everyone will love it. I liked this instalment of the film better than the first one.
Mandeep, student, DAV College, Sector 10
(As told to Taranjeet Kaur)
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, September 23
Former Aam Aadmi Party leader Anjali Damania claimed on Saturday that gangster Dawood Ibrahim telephoned her from Pakistan and threatened to harm her if she did not withdraw cases filed against former Maharashtra minister Eknath Khadse..
Damania, an anti-corruption activist, said that Truecaller a telephone directory and reverse telephone directory application that has an integrated caller ID that displays details of the caller listed the number under the name Dawood 2.
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Damania said on Twitter that she got the call at 12.33 am, from a number with the country code +92 Pakistans code. In tweets that followed her first, Damania also said she had informed the chief minister and demanded action.
Last nght at 12.33,I recd a threatening call asking me to withdraw all cases against Khadse +922135871719 Truecaller shows Dawood 2 Pakistan.
Informed CM on threat call frm a landline number of Pakistan,asking me to withdraw all cases against Eknath Khadse.Jt CP Crime investigating.
I appeal to PM @narendramodi @PMOIndia & @rajnathsingh to give me time to urgently see them.Threat call? to a citizen? I want my Govt to act.
Last nght at 12.33,I recd a threatening call asking me to withdraw all cases against Khadse +922135871719 Truecaller shows Dawood 2 Pakistan pic.twitter.com/9GUqR2VVNt Mrs Anjali Damania (@anjali_damania) September 23, 2017
Informed CM on threat call frm a landline number of Pakistan,asking me to withdraw all cases against Eknath Khadse.Jt CP Crime investigating pic.twitter.com/Gsws5rO8WK Mrs Anjali Damania (@anjali_damania) September 23, 2017
I appeal to PM @narendramodi @PMOIndia & @rajnathsingh to give me time to urgently see them.Threat call? to a citizen? I want my Govt to act Mrs Anjali Damania (@anjali_damania) September 23, 2017
Indias most notorious gangster Dawood Ibrahim, who has been accused of having been the mastermind behind the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai that killed 257 people and left 713 grievously wounded, is currently believed to be in Pakistan.
She said she reported the call to Vakola police station in Mumbais western suburb Santacruz, but later accused police of not taking her complaint seriously.
"I have spoken to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who assured me that the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) will look into the matter," Damania told reporters.
Police have registered an FIR for criminal intimidation and criminal intimidation through anonymous communication under the Indian Penal Code, a policeman sai.
Khadse, who held several important portfolios in the Fadnavis cabinet, had to resign after allegations of corruption made against him by Damania and others in a public interest litigation petition. However, he denied the charges.
Shahira Naim
Tribune News Service
Lucknow, September 24
Several Banaras Hindu University students, including girls, were injured on Saturday night when Uttar Pradesh Police lathicharged them outside the Vice-Chancellors residence.
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The police from 18 neighbouring police stations jointly participated in the operation in which the police used tear gas shells and resorted to lathicharge on the protesting students. The police also allegedly fired at the students who retaliated with brick batting.
Local journalist, who were covering the midnight operation, alleged that male policemen did not even spare girl students.
The students alleged that the police thrashed them and dragged them by hair, but DM Varanasi, who was present on the spot, denied the claims.
Following the operation, an undeclared curfew-like situation prevails on the university campus. While the Dussehra break has been advanced by three days, the university has been shut till October 2. Vice-Chancellor G C Tripathi has warned of action against students if they do not vacate hostels by 5 pm on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the campus on Sunday turned into a fortress as girl students took out a peaceful march to protest against the police action.
BHU students have been protesting for the last few days against alleged molestation of a university student and the failure of the administration to act against motorcycle-borne men.
A large number of student protesters had been squatting in front of the Vice-Chancellors residence inside the campus and at one of the university gates for the last few days.
Due to the unrelenting students, the district administration had to change the route of Prime Minister Narendra Modis entourage away from the BHU crossing.
A large number of students were injured, some of them critically, in the brutal police action hours after PM Modi left his constituency.
For two days, the entire administration was on VVIP duty as besides the Prime Minister, Governor Ram Naik, CM Yogi Adityanath and several Central and state ministers were present.
Besides local journalist, several journalists from Lucknow covering the PMs Varanasi visit have also been injured in the attack.
A large number of CRPC and PAC have been posted on the campus where a curfew-like situation prevails.
While no district-level official was available for reaction, a doctor admitted that many students were brought to the BHUs trauma centre with injuries. Six policemen were also injured in the attack.
The protest started when a woman student of the Arts Faculty alleged that she was molested by three bike-borne men inside the campus as she returned to her hostel.
The three men abused her and fled when she resisted their attempts, she said.
The woman alleged that security guards, about 100 metres from where the incident happened, did nothing to stop the men.
She said her warden, instead of taking up the issue with her superiors, asked her why she was returning late to the hostel.
The wardens response angered the other residents of the hostel, who sat on a dharna at the main gate midnight Thursday.
One of the students even got her head tonsured.
The students said they have to face eve-teasers inside the campus regularly and the university administration was not taking any action to stop the miscreants.
The university has said it would advance its holidays which was scheduled from September 28-October 2 by four days starting Sunday.
Chief Minister Adityanath has demanded a report from the divisional commissioner over the incident, as opposition chorus grew condemning police action.
Principal Secretary Information Avanish Awasthi said that the Principal Secretary Home has spoken to district-level officers and the Varanasi District Magistrate had assured of proper investigation.
Criticism
Congress vice-president criticised the BJP of the violence.
"BJP version of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao in BHU," Gandhi said in his tweet, evoking the NDAs social campaign and attaching a video link of students who claimed that they were beaten up by male policemen at the campus.
Also in a tweet, former chief minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav criticised police action. The government should find a solution through talks and not force, he tweeted. With agencies
New Delhi, September 24
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for recognising his government's "great vision" of setting up IITs and IIMs during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) address.
Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 24, 2017
Taking to his Twitter page, the Congress leader said, "Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs."
Also read: Sushma at UN: We create IITs, Pak jihad factories
Addressing the 72nd UNGA session in New York, EAM Swaraj on Saturday ripped apart Pakistan and said that India has established institutions like IITs, IIMs and AIIMS and Pakistan had created terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Haqqani network.
She added that India had produced scholars, doctors and engineers but the Asian neighbour produced terrorists. EAM Swaraj's fiery speech bashing Pakistan garnered attention from all the corners and several politicians, including Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh hailed her befitting reply to the Islamabad.
Congratulations to Smt. @SushmaSwaraj on her powerful, measured and nuanced articulation of Indias stand on the issue of terrorism at #UNGA Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 23, 2017
Singh took to Twitter and said, "Congratulations to Smt. @SushmaSwaraj on her powerful, measured and nuanced articulation of India's stand on the issue of terrorism at #UNGA (sic)"
He further tweeted, "Her measured responses in spite of provocations speak volumes of her maturity & tenacity. She has exposed Pakistan's duplicity on terrorism." ANI
Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, September 24
Security forces today foiled a Uri-style fidayeen attack, killing all three infiltrators close to the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmirs Baramulla district, even as a special police officer (SPO) in Sopore, showing exemplary bravery, threw away a grenade that landed inside a security vehicle with more than 15 personnel.
Seven persons, including the SPO, were injured when the grenade exploded in a Sopore market.
This is the second grenade attack in Kashmir in the past four days. On Thursday, J&K minister Naeem Akhter had escaped a grenade attack in south Kashmirs Tral.
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The encounter near the LoC in Kalgai Uri, 110 from Srinagar, erupted when the Army spotted three militants late Saturday evening. A cordon was laid around a built-up area where the militants were hiding. A gunfight ensued at 2 am as searches were being carried out close to the Uri Kaman road. Many civilians were evacuated, said defence sources.
Three militants have been killed and three weapons recovered. The combing operation is underway, an officer said, adding that two civilians and a soldier had been injured too. The militants are yet to be identified.
Addressing the media in Srinagar, state police chief Shesh Paul Vaid said: They were planning a suicide attack on an Army base like the one last year. The police and the Army, acting on prior information, foiled their plan.
On September 18 last year, the Army base in Uri was attacked by four fidayeen of the Lashkar-e-Toiba. At least 19 soldiers were killed. In retaliation, the Indian Army launched surgical strikes on militant launch-pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). As per initial reports, the militants killed in Kalgai may have infiltrated on Friday night. They planned to target an artillery Army base in the vicinity of the village early Sunday morning, top sources said. Meanwhile, the forces have busted a militant hideout in Kupwara and recovered arms and a war-like store.
Chetan Chandak
Many people are not aware of a key component of their salary, which is gratuity. Therefore, many young salaried people often fail to benefit from it. On September 12, 2017, the Union Cabinet passed the Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill 2017 which seeks to raise the threshold of exemption available for employees of formal sector from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. This amendment can provide huge tax relief to formal sector employees. For all those young salaried individuals who are not aware of gratuity and its benefits, lets discuss what gratuity is.
Gratuity, just like PF, is one of the retirement benefits provided to employees by the employer. However, unlike PF, gratuity does not warrant contributions of employee but employer only. It is paid as a lump sum amount at the time of retirement. The provisions related to gratuity are covered under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 which allows gratuity payment to all the permanent employees who are working in any office which have at least 10 or more than 10 employees and includes factories, mines, oilfields, plantations, ports, railway companies, shops, etc.
However, there is one important condition which an employee must satisfy to be eligible to claim gratuity. An employee must serve an employer for period of minimum five years. However, there are certain cases where the employee does not need to satisfy this condition to claim gratuity.
If an employee has died or has developed a disability owing to accident or illness, gratuity can be claimed even if he did not serve his employer for five years. In case an employee dies, the amount of gratuity is paid to his nominee regardless of the tenure. Employees need to fill Form F to choose a nominee for gratuity. The amount of gratuity is paid to the nominee within 30 days from the date of being issued to the person entitled to it. In case there is any delay or default, the employer will have to pay interest on such amount.
Gratuity calculation
The following formula is used to calculate gratuity:
Gratuity = Last drawn salary (Basic + DA) 15/26 Number of years of service (rounded off to the full year)
Where 15/26 = 15 working days out of a total of 26 per month
In case it is proved that the employees service was terminated on the grounds of moral turpitude in the course of official business or any proven misconduct on the employees part, his gratuity amount can be forfeited by his employer.
Gratuity is not entirely tax free but a certain amount is exempted from tax. Earlier, in April 2010 such exempted amount was Rs 3.5 lakh, but then it was increased to Rs 10 lakh. According to this, despite having stashed an amount greater than Rs 10 lakhs as gratuity, the amount of tax-free withdrawal cannot exceed Rs 10 lakh after which the taxes are deducted from the remaining amount, and the amount that is (if) left after deduction of taxes is paid to you under the head income from salaries.
Tax exemption is calculated on the lowest amount from the following:
1. Upper limit of tax-free gratuity
2. Actual gratuity received
3. Gratuity calculated as per the formula: Gratuity = Last drawn salary (Basic + DA) 15/26 Number of years of service (rounded off to the full year)
The Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017 aims at increasing this exempted amount up to Rs 20 lakh tax-free gratuity. This would effectively mean that only the gratuity amount exceeding Rs 20 lakh will be subject to taxes. As a result, employees will pocket a higher amount of gratuity. Let us understand how it will impact your earnings.
We need to make an assumption first. Lets say Mr Arindam received Rs 35 lakh as gratuity. His last drawn monthly salary was Rs 2.5 lakh and the average of his last 10 months salary is Rs 2.2 lakh. He has given his employer 22 years and 7 months of service. Now we can calculate his tax-free gratuity benefits under two scenarios:
1) Where the employee claims gratuity amount before the enhanced limit
2) Where the employee claims gratuity amount after the enhanced limit (see box above)
So, as you can see from the calculation, the increase in exemption limit can result in huge tax savings. Several young individuals are busy hopping jobs in their initial years of service which results in loss of gratuity benefits. In the long run, these benefits can accrue to offer you a huge sum of money.
The writer is Head of Tax research, H&R Block India. The views expressed in this article are his own
Making strides
With the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the worlds countries aim to end poverty by 2030.
Parvesh Sharma
Tribune News Service
Sangrur, September 24
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today said his party would win the Gurdaspur byelection with a huge margin as all Congress leaders are working hard for the victory of party candidate Sunil Jakhar.
Our campaigning is going on very well and we will win the election. People know that our party has been working for the welfare of the state since the first day of the formation of our government, said the CM at Chulad Kalan village of the district. He had gone there to attend the bhog of a path organised by his relatives in memory of his mother Rajmata Mohinder Kaur.
About the death of a farmer during the ongoing protest in Patiala yesterday, Amarinder said it was unfortunate that another farmer of the state had lost his life. He claimed that his government had been making the best efforts for the welfare of the farmers.
We have announced a waiver of Rs 2 lakh for 10.25 lakh farmers of the state. Other states have announced a waiver of just Rs 50,000. Our party understands the problems of farmers and we have started giving them relief immediately. In future also, we will leave no stone unturned to help the farming community. We are, however, not in a position to give more immediate relief, he said.
About the brutal murders of senior journalist KJ Singh and his mother in Mohali yesterday, the CM said a special investigation team was probing the case. The accused will be arrested soon, he added.
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 24
Former MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha tops the list of Akali leaders against whom complaints of political vendetta have been received by the Justice Mehtab Singh Gill (retd) Commission of Inquiry, which is probing false police cases registered during the 10-year SAD-BJP rule.
There are 82 complaints against Valtoha, known for his fiery speeches in the Assembly. Of these, 42 complainants have specifically named the former Khemkaran legislator for misusing the police for political ends. One of them is a Bhikhiwind-based worker of the BJP, alliance partner of the Akalis.
Former minister Bikram Singh Majithia, against whom 40 Congress MLAs had shot off letters to party president Sonia Gandhi seeking action for abuse of power is fifth on the list. These MLAs have even accused CM Capt Amarinder Singh of going soft on Majithia. The Akali leader has not been named by any complainant, but there is an allusion to him in 22 complaints from Majitha.
Sucha Singh Langah, ex-MLA from Dera Baba Nanak, is placed second. Of the 44 complaints against him, he is named in eight and indirectly referred to in the rest.
There are 42 complaints against former Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon. He has been named in four. Thirty-six of the complaints have been made by AAP workers, alleging frame-up due to political pressure by the area leader.
Former Rural Development Minister Sikander Singh Maluka is linked to 36 complaints, but only one complainant, Congress MLA Gurpreet Kangar, has mentioned his name.
The commission has already decided the case in favour of Kangar. Maluka had accused the Congress leader of opening fire at him, his son and supporters near the venue of an election rally. The commission ruled that the complaint was false and should be cancelled.
The commission is yet to summon any politician accused of vendetta.
Akali Dal spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said the commissions constitution and actions were a political drama. The commission seems to be trying to justify Capt Amarinders claims made during the elections about the allegedly poor law and order situation during our rule. They talked of thousands of cases, but despite having a panel set up by themselves, the number is only in dozens. He said such a panel should have been headed by a sitting judge.
Aman Sood
Tribune News Service
Patiala, September 24
The third day of the protest at Mehamdpur village grain market, on the outskirts of the city, saw a large turnout of farmers.
While addressing protesters, farmer leaders said in the absence of any viable alternative, they would continue to burn stubble. The unions vowed to stand by farmers if they were troubled by the authorities for violating the ban on stubble burning. The leaders warned that the government would have to face a tough time if the farmers were penalised.
Farmer leader Kanwalpreet Singh said: The little stubble left after paddy is harvested never gets dissolved in the soil even after repeated ploughing and use of rotavator. The straw hampers the growth of plant and our next crop yield gets affected. We thus have no choice but to burn the fields. The government should pay us Rs 6,000 per acre to use extra labour to remove straw manually.
The leaders also alleged that the governments in the state and at the Centre never tried to get firsthand report from families whose kin had committed suicide due to debt.
The government needs to see the condition of the families of farmers who have committed suicide. Their sons and daughters are struggling, their wives are working as maids. Many have lost shelter to the banks and arhtiyas, said Harmesh Singh of Kirti Kisan Union. We demand a complete debt waiver for all farmers, he said.
The farmer leaders said the last two days of the protest on September 26 and 27 would see thousands of farmers pouring in from across the state. They alleged that the government was trying hard to scuttle their protest and their repeated pleas for a peaceful protest in Patiala were turned down.
Patiala Deputy Commissioner Kumar Amit said owing to the festival rush of Navratras, the administration had to first ensure the safety of the city residents. A decision on the farmers plea to allow a protest march in the city is yet to be taken, he said.
Debt-ridden farmer, labourer end life
Fatehgarh Sahib: A 28-year-old farmer, Jagwinder Singh, committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance at Bhatedi village in Bassi Pathana block of this district. His brother Nirmal Singh said Jagwinder had taken Rs 5 lakh loan from banks and arhtiyas. Two days ago, Jagwinder went to his field in the morning and returned home after consuming some poisonous substance there. When he started vomiting, he was rushed to a hospital in Morinda from where doctors referred him to the PGI, Chandigarh. He died at PGI on Sunday. In another incident in the same village, a 47-year-old physically challenged man Dara Singh ended his life by consuming sulphas tablets as he was not getting any work. His daughter Pinki said her father had also taken a loan. TNS
Washington DC
A recent study has linked dogs' social skills to genetic variations in sensitivity for the hormone oxytocin.
The study from Linkoping University, Sweden contributes to our knowledge of how dogs have changed during their development from wolf to household pet.
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During their domestication from their wild ancestor the wolf to the pets we have today, dogs have developed a unique ability to work together with humans. One aspect of this is their willingness to "ask for help" when faced with a problem that seems to be too difficult. There are, however, large differences between breeds, and between dogs of the same breed.
The team, led by Per Jensen, discovered a possible explanation of why dogs differ in their willingness to collaborate with humans.
The researchers suspected that the hormone oxytocin was involved. It is well-known that oxytocin plays a role in social relationships between individuals, in both humans and animals. The effect of oxytocin depends on the function of the structure that it binds to, the receptor, in the cell. The researchers in the present study examined 60 golden retrievers as they attempted to solve an insoluble problem.
"The first step was to teach the dogs to open a lid, and in this way get hold of a treat. After this, they were given the same task with the lid firmly fixed in place, and thus impossible to open. We timed the dogs to see how long they attempted on their own, before turning to their owner and asking for help," said principal author Persson.
Before the behavioural test, the researchers increased the levels of oxytocin in the dogs' blood by spraying the hormone into their nose. As a control, the dogs carried out the same test after having received a spray of neutral salt water in the same way. The researchers also collected DNA using a cotton swab inside the dogs' cheek, and determined which variant of the gene for the oxytocin receptor that each dog had.
The results showed that dogs with a particular genetic variant of the receptor reacted more strongly to the oxytocin spray than other dogs. The tendency to approach their owner for help increased when they received oxytocin in their nose, compared with when they received the neutral salt water solution. The researchers suggest that these results help us understand how dogs have changed during the process of domestication. They analysed DNA also from 21 wolves, and found the same genetic variation among them. This suggests that the genetic variation was already present when domestication of the dogs started, 15,000 years ago.
"The results lead us to surmise that people selected for domestication wolves with a particularly well-developed ability to collaborate, and then bred subsequent generations from these," noted Mia Persson.
The study is published in the scientific journal Hormones and Behavior. ANI
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, September 24
President Ramnath Kovind today paid obeisance at the Kedarnath and Badrinath shrine and offered worship on the second day of his two-day visit to Uttarakhand.
President, along with his family members, flew in an Army MI 17 helicopter for Kedarnath from Dehradun. The helicopter landed at the Kedarnath helipad at 7.56 am following which President and his family were taken in an all-terrain vehicle up to the temple premises.
Accompanied by Governor KK Paul and Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat, the President along with his family spent nearly 20 minutes inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and performed the Rudrabhishek worship. Kedarnath temple priests handed over the traditional Rot and Arsey prasada to the President.
From Kedarnath, President flew to Gauchar helipad and from Gauchar helipad subsequently took off for Badrinath temple, where he reached at 11.15 am. At Badrinath Dham, Kovind performed the special puja. He also interacted with temple priests following which he left for Dehradun
The President had come on a two-day visit to Uttarakhand. Yesterday he visited the holy city of Haridwar, where he performed Ganga 'pujan'. This was followed by a visit to Divya Prem Sewa Mission at Chandighat.
Tribune News Service
Dehradun,September 24
Tweets from a fake twitter account of former Chief Minister and Pauri Garhwal MP BC Khanduri allegedly conveying his dismay with the present day politics has created a storm in the BJP political circles.
Though today morning the Dehradun Police registered a case under the IT Act , after his daughter Ritu Khanduri, an MLA from Yamkeshwar, lodged a complaint, his tweets have given rise to speculations the former Chief Minister is feeling left out in the hurly burly of politics.
In one of the tweets Khanduri has compared politics with Hindi films as though expressing his dismay with the present political scenario and his own position in the BJP.
In another tweet he is allegedly seen conveying that the party may or may not give him respect but he was more than satisfied with the love and affection that the people of the state continue to shower on him. In one of the tweets there is also a mention about his mentor and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his immense respect for him.
Significantly, during the two-day visit of BJP president Amit Shah, Khanduri continued to maintain a low key presence.
Earlier, BC Khanduri, in a statement, had said that he did not maintain any twitter account.
San Juan (Puerto Rico), September 24
Puerto Ricos governor met mayors from around the ravaged island on Saturday after surveying damage to an earthen dam in the northwestern part of the US territory that was threatening to collapse from flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
Some 70,000 people who live downstream from the compromised dam, which has formed a lake on the rain-swollen Guajataca River, were under orders to evacuate, with the structure in danger of bursting at any time.
We saw directly the damage to the Guajataca dam, Governor Ricardo Rossello said in a Spanish-language Twitter message on Saturday while reinforcing his request that people leave the area as soon as possible.
The fissure has become a significant rupture, Rossello said separately at a news conference on Saturday.
The US National Weather Service said on its website the dam was still in danger of failing and triggering life-threatening flash floods.
Stay away or be swept away, it warned.
Meanwhile, people across the island were struggling to dig out from the devastation left by the storm, which killed at least 25 people, including at least 10 in Puerto Rico, as it churned across the Caribbean, according to officials and media reports.
To all Puerto Ricans, please know we will get back up, the governor tweeted as he met mayors in the territory to identify their most urgent needs. Together with the mayors, as one government.4Puerto Rico
In a development that could help the recovery effort, the Port of San Juan reopened, according to a Twitter message from the agency that operates it, allowing ships to unload supplies.
Severe flooding, structural damage to homes and virtually no electric power were three of the most pressing problems facing Puerto Ricans, said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo during a tour of the island.
Its a terrible immediate situation that requires assistance from the federal government - not just financial assistance, said Cuomo, whose state is home to millions of people of Puerto Rican descent.
It is a dangerous situation today and its going to be a long-term reconstruction issue for months, Cuomo, a Democrat and potential 2020 presidential candidate, told CNN.
Path of destruction
Maria, the second major hurricane to savage the Caribbean this month and the most powerful storm to strike Puerto Rico in nearly a century, carved a path of destruction on Wednesday. It knocked out electricity, apart from emergency generators, on the island of 3.4 million inhabitants.
Near the rain-swollen Guajataca River, in the northwest part of the island, floodwater littered with branches and debris engulfed the first floor of a number of homes and swamped vehicles that were left behind.
We lost our house, it was completely flooded, said resident Carmen Gloria Lamb. We lost everything, cars, clothes, everything.
The storm has resulted in 10 confirmed fatalities on the island so far, Rossellos office told CNN on Saturday. The governors office could not be reached for comment by Reuters.
Signs of the strain on Puerto Ricans were evident throughout San Juan, the capital.
Drivers had to wait up to seven hours at the few filling stations open on Saturday, according to news reports, and lines of cars snaked for blocks. Hotels warned that guests might have to leave soon without fresh supplies of diesel to keep generators operating.
Water rationing also began on Saturday. Signs posted throughout San Juans Old Town informed residents that service would return for two hours each day, between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., until further notice.
Telephone service was also unreliable, with many of the islands cell towers damaged or destroyed.
People swarmed under some of the towers, holding up their devices in the hopes of getting a signal.
The governor also extended a nightly curfew on Saturday, the Caribbean Business newspaper reported.
At San Juans Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, Mary Ann Arciola, her 32-year-old daughter and two young grandchildren slept in a rented van hoping to get a flight home to the United States.
Theres nobody at the desks. Theres nothing on the screens, said Arciola, 62. Theres a ton of people. They are starting to fight. Its not good.
Debt crisis
Maria struck Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale as the island was already facing the largest municipal debt crisis in US history.
The storm may have caused an estimated $45 billion in damage and lost economic activity across the Caribbean, with at least $30 billion of that in Puerto Rico, said Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler at Enki Research in Savannah, Georgia.
Elsewhere in the Caribbean, 14 deaths were reported on Dominica, an island nation of 71,000 inhabitants.
Two people were killed in the French territory of Guadeloupe and one in the US Virgin Islands. Two people died in the Dominican Republic on Thursday, according to media outlet El Jaya.
Maria still had sustained winds of up to 115 miles per hour (185 km per hour) on Saturday, making it a Category 3 hurricane, but was expected to weaken gradually over the next two days as it turned more sharply to the north.
Dangerous surf and rip currents driven by the storm were expected along the southeastern coast of the US mainland for several days, the National Hurricane Center said.
Maria hit about two weeks after Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, killed more than 80 people in the Caribbean and the United States. It followed Hurricane Harvey, which also killed more than 80 people when it struck Texas in late August and caused flooding in Houston. Reuters
Moscow, September 24
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that the US would not carry out a strike on North Korea because it knows Pyongyang has nuclear bombs.
"The Americans won't carry out a strike on (North) Korea because it's not that they suspect, they know for sure that it has nuclear bombs," Lavrov said in an interview with Russia's NTV television aired today.
"I'm not defending North Korea, I'm just saying that almost everyone agrees with such an analysis," the Russian diplomat said.
North Korea this month carried out an underground test on a hydrogen bomb estimated to be 16 times the size of the US bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945. It was its sixth and largest nuclear test.
Lavrov said the crisis could only be resolved with a softer approach.
"Only with caresses, suggestion and persuasion," Lavrov said, when asked how.
He warned that if US did not take the same approach, "we could drop into a very unpredictable nosedive and tens if not hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens of South Korea but also North Korea, of course, and Japan will suffer and Russia and China are nearby".
The interview aired after President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was "deeply concerned" at the escalation of tensions.
Peskov also criticised what he called "an exchange of rather rude statements replete with threats".
Lavrov at the United Nations on Friday described the rhetoric between leaders of the US and North Korea as a "kindergarten fight between children" and urged calm.
In his first address to the world gathering on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump threatened to "totally destroy North Korea."
North Korean leader Kim Yong-un shot back at Trump, warning he would pay dearly for his threat. AFP
United Nations, September 24
Muhajirs from Pakistan held a peaceful demonstration in front of the UN headquarters here against the alleged human rights violations in the country.
Displaying placards and banners calling the Pakistan Army generals war criminals, the protesters shouted anti-Pakistan slogans.
The protest was organised by the US wing of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). The protestors claimed that thousands of innocent people of their community have been killed in Pakistan over the last three decades and several thousands have been held under illegal captivity without a trial.
Joining the protestors from London over phone, MQM leader Altaf Hussain urged the UN secretary general to come forward and help Muhajirs and Balochs who are suffering in Pakistan.
MQM mainly represents Urdu speaking ethnic Muhajirs, who migrated to Pakistan from India during 1947s partition.
The MQM emerged as a largely ethnic party in the 1980s.
It has political dominance in the southern Sindh provinces urban areas - notably in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur where a large number of urdu-speaking people reside. PTI
United Nations, September 24
In a major goof-up, Pakistans Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi on Sunday flashed a picture of an injured Gaza girl with no connection to India while alleging she was a victim of pellet guns in Kashmir.
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Exercising her right to reply hours after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj blasted Pakistan for its support to terrorism, Lodhi, on the floor of the UN General Assembly, held up a photograph of a woman whose face was peppered with alleged pellet gun wounds.
This is the face of Indian democracy, Lodhi claimed.
The picture of 17-year-old Rawya abu Joma'a of Gaza, an alleged victim of an Israeli attack was actually taken by award-winning American photo journalist Heidi Levine in July, 2014.
The picture is available on multiple news websites.
Read: India is mother of terrorism in South Asia: Pak responds to Swarajs UN speech
Rawya abu Joma'a, 17, at the Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Rawya was wounded when two Israeli air strikes hit her family's apartment. Three of her cousins and her sister were killed in the strike, says the caption of the photo on the website of the UK's Guardian newspaper.
Quite evidently, the picture has no connection with Kashmir.
Lodhi, who is quite active on social media, including on Twitter, was silent after it emerged that she posed a fake picture during her right of reply at the UN General Assembly.
The Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN also did not immediately respond to a PTI query on Lodhi's apparent use of such a picture. PTI
Melamchi water will reach Kathmandu Valley in six months
The Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee has stated that it will be able to supply drinking water to the consumers in the Kathmandu Valley within six months.
Seoul/United Nations, September 24
US President Donald Trump dialled up the rhetoric against North Korea again at the weekend, warning the countrys foreign minister that he and leader Kim Jong Un wont be around much longer, as Pyongyang staged a major anti-US rally.
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North Koreas Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday that targeting the US mainland with its rockets was inevitable after Mr Evil President Trump called Pyongyangs leader a rocket man on a suicide mission.
Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they wont be around much longer! Trump said on Twitter late on Saturday.
Trump and Kim have traded increasingly threatening and personal insults as Pyongyang races towards its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States - something Trump has vowed to prevent.
Analysts say the escalation in rhetoric is increasing the risk of a miscalculation by one side or the other that could have massive repercussions.
North Koreas state-run television KRT aired a video on Sunday showing tens of thousands of people attending an anti-U.S. rally at Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang.
The Norths official KCNA news agency said more than 1,00,000 people gathered for the rally on Saturday and delivered speeches supporting comments made by Kim earlier in the week.
We are waiting for the right time to have a final battle with the US, the evil empire, and to remove the US from the world, KCNA quoted Ri Il-bae, a commanding officer of the Red Guards, as saying. Once respected Supreme commander Kim Jong Un gives an order, we will annihilate the group of aggressors.
Unprecedented
In an unprecedented direct statement on Friday, Kim described Trump as a mentally deranged US dotard whom he would tame with fire.
Kim said the North would consider the highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history against the United States and that Trumps comments had confirmed his nuclear programme was the correct path.
Kims comments came after Trump threatened in his maiden UN address on Thursday to totally destroy the country of 26 million people.
It was not clear from Trumps latest tweet if he was referring to Ri and Kim, or North Korea more broadly.
North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear bomb test on Sept. 3, prompting another round of UN sanctions.
Pyongyang said on Friday it might test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean.
It is only a forlorn hope to consider any chance that the DPRK (North Korea) would be shaken an inch or change its stance due to the harsher sanctions by the hostile forces, Ri told the UN General Assembly on Saturday.
US bombers fly close to North Koreas coast
US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighters flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea on Saturday in a show of force the Pentagon said indicated the range of military options available to Trump.
The US bombers flight was the farthest north of the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea that any US fighter jet or bomber had flown in the 21st century, the Pentagon said.
The patrols came after officials and experts said a small earthquake near North Koreas nuclear test site on Saturday was probably not man-made, easing fears Pyongyang had exploded another nuclear bomb just weeks after its previous one.
The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce and not a peace treaty.
The North accuses the United States, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, of planning to invade and regularly threatens to destroy it and its Asian allies. Reuters
Washington, September 24
President Donald Trump is expected to announce new restrictions on travel to the United States as his ban on visitors from six Muslim-majority countries expires today, 90 days after it went into effect.
The Department of Homeland Security has recommended the president sign off on new, more targeted restrictions on foreign nationals from countries it says refuse to share information with the US or havent taken necessary security precautions.
Officials havent said which or how many countries will be affected by the new restrictions, which could take effect as soon as today.
The acting secretary has recommended actions that are tough and that are tailored, including restrictions and enhanced screening for certain countries, said Miles Taylor, counselor to acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke.
The current ban bars citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen who lack a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States from entering the US.
Unlike Trumps first travel ban, which sparked chaos at airports across the country and a flurry of legal challenges, officials said they have been working for months on the new rules, in collaboration with various agencies and in conversation with foreign governments.
The recommendations are based on a new baseline developed by DHS that includes factors such as whether countries issue electronic passports with biometric information and share information about travelers terror-related and criminal histories.
The US then shared those benchmarks with every country in the world and gave them 50 days to comply.
The citizens of countries that refused could now face travel restrictions and more stringent screening measures that would last indefinitely, until their governments complied.
Trump last week called for a tougher travel ban after a bomb partially exploded on a London subway.
The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct! he tweeted.
Critics have accused the president of overstepping his authority and violating the US Constitutions protections against religious bias.
Trump had called for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States during his campaign. AP
Endurant was designed, engineered and created from a clean sheet to be an automated transmission, not simply an update to an AMT, explained Gerard DeVito, vice president, Technology, Eaton Vehicle Group. Photo: Evan Lockridge
ATLANTA Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies unveiled the first product from its joint venture, a lightweight, efficient automated transmission, at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show.
Company officials said the new Endurant 12-speed automated transmission is the lightest, most efficient 1,850 lb.-ft.-capable heavy-duty transmission. Designed for linehaul applications, it weighs up to 105 pounds less than competitive automated manual transmissions (AMTs).
Fleets will find that Endurant has been intelligently engineered from the ground up with features that protect your investment and make it easy to maintain, said Scott Davis, general manager, Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies. With a sophisticated communication system between the engine and transmission software, Endurant promises to deliver industry-best performance and reliability, fuel efficiency, reduced maintenance, and driver comfort features.
Company officials stressed that Endurant is not an automated version of a manual transmission Endurant was designed, engineered and created from a clean sheet to be an automated transmission, not simply an update to an AMT, allowing us to optimize the transmissions weight, dimensions and features, explained Gerard DeVito, vice president, Technology, Eaton Vehicle Group.
The market demands have changed, and automated transmissions really are the future, theyre what our customers are asking, what drivers are asking for, said Jeff Bosscher, systems engineering manager, Endurant.
The Endurant shares many of the features of the new Paccar Automated Transmission, which was designed by Eaton to work with Paccar powertrains.
An extensive component and complete vehicle testing program put Endurant through extreme conditions at the Eaton Proving Grounds in Marshall, Michigan, as well as in the high heat of Death Valley, California, and minus 40-degree temperatures in northern Minnesota more than 2 million equivalent field test miles in all, they said.
The joint venture got customer input throughout the process, not just from fleets, but from drivers, technicians, and others as well.
Company officials said the new Endurant 12-speed automated transmission is the lightest, most efficient 1,850 lb.-ft.-capable heavy-duty transmission. Photo: Evan Lockridge
Features include:
Internal electrical system routing that minimizes exposure and corrosion to wires and connectors for improved reliability;
A new smart prognostics feature provides clutch replacement notification to better plan maintenance scheduling;
An industry-exclusive transmission fluid pressure sensor notifies drivers of low oil levels to provide burn-up warranty coverage;
Smooth and intuitive shift strategies that enhance the operators driving experience;
Predictive shifting using look-ahead technology to execute shift decisions that improve fuel efficiency and provide additional driver comfort;
A standard, 8-bolt PTO opening that improves future resale value.All-aluminum exterior
Production will begin Oct. 16. Endurant will be paired with the Cummins X15 Efficiency Series engine and will be available in the Kenworth T680 and the Peterbilt Model 579.
With the lowest cruise rpm among competitive automated transmissions and the best overall ratios, Endurant is ideally engineered to fully support the growing move to downspeeding to help save fuel, added DeVito. Among linehaul transmissions, Endurant has the deepest reverse ratio in the industry for slow speed maneuvering.
Features designed to improve maintenance include:
750,000-mile lube change intervals for linehaul applications, which company officials say is the industrys longest and 250,000 to 450,000 miles longer than competitive models
A maintenance-free 430mm self-adjust clutch that requires no grease;
Endurant requires only 16 pints of oil, about half the amount of competitive models;
A replaceable input shaft sleeve allows for affordable and quick repair, while competitive transmissions require a costly and time-consuming full teardown.
In addition, innovations such as a transmission fluid pressure sensor and clutch life prognostics maximize uptime.
Like all automated transmissions from the Eaton Cummins joint venture, Endurant is available with IntelliConnect, a telematics capable system that provides near real-time monitoring of vehicle fault codes, prioritizes the critical events, and provides accurate and comprehensive action plans by technical experts at Eaton.
The standard Endurant transmission warranty is 5-year/750,000 miles for linehaul commercial vehicles, and 3-year/350,000 miles for the clutch. One-year and two-year extended protection plans are also available. Endurants maximum operating weight (GCVW) is 110,000 lbs. (49,895 kg); maximum horsepower is 510 hp, and oil capacity is 16 pints (7.5L).
More info: www.eatoncumminsjv.com/endurant
PM Deuba addresses UNGA, says global challenges reinforce role and responsibility of UN
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that the global community faces a more complex and polarised environment with multiple transnational challenges ranging from terrorism, climate change, energy deficiency, food insecurity and mass migration to extremism.
ATLANTA Thermo King is unveiling its new all-electric TriPac Envidia auxiliary power unit, which it claims has the longest run-time in the industry, at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta this week.
Thermo King says Envidia is an environmentally clean, reliable APU that delivers the longest run-time in the industry, without tractor startup.
Historically, battery-powered APUs provided insufficient run-time and limited power, with fleets and drivers complaining they do dont provide enough cooling for drivers full rest periods, especially in hot climates.
Because there is no diesel engine, the TriPac Envidia not only runs clean, but it is significantly quieter and requires minimal maintenance.
The introduction of this emission-free technology is a significant milestone for Thermo King, and it reaffirms our commitment to sustainability through innovation, said Dane Taival, vice president and general manager, Thermo King North America.
The units simple in-cab controller allows drivers to select the desired function of the system cool, fan or heat modes. The controller also indicates the battery charge level, and allows drivers to adjust the fan speed and cab temperature.
The Envidas patented battery management technology also provides:
Individual charging and discharging management for each battery
Three-stage charging profile to optimize performance and extend the life of its NXT dry cell technology battery
Full discharge of the auxiliary power-pack batteries before switchover, to minimize depletion of tractor batteries during HVAC operation
Whether supplementing with solar, or using power options like battery or shore power, the TriPac Envidia offers choices for drivers to tap into the power they need to stay charged.
The TriPac Envidia by Thermo King meets anti-idle and anti-emission regulations nationwide, including California Air Resources Board (CARB) requirements. The all-electric APU will be available for purchase in early 2018.
FARGO An Ellis County deputy was wounded after being shot while checking on a resident Saturday afternoon.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol Chief Ricky Adams said the deputy, whose name has not been released, was shot in the leg.
According to the Woodward News, the deputy was responding to a welfare check request at a home northwest of Fargo when he was shot.
The shooter, who has not been identified, barricaded himself inside the home. The deputy was taken to a hospital, treated for his injuries and released.
Read more of this story online at NewsOk.com. A subscription may be required.
OKLAHOMA CITY A former Tulsa priest moved closer to being canonized as a Roman Catholic saint Saturday morning.
Thousands of Catholics from across the state and beyond packed Oklahoma Citys Cox Convention Center to witness the beatification of Father Stanley Rother, who was murdered while serving in a poor parish in Guatemala.
Rother is the first U.S.-born priest to be beatified.
Traffic was snarled as worshippers filled the nearly 16,000-seat arena to capacity. Some people could not get in and had to watch from overflow rooms.
This is a very big deal for us, said Diocese of Tulsa Bishop David Konderla, who was among 52 bishops and 288 priests at the ceremony.
At one point, Konderla was invited onto the platform to greet Cardinal Angelo Amato, representing the Vatican as Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome, who presided over the elaborate ceremony.
Other Diocese of Tulsa bishops at the event were Bishop Emeritus Edward Slattery, recently retired, and Bishop Peter Wells, Apostolic Nuncio to South Africa.
Its a once-in-a-lifetime experience, said Monsignor Patrick Gaalaas, pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church in Tulsa, who brought a large contingency of people from his church on buses.
I dont suppose Ill ever attend another ceremony for beatification. Im just blessed to be a part of it, he said.
Last December, Rother was named the Catholic Churchs first American-born martyr, paving the way for Saturdays beatification, the final step before sainthood.
If he is recognized as a canonized saint, a process that can take years, Rother would be the first American priest to be so honored.
Part of the process will be the verification that a miracle has taken place as a result of asking for Rothers intercession.
One member of his family who was at the ceremony is confident that such a miracle will be found.
Michelle Acuff, of Okarche, a first cousin of Rother, said she experienced a miracle as the result of asking him to intercede for her.
I was very sick. I had a 2 percent chance of living, she said as she sat in the crowded arena and waited for the ceremony to begin.
I had toxic shock, and it went septic. Thats where I lost all my fingers.
My family started praying for Father Rother to intercede, and overnight, I got better, she said.
Rother was raised on an Okarche farm, ordained a priest in 1963 and served parishes in Durant, Tulsa and Oklahoma City before going to Guatemala in 1968.
For 13 years he served a poor community of largely Mayan descendents at the mission of Santiago Atitlan.
At the heart of the ceremony, Cardinal Amato read the Apostolic Letter in Latin from Pope Francis declaring that Rother, who was driven by a deeply-rooted faith and a profound union with God, henceforth should be called blessed.
And the letter established that July 28, the day of his heavenly birth, will be his feast day.
Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City read the English translation of the popes letter.
In his message to the assembly, Amato said that Rothers beatification is a historic event for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and for the Catholic Church in America.
He said Rother is one of 78 people the Catholic Church considered martyrs of the faith.
Rother came from a family of farmers, and knew about the hard work of tilling the land, Amato said.
He began programs of both religious instruction and social formation, and devoted himself to learning and speaking the language of his parishioners, preaching in their language, and helping translate the Bible into it.
His love for the needy and the (marginalized) was great, Amato said.
From 1971 to 1981 in Guatemala, many journalists, farmers and priests, falsely accused of communism, were killed, he said.
This was a true time of bloody persecution for the church.
Father Rother, aware of the imminent danger to his life, prepared himself for martyrdom, asking the Lord for the strength to face it without fear, Amato said.
Early in the morning of July 28, 1981, a day he was scheduled to give blood to a patient who needed an operation, three masked men entered his bedroom and shot him to death.
He was a man of noble heart. He did not spare himself, Amato said.
PM urges UN to increase Nepali quota for high-level posts in UN missions
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has made an official request with the United Nations to increase the Nepali participation in higher ranks of UN peacekeeping operations based on the number of Nepal Army deployed in the UN missions.
Everyone is tired of the term fake news.
Our readers tell us daily that they want just the facts in our news pages. They want us to provide the facts so that they can determine for themselves what to think about todays political and social issues. Opinions and a writers point of view should be reserved for those pages that are clearly labeled Opinion or Editorial.
We agree.
With that in mind, we are excited and fortunate to be part of a project with the Pulitzer Prize-winning editors and reporters from PolitiFact. The independent fact-checking organization, which is affiliated with the Tampa Bay Times, works to present nonpartisan, objective information.
The PolitiFact project, funded by the Knight Foundation, will have Tulsa World reporters and editors working with PolitiFact counterparts on fact-checking claims made by state and local politicians, pundits and organizations. It also will allow the Tulsa World to access other information and content being produced by PolitiFact.
The Tulsa World is one of three news organizations included in the project. Also working with PolitiFact will be the Mobile Press Register and Al.com in Mobile, Alabama. The third is yet to be named.
Editors from PolitiFact will be in Tulsa on Wednesday for a free, public meeting at the Tulsa Central Library to explain their project and answer questions. It will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
For the last 10 years, PolitiFact has been rating claims by politicians and pundits on a scale from True to Pants on Fire false. You have the opportunity to meet the staff and learn more about PolitiFact and get tips on how to fact-check claims yourself.
Why Tulsa?
One reason may be Oklahomas overwhelming voter support for President Donald Trump.
Aaron Sharockman, PolitiFacts executive director, says that despite his organizations work to provide nonpartisan, objective information, many audiences see fact-checking outlets like his as biased. In fact, he says, in a September 2016 poll from Rasmussen Reports, 88 percent of voters who supported Donald Trump did not trust media fact-checking of candidates statements.
PolitiFact seeks to better understand why certain audiences perceive fact-checkers as biased and to engage with new audiences to help improve the overall perception of fact-checking, Sharockman said. We reached out to the Knight Foundation looking for ways to build trust in fact-checking and PolitiFact, particularly among more conservative audiences.
We think this partnership is an excellent test of something we believe to be true: that if we spend more time working directly in communities explaining our mission, people over time will grow to trust us.
So for at least the next eight months, the World will partner with PolitiFact in fact-checking political claims. It will be a time rife with opportunity as campaigns for numerous local and state offices kick off this fall and into the new year for the 2018 elections.
Immediately, I invite you to come meet Sharockman and his colleagues Associate Editor Amy Hollyfield and staff writer Jon Greenberg on Wednesday evening.
We want to hear from as many people as possible about what they think of fact-checking in general and PolitiFact in particular, Sharockman said. The entire point of our visit is to see if there are ways we can gain trust among readers and to see if there are ways we can be more transparent in our reporting process.
And, he adds, he wants to know what they can do to be a better organization.
Tulsans have never been shy about expressing their opinions. Dont start now. Help the Tulsa World and PolitiFact give you the facts you want to make informed decisions as we head into another political election cycle.
A partially submerged vehicle found late Monday night in the Verdigris River was reported stolen out of Tabor City, N.C. after a homicide.
Wagoner County Sheriffs Office Deputy Nick Mahoney said the unoccupied 2002 silver Toyota was found in the area of 113th Street and 369th E. Ave.
According to Mahoney, a homicide occurred in Tabor City on Saturday, Sept. 16. William Matthew Fortney and Amber Nichole Hitchcock are persons of interest and wanted for questioning. Both individuals were believed to be traveling to Oklahoma in the Toyota.
Fortney and Hitchcock both have ties to the Coweta and Broken Arrow areas and have extensive criminal histories.
Mahoney said after recovering the vehicle, it was stored by the WCSO. At the request of authorities in North Carolina, WCSO investigators Elliott and Kelley wrote and executed a search warrant on the vehicle.
Evidence was recovered and passed along to authorities in North Carolina.
Mahoney said Amanda Hitchcock currently has outstanding felony warrants in Wagoner County.
The Wagoner County Sheriffs Office did not have a role in the apprehension of either Fortney or Hitchcock as they were arrested in Tulsa, Mahoney said. A hold has been placed on Hitchcock for her outstanding warrants in our county.
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As diplomats congregate for the United Nations General Assembly, delegations from some of the poorest countries in the world are spending extravagantly in New York City while their homelands struggle, NBC 4 New York's I-Team has discovered.
The lavish spending is just endemic of autocratic politics as a whole, said Alastair Smith, a politics professor from New York University and co-author of The Diplomats Handbook.
He believes the U.N.s Manhattan address has become a distraction from the intended work of the General Assembly.
They are here for the shopping, the food the wine, the dining. If it was in a less attractive place, I'm sure fewer people would want to come as hangers-on, said Smith.
On Monday, I-Team cameras found several visitors with the U.N. delegation from Swaziland walking out of high-end retailer Bergdorf Goodman. The women had Bergdorf Goodman shopping bags, though they said the items inside were just gifts.
According to U.N. data, nearly 70 percent of Swazi people survive on less than $2 a day. The nation has one of the highest AIDS rates: 18 percent of the population is HIV positive.
Despite those struggles back home, numerous members of the Swaziland U.N. entourage are staying at the luxury Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the I-Team has learned.
Also staying at the Mandarin Oriental were members of the delegation from Togo. According to one U.N. report, 2.4 million Togolese citizens live on less than $1.25 a day.
Diplomats from Gabon were staying at the Plaza Hotel, where rooms go for a $1,000 to $15,000 a night.
Nigerias delegation is keeping five vehicles parked outside the Pierre Hotel where the cheapest room is about $800 a night or roughly what most Nigerians earn in two years.
At the Waldorf-Astoria, where rooms are between $800 and $9,000 a night, the I-Team found the delegation from Mali, a country where 4.6 million people are battling starvation. A recent U.N. report found Mali is the third poorest nation in the world with a poverty rate near 87 percent.
To be fair, not every poor nation spent so much for hotel accommodations: Members of the Tanzania delegation were found staying at a DoubleTree hotel in Midtown.
Although it may be unseemly for diplomats from poor countries to live ostentatiously during their stays in Manhattan, advocates for business point out there is an undeniable upside to much of the diplomatic extravagance the boon for New York Citys local economy.
"I don't think it is really up to us to moderate the type of spending that comes from other countries. That's their business, said Nancy Ploeger, president of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. What I'm concerned with is the economic impact on this city. I like the money. I want the money!"
None of the permanent missions to the UN from Togo, Swaziland, Gabon, Mali or Nigeria returned calls or emails relating to this story.
Nonprofits that monitor developing nations are also becoming increasingly sensitive to the issue of third world rulers spending lavishly abroad.
The group 100 Reporters is actually holding a contest asking New Yorkers to snap photos of UN diplomats spending ostentatiously.
By one estimate, the ruling classes of third-world nations divert as much as $1 trillion from their developing economies to spend and invest the funds in the U.S. and other Western nations.
The real underlying motivation for the movement of so much money out of developing countries is the hidden accumulation of wealth, said Raymond Baker, executive director of Global Financial Integrity, a nonprofit watchdog that monitors capital flows into and out of impoverished countries.
This is about getting rich secretly and not having to distribute those funds locally, Baker
Source:UN Delegates Live Large in NY While Their People Starve
Sajha Prakashan chief Sharma sacked
Ministry of Education on Sunday suspended Sajha Prakashan Chairman and General Manager Dolendra Prasad Sharma.
Clutching an empty rice sack, Rohingya mother-of-seven Sara Khatun says she has nothing left to feed her children.
After three weeks sleeping under a thin plastic sheet held up by bamboo poles, her son and daughter, aged about eight and 10, look pinched and exhausted.
My children are getting thinner and thinner, says the 33-year-old refugee from Myanmar. If they dont get help soon, they will die.
Some 429,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar since a violent crackdown on the Rohingya community began a month ago following a series of attacks on security posts.
The vast majority, like Sara and her family, are now living in informal camps and spontaneous settlements that have sprung up in Bangladesh, clinging to hillsides and strung out along busy roads.
Their need for food, shelter, access to healthcare and child protection is particularly acute.
Its not safe here for them here.
While barely clinging to life on the outskirts of Kutupalong refugee camp, one of two formal refugee camps operated by the Bangladesh government, Sara is incredibly more fortunate than many.
Along the road south from the camp, single mother Agida, 35, and her four children sleep rough on the mud-churned verge, strewn with discarded trash and clothes.
She survives on occasional aid packages handed out or tossed from trucks by private donors, and by begging from passing cars. Exposed to the monsoon downpours, she is also terrified for her children.
Its not safe here for them here, she says with a desperation in her voice nearing panic. Someone could take them while I sleep.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is stepping up all efforts to safeguard the most vulnerable refugees like Sara, Agida and their families caught up in a tragic crisis unprecedented in the region in decades.
Refugees chief Filippo Grandi this weekend heard at first hand the challenges facing Rohingya refugees in Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. UNHCR/Roger Arnold
People have fled unspeakable violence, and their needs are enormous, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi as he toured Kutupalong camp and the sprawling new adjacent extension today during a visit to Bangladesh.
Despite huge challenges at the beginning, there was a phenomenal outpouring of local generosity and support, Grandi added. International support is also now being stepped up, under the leadership of the government. But these efforts must be accelerated and sustained.
Of the scars which Rohingya refugees carry, the most difficult ones to heal will be those that violence has caused to their hearts & minds. pic.twitter.com/5oD2D6HNnh Filippo Grandi (@RefugeesChief) September 23, 2017
At the start of a three-day visit to Bangladesh, Grandi walked through the existing camp, which was founded in 1992 in response to previous outflows from Myanmar, and has schools, health and community centres.
Accompanied by UNHCR field staff and Bangladeshi officials, Grandi also walked to an adjoining site recently assigned for the new arrivals, where UNHCR staff were today delivering cooking equipment, sleeping mats, solar lamps and other essential relief items to an initial 3,500 families selected by community leaders.
UNHCR head Filippo Grandi meets with Rohingya refugees in Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. UNHCR/Roger Arnold
At the request of Bangladeshi authorities, the agency is also putting up hundreds of family tents and distributing thousands of plastic sheets to help shelter refugees like Sara. The UN Refugee Agency, with the help of backers such as the UAE and the courier service UPS, has now sent four planes loaded with relief items into the country.
With heavy monsoon rains lashing Bangladesh, that help cannot come soon enough for Rohingya mother Tahera Begum, 22, whose extended family live in a dirt-floored shack in a precarious settlement south of Kutupalong.
To escape flooding, they had carved a niche for their shelter in a rain-swept hillside. As she slept, her six-month old son Mohammad Sohail wriggled out and slid down the hillside. By sheer chance he was unhurt.
Grandi asked mothers gathered in the makeshift camp what their children needed most. Everything, they replied.
* Additional reporting/editing by Kitty McKinsey
Your support is urgently needed to help the children, women and men refuges in Bangladesh. Please give now.
With the almost daily monsoon rains, the displaced Rohingya have many challenges as they cross a stream from a makeshift camp to a road. UNHCR/Paula Bronstein
KUTUPALONG REFUGEE CAMP, Bangladesh When her village was torched in Myanmar, Rabeya Khattm gathered up her six children and fled through monsoon rains.
Frequently drenched on the eight-day slog over rough terrain to reach Bangladesh, two of her children came down with chills.
But now she is finally in the dry, under a UNHCR tarpaulin, her children aged a few months to 11 years gathered around her on a plastic sheet, her sick baby under a cloth in her lap.
"The rain cannot attack me anymore.
It was raining all yesterday, and we couldnt sleep but now the rain cannot attack me anymore, she says.
An estimated 421,000 Rohingya a largely stateless Muslim minority in Myanmar have arrived in Bangladesh since the latest bout of violence broke out on August 25.
Rabeya is among thousands of children, women and men in this informal settlement outside Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh who are now benefitting from a UNHCR aid delivery.
Bangladesh: Rohingya build shelters as crowds grow. (Ismail Ferdous, cameraman / Wendy Tiba, editor)
UN Refugee Agency staff have provided some 150 family tents to newly arrived refugees, and have 6,000 more that will arrive in coming days, said Franklin Golay, a member of UNHCR field staff and part of a team providing water, latrines, tents and shelter in the area.
UNHCR is also providing tarpaulins to refugees in the settlement, which sprawls over rugged terrain, made soggy by seasonal downpours. Mud is ankle deep on pathways.
Displaced Rohingya family struggle across a swollen stream to a makeshift camp. UNHCR/Paula Bronstein
Shelter is key, as we still have a lot of people sleeping along the roads without anything, said Golay, who estimates the population of the informal settlement at around 15,000, and growing daily.
Water and sanitation is also a vital issue because you have open defecation and people drinking water from unprotected sources, he added.
While Rabeya and her children are now receiving help, many are still exposed to the elements and are struggling among them 65-year-old Khadija, who fled Myanmar after attackers burned her village to the ground.
Rohingya refugee Rabeya Khattm sits on the floor of a shelter in a makeshift camp near Kutupalong, Bangladesh, on 18 September 2017. She spent eight days walking from Myanmar in monsoon rains. UNHCR/Tim Gaynor
Exhausted after a week-long foot journey, she lies slumped on the ground. Her teeth stained deep red from chewing betel nuts to ward off hunger.
I am getting weaker and weaker, she says. Asked what she needs, she said, Shelter, food, water and medicine.
With her is Amina Khadun. She holds out an arm broken in the attack on her village.
Untreated, it dangles at an unnatural angle.
I need help, she says. I dont have shelter, I dont have anything to eat. I have nothing.
Your support is urgently needed to help the children, women and men refuges in Bangladesh. Please give now.
Taking responsibility
After the devastating earthquakes in 2015, the government declared that all relief aid and cash assistance for victims needed to be donated to the Prime Ministers Disaster Relief Fund to ensure proper and equal distributions to all affected areas.
Talking about mental illness
When it comes to illness that concerns the mind, even the young, educated and privileged in the countrys most urbane and modern city find it hard to accept, let alone embrace,
Cabo Wabo Cantina, located inside Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, will honor National Breast Cancer Awareness Month by donating a portion of the proceeds from each Vojito cocktail purchase to Susan G. Komen of Southern Nevada throughout the month of October (Pictured: The Vojito Photo credit: J Rick Martin).
Cabo Wabos original Vojito is handcrafted with Devotion Black and Blue vodka, fresh berries, fresh mint and lime juice, priced at $13. Guests also have the option of keeping the souvenir Vojito glass for an additional $10. From Sunday, Oct. 1, through Tuesday, Oct. 31, Cabo Wabo will donate $1 from each sale to Susan G. Komen of Southern Nevada, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to provide breast health education, screening and treatment services to medically underserved women in the area. Guests who purchase the Vojito during October will also receive a complimentary pink rubber wristband.
Full-service marketing, consulting and design firm, Back Bar USA, will award scholarships to University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) students throughout the 2017-2018 academic year (Pictured: Back Bar USA Chief Executive Officer Flor Bernal).
UNLV continues to provide an exceptional education in the hospitality industry, as well as unparalleled local resources for students, said Back Bar founder and UNLV alumnus, Tim Haughinberry. These students are the future business leaders in Las Vegas, and Back Bar is proud to support their education.
Back Bar USA first established a scholarship program with UNLV in 2016. The 2017/2018 Back Bar USA scholarships will continue to be awarded to students in UNLVs Hospitality Management program with requirements that include full-time enrollment in the Honors College, current residency in Nevada, completion of at least 60 credits and a minimum grade point average of 3.40.
When Back Bar USA scholarship candidates are selected, students will meet with Haughinberry, and chief executive officer, Flor Bernal, also a UNLV alumna. More information about the scholarships and eligibility requirements is available by contacting the Honors College Scholarship Committee of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas at 702.895.3011 or via the website at www.unlv.edu.
Pyramid of German helmets near Grand Central Terminal : black-and-white photoprint, ca. 1918.
Closeup of Pyramid
"View of the employees of the New York Central / Railroad, assembled in Victory Way, showing the pyramid of captured / German helmets, with Grand Central Terminal in / the background." Two cannons are shown at the left and right.
Though kind of macabre, to celebrate the end of World War I in 1918, this massive pyramid was constructed near Grand Central Terminal using the helmets of captured and killed German soldiers. The label on the back of the original photograph says There must be over a thousand pointed helmets in that stack, and despite all that the Germans did, celebrating the death of that many people just seems wrong.(via Viewing NYC
Investors could face criminal charges if they try to manipulate stock prices to earn illegal profits and cause damage to the market and listed companies. - Photo wallpaperose.com
According to the State Securities Commission (SSC), there are fines and penalties for violations that individual investors commit on the securities market.
The highest penalty for violations on the securities market is VN1 billion (US$44,400) for individual investors, according to Decree 108/2913/N-CP issued in September 2013.
The SSC has recently issued several penalties for investors who violate market regulations on stock trading.
On September 1, investor Phan Sy Hai was fined VN550 million for using 28 accounts, including three under his name, to create false information to illegally trade shares of Vimedimex Pharmaceutical JSC (HOSE: VMD).
On August 10, the SSC decided to issue a fine of VN600 million the highest penalty on Viet Nams stock market to Tran Thi Minh Phuong for using 42 accounts, including three under her name, to illegally trade shares of HAGL Agrico (HOSE: HNG).
However, those fines have proved to be ineffective in reducing the number of violations by individual investors in the securities market, such as internal trading and manipulation of stock prices.
Therefore, the Ministry of Finance on August 22 released Document 20/VBHN-BTC to regulate penalties and fines for those who commit violations on the securities trading market.
The document was published by the finance ministry on August 22 this year to combine Circular 217/2013/TT-BTC and Circular 36/2017/TT-BTC, both of which were regulatory policies from the finance ministry.
Circular 217 was issued on December 31, 2013, to regulate penalties and fines for violations committed in the securities market, and Circular 36 was dated April 27, 2017, as an amendment to Circular 217.
Under the Document 20, if an investor is suspected of having conducted illegal transactions that could cause heavy damages to companies, share prices or the stock market, the market regulators must report the case to the police for criminal prosecution.
Uoc Les pork paste making began around half a century ago. According to the village records, during the Mac Dynasty in the 16th century, a concubine in the imperial court who was a Uoc Le native helped villagers build the impressive village gate and taught them how to make pork paste.
Uoc Le people were hard-working and eager to make a fortune from their traditional job.
Village elder Nguyen Duc Hanh recalled, 90% of villagers used to make pork pies. As the Vietnamese saying goes one cannot get rich without engaging in trade, most villagers do business far from home. Some even went abroad to France or the US.
Uoc Les products are diverse ranging from lean pork paste, beef dumpling, fried pie, pork and skin paste, to roasted cinnamon pork, and fermented pork roll. But the most notable products are lean pork paste and roasted cinnamon pork.
Making Uoc Le pork paste requires meticulous steps, from choosing the meat to the processing techniques. The meat should be the freshest rump part. Traditionally the meat was manually ground until it became pliable paste.
Now Uoc Le villagers use meat grinders which help them liberate labor force but they still maintain the traditional method.
Uoc Le native Nguyen Duc Binh, whose shop is in Khuong Dinh market in Hanoi, said, Its necessary to choose good meat if you want to turn out delicious products. Its also important to balance the lean and fat pork meat. The meat is now ground by machine. The spices including fish sauce, honey, and salt are also important. A delicious pork paste product when cut open should have many holes inside."
Roasted cinnamon pork is delicious thanks to the meaty taste of roasted lean pork, the fragrance of cinnamon, honey, and daylily.
Uoc Le villager Nguyen Dinh Duong said, To make pork paste, all the veins and fat parts should be removed. The remaining lean meat is sliced and then ground with different kinds of spices and salt. The paste is wrapped by banana leaves and steamed for 60 to 70 minutes."
"More fat meat is used in making chopped meat paste than in pork paste. Chopped meat paste are fried instead of steamed. 1kg of meat turns out 1 kg of pork paste while we often have 1.2 kg of chopped meat paste from 1 kg of meat, he said.
Pork paste is indispensable in a Vietnamese feast, especially during holidays or Tet, the traditional New Year festival. Uoc Le villagers are proud of making the biggest roasted cinnamon pork paste loaf in Vietnam in 2003 to honor and promote the traditional craft.
Binh said, It set the Vietnam record of biggest cinnamon pork paste loaf which used 170 kilos of meat, 50 kilos of fat, cinnamon powder, and spices. It weighed 200 kilos, was 4 meters long, and had a diameter of 50 centimeters. I was bestowed an artisan following successfully making the record pork.
Every year on the first day of the first lunar month, Uoc Le people organize their village festival to honor the traditional craft.
The Art of Tenderising Meat
If we allow that human life can be governed by reason, the possibility of life is annihilated. Leo Tolstoy
China has banned the import of foreign soft cheese, angering foreign trade officials who say it is unjustified.
The nationwide ban which came into place earlier this month stops foreigners providing soft cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert, Gorgonzola, and Stilton, to Chinas relatively small but growing soft cheese market.
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Chinese officials say foreign soft cheese contains too much bacteria and consist of unapproved molds as well.
Most of the now-banned foreign soft cheese was imported from New Zealand and Australia, but much of the publicized indignation has come from European officials.
There is no good reason for the ban, because China considers the same cheese safe if produced in China, said William Fingleton, a spokesman for the delegation of the European Union to China, in an email, reported The Guardian.
This effectively means that China is banning famous and traditional European cheeses that have been safely imported and consumed in China for decades, said Fingleton. The entire Chinese market for soft cheeses is now closed.
China's food hygiene authorities turn noses up at French cheese blocking imports of Camembert, Brie and Roquefort https://t.co/fqGeEBBLBA pic.twitter.com/qPkqLYJKmJ AFP News Agency (@AFP) September 9, 2017
Foreign soft cheese more than just a cheesy dispute
Diplomatic sources in the EU told Reuters the ban does not honor commitments, nor comply with international standards.
The sources said that they have made their objections known to the Chinese government, which has so far failed to respond to their concerns.
State-run Global Times has, however, downplayed the ban, which it said mainly affected smelly-soft-cheese-eating expats. Chinese people do not traditionally consume cheese.
Some commentators say the ban is a sign of a brewing trade dispute, related to European frustration over Chinas lack of market liberalization.
Now, Beijing is considering demanding a certificate of safe use for imported items like noodles, cookies, and candy, while the EU wants to impose tighter restrictions on Chinese investors, wrote Stephan Scheuer, Handelsblatt Globals correspondent in Beijing.
The EU is currently formulating a plan to subject Chinese investments in Europe to more scrutiny.
A lot of foreign things get banned in China. A few of them are listed in the video below by popular China-based vlogger laowhy86, who talks more about the soft cheese ban.
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The Western Press is presenting Daesh as a racist organization that would be fighting Kurds simply because they are Kurds. Baloney: there are Kurdish units within Daesh.
Abu al-Hadi al-Iraqi was the Kurdish leader in Al-Qaeda. During the CIAs Operation Cyclone against the Soviets, he led Al-Quaedas Kurdish camp. After the US invasion, he managed the Ashara guest house in Kabul, as al Quaedas number three man. Now he is being detained in Guantanamo.
In November 2016, the Islamic Emirate in Iraq (from which would germinate Daesh) released a video entitled Message to Kurds and the Martyr Operation. The organization was calling Kurds to join it.
The most famous Kurdish member of Daesh is Mullah Krekar (photo). He is the Emir of the Salafist group, Ansar al-Islam fi Kurdistan. He is a political refugee in Norway. He was imprisoned there on two occasions for praising terrorism. However, in the period that he was officially imprisoned, he climbed on board a special Nato plane to participate in a meeting on 1 June 2014, in Amman. The agenda for this meeting: planning Daeshs invasion of Iraq [1]. When he returned to his prison life in Norway, he announced his allegiance to the Islamic State. Now he lives in Oslo, a free man.
Photo: CABLUCK/AP/REX/Shutterstock/CABLUCK/AP/REX/Shutterstock
Harry Knowles, the founder of Aint It Cool News, has been accused by a woman of repeated sexual assault. Per Indiewire, former Alamo Drafthouse employee Jasmine Baker claims the assaults took place in 1999 and 2000 at official Drafthouse events, where Knowles rubbed up against her buttocks and legs in a way that made her feel uncomfortable and rubbed up against her again in another instance; he also put his hand under her shirt on one occasion. Harry Knowles groped me, opportunistically, on more than one occasion, Baker said. I cannot just stay silent. I am not interested in remaining silent. Baker continued to say when she told Tim and Karrie League, the Alamo Drafthouses founders, about the assault, they sympathized with her and thought it was horrifying, but only suggested that she avoid Knowles. When reached for comment by Indiewire, Knowles categorically denied all of Bakers claims.
These sexual-assault claims against Knowles come after Devin Faraci resigned as editor of Birth.Movies.Death which is owned by Alamo Drafthouse last October, after allegations of sexual harassment went viral. Quick question, a female critic identified by the Daily Beast as Caroline asked Faraci in a now-deleted tweet. Do you remember grabbing me by the pussy and bragging to our friends about it, telling them to smell your fingers? Almost a year after Faracis removal, IndieWire reported in September that Faraci had been quietly rehired by Tim League and had been working for Alamo Drafthouse as recently as February 2017. In a Facebook post, League said he rehired Faraci to help with his recovery from substance abuse, and that Faraci wrote copy for Alamo Drafthouse and the Fantastic Fest festival guide. League apologized, but not before Fox Searchlight pulled its surefire awards contender Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri whose plot deals with sexual assault from Alamo Drafthouses annual Fantastic Fest.
This week, Aint It Cool News was dropped as a Fantastic Fest sponsor. Knowles, the founder, told IndieWire that he would not attend the festival, partly because of additional accusations that hed harassed an ex-girlfriend. There was a rumor about me and an ex-girlfriend that felt ugly, Knowles said at the time. Theyre a complete fabrication and lie.
UN Secretary-General Guteress lauds Nepal's elections
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guteress has lauded Nepal's efforts for concluding the local level elections in the recent days and wished for the success of upcoming elections.
Someday, a rain storm like none in the Waco areas recorded history could push Lake Waco to the top of its floodgates, engulf Waco Regional Airport, cascade down to the Brazos River and imperil East Waco and Baylor University with a surge of floodwater.
That apocalyptic scene comes not from the fevered imaginations of Hollywood scriptwriters but sober-minded hydrogeologists who designed Lake Waco for the worst-case scenario, called a maximum probable flood.
But recent events have some experts wondering if their worst-case scenarios are dire enough.
Hurricane Harveys assault on the Houston area last month broke records more than a century old and caused disastrous flooding well beyond designated floodplains. A record rainfall just shy of 52 inches fell near Cedar Bayou, and an area of 11,492 square miles was covered in at least 30 inches of rain.
Since then, climatologists and government hydrologists have resolved to revisit the models that communities use to assess how vulnerable they are to storms and floods.
We havent analyzed this yet. Its almost too soon, said Allen Avance, a hydrologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District office. Our plans are to take that storm and analyze it and see if its possible for such a thing to move inland.
The Corps has already been working with the city of Waco and McLennan County to model how another storm the one that dumped 29 inches on Gainesville in May 2015 and flooded the Trinity River would have affected waterways in McLennan County.
In the meantime, the Houston flood has already worked its way into Waco politics. Opponents of a proposed new landfill on Old Lorena Road, next to the current landfill, have repeatedly asserted that a Harvey-style rainfall event could cause Lake Waco to back up into the landfill site. Waco officials say that scenario is inconceivable given the design of the lake.
Of course, Waco isnt Houston. Waco is much better drained: Its terrain drops 240 feet between the old Hillcrest Hospital and the Brazos River, which is itself 350 feet above sea level. And being more than 200 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, this city is far less prone to hurricane-based rainfall, state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said.
Nielsen-Gammon, who is based at Texas A&M University, was involved in calculating probable maximum precipitation estimates for Texas.
We would not have conjectured that a tropical storm like Harvey would occur as far north as Waco, he said.
Still, Nielsen-Gammon said theres reason to think the worst-case scenarios around the state may ultimately need to be revised upward, especially as warming ocean temperatures intensify tropical storms.
The biggest problem with the theoretical flood is that theres actually no theory involved with this, he said. Its more like a maximum flood based on historical events and maximum moisture available. As more events happen, Harvey being an example, you expand the realm of possibility. More things that can happen actually do happen.
And when it comes to storms and floods in the Waco area, theres reason to think the worst is yet to come.
Extremes of rainfall
A 1980 masters thesis published by Baylor Universitys geology department observed that Waco has been spared the extremes of rainfall that have fallen in other inland areas, such as the 36 inches that fell in Thrall, Texas, in an 18-hour period in 1921.
Based on such a storm, the author, Edward Dale Leach, calculated a maximum probable flood for Waco that would reach 68 feet 27 feet above the flood of record on the Brazos River.
If Lake Waco and Lake Whitney were already full, an extreme storm could have disastrous consequences such as Waco has never seen, Leach wrote.
Those conditions will someday coincide with a great storm, and a great flood will occur on the Brazos River in Waco, Leach wrote.
Waco City Hall will be under nine feet of water, and the county courthouse will be on the edge of the Brazos River, he wrote. There will not be a square foot of Baylor University that is not inundated, and all bridges crossing the Brazos River will be either washed away or covered by floodwater. Hundreds of houses will be flooded and many washed away. There is no method of estimating the loss of life.
Avance, the Corps hydrologist, said such a scenario is not impossible, but it would require simultaneous maximum floods on the Bosque and Brazos Rivers, and it would be what might be termed a million-year flood.
Any worst-case scenario for Waco would involve both the Brazos River, which drains a huge swath of Texas, and the much smaller Bosque River, which feeds Lake Waco before flowing into the Brazos at Cameron Park.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed Lake Whitney to contain a maximum probable flood on the Brazos and Lake Waco to do the same for the Bosque River and tributaries.
Those dams have been so effective that the Brazos has not flooded any significant part of Waco since the completion of Lake Waco in 1964. Few remember the days, most recently in 1957, when the Brazos would periodically sprawl across East Waco and rescuers would paddle boats down Elm Avenue.
The two dams can hold back a vast amount of water. Lake Whitney can triple in size to 1.6 million acre-feet of storage, with an acre-foot representing 325,851 gallons.
In a maximum flood, Lake Waco can rise 38 feet to hold an additional 553,300 acre-feet of stormwater above its normal level. Even without discharging water, the dam could hold back two floods the size of the record 1936 flood on the Bosque and still have room to spare.
The dam was designed based not just on that 1936 flood but on other historic rainstorms in the region, including an 1899 flood at Hearne. The lake has a normal level of 462 feet above sea level and a maximum height of 500 feet.
Long before the lake fills up, the dam gates would release unprecedented amounts of water at a rate of up to 563,000 cubic feet per second. If the lake ever topped the 500-foot mark, it is designed to drain onto Waco Regional Airport and China Spring Road so it doesnt spill over the dam and risk a catastrophic dam failure.
In building Lake Waco, the Corps designated a no-build easement around the lake up to the 503-foot elevation, and a small finger of that easement reaches into the site of the proposed Old Lorena Road landfill. Bradford Holland, head of Citizens Against the Highway 84 Landfill, has warned that the lake could back up into the proposed new landfill.
Should water levels reach the 503 flowage easement floodwater level, our drinking water reservoir will absorb all leachate that has EVER run off the landfill property, he wrote in an email to the Tribune-Herald.
Totally illegitimate
But Deputy City Manager Wiley Stem called that concern totally illegitimate. First, the new landfill would skirt the 503-foot easement. The bottom of the lowest cell at the current landfill is at 519 feet, and he expects similar minimum elevations at the Old Lorena Road site.
We would have to be 16 feet above the top of the spillway for that to happen, Stem said. The landfill is above the top of the dam. In a case like that, the water is going to top the dam and go over the dam, not back up into the landfill. We would have much bigger issues, the loss of life, people drowning downstream. Im very confident that in any event that our landfill or any other new landfill will be able to handle any flood event.
The record level for Lake Waco is 488.5 feet above sea level on Christmas Eve 1991, followed by 486 feet in July 2007 and 484.5 feet in June 2016.
The true worst-case scenario would be for water to top the dam and wash it out, unleashing a tsunami-like wall of water downstream.
The Corps of Engineers and the Waco-McLennan County Office of Emergency Management regularly collaborate for table-top exercises to rehearse how they would respond to such an event, unlikely as it may be.
Local emergency management director Frank Patterson said the lakes would release a huge amount of water to prevent a dam breach.
I think the Corps has a good handle on the dam and keeping it from failing, Patterson said. Their job is to protect the dam.
But he said releasing so much water could cause damaging floods downstream. And he sees increasing challenges in managing floodwater in general.
I tell you, its not going to get any better, he said. The more things we build, the more rooftops we put in, the more risk we have of flooding.
Political battle over Waco landfill heats up with charges of misinformation The full-court press to block a new landfill on Old Lorena Road has run into push-back from the Waco City Council members that opponents are t
As the first case involving the May 2015 Twin Peaks shootout appears heading to trial, McLennan County officials continue to plan for the potential astronomical costs related to the one-of-a-kind legal proceedings.
Houston attorney Casie Gotro, who represents biker Jacob Carrizal, has announced she is representing the Bandidos Dallas chapter president for free. So that will save the county money, along with other bikers who have hired their own attorneys instead of relying on county-funded, court-appointed attorneys.
About 70 of the 154 indicted bikers have court-appointed attorneys, but the majority of those attorneys havent sent bills to the county yet, according to county records.
Because of the uncertainty of the number of bikers who will be going to trial, whether those following Carrizal will seek changes of venue, which drive up trial costs dramatically, how much expert witnesses will bill the county and a variety of unknown factors, county officials really have no way to budget for the millions of dollars the Twin Peaks cases are expected to cost.
The handful of lawyers who have taken the forefront and who have been pushing for speedy trials for their clients are hired, so the county wont be paying them. Others who are court-appointed are keeping a lower profile, presumably while reviewing the four terabytes worth of evidence turned over to them by prosecutors in the unique, convoluted case.
According to figures supplied by McLennan County Auditor Stan Chambers office, McLennan County has paid out $230,751 so far in Twin Peaks-related expenses. Those expenses include fees to court-appointed attorneys, a court-appointed investigator and lawyers hired to represent two elected county officials in federal civil rights lawsuits and grievances.
With no trials in sight, Twin Peaks expenses mounting for McLennan County Although the Twin Peaks biker trials have been put on hold until after a federal case agains
The Tribune-Herald reported April 23 that the county had paid out $208,239 in Twin Peaks-related bills. So roughly $22,000 in bills have come in since April, Chambers said.
Of that amount, $20,149 was paid to Kevin Fisk, a private investigator who is county-appointed but working with Gotro on Carrizals case. Fisk, a former investigator with the Waco Fire Department, sent payment requisition forms to the county April 18, June 5 and Sept. 14.
Two of the three forms were not subject to Public Information Act requests and could not be viewed because 19th State District Judge Ralph Strother ordered them sealed before Gotro successfully got Strother recused from Carrizals case.
Such requisition forms can be sealed if the defense requests it out of fear that prosecutors, or anyone with a Public Information Act request, could review the documents and learn the names of defense witnesses who were interviewed or other elements of defense strategy.
Strother, who declined comment because of the recusal, found Carrizal indigent at a previous hearing after Gotro asked for Fisk to be paid by the county.
After Strothers recusal, Carrizals case was transferred to Judge Matt Johnsons court. When Johnson was presented a bill by Fisk, he required that Carrizal, an employee of the Dallas, Garland and Northeastern Railroad, fill out an application for paupers oath listing his financial information. Johnson upheld Strothers indigent finding and approved Fisks request.
Fisk and Gotro did not return phone messages for this story.
Johnson also declined comment on Twin Peaks expenses.
It is rare but not unheard of for judges to approve requests for court-appointed investigators or expert witnesses, even in cases in which attorneys are retained or say they are working for free or pro bono. Defendants who hire attorneys on their own still might be considered indigent if they had to clean out their bank accounts to pay their lawyers and to post bail and have no other available assets, officials said.
In Johnsons court, court-appointed attorneys are paid $75 an hour for preparation time and $80 an hour while they are in court. Court-appointed investigators are paid $55 an hour, but sometimes less for travel time.
Investigator fees
Johnson typically allows $750 for investigators in first-degree felony cases, $500 for second-degree felonies, $400 for third-degree felonies and $300 for state-jail felonies. Attorneys know they can ask the judge for more investigative funds if that money runs out.
In Carrizals case, Fisk, who signed on with Gotro in April, would have worked 366 hours at $55 an hour to earn $20,149. That amounts to nine 40-hour work weeks.
No one argues that the Twin Peaks cases are typical in any respect. McLennan County officials are plowing new ground, and defense attorneys so far have left no matter unchallenged, including the recusal of Strother, the failed recusal of Johnson and attempts to disqualify District Attorney Abel Reyna.
The judges, in a sense, are viewing the cases the way they would a death-penalty case, knowing they need to give attorneys the resources they say they need because every issue and every ruling will be scrutinized on appeal should the bikers be convicted.
Still, Fisks bills, thus far, raised some eyebrows around the courthouse.
With no trials in sight, Twin Peaks expenses mounting for McLennan County Although the Twin Peaks biker trials have been put on hold until after a federal case agains
Longtime private investigator Ed McElyea said the only time he submitted payment requisitions approaching what Fisk has filed was in a capital murder case that stretched out for more than three years.
The judges have always been fair to me and pay me appropriately, McElyea said. I have been doing this 13 years and they trust me to be fair, and, in turn, I dont over bill them.
McElyea said he isnt suggesting Fisk is over billing the county. He said he doesnt know what his bill entailed, but he knows that prosecutors have released an unprecedented amount of evidence to the defense that will require many hours to review.
An itemized list justifying Fisks bill dated June 5 shows he traveled to Austin and Houston, obtained and served multiple subpoenas, researched tapes of jail phone calls, conducted interviews, reviewed data recovered from cellphones and worked on a witness list, among other duties.
Carrizal is set for trial Oct. 9, 29 months after the shootout that left nine dead and more than a dozen wounded.
Two years after shootout, Twin Peaks resolutions remain elusive In the two years since James Patrick Harris was arrested after the Twin Peaks shootout in
The eight-year partnership between McLennan Community College and Texas Tech University is set to expand until at least 2022, in an effort to meet growing education and economic development needs in Waco.
Texas Tech officials want to boost the schools enrollment at MCCs University Center from about 200 students to 1,000 students by about 2020 with a slew of new degree programs and more faculty members. A new building on or near MCC campus will eventually hold the students pursuing bachelors degrees from Texas Tech in Waco, Texas Tech Vice Provost Melanie Hart said.
The importance of having an affordable degree is something that Texas Tech is really interested in, Hart said. Its the right thing to do. These students are able to attend MCC. They get a good background education at a lower cost. Then, they transfer to Texas Tech, and if they have good-quality GPAs, they get additional scholarships that allow them to, really, cut the cost of the degree down to easily half of what it would have cost had they gone to Lubbock.
Enter Wacos Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation, with its longstanding philanthropic support of education. Executive Director Tom Stanton said the foundation will lay the groundwork in scholarships for the many nontraditional students who work and support families while attending college.
This is all about jobs, Stanton said. Theres a huge economic development piece for Waco here. Waco is in a position over the next 25 or 30 years to explode, and the question is, how are we, as a community, going to deal with all of that?
The two plus two program, with two years pursuing an MCC associates degree and two years pursuing a bachelors degree through the University Center, ultimately costs students about $30,000 before scholarships, he said.
Among the degree programs in discussion or planning for Texas Techs Waco wing are restaurant, hotel and institutional management and technical communication and rhetoric. Texas Tech already has 10 full-time employees in Waco, MCC Vice President of Instruction Fred Hills said.
Conversations with the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce and the Waco Business League formed the understanding of which degrees will hold the most value in Waco over the next 10 years.
In the long run, it helps Waco, Hills said. It provides a better skilled workforce to meet the demands of the current industry, but it also provides a pool of qualified workers that can attract new industries to town that, in the past, we havent been able to reach out to.
Programs centered on applied arts and sciences would allow students to apply workforce credits, including those earned at Texas State Technical College, toward a bachelors degree. Designer degrees could also be built around a combination of minors, officials said.
Texas Tech also hopes to attract students with opportunities specific to Waco, such as lessons at the Waco Mammoth National Monument.
Tarleton State University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Midwestern State University also partner with MCCs University Center.
Waco businessman and civic leader Carey Hobbs, a Texas Tech graduate, has helped the fundraising effort for Techs expansion in Waco.
Hobbs said the program dispels the common advice that students must attend a traditional, four-year college.
One of the things that make this so attractive to Texas Tech is the quality of MCC, he said. Theyre starting with an awfully good base. What I like about it is it incorporates all the things Im interested in: MCC, TSTC, Texas Tech and Waco in general.
For some people, joining the service is a calling. For others, its more a passageway to maturity, providing necessary discipline and direction for young people on the brink of adulthood. China Spring resident David G. Stovall, now 66, would most likely fall in the latter category. The military provided intangible skills he didnt know he was missing.
Stovall was born in Waco, but raised in Austin. He was 10 when his father passed away from kidney disease. With four sisters and two brothers to care for, keeping the boys out of trouble was practically impossible.
His other brother, Jimmy, had been in and out of lockup since he was young. Stovall himself quit school to work, but found he was getting into trouble. My friends and I were pretty much troublemakers, he said.
Then, of all people, Jimmy stepped in and suggested he join the Army. He even took him to Houston to talk to an Army recruiter, whose office was closed for lunch. But across the hallway was a Marine recruiter. I said, I always wanted to be a Marine anyway. I liked their uniforms, he said. Thats how he became a Marine shortly after his 18th birthday.
Stovall went for basic training at the Marine Corps Recruitment Depot in San Diego, California, to become a rifleman, just as every Marine does. His advanced training included more military and combat skills such as explosives, hand-to-hand combat, helicopter deployment, amphibious landings and more.
After the customary 30-day leave, Stovall went to the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, a staging area to deploy to Vietnam. He wasnt assigned a unit until he got to Okinawa, where he joined the Headquarters and Service Co., 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.
He became part of a CUPP unit, or Combined Unit Pacification Program, in the Quang Nam Province located about 20 miles southwest of Da Nang. CUPP units actually resided within the villages and were paired with local militia called Regional Forces and Popular Forces. The idea was to bring together the skilled Marines with the locals knowledge of the people and the terrain within and around a village. The main goal was protection.
Rifleman to machine gunner
When he arrived in Vietnam, he was a rifleman. Two days later, Stovall, a tall, strong man, became a machine gunner on the M-60, replacing those who were rotating out. His first time out was a frightening one: I was really pretty scared. You can see the firefights in the distance; I wondered if I was going to die on my first night there, he said.
The Marines lived in native huts Stovall said were made of thatch and cardboard. They ate C-rations supplemented with rice and corn, but shied away from local Asian food. Although the villagers tolerated their presence, they were farmers who really didnt care about war, he said. They werent overly friendly.
Still, the locals could be in danger from the Viet Cong or the North Vietnamese Army, who would sometimes slip into the village at night. They were similar to todays terrorists in that they had no qualms about using children as booby traps and sending them out among the American troops and its allies, he said.
Keeping watch in the dark
The men patrolled mostly at night, setting up ambush areas and keeping watch into the darkness. Once, they spotted a boat full of Viet Cong headed their way. Stovall fired his M-60 and sunk it.
Nobody wants to be in a war zone, he said. It was so different than anything I had ever experienced.
Stovalls tour was cut short when he became ill. He was quarantined for a time because his illness was unknown. While he was there, he found out Jimmy was dying from the same kidney disease that had killed their father. He managed to get medevaced to San Antonio and see his brother a couple of times.
Once better, Stovall was to report back to Camp Pendleton. His 6-foot-4-inch frame went from 240 pounds at the start of his Vietnam tour to a low of 180 pounds by the time he left.
Jimmy, just 24, died on the day he arrived at the camp in December 1970. David stayed in the Marines for three more years before receiving his honorable discharge in December 1973.
He met his future wife, Rosemary Teer from Texas, who worked for the Red Cross at Camp Pendleton, and they married in November 1970. They will celebrate 47 years together later this year.
Proud to have served
I was proud to serve, but Im sad for all the men and women who lost their lives, Stovall said of his experience. I think it was a political war, and they would not let the military do their job and end it.
Bonifacio Garcia Romo, lovingly known to most as "Barney", a native of Waco, passed away at his home on Tuesday, September 19, 2017. Family and friends will gather from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, September 27, at Geneva Hall, 740 S. Connally Dr., in Elm Mott, for a time of sharing memories and a potluck dinner. The family request that you please bring a dish.
Like most Wacoans, I have family and friends who have been significantly impacted by Hurricane Harvey. My uncle Robert Hanson from Bevil Oaks just west of Beaumont had 6 feet of water in his Piney Woods home. He lost everything. The families of my Beaumont cousins Ross, Cathleen, Colleen and Ron are still displaced, some living with relatives and others in trailers.
And though their second-floor Houston apartment was not damaged, my nephew Brandt Burleson and his wife Kelly were forced to relocate permanently to another apartment after their entire apartment complex was condemned as toxic. They were given three days to find a new place to live.
While hurricanes and flooding in Southeast Texas are not new I remember as a child being rescued from our Beaumont home by boat when Hurricane Debra hit in 1959 and then fleeing town when Hurricane Carla hit in 1961 Texans are now wondering if catastrophic coastal flooding is the new norm. It certainly seems that way.
My church, Seventh and James Baptist, turned our education building into a temporary housing facility after Katrina struck in 2005. And with Hurricane Rita only weeks later, all of my Beaumont cousins evacuated to Waco to stay with my extended family here in Central Texas. Many Wacoans provided shelter public and private for evacuees at that time.
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that Texas has warmed about a degree in the past century and that annual rainfall in the eastern two-thirds of the state is increasing so that rainstorms are more intense and flooding is more severe. The sea on our Texas coast is rising about 2 inches per decade.
Our climate is changing because the earth is warming, the EPA reports. People have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the air by 40 percent since the late 1700s. Other heat-trapping greenhouse gases are also increasing. These gases have warmed the surface and lower atmosphere of our planet about one degree during the past 50 years. Evaporation increases as the atmosphere warms, which increases humidity, average rainfall and the frequency of heavy rainstorms in many places but contributes to drought in others.
With warmer oceans and rising sea levels, hurricanes may be more frequent and more intense. Chances are were looking at the new norm along the Texas coast.
So what are we to do? Unfortunately, the Gulf coast states such as Texas that are most impacted by hurricanes are also governed by Republican Party climate deniers beholden to the fossil-fuel industry. The Republican elephant has become the Republican ostrich with head planted firmly in Texas sand. Elected Republican leaders from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida who have a lock on state and national seats of power are behaving as the willfully ignorant.
According to Open Secrets: Center for Responsible Politics, Texas District 17 Republican Congressman Bill Flores, a former oil industry executive, has received well over half of his corporate sponsorships this cycle from the oil and gas industry. Seventy-seven percent of his funding for 2017-2018 comes from PACs, often with fossil-fuel interests.
The politically active Koch brothers, who champion climate-change denying politicians, are among Flores top contributors. Flores will tell you that he is proud to support the bottom line for Exxon Mobile shareholders and that he will continue to do so as long as hes in office. So what are we to do when these politicians have vowed to do nothing and are reaping political benefits by their obstinacy?
While the Republican Party, driven by its own self-interest, is selling the birthright of our children for cheaper gasoline, mayors of coastal cities are now leading their constituents to make infrastructure changes to deal with climate change with little or no support from state or national sources. Seeing is believing. Mayors from Gulf coast villages, towns and cities are telling citizens that we have to deal with this and deal with it today.
Theres a bit of irony here for Texans that has perhaps gone unnoticed. Some of the worst flooding in recent years (and, perhaps, in the decades ahead) is in the very place where the first oil boom in the United States erupted in 1901. Spindletop changed everything for Texans. It certainly impacted my family my grandfather Pete Burleson and my dad Buster Burleson were employed by the Sun Oil Company for their entire adult lives. Like many Texans, our family owes the oil industry a lot; jobs are essential.
Then again, so is safe housing, clean water, toxic-free neighborhoods, safe food, clean air and common-sense safeguards against catastrophes that change lives forever. So we must change. And we must change now. If there is to be a future for us, we have to stop burning fossil fuels! And Central Texas must get ready for the high-tech energy boom that is already coming to cities such as San Antonio, Midland and Abilene.
The future is closer than you think the only question is what kind of future it will be. And that is up to us.
This summer my first grandchildren were born. Josie and Grant are seventh-generation Texans. Both of them will live through Americas 21st century. What will Texas be like for them in 80 years? What will Texas be like for your children, for your grandchildren, for your great-grandchildren in the year 2100?
If we do nothing, if we put our heads in the Texas sand as is currently the practice of Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, Congressman Flores and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott the Texas future greeting coming generations is very likely to be bleak. Exaggeration? Hyperbole? Are you really willing to bet the lives of your progeny on the truthfulness of Fox News, the alt-right and the Republican Party? Or will you trust the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community?
Central Texans are often said to be family-oriented, independent and conservative. My hope is that, before long, we are going to turn out the party that thrives on fake news and denial of hard evidence to protect our families, our independence and to conserve our beautiful Texas.
Enough already! We must move into the future and move now.
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Westpac and ANZ have followed the Commonwealth Bank in axing fees for customers of other institutions using their ATMs to withdraw cash.
"Australians have complained for some time about being charged fees for using another bank's ATM," CBA's group executive, retail banking services, Matt Comyn, said in a statement on Sunday.
"As Australia's largest bank, with one of the largest branch and ATM networks, we think this change will benefit many Australians and hopefully demonstrate our willingness to listen and act on customer feedback."
By lunchtime on Sunday, Westpac had announced it was following suit. The bank's group executive for consumer relations, George Frazis, said non-Westpac Group customers would no longer be charged an ATM withdrawal fee when they used one of Westpac Group's 2925 ATMs.
Exxon Mobil shares have declined more than 11 per cent this year at a time of weak energy prices. Credit:AP So at my request, he updated his calculations through December 2016 and provided fresh rankings in his paper Do Stocks Outperform Treasury Bills. We've reproduced the crucial elements here, with an important revision: Today, in the iPhone's 10th anniversary year, Apple is No. 1. In a phone conversation, Bessembinder reminded me that the stock market is a moving target and that his rankings, while valid through the end of 2016, don't capture the sharp movements of this calendar year. Facebook, which started trading in June 2012, is the youngest on the list, with an annualised return of 34.5 per cent. Credit:AP In his 2016 rankings, Exxon Mobil, not Apple, appears at the top, with net wealth creation of more than $US1 trillion ($1.24 trillion). Apple lags at about $US745 billion.
But it has been a wild year. Exxon Mobil shares have declined more than 11 per cent at a time of weak energy prices, while Apple, which just introduced a raft of new iPhones, is on a spectacular stock surge, gaining more than 37 per cent. It's remarkable that Apple has generated so much wealth in such a short period of time. Professor Hendrik Bessembinder Run the numbers as I did, and it's clear that at this moment, Apple has pulled ahead of Exxon Mobil, with total net wealth creation of somewhere in the vicinity of $US1 trillion. Counting dividends, Exxon Mobil's losses in the stock market have reduced its total to a bit over $US910 billion. (Note that, as a technical matter, Bessembinder defines net wealth creation as total stock returns in excess of one-month Treasury bill returns, which averaged an annualised 3.38 per cent, so the actual stock returns for Apple, Exxon, and the others are even higher than indicated.) "It's remarkable that Apple has generated so much wealth in such a short period of time," he said. "Exxon has had decades to pile up those returns."
Exxon is among the top wealth-creating companies that have been publicly trading - under the name of a predecessor, Standard Oil of New Jersey - since the inception of Bessembinder's tally in July 1926. Others include General Electric, IBM, Altria, Coca-Cola, DuPont, PepsiCo and Schlumberger. He relied on a database developed at the University of Chicago, known as CRSP, for the Center for Research in Security Prices, which contains virtually all publicly traded stocks in the United States. The Center for Research uses rigorous and logical criteria to determine when stocks enter and depart its listings, with some results that may seem surprising at first glance. General Motors, for example, ranks eighth. It was publicly traded in 1926, but the list says it ceased to exist in June 2009. A company called General Motors exists today, of course, but as Chloe Fu, senior support and relationship manager at the Center for Research in Security Prices, explained it, GM's bailout and bankruptcy led the centre to declare the old company terminated, with a new GM coming to life in June 2009. Consequently, the new GM returns aren't included in the total for GM on the list. The list is a fascinating ranking of big winners in the stock market. But for a variety of technical reasons, it isn't a straightforward table of the greatest wealth generators in market history. For example, the long-term gains generated by Exxon Mobil and its predecessors are understated because of the database's limited duration and strict criteria. Exxon Mobil's wealth in the list doesn't include Mobil's, which Bessembinder's listing says, ceased to exist in November 1999, when it merged with Exxon. And going back further, both Exxon and Mobil were among the descendants of the Standard Oil trust, established by John D. Rockefeller and his partners in the 19th century. The total wealth generated by the cluster of companies derived at least partially from the trust - which also include Amoco and Chevron - doesn't appear in a single notation because of the list's logic.
The listings for most of the recently created companies are less tangled. As I wrote in July, Amazon, which started trading in 1997, has soared to the 14th spot. Although it hasn't been in existence long compared with Exxon Mobil, its annualised return is the highest in the list, 37.4 per cent through December. A group of young companies have also had remarkable results. Facebook, which started trading in June 2012, is the youngest on the list, with an annualised return of 34.5 per cent. Visa, which had its initial public offering of stock in 2008, is the second-newest company, with a 21 per cent annualised return, followed by Alphabet (Google), ranked 11th, with a 24.9 per cent annualised return. And then there is that great wealth machine, Microsoft, ranked as the third-greatest wealth creator. Since 1986, it has had an annualised return of 25 per cent, making its founder, Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, with a net worth of more than $US87 billion, according to Bloomberg. No list of wealth-generating companies is complete without Berkshire Hathaway. It ranks 12th, just behind Alphabet, with an annualised return of 22.6 per cent. By comparison, Exxon Mobil's annualised return was only 11.94 per cent.
Anyone who invested in Apple or Microsoft or, really, in any of these companies at their inception and just held on did extraordinarily well. You might look at that record and conclude that you should just buy the best companies as a foolproof way to get rich. If only it were that easy. How do you find those companies? Not here. "The problem is, I have no idea which companies will generate the best returns over the next 10 or 20 or 30 years, " Bessembinder said. "Probably it will be some companies we've never heard of. Maybe it will be companies that don't even exist now." This list is worth studying for understanding the past.
A couple with two kids seems to be the cliched family make-up and for many also the ideal. It makes sense to have two kids you have created your replacements, your biological imperative is done. The children will have a sibling, and it seems everything including car size, accommodation, even travel seems to better cater for this family size. But then what if you throw another child into the mix by choice?
It's what my husband and I did. Last year we had our number three, and while it didn't make any sort of financial or logical sense, since we had him our family seems complete. It's a strange thing to admit, since having three children definitely takes a toll on your body not to mention your finances but a part of us felt we needed a third.
Saman Shad and her husband really wanted a third child, but it was about emotion not status. Credit:Edwina Pickles
We aren't unusual in this, the recent HILDA (Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia) survey found that by the time they are 40, most Australians wish they had more children than they actually have.
So what's stopping us having more kids? After all, Australia has had a declining fertility rate since the 1970s and we are still not at a replacement levels which means women are having fewer than two children on average. Is it because by the time we have one or two kids we realise the actual cost of having children, both financially and emotionally, which stops us having more?
Tens of thousands of marriage equality supporters kicked off a text message and doorknocking campaign this weekend encouraging people to vote "yes" in the same-sex marriage postal survey.
On Saturday, people started receiving text messages on their mobile phones from YesEquality, which stated: "The Marriage Equality Survey forms have arrived! Help make history and vote YES for a fairer Australia. VoteYes.org.au."
But not everyone regardless of their view on same-sex marriage was happy to receive an SMS, with some expressing concern about how their phone numbers were obtained.
It might sound like a tall tale but someone did actually go to great lengths to make it seem true.
WA Police have confirmed to WAtoday they were able to recover a 12-foot giraffe statue that was stolen from a Perth pet store on Saturday evening.
The stolen 12-foot statue that police recovered. Credit:WA Police
The towering fibre glass giraffe inexplicably went missing from the Bird and Fish Place pet store in Wattle Grove after the store closed, before staff realised and reported the theft to Cannington police officers.
Staff reported a hole in their back fence had been cut out by thieves in order to remove the giraffe, and the store offered a $3400 reward for its safe return.
Friends and family are rallying around a 16-year-old girl who is lucky to be alive after suffering a heart attack before she sat a Perth high school exam earlier this month.
Telita Calley, a student at Kingsway Christian College, was about to take her year 11 exams when a boy at her school asked her to the school ball.
Telita Calley is now in a stable condition after receiving surgery fitting her with an internal defibrillator. Credit:GoFundMe
"I had just been asked to the ball by this guy and I collapsed," she told 9 News Perth.
"I grabbed my friend's hand because I was so excited, and then I just kind of collapsed.
Melbourne: Accused Australian drug mule Cassie Sainsbury insists she has evidence of threats to kill her family - it's just that she can't remember how to unlock her mobile phone.
The 22-year-old Adelaide woman, nicknamed "Cocaine Cassie" was caught at Bogota's international airport in April, trying to smuggle 5.8kg of cocaine inside packages of headphones.
In an interview with Nine Network's 60 Minutes program, Sainsbury said she thought she had accepted a job as a legitimate courier transporting documents for $US10,000 plus flights, but plans changed at the last minute.
She was sent to Colombia where a "mastermind" known only as Angelo threatened via WhatsApp to kill her mum, sister and fiance if she did not transport his drugs.
Brighton: London's horror spate of terror attacks could have been much worse, mayor Sadiq Khan has said, revealing that police have foiled seven terror attacks in the British capital since March.
Mr Khan said the seven plots were in addition to the attacks at Westminster, Borough Market, Finsbury Park and Parsons Green that killed a total of 13 people, including two Australian women, Sara Zelenak and Kirsty Boden.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has renewed his call for more police resources in the British capital. Credit:Latika Bourke
"Between March this year and now, there have been four attacks but seven [more] have been thwarted," he said at an event on the sidelines of the Labour Party conference in Brighton.
In July, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police said authorities had foiled six plots in the four previous months.
Saturday in Clarksburg, wild and wonderful added to the local foods in West Virginia.
The Bridgeport Farmers Market held a wild and wonderful table. This was a night featuring local foods from local farmers with live music and cocktails.
Each course was made by a local culinary artist in the state. Tickets were $75 per person and couples $140. The money raised for the wild and wonderful table goes back towards the farmers market to help make local foods and products more available.
The event was hosted by the Raines family.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff
Sep. 23, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY
By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 23, 2017 | 07:55 PM | PADUCAH, KY
A Paducah man was arrested early Saturday morning after an attempted traffic stop and brief pursuit in the Farley area.
According to the McCracken County Sheriff's Department, a deputy tried to pull over a pickup truck for a traffic violation at 2:38 am near the intersection of Husband Road and Happy Hollow Drive. The driver, later identified as 34-year-old Kirk Brummett, reportedly accelerated and tried to elude the deputy. Deputies say Brummett turned off his headlights as he pulled onto Happy Hollow Drive, almost hitting another vehicle. The truck eventually stopped on Creekview Drive, but Brummett allegedly refused to obey repeated commands to get out. Deputies say they approached the pickup, removed Brummett, and took him into custody. Deputies say he was clearly under the influence of alcohol.
Brummett was charged with reckless driving, 1st degree fleeing or evading, DUI 2nd offense, resisting arrest, menacing, wanton endangerment, possession of an open alcoholic beverage in a vehicle, a blinker violation, and failure to wear a seatbelt. He was taken to McCracken County Detention Center.
1. Yes. The ordinance goes against state law and is not in the best interest of the cities.
2. Yes. At the very least, it should be amended to give police officers some discretion.
3. No. Voters approved the ordinance by large majorities; the councils cant ignore that fact.
4. No. The petition process has to be given a chance to work. Leave the ordinance alone.
5. Unsure. Its hard to say how the cities should move forward regarding the ordinance.
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Its no surprise that September brought out some smoltering heat in Mid-Michigan.
But that did not stop many spartans fans from tailgating.
And when it gets as hot as it did today, dehydration becomes a problem.
WILX Alani Letang went down to Spartan Stadium to ask people how they stay hydrated.
"We have fans, we have spritsers" said Chuck Fisher, MSU fan.
"Water, lots of water" said Kelli Zussman, MSU fan.
Fans say they're stocked up on water by the case load.
"Just making sure I get as much H20 into the system as I can" said MSU fan, Paul O'Connor.
And its important to always have on hand, even if you're just walking to the bathroom
"Outside its just great to have your water bottle with you and just go and drink some water on your way and walk back and then you can go and have your beer" said Kelli Zussman, MSU fan.
And while water is very important on a hot day,so is drinking alcoholic beverages in moderation and staying out of the sun.
Michigan State University Police Captian Doug Monette told me he is impressed with what he was seen so far.
"People have complied, they've planned ahead, they've had water, they're in the shade, and using sunblock" said MSU Police Capt. Monette.
Michigan State University Police have been advising people all week to consume lots of water and stay cool.
And fans here tell me their trick to battle dehydration.
"One bottle of water per every alcohol drink" Fisher said.
The words 90 degrees and September may not seem like they mesh well ,however tailgaters say they are ready for the sweat.
"It's game day we got to be ready for game day as much as I possibly can" Zussman said.
David Dulek doesnt want to give up his home.
His grandfather built the house a cream-colored, well-kept place on East Wabasha Street in the early 1950s, and members of the Dulek family have lived there ever since.
Dulek, who says he has a deep attachment to the house, purchased it in February, following the death of his grandmother.
However, Dulek is one of several property owners recently approached by Winona Area Public Schools, which is looking to purchase land for an expansion of Washington-Kosciusko Elementary School part of the districts $82 million facilities referendum.
The only way Dulek will agree to sell, he says, is if his neighbors sell too.
I wont hold things up if everyone else is on board, he said this week. Im pretty torn. I want the district to get their money, but I dont want to lose my house.
That reluctance is shared, in varying degrees, by others who own property north of W-K, right in the path of the districts planned expansion.
A homeowner who asked to remain anonymous said he would be open to selling on one condition.
We dont have any kids in the district, so were not opposed to it, the man said. But the offer has to be fair.
Another homeowner said she and her husband would rather not move. Theyve lived in their house for decades, she said, and dont want to sever their roots.
It would be tough, but it is what it is, the woman said. I just wish they would have gone with Jefferson. Its their biggest school, with the most greenspace.
Shes not alone.
In June, Winona school board members voted 4-3 to close Jefferson and Madison elementary schools, moving those students to either W-K or Goodview. (As part of the plan, Rollingstone Community Elementary School would also stay open, although the districts 1,000 elementary students could fit inside W-K and Goodview.)
Community members and some board members have said the district is making a mistake, that its irrational to vacate the districts largest elementary site in the city Jefferson sits on 12.5 acres while sending 500-plus students to W-K.
I dont think 575 students on 2.2 acres is a good idea, board member Jay Kohner said at a recent meeting. Theres no guarantee were going to get any more land. Even if we get the whole block, youd still have 575 students on 4.5 acres. Its just not a good location.
District officials confirmed this week that theyre in ongoing talks with property owners near W-K, including the owner of Bobs Home Heating and Cooling, the only commercial property eyed by the district.
John Meier, owner and service technician at Bobs, said hes firmly against selling both for the well-being of his business, and the well-being of students.
I have a good location here visibility for signage, right on the main drag and it would be one less headache staying put, he said. As a small business owner, its hard. Youre running a business, and you have these big guys pounding on your door. It feels like youre getting bullied.
Its not a good environment for a school or a playground, he added. Traffic is really bad. People are always screaming off Broadway and Mankato. Theres a lot of noise.
I feel that its a bad decision.
According to documents the district submitted to the state, W-K, even after the expansion, would be small and crowded. It would sit on 2.6 acres with the additional land, well short of the states 10-plus-acre recommendation for elementary schools.
Despite W-Ks small footprint, Brenda Cassellius, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education, gave a positive review and comment of the districts facilities plan last month a necessary step before the referendum Nov. 7.
In its submission to the state, the district also described property owners as amenable to selling their land.
But that willingness if it exists at all could be due to a sense of resignation.
In Minnesota, any school district with the authority to purchase land or buildings without voter approval also has the power to condemn and claim properties of its choosing, whether or not the property owners agree to sell.
Superintendent Rich Dahman said the district has no plans to use eminent domain That option is not being investigated, he said but property owners are leery.
They say they feel the districts legal power hanging over them, ready to be used if necessary.
I dont think we can stop it, one homeowner said. Theyre going to take it one way or the other.
I wont hold things up if everyone else is on board. Im pretty torn. I want the district to get their money, but I dont want to lose my house. David Dulek
Winona native Robert Ries on Saturday jumped into a crowded Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary field for Minnesotas 1st Congressional District.
Ries, a U.S. Navy veteran and a political newcomer, hopes to campaign on a promise of A Fairer Deal. He has had held positions in the military, education and private business sector, perspectives that he believes would make him an effective representative todays government.
I know economics, I can explain it to people, Ries said. I dont think any of the other candidates have my background to be able to explain that.
Ries priorities include protecting seniors on medicaid, giving a fairer tax deal to everybody, and to increase jobs by raising the minimum wage and funding infrastructure.
He stands against the Trump administrations moves to cut funding to Medicaid.
The cuts to Medicaid could devastate senior health care, Ries said.
Ries said the Democratic party is in need of strong leadership to push back against the Trump agenda.
With principles of fairness, honor, respect for all people, respect for the law, responsible management and fiscal responsibility, Ries believes he is the best person to represent the 1st District.
Ries stands for withdrawing troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, a belief in the science of climate change, scrapping tax loopholes such as the oil depletion allowance, a 25-cent fuel surtax for four years to upgrade roads and bridges, and finally, not building a giant wall along the Mexico border.
Ries was raised in Winona and graduated from Winona Senior High School and Winona State University. He has a masters degree in business administration from the University of Chicago, and has taught economics at both Winona State and what is now known as Minnesota State College Southeast.
Ries served in the U.S. Navy for four years as a commissioned officer and was stationed Mediterranean Sea and in London. Hes also held a number of management positions but has decided to come out of retirement due to his concern for the country.
The DFL field includes former state senator Vicki Jensen and Dan Feehan, an Iraq War veteran and former Obama administration official Dan Feehan. Other declared candidates include Joe Sullivan, Regina Mustafa, Johnny Akzam, Colin Minehart and Rich Wright.
Incumbent Rep. Tim Walz announced he will not run for re-election to focus on running for governor.
The lone Republican candidate is Jim Hagedorn, who lost to Walz in 2014 and 2016. Republicans see the seat as one they can steal in 2018, given the surprisingly close margin of defeat for Hagedorn in 2016.
If I could debate Hagedorn, Id destroy him, Ries said.
WASHINGTON If youre a glutton for punishment, youve been watching Ken Burns The Vietnam War series on PBS. If youre a glutton for punishment, you also watched Donald Trumps speech at the United Nations threatening to destroy North Korea.
Wow. We have learned nothing!
During the Vietnam War, as now, America was frighteningly divided. It was a bitter, hateful, destructive period.
Burns series, of course, is compelling and beautifully done. It is also extremely painful to watch. The senseless killing and maiming. The merciless bombings. The stupid miscalculations of politicians who didnt understand the ramifications of what they didnt understand and their actions in sending thousands of young Americans into incomprehensible horror. The cover-ups to protect egos.
Ask Sen. John McCain, the Republican senator who was imprisoned and tortured by the North Vietnamese. Theres a man who understands, who trembles that we havent learned Vietnams lessons. A patriot whom Trump ridiculed for being captured. Trump, who didnt serve in Vietnam because of bone spurs. Yeah, his feet hurt.
What was the cost of Vietnam? The loss of 58,000 Americans. The deaths of 3.6 million Vietnamese. An entire generation lost respect for government and civility. And confidence the U.S. would always do the right thing. If you havent been to see the Vietnam War memorial in Washington, go.
After Vietnam, the shining city on the hill was, well, heartbreakingly dimmed. As painful as it is to remember, we must.
Many Americans are too young to understand that we also fought in Korea after North Korea invaded the South. We lost 37,000 Americans. Nearly 8,000 are missing. More than 100,000 were wounded. More than 2 million Koreans died as well as 600,000 Chinese soldiers who fought on North Koreas side. It ended with an armistice; no real end.
Are we going to war again on the Korean peninsula? I dont think so but I dont know. Nobody does. Could we be so egregiously wrong again as we were in Vietnam? Yes, I fear we could be.
The origins of U.S. involvement in Vietnam went back to Woodrow Wilson. One of those presidents who has a lot to answer for.
Now, in 2017, a new president went before the U.N., a body dedicated to peace and conflict resolution, an organization whose first war was in Korea, and he taunted, like a junior high school bully, the leader of North Korea as Rocket Man. Then Trump threatened to totally destroy North Korea. The country!
Kim Jong Un is, of course, as unsuited to be a leader as Trump is. But youd think the United States would be a little more adult than North Koreas mop-topped, self-indulgent despot in this tense situation. Shouldnt the objective be avoiding more death and destruction?
When Trump urged every nation to serve its own interests first before considering the good of mankind (shades of Germany in the 30s), the U.N. response was stunned incomprehension and nervous disbelief.
You could see the fear and uncertainty in the eyes of the envoys, trapped between their translating earphones. Seeking stability and a plan for peace from the U.S., they heard incoherence, contradiction and narcissistic arrogance.
Rarely, OK, never in modern history, has the United States been more embarrassed on the world stage because of its president. (Slavery will always be our permanent stain, but inciting an unstable, paranoid nut case to use nukes ranks high on the list of unforgivable, felonious misbehaviors.)
Strangely, Iran pinpointed what may be the most frightening Trump legacy to date. When Trump threatened to walk away from the six-nation agreement that decreed Iran give up its nuclear ambitions, and when he left the worldwide agreement recognizing climate change as a global threat, Trump basically told the world that the United States is not to be trusted to keep its word.
Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime, Trump declared about Kim Jong Un.
Youd think that before threatening the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people and possibly even nuclear war, Trump would understand that the million-man North Korean army is as dedicated to its countrys survival and sovereignty as North Vietnams was.
U.S. leaders were warned about catastrophe in Vietnam and ignored the warning.
If Trump knew anything about history, hed be far less flippant about threatening war.
A former hospital and convent would be razed and replaced by senior apartments under a proposal that has won a preliminary nod from the Baraboo Plan Commission.
Horizon Design Build Manage of Madison hopes to rent 40 units in a three-story, $7.3 million facility to be built at 1208 Oak St. First, the firm would tear down the former St. Marys Ringling Manor, a notable site that has become an eyesore and a haven for unsavory activity.
We thought it would be best to scrape that site and start over, Horizon development manager Scott Kwiecisnski said.
The Plan Commission gave Horizon thumbs up Tuesday, directing the firm to return with a development plan. From there, the Plan Commission would forward a zoning recommendation to the City Council. Meanwhile, the city, county and state must work through the thorny issue of the propertys ownership.
I like it, Commissioner Pat Liston said of Horizons plan. Youve done a lot of ground work.
Horizon hopes to break ground on Oak Hill Senior Apartments in April 2019 and open the facility in April 2020. Its plan calls for a three-story building with underground parking offering 700-square-foot one-bedroom apartments and 975-square-foot two-bedroom apartments for residents 55 and older. Rent would cost $330-780 for one-bedroom units and $690-910 for two-bedroom units, based on tenants income. Thirty-four apartments would be leased at 30-60 percent of Sauk Countys median income, with the other six leased at 80 percent of the countys median income.
The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority would serve as the projects financing vehicle, offering tax credits for affordable housing construction. The apartments would be leased by residents with an income range of $14,000-$28,000 for single residents and $16,000-$32,000 for couples.
We would like to see something on that street corner, Commissioner Roy Franzen said.
Kwiecinski said the sites proximity to parks, stores and services is ideal. We really cant think of a better location, he said. We think this is a great community and a great project.
Horizon will present its plan to the facilitys neighbors in October. An application for WHEDA funding is due in December.
Ownership question
This proposal may spur the city, county and state to determine how the property can be conveyed to Horizon. Built in 1945 by the Ringling circus family, the facility has housed a hospital, a nursing home and a convent. But it has been vacant for 20 years, raided by vandals and graffiti artists despite police efforts to secure the building. The property had been owned by an estate that went broke, and has been tax-insolvent since 2007.
It eventually was transferred to the state, which is acting like a lost-and-found bin, taking custody of the property but not owning it. All parties are eager to wash their hands of the property, which is $73,000 in arrears on taxes.
Right now nobody even knows who owns it, City Engineer Tom Pinion said.
City leaders discussed petitioning the county to take the property back and donate it to the city, which could in turn hand it to Horizon. We dont want to end up owning that building, Pinion said.
The decaying building contains asbestos, and its roof leaks. It has been boarded up since 2012. It needs to come down, Liston said.
Previous plans to address the eyesore involved the city razing the building, conducting environmental cleanup through a state grant, and selling the property as residential lots to recoup costs. A 2016 study indicated the likely presence of hazardous material. Cleanup costs have been estimated at $500,000. Horizon will turn to state grant programs and other sources to pay for remediation.
The propertys original structure was built in 1898 as the home of Della Ringling. In 1922, it was donated to the Sisters of St. Marys, who converted it into a 25-bed hospital. In 1945, a three-story addition was built, and the original Ringling home was demolished. After St. Clare Hospital opened in 1963, the building was converted into a nursing home, St. Marys Ringling Manor, which was licensed for 71 beds. It then became a convent for the Franciscan Sisters of St. Marys until 1997, when the building closed for good.
In 2004, Joseph Harrington bought the property with hopes of turning it into senior housing, but that project fell through. He died in 2010. Four years later, a judge ordered the state to take custody of the property, through the Department of Revenues unclaimed property fund.
Standing inside a cramped visitors booth at the Dane County Jail, a handcuffed Joseph Jakubowski allowed his mind to drift back to the moment last April, during his 10-day run from the law, when he says he shot a wild turkey in the woods somewhere in western Wisconsin.
The 33-year-old self-proclaimed anarchist from Janesville smiled as he closed one eye, cocked his head and made a clicking sound to mimic gunfire coming from an assault rifle one of more than a dozen guns he admits he stole a few days earlier from a Janesville gun shop.
Those were the best days of my life, said Jakubowski, then the subject of one of the largest manhunts in Wisconsin history after he mailed an anti-government manifesto to President Donald Trump, stole the weapons, burned his truck and disappeared on April 4. For once in my life I was free. Nobody told me what I had to do. All I had to do was wake up and live.
With his trial scheduled to begin Monday in federal court in Madison, Jakubowski said he has mixed feelings about how his attempt to escape the law and get off the grid ended with his capture without incident on a bluff in Vernon County on April 14.
A self-taught and streetwise craftsman and roofer, Jakubowski is proud of how he was able to publicize his anger and frustration toward the U.S. government. But sounding almost wistful, he says he would have preferred dying in a hail of bullets in a battle with police. Better that, he said, than the prison sentence that awaits if hes convicted in federal court as well as the state charges he faces at a trial in Rock County Circuit Court in October.
I didnt go into it planning to die; that would be suicide, he said. But on the other hand, I havent been afraid of dying for a long time. How can you value life when youre told what to do for your entire life?
The number of guns Jakubowski is accused of stealing has varied since his arrest, but federal prosecutors now say there are 12 guns unaccounted for, including one high-priced assault rifle. Jakubowski said he no plans to give any details about the missing guns other than to say he buried them.
Some law enforcement officials and others speculate Jakubowski used some of the stolen guns to pay for transportation out of the area. But Jakubowski said his plan was to walk to North Dakota, where he hoped to drop out of society and give up things like money or cellphones. As he began his trek, he said, he traveled through fields and along the edges of woods with the help of an old atlas and a compass.
He said he got a ride at one point he wouldnt give a mileage estimate from a person who didnt recognize him, never entered a single building and walked near populated areas only at night.
But the hike took a toll. The two heavy backpacks he carried as well as a duffel bag in which he said he kept the stolen guns eventually wore him down.
He also had to forage for food because the apples, oranges and noodles he brought with him lasted just a couple of days. I was exhausted at the end, mainly because I was so hungry, he said.
Jeffrey Gorn, a retired school superintendent who had spent a career as a guidance counselor and clinical psychologist, would later discover the fugitive camping on his land April 13. After a lengthy, often fraught, encounter, Gorn extracted himself and called police, who arrested Jakubowski the next day. Although he had five guns and a samurai sword with him, he surrendered without incident.
The silence following Jakubowskis disappearance stoked fears that he was plotting an attack, Rock County Sheriff Bob Spoden said. In the days after the burglary, law enforcement from every level of government was mobilized, schools and churches were closed and a national media frenzy had everyone on edge because nobody knew what Jakubowski was going to do, including Jakubowski, Spoden said.
Spoden, who believes Jakubowski either sold the stolen guns that are still missing or threw them in a river to lighten his load, says he thinks Jakubowski was truthful when he said he just wanted to live on his own, free from other people and money.
He couldve done that without stealing the guns and nobody would know where he is right now, which is exactly what he says he wanted, Spoden said.
Seemed suicidal
Two days before Jakubowski disappeared, Renata Hackl, the owner of the Drunken Monkey bar on Janesvilles West Side where Jakubowski was a regular, said she confronted him because she thought he seemed suicidal.
He had been coming into the bar about four times a week and then last October he stopped coming. Then he shows up again in March but hes real quiet and deep in thought, she said. Then, out of the blue, right before he disappeared, hes all happy-go-lucky like he just won the lottery. Thats exactly what they tell you to look for in somebody who is suicidal.
When Jakubowski told her in an excited tone, Theres going to be a change, Hackl said she asked him several times if that meant he was contemplating suicide. He said, Id never do that, Hackl said.
Hackl said she was stunned to learn later that Jakubowski was accused of burglarizing the Armageddon Supplies gun shop and feared he was planning to commit suicide by cop. I thought, This is going to end very badly, she said.
Hackl still harbors a soft spot for Jakubowski after she said he looked after her youngest son, Rudy, who worked as a roofer with Jakubowski.
My son was wearing the wrong kind of shoes so Joe went out and bought him $300 boots to make sure he was safe, Hackl said. Thats the kind of guy he is.
But, she said, Jakubowski still needs a kick in the ass for what he did.
I dont know what happened, but its clear he needs a psychologists help, she said.
Wired differently
Jakubowski says he cant remember a time when people didnt call him crazy or socially awkward. But he says he has never been treated for a mental disorder or taken any medication for one. Ive always prided myself on being different, he said.
Since his arrest in April, Jakubowski claims he has disowned his mother and stepfather and hasnt communicated with any other family members for months. He says he doesnt read books, has never watched television and has been a loner for much of his life because people can scramble his thoughts. He prefers to form opinions and gain knowledge by observing.
I just think, he says.
Robert Schug, an assistant professor of criminology, criminal justice and forensic psychology at California State University, Long Beach, said Jakubowski comes across as having a schizotypal personality disorder.
Schizotypal people are kind of odd, kind of magical thinking and have unconventional beliefs, Schug said. These people are sometimes the UFO fanatics or conspiracy theorists. Their brains, because of the way they are wired, think about things differently. Its like they are putting the pieces of the puzzle together like we all are but they are missing pieces, and they make inferences without getting facts.
While people with schizotypal personality disorders often come across as defiant, their thoughts and decisions are typically rooted in fear, Schug said.
They are afraid of losing control of their lives, he said. In my opinion, guys like (Jakubowskis), as long as they arent hurting anybody, should go live in the woods. Be the artist. Hes probably a tremendously talented artist. Hes right-brained, probably with raw artistic talent, I would imagine.
Jakubowskis writings and his decision to steal guns in a bid to take on the U.S. government is all part of how hes compensating for feeling small and insignificant, probably because of his background, Schug said.
Left home at 13
Jakubowski said he left home when he was 13 after repeated fights with his mother and stepfather, which he said included beatings. Shortly thereafter he started selling drugs, which introduced him to a new level of violence.
After he attacked a Janesville police officer in 2008, Jakubowski became a two-time felon and was ordered to get help for his anger and drinking problems.
Although he would go on to forge a career as a roofer, crafting jewelry and furniture and doing custom work on vehicles and motorcycles, Jakubowskis violent past combined with threats he made in his manifesto to resist authorities with force fed the image of him as a public menace after the theft and disappearance.
But Jakubowski said he was crushed to learn after his arrest that schools and churches around Janesville closed during the manhunt because they were told he may be targeting them.
That was contradictory to what I was doing, he insisted. Anybody who knows me knows I wouldnt hurt a child or anybody in a church.
Get ready to see me
When Jakubowski started writing the 161-page manifesto last October, he said he had just hurt his back, lost his job as a roofer and had to move in with his sister because he could no longer pay the rent on his apartment.
Deep down he was probably feeling insecure and scared and his way of projecting strength is to be the anti-government guy, Schug said. It makes sense to him and he can have control over it.
By the time he finished it in mid-March, Jakubowski said, he had decided on making a statement that couldnt be ignored.
I made it very clear I was going to do it, too, said Jakubowski. I was telling everybody: Get ready to see me in the news because Im picking a fight with the government.
Stealing the guns was central to the plan. He said he wanted to show how the federal law forbidding felons from owning a gun was proof the government was corrupt. I have the right to defend myself, he said.
But he may not have the right to argue that at his trial.
In anticipation of Jakubowski seeking to use the trial as his personal soapbox, prosecutors have asked the judge to block him from introducing testimony or prior statements like his manifesto to argue he stole the guns to protect himself from a broken system. They said he doesnt meet any of the requirements needed for such a defense.
Still, Jakubowski who has already shown his contempt for judges in his earlier courtroom appearances is hoping he can make his case. He said he has told his attorney, Joe Bugni, to ignore any plea deals.
I wont submit to this government. I refuse, he said.
A Madison-area startup hopes it can revolutionize an industry by jet-propelling salt.
SaltCo promises its customers homeowners and businesses will never have to physically handle another bag of salt when refilling brine tanks for water softeners.
To accomplish this, the Prairie du Sac-based company has built a custom delivery truck that shoots salt through a dedicated piping system into the tank.
A sensor then monitors the levels and lets drivers know when a customer needs to be topped off.
When the tank gets low, were on the go, said CEO Dave Gerry. Were going to head out and take care of that customer, and the customer does nothing.
To make the system possible, the company installs two 3-inch PVC plastic pipes leading from the exterior of a building to the salt tank. One line acts as a delivery conduit where air from the truck forces salt through the pipe.
The other line, the return pipe, is an outlet for the air to travel back to the truck. This creates a closed-loop system, which eliminates pressure buildup and allows for the salt to drop directly into a tank without creating dust, said President Mark Landgraf, who said he brought the idea for the company to Gerry.
A delivery driver attaches hoses from the truck to the intake and outtake ports and blasts in salt at 100 pounds per minute.
It really is revolutionizing a delivery system for one product: salt, said Landgraf, who founded Landgraf Construction.
Making it a reality
In January, the company started working hard on its research and development and finalized a delivery vehicle in June, built on the chassis of a Dodge Ram 5500 heavy-duty pickup truck with a hopper that can hold 10,000 pounds of salt.
Gerry, who also owns the Princeton Club gyms, said more than $1 million had been invested during that phase.
He brought on his son, Teddy Gerry, to invent the mechanical components. The biggest breakthrough, the younger Gerry said, happened when the team came up with the closed-loop system. A test with only a pipe to let air in ended with an expanding tank and a bang.
All of a sudden, it just blew, and it sounded like a shotgun going off, said the younger Gerry, who is the vice president.
While he worked on the systems muscles, Craig Detter joined the team to develop its brains as the chief technology officer. With a background of working for Google and Motorola, Detter made a sensor that communicates the salt levels through a dedicated 3G or Wi-Fi network to SaltCo. The company then knows when a refill is needed and electronically sends an invoice to its customers.
Various components of SaltCos system are patent pending.
Im convinced it works exactly the way its supposed to, Dave Gerry said.
Step Saver Inc., a company in Morton, Minnesota, began a similar business that pumps salt directly to tanks in 1995. President Chuck Steffl said the business has licensing agreements in six states and thousands of customers.
In lieu of the electronic monitoring SaltCo uses, Steffl said, Step Saver schedules refills based on salt consumption and tank capacity.
Finding a customer base
Both commercial businesses and personal residences are being targeted as potential users. The former is charged $30 per month and the latter $15 per month as a subscription fee, with which installation costs are waived.
The customer must also pay for salt itself, the price of which varies depending on the volume purchased.
Dan Olszewski, director of UW-Madisons Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship, said the biggest challenges startup companies face are finding its target user and effectively marketing to them.
That is especially true for this product, or service, because its something that clearly is valuable to the right customer, but for a lot of customers they might say, Its not that big of a deal, getting salt is not a big problem for me, Olszewski said.
Its important for SaltCo to look for the people who are most affected by physically filling tanks, he said, such as businesses that use large quantities and people who might have physical difficulties.
Your initial customer is usually someone who has the biggest pain point with the current system, Olszewski said.
Currently, SaltCo has nine vehicles and 11 employees to service around 50 residential and commercial customers. The first customers were largely friends and family of those involved to ensure the system worked properly, Dave Gerry said.
SaltCo installed a system at Blessed Sacrament Parish and School on Madisons Near West Side this summer. Landgraf, a longtime parishioner there, brought the concept forward to a committee hes involved with that oversees the grounds.
Andrew Henter, the parishs director of buildings and grounds, said he was intrigued by the service. Its building is heated by steam, and soft water is needed to keep the system running properly. The service saves him from carrying hundreds of pounds of salt and monitoring the tanks level, Henter said.
It sounds like a goofy thing to get excited about, water softener salt, but being in facilities management, maintaining that water quality saves you a lot in the long run, he said.
Although it is still establishing a foothold in the Madison area, the company already has set its sights beyond the Badger State. Dave Gerry said there are people interested in franchising the business in Minnesota, Arizona, California, Texas and Illinois.
Were set to do this in a very big way. Our goal is go across the United States, he said. Once you see it and you realize it works, its just a matter of repeating it.
Environmental benefits
Gerry sees environmental benefits to the business. He estimates that one truck could prevent 100,000 plastic bags from entering a landfill per year by distributing the salt in bulk.
SaltCo has a 15,000-square-foot facility in Sauk City that holds its installation supplies and the salt.
Landgraf said the plan is to have people come to the location for a weeklong training session to learn how to assemble the system, operate a truck and market the service.
Thats ultimately the goal, Landgraf said. To have people from all over the country come and learn how to do this.
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Media students make the top three in national youth film competition
This article is old - Published: Sunday, Sep 24th, 2017
Coleg Cambria Creative Media students made it to the last three in an anti-tobacco and anti-smoking short film competition run by Cut Films aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of smoking amongst 11-25 year olds.
The National Cut Film Awards 2017 received over 300 videos within the differing age categories. The competition involves creating an anti-smoking video to persuade young people not to smoke.
The team from the Creative Media Production course at Coleg Cambria which included Nathan Knifton, Liam Williams, Xena Bush and Ieuan Tarran made it into the top three in the 19-21 category for their short film Make The Right Choice.
Hosted by Cut Films and Roy Castle Foundation, the event was held in the Curzon cinema in Soho, London where the students were privileged to have a Q&A session with the writer of Eastenders to gain industry insight.
James Smith, Cambria Media Tutor said: I am so proud of the hard work the students have put into this competition. Over 300 videos entered and to be nominated and bring home a trophy is a huge and well deserved success.
New junior doctor reveals why she chose Wrexham to start her career in medicine
This article is old - Published: Sunday, Sep 24th, 2017
An aspiring Emergency Medicine Medic has revealed why she chose Wrexham to start her career in medicine.
Collette Cook 25, from Bristol studied at Cardiff University and is one of the new crop of junior doctors at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.
In her third year she ended up training in the Wrexham Maelor following an Erasmus medical placement in Nantes, France. It was her experience of life as a student medic at hospital made her want to apply to become a junior doctor in Wrexham.
Collette explained that it was the training at the hospital and its environment that made her want to kick start her career here.
I liked Wrexham so much that I did what I could to get back there, she said.
We are allocated hospital placements at university so I would just swap placements with people who had Wrexham on their list so I could get back there.
The staff in Wrexham are just so friendly and it makes you want to keep going back. The teaching is really excellent too we are really lucky here.
When I was on placements, the training I had was quite varied and thats something I enjoy, you have a good mix of hands on medicine and then complex clinical cases too.
The teaching is always quite interactive and we are taught a lot by other junior doctors. They are only one year ahead of us so we can ask them lots of questions.
Doctor Fiona Rae has been amazing at teaching she is the honorary senior lecturer. She is an Emergency Department consultant and I want to be as good as her one day.
Collette is one of 19 Cardiff University students who have become junior doctors at Wrexham Maelor this year. All 19 completed training placements at the hospital and their experience led them to want to return to work as qualified doctors.
In the Wrexham Maelor Hospital, junior doctors get the option to secure a spot in the area of medicine they want to specialise, something which was very important to Collette.
The third strand option we get at Wrexham really made me want to come here as I want to be an Emergency Department doctor so I think the fact that I could pick a department as an option was really good for me. Its not something you can do at other hospitals, she explained.
I think emergency medicine suits me and I really want to specialise in this area of medicine, I need something thats fast paced, Im not very good at sitting still so I think anything thats GP related Id struggle with as I cant sit in a chair for very long.
With emergency medicine, you just never know what is going to walk through the door, its quite exciting and I like that it suits me.
Hopefully I will be a good junior doctor. I hope that it goes well, I feel like I know what Im doing and Wrexham has been great in preparing me for the next stage.
She also praised the staff at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital for their friendly approach and said that she felt protected as a junior doctor working in Wales.
Collette said: The Maelor is the friendliest hospital I have been to. You feel like there is less of a separation between junior doctors and consultants, you feel like you really are part of the team and they make you feel so welcome, I feel lucky to work here.
I wanted to work in Wales because I didnt want the junior doctor contract changes and because I loved my placements so much, I knew Id like it here.
As a junior doctor I feel more protected in Wales going into the profession. Its an advantage working in Wales.
Ive been to Bangor, Swansea and Cardiff but I have loved coming back to Wrexham.
Wrexham is a great place to be because you have the town itself, but you are also near other places like Chester and Liverpool so theres lots to do.
She added: To anyone thinking of coming to work in Wrexham as a medic? Id definitely recommend it.
We need to take control of youth justice says North Wales PCC
This article is old - Published: Sunday, Sep 24th, 2017
The Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales has called for youth justice to be devolved to Wales.
Arfon Jones spoke out following the appointment of the most senior judge in England and Wales to head up a review of how the justice system works in Wales.
The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who retires in October, will chair the Welsh Governments Commission on Justice in Wales.
According to First Minister Carwyn Jones, there was a need to improve access to justice and to reduce crime with a system truly representative of Welsh needs.
At the moment Welsh courts are part of the same system and jurisdiction as Englands and are under the control of Westminster, even though the Welsh Assembly has been able to legislate in areas of policy since 2011.
The commissioner said: I welcome Lord Justice Thomass appointment following his distinguished service as Lord Chief Justice.
Wales already has a distinct body of law and operates on an All Wales basis with a High Court and high performing local jurisdictions.
There are a number of issues which I would like to see as Police and Crime Commissioner and Chair of North Wales Local Criminal Justice Board be devolved to Wales.
Chief amongst them is the devolvement of Youth Justice which is the only childrens service in Wales that is not devolved.
I would also like to see a law change whereby the Welsh Government would have more flexibility to introduce harm reduction measures for problematic drug use as they do with alcohol.
I also believe that more victim and witness services should be devolved as we need to provide a Welsh language service, a priority that is rarely on the Ministry of Justices radar.
The First Minister said: In Wales, we have had a separate legislature for six years but, as yet, we do not have our own jurisdiction.
By establishing the Commission on Justice in Wales, we are taking an important first step towards developing a distinctive justice system which is truly representative of Welsh needs.
Carmarthen-born Lord Thomas added Wales offers unique opportunities to identify new solutions to the complex challenges facing justice and the legal profession.
Jamie Muffett shows the root system of a marijuana plant grown without soil at Sticky Budz near Zillah, Wash., on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016. (SHAWN GUST/Yakima Herald-Republic file)
In the eight months since the beginning of its term, the Trump administration has been having trouble translating promises for far-reaching changes in American Middle-East policy into a broad strategy with clear foundations for advancing a series of moves that would make it possible to reach the declared objectives.
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The sigh of relief heard in Middle Eastern countries following President Donald Trumps decision to begin his first foreign trip with a visit to Saudi Arabia and Israel, after the US lost its position as a leading power in the region during the Obama era, has been replaced with sighs of disappointment and fear that the administration is incapable of creating a fundamental change in American involvement in the region, and is perhaps unwilling to do so.
As time goes by, the charm of the unpredictable and threatening president appears to have expired. If at first it seemed that alongside impressive declarations we would also witness new initiatives that would allay the US allies fears, it soon turned out that apart from expanding military moves to defeat the Islamic State, the administration lacks the motivation and courage to deal with the challenges created by a complex regional reality.
Trump and Netanyahu. The establishment of a narrative that the US administration is weak and hesitant could harm crucial Israeli interests in the long run
The reasons for this situation may lie, of course, in the administrations need to deal with internal American crises and with a series of significant challenges in other areas in the world, such as North Korea.
The impression, however, is that the administration gave up too soon in light of Irans ongoing presence in the main areas of conflict, primarily in Syria, where the US is also accepting Russian preeminence in determining the countrys security and political agenda. The promises to create a broad Arab front are also collapsing in light of the conflict between Americas allies in the Gulf, which American officials are having trouble solving.
The US administrations current efforts to form a policy on the nuclear agreement are another reflection of the confusion of professionals who are now forced to come up with ideas for an action plan before mid-October (when the administration must report to Congress whether Iran is complying with the agreement). This brainstorming is required to try to find a way to square the circle. On the one hand, it should cater to Trumps interest in cancelling the agreement, one of the main legacies left by his predecessor in the White House, which he has so far failed to change. On the other hand, it should minimize the potential damages to the US: Being blamed for the agreements failure, being isolated and experiencing a further decline in its relations with its European allies.
The US ambassadors failed efforts to convince UN inspectors to demand a visit to Irans military sites, and to use Irans expected refusal to declare the agreements cancellation, demonstrate the administration is well aware of the fact it has no technological smoking gun available. Even if the administration decides to inform Congress that Iran is not complying with the agreement, and launch a 60-day period (as required by law) for an internal American discourse until Congress reaches a decision, the frosty relationship between Trumps administration and the Europeans and Russians will likely make it impossible to reach agreements on the P5+1 axis (the five permanent Security Council members and Germany), which will help create a united front against Iran.
Such a development likely wont receive the support of the rest of the countries involved in the nuclear agreement, which made their objection to the move clear in light of economic deals that have already been signed with Iran. It could create a crisis between the US and its European partners, as well as a crisis with Russia and China. The results of this crisis could have far-reaching implications on the international arena.
As far as Israel is concerned, even if the two countries share the same goals and interests in some of the issues, the establishment of a narrative that the American administration is weak and hesitant could harm crucial Israeli interests in the long run and maybe even an important component in the Israeli deterrence, which reliesamong other thingson the way its allys policy is interpreted by its rivals in the region.
UNITED NATIONS - Syria's foreign minister told world leaders Saturday that his country is "marching steadily" toward the goal of rooting out terrorismand "victory is now within reach."
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Walid Muallem pointed to "the liberation of Aleppo and Palmyra," the end to the siege of Deir ez-Zour by the Islamic State extremist group, "and the eradication of terrorism from many parts of Syria" by the Syrian army and its supporters and allies, including Russia and Iran.
Russia's military said about two weeks ago that Syrian troops have liberated about 85 percent of the war-torn country's territory from militants, a major turn-around two years after Moscow intervened to lend a hand to its embattled long-time ally.
Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem (Photo: AFP)
Muallem heaped praise on the army and the country's allies and looked ahead to victory, though fighting still continues in many areas of the country.
"I am confident that when this unjust war on Syria is over, the Syrian army will go down in history as the army that heroically defeated, along with its supporting forces and its allies, the terrorists that came to Syria from many countries and received large support from the most powerful countries of the world," he said.
Israel, he said, was one of the countries supporting the rebels. "It gave them various forms of supportmoney, equipment, weapons, means of communicationsand even bombed Syrian army posts in aid of the terrorist plans," Muallem charged. "The unlimited Israeli aid to the terrorists does not surprise. They share interests and the goals."
While the army and its supporting forces and allies "are making daily achievements, clearing out territories and uprooting terrorists," Muallem said, "the threat of this plague persists."
On the political front, he said local reconciliation agreements have allowed tens of thousands of internally displaced people and refugees to return home. He said "Syria is determined to scale up reconciliation efforts, whenever possible."
Syrian and Hezbollah forces (Photo: Reuters)
Russia, Turkey and Iran have been negotiating separately for months in the Kazakh capital Astana to try to reduce violence on the ground by creating de-escalation zones across the country, although those talks do not cover a long-term political solution to the six-year civil war.
Muallem said Syria is encouraged by talks in Astana and expressed hope that these talks "will help us reach an actual cessation of hostilities and separate terrorist groups" like ISIS from groups that have agreed to join the Astana process.
Nevertheless, he said: "Syria reserves the right to respond to any violation by the other party. Syria also stresses that these zones are a temporary arrangement that must not violate the territorial unity of Syria."
Earlier this month Russia, Iran and Turkey agreed to deploy observers on the edge of a "de-escalation" zone in Syria's Idlib province, which is largely under the control of Islamist insurgents.
The move falls under a broader deal in which they would set up four such zones across Syria.
The de-escalation plan has eased fighting in parts of western Syria between rebel factions and government forces loyal to Assad.
Assad has gained the military upper hand against an array of rebel groups, including some that have received backing from the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies.
Critics have described the de-escalation plan as de facto partitioning of Syria after years of multi-sided conflict. Moscow, Tehran and Ankara deny this and say the zones will be temporary, although they could extend beyond the initial six-month term.
Muallem reaffirmed the Syrian government's commitment to further progress in Geneva talks, which are aimed at establishing a transitional government, drafting a new constitution and holding elections in Syria.
"This process has yet to bear fruit in the absence of a genuine national opposition that can be a partner in Syria's future," he said, "and as countries with influence over the other party continue to block any meaningful progress."
Talks among Syrian opposition groups are expected to take place in early October in hopes of producing a unified delegation in Geneva.
ISTANBUL/BAGHDAD - Turkey's parliament voted on Saturday to extend by a year a mandate authorizing the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq and Syria, stepping up pressure against an independence referendum in northern Iraq's Kurdish region in two days' time.
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Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkey would take security, economic and political steps in response to the referendum, which President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman described as a "terrible mistake" that would trigger new regional crises.
The United States and other Western powers have, like Turkey, urged authorities in the semi-autonomous Iraqi region to cancel Monday's vote. They say the move by the oil-producing area distracts from the fight against Islamic State.
Turkish tanks during drill on the Turkey-Iraq border (Photo: EPA)
In Iraq, a Kurdistan regional government delegation arrived in Baghdad for talks with the Iraqi government in an effort to defuse tensions, but a senior Kurdish official said the vote was going ahead.
"The delegation will discuss the referendum but the referendum is still happening," Hoshiyar Zebari, a top adviser to Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, told Reuters.
Turkish tanks during drill on the Turkey-Iraq border (Photo: EPA)
Turkish tanks during a drill on the Iraqi border ( : )
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Asked on Saturday if a cross-border operation was among the options, Yildirim told reporters: "Naturally, it is a question of timing as to when security, economic and security options are implemented. Developing conditions will determine that."
The mandate approved by Turkey's parliament on Saturday was first passed in 2014 with the aim of tackling threats from within its southern neighbours Iraq and Syria. It had been due to expire in October.
Turkish parliament voting to extend troop deployment (Photo: AFP)
'Uncontrollable fire'
Turkey is home to the largest Kurdish population in the region and is itself fighting a Kurdish insurgency on its soil. But it is also the main conduit for oil exports from Iraq's Kurdish region and it has said that any break-up of neighboring Iraq or Syria could lead to a global conflict.
Turkish troops during drill on the Turkey-Iraq border (Photo: EPA)
In a speech to parliament, Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli voiced concern about the referendum's impact on the region's ethnic and sectarian relationships, saying it could trigger an "uncontrollable fire."
"Pulling out just a brick from a structure based on very sensitive and fragile balances will sow the seeds for new hatred, enmity and clashes," he said.
Turkish troops during drill on the Turkey-Iraq border (Photo: EPA)
A particular area of concern is the multi-ethnic oil city of Kirkuk, which lies outside the recognized boundaries of the autonomous Kurdish region and is claimed by Baghdad. It is dominated by Kurds but is also home to Arabs, Assyrian Christians and Turkmenof whom Turkey has long seen itself as the protector.
"If the referendum is not cancelled, there will be serious consequences. Erbil must immediately refrain from this terrible mistake, which will trigger new crises in the region," Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted on Saturday.
Rocket attack
Militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) launched a rocket and mortar attack from the Iraqi side of the border on Turkey's Semdinli district on Saturday, killing one Turkish soldier and a worker in the area of a military base, the Hakkari governor's office said in a statement.
The PKK launched its separatist insurgency in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
The Iraqi army's chief of staff, Lieutenant General Othman al-Ghanmi, met his Turkish counterpart, General Hulusi Akar, in Turkey and they discussed the "illegitimate" referendum, Turkey's military said.
Graffiti in Basra, Iraq accusing Kurds of being pawns of Israel (Photo: EPA)
"The importance of maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity and political unity was stressed once again," it said.
The Turkish army launched military exercises on Monday near the Habur border crossing to Iraq. Military sources said they were due to last until Sept. 26, the day after the planned vote.
On Saturday the military said additional units had joined the exercises as they entered their second stage.
Turkey has for years been northern Iraq's main link to the outside world. It has built strong trade ties with the semi-autonomous region, which exports hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil per day through Turkey to international markets.
UNITED NATIONS Iraq's foreign minister is asking nuclear countries for help building an atomic reactor for peaceful purposes, saying the country has a right to use atomic power peacefully.
Ibrahim al-Jaafari made the request in his speech Saturday to the U.N. General Assembly's annual meeting of presidents, prime ministers and monarchs. He called for assistance "to build a nuclear reactor for peaceful purposes in Iraq, to acquire this nuclear technology."
Al-Jaafari cited the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty's provisions allowing countries to pursue peaceful nuclear energy projects. Iraq ratified the treaty in 1969.
Non-nuclear nations that signed it agreed to not pursue atomic weapons. In exchange, the five original nuclear powers -- the US, Russia, Britain, France and China -- promised to move toward nuclear disarmament and to guarantee non-nuclear states access to peaceful nuclear technology for producing power.
ERBIL, Iraq Three Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were killed and five wounded on Saturday when an explosive device blew up near their vehicle south of the Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk, security sources said.
The explosion happened in Daquq, a region bordering Islamic State-held areas, the sources said.
It took place as the Kurdistan Regional Government prepares for a referendum on Monday on independence for the region under its control in northern Iraq, including Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic region also claimed by the central government in Baghdad.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene the security cabinet Sunday afternoon.
Netanyahu is expected to provide cabinet members with updates on his talks with US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, as well as on Iranian entrenchment in Syria.
Last Friday, according to foreign sources, Israel attacked a military target in the Damascus airport once again. There seems to be a routine of Israeli strikes in Syria, which no longer interests anyone. The Syrians, Iran and Hezbollah dont seem too excited by it either. Have they come to terms with the successful Israeli preventive measures? Are they failing to respond because the Israeli deterrence is still very effective? Is Russian pressure stopping them from acting? Im afraid there may be a different explanation.
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Our enemies are willing to occasionally sacrifice means or targets that Israel allegedly manages to destroy, but at the same time, they have found other ways to transfer the advanced weapons from Iran through Syria to Lebanon. This isnt particularly complicated in light of three things: One, the Syria-Lebanon border is 300-kilometers long, and most of the area is tree-covered and mountainous; two, hundreds of trucks travel from Syria to Lebanon every day; three, there is no one between Tehran and Beirut who is interested in and capable of thwarting this activity.
Theres no escape from concluding, therefore, that despite the alleged Israeli thwarting operations, Hezbollah will continue building its power almost undisturbed. The Israeli activity is reportedly focused on an attempt to prevent Hezbollah from receiving or producing precision missiles. That is, undoubtedly, the preferred target. There is a huge difference between the damage potential of precision weapons and statistical weapons. Israel is a small country with a small number of vital sites and low redundancy. If power stations, airport, seaports, railway stations or hospitals are damaged in the next war, Israel will pay an almost unbearable pricein addition to hundreds of casualties.
Major military exercise in northern Israel, earlier this month. Ensuring the next war will be short requires us to fight the state of Lebanon, not just Hezbollah (Photo: EPA)
There are two conclusions from this serious change in the nature of the threat. First of all, Israel should keep trying to stop Hezbollah from arming itself with accurate weapons. However, as I doubt we will be able to prevent that over time, the second conclusion should be stressed: If someone opens fire at Israel from Lebanon, dragging us into the third Lebanon war, we must not let the war last 33 days like in 2006. A long war will cause intolerable damage to Israels military and civilian infrastructures.
The only way to ensure that the next war is short requires us to fight the state of Lebanon, not just Hezbollah. Israel can destroy Lebanons infrastructures and army within several days. Since there is no one in the worldneither the Lebanese nor Hezbollah, Syria or Iran, and of course Saudi Arabia, France, Russia and the United Stateswho wants to see Lebanon destroyed, it will lead to massive international pressure to reach a ceasefire within a week or less, and thats just what Israel needs.
Reaching such a decision in real time, when the conflict erupts, is insufficient. Israel should already start conveying this message, for two reasons: First of all, we will achieve deterrence and possibly prevent the next war since, as mentioned, no one in the world wants to see Lebanon destroyed. Second, if a war does break out in the end, its important that the Western statesat least the USunderstand in advance that Israel chose this strategy having no other choice. Unfortunately, Israel is conveying the opposite messages.
About a week ago, at the end of the major military exercise in northern Israel, the defense minister and army chiefs conveyed the message that Israel is capable of defeating Hezbollah. Thats a mistake. Even if Israel wins, but the war lasts about five weeks like in 2006, we will all pay a huge price which we will have trouble living with.
Zim Integrated Shipping Services was fined NIS 300,000 for spilling oil into the Mediterranean.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection claimed the company spilled eight to ten tons of oil while its ship was docked in the Haifa port.
The ship's chief mechanic will pay a NIS 25,000 fine and its captain will pay a similar fine, and was also sentenced to 50 hours of community service.
An ancient festival prayer book, originally penned in Catalonia, finally found its way to Israel after an incredible journey across two World Wars and most of the European continent.
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The prayer book was written and illustrated by hand in the Spanish autonomous community in the mid-13th century, two centuries before Jews were expelled from the Christian kingdom.
The unique prayer book was written in Catalonia in the 13th century (Photo: National Library of Israel)
Upon the expulsion, Jews took the book with them and it somehow found its way to Italy, the region that today is Israel and then Thessaloniki, which was part of the Ottoman Empire at the time. Finally, it was taken to Germany.
When World War II broke out, the manuscript went missing and reappeared again four decades later, when it was put up for sale in 1984.
Thanks to the involvement and generosity of Ludwig and Erica Jesselson, the book was purchased and then donated to the National Library of Israel.
The book contains one-of-a-kind micrographic art (Photo: National Library of Israel)
A masterwork of Jewish creation
Beyond the manuscript's singular story, its contents shine an extraordinary light on the cultural wealth of Spain's Jewish communities before the expulsion. The festival book was intended for use by cantors during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The book is a masterwork of Jewish creation: liturgical poems written by some of the Jewish people's greatest poets, including Rabbi Judah Halevi and Abraham ibn Ezra, and is the only prayer book adorned with micrography, a distinctly Jewish artform of creating geometric designs using microscopic lettering.
"This artform appears almost exclusively in bibles, and therefore seeing it in a prayer book is unique," explained Dr. Dalia-Ruth Halperin, a micrography researcher.
"There's nothing else like it," she stated.
(Photo: National Library of Israel)
Poems written in the 'Golden Age'
The manuscript was written in parchment and includes 154 pages. It's adorned with micrographic illustrations and golden letterboxes set against scarlet and blue tiles.
"This book has at least three things completely unique to it," said Dr. Aviad Stollman, head of the National Library's Collections Division.
"The poems written during the Golden Age by the very best writers, its external beauty with unique micrography and, beyond all of those, the story of the Jewish people in the last few centuries," he elaborated.
"When I think of the author in Catalonia writing and illustrating the manuscript, what would he have thought if he were told about everything the book was going to go through? What would he have thought if he were told that in just a few centuries' time, Jews would no longer be in Spain but reside in Jerusalem, and that his manuscript would be taken on a tour of the entire world?" Stollman wondered.
A 35-years-old resident of east Jerusalem was arrested on the eve of Rosh Hashanah on suspicion of threats, incitement and support for a terrorist organization.
He was interrogated on suspicion of incitement for a long list of publications he distributed through his Facebook page.
The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court released the man to house arrest under restrictive conditions, but the District Court accepted the appeal filed by the police and extended his detention until Wednesday.
The court further ruled that the suspect would undergo a psychiatric examination.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen congratulated the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on its breakthrough result in Sunday's German parliamentary election.
"Bravo to our AfD allies for this historic showing! It is a new sign that the people of Europe are waking up," tweeted Le Pen, the leader of France's National Front who reached the run-off of the French presidential election in May.
According to early projections, the AfD was set not only to enter the national parliament for the first time, but to become Germany's third-biggest party with 13.5 percent. It is the first time that the far-right has been represented in the parliament for more than half a century.
President Donald Trump's Middle East peace negotiator, Jason Greenblatt, is returning to Israel to "continue the peace track" after the president met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last week in New York, a White House official said on Sunday.
"While President Trump had productive meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas at the United Nations, we always said that the UN would not focus on peace conversations and that those conversations would be happening on a separate track," the official said in a statement.
"(Greenblatt) will have follow-up meetings in advance of a private trip in the region with his family for Sukkot. The meetings are part of the Administration's quiet, steady discussions towards peace," he said.
Sukkot is a Jewish holiday.
Real estate assets in Australia and New Zealand are leading the world in environmental standards, according to a new global ranking from GRESB.
Companies and funds based in the region outperformed all other regions, attaining a score of 73 compared to a global average of 63, according to GRESBs Global ESG Benchmark for Real Assets.
The strong showing comes amid growing investor demand for disclosures around environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns.
The results for Australia and New Zealand underline that investor interest, supported by accurate ESG performance benchmarking and building-level certification programs, is empowering the spread of leading practices in sustainability, said Ruben Langbroek, head of Asia-Pacific for GRESB.
The regions integrated approach to sustainability supports the industrys efforts to create healthy working environments, efficient buildings, inclusive communities and resilient cities.
The top company or fund globally was Lendleases Australian Prime Property Fund Commercial (APPF Commercial). Lendlease also took the honour for most sustainable development fund globally. This was jointly awarded to Lendlease International Towers Sydney Trust (LLITST) and Lendlease One International Towers Sydney Trust (LLOITST).
Meanwhile, Dexus Wholesale Property Fund (DWPF) was named a global sector leader for diversified office and retail groups, while Stockland was ranked first globally among listed companies in the diversified office and retail sector.
Certification programs have been gaining traction in Australia, and the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has certified more than 1,700 Green Star-rated buildings, fit outs, and communities.
Globally, the real estate sector reduced energy consumption by 1.1% and slashed carbon emissions by 2.2% this year.
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Latest News
Key West, Florida - Naval Air Station Key West's Fleet and Family Support Center has established an Emergency Family Assistance Center program at its office on Sigsbee Park to provide support and coordinate services for families returning from the Hurricane Irma evacuation.
The EFAC, which provides housing, insurance, counseling and financial support, is open 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. daily, including weekends, and is scheduled to remain on site until Oct. 1.
The center doesn't provide assistance with travel claims, as those will be managed through the military member's command.
"When they come into the EFAC, we will be using the NFAAS [Navy Family Accountability and Assessment System] to conduct an assessment," said EFAC Director Train Hatton from Naval Support Activity Mid-South. "Depending on their needs, we will coordinate services to meet those needs."
The Navy established the EFAC program in 2005 after a succession of hurricanes hit a number of installations along the Gulf Coast. NFAAS is a method the Navy uses to account, assess, manage, and monitor the recovery process for personnel and their families affected and/or scattered by a wide-spread catastrophic event.
Hatton's team includes case managers from Pensacola, Gulfport, Whiting Field and Corpus Christi - all of which have suffered from the effects of major hurricanes.
"We also have crisis clinicians and a certified personal financial manager with us," Hatton said.
The team also has brought cleaning supplies, snack foods and a limited supply of disposable diapers.
While the primary focus of the program is active duty military families, he said his staff would also assist retired military and DOD civilians in need by directing them to available resources.
The EFAC will also vet volunteers seeking to assist in NAS Key West's recovery, Hatton said.
"We do accept volunteers but we are limiting it to military members," he said, adding that all volunteers must complete an application package as part of the vetting process.
FFSC is located in Bldg. V-4058, 804 Sigsbee Road. For more information, call 305-293-2766.
New York: US President Donald Trump has warned North Korea, saying if the country's foreign minister was echoing thoughts of his supreme leader Kim Jong-Un in his threatening speech at the UN, "they won't be around much longer."
North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho yesterday attacked Trump at the UN General Assembly, deriding him as a "mentally deranged" leader whose threats had increased the chances of military confrontation.
"Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!" Trump tweeted last night.
In his speech, Ri had said that the US and its allies should "think twice" before threatening his country.
He said that by repeatedly calling Kim "Rocket Man," Trump is making "our rocket's visit to the entire US mainland inevitable all the more."
The foreign minister also said Trump is a "gambler who grew old using threats, frauds and all other schemes to acquire a patch of land."
Ri jumped into the nickname game as well, saying Americans call Trump the "Commander in Grief," "Lyin' King," and "President Evil."
Trump and Kim have traded increasingly threatening and personal insults as Pyongyang races towards its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the US.
Tensions have dramatically risen on the Korean peninsula after North Korea early this month conducted its biggest nuclear test, which its state-run KCNA news agency described as a hydrogen bomb.
San Juan: Puerto Rico`s governor met mayors from around the ravaged island on Saturday after surveying damage to an earthen dam in the northwestern part of the US territory that was threatening to collapse from flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
Some 70,000 people who live downstream from the compromised dam, which has formed a lake on the rain-swollen Guajataca River, were under orders to evacuate, with the structure in danger of bursting at any time.
"We saw directly the damage to the Guajataca dam," Governor Ricardo Rossello said in a Spanish-language Twitter message on Saturday while reinforcing his request that people leave the area as soon as possible.
"The fissure has become a significant rupture," Rossello said separately at a news conference on Saturday.
The US National Weather Service said on its website the dam was still in danger of failing and triggering life-threatening flash floods.
"Stay away or be swept away," it warned.
Meanwhile, people across the island were struggling to dig out from the devastation left by the storm, which killed at least 25 people, including at least 10 in Puerto Rico, as it churned across the Caribbean, according to officials and media reports.
"To all Puerto Ricans, please know we will get back up," the governor tweeted as he met mayors in the territory to identify their most urgent needs. "Together with the mayors, as one government.4Puerto Rico."
In a development that could help the recovery effort, the Port of San Juan reopened, according to a Twitter message from the agency that operates it, allowing ships to unload supplies.
Severe flooding, structural damage to homes and virtually no electric power were three of the most pressing problems facing Puerto Ricans, said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo during a tour of the island.
"It`s a terrible immediate situation that requires assistance from the federal government not just financial assistance," said Cuomo, whose state is home to millions of people of Puerto Rican descent.
"It is a dangerous situation today and it`s going to be a long-term reconstruction issue for months," Cuomo, a Democrat and potential 2020 presidential candidate, told CNN.
Path Of Destruction
Maria, the second major hurricane to savage the Caribbean this month and the most powerful storm to strike Puerto Rico in nearly a century, carved a path of destruction on Wednesday. It knocked out electricity, apart from emergency generators, on the island of 3.4 million inhabitants.
Near the rain-swollen Guajataca River, in the northwest part of the island, floodwater littered with branches and debris engulfed the first floor of a number of homes and swamped vehicles that were left behind.
"We lost our house, it was completely flooded," said resident Carmen Gloria Lamb. "We lost everything, cars, clothes, everything."
The storm has resulted in 10 confirmed fatalities on the island so far, Rossello`s office told CNN on Saturday. The governor`s office could not be reached for comment by Reuters.
Signs of the strain on Puerto Ricans were evident throughout San Juan, the capital.
Drivers had to wait up to seven hours at the few filling stations open on Saturday, according to news reports, and lines of cars snaked for blocks. Hotels warned that guests might have to leave soon without fresh supplies of diesel to keep generators operating.
Water rationing also began on Saturday. Signs posted throughout San Juan`s Old Town informed residents that service would return for two hours each day, between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., until further notice.
Telephone service was also unreliable, with many of the island`s cell towers damaged or destroyed.
People swarmed under some of the towers, holding up their devices in the hopes of getting a signal.
The governor also extended a nightly curfew on Saturday, the Caribbean Business newspaper reported.
At San Juan`s Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, Mary Ann Arciola, her 32-year-old daughter and two young grandchildren slept in a rented van hoping to get a flight home to the United States.
"There`s nobody at the desks. There`s nothing on the screens," said Arciola, 62. "There`s a ton of people. They are starting to fight. It`s not good."
Debt Crisis
Maria struck Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale as the island was already facing the largest municipal debt crisis in US history.
The storm may have caused an estimated $45 billion in damage and lost economic activity across the Caribbean, with at least $30 billion of that in Puerto Rico, said Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler at Enki Research in Savannah, Georgia.
Elsewhere in the Caribbean, 14 deaths were reported on Dominica, an island nation of 71,000 inhabitants.
Two people were killed in the French territory of Guadeloupe and one in the US Virgin Islands. Two people died in the Dominican Republic on Thursday, according to media outlet El Jaya.
Maria still had sustained winds of up to 115 miles per hour on Saturday, making it a Category 3 hurricane, but was expected to weaken gradually over the next two days as it turned more sharply to the north.
Dangerous surf and rip currents driven by the storm were expected along the southeastern coast of the US mainland for several days, the National Hurricane Center said.
Maria hit about two weeks after Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, killed more than 80 people in the Caribbean and the United States. It followed Hurricane Harvey, which also killed more than 80 people when it struck Texas in late August and caused flooding in Houston.
New Delhi: Bangladesh-based Hindus on Saturday decided to cut down on their Durga Puja expenses and provide relief to the Rohingya refugees by setting up a fund.
Following ethnic violence that errupted on August 25, as many as 420,000 Rohingyas both Muslims and Hindus fled Myanmar's Rakhine. As per reports, nearly 800 Hindus from Rakhine are likely to take refuge in Bangladesh.
"Their mass exodus has unfolded a horrific humanitarian crisis (and so) we will stand by the persecuted refugees with assistance by saving during the Dugra Puja festival," PTI quoted the general secretary of the apex Puja Celebration Council.
The puja celebration committees across Bangladesh had been asked to save and establish a fund to aid to the Rohingya refugees, he added.
Although the Rohingya are regarded as illegal immigrants in Myanmar, Bangladesh has been overwhelmed by them.
(With PTI inputs)
Jamshoro: Pakistan's Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani has called the country's former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf a murderer and said the latter should return to Pakistan and face cases against him.
Geo News quoted Rabbani as saying that Musharraf should return to Pakistan and face cases against him if he is a brave man.
He added that Musharraf was enjoying his life sitting in London and Dubai.
Earlier, Musharraf had accused Pakistan People's Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari of being involved in the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
In a video message, Musharraf, the former army chief, said, "Asif Ali Zardari is responsible for the Bhutto family's demise as he had the most to gain from [it]."
He further said that he was speaking out because he "could not tolerate" the fact that Zardari had recently directly accused him of being responsible for the murder.
Mumbai: Newton Director Amit V Masurkar says he was completely unaware of the Iranian film "Secret Ballot" and that people should watch both the films and compare to find out if they are copied.
Newton has been chosen as India's official selection for Oscars 2018. A day after this news was announced, several reports came out claiming that the film has been inspired by a 2001 Iranian movie titled "Secret Ballot", helmed by Babak Payami.
It focuses on the life of a ballot officer who visits a barren and desolate place to plead with voters to cast their votes and take part in the elections.
Asked if he was inspired by the Iranian film, Masurkar told IANS: "I wrote the story in 2013 and after that, for eight months I along with Mayank (Tiwari, the screenplay writer) worked on the script.
"The intention of the story is to talk about a section of the population in our democracy who has a desire to vote but how, under which situation, missed out on the equal rights. The story was born from my heart. I had no idea about 'Secret Ballot'."
The director added: "I think two days before the shooting starts, someone told me if I watched that Iranian film. I went through some of the clippings online and our film has no similarities to that.
Newton had its world premiere at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival and won the International Confederation of Art Cinemas Award for best film in the 'Forum Section'.
Masurkar says that the film has been watched by several critics.
"The film has travelled to 40 countries. Audiences and critics have watched it across. They could have said that then... they haven't because it is a different film. I think people should watch the film to compare and find out if my film is copied from that one ('Secret Ballot')," Masurkar said.
Newton, which stars National Award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao, revolves around a government employee who struggles to supervise voting in a forest area of Chhattisgarh, controlled by Maoists.
Mumbai: Director Hansal Mehta, who is writing the film adaptation of The Accidental Prime Minister, says the movie will have a balanced account of Dr Manmohan Singh's stint as the prime minister.
The movie is based on the book of the same name written by Singh's former media adviser Sanjaya Baru.
Filmmakers often face trouble from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and political outfits if a movie has a political background. Mehta, however, says he does not get bothered by such pressure.
In an interview with PTI, Mehta says, "I am never bothered about it. The Accidental Prime Minister is in early stages of development. It is an important film and the idea is to make it in a very balanced manner."
Actor Anupam Kher will play the role of the former prime minister in the movie.
The 2014 memoir gives a detailed account of Singh's tenure (2004-2014) and an insight into the Indian political scenario during those years. The film, slated to release later next year, will be directed by debutant Vijay Ratnakar Gutte.
Mehta is excited about his upcoming directorial venture Omerta. The film chronicles the story of the British-born terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who kidnapped and murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002.
"Omerta is a political thriller and it had its world premier in Toronto. It is explosive and can be controversial. But I am not shying away from it," says the director.
Mehta adds that be it Shahid or now Omerta, he has never struggled to find like-minded people, who support a true story and not shy away from taking risks.
"I have never struggled to find like-minded people, who would support your vision wholeheartedly and give the film as much love as you would give it. Money is the by-product. You need people to invest in your ideas."
The makers are planning to release Omerta later this year or early next year.
New Delhi: Industry chamber CII on Sunday sought extension of time by two months for filing of GST returns in view of difficulties being faced by businesses.
The GST Council has already extended the last date for filing final returns to October 10. CII has now requested for further extension to resolve certain system issues.
In view of difficulties of online filing, the industry body suggested that "the due dates for filing GSTR-1, GSTR-2 and GSTR-3 should be deferred for another month or two".
The chamber also suggested that no penal action should be taken against the trade and industry by the revenue department in the initial six months of the GST launch.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced on July 1.
It said that the GST Network (GSTN) system response should be enhanced to allow download, preview details, and take prints for reconciliation before submission.
The industry body also recommended that GSTR-3B should have provision for rounding off Input Tax Credit to nearest rupee.
"This will match output tax liability which is rounded off, and be accepted in the system," the chamber said.
For companies with turnover of over Rs 100 crore, the last date for filing GSTR-1 for July is?October 3 and for the rest, it is October?10.
Filing of GSTR-2 for July is to be done by October 31, and GSTR-3 by November 10.
Due dates for filing of returns for August are yet to be notified.
GSTR 3B is a simple return form introduced by the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) for the month of July and August, following the roll out of the Goods and Services Tax from July 1.
New Delhi: The new mobile tower policy of Odisha, which prescribes time-bound approvals and minimum charges for erection, is a comprehensive framework that will help address telecom infrastructure issues in the state for next 15-20 years, an industry body said.
The Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (Taipa) has also urged other states to take a leaf out of the Odisha's policy and bring down hefty charges for setting up of mobile towers.
"The Odisha tower policy is one of the most comprehensive tower policies across the nation. It is capable of addressing telecom infrastructure needs for next 15-20 years. The policy indeed will be able to address issues such as call drops, network outage and connectivity gaps etc," Taipa Director General Tilak Raj Dua told PTI.
"Other states should learn from Odisha. In Maharashtra, Punjab and union territories, charges for installing mobile towers range between Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh besides rent. We have made various representation to authorities in these states and UTs but there has been no resolution till date," Dua said.
Telecom companies have frequently highlighted that abnormal charges and cumbersome processes of local authorities in states are roadblocks in setting up of towers which results in poor signal and call drops.
Odisha announced its mobile tower installation policy 'Odisha Mobile Towers, OFC and related Telecom Infrastructure Policy 2017' in the mid of the month.
The state government has made it mandatory that local authority will have to issue permit for installation of mobile towers within 60 days of receiving application from the company in case there are no disputes.
In case the application is rejected, the local authority will have to inform the company within seven days of disaaproving it along with reason.
As per the policy, firms are required to pay one time permission charges of Rs 10,000 for installing mobile towers on ground or on the rooftop in urban area and Rs 5,000 for rural area.
The Odisha government has allowed mobile tower companies to install ground base in government premises for paying charges in the range of Rs 100 to 300 per square feet in urban area.
Besides, it has prescribed no charges for mobile towers mounted on vehicles and companies only need to inform about the tower before 15 days of installing it.
New Delhi: An assistant professor of Delhi University (DU) has been accused of using obscene terms and demeaning Hindu goddess Durga in his Facebook post.
Taking to Facebook, the professor Kedar Kumar Mandal yesterday wrote,"Durga is the very much sexy pros****te in the Indian mythology."
Here's is the screenshot of Mandal's controversial Facebook post.
A teachers' body registered a police complaint against the professor of Dayal Singh College. Mandal had posted the controversial post on September 22 at around 6.43 PM which he later deleted.
On Saturday, BJP affiliated teacher's body National Democratic Teachers Front (NDTF) filed a case at the Lodhi Colony police station.
Student organisations like Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and National Students' Union of India (NSUI) have strongly criticised the post demanding immediate dismissal of the professor from DU administration
Hyderabad: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday hinted that automobile industry could continue exports of petrol and diesel cars even as government will go ahead with its plan to transition India to all-electric mobility by 2030.
He told reporters on the sidelines of Indian School of Business Leadership Summit here that the government is not against automobile industry.
"We are not against any automobile industry. We export about Rs 1.5 lakh crore. It has got highest employment potential. I told them to continue exports," he said.
"But pollution is big concern. You give priority to indigenous technology. Now India is coal and power surplus country. It is very cheap. People will also be benefited. Give priority to this," he added.
The minister had last week urged the industry to give up making petrol and diesel cars for vehicles that run on electricity and alternative energy.
He had also made it clear that the government will stick to its plan whether the industry likes it or not.
The ministry has also cleared the electric vehicle policy for 100 per cent manufacturing of electric vehicles.
New Delhi: An unusual visitor paid a visit to the Delhi Secretariat campus causing a stir inside the premises with many wondering what the creature was.
It was a two-foot-long monitor lizard, that was found inside the premises, said officials who rescued it later.
The reptile, a non-venomous species, was found trapped inside a turnstile (automated gate) in the lobby area and was later rescued, Wildlife SOS said.
But, the sprawling campus of the Secretariat is no stranger to such unusual visitors.
"Last year, we rescued a 3.5-ft-long cobra from the Secretariat," said a member of the team, which rescued the lizard on Thursday.
Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder, Wildlife SOS, said "Monitor lizards are non-venomous and pose no threat to humans.
As a result of continuous deforestation and expansion of human habitation these largely misunderstood reptiles are often forced to wander out of their natural habitats in search of food and shelter."
"They play an important role in the ecosystem but they are often killed for their meat and body parts due to misconstrued beliefs," he said.
The NGO said that after being kept under observation for a few hours the lizard was released back into its natural habitat.
(With Agency inputs)
Berlin: Turnout slipped slightly in Germany`s election despite politicians warning that apathy could boost the far-right, expected to return to Parliament after a half century`s absence, overshadowing Chancellor Angela Merkel`s expected victory.
After shock election results last year, from Britain`s vote to leave the European Union to the election of US President Donald Trump, many look to Merkel to rally a bruised liberal Western order, tasking her with leading a post-Brexit Europe.
Some 41.1 per cent of voters had cast ballots by 1200 GMT, the Federal Returning Officer said in a statement, down from 41.4 per cent at the same time four years ago, suggesting not all had heeded the advice of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
"It has perhaps never been as clear that the elections are about the future of democracy and Europe," he wrote in mass-market newspaper Bild am Sonntag, amid polls showing that as many as a third of Germans were undecided.
"If you don`t vote, others decide."
In Germany`s proportional election system, low turn-out can boost smaller parties, such as the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), giving them more seats from the same number of votes.
In regional elections this year, Merkel`s conservatives suffered setbacks from the AfD, which profited from resentment at her 2015 decision to open German borders to more than one million migrants.
But with the migrant issue under control this year, Merkel has overcome earlier doubts over running and thrown herself into a punishing campaign schedule, presenting herself as an anchor of stability in an uncertain world.
Visibly happier, Merkel campaigned with renewed conviction: a resolve to re-tool the economy for the digital age, to head off future migrant crises, and to defend a Western order shaken by Trump`s victory last November.
The overall fall in turnout masked great regional variation. North Rhine-Westfalia, Germany`s most populous state, reported a 3 per cent increase in turnout, while the city of Munich saw a 10 per cent increase. In some of the eastern states where the AfD is strong, turnout held steady.
"Gravediggers Of Democracy"
Both Merkel and her main challenger, Social Democrat leader Martin Schulz have warned that low turnout could help extreme parties, especially the AfD, whose arrival in Parliament could signal a break from the steady, consensus-based politics that has marked Germany`s prosperous post-war period.
Schulz, who on Friday described the AfD as "gravediggers of democracy", on Sunday told reporters he was still optimistic that his party, a distant second in polls, would pick up the votes of the undecided.
Merkel, escorted under an umbrella into the polling station by her scientist husband Joachim Sauer, smiled as she voted in Berlin, but said nothing.
An INSA poll published by Bild newspaper on Saturday suggested that support was slipping for Merkel`s conservatives, who dropped two percentage points to 34 per cent, and the SPD, down one point to 21 per cent. The two parties now govern Germany in an unwieldy "grand coalition".
The anti-immigrant AfD, whose leaders have called for Germany`s World War Two army to be honoured, rose two points to 13 per cent in the latest poll, putting it on course to be the third-largest party.
"I hope that our democracy can deal with a party that has said, in my view, intolerable things in the media," said Kathrin Zimmermann, voting in Berlin. "I hope the right-wing pressure doesn`t get too strong."
Should she win a fourth term, Merkel will join Helmut Kohl, her mentor who reunified Germany, and Konrad Adenauer, who led Germany`s rebirth after World War Two, as the only post-war chancellors to win four national elections.
Coalition-building after the election could be very lengthy as potential partners are unsure whether they really want to share power with Merkel. All major parties refuse to work with the AfD.
Electoral arithmetic might push Merkel to renew her grand coalition with the SPD, or she might opt for a three-way alliance with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and environmentalist Greens.
Voting opened at 8 am and will continue until 6 pm, when exit polls will give a first indication of the outcome.
Sonipat: A student from Sonipat in Haryana wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday after she was allegedly gangraped by two school employees at the Om Public School. The minor reportedly claimed that she was raped after being made to watch a blue film.
"The employees are identified as Karambir and Sukhbir," Deputy Superintendent of Police Mukesh Jakhad told ANI.
Two employees who have been named in the e-mail are said to be members of the non-teaching staff. A case has been filed by the police and the two employees have been detained for investigation. The police added that the detained staffers have denied any involvement in the incident.
Police also added that the victim had not approached the school authorites with any complaint. "No complaint has been given to the school authorities by the victim. Have questioned the two accused & they have denied any involvement," the DSP said.
The school authorities, however, refuted reports of any such incident.
Haryana: Student of Om Public School in Sonipat allegedly gangraped by two members of the school staff. Victim writes to PM for justice pic.twitter.com/T0lxAoOp2P ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2017
Reports suggest that the girl sent her complaint in an e-mail to the Prime Minister as well as Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Varanasi: The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday baton-charged the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) students, who were protesting inside the campus since three days against alleged molestation of a varsity girl.
As per the reports, four people including 1 female and 3 males were left injured in the incident. The students alleged that the police thrashed them and dragged them through hair, but DM Varanasi, who was present on the spot, denied all such claims.
Reportedly, the protesting students tried to enter the residence of University Vice Chancellor and when the deployed security forces tried to stop them, students became violent and attacked the police after which the security forces also used force and lathi charge on the students to disperse them.
The ongoing protesters outside the BHU campus triggered when a first-year fine arts student of BHU, alleged that she was molested by three bike-borne men outside the varsity campus on Thursday.
The victim claimed that she went to the university administration for complaining about the incident but the administration in lieu of taking any action against the molesters, shamed the victim for her awkward hostel timings.
Angered by the laid-back attitude of the administration, the varsity students staged protests outside the campus on Friday and blocked entry to the campus through the main gate.
Talking to a leading portal one of the protesting students said,"PM Modi has been speaking volumes about his ambitious Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign but he should come and see the reality at the BHU. The VC and proctor instead of ordering inquiry are blaming the girl for roaming around inside the university premises late in the evening."
The BHU administration in its media released termed the protest political in nature and stated that it was timed with the PMs visit, with the intention of soiling the image of the university.
A day after police lathicharged students at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Vice-Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi blamed outsiders and anti-social elements for disturbing the environment at the varsity.
"We had information that some anti-social elements will try to disturb the environment of the University. Outsiders in huge numbers tried to escalate the protest," the V-C said on Sunday.
He also added that some students had complained about the installation of CCTVs and the matter is being investigated. "Some girls said University should be more sensitive towards safety. I agreed with their viewpoint. Safety and security is important. We will have to consider various aspects with regard to safety in University," he said.
"An unfortunate incident took place with one of our students; we're committed to stringent action & did so too," he said.
However, in his first interaction after the lathicharge on students on Saturday, the V-C did not comment on the protest and the treatment meted out to the students.
BHU witnessed violence by students who were lathicharged by the police, in an ugly turn of a protest against an alleged eve-teasing incident.
A number of students and policemen were reportedly injured in the clashes. In wake of the violence, the university has announced "holidays" from Monday until October 2, advancing it from September 28.
Varanasi: Security increased outside BHU after clashes between students and police personnel last night pic.twitter.com/PkHPvj68xu ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2017
Violence erupted after some students, protesting against the alleged eve-teasing incident, wanted to meet the Vice Chancellor at his residence, according to police and university sources. The security guards of the university stopped them and the police was informed but the students then indulged in stone-pelting, people at the University claimed.
Police used lathicharge to control the situation.
BHU students have been protesting near the university's main gate since Thursday against the rising eve- teasing incidents on the campus. The trigger was an incident in which a woman student of Arts faculty alleged harassment by three men on a motorcycle inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel.
The three men abused her and fled when she resisted their attempts, according to the complainant.
Washington: US Defence Secretary James Mattis will seek to take the India-US defence ties to the next level during his visit to India this week, with discussion on F-16s and the security situation in the region likely to dominate the agenda.
Firmly of the view that a stronger India both in terms of military and economy is in America's national interest, Mattis would meet his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman, National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval and also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This is the first Cabinet-level visit to India under the Trump administration.
Informed sources familiar with the preparations of the visit said the trip would be used to develop new institutional mechanisms to elevate the status of India-US defense relationship, showcase enhanced strategic co-operation in Afghanistan and strengthen maritime security and rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region.
While no specific defence trade deal is likely to be announced during the visit of Mattis to India on September 26-27, sources said there would be discussions on two specific proposals of F-16 and F-18A under Modi's Make in India campaign, along with efforts to identify new projects under the ambitious Defence Technology and Trade Initiatives (DTTI).
The Trump administration wants to sell F-18 and F-16 fighter planes to India, built by American companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin respectively. Both companies have offered to assemble these planes in India.
Ahead of his visit, Mattis met Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna at the Pentagon. And in a rarest of the rare gesture, Mattis came down to the River side entrance of the Pentagon to receive Sarna. The Indian envoy said the meeting was "very positive and cordial." After the meeting, the Defense Secretary came down to see him off.
This is also the first follow-up visit by a US cabinet official after Modi's June trip to the US. During the visit, the two countries are expected to review the defence and strategic decisions taken by Modi and US President Donald Trump in June.
During his India visit, Mattis is likely to talk with Sitharaman and other Indian leaders on the new Afghan strategy and the Indo-Pacific region.
Trump while announcing his new Afghan policy had asked India to do more to help Afghanistan with its developmental needs.
According to officials, Mattis is interested in accelerating the pace of India-US defense co-operation and making it an effective tool in achieving the goal of peace and stability in the entire region ranging from South Asia to Indo-Pacific region.
Mattis, it is learnt, is taking along with him some of his own ideas in this regard, which he would like to discuss with the Indian leadership and get their feedback. To take the relationship to the next level, including more exercise and sale of high-tech defence equipment, the Pentagon instead of the foundational agreements is now looking for some India specific documentation that would provide institutional mechanisms, address India's concerns and meet the Congressional-mandated legislative requirements in this regard.
This could be seen as a major climbdown, as India had been resisting from signing any foundational agreements for the past several years because of sovereignty concerns.
In his interaction with the Indian leaders, Mattis is also expected to discuss how to advance and Major Defense Partnership, a designation given to India by the previous Obama Administration which has been continued by the Trump Administration.
Mattis' India visit comes in less than a week after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had her first bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
New Delhi: In yet another incident of racism, an Assamese student was denied entry into the Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah by an official, after being labelled as a foreigner.
The incident took place on Friday when the girl Manjita Chanu who was accompanied by her friends was stopped at the entrance of the national monument by the guards. Chanu claimed that the security guards asked her to give an ID as proof of being an Indian citizen.
The girl narrated the entire incident on her Facebook page. She wrote,Is this the land of my India? Am I safe here or not?
"They again called Northeastern girl a foreigner and didnt allow to enter in Agra. Recently, I went Agra with my friend and her younger brother. I gave my phone to her brother to shoot the video. They did not allow me to go and kept on calling me a foreigner. I could speak good Hindi but even then they were rude. While shooting the video this man denied showing his identity card when my friend said to put this on YouTube,"Manjita recounted the horrific episode.
"And there was also no lady security guard. The security man tried to check my bag but I denied because I had some personal stuff. And, I asked for a security guard, but they said she is having lunch so I have to wait for long. Then I said, I am getting late I have my train to Delhi, tell me where she is I will personally go and let her check my bag," the girl wrote.
Narrating the incident of racism further, Manjita said," The police security guard showed me the direction. We went but there was no one. Far away, there was an old lady talking with a guy. She didnt look like a security guard. When I asked her, she said, I am a cleaning worker here. I was very upset, I told another security guard whats going on. We start arguing and they let us go without checking my bag. I was shocked again. Is this the land of my India? Am I #safe here or not ????
New York: Pakistan on Sunday described India as the "mother of terrorism in South Asia" and urged the international community to stop New Delhi`s provocative and aggressive actions.
Pakistan`s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi cautioned the international community to act firmly against India if it wanted to avoid a dangerous escalation between the two neighbours.
Lodhi, who was exercising her right to reply to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj`s view that Pakistan has created terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Haqqani Network, said New Delhi must stop ignoring what she called the "core issue" of Kashmir.
It may be recalled that Swaraj avoided mentioning Kashmir in her address at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
"If the international community wishes to avoid a dangerous escalation between India and Pakistan, it must call on India to halt its provocations and aggressive actions. It must end the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control. It must halt its sponsorship of terrorist groups against Pakistan," Lodhi said.
India is yet to decide whether it wants to exercise its right to respond to Ambassador Lodhi`s remarks.
Ambassador Lodhi said if Pakistan and India fail to resolve the Kashmir dispute, the UN and the international community has the right and the obligation to help to resolve it.
"UN Security Council resolutions do not lapse with time. Or are `overtaken`, as the Indian foreign minister put it. Law has no expiry date. Morality has no sell-by date. India`s posture is that of the predator. It cannot escape its legal and moral obligation to abide by the resolutions of the Security Council," she said.
Referring to Swaraj`s remarks on terrorism and her push for a definition, Lodhi said the UN should actually define terrorism.
"In that definition, we should include `state terrorism`. India has sponsored and perpetrated terrorism and aggression against all its neighbours, creating terror groups, destabilising and blockading neighbours to do its strategic bidding and sponsoring subversion, sabotage and terrorism in various parts of Pakistan. All this establishes that India is the mother of terrorism in South Asia," she alleged.
She said the `largest democracy` is also "the world`s largest hypocrisy" and it`s ruled by the "fascist" ideology.
She also said Pakistan remains open to resuming a comprehensive dialogue with India to address all outstanding issues, especially Jammu and Kashmir and discuss measures to maintain peace and security.
"But this dialogue must be accompanied by an end to India`s campaign of subversion and state-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan," she demanded.
In her speech, Swaraj had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered the hand of peace and friendship since he assumed office.
"Pakistan`s Prime Minister must answer why his nation spurned this offer," she had said.
Swaraj reminded Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi that in December 2015, when she was in Islamabad, a decision was made by then PM Nawaz Sharif that dialogue between India and Pakistan should be renewed and named it a "Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue".
"The word `bilateral` was used consciously to remove any confusion or doubt about the fact that the proposed talks would be between our two nations and only between our two nations, without any third-party present. And he must answer why that proposal withered, because Pakistan is responsible for the aborting that peace process," Swaraj had said.
New Delhi: A terrorist has been killed in an encounter with security forces which broke out on Sunday in Uri area of Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir.
As per the reports of news agency ANI, the operation is currently underway and the identity of the slain militant is yet to be known.
J&K: Encounter between Security forces and terrorists in Uri continues ; One terrorist killed (Visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/L3gvC30CWb September 24, 2017
Earlier in the day after receiving information about the presence of terrorists, security personnel laid a cordon and started a search operation in the Kalgai area of Uri this morning.
As per the reports, the search operation turned into an encounter as the security forces were fired upon by the terrorists.
(More details awaited)
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed the nation in his 36th edition of monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat'.
In the 30-minute long address, PM Modi appreciated the 18-year-old Kashmiri boy Bilal Dar, for actively taking up the cleanliness drive.
"I congratulate 18-yr-old Bilal Dar, who has been made brand ambassador for cleanliness by Srinagar Municipal Corporation," Modi said.
Dar, who has cleaned more than 12000 kg of garbage from the Dal Lake in a year has been made brand ambassador for cleanliness by Srinagar municipal corporation.
Congratulate 18-yr-old Bilal Dar,who has been made brand ambassador for cleanliness by Srinagar municipal corporation: PM Modi #MannkiBaat pic.twitter.com/4XTGgqQxuX ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2017
The Prime Minister also hailed the print and electronic media for their support towards 'Swachhata Hi Seva' movement.
PM Modi urged people to use Khadi product this Gandhi Jayanti to light the lamp of prosperity in the lives of the poor.
"I had earlier mentioned that Khadi was not a cloth but a movement which should be taken forward. The sale of the fabric has also increased due to which the employment among poor people has seen a rise. We must work towards lighting lamps in the houses of people engaged in the Khadi industry this Diwali," Modi said in the 36th edition of his monthly radio programme.
PM said that Mann Ki Baat has played an important role in the integration of every section of society and improving the governance by getting nationwide inputs.
"I get so much feedback for 'Mann Ki Baat'. We have completed the programme`s three years. Naturally, I am not able to refer to all of it but the inputs given help us in the governance.
"It has helped in the integration of every section of society," Modi said today.
"I get a treasure of information through email, the Narendra Modi app, phone and many others through which I get to know about what`s happening in the country.
"I am thankful to the citizens for sharing their important inputs," the Prime Minister added.
(With inputs from agencies)
New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on social media, for acknowledging UPA governments vision and legacy, in her hard-hitting speech at the 72nd Session UN General Assembly(UNGA).
Taking to Twitter, Gandhi wrote, "Sushma Ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs."
Sushma ji, thank you for finally recognising Congress governments' great vision and legacy of setting up IITs and IIMs Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 24, 2017
Earlier, the Congress Party had welcomed Swaraj's speech and praised her for replying to "those who ask what happened in the last 70 years".
"Befitting reply to those who ask what happened in last 70 years. Sushma Swaraj mirrored the yeoman's progress made by India under Congress rule, making 'inclusive growth & progress' as India's mantra," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had said in a series of tweets.
Addressing the UNGA session in New York, Swaraj on Saturday ripped apart Pakistan and said that India has established institutions like IITs, IIMs and AIIMS and Pakistan had created terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Haqqani network.
"There have been many governments under many parties during 70 years of Indian freedom, for we have been a sustained democracy. Every government has done its bit for India's development. We have marched ahead consistently without pause, in education, health and across the range of human welfare. We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world," Swaraj said.
She also questioned as to what has Pakistan offered to the world and to its own people apart from terrorism?
In a stinging response to Pakistan, Swaraj said India is completely engaged in fighting poverty whereas as Islamabad seems engaged in fighting New Delhi.
The External Affairs Minister also hit out at Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khakan Abbasi, saying that that the latter wasted too much of his speech in making accusations against India.
(With inputs from agencies)
New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar has said that terrorism is the greatest challenge faced by the world as of now and it needs to be fought unitedly without a "compromise". "The recognition that the initiative once again by our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) that if prosperity is not possible without peace, which indeed it is not, then who is the most powerful contemporary, where is the most powerful contemporary challenge to peace is coming from," he questioned during his speech at an event in Delhi recently.
"It is coming from terrorism and therefore you have to fight terrorism without ifs, without buts and this may be useful for our European friends to carry back home, there are no ifs and no buts in the conflict with this (terrorism)," the minister said at the 'Changing Asia-2017' conference.
Referring to a resolution adopted by the leaders of the five-nation BRICS bloc (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) at the Summit in China's Xiamen, Akbar said, "You have suffered from isms before, terrorism is the most dangerous ism of the 21st century and therefore the BRICS resolution."
For the first time, Pakistan-based terror groups like the LeT and the JeM were named in the BRICS Summit declaration that also asserted that those responsible for committing, organising or supporting terror acts must be held accountable.
Akbar also said that a clear message is being sent by the US in fighting terrorism and "this message...Will resonate through this century. It will not change friendships, it will not change strategic relations but hopefully it will change behaviour patterns".
"Once again I am telling you the practical application, the BRICS resolution on terrorism eliminates now the ifs and buts and BRICS recognizes that you must now say it the age of fudge is also over," Akbar said.
"And exactly around the same time even America which has invested so much American blood and treasure into the conflicts of Afghanistan has sent a very clear message that there is no compromise possible on terror and nations who are the equivalents of, have no place," he added.
New Delhi: The Congress Party has welcomed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's address at the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and praised her for replying to "those who ask what happened in the last 70 years".
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala thanked Swaraj "for stating hard facts about India and Pakistan at UN".
"Befitting reply to those who ask what happened in last 70 years. Sushma Swaraj mirrored the yeoman's progress made by India under Congress rule, making 'inclusive growth & progress' as India's mantra," said Surjewala in a series of tweets.
The Congress leader further said it was "time to move words into action as Pakistan still receives 743 million dollar annual US aid, collaborates with China on CPEC and buys arms from Russia."
Earlier, Sushma ripped apart Pakistan at UNGA in New York stating that "India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan's nefarious export of terrorism.
"There have been many governments under many parties during 70 years of Indian freedom, for we have been a sustained democracy. Every government has done its bit for India's development. We have marched ahead consistently without pause, in education, health and across the range of human welfare. We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world," Swaraj said.
She also questioned as to what has Pakistan offered to the world and to its own people apart from terrorism?
In a stinging response to Pakistan at the UNGA, she said India is completely engaged in fighting poverty whereas as Islamabad seems engaged in fighting New Delhi.
Swaraj also hit out at Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khakan Abbasi, saying that that the latter wasted too much of his speech in making accusations against India.
Srinagar: Two special police officers (SPOs) of Jammu and Kashmir Police were on Sunday injured in a grenade attack by militants in Sopore town of Baramulla district. Militants hurled a grenade towards security forces at Main Chowk Sopore at around 9.35 am, resulting in minor injuries to two policemen, a police official said.
He said the injured policemen were taken to local hospital.
The attack comes at a time when an encounter with security forces is underway in Uri area near the Line of Control in Baramulla district of Kashmir. A militant has been killed in the firing. "Cordon was laid and search operation started in Kalgai area of Uri this morning following information about the presence of militants in the area," an Army official said.
He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants opened fire on the security forces. "One militant has been killed in the operation. The civilian population has been evacuated from the area and the operation is still going on," he added.
Srinagar: Thwarting plans of terrorists to carry out an attack like the one on an Army base in 2016, security forces on Sunday killed three militants in an encounter in Kashmir's Uri.
Security forces had launched an operation in Kaghi forest area following specific information about a group of heavily-armed militants hiding there.
As the security forces tightened cordon around the area, the hiding militants opened fire at the security forces triggering a gunfight, IANS reported.
"A cordon was laid and search operation was started in Kalgai area of Uri this morning following information about the presence of militants in the area," an Army official said.
"Three militants have been killed in the operation while one soldier has sustained injuries," the official added.
He also said that three civilians were also injured in the gun-battle.
On the other hand, Director General of Police SP Vaid said that the militants were planning a 'suicide' attack like the one carried out on an Army base in Uri last year.
"A big tragedy has been averted. Like the suicide attack on the Army base last year, they (militants) had similar plans this time, but the police and the Army got the information beforehand. A joint operation is going on to neutralise the ultras," he said, as per PTI.
On September 18 last year, four militants had stormed Army brigade headquarters in Uri, close to the Line of Control, killing 19 soldiers before being neutralised.
#IndianArmy Infiltration bid foiled in Uri sector. Two armed intruders killed. Ops in progress @adgpi NorthernComd.IA (@NorthernComd_IA) September 24, 2017
(With Agency inputs)
Mangaluru: A 19-year-old youth was arrested for allegedly molesting a German girl at Deralakatte near Mangaluru, police said on Sunday. The accused Mohammed Mustafa had on Saturday followed the 18-year-old German student, who had come to visit an ashram at nearby Panir as part of her research, they said.
He waylaid her while he was walking along the road and molested her.
Hearing her screams, the locals gathered and beat him up black and blue before handing him over to the police, sources said.
Family members of the youth told the police that Mustafa was mentally unstable and had been receiving treatment at the Wenlock hospital.
A case has been registered in this connection, police said.
Bengaluru: Amidst an intensified campaign for a separate religious status to Veerashaivas-Lingayat faith, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said the government has nothing to do with the rallies being organised in this regard.
With resentment within the community over projecting Lingayats and Veerashaivas as the same, he clarified that the stands taken by few of his ministers on the issue as "their personal".
"The government has nothing do with the rallies," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Chitradurga.
Responding to a question about ministers participating in the rallies and taking sides, he said "can't ministers have their own opinion. Is there anything that they have to listen to what I say? On matters concerning the government they consult me, on matters not concerned with the government, I can't tie their mouth", he said.
As assembly elections are due earlier next year, the demand for a separate Veerashaivas-Lingayat religion status is gaining ground among the community, concentrated largely in the northern part of Karnataka.
Leaders and pontiffs who are propagating that Lingayats are separate from Veerashaivas, today held a large public meeting in Kalburgi as a show of strength.
While one section under 'Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha' has demanded separate religion status, asserting that Veerashaiva and Lingayats are the same, the other wants it only for Lingayats as they believe that Veerashaiva is one among the seven sects of Shaivas, which is part of Hinduism.
The Veerashaiva-Lingayat community that pays allegiance to the 12th century "social reform movement" initiated by Basaveshwara has a substantial population in Karnataka, especially in the northern parts of the state.
They also have presence in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana.
The BJP and several sections of the Hindu community are opposed to the move to give Veerashaiva-Lingayat separate religion status and have accused the Siddaramaiah government of dividing the society to draw political mileage ahead of assembly elections due early next year.
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said his government would consider facilitating housing facility to electronic media journalists and press photographers in the state capital.
"I would consider over facilitating housing facility to electronic and photo journalists (here). They also work hard to get and break news," Chouhan said while addressing a gathering at programme of Rajdhani Patrakar Grah Nirman Sahakari Sanstha (RPGNSS) here.
He said he would also deliberate over converting the government land leased to the RPGNSS for (print) journalists housing colony into a free hold property.
The CM's statement came after journalists requested the government that the land leased to RRGNSS should be made a free hold property, so that it can be mortgaged for bank loans to construct houses.
Chouhan said people think that the journalists live a glamorous and influential life but it is the other way round.
"The journalists reach home at 2 am when the people are fast asleep and run after stories and to break news at day time," he said.
He said the government would help journalists to have their own homes.
Hyderabad: A city court in Hyderabad on Saturday sent Bollywood producer Karim Morani to judicial custody for 14 days in a rape case.
Morani surrendered to police late on Friday night in connection with the alleged rape of a 25-year-old aspiring actress, hours after the Supreme Court dismissed his plea for anticipatory bail.
The Chennai Express producer surrendered at the Hayathnagar police station on the city's outskirts around midnight. He was formally placed under arrest.
Morani was later produced before a magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody till October 6. He was lodged in Cherlapally jail on the city outskirts.
The Delhi-based woman alleged that Morani raped her on the pretext of marrying her. She alleged that Morani took her nude pictures and videos and sexually exploited her by threatening to post the same on social media.
The police had booked him in January on charges of rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and cheating.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed Morani's petition challenging the Hyderabad High Court's verdict cancelling his bail. The apex court directed him to surrender.
The High Court on September 5 had upheld the decision of the sessions court cancelling Morani's bail.
Morani was booked for cheating, rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of marriage under the Indian Penal Code.
The complainant alleged that Morani raped her in Mumbai and also at a film studio in Hyderabad in 2015 after promising to marry her.
The woman, who had done her Bachelor of Business Management (BBA) from Delhi, said she had met Morani through his daughter, who was also a theatre artiste in Mumbai.
The producer, however, had denied the allegations. Morani said the complaint was filed with the sole intention of tarnishing his reputation and image.
The producer's name had also figured as an accused in the 2G spectrum scam. He was accused of helping channel funds to the tune of Rs 200 crore to popular Tamil television channel Kalaignar TV.
Kolkata: Actress Raima Sen, who carries off both ethnic and Western styles well, says she is a conservative dresser.
"Even though I kind of carry off everything, I am still a very conservative dresser... ," Sen told IANS here at the launch of Satya Paul's Diwali exclusive limited edition festive series "Ramayana".
Inspired by the epic, the collection includes three different looks, the Rama Sari, the Sita Sari and the Ramayana Sari, that offer a vivid mix of prints, ranging from neo-traditional, tessellating geometrics to contemporary graphic and abstract.
Draping the Rama sari from the collection, the "Choker Bali" actor said she would prefer free-flowing and light fabrics for the festive season.
"Something light like this (referring to the sari) which is easy to carry because we do so much of work and it would be convenient to wear a light sari, and of course colourful because we do a lot of work on stage... cut ribbons... roam around and people want to see bright colours," she said.
On the work front, Raima, the daughter of actress-politician Moon Moon Sen and granddaughter of Bengali cine icon Suchitra Sen, has just wrapped up shooting for the Bengali film Kaya.
She is looking forward to a clutch of Hindi films including Vodka Diaries and Varanasi and is excited about the Bengali web series Hello.
"For me the clarity of vision of the director is the most important thing. I learnt a lot from (late filmmaker) Rituparno Ghosh. I have worked a lot with him. I am one of the lucky few that did. I have also worked with wonderful directors like Reema Kagti, Pradeep Sarkar and others," Raima added.
Istanbul: The winner of Turkey`s national beauty pageant was on Friday forced to hand back her crown hours after winning, over a tweet relating to the failed coup that was deemed offensive.
Itir Esen, 18, won Miss Turkey 2017 during a ceremony in Istanbul on Thursday night and was going to represent the country in the Miss World competition in China.
But organisers said that would not be possible after they discovered an "unacceptable" tweet Esen sent around the first anniversary of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In the tweet, she compared the blood shed in her menstrual cycle with that of the 249 people who lost their lives during the failed coup and are now celebrated in Turkey as martyrs.
"I am having my period this morning to celebrate the July 15 martyrs` day. I am celebrating the day by bleeding on behalf of our martyrs` blood," she wrote.
Organisers said they had seen the tweet after the beauty contest`s results were announced and had to hold an hours-long meeting to verify the post.
Can Sandikcioglu, head of Miss Turkey, said in a statement that the tweet was posted by Esen.
"The Miss Turkey organisation, whose objective is to promote Turkey in the world and to contribute to its image, cannot accept such a post," he announced.
Esen`s title was handed to Asli Sumen, who came second and who will now represent Turkey in the Miss World contest in China on November 18.
In a message shared on her Instagram account, Esen said her post was written "carelessly" but was not politically motivated, apologising for any misunderstanding.
"I want to say that as a 18-year-old girl, I had no political aims while sharing this post," she wrote, saying that she only shared her "innocent thoughts during a sensitive time."
"My family raised me by teaching to respect our homeland and nation. I do not have a character that could show disrespect to our martyrs," she said.
Esen is not the first Turkish beauty queen to fall foul over a social media post.
In 2015, prosecutors launched an investigation against former Miss Turkey beauty queen Merve Buyuksarac on charges of insulting Erdogan through social media posts.
Buyuksarac was given a 14-month sentence by an Istanbul court last year, but the sentence was suspended on condition that she does not reoffend within the next five years.
Opposition critics of the president have decried shrinking freedom of expression under Erdogan in Turkey, where thousands have been prosecuted for social media postings deemed to have insulted the Turkish leader.
Mumbai: Actress Richa Chadha wonders why people assume she is angry by nature, and says she is only a straight-forward person who speaks her mind.
Richa interacted with media persons here on Saturday during the on-location shoot of her upcoming film Jia Aur Jia.
Asked why she often lands up having arguments with the media, Richa said: "I don't get angry. I am a straight-forward person and I always speak my mind, but I feel media is no less either.
"Since I am a straight forward person, people often assume that I am angry by nature especially when you play a character like Bholi Punjaban from Fukrey, who is very outspoken. So, it makes a certain kind of image of an actor, but I am not like that."
Clarifying her stand, Richa said: "I feel image is not self-made. It's not my problem that people don't remember me for films like 'Masaan', but they only remember me for film like Fukrey. I have done both kind of films, so audience sees you in a certain kind of image and identify you with that kind of image only.
"If they don't want to remember me in other kinds of role then I can't do much about that. So there is no conscious strategy with that. If a film comes my way and I like the subject, then I do that film."
The team of Jia Aur Jia has decided to revamp an old Hindi song "Jia ho... Jia oh Jia kuch bol do" from the 1961 film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, starring Dev Anand and Asha Parekh. The old classic was originally sung by Mohammed Rafi.
The new version of the song is composed by Nisschal Zaveri and is sung by Jyotika Tangri. It will also have bits from the original Rafi version as well.
Richa said: "It's the remix of the old song and we are dancing in it. The subject of the film is living life to its fullest. It's a slice-of-life film so the song is also peppy, happy and energetic."
Jia Aur Jia is produced by Mirza N Askari and is presented by Blue Fox Motion pictures Pvt Ltd. Directed by Howard Rosemeyer, it will release on October 27.
New Delhi: Actor Rajkummar Rao lost his mother while he was in the midst of shooting Newton, a political black comedy which has been locked as India's official entry for the foreign language film category at Oscars. He says the blessings of his "guiding star" are taking him places.
"Whatever good is happening with Newton is because of my mom's blessings. I really believe in that," Rajkummar told IANS.
The Drishyam Films movie, produced by Manish Mundra and directed by Amit V Masurkar, features the National Award-winning actor as Nutan Kumar aka Newton, a rookie but sincere government clerk who is sent on election duty to a Naxal-controlled town in the conflict-ridden jungles of Chhattisgarh state in India.
Newton had a world premiere at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Art Cinema award in the Forum segment. It also bagged a jury prize for Best Film at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
Rajkummar said: "Winning in Berlinale, in Hong Kong and then to get such an amazing response, reviews and now to be India's official entry for Oscars... My mother is right up there and keeping a check on me. Her blessings are always going to be with me, I know."
"I absolutely believe she's my guiding star," added the actor, who was shooting for Newton when he received the news of his mother's death in March last year.
Hoping that Newton goes further in the Oscar race, and eventually wins, Rajkummar said it stands out because it's a very "Indian film".
"I'm happy people saw that Indianness in 'Newton'. It has a global appeal and it's so universal in nature, but still so rooted and grounded (in India)," said the actor, who debuted in Hindi filmdom with "Love Sex Aur Dhokha", and has since won critical acclaim for movies like Shahid, Citylights, Aligarh and Trapped.
His last release before Newton was Bareilly Ki Barfi, which gave the audiences and critics a chance to realise Rajkummar's range as an actor as they got to see him in a completely different avatar than his previous outings.
"My process of choosing scripts remains the same. Of whatever I read and whatever excites me is what I will continue to take up," said Rajkummar, who was born and raised in Gurugram, and studied acting at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune.
Some critics have gone to the extent of hailing him as the Naseeruddin Shah of current times.
Laughing out at the comparison, the actor humbly said: "Naseer sir is one of the finest actors of our country. We have only one Naseeruddin Shah and we are very proud of him."
New Delhi: A law student, who accused godman Falahari Maharaj of raping her, said in a FIR that he asked her to lick his tongue before the sexual assault.
The 21-year-old, who hails from Chhattisgarh, was allegedly raped when she visited him in his ashram on August 7 in Rajasthan's Alwar city.
She had planned to return the same day, but he asked her to stay the night.
At about 7.30 pm, Baba called me to his room and after sending his disciples away he shut the doors and sat on the bed, a media report quoted her as saying in the FIR.
He then raped her.
I am writing Om on my tongue with honey and you will have to lick it. This is how I have imparted knowledge to many people, the Maharaj told me. He then grabbed me, she said in the complaint, adding I went blank and could not react.
The 60-year-old godman was arrested on Saturday and was shifted to a jail.
New Delhi: A Russian firm has unveiled a green smartphone which can keep 'eavesdroppers' at bay, a media report said on Sunday.
The InfoWatch Group, Russia's leading antivirus software development company, launched the 'TaigaPhone' at a business forum in Moscow on Friday.
The manufacturer said the phone, which costs around $260 and has a five-inch touchscreen, is eco-friendly.
The firm also claims TaigaPhone can protect users' confidentiality, track the device's location and even prevent information leakage.
"Half of all data loss in Russia happens on mobile devices, we intend to fix that problem with the TaigaPhone," AFP quoted company representative Grigoriy Vasilyev as saying at the investors' forum.
The phone is priced almost five times cheaper than the cost of an iPhone in Russia, the report said.
"We have created it for the corporate market," said Natalya Kaspersky, InfoWatch Group president and co-founder of Kaspersky Lab.
The Kaspersky Lab has been at the centre of a row in the US as some believe it may have links with Russian intelligence agencies.
The US government has removed Kaspersky from its list of approved vendors even though no concrete has come out against it.
Lucknow: Focus is back on Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya resigned as MPs from the parliamentary constituencies on their election to the Legislative Council.
While a confident BJP is claiming that it would not only "retain" but improve its "victory margin" in both the seats, political rivals are eyeing it as an opportunity to upset its apple cart in the state ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The saffron party and its allies had romped home in the 2017 Assembly elections bagging an overwhelming 325 out 403 seats.
According to party insiders, both seats are equally important for the BJP. Gorakhpur has been a party bastion since 1991 while the party made its debut in the Phulpur parliamentary seat--once considered as the pocket borough of the Congress--only in 2014 when Maurya won the seat.
"The party will not only retain both Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats, but also improve its victory margin in the bye-elections which will be held for both the parliamentary constituencies," UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said.
He said through various programmes organised by the party, there was a direct communication with the public. "People of the state are being informed about the achievements of the central government in past three years, and also about the work done in a short span of six months by the Uttar Pradesh government," Tripathi said.
On the opposition and other rival parties eyeing the bypolls to upset BJP's calculations, he said, "The entire opposition is clueless and scattered. We will win both the parliamentary seats banking on the achievements of the party and the hardwork of our party workers."
Yesterday, while addressing the Samajwadi Party's state convention held here, its national president Akhilesh Yadav said, "Lok Sabha bypolls will be held in Gorakhpur and Phulpur. If results of the elections are in our favour, it will give a message not only for 2019 (Lok Sabha polls), but also for 2022 (assembly polls)."
On the BJP's claims, UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh said, "The wave of change will begin from Gorakhpur itself (in the bypolls). The people have seen the three years' performance of the Centre and six months of the UP government. They want change. We are confident of snatching victory in the Lok Sabha bypolls."
The parliamentary constituency of Phulpur has been represented by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Congress leader Vijay Lakshmi Pandit. In 2014, Maurya bagged 5,03,564 votes (52.43 per cent of votes polled) to give the BJP its maiden victory in the parliamentary constituency, which was earlier also represented by the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.
Adityanath had started his winning streak in Gorakhpur seat from 1998 and he emerged victorious again in the 2014 elections by securing 5,39,127 votes (51.80 per cent of the votes polled).
Varanasi/Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday sought a report from Divisional Commissioner about lathi-charge by the police in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on a number of students, including women were injured.
"I have sought a report from the Divisional Commissioner, Varanasi, about the entire incident," the CM said in Lucknow.
Violence erupted after some students, protesting against the alleged eve-teasing incident of Thursday, wanted to meet the Vice Chancellor at his residence last night, according to police and university sources, PTI reported.
The trigger was an incident in which a woman student of Arts faculty alleged harassment by three men on a motorcycle inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel.
The three men abused her and fled when she resisted their attempts, according to the complainant.
The woman alleged that security guards, about 100 metres from where the incident happened, did nothing to stop the men.
She said her warden, instead of taking up the issue with her superiors, asked her why was she was returning late to the hostel.
The warden's response angered the student's colleagues, who sat on a 'dharna' at the main gate midnight Thursday. One of the students even got her head tonsured.
BHU students have alleged they have to face eve-teasers on the campus regularly and the varsity administration was not taking any action to stop the miscreants.
Police and BHU professors tried to pacify the students yesterday, but they refused to end their protest and sought assurance from the university vice-chancellor.
Last night, the BHU issued a statement, saying the 'dharna' by the students just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit was "politically motivated" to malign the image of the university.
The university also said that security guards were regularly patrolling the campus and assistance from the police is sought from time-to-time to maintain peace in the campus.
Meanwhile, the university has announced "holidays" from tomorrow till October 2, advancing it from September 28.
On the other hand, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav condemned the lathicharge of the students in BHU.
BHU September 24, 2017
"The government should resolve the issue by talks, not by lathicharge. It is condemnable. Action should be taken againt the guilty," Akhilesh tweeted.
(With Agency inputs)
Yangon: Myanmar`s army said Sunday that a mass grave of 28 Hindus had been discovered in violence-wracked Rakhine state, blaming the killings on Rohingya militants.
"Security members found and dug up 28 dead bodies of Hindus who were cruelly violently and killed by ARSA extremist Bengali terrorists in Rakhine State," a statement posted on the army chief`s website said.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) is the group whose raids on police posts in August triggered a military backlash that resulted in hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing for Bangladesh.
Yangon division: Myanmar`s Army said on Sunday that a mass grave of 28 Hindus had been discovered in Rakhine state.
They blamed the killings on Rohingya 'militants'.
"Security members found and dug up 28 dead bodies of Hindus who were cruelly violently and killed by ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) extremist Bengali terrorists in Rakhine State," a statement posted on the Army chief`s website said.
The ARSA is the group whose raids on police posts in August triggered a military backlash that resulted in hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing for Bangladesh.
Rights groups say there is overwhelming evidence that the Army is using its crackdown on militants to systematically purge the 1.1-million strong stateless Rohingya from its borders, PTI reported.
However, Myanmar has dismissed accusations of ethnic cleansing, saying it has to tackle the insurgents, whom it accuses of setting fires and attacking civilians as well as the security forces, as per Reuters.
More than 420,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since August 25.
Rohingyas, who trace their roots back generations in Myanmar, are a stateless minority who have mostly been stripped of their citizenship in the predominantly Buddhist country.
Tensions between the communities have simmered for decades and exploded into violence several times in recent years.
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has faced a barrage of international criticism over their plight, for not speaking out more forcefully against the violence or doing more to rein in security forces over which she has little power.
(With Agency inputs)
Islamabad: Pakistan on Sunday summoned India's acting Deputy High Commissioner here over alleged "ceasefire violations" by Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC).
Pakistan claimed that a 22-year-old girl was killed due to the alleged firing by the Indian troops and two others were injured.
Pakistan Foreign Office alleged that India committed "unprovoked ceasefire violations" in Kotli and Nikial Sub- Sector on September 22.
"The deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws," the Foreign Office said.
Pakistan urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, and instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace along the LoC.
He also called on the Indian side to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.
New York: Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi in her right to reply to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's speech at the UN showed pictures of Palestinian victims and tried to pass them off as 'evidence' of atrocities on Kashmiris. Maleeha Lodhi resorted to waving dramatic pictures of a girl with pellet injuries on her face and added, "this was the face of Indian democracy", while suggesting that Kashmiris had been injured by pellet guns.
However, upon closer inspection of the picture, Maleeha Lodhi's claim seemed to have boomeranged on her.
The picture used by Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN was reported by a number of media outlets as that of Rawia Abu Joma'a, a 17-year-old girl injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza city in 2014. Rawia's picture was taken by award-winning photographer Heidi Levine.
In her reply to Indian FM's speech in UNGA, Amb. Lodhi showed a pic of pellet gun injured women frm Kashmir saying this is the face of India pic.twitter.com/StuG3arPoN September 24, 2017
Earlier on Saturday, Swaraj had said India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan's nefarious export of terrorism.
"India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan's nefarious export of terrorism. There have been many governments under many parties during 70 years of Indian freedom, for we have been a sustained democracy. Every government has done its bit for India's development. We have marched ahead consistently without pause, in education, health and across the range of human welfare. We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world," Swaraj said while addressing the 72nd UNGA session in New York.
She also questioned as to what has Pakistan offered to the world and to its own people apart from terrorism.
In a stinging response to Pakistan at the UNGA, she said that India is completely engaged in fighting poverty, whereas Islamabad seems engaged in fighting New Delhi.
Nashville (US): A woman was killed and at least six people were injured when shots were fired at a church here on Sunday, the police said.
The victim died in a parking lot outside the church.
The shooter has been taken into custody. He was also wounded.
The incident took place around 11 am at Burnett Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch on the outskirts of Nashville, Tenessee, police told reporters.
The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals.
Antioch is about 16 km from Nashville, the capital of Tenessee.
Washington: The US military, in a show of force, flew bombers in international airspace over waters east of North Korea, the Pentagon announced.
The Pentagon said Saturday that B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam and F-15C Eagle fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan, flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea, reports CNN.
It WAS the farthest north of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that US fighters or bomber aircraft have ever flown this century.
The flight underscored "the seriousness with which we take North Korea`s reckless behaviour," the Pentagon said.
"This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat.
"North Korea`s weapons programme is a grave threat to the Asia-Pacific region and the entire international community. We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement.
There has been name-calling and heightened tensions between Washington and Pyongyang this week as the UN met in New York, CNN reported.
At the UN, North Korea`s Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said US President Donald Trump was on a "suicide mission".
Ri`s comments to the General Assembly mimicked Trump`s remarks at the UN on Tuesday, when he called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a "rocket man on a suicide mission".
Earlier this week, Ri had also said that his country could test a powerful nuclear weapon over the Pacific Ocean in response to Trump`s threats of military action.
The minister`s remarks came shortly after Kim made an unprecedented televised statement, accusing Trump of being "mentally deranged".
Meanwhile, a shallow 3.4-magnitude tremor was detected near North Korea`s nuclear test site on Saturday morning, but experts believe it was a natural earthquake.
Columbia: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif branded Washington "unreliable" on Sunday in response to threats over the future of a nuclear deal with Iran.
"What the United States is doing, in addition to being unpredictable which might sometimes work is proving that it is unreliable," Zarif told CNN.
The deal, agreed in 2015 between Iran and six world powers the United States, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany lifts economic sanctions put in place in 2005 in exchange for curbs to Tehran`s nuclear program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is responsible for verifying that Iran meets the terms of the agreement.
But since arriving in the White House, Donald Trump has attacked the deal on numerous occasions, vowing to tear it up.
"Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don`t think you`ve heard the last of it," he told the UN General Assembly Tuesday.
The president cast further doubt over the deal after the Islamic republic tested a new medium-range Khoramshahr missile Saturday.
"Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!" Trump tweeted.
But Zarif brushed off the threat, saying Washington cannot act alone to end the agreement.
"This is not a bilateral agreement," he told CNN`s Fareed Zakaria.
"It`s not even a multilateral treaty. It`s a Security Council agreement and the United States is a member of the Security Council."
The foreign minister added that Donald Trump`s certification of whether Iran is abiding by the deal due mid-October is an "internal procedure" that in itself does not endanger the agreement.
"The only authority that has been recognized in the nuclear deal to verify is the IAEA," he said.
But according to diplomats, "non-certification" by Trump would lead to re-imposition of sanctions and the "political death" of the agreement.
Zarif said Iran will "consider its options" if Trump tells Congress on October 15 he believes it is not complying with the deal and it is not in US interests to stick by it.
"Iran has a number of options, which include walking away from the deal and going back with greater speed with its nuclear program, which will remain peaceful but which will not address and accept the limitations that we voluntarily accepted over our nuclear program," he said.
The Democrat leadership has made constant, profound and incredible pronouncements that one's supportive vote for Republicans is tantamount to surrendering Democracy forever. Understanding their sincere thinking in their extreme position: How will you still vote on this election day?
Democrat; because the continuance of this Democracy from the existential threat of extreme Republicans is paramount.
Republican; the process of having a choice is the democratic method within what so called "Democracy" does exists.
A flood of natural disasters around the world in the last month has some aid organizations taking a different approach to fundraising to prevent donor fatigue.
For weeks, Canadians have been inundated with video of the damage caused by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in the United States and Caribbean and two devastating earthquakes in Mexico. Before that, it was the wildfires in British Columbia.
Aid agencies usually issue individual appeals for single events, such as the 2004 Asian tsunami or the 2011 earthquake in Haiti.
With so many disasters in the news right now, there can be a numbing effect for donors, said Kate Bahen, managing director of Charity Intelligence Canada.
"We're inundated with these disaster pictures. When you have one disaster, it can galvanize the donor community. When you have multiple disasters, it can paralyze," she said.
Aid agencies recognize that and several are changing their approach for the most current appeals. World Vision and Unicef are launching campaigns targeting the areas in Mexico hit by earthquakes and the devastated regions of the Caribbean that were hit by two Category 5 hurricanes.
"It's a particular challenge to get the word out and communicate the needs to Canadians when there are multiple disasters happening at the same time, especially in such quick succession," said Michael Messenger, president of World Vision Canada, a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization.
"Perhaps it's time to combine our efforts and actually have a common appeal for all of the various elements of the relief that's really critically needed for Latin America and the Caribbean. ... It will provide the opportunity to Canadians to give to a single appeal."
UNICEF Canada is also making a general appeal.
"That gives us the flexibility to go where most needed," president and CEO David Morley said.
"We're providing support to children, education and health and child-friendly spaces in all of these disasters, from Dominican Republic to Dominica to Mexico, we're working in all of these countries so we're going to do a general appeal. Because for us what matters is helping children. The country matters less than that we're able to help these children," he said.
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MSF rarely issues disaster appeals
With lives at stake and urgent timelines, charitable organizations have to distinguish themselves from others and develop a base of supporters who will donate money even when natural disasters are not making headlines.
Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders rarely issues disaster appeals. Instead, it relies on private funds and monthly donations to a general emergency fund.
The exception is extreme cases such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, where the scale of the disaster and the response needed were overwhelming.
"We know that there are going to be emergencies every year and there are some that are going to be 'CNN' emergencies or tug on people's heart strings where they'll want to donate, but there be others that will receive less press attention or that might be more complicated and hard to understand and not end up having that same public generosity," said Stephen Cornish, executive director of Doctors Without Borders Canada.
'Generalized giving'
"There's only one or two places at a time that can make our nightly news and so I think it's important also to be able to participate in some generalized giving."
MSF sets aside 20 per cent of its response capacity every year for unknown emergencies. When a disaster strikes, they are on the ground responding to immediate needs in the crucial first 72 hours, not waiting for the launch of a fundraising appeal.
Another benefit, Cornish said, is that MSF spends less money on administration and advertising. So while some charities will spend 35 cents to raise $1, MSF spends approximately 15 cents.
Still, he acknowledges donors are moved by disasters.
"When we deal with more difficult stories. Ebola for example it was a huge crisis, it didn't bring a lot of generosity in the early days until we were able to educate people. Once people understood the story, then the generosity followed."
Making communities more resilient
Then there are groups like the Mennonite Central Committee, which likes to remind donors that it's not only a disaster response organization but also focuses on development and peace-building.
For example, MCC helped with the 2016 emergency relief after Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti but its work has continued and has largely prevented cholera in the regions it worked in.
"It's an investment in changing the preconditions, making a community more resilient and less vulnerable to the next disaster," said Rick Cober Bauman, incoming executive director at MCC Canada.
The organization is also working in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo to try to prevent violent clashes, but that's a much harder sell.
"Peace-building is harder to fundraise for. There is no question that natural disasters are more captivating for most donors," he said.
One thing most aid organizations do agree on cash is king, especially when the response time is crucial.
How to decide where to donate
Charity Intelligence Canada advises donors on where their funds are needed most, and which aid organization will do the best work.
Some of that information is already on its website. For example, CI is recommending Virgin Unite for British Virgin Island recovery, Samaritan's Purse Canada and GlobalMedic for St. Maarten and Barbuda, and Oxfam Canada in Cuba.
They base their recommendations on four criteria:
- The number of people affected: deaths, injuries, homeless.
- Economics of resilience: GDP per capita, estimated economic cost.
- Disaster preparedness: preparation time, infrastructure (building codes, breakwaters).
- Funding need for Canadian donations: does the area affected need outside humanitarian support that Canadian charities can provide?
"We look at the type of disaster. ... Famines are different from earthquakes and hurricanes. So each disaster will have its own different characteristics and that requires different aid responses," said Bahen.
Then, how can a Canadian donor help the most?
Sometimes, Bahen said, it's by supporting local organizations working on the ground. For example, during the Fort McMurray fires, Charity Intelligence Canada recommended food banks in Edmonton and Calgary.
"If we look at history, the biggest sort of Canadian appeals where Canadians gave the most, [were] in the 2004 Asian tsunami and the 2011 earthquake in Haiti. Those were record levels. Again in 2016, Fort McMurray was an unprecedented Canadian disaster response of over $189 million. So we're definitely seeing Canadians step up when needed," Bahen said.
"We're so lucky we're in Canada. We work with some of the best donors in the world and they're really hungry for information."
Some of Canada's leading climate change scientists are fighting to keep the country's northernmost research station in operation.
The Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) in Eureka, Nunavut, tracks atmospheric data that no other research station can, given its High Arctic latitude, only 1,110 kilometres from the North Pole.
There, researchers study ozone depletion, and how the thawing Arctic is contributing to climate change, as well as other polar science.
But with PEARL's core funding set to run out this year, scientists are warning if PEARL closes, there's no filling the void.
"You're in this part of the world that's very significant for all these different global environmental challenges," said Dan Weaver, a PhD student at the University of Toronto who has conducted research at PEARL since 2012.
"From climate change to ozone depletion, to even transport of pollution we have that unique piece of the puzzle to offer the world."
PEARL has been funded for the last five years by the Climate Change and Atmospheric Research Initiative, but the federal government has not renewed that program.
Scientists say there aren't other funding sources that PEARL can tap into because its work is so specific in terms of its atmospheric research mandate.
Weaver is part of Evidence for Democracy, a not-for-profit group that's launched a petition calling on the federal government to commit to $1.5 million in annual funding for PEARL.
Scientists say if they can't get more funding, they will have to pull the plug on the research station in May.
Harper government's 'war on science'
This isn't the first time a funding shortfall has threatened the future of PEARL.
In 2012, cuts under the Harper government saw researchers come within 20 days of beginning a shutdown of the laboratory, until last-minute funding came through from the Climate Change and Atmospheric Research Initiative (CCAR).
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One of the more vocal proponents to try to save PEARL at the time was Liberal MP Kirsty Duncan now the federal minister of Science.
"This is a government that has a war on science, a war on the environment," Duncan said of the Harper government in the House of Commons on Oct. 29, 2012.
"The government has cut the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory in the far North, which looks at ozone, at climate change. This year we have had the greatest melting, ever, of sea ice in the High Arctic. Last year, an ozone hole was discovered that was two million square kilometres.
"Why would the government cut a research station at a time when major environmental changes are taking place?"
Duncan even presented a petition earlier that year for the Harper government to fund PEARL.
'A comprehensive approach'
Asked Friday why her government is now cutting funding to the same research station she fought to save, or what's changed since her plea, Duncan sidestepped the question, saying she's working on "a comprehensive approach."
"I've been many times to the Arctic. That's why I'm so focused on creating a comprehensive, thoughtful approach to Arctic research, and one that will include Indigenous voices," Duncan told CBC.
"The previous government used [the Climate Change and Atmospheric Research Initiative] as a one-off solution to climate change. I am working on a comprehensive approach along with my colleagues."
Duncan did not say whether her approach includes saving PEARL.
One-of-a-kind station
Duncan also mentioned the new Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, as an example of the government's commitment to climate change science. Scientists say, while there's nothing wrong with CHARS, it won't fill the void left by PEARL.
"The distance between those two stations is enormous," said Dalhousie University's Jim Drummond, the lead investigator at PEARL.
"It's roughly the distance from Toronto and Atlanta," he said. "Anybody who thinks you can make statements about what's going on in Toronto by measuring things in Atlanta, I think would be laughed out of court."
PhD candidate Dan Weaver says CHARS just doesn't have the same mandate as PEARL.
"There's this whole suite of instruments at PEARL that measure the atmosphere, and also contribute the northernmost data sets to a variety of international networks," Weaver said.
"Those instruments are not at CHARS and they're not planned to be at CHARS because it doesn't have that research mandate to do atmospheric work."
In April 2017, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the body that divvies up physical science funding to researchers, universities, and scientists across the country, recommended the government continue funding to study climate change and the atmosphere through the Climate Change and Atmospheric Research Initiative.
"Without these funds ... certain research sites, such as the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory, would no longer exist," the organization reported.
"Such research locations are considered critical to understanding and predicting changes in the climate and atmosphere, as they provide opportunities to collect large amounts of data and/or continuous data that may be used for comparison with other countries and/or over time."
By Alexandra Alper and Lizbeth Diaz MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexicans packed churches on Sunday to pray for the victims of the country's deadliest quake in 32 years as rescue teams searched against the odds for any survivors trapped under rubble six days after the tremor shook Mexico City and nearby states. As a fresh aftershock jolted southwestern Mexico on Sunday, the death toll from Tuesday's 7.1 magnitude earthquake climbed to 319 people. With thousands of buildings damaged, survivors slept on the street outside their homes and estimates of the cost of the earthquake ran as high as $8 billion. Many have been traumatized by the second major quake to strike Mexico City in their lifetime after a devastating 1985 tremor killed an estimated 10,000 people. In the vast Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the north of the capital, the national shrine of the majority Catholic country, thousands of people gathered to pray. "I came to ask God for strength for those who lost loved ones and for the Virgin to watch over us and keep us safe," said 69-year-old Maria Gema Ortiz. "Thanks to all those who came from other countries to help. Thanks to all and long live Mexico!" Graphic: http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/MEXICO-QUAKE/010050WF215/QUAKE-MEXICO.jpg Makeshift places of worship have popped up next to the crumbling cement and mangled steel of collapsed buildings in the deeply religious country. In upscale Roma, one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods of the capital, a priest led mass for nearly two dozen people under a blue tarp while a nun handed out small cards with an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, who according to the Catholic faith first appeared to an Aztec convert in 1531. President Enrique Pena Nieto, who has visited the scene of the devastation, has urged Mexicans to turn their attention to rebuilding and many schools were expected to reopen on Monday. Rescuers narrowed their search to a handful of buildings in the sprawling capital of 20 million people, using advanced audio equipment to detect signs of life beneath tonnes of rubble, with help from teams from as far afield as Israel and Japan. "The search and rescue in Mexico City continues as a priority, with cooperation from national and international groups," tweeted Miguel Angel Mancera, Mexico City's mayor. RISING FRUSTRATION With Mexico facing a presidential election next year, the government's response to the disaster is under close scrutiny. Frustration has grown among the thousands left homeless by Tuesday's quake, with critics saying the government's reaction pales in comparison with an outpouring of volunteer support, from rescue work to food donations. "We have received no help from authorities," said Antonio Ramirez, who was conducting a survey of damaged homes in the historic Xochimilco district in the south of the capital. "The help has come from ordinary people," the 57-year-old retired teacher said. "Soldiers, instead of carrying picks and shovels, brought their guns." Hitting back against criticism of his government, Pena Nieto has promised ongoing support to those affected. The government's resources, however, are being stretched by the magnitude of the disaster. Tuesday's quake, which completely flattened dozens of structures in Mexico City, was the second major earthquake to strike the country of 127 million people this month. A massive 8.1 magnitude quake on Sept. 7 off the southwestern coast of Mexico killed around 100 people, most of them in the nearby states of Oaxaca and Chiapas. A series of aftershocks since then have sown panic. The latest tremor, of 5.7 magnitude, struck on Sunday off the west coast, with its epicenter 80 km (50 miles) south-southwest of Tonala, in Chiapas, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of significant damage. Many more quakes are likely, warned Xyoli Perez Campos, director of Mexico's National Seismological Service. "We have already recorded more than 4,300 aftershocks," Campos said. "So more aftershocks are to come. What we don't know is if they are going to be of significant magnitude." 'LIFE MUST GO ON' In Mexico City, the search for survivors from Tuesday's quake continued in a ruined office building in the Roma neighborhood and in a five-story apartment building in historic Tlalpan. Authorities called off efforts in the upper-middle class Linda Vista zone after pulling 10 bodies from the rubble, while work at the Tlalpan building was briefly halted on Saturday by a magnitude 6.2 aftershock. Roberto Hernandez, 62, leading a group of Mexico's famed "mole" rescue workers at the collapsed office building in Roma, said he believed 30 people were trapped in the rubble, though it was not clear how many were sill alive. "We can't guarantee there is life but we can guarantee we'll turn over every last stone," Hernandez said, adding that one person was found alive in a crushed building 15 days after the 1985 earthquake. In tents set up in different parts of the city, psychologists offered mental health support to traumatized survivors and rescuers. Acts of solidarity came from all corners of Mexican society. While lessons were expected to resume on Monday, at least 7,000 schools across the country have been damaged by the quakes. The Mexican government says at least 350 of them need to be completely rebuilt. Like many residents, 36-year-old Claudia Avila was determined to return to some semblance of normality. "We are afraid, but life must go on," said Avila, whose sons are 9 and 16. "Tomorrow I will take my children back to school. They know that if something happens, they must protect themselves. It has been a rude awakening." Pena Nieto highlighted his government's aid for survivors on a Saturday tour of Jiquipilas in Chiapas, which was badly hit by the Sept. 7 quake. "Be assured that the federal government is here, the state and local governments, supporting you, hand in hand, to rebuild," he said. But many Mexicans are wary of politicians' using the quake to score political points ahead of 2018 elections that are seen as a referendum on the patchy record of the Institutional Revolutionary Party since its return to power in 2012. Francisco Honoraro, a 46-year-old farmer in Xochimilco, is living on the streets while he waits for authorities to assess damage to his home. "This is going to become political, a campaign issue and a source of profit," he said. "'If you support me and you vote for me, we will help you.'" (Additional Reporting by Michael O'Boyle; Writing by Anthony Esposito and Daniel Flynn; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Sandra Maler)
By Brendan O'Brien ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Protests in St. Louis over the acquittal of a white former policeman who killed a black man could impede the city's bid to attract Amazon.com's second headquarters, academics and business executives said. Marked by scuffles, teargas and property damage, the protests have been unfolding as the city, which has a history of social unrest, is vying for the lucrative Amazon deal. "There is no good timing for something like this and it will have an impact," said Didi Caldwell, founding principal with Global Location Strategies in South Carolina, which helps companies choose locations for new businesses and expansion. Amazon, the world's biggest online retailer, said this month that it planned to build a $5 billion second headquarters that could bring 50,000 new jobs to the winning city. An Amazon spokesman declined to discuss the site search. In its call for proposals from cities, Amazon said a "compatible cultural and community environment" that included diversity, a high quality of life and stable business climate were key. The company intends to make a decision in 2018. William Collins, a Vanderbilt University economic historian who has studied the aftermath of the 1960s race riots in the United States, said the impact on a city's ability to draw new employers depended on how companies view such incidents. Does it suggest a deeply rooted problem that's likely to make living, working, and investing in a particular location less attractive or less profitable than alternatives? If so, it can have lasting implications, Collins said. A September 16 ruling found former St. Louis policeman Jason Stockley, 36, not guilty of first-degree murder in the 2011 killing of Anthony Lamar Smith, 24. 'NATIONAL ISSUE' In August, after clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, over plans to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, regional economic development officials wrote to site selection companies saying the violence did not define the city. St. Louis Economic Development Partnership officials said they were aware of racial tensions highlighted by the protests but argued that the problem was not unique to St. Louis. "The protests, although the timing of them was not the best for St. Louis, are really indicative of a national issue that needs to be looked at," the partnership's Chief Executive Sheila Sweeney said on Thursday. The day before, protesters at a high-end shopping mall blocked traffic and chanted, "No justice, no profits." Other cities that have indicated they are in the running for the Amazon site include Seattle, Dallas, Houston and Denver. Charlotte, North Carolina, which saw riots last year after the fatal shooting of a black man by a police officer, has not seen business opt against moving there. Officials, who noted that the city's efforts to break down bias led to the protests, said quantifying any lasting impact was difficult. "It's a troubling challenge of our time," said Dianne Chase, spokeswoman for the Charlotte Regional Partnership, a public/private economic development organization trying to attract Amazon. "We're not alone, it's most unfortunate to say." St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson declined to speak on the issue, but told reporters this week that the city had a legacy of institutional racism and needed to move forward with more jobs and stronger civilian oversight of the police. St. Louis is touting its central U.S. location, riverways, interstate highways and rail lines, vibrant technology environment and urban setting, as its main attractions. While the city is a transportation hub with a low cost of living, good housing stock and access to research universities, the unrest could hurt its chances even if it made Amazon's final list, said Global Location Strategies' Caldwell. Companies looking for locations will never announce they have eliminated a city for reasons like racial unrest, but that would likely be the case, she said. St. Louis residents expressed concern on social media over economic impact related to the unrest. People were saying, 'Unless the city cleans up its act, well never get Amazon,' said Lindenwood University economics professor Howard Wall. "Sometimes the economics are sort of a wash and it just becomes about where am I more comfortable doing business and living," Caldwell said. The St. Louis metro area has been a hot spot for the national debate over racial bias in law enforcement since Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was killed in 2014 by a white police officer in nearby Ferguson. The Brown shooting sparked riots and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien; Additional reporting by Chris Kenning in Chicago and Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Ben Klayman, Toni Reinhold)
Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blog spot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work.
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..UK Media Watch..24 September '17..Former PLO adviser Diana Buttu has a history of not telling the truth about Israel.During interviews in the early to mid 2000s, Buttu claimed (on several media outlets) that between the period of 1997 until the year 2000 there wasnt a single Israeli who died of a suicide bombing inside Israel. However, as CAMERA revealed at the time, 24 Israeli civilians were killed in six separate Palestinian suicide attacks during that period.During the 2009-09 Israeli war with Hamas, Buttu bizarrely alleged, during interviews on CNN and Fox News, that rockets fired from Gaza do not have explosive heads. In fact, Palestinian rockets carried between 9-18 kilograms of explosives.At a Harvard conference in 2012, she repeated the lie about rockets without explosive heads and added another one, claiming that there werent any grad rockets fired in 2008 and 2009. Actually, as CAMERA revealed, dozens were fired.More recently, CAMERA caught Buttu in another lie, complaining to journalist David Remnick (in a Sept.article) that the Israeli hit show Fauda never mentions the word occupation, and that the series doesnt show a single checkpoint. However, contrary to Buttus claim, the word occupation is heard in Fauda and checkpoints do appear.Her latest smear against Israel was published in the
JUST WOW!! A bumper crop of really terrific new releases over the last few weeks. While i was away, and had my back turned. Just faaaar tooooo much new stuff to play today, and do it all any justice. Croiky! Maybe some more next time. ;^) Please hit us up on the Interactive Thingy (over there ==>). We'd love to hear from you!!
Slither (Theme)
Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale - Breathing Under Water - Manhattan Records, 2007 Nike
Pauline Oliveros - Deep Listening - New Albion, 1989 Diskriminatsiya
Frank Horvat / Christopher Lee & Samantha Chang - Horvat: The Current Agenda - Independent, 2017 - Horvat: The Current Agenda - Sunflower
Frank Horvat / Daniel Morphy & Gregory Millar - Horvat: The Current Agenda - Independent, 2017 - Horvat: The Current Agenda - Lust (feat. Laura Swankey)
Frank Horvat - Love in 6 Stages - Independent, 2017 - Love in 6 Stages - Reborn In Virginia
Laraaji - Bring On The Sun - All Saints Records, 2017 - Bring On The Sun - Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram
Utsav Lal - The Fluid Piano - Fluid Piano Recordings, 2016 Dog Eat Dog
The Souljazz Orchestra - Under Burning Skies - Strut Records, 2017 - Under Burning Skies - Lufunki
The Souljazz Orchestra - Under Burning Skies - Strut Records, 2017 - Under Burning Skies - Holla Holla
The Souljazz Orchestra - Under Burning Skies - Strut Records, 2017 - Under Burning Skies - Adawe Boogie
The Souljazz Orchestra - Under Burning Skies - Strut Records, 2017 - Under Burning Skies - Aduna Jarul Naawo (feat. Elage Mbaye, vocals)
The Souljazz Orchestra - Under Burning Skies - Strut Records, 2017 - Under Burning Skies - Samba Do Suenho
Eddie Palmieri - Sabiduria (Wisdom) - Ropeadope Records, 2017 Jibarita y Su Son
Eddie Palmieri - Sabiduria (Wisdom) - Ropeadope Records, 2017 Horn OK Please [pre-release track]
Autorickshaw - Meter - Tala-Wallah Records, 2017-Sep-28 release - Meter - Hare Shiva [pre-release track]
Autorickshaw - Meter - Tala-Wallah Records, 2017-Sep-28 release - Meter - God Shall Wipe All Tears Away
Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet - Ladilikan - World Circuit Records, 2017 - Ladilikan - Sunjata
Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet - Ladilikan - World Circuit Records, 2017 - Ladilikan - N.E.P.A. (Never Expect Power Always)
Tony Allen - N.E.P.A. (Never Expect Power Always) - Independent, 2017 (Bandcamp re-release, orig. Mercury, 1984) - N.E.P.A. (Never Expect Power Always) - Ariya (Psyche Juju Mix)
Tony Allen - Black Voices - Independent, 2017 (Bandcamp re-release, orig. Comet Records, 1999) - Black Voices - The Only Way
Tricky - ununiform - False Idols / !K7 Records, 2017 - ununiform - Method Jajouka
Method of Defiance - Column 3: Babylon Deconstruction - M.O.D. Technologies, 2017 - Column 3: Babylon Deconstruction - Method 1
Method of Defiance - Column 3: Babylon Deconstruction - M.O.D. Technologies, 2017 - Column 3: Babylon Deconstruction - Sad Emission
Hoppy Kamiyama + Bill Laswell - A Navel City/No One Is There - Kanapi Records, 2004
DOTHAN, Ala. Kharon Davis spent a decade in jail awaiting trial . On Friday, a jury in this southern Alabama town deliberated less than three hours before finding him guilty in the fatal shooting of Peter Dwayne Reaves.
Mr. Daviss case had attracted national attention because of the extreme length of his incarceration while he was still presumed innocent. His trial was delayed multiple times because of misplaced evidence, conflicts of interest and his own dissatisfaction with successive teams of lawyers.
Mr. Davis, 33, is black, but the jury was all white, in a county with a long history of striking blacks from juries. Jury selection took place on Monday and Tuesday, and Mr. Daviss lawyers complained to the judge about the racial makeup of the jury, unsuccessfully arguing that a new pool be assembled.
Mr. Davis was one of three men charged in Mr. Reavess death. One of the others, Lorenzo Stacey, was acquitted. The third, Kevin Bernard McCloud, took a plea bargain in which he agreed to plead guilty and testify against Mr. Davis, a childhood friend, if prosecutors did not seek the death penalty. He is serving a 99-year sentence.
The three men had gone to Mr. Reavess apartment on a night in June 2007 looking to buy marijuana. But the deal quickly turned into a shooting. Mr. McCloud was wounded and Mr. Reaves was killed.
The prosecution was forced to make a largely circumstantial case against Mr. Davis, who they said fired the gun. None of Mr. Daviss DNA was found in Mr. Reavess home, where the shooting took place. There were no fingerprints on the stolen 9-millimeter handgun that was used in the murder. And there were no witnesses who saw Mr. Davis shoot Mr. Reaves.
Whats more, extensive delays can erode any case, as memories falter and witnesses disappear or die. In this case, two key witnesses for the prosecution, including Mr. McCloud, changed their stories.
They stunned the courtroom by testifying that they had lied years ago to authorities about the case.
One, Larry Thompson, appeared on Thursday in an orange jumpsuit, handcuffs and leg chains. He is serving a 20-year sentence for an unrelated crime. After briefly testifying, he abruptly refused to continue, saying he feared for his life.
Mr. Thompson was a child at the time of Mr. Reavess death, and was supposed to help bolster the prosecutions theory that the men had planned to rob Mr. Reaves from the beginning.
In the 2009 trial of Mr. Stacey, Mr. Thompson testified that he saw three men wrestling with Mr. Reaves, and that they pulled him back into the apartment after he tried to flee. He also testified that he heard Mr. Reaves yelling, You are killing me! You are killing me! after he heard the gunshots.
But this week, he denied that account.
That was a lie, Mr. Thompson testified on Thursday, adding that he saw only two men fighting with Mr. Reaves. I dont want to commit perjury. Ive been doing it for so long.
He added: I was scared for my life, and I am scared for my life today, your Honor. Just take me back to prison. I am not testifying.
But it was the second main witness, Mr. McCloud, who stood to do the most damage to the prosecutions case.
In the hours after the shooting, Mr. McCloud gave the police conflicting accounts of what happened when Mr. Reaves was killed, ultimately suggesting that Mr. Davis had stormed into Mr. Reavess home and started shooting.
But on Thursday, Mr. McCloud changed his story again, telling the jury that Mr. Davis had waited in the car while he went in to buy drugs. That was also Mr. Daviss account, according to his lawyers.
After the shooting, Mr. McCloud told Frank Meredith, a Dothan police officer, that he had just stepped into Mr. Reavess apartment when he heard Mr. Davis yell an order to get down and felt a pain in the back of his neck before losing consciousness. Mr. McCloud had been shot by a bullet that passed through him and struck Mr. Reaves.
Mr. McCloud testified Thursday that he implicated Mr. Davis then because Mr. Meredith threatened and coerced him, using a racial slur. He added that the police officer had pushed the idea that Mr. Davis did the shooting.
He was putting words in my mouth, Mr. McCloud testified. So, to get out of there, I just went along with what he said.
On the stand, Mr. Meredith firmly denied Mr. McClouds account.
A distant relative of Mr. Daviss, who owned the gun used in the shooting, testified that she had noticed it missing from under her bedroom mattress about three weeks before the shooting, when she hosted a cookout that Mr. Davis attended. She said that he had entered her bedroom at one point, to use the bathroom there.
The defense called no witnesses. Not one piece of forensic evidence connects Kharon Davis with being in that apartment, one of Mr. Daviss lawyers, Thomas M. Goggans, said, referring to Mr. Reavess home. There are unanswered questions and doubts throughout.
Prosecutors had initially sought the death penalty in Mr. Daviss case, but in January a new district attorney took office who had a conflict of interest: He had previously represented one of the other two men charged in the murder.
The state attorney generals office took over the case and dropped pursuit of the death penalty.
Mr. Davis was still tried for capital murder, but found guilty of a lesser charge, felony murder, which carries a sentence of 20 years to life. Circuit Court Judge Kevin Moulton had instructed the jury to consider the lesser charge if they could not reach unanimity about capital murder.
Malcolm Reaves, one of Mr. Reavess four brothers, expressed relief that there was finally a verdict. The whole case, the 10 years, it all took a heavy toll on our family, he said. Im happy today because my brother finally got justice. My mama says she can sleep at night now.
Chrycynthia Davis, Mr. Daviss mother, said after the verdict that she was angry. The state did not make their case and they tried to coerce Kevin and make him lie, she said, referring to Mr. McCloud. This is not justice. They railroaded my son.
One of Mr. Daviss lawyers, Dustin Fowler, said Mr. Davis planned to appeal. Sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 17.
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
Arizona does not have to reveal who provides its execution drugs, a judge ruled Thursday in a lawsuit arguing that the information would help the public determine whether the death penalty is carried out humanely and promote confidence in the criminal justice system.
The decision marked a defeat for news organizations, including The Associated Press, that sued to get the information released. U.S. District Judge Murray Snow ruled that the media outlets didn't show they had a First Amendment right to knowing the suppliers of lethal injection drugs.
The judge said the First Amendment protects the right of people to argue about the death penalty, but it doesn't require Arizona to reveal "protected information to the detriment of the state's ability to carry out its constitutional, lawfully imposed criminal punishments."
The lawsuit followed the 2014 execution of Joseph Rudolph Wood, who was given 15 doses of a 2-drug combination over nearly 23 hours in what his attorney called a botched execution.
Like other states, Arizona is struggling to buy execution drugs after U.S. and European pharmaceutical companies began blocking the use of their products in lethal injections.
2 years ago, Arizona tried to illegally import an anesthetic that has been used to carry out executions but is no longer manufactured by companies approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The state never obtained the shipment because federal agents stopped it at the Phoenix airport.
The judge also rejected a bid to order the state to divulge the qualifications of people who carry out capital punishment in Arizona, saying revealing those details could lead to their identification. He noted that state law protects the identities of executioners and death penalty drug suppliers.
Snow said it's logical that some drug suppliers would decline to do business with the state if their identities were not kept secret.
Andrew Wilder, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Corrections, which carries out executions, said the agency had no immediate comment on the decision.
At a 1-day trial in July on the media lawsuit, an Arizona prison official testified that suppliers of lethal injection drugs have refused to sell to the state, even though a law protects the companies from being publicly identified.
The prison official said suppliers fear that selling lethal injection drugs would hurt their business. An attorney for the news organizations offered a different explanation - that the drug companies simply don't want to be involved in executions.
The state said a law prohibiting the disclosure of identifying information about anyone serving on an execution team extends the same sort of confidentiality to suppliers of lethal injection drugs.
Other news organizations that filed the lawsuit are The Arizona Republic, Guardian News & Media, Arizona Daily Star, CBS 5 (KPHO-TV) and 12 News (KPNX-TV).
The news organizations won a partial victory last year when Snow ruled that the state must allow witnesses to view the entirety of an execution, including each time drugs are administered. Witnesses to Wood's death couldn't see that he was receiving additional doses of the drugs after the first ones failed to kill him.
A new execution protocol issued in January will let witnesses see the injections through a camera in a room where the drugs are loaded into an inmate's IV line.
Arizona, which has 118 prisoners on death row, saw executions put on hold for 2 1/2 years after the 2014 death of Wood.
But the state is now able to resume executions after a separate lawsuit that challenged the way Arizona carries out the death penalty was settled this summer. No executions are scheduled.
| Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
Associated Press, September 23, 2017
signed the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty on 20 September 2017 ( https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/CN/2017/CN.570.2017-Eng.pdf [treaties.un.org]).
Madagascar ratified Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on 21 September 2017 ( ratified Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on 21 September 2017 ( https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/CN/2017/CN.587.2017-Eng.pdf [treaties.un.org]), together with the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture.
The UN treaty event is currently going on in New York, at the beginning of the UN General Assembly, and it is a time when states often ratify international treaties https://treaties.un.org/pages/TreatyEvents.aspx?path=Treaty/Focus/Page1_en.xml [treaties.un.org].
Last year, at the same time, Togo and the Dominican Republic also accessed to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
www.worldcoalition.org] For more information on the World Coalition's campaign for worldwide ratification: www.worldcoalition.org/protocol
| Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com
Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!
"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, September 22, 2017Gambia: President Barrow Signs Abolition Of Death Penalty Treaty
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dismissed John Battaglia's claims of incompetence late Wednesday, clearing the way for the state of Texas to put the Dallas child killer to death more than 16 years after his crimes.
Over the past year, Battaglia's defense team and lawyers for the state have argued over whether Battaglia knows why he is to die and that his execution is imminent Texas' two requirements for death row inmates to receive lethal injection.
In 2001, Battaglia shot his two daughters eight times in his Deep Ellum loft shortly after his divorce from his wife, Mary Jean Pearle. Pearle, in the midst of an attempt to get Battaglia's probation for assault revoked because her husband was harassing her on the phone, was on the phone with Battaglia as he shot their daughters, according to court testimony.
After killing the girls, Liberty and Mary Faith, as detailed in a 2002 Dallas Observer feature, Battaglia drove to an East Dallas tattoo parlor and got two rose tattoos to represent the daughters he'd just murdered. He then left an answering message for his ex-wife: "Goodnight, my little babies. I hope you are resting in a different place. I love you," he said.
At a lower court hearing in November, three psychologists who've examined Battaglia testified that he has from delusions that make him believe he did not kill Mary Faith and Liberty.
A fourth psychologist, testifying for the state, said that he believed Battaglia was faking or exaggerating his symptoms.
State District Judge Robert Burns agreed with the fourth psychologist, ruling Nov. 18 that Battaglia's execution could go forward.
Battaglia's first scheduled execution date was March 30, 2016. He received a reprieve from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seven hours before he was scheduled to die when the 5th Circuit agreed with Battaglia that he deserved a court-appointed attorney to investigate whether he was fit to be executed.
Now that Texas' highest criminal court has ruled Battaglia fit for lethal injection, it is up to Burns to set an execution date.
Source: Dallas Observer , Stephen Young, Sept. 21, 2017. Stephen Young has written about Dallas news for the Observer since 2014. He's a Dallas native and a graduate of the University of North Texas.
Battaglia ruled competent for execution
Case sent back to lower court to schedule new date for lethal injection
An appeals court has found John Battaglia is mentally fit to be executed for killing his daughters, a punishment the Dallas man has twice tried to postpone.
Battaglia made national headlines in 2001 when he shot his daughters, 9-year-old Faith and 6-year-old Liberty, at his Deep Ellum loft while their mother listened on the phone.
"No, Daddy! Don't do it!" Faith pleaded, seconds before her father pulled the trigger in an act of revenge against his ex-wife.
He was first scheduled for execution in March 2016 but was granted a stay after he sought new legal counsel to help appeal his sentence.
His execution was rescheduled for December 2016 after a state district judge found Battaglia mentally fit to be put to death. But the Court of Criminal Appeals granted him a stay to evaluate his competency.
The appeals court said Wednesday that Battaglia is mentally fit and the Dallas County trial court can set a new execution date.
Court records show Battaglia is "convinced that his trial and conviction were a sham" and that his death sentence is part of a conspiracy involving "the KKK, child molesters and homosexual lawyers."
Mental health experts testified during a competency hearing in November that Battaglia was likely faking or exaggerating his delusions in order to save his life.
The appeals court affirmed that assessment and supported the trial court's ruling of competence.
"There is support in the record that Battaglia is malingering," Justice Bert Richardson wrote in the appeals court finding.
Justice Elsa Alcala was the lone dissenting voice. She wrote in her dissent that the case should be snet back to the trial court for further clarity.
A defendant should not be executed when he "lacks a rational understanding of the reason for his execution due to delusions stemming from a severe mental illness," Alcala wrote.
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
: Dallas Morning News, September 23, 2017
U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley joined leaders of 127 other United Nations member states in supporting reform of the international body in a recent U.S.- hosted event.
The nations pledged support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reform agenda, calling for reform in the pillars of peace and security, development and management reform. They signed a ten-point declaration committing to strong partnerships in this matter and stronger collaboration in mandate delivery overall.
The United Nations was founded on truly noble goals, said President Trump. Yet in recent years, the United Nations has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement. We commend the Secretary-General and his call for the United Nations to focus more on people and less on bureaucracy:
We seek a United Nations that regains the trust of the people around the world. In order to achieve this, the United Nations must hold every level of management accountable, protect whistle-blowers and focus on results rather than on process.
The ten-point plan called for a reduction in redundancy throughout and across the United Nations system and greater transparency and predictability in its planning and budget functions.
The declaration also called for concrete changes in the United Nations system to better align its work on humanitarian response, development, and sustaining peace initiatives.
To honor the people of our nations, we must ensure that no one and no member state shoulders a disproportionate share of the burden, and that's militarily or financially. We also ask that every peacekeeping mission have clearly defined goals and metrics for evaluating success.
We pledge to be partners in your work, said President Trump. And I am confident that if we work together and champion truly bold reforms, the United Nations will emerge as a stronger, more effective, more just, and greater force for peace and harmony in the world.
The U.S. hopes to bring the United Nations to complete consensus on these goals and calls on some 70 remaining member states to sign the declaration, said Ambassador Haley.
In the coming weeks and months, we will be considering the Secretary-Generals broader vision. This is an opportunity for all of us to seize this moment and ensure that the United Nations remains relevant. Lets make it a new day at the United Nations.
In his September 19 address to the UN General Assembly, President Donald Trump stressed the United Nations' success depends "on a coalition of strong and independent nations that embrace their sovereignty to promote security, prosperity, and peace for themselves and for the world."
"We do not expect diverse countries to share the same cultures, traditions, or even systems of government," said President Trump. "But we do expect all nations. . .to respect the interests of their own people and the rights of every other sovereign nation."
"Strong, sovereign nations let diverse countries with different values, different cultures, and different dreams not just coexist, but work side by side on the basis of mutual respect," said President Trump. "Strong, sovereign nations let their people take ownership of the future and control their own destiny. And strong, sovereign nations allow individuals to flourish in the fullness of the life intended by God."
The United States, said President Trump, does "not seek to impose [its] way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch."
The U.S. Constitution, the oldest in the world, marked its 230th anniversary this month. "This timeless document," said President Trump, "has been the foundation of peace, prosperity, and freedom for the Americans and for countless millions around the globe whose own countries have found inspiration in its respect for human nature, human dignity, and the rule of law."
America does more than speak for the values expressed in the United Nations charter. "Our citizens have paid the ultimate price to defend our freedom and the freedom of many nations," said President Trump. After the U.S. and its allies emerged victorious from the bloodiest war in history, they did not seek territorial expansion, or attempt to. . .impose their way of life on others. "Instead," said President Trump, "we helped build institutions such as [the UN] to defend sovereignty, security, and prosperity for all."
"We want harmony and friendship, not conflict and strife. We are guided by outcomes, not ideology. We have a policy of principled realism, rooted in shared goals, interests, and values."
"This is our hope," said President Trump.
A provincial police chief has defended the storming of a peaceful labor protest by his anti-riot forces in the Iranian provincial capital city of Arak.
The police forces are in no way against workers livelihood but, in some cases, they are dutybound to use their legal means to preserve law and order, said Commander Kioumars Azizi.
According to media reports, as well as pictures and video clips published on social media, the anti-riot police forces attacked two industrial complexes, Hepco and Azarab, in Arak, on Tuesday, September 19 and arrested several protesters.
Dozens of workers were wounded and transferred to hospitals, Free Trade Union of Iranian Workers reported.
Later, on Thursday, the director of Cooperation, Labor and Social Welfare in the Central province of Arak, Mohammad Taqi Abaei confirmed that four workers were detained but freed hours later.
Based on a report by a local news website, Arak Emrooz (Arak Today), workers at Hepco blocked the citys railway briefly, while their colleagues at industrial unit Azarab, blocked Tehran-Arak highway to highlight their plight.
Azarab and Hepco are two privatized industrial units where wages have not been paid for the past four to six months. Earlier, workers had also repeatedly held peaceful rallies to protest delayed wages.
Nearly two thousand workers are employed by the two privatized industrial units.
Referring to the latest protests, the Iran Labor News Agency, ILNA, cited the Azizi, as saying, The police forces were reluctantly forced to use their legal means to control the situation.
However, ILNA, quoting Rouhanis government representative in the Central province, Mohammad Taqi Abaei, saying, The reason that we are witnessing such clashes and restlessness is the fact that the entrepreneurs at Azarab and Hepco have not respected their commitments.
According to some local reports on social media, police had assured that the workers can protest without any harassment, yet, all of a sudden, the anti-riot forces stormed their gathering, beating them with batons.
Some of the anti-riot forces, riding motorbikes, drove in to disperse the protesters, while firing tear gas and beating them with sticks, the reports say.
In one of the video clips published on social media, protesters are heard chanting slogans, shouting Poor workers dont deserve to be battered.
The police and anti-riot forces went on the attack and beat and arrested anyone they could and took them to the security police detention center [in Arak, 173 miles south of Tehran], A labor activist who asked not to be identified for security reasons told the Center for Human Rights in Iran, CHRI. We dont know how many are in detention or what they have been charged with. But we think there are 20 to 30 in custody.
However, the reports on police using violence to disperse the protesters have not been yet confirmed or denied by authorities. The state-funded ILNA reported on the protests but omitted the use of force by the police.
Meanwhile, an Iranian member of Canadas Labor Congress and a consultant at the International Trade Union Confederations, Mehdi Kouhestaninejad told Radio Farda, Apparently, we are witnessing a new wave of suppression by the regime against workers who dare to protest and raise their voices demanding their rights.
Kouhestaninejad insists that the recent widespread use of anti-riot police against Hepco and Azarab workers was unprecedented.
Referring to the latest developments, Kouhestaninejad notes, The struggle of workers for their rights has reached the point of no return. Despite all attacks, the workers are not going to give-in and retreat.
Workers protests all over Iran are spreading fast and it will mean new crisis confronting the government, he added.
According to Article 27 of the Islamic Republics Constitution, Public assemblies and marches may be freely held, provided arms are not carried and that they are not detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam.
The workers were unarmed and their gathering had nothing to do with Islam and yet it was the police who were armed and fired shots into the air, a labor activist confided with CHRI. I hope the judiciary will look into these unconstitutional actions by the police.
Independent labor unions are banned in Iran, strikers are often fired and risk being detained, and labor leaders face long prison sentences on trumped up national security charges.
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Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has responded to the latest Iranian ballistic missile test by warning of the day when a similar missile can carry a nuclear warhead.
Imagine what would happen if Iran would obtain nuclear weapons, something which it strives to do. We must not allow this to happen, said Liberman.
Iran showed images of a missile test, claiming it has a range of 2,000 kilometers and can carry a payload of multiple warheads, up to 1,800 kilograms.
The Tasnim news agency close to Islamic Revolution Guard Corps has labelled the missile "Israel's nightmare".
President Donald Trump and the British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson have also condemned Irans action.
Liberman on September 23 accused Iran of direct provocation and a potential threat to the free world.
This Iranian missile launch is an act of provocation and defiance against the United States and its allies, as well as an attempt to test them, Liberman said, adding that it is also further proof of Iranian aspirations to become a world power that threatens not only the Middle East, but all the countries of the free world.
President Trump, who has repeatedly questioned the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, is said to be in a decision making process that would determine what the U.S. will ultimately do with the agreement.
In the past few months, the Trump administration and the U.S. Congress have pointed to Irans ballistic missile program as a provocative and destabilizing factor, which casts doubt on Irans intentions and future behavior.
Iran maintains that its missile program has nothing to do with the nuclear deal. However, at the conclusion of negotiations of the nuclear agreement, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution urging Iran to curtail its ballistic missile program.
The UN Security Councils resolution 2231 which after the 2015 nuclear deal replaced previous UNSCs sanctions, calls upon Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.
The outspoken deputy speaker of Iranian parliament sees a glimmer of hope for the leaders of the Green Movement who have been under house arrest for more than six years.
Ali Motahari says he is hopeful that the Islamic Republics Supreme National Security Council, SNSC, will soon vote on lifting the house arrest. He says he is guessing that the Supreme Leader, ayatollah Ali Khamenei has changed his opinion on the case.
Motahari, a Tehran MP, who is visiting France, has also told the daily Le Monde, Many of the principalists (conservative hard-liners) who were earlier supporting the house arrests, have reached a new conclusion and believe that the continuation of the house arrests does not serve the interests of the country any longer.
Referring to a discussion he had with the Supreme Leader two years ago on the fate of house detainees, Mehdi Karroubi, 80, Mir Hossein Mousavi, 76, and his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, 72, Motahari says, The Supreme Leader was against ending the house arrests, yet, after two years, the situation has changed, as Mousavi and Karroubi are suffering from health problems.
Therefore, Motahari thinks that the Supreme Leaders position on the case has probably changed.
Motahari said in the past that ayatollah Khamenei had rejected his proposal to try the Green Movement leaders in a court of law, warning, Their trial would lead to issuing a heavy verdict against them.
Besides Motahari, many other political figures have insisted that no one, but the Supreme Leader, can end the house arrests.
Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have repeatedly demanded to be tried in an open and competent court of law. Nevertheless, the judiciary has rejected their demand, arguing that the Supreme National Security Council has ordered the house arrests and it is responsible for ending or upholding the verdict.
Earlier in September, a dispute erupted between the Judiciary and Rouhanis government, as to whether the president has raised the issue of the house arrests at a National Security Council meeting or not. While the government claimed he did, the Judiciary denied it on two occasions.
Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, who were running against the incumbent in 2009 presidential election, protested the official result that declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner.
Their protest led to more than five months of demonstrations that left several killed and hundreds imprisoned.
Later, the couple along with Mehdi Karroubi and his wife, Fatemeh, were confined to their houses after they called for street demonstrations in solidarity with Arab Spring or pro-democracy movements in Egypt and Tunisia. Fatemeh Karroubi was later freed, but the trio remained under house arrest.
Now, considered opposition leaders, the detainees and specially Mr. Mousavi are regarded as leaders of the Green Movement, which demanded the reversal of the 2009 official election result.
One of the main promises President Hassan Rouhani tabled during his presidential campaigns in 2013 and 2017 was doing his utmost to lift the house arrests. However, the promise that was always followed by long cheers of the audience has not yet been fulfilled.
Meanwhile, several prominent political figures of the Islamic Republic, including reformist former president, Mohammad Khatami have joined the chorus, calling for the lifting of house arrests.
Mohammad Khatami appealed to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to end the house arrest of two reformist leaders who have been restrained without charge for more than six years.
Khamenei has frequently criticized the 2009 protests as "sedition" and has said that the leaders of the protests must repent before he would consider releasing them.
Karroubi, 80, is reportedly in poor health and has been hospitalized several times in recent weeks. Some analysts have expressed concern that if he dies in custody, new protests could ensue.
Furthermore, in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani, several Religious-Nationalist activists inside Iran have called for the immediate release of the leaders of the Green Movement.
In another interview with French weekly, Le point, Ali Motahari has maintained that the members of the SNSC have all agreed that the question of house arrests should be addressed, one way or another.
Tehrans MP also asserted that Mousavis and Karroubi should either be freed or tried in an open court of law, adding, Of course, the other party [former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad] has to be tried, as well [and answer the charges against him].
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24
Trend:
A helicopter of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergency Situations flew to Georgias Samtskhe-Javakheti region to assist in extinguishing forest fires in accordance with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs order upon the Georgian governments appeal.
The helicopter, equipped with special equipment, started to extinguish forest fires, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a message Sept. 24.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24
Trend:
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Khawaja Asif on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said Sept. 24.
Recalling that Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognize the restoration of Azerbaijan's state independence, Mammadyarov added that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
He expressed satisfaction with the high level development of cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral platforms between the two countries.
Mammadyarov mentioned that high-level mutual visits played an important role in advancing friendship and fraternity relations and in this regard, highlighted the visit of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Pakistan in February 2017.
In his turn, Asif said that Pakistan attaches special importance to the development of relations with friendly Azerbaijan.
Furthermore, the ministers exchanged views on cooperation in the framework of international organizations. The importance of trade turnover increase, as well as cooperation in energy, agriculture and other areas between our countries was also discussed.
Mammadyarov briefly informed his counterpart about the latest developments on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict negotiation process.
Furthermore, he stressed that Armenia barbarically destroys the cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people and places of worship belonging to Islamic culture in the occupied territories and intentionally targets civilians, including children and women, along the line of contact.
The ministers also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, as well as the agenda of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24
Trend:
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the inauguration of Neftchala Industrial District Sept. 24.
Minister of Economy Shahin Mustafayev informed the president about the work done here.
Seven industrial areas, a two-storey administrative building, technical and auxiliary buildings were built in the industrial district. 45.3 million manats were invested in the construction of production areas in the industrial district. The industrial district created 474 permanent jobs.
President Aliyev cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the industrial district.
The president viewed the production blocks and enterprises here.
One of the largest enterprises in the district is the Azermash OJSC - Iran Khodro joint car plant. The annual production capacity of the plant will be 10,000 cars. The facility will create 300 jobs. The plant is expected to be commissioned in December 2017.
President Aliyev also familiarized himself with the activity of Neftchala fish meal production enterprise. The annual production capacity of the facility is 25,000 tons. Neftchala fish meal production enterprise will create 26 jobs.
The president launched the facility.
Metak LLC, which has been operating for two decades, also established its own enterprise in Neftchala Industrial District. 1.35 million manats were invested in the enterprise.
President Aliyev launched the facility.
The president also toured Gilan PIVOT LLC. The annual production capacity of the enterprise will be 60-80 irrigation systems. The enterprise will create 15 jobs. The enterprise will start operating in November 2017.
The Azerbaijani president visited the workshop in the Neftchala Industrial District. All conditions have been created here for small entrepreneurs. The facility will create 10 permanent jobs.
President Aliyev also visited the enterprise of Togrul-2008 LLC, Providence Limited LLC, Azproduct LLC and Sun Rise Production LLC.
President Aliyev also toured the administrative building of the industrial district. The building has a meeting room, modern offices, an exhibition and sales center, a medical point, a post office and a canteen.
The president then met with representatives of local public.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24
Trend:
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Ayman Safadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said Sept. 24.
Mammadyarov congratulated Ayman Safadi on his appointment as foreign minister and wished him every success in his activities.
At the meeting, the ministers discussed the current level of the cooperation between the two countries and exchanged views on the ways and prospects for the development of relations.
The sides noted the importance of continuation of successful cooperation within other international organizations, as it is case with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Expressing their concern on growing trend of Islamophobia in the world, the ministers emphasized the importance of strengthening and promoting of Islamic solidarity.
In this regards, Mammadyarov referred to the decree of the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan on declaring the year of 2017 the Year of Islamic Solidarity in Azerbaijan as well as Islamic Solidarity Games, successfully conducted in Baku.
Furthermore, he stressed that the continuation of the occupation of Azerbaijan's territories by Armenia in contravention of its commitments under the international law and demands of the relevant UN Security Councils resolutions poses serious threat to the regional peace.
Mammadyarov also informed about the functions of OIC Contact Group on Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan, barbaric destruction of cultural heritage and the monuments of Islamic worship in the occupied territories, in violation of international humanitarian law Armenia's acts to target in a deliberate manner the Azerbaijani civilians, including children and females along the line of contact.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24
Trend:
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Adel al-Jubeir, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said Sept. 24.
At the meeting, the sides expressed their satisfaction with the current status of relations, particularly development of bilateral cooperation in the fields of tourism, agriculture, investments during the last years.
They gladly reminded 25th of anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia in 2017.
Mammadyarov spoke about contributions of Azerbaijan to the Muslim solidarity and in this regards underlined the decree of the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan on declaring the year of 2017 the Year of Islamic Solidarity in Azerbaijan, as well as Islamic Solidarity Games, successfully conducted in Baku.
The Azerbaijani minister also mentioned that the country attaches importance to the development of cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Mammadyarov informed his interlocutor about Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan, its policy of maintaining the current status-quo of occupation, barbaric destruction of the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan people and the monuments of Islam in the occupied territories, as well as acts of Armenia's armed forces to target civilians including children and women along the line of contact.
The Azerbaijani minister highly appreciated Saudi Arabias consistent support for Azerbaijan's fair and rightful position in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the justice and the norms and principles of international law.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24
Trend:
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended a ceremony to supply water to cultivated lands of Neftchala district from Kur river via Neftchala main canal Sept. 24.
Chairman of Azerbaijan Melioration and Water Management Open Joint Stock Company Ahmad Ahmadzade informed the president about the work done here.
President Aliyev pressed a button to start supply of water to the cultivated lands.
Then a photo was taken.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24
Trend:
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today attended the opening of a new building of Salyan city secondary school No 2.
The head of state cut the ribbon symbolizing the inauguration of the 1200-seat school.
The Azerbaijani President was informed about the conditions created at the school.
The three-storey building has 48 classrooms, 6 labs, a medical point, a library, a 380-seat auditorium, a gym and shooting halls.
President Ilham Aliyev viewed classrooms, labs, a gym and shooting halls.
The head of state wished teachers and pupils of the school success.
Baku. Azerbaijan. Sept. 24
Trend:
As part of his visit to Salyan district, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of the Flag Museum.
President Ilham Aliyev cut the ribbon symbolizing the official opening of the museum.
The head of state was informed about the works done here.
All necessary conditions were created in the museum to showcase a large number of exhibits. The Flag Museum highlights different periods of Azerbaijan`s history, the flags of the states which existed in the territory of the country, maps, constitutions, orders and medals as well as national symbols.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
Believing in black propaganda, some Azerbaijani citizens have joined the Islamic State terrorist organization (IS, ISIL, Daesh) over the past five years, head of the Azerbaijani State Security Service, Lieutenant-General Madat Guliyev, told reporters in Baku Sept. 24.
Around 900 Azerbaijanis joined the IS, he said. "Eighty five of them were detained by the law enforcement agencies. At present, these individuals are in the penitentiary institution.
Moreover, 195 people were deprived of Azerbaijani citizenship, while most of them died in battles," Guliyev said. Around 300 Azerbaijanis were killed in Iraq. The representatives of the countrys State Security Service are currently in Iraq to clarify this information.
He added that the systematic work is carried out with the appropriate organizations for the Azerbaijani youth not to take the wrong path.
Azerbaijan is a civilized country which is developing rapidly and progressively, Guliyev said. "Our people are united around the Azerbaijani president. Azerbaijan is popularized around the world by its sport, culture and art."
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24
By Leman Zeynalova Trend:
Up to 15 September 2017, Azerbaijans Southern Gas Corridor CJSC has invested $7.6 billion or 62 percent of the total of $12.3 billion (total funding needs in 2014-2020) required for the financing of its participating interests in the Projects, a source in the Southern Gas Corridor CJSC told Trend.
"Above all, we would like to emphasize that total capital expenditures expected to be made at company (SGC CJSC) level, as well as at the level of the Projects (total costs), declined," added the source.
The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for the EU. It envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey.
At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage.
As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans Adriatic Pipeline.
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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24
By Farhad Daneshvar Trend:
The Iranian ambassador to Baku, Javad Jahangirzadeh, has called for stepping up efforts aimed at widening bilateral trade ties.
"The latest statistics show a considerable growth in trade turnover between the two countries over the past eight months," the envoy told Trend.
He also forecast that the figure would witness a surge in the next four months.
According to the data available on the website of State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, the two countries trade over the first eight months of the current year valued $168.9 million, indicating an increase of about 40 percent.
"However, the sides need to put in a great deal of effort for further expansion of economic ties," Jahangirzadeh added.
He further touched upon the new appointments in the cabinet of President Hassan Rouhani following his re-election in May, saying the new members of the administration will definitely contribute to improvement of the atmosphere for economic cooperation between the two countries.
"The appointment of Mahmoud Vaezi as the chief of staff of presidents office will contribute to deepening of economic relations," he added.
Earlier this month, Iranian presidential administration decreed to appoint Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Masoud Karbasian as the new co-chair of Azerbaijan-Iran Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.
The development came after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani appointed the former co-chair of the commission, Mahmoud Vaezi, as the chief of staff of presidents office.
"The new Iranian co-chair of the joint commission, Karbasian, who has proper experience in customs issues, is seriously following up on the expansion of economic relations."
Tehran, Iran, September 24
By Mehdi Sepahvand Trend:
Iran has been holding talks for foreign investment with many countries, the sum of which amounts to $60 billion, First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri said.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the International Exhibition of Plastics Rubber, Machinery and Equipment, Iran Plast, in Irans capital city of Tehran on Sept. 24, Jahangiri said $26 billion of the investment plans has already turned into contracts signed between the sides, Trend correspondent reported from the event.
This week Iran signed a 1 billion euro line of credit deal with Austrias Oberbank and another worth half a billion euros with Denmarks Danske Bank.
The Iranian vice president further said that among the agreements signed so far, $11.6 billion has been implemented and the respective projects carried out.
He noted that since the conclusion of the nuclear deal, aka joint comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran has lured some $14 billion direct foreign investment.
The Iran nuclear deal which Tehran struck in 2015 with six major powers lifted many sanctions against the country in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear activities and paved the way for international business deals.
Recently, a Chinese state-owned investment firm provided a $10 billion credit line for Iranian banks.
China Development Bank also recently signed preliminary deals with Iran worth $15 billion for infrastructure and production projects.
Nevertheless, a couple of weeks earlier, an eight-billion-euro credit deal was signed between Iran and South Koreas Exim Bank, signaling an end to Iranian banking sectors isolation from the world.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24
By Fatih Karimov Trend:
Irans auto export continues to fall despite the fact that the countrys car industry has experienced output increase in recent months, following lifting of international sanctions.
According to the latest report of the countrys Industry, Mine and Trade Ministry, Irans passenger car (including sedans and SUVs) output registered a rise by 20 percent during the first five months of the current fiscal year (March 20-Aug. 21) to stand at 496,833 units.
Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khosrotaj, head of Iran's Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) announced Sept. 24 that Irans auto industry export has registered a fall by 32 percent in terms of value and 20 percent in terms of volume during the first five months of the current fiscal year.
Irans passenger car export has decreased by 26 percent in terms of value and 25 percent in terms of volume, respectively in the five-month period, the official added.
Khosrotaj refused to unveil the exact value and number of the exported cars, but the last years auto export statistics indicates that the countrys car export is not brilliant.
Iranian automakers exported 10,000 cars in last fiscal year (ended March 20, 2017), which was 59 percent less compared to the 24,500 cars in the preceding year.
Now, Khosrotajs statement indicates that the decreasing trend of Irans car export will continue during the current fiscal year for third straight year.
Irans car export registered a record high in fiscal year to March 2011 and stood at 81,596, however the figure sharply fell in next year (fiscal year to March 2012) and accounted to 38,258 due to intensified international sanctions which targeted the countrys auto manufacturing industry.
The export even decreased to 10,000 in the fiscal year to March 2014, but revived again following the removal of the international sanctions against Irans car industry.
Iranian automakers exported 27,000 cars in the fiscal year to March 2015, but they failed to revive the exports to the pre-sanction period.
Some issues that prevent Iran to materialize its car export targets are systemic problems remaining from sanctions period. According to Khosrotaj, difficulties in transferring foreign exchange and the lack of communication between Iranian and foreign banks are among these problems.
However, there are other problems as well which have affected Irans traditional markets in the region.
Decrease of the purchasing power of people in the Middle East, as well as political and economic instability in some markets, such as Syria and Iraq also impact negatively Irans car export, Khosrotaj believes.
Tehran, Iran, Sept. 19
By Mehdi Sepahvand Trend:
In 2014, a series of reforms, called the Health Sector Evolution Plan (HSEP), was launched under President Hassan Rouhani in the health system of Iran.
Sometimes called RouhaniCare, HSEP came as a groundbreaking move to reshape Irans health sector after it had been grounded under harsh international sanctions during the Ahmadinejad administration around the year 2010. At that time, drugs became unprecedentedly scarce and a black market raged.
HSEP was mainly based on the fifth 5-year health development national strategy (2011-2016). It included different interventions to: increase population coverage of basic health insurance, increase quality of care in the Ministry of Health and Medical Education affiliated hospitals, reduce out-of-pocket (OOP) payments for inpatient services, increase quality of primary healthcare, launch updated relative value units (RVUs) of clinical services, and update tariffs to more realistic values.
The reforms resulted in extensive social reaction and different professional feedback.
The official monitoring program shows general public satisfaction. However, there are some concerns for sustainability of the program and equity of financing. Securing financial sources and fairness of the financial contribution to the new program were the main concerns of policy-makers. Some members of the Parliament opposed the plan from the outset.
Whatever good intentions legitimized RouhaniCare, now there are many people in the private sector who are bearing the brunt of its deficiencies.
One of Irans oldest drug bottle manufacturers is facing a huge crisis and is coping to prevent bankruptcy, which the management associates with RouhaniCare.
The company, Trend has found out, has already exhausted all the banking facilities that it could acquire directly or through its subsidiary factories, and is now changing its molds to produce bottles for uses other than drug packaging.
An official with the company, speaking on conditions of anonymity, told Trend that the crisis follows a liquidity crisis in Irans healthcare sector, a relic of HSEP.
"Drug manufacturers can no longer produce, because they have been facing a liquidity crisis after the government failed to pay its outstanding debts to hospitals and pharmaceutical companies," the source said.
RouhaniCare was implemented right at the time when international sanctions against Iran were at their peak, hard pressing the government whose main source of income was oil export. Later on, when sanctions were lifted following Irans nuclear deal with world powers, a huge plunge in oil prices followed, leaving the Iranian government with little improvement of oil revenues.
Just before HSEP was introduced, the government had allocated 160,000 rials (about $4.8) to each patient as health subsidy to be given via the Ministry of Labor and Welfares Social Security Organization to insurance companies. However, the HSEP authorized 320,000 rials (about $9.7) for each insured person. Shortage of resources left the government with huge debt to the health sector.
"Instead of liquidating the debts, the government has proposed that it will provide the pharmaceutical companies with low-interest loans, which will drive them deeper into liquidity crisis in the long run," the source in the packaging company said.
"Now, as they have cut down on production, the drug manufacturers would naturally no longer place orders for packaging."
This drug bottle factory now faces worth at least 1.8 billion rials (about $54,000 on Sept. 19) surplus product that it is not optimistic to be able to sell within the current fiscal year (to end March 20, 2018), and therefore sees no need to produce drug bottles anymore, the source observed.
"As a result, it is changing its molds from drug bottles to food bottles."
The shortcomings of HSEP were not limited to international sanctions and lowering crude prices. As it turned out, domestic policy-making also played a big role. In July 2016, Minister of Labor and Social Welfare Ali Rabiee admitted the faults, saying the way the plan was implemented resulted in a huge liquidity crisis.
"The HSEP is the governments big social project, but the problem was that we did not go step by step and did many things all at the same time. We changed the 2K (a health service payment guide) at the same time as we implemented the nationwide health insurance and also revised the Relative Value Guide."
But there was more to this, as Rabiee noted.
"First I thought there were 5 million people in Iran who did not have insurance coverage and were to be covered under HSEP. But later, as the countrys statistics infrastructure improved, the number was found to be 11 million. Also, the per capita health insurance allocation had improved from 160,000 to 320,000 rials. As a result, 3.52 trillion rials of fiscal load appeared out of the blue, whereas we had planned for 1.1 trillion. That is why we hit a liquidity crisis."
The minister had elsewhere said that about 80 percent of the fiscal load of HSEP lay on the shoulders of insurers.
A few days after Rabiees controversial remarks, Health Minister Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi admitted the fact and said that insurance companies did not possess enough resources to pay up, noting that in the preceding fiscal year, insurance companies faced an 8-trillion-rial deficit.
Also, Farzad Firouzi, a South Khorasan Welfare official, said in January 2016 that RouhaniCare had increased the fiscal burden on insurers by four or five times.
Head of Food and Drug Organization Rasul Dinarvand last December said if debts owed to drug manufacturers were not paid, a "crisis" would sweep the countrys drug market.
In July, there were reports that some private hospitals had quit accepting patients under RouhaniCare as they were not being paid by insurance companies.
In June, Deputy Chairman of the Parliaments Health Commission Homayoun Yusefi also rang the alarm over debts that hospitals owed to drug manufacturers and added, "The Ministry of Health faces a huge amount of debt."
This September, Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Association of Iran Mohammad Baqer Zia said the pharmaceutical industry in Iran had been crippled because companies were not receiving their claims from insurers.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24
By Khalid Kazimov Trend:
The ground force of the Iranian regular army launched massive war games along the countrys western frontier areas hours after the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) started similar drills dubbed Muharram in the northwestern regions.
Quick reaction unites of the armys ground force have joined the drills in the western province of Kermanshah, ILNA news agency reported.
Brigadier General Nozar Nemati, the deputy commander of the ground force of army, has said that the one-week drills codenamed Heydar-e Karrar will be staged in several phases.
Earlier in the day, Brigadier-General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the ground forces of the IRGC, announced that his troops cleared the countrys northwestern frontiers from anti-revolution insurgents as part of Muharram maneuvers.
The Iraqi forces have killed more than 200 Daesh terrorists, and liberated around 500 square kilometers (over 190 square miles) of territory west from the northern town of Hawija, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement on Saturday, Sputnik reported.
On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the start of the operation to clear the territories of western Anbar province and Anah city from the remaining Daesh terrorist groups.
The units of the federal police and mechanized brigade have completed the first and second stages of the operation, regained control of over 480 square kilometers of the territory, liberated 41 villages and destroyed 225 Daesh militants, the statement read.
The command noted that the armed forces also destroyed the vehicles and weapons, which belonged to the terrorists and managed to move 90 families away from the area of clashes.
Meanwhile, the Middle Euphrates River Valley is one of the two areas where Daesh fighters remain in Iraq. The other zone is the western Anbar province.
The Daesh terror group took control of Hawijah in 2014. This area became a main stronghold of terrorists after the Iraqi army regained control of Mosul in July.
Earlier, the Iraqi authorities announced that they had freed over 90 percent of their territory from terrorists. According to the government data, over 2.2 million refugees have returned to the Iraqi regions which have been liberated from the terrorists.
Russia's Lt. Gen. Asapov, who helped Syrian forces during the operation to lift the blockade of Deir ez-Zor, died as a result of Daesh shelling, the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday, Sputnik reported.
"Lt. Gen. Valery Asapov died in the Syrian Arab Republic as a result of the Daesh shelling," the statement said.
The ministry specified that Asapov was a member of the group of Russian military advisers providing Syrian commanders with assistance during the operation aimed at the liberation of the city of Deir ez-Zor.
According to the ministry, the deceased serviceman will receive a state award posthumously.
In early September, the Syrian government troops, backed by Russian airstrikes, broke a three-year Daesh blockade to the west and south of Deir ez-Zor. On Monday, the Syrian Army crossed the Euphrates River with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces near Deir ez-Zor, knocking militants out from a number of settlements, and are currently developing an offensive eastward.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed referendum in the Iraqs Kurdish Autonomous Region with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in a telephone conversation late on Sunday, IRNA reported.
During the phone talks, both officials, in addition to sharing views on bilateral relations, dealt with the latest developments in the region, including Iraqs Kurdish Autonomous Region decision to a hold a referendum.
According to NTV television network, both presidents stressed the need to maintain Iraqs territorial integrity in their phone talks.
Philippines protest Duterte
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North Korea responds to Trump's UN speech. Moments after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called President Donald Trump "mentally deranged," Ri Yong Ho, the minister of foreign affairs, said his country may consider testing a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean.
Hong Kong loses its AAA rating. A day after downgrading China, S&P downgraded Hong Kong one notch to AA+, citing the close ties between the two places, Reuters says.
A UBS survey found 15% of eurozone companies planned to move everyone out of the UK. A UBS survey of 1,200 major corporations across the eurozone found that 15% planned to move everyone out of the UK following Brexit, and another 28% said they would remove "a large amount" of capacity.
Goldman Sachs doesn't see a bear market for US stocks. Goldman's Bear Market Risk Indicator sits at 67%, a level that has acted as a lead indicator for past bear markets, but the bank says, "Without monetary policy tightening much, concerns about a looming recession and therefore risks of a 'cyclical' bear market are lower."
JPMorgan retains the crown as king of Wall Street. JPMorgan ranked first in investment banking and FICC (fixed income, currencies, and commodities) and tied for first in equities with Morgan Stanley, according to the data-analytics company Coalition.
MongoDB files to go public. The database startup, which was recently valued at $1.6 billion, will become the seventh "unicorn" to go public in 2017.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise is reportedly laying off 5,000 employees. The job cuts will affect about 10% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise's workforce and are part of a wider effort to slash costs, Bloomberg reports.
Alice Walton becomes the world's richest woman. The Walmart heiress, worth an estimated $38.4 billion, reclaimed the title as world's richest woman following the death of L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt.
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Stock markets around the world trade mixed. Hong Kong's Hang Seng (-0.82%) lagged in Asia, and Germany's DAX (+0.27%) leads in Europe. The S&P 500 is set to open little changed near 2,501.
US economic data is light. Markit US Composite PMI will be released at 9:45 a.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is down 2 basis points at 2.25%.
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FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Air Berlin's creditors have picked German flagship carrier Lufthansa and Britain's easyJet as possible buyers for the insolvent carrier's aviation business and will negotiate with them for the next three weeks. "Authority was granted to conclude one or more agreements with one or more of these bidders," Air Berlin said in a statement late on Thursday. Talks over its other Air Berlin assets, such as its aircraft maintenance unit, will continue with other bidders, it said. Air Berlin, which has about 8,000 employees and operates 144 mostly leased planes, filed for insolvency in August after major shareholder Etihad pulled the plug on funding. Two sources familiar with the matter had told Reuters on Thursday that Lufthansa was set to pick up a large part of the carrier. Lufthansa's CEO said earlier that the carrier wanted to secure the 38 crewed planes it leases from Air Berlin, and was interested in a further 20-40 short-haul planes. Air Berlin said negotiations with Lufthansa and easyJet would continue until Oct. 12, which means Air Berlin's board may not make a final decision on Sept. 25 as had been expected. The news comes ahead of a national election on Sunday in which Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to win a fourth term. At a rally in the western city of Neuss, where dozens of Air Berlin workers wearing fluorescent yellow crew jackets joined Merkel supporters, the chancellor said: "There are pilots from Air Berlin that we of course wish all the best to, like all people who have a job and would like to keep it." The prospect of getting access to Air Berlin's airport slots, planes and crews had drawn interest from those airlines and other investors, including former Formula One driver Niki Lauda, jointly with Thomas Cook's German airline Condor, and aviation entrepreneur Hans Rudolf Woehrl. Also, two people familiar with the matter had told Reuters earlier this week that British Airways owner IAG had joined the field of bidders for parts or all of Air Berlin. Bidders had been especially interested in Air Berlin subsidiary Niki, which operates short-haul flights from Germany and Austria to tourist hot spots. The deadline for bids for its maintenance unit, which has about 850 employees, has been extended to Oct. 6, Air Berlin said. Lufthansa declined to comment further on Thursday evening. EasyJet declined to comment and Condor was not immediately available for comment. (Reporting by Ilona Wissenbach; Additional reporting by David Sahl in Neuss; Writing by Victoria Bryan; Editing by John Stonestreet and Stephen Coates)
Uber and Black Cab
Uber is under threat with the company's private hire licence denied by Transport for London. The ride-hailing service has become the darling of most Londoners, but in a city filled with Black Cabs and minicab firms there are plenty of alternatives out there.
There are several major competing cab hire apps that offer competitive rates compared to Uber, and if you shop around plenty offer introductory deals and rates to save cash immediately.
To compare the apps, we took a standard London cab journey from Clapham Junction to Bank station and checked the prices. On Uber, this would cost between 14 and 19 according to the app's online fare calculator - although under surge pricing this could easily go beyond 25 or more.
At a glance | Uber licence denied in London
Gett started out as a similar service to Uber in Israel, but has since become a major Black Cab app in London, offering users a fixed fare charge for their journey. Gett says it has no minimum fares for its journeys, unlike Uber, and users can choose to pay what is on the meter and pay in cash.
It also says users can get two minutes waiting time, so the meter will not start running until you are in the taxi. Users get a three minute cancellation window on their Black Cab, while they can also enable a tipping feature on the app.
Fare estimate Clapham Junction to Bank: 28
Credit: Gett
Another app seeking to capitalise on London's 21,000 Black Cab drivers, myTaxi formed recently through a merger of Hailo and car maker Dailmer's app.
The app says its fares are set by local regulators - so it follows the same rates as TfL. However they do offer plenty of price cuts for users, such as 10 off your first order with the code "myfirstmytaxi", half price London Airport trips and flash sales.
Using TfL's fare estimates, a myTaxi ride would cost between 17 - 23 on our route. Given its links to the Black Cab trade, myTaxi has unsurprisingly been celebrating the fall of Uber in London.
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Fare estimate Clapham Junction to Bank: 17-23
50% off fares now, we are undercutting UberX on the news that they are not fit and proper to operate. Discount applied automatically. mytaxi uk (@mytaxiuk) September 22, 2017
A minicab app that has been around for a few years now, Kabbee compares deals on its app for local cab companies in London. It has no surge pricing and offers fixed fee fares at rates comparable to Uber.
For example, a minicab from Clapham Junction to Bank station can be secured from one of several minicab firms for just under 20, although currently rides don't appear to arrive as fast as Uber's service. Users can also get 10 off with the code "Hurray10".
Fare estimate Clapham Junction to Bank:19
Car hire firm Addison Lee pitches itself as a more premium car hiring experience. It offers fixed fee fares through its app and has no surge charges. Users can choose from a range of vehicles for their pick up, including Standard, Executive, Large and Cycle friendly cars. Users can also bag 10 off their first journey, while it has a 7.50 minimum fare.
Fare estimate Clapham Junction to Bank: 21.20
Addison Lee
This minicab comparison app and website lets you choose and book from a range of private hire companies, setting your preferred route and choosing a car hire firm. It operates around the country, and while some of the shorter routes we tested came up as more expensive than Uber, MiniCabit offered several very cheap deals to London airports compared to competitor apps.
Fare estimate Clapham Junction to Bank: 27
French founded app BlaBlaCar has been around for more than a decade and offers a carpooling service, which is great for travelling between cities. The app lets users offer free rides and pair up with drivers and get free rides. It has an in-app messaging service to let you contact riders and share petrol costs.
Taxify launched itself weeks ago specifically billed as a challenger to Uber. It threatened to undercut Uber's main prices and offered to pay its drivers better.
However, Taxify has had its own inglorious run in with TfL. Unable to secure a private hire licence, Taxify bought a local cab company and offered them use of its app. Under threats of legal action, however, Taxify was forced to suspend its London operations after just three days, but it says it will return.
Credit: Taxify
Uber controversies timeline
Paul Manafort
Paul Manafort's longtime employee, Russian-Ukrainian political operative Konstantin Kilimnik, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that he and Manafort emailed each other "about Trump and everything" during the campaign.
Kilimnik's comments came a day after The Washington Post reported that Manafort, Trump's campaign chairman at the time, sent Kilimnik an email in July 2016 asking him to offer Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska "private briefings" about the campaign.
"There were millions of emails," Kilimnik told RFERL in a text message. "We worked for 11 years. And we discussed a lot of issues, from Putin to women."
"Of course we discussed Trump and everything," he said in another message. "A lot of things."
Manafort had written a cryptic note to Kilimnik, who has been scrutinized by US federal investigators for suspected ties to Russian intelligence, shortly after being named a campaign strategist in April.
"How do we use to get whole?" Manafort wrote.
Jason Maloni, a representative for Manafort, told The Washington Post that Manafort had simply been trying to leverage his high-level role on the campaign to collect past debts.
Kilimnik seemed to echo that statement, telling RFERL that "our clients owe us money."
"Is there any violation of the law or proof of my work for KGB or whoever in those discussions?" he asked, according to RFERL.
But it was Manafort who, according to Russian billionaire Deripaska, owed him money not vice versa.
Legal complaints filed by Deripaska's representatives in the Cayman Islands in 2014 said he gave Manafort $19 million in previous years to invest in a Ukrainian TV company called Black Sea Cable. The project fell through, and Manafort all but disappeared without paying Deripaska back, the filings claimed.
Kilimnik insisted that "on the political side there is no case that can be made about my involvement in the US elections," according to RFERL.
"They are tough investigators and probably will get Manafort for some financial crap," Kilimnik said, in reference to the FBI. "With that many years of international clients no one can be 100% clean."
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Manafort's lobbying work on behalf of Ukraine's pro-Russia Party of Regions and his business dealings with Russian entities has been under scrutiny by the FBI since at least 2014. He finally registered as a foreign agent in April under pressure by the Justice Department, but the focus on him as only increased since special counsel Robert Mueller took over the Russia investigation in May.
Since then, the FBI has also conducted a raid on one of Manafort's homes in July, in search of tax documents and foreign banking records. Mueller threatened to indict Manafort following the raid, according to The New York Times.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is reportedly helping Mueller investigate Manafort for possible financial crimes and money laundering. The IRS's criminal-investigations unit has been brought onto the investigation to examine similar issues.
NOW WATCH: Putin says Trump is not his bride and claims Americans don't know the difference between Austria and Australia
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CNBC's Jim Cramer said Wednesday that Sen. Elizabeth Warren is "dead right" when she says Equifax (EFX) executives will likely get away unscathed for the credit reporting company's data breach. In an interview Tuesday on " Mad Money ," Warren said: "So long as there is no personal responsibility when these big companies breach consumers' trust, let their data get stolen, cheat their consumers, like they did in the case of Wells Fargo (WFC), then nothing is going to change." The Massachusetts Democrat continued to say that if the U.S. wants change, then it has to hold corporate executives accountable, "period." "I think she's dead right," Cramer said Wednesday on " Squawk on the Street ." "I can't believe they're going to get away with this." "I think Equifax keeps their head down, they get away with it," he added. "I asked (Warren) to bring the board for some hearings. She would like to do that." Cramer has been a critic of Equifax since the company revealed on Sept. 7 that a data hack could potentially affect 143 million consumers in the U.S. Last week, Cramer said Equifax Chief Executive Richard Smith "should be fired" for the fallout. He's also critiqued the board , saying: "This is a company that seems to have no knowledge of what's really going on." On Tuesday, Warren also spoke about Wells Fargo's accounts scandal. She said the Federal Reserve has the chance to "step up" to remove the company's board in response to the scandal. Cramer agreed on Wednesday and hoped someone would ask Fed Chair Janet Yellen about Wells Fargo at the central bank's monetary policy meeting this week. Equifax and Wells Fargo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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By Joern Poltz and Michelle Martin MUNICH/POTSDAM, Germany (Reuters) - More than 8,000 people -- including hecklers blowing whistles -- showed up in Munich for one of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's final speeches before Sunday's national election that is expected to sweep her into a fourth term. Merkel, whose conservatives have a solid double-digit lead over the Social Democrats, largely ignored jeers from hundreds of left- and right-wing demonstrators to deliver a stump speech focused on stability, security and a promise to avoid tax increases. "Get lost," "Merkel must go," shouted some demonstrators as curious foreign tourists, in Munich for its famous Oktoberfest, snapped photographs of the German leader first elected in 2005. Merkel, who has faced down similar heckling at many other rallies, especially in the former Communist east, admonished the peaceful but boisterous crowd: "Whistling and yelling certainly won't ensure the future of our country." Merkel defended her 2015 decision to allow in about one million migrants as a humanitarian necessity but said she would prevent a repeat of the migrant crisis by doing more to fund programs in at-risk countries to keep people from fleeing. "What happened in 2015 cannot and will not be repeated," Merkel said, saying she would protect Europe's borders. At Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt, Merkel's main rival, SPD leader Martin Schulz urged supporters to make their voices heard, saying that high voter turnout could help offset growing support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Schulz, flanked by hundreds of red balloons, decried the AfD as "gravediggers of democracy," and said his party, which also opposed the rise of Nazis in the 1930s, would do all it could to fight the anti-immigrant group. "You are our enemies and we will defend democracy in Germany," he said. "The more people vote, the smaller will be the share of the far-right." Schulz told Bild newspaper he had not given up hope of victory and 37 percent of voters were still undecided. AFD POISED TO MOVE INTO PARLIAMENT Support for the AfD, which was founded in 2013 during the euro zone crisis but has won support since 2015 with its anti-immigrant rhetoric, is running around 11 percent. That means it will become the first far-right party in more than half a century to clear the 5 percent hurdle and enter parliament. The AfD, which has already won seats in 13 of 16 state legislatures, promised to reenergize debate there after four years of "grand coalition" rule by the two major parties. "It must get into the Bundestag lower house so that debates happen again," the AfD's top candidate Alexander Gauland told Reuters in Brandenburg's regional parliament. "This parliament...has become totally boring." Gauland said the AfD would bring in "completely different political suggestions" after four years of agreement between the parties of Merkel and Schulz on issues ranging from sanctions against Russia, the NSA spying scandal or on the refugee issue. Schulz described Gauland as "shameless". Gauland provoked outrage by saying at a recent rally that Germans should no longer be reproached with the Nazi past and should take pride in their World War Two soldiers. "The language that he speaks is the language of the Harzburger Front," Schulz said, referring to a radical right-wing alliance in Weimar Germany. "The gravediggers of the Weimar democracy, they spoke like Mr Gauland." The mainstream parties have ruled out working with the AfD, which may emerge as the third largest party; but Gauland said it would ultimately work toward being able to govern in the medium or long-term. Electoral arithmetic might yet push Merkel into another grand coalition with the SPD, or she may enter a three-way alliance with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and environmental Greens. The Forsa poll showed support for Merkel's conservatives holding steady on 36 percent, while the SPD ceded 1 percentage point to 22 percent. An Emnid poll put Merkel's CDU and its Bavarian sister party at 35 percent, while the SPD was at 22 percent. (Additional reporting by Caroline Copley and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Thomas Escritt and Ralph Boulton)
As lawmakers get ready to grill Equifax CEO Richard Smith and SEC Chair Jay Clayton on Capitol Hill in the coming weeks, many wonder how the respective executives of each organization will be asked to pay for compromising the sensitive information of American individuals and companies.
While two Equifax executives, including the companys chief information officer and chief security officer, retired earlier this month, there have been calls for Smith to resign as CEO as well. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called not only for Smiths resignation, but that of the companys entire board of directors, comparing the case to the Enron scandal.
Smith will testify before two separate congressional committees during the first week in October, meanwhile Clayton is scheduled to appear before lawmakers next week, though some doubt the SECas a government agency will receive the same treatment as the credit reporting company.
Without a doubt, the CEO is eventually is going to be fired at Equifax, cybersecurity expert Morgan Wright told FOX Business this week. What happens to the head of the SEC? [] Its the same issue they are supposed to be the guardians of trusted information.
It should be noted that Clayton was not head of the SEC when the hack occurred. He was confirmed as the head of the agency in May, while the hack is reported to have taken place in 2016. Still, the overarching question is whether any heads will roll at the SEC.
Mark Grossman, a tech lawyer with Tannenbaum Helpern, told FOX Business that the SEC hack was bigger than Equifax, with the power to put trillions of dollars of wealth at stake.
You can sue Equifax, try suing the SEC, Wright said. It should be as easy to hold someone in government as accountable as they want to hold the private sector.
Wright also pointed out that the SEC will be involved in reprimanding Equifax, likely fining them for the breach. The SEC is investigating the sale of $1.8 million worth of stock by three Equifax executives, after the breach was discovered by the company, but before it was publicly disclosed.
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"If that happened, somebody needs to go to jail," Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, (D- N.D.) said last week about the stock sale. "It's a problem when people can act with impunity with no consequences. How is that not insider trading?"
The hackers who breached the SECs Edgar system had access to non-public information that couldve allowed them to conduct insider trades, as well.
Clayton will testify before the Senate Banking Committee on Sept. 26, while Smith will testify before the same committee on Oct. 4 and a separate House committee the day prior.
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DUBAI/ISTANBUL, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Iranian forces have launched war games in an area near the border with Iraq's Kurdistan region, Iran's state media reported on Sunday, a day before a Kurdish independence referendum in the region.
Turkey also said on Sunday its aircraft launched airstrikes against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq's Gara region on Saturday after spotting militants preparing to attack Turkish military outposts on the border.
Iraq's powerful neighbors, Iran and Turkey, strongly oppose the Kurdish vote as they fear could fuel separatism among their own Kurds. Iran also supports Shi'ite groups who have been ruling or holding key security and government positions in Iraq since the 2003 U.S-led invasion which toppled Saddam Hussein.
The Kurdistan Regional Government has resisted calls by the United Nations, the United States and Britain to delay the referendum who fear it could further destabilize the region.
Iranian State broadcaster IRIB said military drills, part of annual events held in Iran to mark the beginning of the 1980-1988 war with Iraq, are centered in the Oshnavieh border region. The war games will include artillery, armored and airborne units, it said.
Clashes with Iranian Kurdish militant groups based in Iraq are fairly common in the border area.
On Saturday, Turkish warplanes destroyed gun positions, caves and shelters used by PKK militants, a military statement in Ankara said. Turkey's air force frequently carries out such air strikes against the PKK in northern Iraq, where its commanders are based.
Turkey's parliament voted on Saturday to extend by a year a mandate authorising the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq and Syria.
The PKK launched an insurgency in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
The U.S. embassy in Iraq cautioned its citizens that there may be unrest during a referendum, especially in territories disputed between the KRG and the central government like the multi-ethnic oil-rich region of Kirkuk.
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Three Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were killed and five wounded on Saturday when an explosive device blew up near their vehicle south Kirkuk, security sources said.
The explosion happened in Daquq, a region bordering Islamic State-held areas, the sources said.
Islamic State's ''caliphate'' effectively collapsed in July, when a U.S.-backed Iraqi offensive, in which the Peshmerga took part, captured their stronghold Mosul, in northern Iraq.
The group continues to control a pocket west of Kirkuk and a stretch alongside the Syrian border and inside Syria. (Reporting by Dubai newsroom and Daren Butler in Istanbul; Editing by Toby Chopra)
Pro tip for educators helping teens with their SAT prep: Try to provoke world leaders to fling 50-cent words at President Trump. (Not like "G-Unit," though. The other kind.) Last night, after Trump announced that he would be imposing new sanctions on North Korea, Kim Jong-un called the president a deranged US dotard that he promised to tame with fire. The burn sounded like Eminem had gotten his hands on a copy of McGuffey's Reader, and it immediately enflamed the internet to find out more about what might just be the new #covfefe.
The Twitter reaction followed a predictable cycle: LoL dotard, > Oh snap, thats a real word! > LoL, but dotard tho. Searches for the term hit peak interest literally overnight (the region that looked up the term the most was, unsurprisingly, Washington, DC). Within minutes, Merriam-Webster's ever-on-the-ball Twitter feed had offered a definition. This morning, the New York Times published a story noting the word had been used only 10 times in its pages since 1980. Other outlets pointed out that it was a word favored by Shakespeare and J.R.R. Tolkien. (Before we go any further, heres what you came here for: A dotard is an old person, someone who has become weak or senile.)
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Early this morning President Trump tweeted a fake word. Social media's reaction is a prime example of how language travels online.
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But it was Twitter that took the joke and ran the furthest. Unlike, Trump's covfefe, a typo that the internet got to define for itself, dotard has a definition, so instead of creating meaning from nothing, folks simply had to discover its significance and revel in it. Now that I know what it means, I gotta admit that dotard is a pretty accurate description of Trumpy, writer Toure said. Director Edgar Wright correctly pointed out that it would have been better to learn the term doing a crossword than as the precursor to nuclear war. Meanwhile, other folks, many of them seemingly Trump supporters, took up the hashtag #DotardTrump to make the argument that laughing at Kim Jong-uns comments was tantamount to backing a North Korean leader threatening nuclear war. Its not, really, but such are the ways of Twitter scuffles.
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The most valuable thing to come out of this, though, is that its actually become a teachable momentnot necessarily for diplomacy, but for vocabulary. Some have noted that the use of the word by Kim Jong-un may have stemmed from the fact that the North Korean state news service is using rather dated Korean-English dictionaries; if thats the case, its to the benefit of much of the English-speaking world.
Language evolves so fast that even though new and exciting words are always being invented, just as many fall out of favor. We discard words almost as quickly as we coin them, especially online. But thanks to Kim Jong-uns jab at Trump, who used the far-less-eloquent Rocket Man to disparage the North Korean leader both on Twitter and in front of the United Nations earlier this week, dotard is now back in favor. The Twitter Moment that commemorated the news didnt focus on the fact that people were now calling the US president a senile old man, it focused on the fact that online culture had picked up a new vocabulary word overnight. If we could get every political leader to do that, word-of-the-day toilet paper would get wiped out completely. (Sorry.) Moments like these are likely why the Twitter feeds of so many dictionaries are quick to respond to trending words: Theyre able to teach something with a mental association that isnt easily forgotten.
It wont last, of course. Even if Kim Jong-un is accidentally bolstering the vocabularies of everyone on the internet now, the news will quickly be eclipsed. Such is the cycle of Twitter. And indeed, by this morning, most of social media was already on to talking about other things. We'd all do well to keep last night's lesson in mind, though, lest we be hoisted on our own dotard.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Global auditing firm KPMG will appoint a South African jurist to conduct an independent investigation into a report for the tax service and work done for businessmen friends of President Jacob Zuma, the firm's chairman said on Friday.
"The investigation will determine if there is any evidence to suggest KPMG South Africa partners or staff were complicit in illegal activities by the Gupta family and their businesses, and whether there were any failings or collusion in the work performed and conduct of KPMG South Africa in relation to the (South African Revenue Service) report," KPMG International chairman John Veihmeyer said.
The Guptas and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing.
(Reporting by TJ Strydom; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Uber described SoftBank's interest in the company as an "incredible vote of confidence" (AFP Photo/Ben FATHERS) (AFP/File)
Washington (AFP) - The decision by London transport authorities to oust US ride-hailing firm Uber is "not really justified," US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Friday.
Ross, who acknowledged that the Uber issue is not one he is responsible for, nonetheless criticized European authorities for unfairly targeting American technology firms.
"It looks pretty obvious that they're becoming discriminated against because they're worried our companies are so much stronger than the ones in Europe itself," Ross said on CNBC.
Transport for London said the conduct of Uber, which has around 40,000 drivers and 3.5 million customers in the British capital, had "demonstrated a lack of corporate responsibility," and the agency would not renew the company's license to operate.
"I think what's happening with Uber is really not very justified in London," Ross said.
Although it is for British authorities to decide, Ross insisted that "Uber is a wonderful invention," and the problem is "London cabbies have been slow in adjusting to the new system."
London's traditional cab drivers have long campaigned against the ride sharing app, and supported the decision, but Uber said it will appeal.
London joins other cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Cape Town in blocking Uber, and the decision adds to woes for the company's new boss Dara Khosrowshahi following a string of controversies under his predecessor.
The Allergan logo is seen in this photo illustration in Singapore November 23, 2015. REUTERS/Thomas White (Reuters)
By Jan Wolfe
(Reuters) - A Native American tribe holding patents for drugmaker Allergan Plc on Friday moved to dismiss a case brought by generic drug company Mylan NV challenging the patents.
In a filing to the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe asked that Mylan's case seeking to invalidate Allergan's patents on dry-eye medicine Restasis be thrown out on the grounds that the board has no jurisdiction over the tribe.
The move was expected after Allergan announced on Sept. 8 that it had transferred Restasis patents to the tribe in order to protect them from administrative challenges.
Mylan in late 2016 asked the patent board to invalidate Allergan's Restasis patents so it could launch its own generic version of the medicine, which generated $1.5 billion in revenue for Allergan last year.
A lawyer for Mylan said at a Sept. 11 court hearing that the company would vigorously oppose Allergan's efforts, calling the deal with the tribe a "sham transaction."
In its court filing on Friday, the tribe said it is sovereign government that cannot face litigation in an administrative court unless it expressly waives its immunity or the U.S. Congress abrogates immunity.
"Neither of these exceptions apply here," the tribe said.
The tribe will receive a one-time payment of $13.75 million and annual royalties of around $15 million under the arrangement, Allergan said.
Allergan has come under fire over the deal, with U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown criticizing the drug company for exploiting a loophole to keep its prices high.
The company has said the transfer is only intended to shield the patents from review at the patent board, which it has called a flawed forum for patent disputes. Allergan has said it will not invoke tribal immunity in federal courts.
(Reporting by Jan Wolfe, editing by G Crosse)
By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nielsen Holdings Plc filed a lawsuit on Friday to stop comScore Inc from using its technology to launch a competing service for measuring television audiences. In a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Nielsen is seeking an injunction to stop the launch of comScore's Extended TV service, which it said would incorporate its proprietary Portable People Meter data. ComScore declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying the matter was being addressed through binding arbitration. The dispute arose from Nielsen's 2013 purchase of Arbitron Inc, which was completed after those companies promised federal regulators to preserve competition for "cross-platform" services measuring both television and online viewership. Nielsen, based in New York, said it contracted in 2014 to let its Reston, Virginia-based rival use Portable People Meter data to measure both TV and online audiences. But it said that contract forbade using the data for "individual, stand-alone services," which it said include Extended TV. Nielsen said it has several large contracts up for renewal, and would suffer "irreparable harm to its business through [the] loss of important customers and decreased market share" if comScore launched Extended TV, perhaps by the end of 2017. According to the complaint, Nielsen has filed for arbitration as required by the contract to establish comScore's alleged breach, but is entitled to seek a court-ordered injunction before the arbitration is resolved. In an Aug. 8 letter attached to the complaint, a lawyer for comScore said Extended TV qualifies as a "cross-platform" service, and is "not limited to linear TV estimates as it measures content across multiple platforms, including but not limited to television, online, mobile, tablets, etc." The case is Nielsen Holdings Plc v comScore Inc, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 17-07235. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York, editing by Marcy Nicholson)
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho arrives to address the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
North Korea's foreign minister responded forcefully on Saturday to President Donald Trump's fiery comments before the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week.
Ri Yong Ho, North Korea's foreign minister, said on Saturday that Trump's insults made "our rocket's visit to the entire US mainland inevitable all the more," according to The Associated Press.
He retaliated against Trump's personal attack on the North Korean leader by calling the president "a mentally deranged person full of megalomania" who is holding "the nuclear button."
Trump said at the UN that if North Korea didn't back down from its nuclear aggression, the US would "have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."
"No nation on earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles," Trump said.
The president then went back to his latest nickname for the North Korean leader, saying, "Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime."
North Korea has ramped up its nuclear aggression in recent weeks and fired a missile over Japan last week for the second time in two months.
Earlier this month, North Korea also conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, one the country said was a hydrogen bomb.
trump unga
In August, following reports from the Defense Intelligence Agency that North Korea could make nuclear warheads small enough to fit on missiles and could have as many as 60 nuclear devices, Trump issued a sharp warning to the country.
North Korea "best not make any more threats to the United States" or it will "be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen," Trump said at the time, according to press pool reports.
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Responding to Trump's latest comments at the UN during which he accused Kim Jong Un of being on "a suicide mission," North Korea's foreign minister said that "none other than Trump himself is on a suicide mission," and added that if American civilians are hurt by suicide attacks, "Trump will be held totally responsible."
Kim also lashed out at Trump following the UN speech."I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged U.S. dotard with fire," the North Korean leader said on Thursday, according to The Associated Press.
And after Trump issued an executive order imposing new sanctions on North Korea, Kim responded by saying the US would "pay dearly" for the new sanctions.
Trump retaliated by calling Kim a "madman" who would "be tested like never before" in a Friday morning tweet.
On Monday, the White House also announced that Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping have agreed on "maximizing pressure" on North Korea.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) tastes a soup - AFP
With the German election almost upon us and Angela Merkel's CPD party well ahead in the polls, we take a look at the lighter side of the campaign.
1. Muttis home secrets
Merkel, affectionately known as 'Mutti' (Mummy), is well known for her love of potato soup, and in August revealed her recipe to Bunt magazine, saying "I always pound the potatoes with a potato masher, not a blender then there'll always be a few lumps left."
2. #fedidwgugl
Merkel has sought to show herself au fait with social media, holding a YouTube interview during she was asked about her favourite emoji, "If things are good, even one with a little heart," she laughed.
Her party, the CDU, has created the new hashtag #fedidwgugl, an acronym for the party campaign slogan: 'Fur ein Deutschland In Dem Wir Gut und Gern Leben' ('For a Germany in which we can live well and gladly').
Visitors take part in an interactive emoji display inside the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) walk-in manifesto, located inside a former department store in Berlin Credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
3. Merkel reveals all
At a unique press conference on Sunday, Merkel answered 57 questions fired at her by children, many aged under 12.
The Chancellor revealed her favourite animals are "hedgehogs, elephants and hares", while her favourite food is "spaghetti bolognese", and her favourite hobby is "growing potatoes".
4. Would be nude not to
Gregor Gysi, a candidate for Far-left Linke, has despaired of the demise of nudism in Germany and is campaigning for its revival.
German election poll tracker
He told Playboy magazine in August:"I'll check with our local politicians to see if they are offering nudism in their localities," he told Das Bild, complaining that naturists were increasingly under threat.
But when asked if he would shed his clothes to sunbathe by a Berlin lake, Gysi said: "There are limits to everything."
5. Not so small beer
A satirical party known simply as Die Partei or The Party, is experiencing a surge in popularity after promising a cap in beer prices and promoting an urge to blame Russia for everything - from broken mobile phones to train delays and unpaid rent.
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2013 German Federal Election Results Map
The party, whose motto is Yes to politics. No to politics, says it occupies the extreme centre, its members dressing in dull grey suits in a parody of traditional politicians.
6. Campaigning by Calvin Klein
Christian Lindner, the leader of the liberal Free Democratic Party, has published a number of posters which have widely been compared to moody Calvin Klein ads.
Election campaign posters show German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a top candidate of the Christian Democratic Union Party (CDU) and the leader of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) Christian Lindner in Ribnitz-Damgarten, Germany Credit: REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
Martin Schulz, Social Democratic Party leader and Merkels main rival, couldnt help a dig, saying of the posters "he is always looking down in such a funny way on the posters, almost like he is ashamed.
That can be somewhat understandable, when one is being photographed in his undershirt."
7. Votes for hip-hop fans
The newly founded Berlin party The Urban, seeks to win votes of hip-hop aficionados.
"It's not about screaming 'Yo!' or drawing graffiti on the party programme," said the 284 strong party, calling itself a "global movement of emancipation" that seeks social justice and equality.
By Karin Strohecker LONDON (Reuters) - Two decades after Yusuf Karodia launched Mancosa, a distance learning school to teach South Africans business skills, he sold up to UK private equity firm Actis. From nurseries to exam tutoring and adult education, teaching businesses are booming as populations rise and cash-strapped governments fail to keep up with demand. With 263 million children out of school worldwide, according to 2014 data from the United Nations, investors are keen to access a growing sector with few publicly-listed companies. Karodia said Actis was one of a stream of interested private investors. "We had about an overture a week to partner with someone," he told Reuters. Mancosa is now part of Actis's expanding higher education portfolio in Africa. It has spent $275 million since 2014, investing in education institutes across the continent which it groups under the brand name Honoris Universities and plans to list on a stock market in the next two to three years. Karodia, who will also get a stake in Honoris, says there is huge demand for education in Africa. "Quality education - especially coming from the private sector - is going to play an ever increasingly important role," he said. The International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity estimates that international financing for education in low- and middle-income countries will need to increase from today's estimated $16 billion per year to $89 billion by 2030. Jetilde Carlos is a 22-year old final year finance student at the Varsity College in Cape Town, owned by Johannesburg-listed ADvTECH Group. Carlos missed out on a place at a state university. "Its not that my parents had the money but they really wanted a better life for me. They didn't want me to sit at home looking for job when I might not even find one," she said. "The degree is worth it in the end" Investors are keen for a slice of the market because the fee-paying structure guarantees a regular income stream. The sector is also relatively resilient to economic ups and downs as parents increasingly prioritise their children's education. "It goes with the whole consumer spending (trend) in emerging markets, and as income levels rise and there is more disposable income available what you're seeing is the population is looking to spend in areas such as education," said Patricia Ribeiro, an equity portfolio manager at American Century Investments. Carlos paid a deposit of 25,000 rand ($1,876.38). If you pay up front the total is 70,500 rand but the monthly payments that she has chosen bring the total to about 90,000 rand for one year's tuition. EXPLOSIVE GROWTH The sector is dominated by private equity players. MSCI's emerging equity index contains only three education stocks - New York-listed Chinese firms TAL and New Oriental Education and Brazil's Kroton. Morgan Stanley describes shares in Chinese education operators as "attractive". China's education market catering for children from nursery to end of secondary school will grow 8 percent annually to become a 3 trillion yuan ($460 billion) market in 2020, the bank told clients. Recent regulatory changes are set to benefit private tutoring firms, many of which prepare high-school pupils for university. TAL said in July that student enrolment was up more than 60 percent year-on-year, with a matching rise in revenue. Its stock has soared 180 percent since January. New Oriental Education projects revenue growth of as much as 24 percent in the three months to end-August. Its shares are up 114 percent since the start of 2017. "China is very exam-driven from kindergarten on and they are competing more and more with U.S. schools," said Sandra Ackermann-Schaufler, senior portfolio manager for emerging markets at SEI. "If anyone thinks it's tough to get into U.S. universities they should look at the top Chinese universities....the growth you could see is explosive growth." Valuations are soaring, possibly because fund managers are chasing too few companies. TAL's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is nearly 130, while New Oriental Education hovers around 50. In contrast, MSCI's emerging equity index trades at a P/E of around 12. "If you look at PE historically or if you look at PE this year, they look very expensive," Julian Mayo, portfolio manager at Charlemagne Capital. QUALITY CONTROL Brazil became another destination for those seeking exposure to education stocks after 2009 when the government boosted loan programmes for students attending for-profit colleges. One of the main beneficiaries was Brazil's largest for-profit college operator Kroton Educacional. While the recent recession in Latin America's biggest economy led to a fall in student loans, the biggest companies are already well-established, fund managers said. Results published last month showed revenue growing near double-digits on the quarter, with gross margins well above 70 percent. Kroton's stock has risen more than 50 percent since the start of the year. The Gulf region also offers opportunities. Kuwait-based HumanSoft, which establishes and manages private universities and colleges listed in 2005. United Arab Emirates-based GEMS Education, which operates more than 250 schools across 14 countries and counts Blackstone among its stakeholders, has indicated plans to list. In Africa, many governments want more private investors in education but they are approaching it cautiously. They want regulations in place to ensure the quality is high. Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation in Botswana said some young people had left private universities with certificates that "opened no doors". She said it was difficult to make sure "the people who are investing in education are not fraudsters, what we are finding is that some people are not there to deliver quality education." "We learned this very badly ourselves... but now people come in and invest, and this is taking a huge load off the government," she said. ($1 = 13.3235 rand) (Additional reporting by Mfuneko Toyana in Johannesburg, Sujata Rao in London and Dion Rabouin in New York; Editing by Anna Willard)
Photo credit: NASA
From Popular Mechanics
Space station astronaut Joe Acaba is getting a double dose of hurricanes - even in orbit.
Harvey flooded his home in Houston last month. Now Maria has slammed into Puerto Rico, his family's homeland.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, the first astronaut of Puerto Rican heritage offered words of comfort to family members and everyone else during the wrath of Hurricane Maria.
"My parents were born there, so a lot of relatives, cousins, godparents" are still in Puerto Rico, Acaba said. "I hope everyone's doing well and that you take care of yourselves."
Acaba, a former teacher who arrived at the International Space Station last week, said he had not yet seen the hurricane from space. The storm made landfall at Puerto Rico an hour before the TV interview.
"It's kind of hard to believe, but you get so busy in the day working so hard that at times you forget to look out the window," said Acaba, who is on his third spaceflight and his second visit to the space station.
Acaba was in Russia then, getting ready for his launch, when his home flooded in Houston. Friends and colleagues came to his rescue, yanking out walls and drying out his house.
"It was a huge relief to know that there were people at home, taking care of me," he said.
Fellow NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei's home in Houston fared much better. It's tough being in space when you want to help those back home, he said, but all the help to the astronauts' families from Johnson Space Center colleagues has been "hugely appreciated."
Acaba, Vande Hei and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin rocketed from Kazakhstan on Sept. 12. They joined American Randy Bresnik, Italian Paolo Nespoli and Russian Sergey Ryazanskiy already at the orbiting outpost.
Acaba took Puerto Rican flags up with him.
"No Puerto Rican can travel without their Puerto Rican flags, so I have my share of those. And pretty soon, the space station's going to start looking like Puerto Rico with all the flags," he said.
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Acaba's parents were from Hatillo, Puerto Rico, and, while young, moved to the U.S. Born and raised in Southern California, Acaba served in the Marine Corps Reserves, volunteered for the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic and worked as a hydro-geologist before becoming a science and math teacher in Florida.
NASA chose Acaba in its first official group of astronaut-educators in 2004 along with Richard Arnold, who will make another trip to the space station in March, a month after Acaba departs. The two will make short video clips and use social media to reach out to youngsters.
"For all of us, it's a dream come true and we want them to believe the same," he said. He added: "As much as we can do to help the great teachers out there, we're going to try to do that."
Meanwhile, Nespoli, in orbit since July, said he misses sharing pizza with friends. He recently dug out the space station's espresso machine, an Italian experiment from two years ago. He brought up some coffee capsules to try.
After weeks of instant space coffee, "a really good espresso would make a difference."
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Photo credit: Getty
From Harpers Bazaar UK
Transport for London has made the decision not to renew Uber's private hire operator licence. The announcement means that the company will technically no longer be able to operate from 30 September, however they do have 21 days to appeal the news. London's Mayor, Sadiq Khan has released a statement on the announcement saying that he fully supports the decision.
"I want London to be at the forefront of innovation and new technology and to be a natural home for exciting new companies that help Londoners by providing a better and more affordable service," he said on his Facebook page. "However, all companies in London must play by the rules and adhere to the high standards we expect particularly when it comes to the safety of customers. Providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security. I fully support TfL's decision it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners' safety and security. Any operator of private hire services in London needs to play by the rules."
I want London to be at the forefront of innovation and new technology and to be a natural home for exciting new... Posted by Sadiq Khan on Friday, September 22, 2017
TfL said that Uber was not "fit and proper" to hold a licence, arguing that there were issues with the company's approach to reporting serious criminal offences and how medical certificates are obtained.
There has been a very mixed response to the news on Twitter with some commenting that it is "crushing 21st century innovation," while others believe that it is a good decision.
London could lose all of its Ubers, courtesy of the citys transportation agency. On Friday, Transport for London announced it would not renew the ridehailing giants license to operate in the city, citing the companys lack of corporate responsibility. The license expires September 30, though, unsurprisingly, Uber has declared it will exercise its right to an appeal.
The company is able to continue operating in the city as long as the legal process drags on, but it didn't wait for its lawyers to prepare their case before dusting off the weapon that has carried it through many a battle: public fervor.
Right after TfL dropped its news, Uber posted a petition on Change.org. By wanting to ban our app from the capital, Transport for London and their chairman the Mayor have given in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice, it declared. To defend the livelihoods of 40,000 driversand the consumer choice of millions of Londonerssign this petition asking to reverse the decision to ban Uber in London.
Uber announced the attack in its app, and emailed its London users with the subject line: "Save your Uber in London." By the end of the day, more than 410,000 people had signed their names to the petition.
Innovation is the future. Shut down Uber and you are literally forcing people to pay more for something unnecessarily, wrote William Shirriffs. Isabel Torres Perez offered a simpler argument: Need Uber to survive!
Ridehail Storm
Robo Rides
Lyft Is Launching a Fleet of Self-Driving Cars in San Francisco
Working with self-driving developer Drive.ai, the Uber rival will escort some customers in robo-taxis.
Business
Uber's New CEO Knows Many TricksHe'll Need Them All
Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will take over the scandal-plagued ride-hailing company, the world's most valuable startup
Story continues
Roads
One Year After Fleeing Austin, Uber and Lyft Prepare a Fresh Invasion
Not because Austin needs them, but because it may not be able to fend them off.
Lets pause for some context. This is but the latest chapter in a years-long scuffle between Uber and British regulators. After the ride-hailing companys five-year operating license expired this summer, the agency gave Uber a four-month extension while it considered granting it another five years.
There was plenty to ponder. Since deploying in the capital, Uber has been accused of using sneaky shortcuts to avoid paying taxes and squirreling its way out of following cab regulations, part of what opponents say is a mission to destroy Londons ancient black cab industry. And of working to depress working conditions: Uber is appealing a ruling saying it must treat its drivers as employees, paying them minimum wage and providing sick pay.
Meanwhile, all over the world, Uber has apparently declared 2017 the Year of the Garbage Fire. Its fighting a high-profile case with Googles self-driving car outfit. A damning account of sexual harassment by a former engineer triggered a company-wide investigation of its corporate culture, and at least 20 firings. The New York Times uncovered a legally dubious digital tool the company used to evade regulators in places like Portland, Oregon, Paris, and China. Oh, and a board coup forced embattled CEO Travis Kalanick to step down from his role in June. (New CEO Dara Khosrowshahi came over from Expedia last month.)
An important point here: The powers that be say they oppose Uber in practice, not principle. I welcome and embrace these innovations, Khan wrote in an op-ed in The Guardian. Services like Uber have clearly made life easier and more pleasant for many Londoners, he argued, but: All private-hire operators in London need to play by the rules.
Indeed, TfL based its decision on specific critiques of how Uber handles its business, like the way it reports criminal offenses and runs background checks on drivers. It didnt raise any questions about the companys impact on public life or society, or even if it exacerbates congestion.
All of which points to the likelihood that London isnt set on banishing Uber. Rather, it may have pulled the companys license in an effort to wring some concessions out of the Silicon Valley giant.
Its likely this is part of TfL playing hardball with Uber, says Andre Spicer, who studies corporate social responsibility at Cass Business School in London. It will tip the balance of power to TfL and they will be able to get their very reasonable demands out of the company,
Less knockout punch, more opening move.
But if Uber eventually loses its appeal, it will likely look to strike a deal with TfL, rather than abandon one of the worlds biggest cities. Theyll come to an accommodation in markets that are important to them, says Jon Orcutt, head of communications and advocacy for TransitCenter, an urban mobility-focused foundation. It could agree to better conditions for its drivers, to limit how many cars it runs, or expand its demand that all its London drivers use hybrid or electric cars by 2020.
Transport for London may have a regulation-friendly regime on its side, but Uber isnt unarmed. It has the public. To see how it uses this club, look back to New York City in 2015. When Mayor Bill De Blasio declared his intention to temporarily cap the number of ridesharing vehicles in service, Uber started swinging. It commissioned ads emphasizing how conventional taxiswhich tend to cluster in Manhattan and cost more than riding with Uberwere failing the citys minority communities. It created De Blasio Mode, an in-app alternative future that told users all cars were either unavailable or 25 minutes away, and gave them a handy link to sign a petition and Say no to De Blasios Uber! The campaign hit home, and De Blasio and Uber compromised: Uber would continue to grow, but it would provide city officials with more data on its operations. Orcutt believes a similar situation may play out across the pond: I cant imagine its different in London, Orcutt says. I bet theyll come to an agreement.
Its likely this is TfL playing hardball with Uber.
The public doesnt always turn out for Uber, however. When the city council of Austin, Texas, created a strict regulatory regime for ridesharing companies that included fingerprinting drivers, Uber, in cahoots with Lyft, put a proposition on the ballot to roll back the rules. Despite spending $8 million on a political campaign and offering free rides to the polls, the duo watched 56 percent of Austinites vote against Prop 1. Uber and Lyft left the city two days later. (They returned this summer, after the Texas legislature passed a statewide, rather lax, set of rules that superseded Austins setup.)
In London, the crowd seems to be leaning pro-Uber. Despite Ubers monstrous string of bad PR and recent complaints about extra traffic congestion on London streets, the service is popular. Thats largely thanks to a lack of likable alternatives. Londons black cabs are among the most expensive in the world, in part because their drivers must pass the famed Knowledge test, the written and oral exam that requires they learn 25,000 street names and the most efficient route between any two points in the city. (The requirement made more sense when it was introduced in 1865 than it does in an age where every smartphone provides GPS-based directions.)
Riders can take minicabs, which usually have to be booked in advance, and are infamous for low-quality service. Then there are dodgy cabs, unlicensed cars that pick people up outside bars for illegal cash fares. And late at night, when the Tube stops running (it does provide limited "Night Tube" service on Fridays and Saturdays), Uber is a particularly popular way to get home. Its not the only app-based ride-hailing company in the city, but its by far the biggest and best known.
In 2015, then-Mayor Boris Johnson said hed love to ban Uber, but admitted its popularity: Youve also got to face the desire of millions of people in London to travel more cheaply.
Those hundreds of thousands of signatures wont help Uber in court, but they could make a difference if the ride-hailing giant and regulators want to strike a compromise before the appeals process wraps up. It might be legal to ban a service that carries 3.5 million Londoners and employs 40,000 drivers, but thats not the only calculation to be made.
Public support could make a difference. Many British institutionsTfL includedmake decisions on the basis of the Daily Mail test, says Spicer, the business school professor. I.e., would it look bad if it appeared in the Daily Mail?
After all, theres a reason Uber directed its fans to address their concerns to Mayor Khan as well as the transport agency. Call it the politics of persuasion.
Aarian Marshall and Jack Stewart contributed reporting.
The week kicked off with news that CCleaner, a popular security software tool, had itself been compromised, distributing a backdoor to hundreds of thousands of users and highlighting software's serious supply-chain security issue. Just a few days later, it turned out that the CCleaner was designed instead to target nearly two dozen specific tech firms. That's... not good.
Elsewhere in security news this week, Donald Trump threatened to destroy North Korea in front of the UN General Assembly, a dangerous escalation of his already incendiary rhetoric. WikiLeaks dumped a bunch of information on how Russia spies on its citizensmuch of which was already publicly available. We took a look at why the Google Play Store keeps suffering malware plagues, and why you should use a PIN instead of a pattern to lock your Android phone.
Also, a new hacker group linked to Iran appears to be planting destructive malware at a variety of key targets. So there's that.
And theres more. As always, weve rounded up all the news we didnt break or cover in depth this week. Click on the headlines to read the full stories.
In the world of finance, where knowledge of even the slightest secret data point about a company's fortunes can give traders an edge, it comes as no surprise that the Securities and Exchange Commission has come into hackers' crosshairs. On Wednesday, feds revealed that hackers had taken advantage of a security vulnerability in the SEC's software, called EDGAR, that it uses to publish companies' financial filings. The breach, according to the Commission's analysis, revealed financial documents that weren't available to the public, giving hackers a potential illegal advantage in any market tradinginsider trading from the outside. It's not the first time that EDGAR has had data-control issues. In 2014, EDGAR was shown to be revealing news to some users faster than others, creating an imbalance in trading information for automated high frequency trading systems. And a year later, hackers inserted fake information on the site about a takeover of the company Avon, likely exploiting the shift in the stock's price that news caused.
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It had been reported for some time that Russian hackers targeted nearly two dozen states in last year's presidential election (though it's important to note that there's no evidence of actual vote tampering). What remained unknown until Friday was which states those wereincluding among the states themselves. Now, the Department of Homeland Security has informed the victims that Russia targeted them, though it has yet to make the list of impacted states public. Still, it's an important step, especially if it helps election organizers better protect their voter rolls ahead of the 2018 Congressional campaigns.
The recent crackdown on dark web that ended bustling black markets AlphaBay and Hansa didn't end with those two high-profile English-language contraband bazaars, it seems. This week, Russian authorities revealed that they'd also taken down RAMP, the Russian Anonymous Marketplace, a Russian-language market for drugs that had been online for five years, longer than any other known narcotics outlet on the dark web. A Russian Interior Ministry official told Russian news agency TASS that the takedown happened in July, when RAMP mysterious went offline. But it's still not clear how the site was found, or if its low-profile owner, who went by the pseudonym Darkside, was arrested in the police action. When WIRED interviewed Darkside via his site's anonymous messaging system in 2014, he said he was careful to keep his business focused on Russia only to limit attention from foreign governments. We never mess with the CIA, we work only for Russians and this keeps us safe," Darkside said at the time. That strategy seems to have worked for yearsuntil it didn't.
If it wasn't yet clear that ransomware hackers are depraved sociopaths, one new form of that criminal scheme seems designed to prove it. A new strain of ransomware known as nRansom appeared this week, and demands that anyone who wants to unlock their files email ten nude photos of themselves to the hackers' email address. "Once you are verified, we will give you your unlock code and sell your nudes on the deep web," reads the statement that appears on infected computers' screens, along with a picture of Thomas the Tank Engine, and the words "FUCK YOU!!!" The malware also reportedly plays the theme song from the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm. While the nudeware has already been included in the crowdsourced malware repositories VirusTotal and Hybrid Analysis, and some Twitter users have reported being infected, it's not clear how widespread the infections really areor whether the ransomware is a legitimate threat or a trolly joke.
Market sentiments turned extremely bullish with the major indices hitting new highs after a nasty trading spell in August. Though the S&P 500 index breached the 2,500 milestone, the Russell 2000 index is easily outperforming with 6.4% gains in a month (read: Three Reasons to Bet on Small Cap ETFs Now).
The returns were mainly driven by hopes of a tax reform, which is expected by the end of the year. If Congress approves the corporate tax rate cut from 35% to 15% as President Trump has proposed, small caps with a median effective tax rate of 31.9% will be the biggest beneficiaries. Additionally, lofty large-cap valuation, North Korea tension and chances of an end to the cheap monetary policy era across the globe have added to the strength in small-cap stocks.
Further, growth in the U.S. economy appears solid courtesy of an impressive labor market, increase in wages, increasing consumer spending and high consumer confidence. Against such a backdrop, small-cap stocks are the biggest beneficiaries as these are closely tied to the U.S. economy and do not have much exposure to the international market. These pint-sized stocks generate most of their revenues from the domestic market and generally outperform on improving American economic health.
Moreover, the rise in U.S. dollar and the prospect of further rate hikes will continue to give a boost to the pint-sized stocks. Notably, these stocks are free from the clutches of any political malaise like the political grid in Washington or a strong greenback.
Given this, there have been winners in many corners of the small cap space. Below we have presented five ETFs & stocks that have easily crushed the Russell 2000 index in a month and are likely to continue their strong performance (see: all the Small Cap ETFs here):
Best ETFs
All these funds have a favorable Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold), suggesting more room for upside.
Guggenheim S&P SmallCap 600 Pure Value ETF RZV
This fund provides pure exposure to the small-cap value segment of the U.S. equity market by tracking the S&P SmallCap 600 Pure Value Index (read: Volatility Spikes on Geopolitics: 4 ETF Tactics to Shield).
Zacks ETF Rank: #3
AUM: $169.5 million
Expense Ratio: 0.35%
One-Month Return: 10.6%
PowerShares S&P SmallCap Industrials Portfolio PSCI
This product follows the S&P SmallCap 600 Capped Industrials Index, which measures the performance of the companies engaged in the business of providing industrial products and services, including engineering, heavy machinery, construction, electrical equipment, aerospace and defense and general manufacturing.
Zacks ETF Rank: #2
AUM: $93 million
Expense Ratio: 0.29%
One-Month Return: 9%
iShares Micro-Cap ETF IWC
This fund provides exposure to micro-cap stocks by tracking the Russell Microcap Index.
Zacks ETF Rank: #3
AUM: $819.1 million
Expense Ratio: 0.60%
One-Month Return: 8.3%
First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund FYC
This fund provides a slightly active choice as it uses the AlphaDEX methodology to select small-cap stocks (read: Market Hits New Record High: Growth ETFs Top).
Zacks ETF Rank: #2
AUM: $125.4 million
Expense Ratio: 0.70%
One-Month Return: 7.1%
WisdomTree SmallCap Earnings ETF EES
This fund targets earnings-generating small-cap companies by tracking the WisdomTree SmallCap Earnings Index.
Zacks ETF Rank: #3
AUM: $501.1 million
Expense Ratio: 0.38%
One-Month Return: 6.8%
Best Stocks
We have used the Zacks stock screener to find out the best-performing stocks in the small-cap space and then narrowed down the list considering a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 and a Growth Style Score of B or better.
The Growth Style Score analyzes the growth prospects of a company following a thorough analysis of the income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement that evaluate its financial health and the sustainability of its growth trajectory. The results show that stocks with a Growth Style Score of A or B when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 offer the best upside potential.
Fusion Telecommunications International Inc. FSNN
This New York-based company is a provider of VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and other Internet services to, from, in and between emerging markets in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America.
Zacks Rank: #2
Growth Style Score: A
Market Cap: $69.32 million
One-Month Return: 100%
Sterling Construction Company Inc. STRL
This Texas-based holding company operates as a heavy civil construction company in the home state, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, California, Hawaii, and other states (read: What Investors Need to Know About Homebuilding ETFs Post Irma).
Zacks Rank: #1
Growth Style Score: A
Market Cap: $398.69 million
One-Month Return: 49.4%
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ANF
This Ohio-based company is principally engaged in the purchase, distribution and sale of men's, women's and kids' casual apparel.
Zacks Rank: #1
Growth Style Score: A
Market Cap: $969.56 million
One-Month Return: 44.9%
Turtle Beach Corporation HEAR
This California-based audio technology company develops, commercializes, and markets a range of products under the Turtle Beach and HyperSound brands in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and internationally.
Zacks Rank: #2
Growth Style Score: A
Market Cap: $37.53 million
One-Month Return: 42.4%
H&E Equipment Services Inc. HEES
This Louisiana-based integrated equipment services company rents, sells, and provides parts and service support for hi-lift or aerial work platform equipment, cranes, earthmoving equipment, and industrial lift trucks (read: 5 Solid Reasons to Buy Industrial ETFs Now).
Zacks Rank: #1
Growth Style Score: A
Market Cap: $910.97 million
One-Month Return: 31%
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The offices of auditors KMPG are seen in Cape Town, South Africa, September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings (Reuters)
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African law enforcement agencies should investigate KPMG [KPMG.UL] after the global auditor sacked its local leadership over work done for business friends of President Jacob Zuma, Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba said on Friday.
KPMG is the latest international firm to become embroiled in factional battles within South Africa's political establishment.
The dismissal of its top management in the country last week followed an internal investigation which found work it did for firms owned by the Gupta family, a trio of businessmen accused by a watchdog of improperly influencing the award of government contracts, "fell considerably short" of KPMG's standards.
KPMG is already being investigated by the country's Independent Regulatory Board of Auditors for its work for the Gupta firms and several South African companies are reconsidering their use of the firm.
Gigaba called on companies and other stakeholders to join hands and "(root) out bad elements" that undermine the South African economy.
"It is therefore, warranted and critical that the relevant law enforcements and bodies such as the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors look into this matter to identify and sanction those responsible for any wrong-doing," Gigaba said in a statement.
Gigaba also called on all government departments to consider reviewing their work with KPMG to ensure "their audit processes have not been compromised."
The Democratic Alliance, the main opposition, on Friday said it will review KPMG's contracts in the more than 30 municipalities it runs, while lobby group Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) suspended KPMG's membership on Friday, citing the "gravity" of its conduct over the auditor's work for Gupta firms.
"BLSA recognizes the considerable steps announced by KPMG to change its leadership and commence a process of cultural change," it said in a statement. "It cannot, however, look past the gravity of their conduct which is completely inconsistent with the values of BLSA."
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BLSA's move is another blow for the local arm of KPMG, which has already lost at least three clients due to the scandal, while large companies that include Barclays Africa and Investec are reviewing their ties with the firm.
KPMG International said on Friday it would approach a senior legal figure to conduct an independent investigation into the work its South African firm did for the Guptas.
"The investigation will determine if there is any evidence to suggest KPMG South Africa partners or staff were complicit in illegal activities by the Gupta family and their businesses," KPMG International Chairman John Veihmeyer said in a statement.
The investigation will also look into whether there were any failings or collusion in the work performed in compiling a report for the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
The document, alleging the creation of an illegal "rogue unit" at SARS, has been used as ammunition to dismiss or discredit senior employees at the tax service.
Meanwhile South Africa's second largest bullion miner Gold Fields said on Friday KPMG would for now continue to serve as its external auditor.
KPMG is the third global firm to face questions about its work for the Indian-born Gupta brothers.
Consulting giant McKinsey is being investigated by South Africa's parliamentary committee on public enterprises, and the British-based public relations agency Bell Pottinger collapsed this month following a scandal over a racially-charged political campaign it ran for the Guptas in South Africa.
The Guptas and Zuma deny wrongdoing and say they are victims of a politically motivated witch-hunt. The Guptas and their companies have not been charged with any crime.
Europe's largest software company SAP in July also launched an investigation into allegations that it was involved in a government bribery scheme.
SAP on Friday announced it will provide an update on the investigation during the last week of October this year.
"We are acutely aware that we owe South Africa answers," Adaire Fox Martin, a member of SAP's executive board, said in a statement.
(Reporting by TJ Strydom and Tiisetso Motsoeneng; Editing by Joe Brock and Toby Chopra)
In February, a grizzled 50-something white man approached two Indian avionics engineers at a bar outside Kansas City. He began haranguing them about an all-too-familiar topic: their visas. After bar patrons kicked out the agitator, he returned with a gun, screamed Get out of my country! and shot both engineers, killing one of them, Srinivas Kuchibhotla. The alleged shooter, Adam Purinton, is now facing hate crime charges in federal court.
Police delivered the news to the victims wife, Sunayana Dumala, that night. (The story of the hate crime against Srinivas Kuchibhotla was chronicled in WIREDs July issue). Even in her grief, she realized that her husbands death would put her immigration status in jeopardy. The same night I lost Srinivas, I knew, Dumala said in a call from Kansas this week, where she has since returned to work as a database developer. Though the couple had already been waiting for permanent residency for seven years, she was dependent on her husbands H-1B visa to stay in the USand there's no protocol in place for what happens when that person dies.
Dumala flew to her native Hyderabad days later for her husbands last rites. After the services, she began a process of bureaucratic wrangling to be able to return home to the US, where she had lived since 2007. Luckily, she was assisted by immigration attorneys from her workplace, Intouch Solutions, and her husbands company, Garmin. Rep. Kevin Yoder, the Republican congressman from Dumalas area of suburban Kansas, advocated for her case with immigration and customs officials, as well. Dumala applied for two different visas: an H-1B sponsored by her company and a U visa, which is reserved for victims of crime. She finally returned home to Kansas this spring on a temporary fix known as humanitarian parole, used in emergency situations to allow entry to someone is otherwise inadmissible. Shes on a 12-month work authorization while she waits for her visa to be approved.
Story continues
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President Donald Trump, flanked by Sen. Tom Cotton, R- Ark., left, and Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017, during the unveiling of legislation that would place new limits on legal immigration. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Trump's Radical Immigration Crackdown Won't Help Tech
And it's ripped from the playbooks of anti-immigrant groups the SPLC considers hate groups.
But it's likely Dumalas immigration saga has just begun. Even if she receives one of those visas, shell be shunted to the back of the decades-long line of Indian tech workers waiting for a green card.
Soon after her husbands murder, a programmer named Saicharan Manga, the vice president of the Midwest chapter of a national grassroots group called Immigration Voice, reached out to Dumala. The nonprofit, comprised largely of Indians, was formed in 2005 with the goal to speed up the employment-based green card process for high-skilled immigrants. The group's latest cause: to remove the nationality caps on employment-based visas. Of the approximately 120,000 job skill-based green cards given out each year, no more than 7 percent can be awarded to any one nationality. Thats great if youre a product manager from, say, Finland, a small country with relatively few immigrants. But if youre Chinese or Indianthe nationalities of the vast majority of H-1B immigrants in US companiesthe cap creates an epic bottleneck.
"'Legal discrimination' is how it has been described to me by more managers in the US than any other issue Ive ever worked on on Capitol Hill, says Scott Corley, executive director of Compete America, a DC-based organization that represents major tech companies like Facebook and Microsoft in immigration policy. Right now, the feds are still processing green cards for Indians with advanced degrees who first applied in 2008.
This month, Immigration Voice recruited Dumala to join more than 80 advocates on a trip to DC to promote the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, a bill sponsored by Yoder. The bill, which has 271 bipartisan cosponsors, would phase out the country cap, eventually allowing the green cards to be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. (These immigrants check the boxes favored by Republicans: theyre highly-skilled and theyve entered the country legally.)
At a reception in DC this month, Yoder took a picture with Dumala and posted it on his Facebook page, writing that she had faced the threat of deportation. While Dumala was never in deportation proceedings, the post was enough to evoke renewed interest in her immigration status. One of her attorneys, Susan Bond, fired back at trolls that leapt to the inaccurate conclusion that Dumala resides in the US illegally. The couple were NOT here illegally, Bond tweeted. The maniac that shot him said those exact words. How are you different?
Historically, legislation aiming to remove the immigration country cap hasn't fared well: a similar bill introduced in 2011 passed the House but stalled, and subsequent attempts in 2013 and 2015 never reached a vote. The chances of removing the cap as a stand-alone bill? Zero, says Corley. But as part of a package, I could definitely see it.
Yoder is hoping that DACA, the Obama-era initiative that allows people brought to US as children to stay in the country but that President Trump now wants to end, can provide that package. He aims to combine a resolution for Dreamers, a border security measure, and his country cap proposal into one bill. In some ways the president has broken up the logjam by flipping the DACA executive order to Congress," he says. Industry behemoths like Google, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, and Texas Instruments have endorsed Yoder's bill. Saicharan Manga from Immigration Voice says hes not picky about how it gets passed. We want to get this done, no matter how.
Short of large-scale reform, Dumala's immigration lawyers contacted Yoders staffers last week about pursuing a private bill to hasten their her permanent residencya last resort measure pursued for exceptional immigration cases. While Yoders office says theyre considering it, both Yoder and Dumala say theyd prefer a larger fix. For that, theyve formed a powerful alliance to boost the profile of the country caps bill. Ideally, she would receive status outside of Congressional action, and wed utilize the energy from her story to fix the issue going forward, Yoder says. It would be a tribute to her late husband if his murder somehow led Congress into action. It wouldnt erase her pain, but it would give her some solace to know his death created a wave of positive solutions for her communitythat he didnt die in vain.
It would also allow Dumala to stay in the US. She hopes to remain at her home in Kansas, but concedes that the speed of her permanent residency process will factor into her decision. By sharing my story, I want others to be proactive and not wait until a tragedy strikes to react, she says. I need more than likes or shares on Facebook.
Correction: Sunayana Dumala is from Hyderabad, India. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated her hometown as Bangalore.
Uber's London unit has launched a petition against the decision to revoke its license on Friday, saying that regulators were trying to "restrict consumer choice." "We are sure Londoners will be as astounded as we are by this decision. By trying to ban the app from the capital, the Mayor and Transport for London have caved in to a small number of people," Tom Elvidge, general manager of Uber in London, said in an emailed statement to customers in the U.K. "Not only will this decision deprive you of the choice of a convenient way of getting about town, it will also put more than 40,000 licensed drivers who rely on our app out of work." Uber UK tweet Earlier Friday, Transport for London stripped Uber of its license to operate, which will likely affect more than 40,000 drivers in one of the world's biggest cities. Uber said that it will be immediately challenging the decision in court.
"Uber's approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications," Transport for London said. The final day of Uber's license will be Sept. 30. In London, Uber has faced criticism from unions, lawmakers and traditional black-cab drivers over working conditions. Elvidge's emailed statement also included a link to a petition, which is urging the mayor of London and TFL to "think again." The "Save Your Uber in London" petition had more than 600,000 signatures by the early hours of Sunday.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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A file photo of a B-1B Lancer bomber: REUTERS
The US military has flown bombers close to North Korea to show Pyongyang that Donald Trump has many military options to defeat any threat.
The show of force follows a contentious week in which Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un exchanged personal barbs over North Koreas nuclear ambitions. The comments marked an escalation in rhetorical warfare that has already seen Mr Trump promise fire and fury if North Korea does not curb its pursuit of nuclear weapons that could hit America.
Earlier on Saturday an earthquake was detected near the site where North Korea has conducted numerous nuclear tests, sparking fears of a new detonation. But later analysis suggested the tremor was natural in origin.
Mr Trump used his first address to the UN to say that Rocket man is on a suicide mission, using a nickname he coined for Mr Kim. In response, Mr Kim issued an unprecedented personal statement, and referred to the President as a dotard a word used to describe old and senile individuals.
Now that Trump has denied the existence of and insulted me and my country in front of the eyes of the world and made the most ferocious declaration of a war in history that he would destroy [North Korea], we will consider with seriousness exercising of a corresponding, highest level of hardline countermeasure in history, Mr Kim said in that statement.
His foreign minister has now said that Mr Trump is trying to convert the UN into a gangsters nest where bloodshed is order of the day.
North Korean officials have said that Mr Kim is considering green lighting a nuclear test in the Pacific Ocean in response to Mr Trumps comments, just weeks after the countrys sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date. Just days later, seismologists detected a 3.5 magnitude earthquake near North Koreas known nuclear testing site however it wasnt immediately clear if that quake was a man-made occurrence from an explosion, or naturally occurring.
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This event occurred in the area of the previous North Korean Nuclear tests, the United States Geological Survey said on its web site. We cannot conclusively confirm at this time the nature of the event.
Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said that the flights underscore the seriousness with which we take North Koreas reckless behaviour. The flights were the closest that any US plane has flown to the demilitarised zone in the 21st century.
The breach of the credit monitoring firm Equifax, which exposed extensive personal data for 143 million people, is the worst corporate data breach to date. But, incredibly, the mistakes and the superlatives dont end there. Three weeks since the company first publicly disclosed the situation, a steady stream of gaffes and revelations paint a picture of Equifax's deeply lacking response to catastrophe.
Equifax's bungles kicked off quite literally on day one, when the company directed potential victims to a separate domainequifaxsecurity2017.cominstead of simply building pages to handle the breach off of its main, trusted website, equifax.com. Observers quickly found bugs, some of them serious, in that breach-response site. All the while, Equifax asked people to trust the security of the site, and to submit the last six digits of their Social Security number as a way of checking whether their information had been potentially compromised in the breach.
The site also seemed slapdash, even though Equifax says it learned about the mega-breach at the end of July, and took roughly six weeks to disclose it. During that time, the company could have conceivably planned and executed a much more robust and reassuring resource for wary consumers.
"There should have been a very comprehensive set of policies and procedures for what to do to respond," says Jonathan Bernstein, the president of Bernstein Crisis Management, which works on institutional response to all sorts of disasters including data breaches. "Its going to be more difficult to convince people that they can now safeguard data, because Equifax has undermined their credibility from the way theyve responded. They made the situation worse."
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Further revelations this week indicate that even more basic problems plagued Equifax's handling of its response website. In the weeks since Equifax disclosed the breach, the company's official Twitter account has mistakenly tweeted a phishing link four times, instead of the company's actual breach response page. Lucky for Equifax, the page isn't actually malicious. Developer Nick Sweeting set up securityequifax2017.comversus the legitimate equifaxsecurity2017.comto show how easy the site is to spoof, and how ill-advised it was for Equifax to break it away from its main corporate domain. But if it hadn't been a proof-of-conept, the phish Equifax inadvertently promoted could have done a lot of harm. Sweeting says the fake site has had roughly 200,000 page loads.
"When your social media profile is tweeting out a phishing link, that's bad news bears," says Michael Borohovski, the cofounder of the website security firm Tinfoil Security.
Equifax also confirmed this week that it had suffered another, previously disclosed network breach in March, though the company did not provide details on what data, if any, was affected. Complicating things even more, a document from Mandiant (the firm investigating Equifax's more recent incident) obtained by the Wall Street Journal indicates that there was an additional March invasion, likely pulled off by the same attackers who carried out the mega-breach between mid-May and July. The technical details are still murky, but the incidents in March raise new questions about whether Equifax executives who sold almost $2 million in company stock in early August were aware of the breach when they unloaded the assets. Equifax has said that they "had no knowledge that an intrusion had occurred at the time they sold their shares."
The accumulation of missteps, slow disclosure, and problematic public response with so many millions of innocent consumers potentially affected deeply troubles security practitioners. "These are all indicators of a company that had a horrible security culture," says Tinfoil Security's Borohovski. "Unfortunately, the only word for it is negligence."
And the more recent mistakes join a list of other revelations that Equifax had a disorganized approach to security, and a naivete about the possibility of a breach. The fact that attackers got into Equifax's systems through a known vulnerability with a patch available galls security analysts. But the company also acknowledged that it knew about the patch when it was first released, and had actually attempted to apply it to all its systems. This inadequate effort hints at the truly haphazard nature of Equifax's operation. Other anecdoteslike the digital platform used by Equifax employees in Argentina that was guarded by the credentials "admin, admin"simply expand this picture.
"Equifax sits on the crown jewels of what we consider personally identifying information," says Jason Glassberg, cofounder of the corporate security and penetration testing firm Casaba Security. "Youd think a company like that, guarding what theyre guarding, would have a heightened sense of awareness and that clearly was not the case."
'When your social media profile is tweeting out a phishing link, that's bad news bears.' Michael Borohovski, Tinfoil Security
Many experts note that this Equifax breach could represent a turning point in how institutions handle personal data. Though previous massive breaches have motivated some industry-wide changes, they haven't has as much potential for menace as the Equifax incident, which may have exposed almost half of the US population's Social Security number (not the mention other data) and may put all of those people at serious risk of identity theft. Seeing so many of Equifax's missteps together may serve as a warning for the collapse that can eventually occur when security is an afterthought over decades of a company's growth and expansion.
"Theres no question a company like Equifax would be targeted all the time [by hackers] and that's hard, but all of this really speaks to poor security practices and a lackadaisical response," Casaba Security's Glassberg says. "My hope is that this really becomes a watershed moment and opens up everyones eyes, because it's astonishing how ridiculous almost everything Equifax did was."
The incident has certainly raised awareness about the vital importance of minimum corporate security, but whether regulators and legislators can actually deliver more accountability is another question entirely.
For some time now, Beijing and Islamabad have been eager to highlight their close military and diplomatic alliance, which has now extended to an enduring economic partnership.
China is investing more than $50 billion in infrastructure and energy projects in Pakistan. Collectively called the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, these investments aim to connect northwestern China to the Gulf through Pakistans transport network and ports.
However, their friendship is now being tested by their differing responses to the presence of militant groups in Pakistan and Islamabad's covert support for Afghan insurgents. The rift came to the fore this month when China joined Pakistan's archrival, India, and other BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, and South Africa) in voicing concern over the security situation in the region and violence caused by some 10 militant groups, most of whom are either based or sheltered inside Pakistan.
In a sign that Beijing has now de-linked its Afghanistan policy from its alliance with Islamabad, the September 4 BRICS leadership summit declared its condemnation of terrorist attacks resulting in death to innocent Afghan nationals while reaffirming support for Kabul. We support the efforts of the Afghan national defense and security forces in fighting terrorist organizations, the declaration added.
To discuss this issue, RFE/RL media manager Muhammad Tahir, who moderates this podcast from Washington, was joined by Andrew Small in the same town. As a transatlantic fellow of Washington's German Marshall Fund, he is a longtime observer of the alliance between Beijing and Islamabad, which is the topic of his book. Huma Yousaf, a Pakistan researcher at Washington's Wilson Center think tank, joined us from London. As usual, I contributed from Prague.
Listen to or download the Gandhara Podcast:
The views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.
I am not 100% sure on this one, but as far as I know, before the MS in Marketing admission committee receive an application, it will be reviewed by the graduate admission system. I believe that the review by graduate admission system will check if your reported GMAT score will match the record they receive from GMAT. It's safer to take the GMAT test around 3 weeks before the deadline. GMAT is pretty quick on sending the score report to universities.
It is equivalent to a four year degree although universities would usually value those who take a fourth-year/honors. The USC MS in Marketing in particular encourage those with 3 year degree to take post graduate diploma or a year certificate before applying. I do not know anyone not getting accepted because of a three year degree, but I, myself, am a graduate of the University of Melbourne (3 year degree). When I got accepted, the MS in Marketing team needed to seek a letter of permission from the Dean or something along this line so that I can pursue my MS in Marketing degree.
Hi saracornaggia,To answer your questions:1) does USC have to receive the official gmat scores before the deadline? or can we send the unofficial ones in the meantime? I know they require both, but it's unclear whether we have to send both unofficial and official scores before the deadline of a certain round (say november 30).2) I have a 3-year undergraduate degree from a european university. This is equivalent to a four year degree in an american one right? do you know of anyone not getting accepted because they did a three year bachelor instead of a four year one?Hope this helps
TheWaker wrote:
Hi all -
How do MBA programs view lawyers from "biglaw" and top law schools with 2-4 years work experience? Would like to go into consulting and want to know if it is worth it to start the MBA application process. Legal work is on the corporate side of a niche area (E.g. energy, healthcare, biotech). Particularly interested in top 20 schools.
Thanks in advance.
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Yes, I do think that is an attractive profile for top business schools, but I also think it would be even more attractive if you somehow try to find a connection to the niche you are currently active in. The business schools do get lawyer applicants, after all, but lawyer applicants active in a specific niche are much more rare.I know you wrote that you are striving for a career in consulting in the end but as I am sure you know, there are several very good business schools that are known for both their focus in consulting and some of the niches you mentioned (as you did not say what the niche is, I am just going to choose one of them as an example).Take a look at some of the top rated business schools for consulting here, for example:And then cross check that list with schools known for their focus in healthcare, if that is your niche:I think the combination of your niche and your wish to go into consulting could really work in your favor if done right, so I highly recommend considering that road. Feel free to contact the team if you need more ideas on making the essays cohesive regarding this, wed love to help of course!But as a general starting point the above is what I recommend.How old are you by the way? (Asking as age can play a part at some schools, although not at all of them)_________________
In Nasarawa state, a 20-year-old jealous housewife has been arrested after throwing her stepchildren into the well.
The lady who was identified as Aisha Isah was reported to have drowned her stepchildren 4-year-old and 2-year-old Zainab and Ramatu in a well over a disagreement with their mother.
This unfortunate incident was also said to have taken place in Yelwabassa village, Kokona local government area of the state. After being arrested by the police, Isah pleaded for forgiveness.
Aisah Isah and the commissioner of police Mohammed Akeera
READ ALSO: Governor Rochas Okorocha lavishly celebrates 55th birthday in church (photos)
She explained that her co-wife is fond of embarrassing her in front of the children anytime she sends them on an errand. Isah added that, in her 6 years of marriage she has given birth to a child but died 6 months after.
Isah said: It was the devil that used me. I took Ramatu, tied her two hands and legs and threw her into the well. In August 2017, I also took Zainab, tied her hands and legs and threw her into the well. After sometime I raised alarm, I shouted and attracted the attention of neighbours. My husband and the first wife rushed out. They asked what happened and I confessed immediately to them what I did. I have been having misunderstanding with my co-wife. She caused the problem. Whenever I sent the children on errand, she would tell them in my presence not to run errands for me. So, each time I called them, they ignored me. I decided to teach her children a lesson. I got married six years ago. I gave birth to a baby six months ago, but the baby died. Since then I had no baby and I have been telling Allah to give another baby.
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Sun also reports that, Isah immediately confessed the crime to her husband who ran to his neighbour to share the unfortunate incident.
Through that the case was reported to the nearest police station where the commissioner of police, Mr Mohammed Akeera who began investigation and charged the woman with alleged murder.
Isah said: With the enormity of what she did having hit home, a sense of remorse has overwhelmed Aisha and she pleaded. I want the family to forgive me for what I did; I have regretted my mistake and want my husband to forgive me.
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This aroused suspicion about Hezbollah and the Iraqi Prime Minister was not happy about the deal because of the battles against ISIS in Iraq.
This was not the first time Abadi has been undermined by Nasrallah.
Nasrallah knows that Lebanon is under less scrutiny from the superpowers of the world because the US is dealing with the North Korea threat, Europe is going after ISIS and the Gulf is dealing with neighbouring threats. So he took the opportunity to move hundreds of Iraqi Shiite militiamen across to Lebanon under the power of Adabi.
The men have started to train in Hezbollah camps and they will settle there to work for Hezbollah on a permanent basis.
For the past few years, it has been discovered that the Iranian Quds Brigade is sponsoring Hezbollah to train Shiite fighters and then sends them to Yemen and Syria to fight. Now it seems that they will stay in Lebanon permanently. There they will impose a new culture and mentality on the Lebanese people.
Hezbollah has been fighting alongside Iran in Syria for years. Some experts believe that at one stage Hezbollah had a third of its troops in Syria and lost around 1,500 of its 6,000 men. It has also been estimated that a thousand suffered injuries that will prevent them from fighting again.
To add to this, the group has severe financial difficulties that it has been inflicted with since participating in the war in Syria. This is where Iran has stepped in and bailed them out.
With the arrival of these huge numbers of men, Lebanon is set to face another challenge. It has been suffering for decades since refugees from Palestine arrived. They were so numerous and the numbers keep rising. The refugees do not have legal rights and their camps are plagued with terrorism.
The economic burden of these people is crippling and unemployment and infrastructure is in a terrible state. Security and stability is at a low.
So now, because of Irans ambitions, Hezbollah is restarting the process in Lebanon in an effort to contain the country. Already the people of Lebanon are aware that their country is not the same as it was. Lebanon is now for the Syrians, Palestinians and soon to be for the Iraqis too. All economic and social problems will be made much worse. There is also the potential for huge demographic changes.
Nasrallah said that Hezbollah was sent to fight in Syria in the name of defending Lebanon, yet his actions these days do not seem to match his words. It is very clear that he is submitting to Irans orders.
Iran will use all methods available to pursue its regional hegemony and Hezbollah is instrumental in this goal. And Hezbollah is a willing participant.
The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa officially opened its doors on Friday.
The new museum itself is a work of art. It is a century old grain silo on the historic waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa.
British architect Thomas Heatherwick redesigned the building for the African continents largest collection of contemporary art. All the art works were made after the year 2000.
The nine floor museum attempts to show that often ignored African contemporary art is worthy of attention. Museum officials hope to create excitement with its many exhibits.
Some works are inventive, while others suggest a clash of ideas. Some seem to be playful, while others leave visitors wondering what they saw.
Mark Coetzee works at the museum. He says it has several goals. One is to represent the people of Africa whose stories have often been told by other people, by outsiders.
Lets create an institution where people from Africa, whether we were born here thousands of years ago or whether we immigrated yesterday, can contribute to the writing of our history, he told VOA. Let us also define how we want to be presented to the world.
Coetzee says contemporary art gives rise to many pressing issues in the modern world. He adds that modern art museums give people the tools to negotiate the times we are living in.
Artists, he says, ask very difficult questions, such as Why is there separation of wealth and power? and How do we negotiate difference in society when we have different religious, or different genders, or different orientations?
Coetzee says a museum is a very safe space to discuss very difficult issues, which affect people in the 21st century.
The new museum holds the private art collection of Jochen Zeitz, a German collector and former head of sportswear manufacturer Puma.
On entering the museum, visitors see a large dragon with a 100 meter long tail. The creature is made of bicycle inner tubes. It is the work of South African artist Nicholas Hlobo. Visitors can also see the bright photographs of zebras, balloons and human-like figures in costumes. Those images are from South African artist Athi-Patra Ruga.
Visitors can also see the nine screen video exhibit Ten Thousand Waves by British artist Isaac Julien. They can touch and take home prints of images by Angolan photographer Edson Chagas. They can walk through room after room of creatures made from cow skin by Nandipha Mntambo of Swaziland.
When the museum offered 24,000 free passes for two hour visits during its opening weekend, they were all given away in just 9 minutes.
In the last few years, African contemporary art has started to be respected. That is the opinion of Hannah OLeary, head of modern and contemporary African art for Sothebys auction house. She admits that the market is new, and African artists often do not earn high prices. But Sothebys first auction of African art this year brought in $3.8 million. The event broke the record for the highest sales of African art at a single event.
While South Africa has always had a strong tradition in the arts, OLeary says, other countries are becoming more interested in making art and buying it.
From the results of our first sale, we have buyers from 29 different countries, on six different continents, she told VOA from London. Were not talking about just selling South African art to South African buyers. We are taking the greatest art from across the continent and we know that that has the greatest appeal, so we are selling to collectors in Africa, but also in North America and Europe.
Mark Coetzee says visitors should not be concerned about the museums $38 million design, its millions of dollars of art, or its elegant appearance. Nor, he said, should they all pay $13 for a single, one day admission. Children enter for free, and citizens of African nations get free admission every Wednesday.
Im Susan Shand.
VOAs Anita Powell reported this story from South Africa. Susan Shand adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
museum n. a building in which interesting and valuable things (such as paintings and sculptures or scientific or historical objects) are collected and shown to the public
silo n. a tower that is used to store food (such as grain or grass) for farm animals
architect n. a person who designs buildings
contemporary adj. happening or beginning now or in recent times
exhibit n. a collection of object that have been put in one place for people to see or inspect
institution n. an organization
contribute v. to supply or provide
balloon n. a thin usually rubber bag that becomes larger when it is filled with air or gas
costume n. the clothes that are worn by someone (such as an actor) who is trying to look like a different person or thing
gender n. the behavioral or cultural qualities normally linked to one sex
auction n. a public sale where things are gold to the person who offers to pay the most
elegant adj. high grade or quality
VOA Learning English presents Americas Presidents.
Today we are talking about Herbert Hoover. He took office in 1929.
Hoover was president for the early years of what Americans call the Great Depression. During those years, the United States economy slid into a severe recession.
Many banks and businesses failed. At times, nearly one in four people in the U.S. workforce were unemployed. Millions of people lost their homes and savings.
Hoover did not cause the depression. The conditions had been in place before he took office.
But many Americans blamed Hoover for their suffering. They believed he permitted the economic crisis to continue and even deepen during his time in office.
Early life
Herbert Hoover was born in a small house in the state of Iowa. His parents were Quakers. Their religion valued simplicity, hard work, equality among people, and peaceful resolution of conflict.
Hoover and his brother and sister were influenced by these beliefs, even after their parents died.
By the time young Herbert Hoover was nine, he was an orphan. He moved to the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest, and lived with an uncle.
Hoover did not thrive in that situation. Reports say that he usually kept to himself. And he did not do particularly well in school.
Yet one official from Stanford University liked what he saw in the young man hard work and a desire to learn new things. At the time, Stanford University was just getting established. It admitted Hoover into its first class.
Hoover had to work hard at Stanford, both in class and to earn money to pay tuition. But the experience brought many benefits.
Hoover studied geology, and went on to work as a mining engineer. The job led to positions in Australia, China and other parts of the world. He became an internationally-known expert on mining. He also wrote a leading textbook on mining.
These experiences, along with good business investments, led to great wealth for Hoover.
At Stanford, he also met the woman who would become his wife. Her name was Lou Henry. She was the first woman from Stanford to complete a study program with a degree in geology.
The Hoovers went on to have two sons.
Humanitarian work
During World War I, the Hoovers lives changed dramatically. The family was living in London when the war began. U.S. government officials asked Hoover to organize an evacuation effort for American tourists who were in Europe. In only a few weeks, Hoovers committee succeeded.
Later, he helped get food and supplies to people in Belgium.
As a result, Hoover earned a public image as a smart, skilled humanitarian.
When the United States entered World War I, President Woodrow Wilson asked Hoover to lead the governments Food Administration.
In that position, Hoover led an effort to change Americans behavior in order to support the war effort. He asked them to limit the kinds of food they ate and goods they bought.
The effort was, for the most part, successful. Americans called their moves to limit their consumption to Hooverize.
Hoover went on to organize programs to aid other countries, including Russia. He also helped parts of the U.S. recover after terrible flooding.
And, as secretary of commerce, he pushed businesses, researchers, and government officials to work together. Hoover aimed to reduce boom and bust cycles and keep the U.S. economy healthy.
In all his efforts, Hoover urged Americans to choose to participate. He did not believe in using government requirements to force cooperation.
Instead, he supported individualism the idea that Americans must protect the qualities of creativity, equal opportunity, and service to others.
Hoovers beliefs were popular with many Americans at the time and with many Americans today.
In the election of 1928, Hoover easily won the presidency. He promised to continue leading the country down the path of prosperity.
Presidency
When Hoover took office in 1929, he said, I have no fears for the future of our country. It is bright with hope.
That was in March.
In October, the U.S. stock market crashed. Thousands of investors lost their savings.
The event was part of a sharp downturn in the economies of the United States and of many other countries.
At first, Hoover believed the downturn would pass. But as time went on, the situation grew worse. Businesses could not expand their workforce. Farmers could not afford to harvest their crops. Everyday people had too little money to pay for housing costs and, in some cases, food. And then banks across the country began to fail.
President Hoover worked hard to fix the problems. He tried many approaches: creating government agencies, urging private and public groups to cooperate, and working to balance the federal budget.
But Hoover did not want to use federal money to provide direct aid to Americans. He worried that such actions would make people dependent on the government, and reduce peoples individual power and morale.
Nor did he want to use the federal government to try to control the economy. Government intervention, he said, would lead to socialism, and eventually destroy the countrys founding beliefs.
Instead, Hoover tried to support states and businesses indirectly and urged people to find ways to help one another.
Yet many lawmakers and members of the public rejected Hoovers measures as insufficient, and even cruel.
Some used his name differently than they had before he took office. Now, they called the dirty shelters where hungry and homeless people lived Hoovervilles.
And they called mens empty pockets Hoover flags.
Although Hoover tried to persuade Americans that he was protecting their interests in the long run, voters refused to elect him for a second term.
Instead, they overwhelming chose a president who promised an activist federal government and a hopeful new deal for Americans.
Legacy
After they left the White House, the Hoovers retired to their home in Palo Alto, California.
Lou Henry Hoover died in 1944. But Hoover lived 20 more years, many of them working for the public good. He helped international relief efforts, advised the U.S. government, and led committees to reform the presidency.
Hoover also commented on later presidents and their policy decisions. He was especially critical of government programs set up to provide aid and intervention in Americans lives.
Until his death from cancer at the age of 90, Hoover remained committed to his beliefs. He spoke for limiting the power of the federal government and for supporting freedom of opportunity for individuals.
But in the eyes of many Americans, Hoover is linked to the failure of the federal government to lessen the Great Depression.
Im Kelly Jean Kelly.
Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
orphan - n. a child whose parents are dead
thrive - v. to grow or develop successfully : to flourish or succeed
benefit - n. a good or helpful result or effect
consumption - n. the use of something
boom and bust - n. a rapid increase in growth or economic success, followed by sudden economic losses
opportunity - n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done
prosperity - n. the state of being successful usually by making a lot of money
morale - n. the feelings of enthusiasm and loyalty that a person or group has about a task or job
insufficient - adj. not having or providing enough of what is needed : not sufficient
Now more than ever, higher education is one of the most important tools many people have as they seek a bright economic future.
The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce studies the relationship between education and employment. In 2014, the center released a report on the future of the United States job market. It found that by the year 2020, 65 percent of all U.S. jobs will require workers to have some kind of education or training after they finish high school.
But the Department of Education reports that younger Americans often have difficulty meeting that requirement. It reported that in 2015, only about 42 percent of people between 18 and 24 years of age were in a postsecondary degree study program. Also, only about 60 percent of college students who started a four-year degree program in 2008 completed its requirements within six years.
So how might the United States better educate its population? Some experts believe community college is the answer.
Community colleges have long been the way for Americans facing economic or other barriers to get a college education. In 1947, the U.S. government called on states to each create their own system of public, two-year institutions to serve communities in need. These schools offer classes costing less than other colleges or universities. And they often have no academic requirements for students who attend.
Mike Krause is the executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. His group supports the expansion of higher education across the state. Krause says that many Tennesseans see any college program as something that is not doable for them.
Talk Poverty, a research group, reports that about 16 percent of Tennessees population lives below the poverty line the amount of money needed to pay for lifes necessities. Krause argues that with college costs reaching record levels, many people have seen low-skilled jobs in fields like manufacturing as their best path forward.
The old way of thinking was, Not everybody needs to go to college, he told VOA. And also, a lot of students probably counted themselves out because they said something like, Well, Im not college material because my family cant afford it. The reality is, not being able to afford college is a lot different than not being able to succeed in college.
Krause notes that many American businesses have taken their manufacturing jobs to other countries where workers are paid less. Also, machines have replaced human laborers in some positions. So people still working in manufacturing must possess more high-level training. A working knowledge of technology is helpful now in many jobs that may not have required a four-year college degree in the past.
Krause says these changes in the American labor market began to worry Tennessees leadership. So in 2014, they created the Tennessee Promise program. It provides recent high school graduates two years of free classes at any of the states community or technical colleges.
The goal is to make sure 55 percent of Tennesseans have earned some form of postsecondary certification by 2025. And earlier this year, the state began offering free community college to older adults as well to help reach this goal.
Two other states, Rhode Island and Oregon, have also started offering free community college to their citizens. And a growing number of other experts say community college could be the next best way to make more Americans competitive in the modern workforce.
Jeff Strohl is the director of research at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. He says during the economic recession 10 years ago, many people began to question the value of a traditional four-year degree. Families were paying more and more money for their childrens education. But many recent graduates found there were fewer jobs available, especially ones that would pay well enough to cover the costs of student debt.
Economic conditions across the country have improved in recent years. But Strohl says the return on investment has never been equal for four-year degrees from every field. An engineering student, for example, will likely make far more money than a student with a degree in social work.
And Strohl says many employers have raised the issue that many four-year degree holders still lack necessary skills to join the workforce. Their degrees do not show exactly what they can do. Community colleges, on the other hand, have a history of teaching specific skills or technical training to students for a specific job, he says.
"Community colleges align their programs with workforce readiness, meaning their programs are purposely focused on helping somebody get ready for a job. They craft their programs to meet the needs of the local employers, and thereby doing, create employable graduates."
In July, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce released another report on the job market. It defined a good job as one that payed, on average, $55,000 a year. The report found that since 1991, the United States had lost about 2.8 million good jobs that did not require a four-year degree, especially in manufacturing. However, the number of skilled service jobs, which only require the kind of two-year degree one can get at community college, increased by about 4 million.
These jobs are in fields like healthcare, education and financial services. And with a two-year degree or other certification, a person can enter these fields with the training necessary to start working immediately.
Strohl notes that a four-year degree program is still the best way for students to improve their lives in the long-term. But for people who are unable to spend the time and money necessary to earn one, this is a different source for a high quality education. Also, many young people start their higher education at a community college only to move on to a traditional college once they are ready to do so.
In addition, labor lawyer Mark Hudson suggests major changes may be coming to the world of higher education. He says that as more people choose less traditional paths to education, the way schools offer their programs may change.
"Do you need a four year degree to be a computer coder? I think theres a real interesting question there, and thats why youre seeing a lot of the code schools pop up that are 14 weeks If you do that in 14 weeks, do you need to go for four years? You might not need to, and you still might be making just as much or more than anybody else."
Im Pete Musto. And Im Dorothy Gundy.
Pete Musto reported this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
How common is it for a person to choose a community college over a four-year degree program? How do you think a community college education compares to the education one receives at a four-year university? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
postsecondary adj. used to describe any education beyond high school
degree n. an official document and title that is given to someone who has successfully completed a series of classes at a college or university
institution(s) n. an established organization
academic adj. of or relating to schools and education
afford v. to be able to pay for something
graduate(s) n. a person who has earned a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university
certification n. official approval to do something professionally or legally
specific adj. special or particular
align v. to change something so that it agrees with or matches something else
coder n. a computer programmer
Poland, like many European countries, has been targeted by Russian propagandists with disinformation campaigns. Experts say the effort is aimed at the country's political discussion.
They say many false accounts were opened on Polish Facebook, and other sites, in 2014 during a period of protests in neighboring Ukraine.
Russian propagandists are focusing on inciting Polish nationalist, anti-Western and anti-Ukrainian feelings. They often work with political organizations already on the extremes of liberal or conservative thinking.
At the same time Polish political marketing companies are also at work in the country. They are creating fake news, troll factories and harassment campaigns. Their methods are similar to those used by Russian propagandists.
In addition, Polands ruling party, PiS, or Law and Justice, is slowly taking measures to restrict press freedom. Soon after its election, the PiS government took control of Polands public broadcaster. PiS is now focusing on foreign-owned media companies. The party also is seeking to supervise use of money given to non-governmental organizations. The European Union has condemned that effort.
This year, the independent U.S.-based researcher Freedom House rated Polands media only partly free. The group produces an annual report on press freedom around the world.
The Freedom House report said the Polish government showed "intolerance toward independent or critical reporting, as well as a high level of political interference in public media. It said Poland was also restricting expression about Polish history and identity.
Critics have also raised objections to the ruling partys own successful social media campaigns. The critics say the party uses paid trolls on social media and news sites. They also accuse PiS of using automated social media accounts that can spread memes rapidly.
Robert Gorwa is a team researcher with Oxford Universitys Internet Institute. He says its studies found PiS to have developed an "extraordinarily effective online resurgence.
Gorwa said the research showed higher levels of so-called bots, or automated accounts, on Polish Twitter than expected. He said the examination also found there were more than twice as many suspicious PiS or nationalist accounts than extreme liberal ones. The nationalist accounts also posted more often than those of the opposing side.
Gorwa said liberal or moderate accounts appeared to repost information from more established media organizations, politicians and journalists. The PiS and nationalist-linked fake accounts, he said, supported extreme points of view and spread political disinformation from untrustworthy sources.
Gorwa said they also broadcast xenophobic content.
Media activists in neighboring Ukraine say they have found similar propaganda activity in their country.
Tetiana Popova is a former Ukrainian deputy minister for information policy.
She said "We are seeing targeted social media hate and harassment campaigns by Ukrainian troll factories. Now the troll farms are being used against anti-corruption journalists and activists."
Im Phil Dierking.
This story was originally written by Jamie Dettmer for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted the story for VOA Learning English from an Associated Press report. Caty Weaver was the editor.
How well do you trust the news and media of your country? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
bots - n. a software application that runs automated tasks (scripts) over the Internet.
harass - n. to annoy or bother (someone) in a constant or repeated way
resurgence - n. a growth or increase that occurs after a period without growth or increase
spectrum - n. a complete range of different opinions, people, etc.
troll - n. a person who tries to cause problems on an Internet message board by posting messages that cause other people to argue, become angry, etc.
xenophobic - adj. someone who has a fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners
Russia has unveiled a monument to Mikhail Kalashnikov, creator of one of the most famous firearms in the world.
The 7.5-meter tall statue features Kalashnikov holding his famous rifle.
Mikhail Kalashnikov was born in a rural area of Russia in 1919. As a boy, Mikhail was interested in making farm equipment. He was born into a farming family, after all.
But, later he became a soldier and was injured in World War Two.
Kalashnikov and some other soldiers decided that the Russian army needed better rifles than those used by the Germans.
So Kalashnikov started designing his own.
His first weapons were not very good. But in 1947 he designed the weapon that came to be known as the AK-47. It got its name because it was an automatic rifle designed in 1947. An automatic rifle does not have to be loaded by hand after each shot.
The weapon gained popularity because it worked equally well in hot, wet jungles and cold, dry mountains. It was also easy to operate and take care of. Some users can take an AK-47 apart in just 30 seconds.
Russia sent the guns to its allies and sold the design to other countries so they could produce their own versions. Some experts think 70 million Kalashnikov rifles have been made. They say the AK-47 and its more modern versions represent 20 percent of the worlds firearms.
Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and his minister of culture see the AK-47 as important to the identity of Russia.
Putin said: The Kalashnikov rifle is a symbol of the creative genius of our people.
While Russian leaders celebrated Kalashnikovs memory with the statue, some activists demonstrated at the event.
The protesters said a person who created an instrument of death should not be considered a hero. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported one protester calling the statue loathsome and trash.
For many years, Kalashnikov stood up for his weapon as a way to defend Russia. He blamed politicians for failing to find peaceful solutions to disputes. I sleep well, he once said.
But, a few months before his death in 2013, Kalashnikov expressed second thoughts.
He wrote a letter to the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. In the letter, he asked whether, as the creator of a weapon, he was responsible for the deaths that came from its use.
He called his worry unbearable.
The church leader said the deaths were not Kalashnikovs fault, but the fault of those who used the rifle with evil intentions.
Im Dan Friedell.
Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a reports by VOANews.com, Reuters and Radio Free Europe. Caty Weaver was the editor.
Do you think Kalashnikov should be considered a hero? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
rifle n. a gun that has a long barrel and that is held against your shoulder when you shoot it
automatic adj. shooting many bullets very quickly when the trigger is pulled
loathsome adj. causing feelings of hatred or disgust : very bad
trash n. things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown away
unbearable adj. too bad, harsh, or extreme to be accepted or endured : not bearable
intention n. the thing that you plan to do or achieve : an aim or purpose
A growing number of police departments in the United States now have drones and are exploring different ways to use them.
A recent study found that drone ownership by local police and public safety agencies across the U.S. has greatly increased since 2014.
The Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College in New York published the study results in April. The study found that at least 347 state and local police, fire and emergency agencies now have drones.
But there is debate in some cities about whether local police should be using drones, also known as unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS.
The Los Angeles Police Department, or LAPD, is considering a pilot program to experiment with drones in different situations. Some groups have protested its use of drones.
Hamid Khan is with the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition. He says the use of drones is another example of how some local security agencies have moved to militarize police forces.
An immigrant from Pakistan, Khan said he believes one of the true values of the United States is its culture of resistance. He has organized a campaign against drone use by local law enforcement.
Drones are currently being tested by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. Captain Jack Ewell is with the department's Special Enforcement Bureau. He says UAS can act as a second pair of eyes for officers.
It allows us to get a view of a particular situation thats too dangerous to immediately put a human into. We could send this device up to the car and look right in and see, ok, yes he does have a gun. So we're not going to approach."
The LAPD is seeking to begin a test program for drones. Horace Frank is deputy chief of the LAPDs Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau. He says drone use would be limited.
I can tell you that this department has absolutely no intention of weaponizing the UAS. In fact, the ones that were going to get, were going to make sure that it doesnt have the capability of being weaponized.
Some people in Los Angeles say they think it is a good idea for police to use drones to fight crime. Theres a lot of bad guys out there. So youve got to keep the good guys safe, said Eddie Lopez.
Damien Walker agrees. I think in certain situations, they do need the drones, he said.
Others, like Toriano Weatherspoon, distrust how police would use drones and fear their privacy could be violated.
I think the drone would just be a new way of seeing what me, and people like me are doing, that are not doing anything.
But both the LAPD and Los Angeles Sheriffs Department say they do not plan to use UAS for observation purposes.
Hamid Khan is concerned that policies ruling how and when police use drones will expand over time.
But Ewell says his department has taken steps to make its police drone activities very public.
"Were not going to go beyond the guidelines that weve set," he said. "Were very transparent in our use of the unmanned aircraft. We alert the public every time we use it and where were using it."
The LAPD is expected to hold public hearings in coming months to discuss its plans for a one-year pilot drone program. Police officials would also have to receive approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before carrying out the program.
Im Bryan Lynn.
Elizabeth Lee reported this story for VOA News. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Do you think police departments should use drones as part of their work? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
drones n. small, pilotless aircraft
allow v. permit
particular adj. a certain kind
approach v. walk up to
absolutely adj. fully, completely
intention n. a plan to do something
capability n. ability to do something
certain adj. for sure
transparent adj. easy to notice or understand
alert v. notify people of something in an urgent manner
Research subjects who have lived with limited human contact since January recently completed an experiment.
The six, four men and two women, lived near the top of a volcano on the Pacific island of Hawaii.
They agreed to stay in a small, restricted area as part of a study to learn about the mental and emotional effects of a long term space mission.
The six people lived and acted much like astronauts would on an eight-month long visit to the planet Mars.
The American space agency NASA provided money for the experiment. Information gathered in the study will help NASA choose individuals and groups with the right qualities for a trip to Mars.
Life as an astronaut can be stressful
Individuals who are able to deal with long-term space travel need to have special qualities or traits. They need to be able to deal well with isolation, pressure and danger for up to three years on a trip that would take them far from Earth.
The six research subjects were isolated from other people on a large flat plain near the top of Mauna Loa, the worlds largest active volcano. The area is about 2,400 meters above sea level and has thin, dry air.
During the experiment, the subjects wore space suits like those worn by astronauts and traveled in teams whenever leaving their living structure.
Researchers called the dome-shaped living space a habitat. It is about the size of a small house.
The kinds of foods available to the research subjects were limited. They ate mostly freeze-dried or canned food during the experiment.
All communications between the crew members and outsiders were given a 20-minute delay, increasing the sense of isolation. Twenty-minutes is the time it takes a radio signal to travel from Mars to Earth.
Study is part of the effort to take humans to Mars
The mission was the fifth in a series of six NASA-financed studies at the University of Hawaii habitat. It is called the Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, or HI-SEAS.
Laura Lark was the teams information technology specialist. She thinks a manned flight to Mars is a reasonable goal for NASA.
Lark described the project in a video message recorded in the dome. There are certainly human factors to be figured out, thats part of what HI-SEAS is for, she said. But I think that overcoming those challenges is just a matter of effort. We are absolutely capable of it.
In the experiment, researchers used games to study human behavior. The crew members played games designed to measure their ability to work together. Games also helped measure their ability to deal with pressure or stress. The crew members also kept documentation of how they were feeling.
In addition to activities, members of the team wore sensors that measured voice levels and how near they were to others in the living space.
Kim Binsted, a professor at the University of Hawaii, was one the lead investigators in the study. She said the sensors could record if people were avoiding one another or if they were close to each other in an argument.
Weve learned, for one thing, that conflict, even in the best of teams, is going to arise, Binsted said. So whats really important is to have a crew that, both as individuals and a group, is really resilient, is able to look at that conflict and come back from it.
Another part of the study was to test ways to help the crew members coped with stress. When they felt helpless, they could use what the researchers called virtual reality devices. These could show the team members images of a seaside getaway or something else.
Other countries have performed studies on the effects of long-term space flight. The researchers in Hawaii, however, say their project provides an environment most like Mars.
The area on Mauna Loa is covered with hard, red volcanic rock.
The crew-members were required to carry out studies of the rocky surface, make maps and care for their habitat. The living space had a laboratory, cooking area and bedrooms with little room for anything else.
After the experiment was finished, food was the first thing on the mind of the six astronauts. They gladly ate a feast of tropical fruit.
Im Mario Ritter.
Mario Ritter adapted an Associated Press story for VOA Learning English. His report includes material from the experiments website. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
traits n. qualities that make a person different from another
isolation n. the condition of being alone or separated from others
dome n. a structure or part of one shaped more or less like a half sphere
challenges n. things that are difficult to do
resilient adj. able to return to health or normality after something bad
cope v. to deal with problems and to try to find solutions to them
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When she woke up one morning in February, Catherine Kagendo saw one of her cows on the ground.
It was lying on its side and was breathing heavily, she said.
Kagendo spoke to the Reuters news agency from her farm in eastern Kenya.
She and her husband decided to seek advice from WeFarm, a group of farmers who exchange text messages. They sent a text to the group. Within an hour, she received suggestions on how to help the milk cow.
Feed your cow with minerals rich in calcium, one farmer wrote. Another farmer urged Kagendo to make sure the shelter for the animal stays dry and clean.
I learned that our cow had milk fever, so I gave it calcium-rich feed and it was standing again within hours, Kagendo said.
She is one of many Kenyans who operate a small farm in the countryside. Small-scale farmers often lack good information on how to deal with problems from dry weather to treating diseases. Local farming experts say a lack of internet service is an issue in some areas.
The WeFarm network lets people ask a question by texting and receiving answers from other farmers.
Kenny Ewan of Scotland helped to set up the network in Kenya in 2014. He describes it as the internet for people who do not have the internet. The service is free to use and only requires a mobile phone.
Farmers send a text message with their question to a local telephone number. WeFarm sends the question to other farmers in the area.
We want farmers to get answers to their problems without needing access to the internet, said Mwinyi Bwika, who works for WeFarm.
Information levels
Kagendo said before, when her animals got sick, she used to pay an agricultural expert to help her.
But we had to pay a fee ranging from 500 to 2,000 Kenyan shillings, and most of the time the officer did not even explain his diagnosis, she said.
That cut into her farms earnings and left her no better able to understand the diseases facing their cattle and crops.
Bwika said small-scale farmers often lack the information they need because they have poor internet service and little money to spend. Most farmers live on one dollar a day.
Farmer Joseph Kinyua grows vegetables in Meru. Kinyua says he uses WeFarm at least 30 minutes each day. He says other farmers have taught him a lot of things, from protecting his crops to improving his watering system.
The answers from WeFarm have helped improve the quality of the kale he grows, Kinyua said. Now I can sell a kilo of kale at the market for 70 shillings instead of 50 shillings."
Preventing problems
When WeFarm receives many answers to a single question, it only sends the user the answers that appear to be correct.
WeFarm also uses the information it collects to follow diseases and threats from extreme weather. It shares the information with government officials and non-governmental organizations.
But not everyone likes WeFarm.
Farmer Mary Nkatha said it was difficult to act on some of the suggestions without an expert to help her.
If I am told to inject my cow with something, how do I make sure I do it in the right place, she asked. Where do I find the equipment?
Frederick Ochido is a Kenyan-based expert on dairy farming. He worries that WeFarm may enable farmers to avoid technology instead of helping them.
The text-based network has over 100,000 users in Kenya, Uganda and Peru. Its operators hope to expand the effort to other countries.
Im Susan Shand.
The Reuters news agency reported this story. Susan Shand adapted the report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
_______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
mobile adj. something with the ability to move
access n. permission or ability to do something
ranging v. to come with set limits
diagnosis n. the act of identifying a disease
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Penske Automotive Group, Inc., a diversified transportation services company, operates automotive and commercial truck dealerships. The company operates through four segments: Retail Automotive, Retail Commercial Truck, Other, and Non-Automotive Investments. It operates dealerships under franchise agreements with various automotive manufacturers and distributors. The company engages in the sale of new and used motor vehicles, and related products and services comprise vehicle and collision repair services, as well as placement of finance and lease contracts, third-party insurance products, and other aftermarket products; and wholesale of parts. It also operates a heavy and medium duty truck dealership, which offers Freightliner and Western Star branded trucks, as well as a range of used trucks, and maintenance and repair services. In addition, it imports and distributes Western Star heavy-duty trucks, MAN heavy and medium duty trucks, buses, and Dennis Eagle refuse collection vehicles with associated parts in Australia, New Zealand, and portions of the Pacific. Further, the company distributes diesel and gas engines, and power systems. The company operates 320 retail automotive franchises, including 146 franchises located in the United States and 174 franchises located outside of the United States; 23 CarShop used vehicle dealerships in the United States and the United Kingdom; and 37 commercial truck dealerships in Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia, Utah, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, and Oregon, as well as Canada. Penske Automotive Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
The following companies are subsidiares of SK Telecom Co.,Ltd: ADT CAPS Co. Ltd., ADT Caps, Atlas Investment, CAPSTEC Co. Ltd., Cyworld, DongGuan Iriver Electronics Co. Ltd., Dreamus Company, Eleven Street Co. Ltd., FSK L&S (Hungary) Co. Ltd., FSK L&S (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., FSK L&S Co. Ltd., FSK L&S Vietnam Company Limited, Hana Card, Hanaro Telecom, Happy Hanool Co. Ltd., Home & Service Co. Ltd., ID Quantique, Id Quantique LLC, Incross Co. Ltd., Infra Communications Co. Ltd., Iriver China Co. Ltd., Iriver Enterprise Ltd., K-net Culture and Contents Venture Fund, Korea Thrunet, LG HelloVision, Life & Security Holdings Co. Ltd., Life Design Company Inc., Mindknock Co. Ltd., Onestore Co. Ltd., PS&Marketing Co. Ltd., Panasia Semiconductor Materials LLC, Quantum Innovation Fund I, SK Broadband, SK Broadband Co. Ltd., SK Communications Co. Ltd., SK Global Healthcare Business Group Ltd., SK Infosec Co. Ltd., SK M&Service Co. Ltd., SK O&S Co. Ltd., SK Planet Co. Ltd., SK Planet Global Holdings Pte. Ltd., SK Planet Japan K. K., SK Telecom China Fund I L.P., SK Telecom China Holdings Co. Ltd., SK Telecom Innovation Fund L.P., SK Telecom TMT Investment Corp., SK Telink Co. Ltd., SK stoa Co. Ltd., SK telecom Japan Inc., SKP America LLC, SKT Americas Inc., SKinfosec Information Technology (wuxi) Co. Ltd., Service Ace Co. Ltd., Service Top Co. Ltd., Shopkick, Tbroad Nowon Broadcasting Co. Ltd., YTK Investment Ltd., iRiver Ltd, and id Quantique Ltd..
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The following companies are subsidiares of Tyson Foods: APF Legacy Subs LLC, Advance Food Company LLC, AdvancePierre Foods, AdvancePierre Foods Holdings Inc., AdvancePierre Foods Inc., Aidells Sausage Company Inc., Allied Specialty Foods Inc., American Proteins Inc, Artisan Bread Co. LLC, Australian Food Corporation Pty Limited, Australian Food Corporation Trust, BRF, Barber Foods LLC, Bosco's Pizza Co., Bryan Foods Inc., C.S. Grain LLC, C.V. Holdings Inc., CBFA Management Corp., Central Industries Inc., Chefs Pantry LLC, Clovervale Farms LLC, Cobb (Hubei) Breeding Co. Ltd., Cobb (Shanghai) Enterprise Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Cobb Ana Damizlik Tavukculuk Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Cobb Columbia S.A.S., Cobb Europe B.V., Cobb Europe Limited, Cobb Peru (Andina) S.A.C., Cobb-Heritage LLC, Cobb-Vantress Brasil Ltda, Cobb-Vantress Inc., Cobb-Vantress New Zealand Limited, Cobb-Vantress Philippines Inc., Coominya AFC Pty Limited, Coominya AFC Trust, DFG Foods Inc., DFG Foods L.L.C., Don Julio, Egbert LLC, Equity Group - Georgia Division LLC, Equity Group - Kentucky Division LLC, Equity Group Eufaula Division LLC, Equity Meat Corp., Flavor Corp., Flavor Holdings Inc., Foodbrands America Inc., Foodbrands Supply Chain Services Inc., Gallo Salame Inc., Global Employment Services Inc., Grow-Out Credit LLC, Grow-Out Holdings LLC, Haimen Tyson Poultry Development Co. Ltd, Hudson Foods Company, Hudson Midwest Foods Inc., Hybro Genetics Brasil Ltda, IBP Caribbean Inc., IBP Foodservice L.L.C., IBP Inc., International Affiliates & Investment LLC, Jiangsu Tyson Foods Co. Ltd, Keydutch Finance B.V., Keydutch Holdings I LLC, Keydutch Holdings II LLC, Keydutch Investments B.V., Keystone CLJV Holdings Limited, Keystone County House Road LLC, Keystone Foods, Keystone Foods (AP) Limited, Keystone Foods Holdco LLC, Keystone Foods Intermediate LLC, Keystone Foods LLC, Keystone Foods Pty Limited, Keystone Management Inc., Keystone Trading (Shanghai) Company Limited, LD Foods LLC, M & M Express LLC, M&M Restaurant Supply (MI/OH) LLC, MFG (USA) Holdings Inc., Mac Food Services (Malaysia) SDN. BHD., Madison Foods Inc., McKey Food Services (Hong Kong) Limited, McKey Food Services (Shandong) Limited, McKey Food Services (Thailand) Limited, McKey Food Services Limited, McKey Luxembourg Holdings APMEA S.a.r.l., McKey Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., McKey Luxembourg S.a.r.l., McKey VI Holdings Limited, Myung Seung Food Company Ltd., National Comp Care Inc., New Canada Holdings Inc., Oaklawn Capital Corporation, Oaklawn IT Solution Private Limited, Original Philly Holdings Inc., PBX inc., Pierre Holdco Inc., River Valley Ingredients LLC, Rizhao Tyson Foods Co. Ltd, Rizhao Tyson Poultry Co. Ltd, Rural Energy Systems Inc., Sara Lee - Kiwi Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Diversified LLC, Sara Lee Foods LLC, Sara Lee Household & Body Care Malawi Ltd., Sara Lee International LLC, Sara Lee International TM Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Mexicana Holdings Investment L.L.C., Sara Lee TM Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Trademark Holdings Australasia LLC, Saramar L.L.C., Shandong Tyson-Da Long Food Company Limited, Smart Chicken, Southern Family Foods L.L.C., Southwest Products LLC, TF 20 B.V., TF 5201 B.V., TFA Leasing LLC, TFA Opportunity Zone Fund LLC, TFI of California Inc., Tecumseh Poultry LLC, Texas Transfer Inc., The Bruss Company, The Hillshire Brands Company, The IBP Foods Co., The Pork Group Inc., TyNet Corporation, Tyson (Shanghai) Enterprise Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Tyson Americas Holding Sarl, Tyson Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Tyson Breeders Inc., Tyson Chicken Inc., Tyson China Holding 2 Limited, Tyson China Holding 3 Limited, Tyson China Holding Limited, Tyson Deli Inc., Tyson Europe Holding Company, Tyson Farms Inc., Tyson Farms QOZB LLC, Tyson Foods Brasil Investimentos Ltda., Tyson Foods Canada Inc., Tyson Foods Europe (Netherlands) B.V., Tyson Foods Europe GmbH, Tyson Foods France S.A.R.L., Tyson Foods Germany GmbH, Tyson Foods Group Limited, Tyson Foods Holland B.V., Tyson Foods Huadong Development Co. Ltd, Tyson Foods Iberia Alimentos S.L.U., Tyson Foods Italia S.p.A., Tyson Foods Korea, Tyson Foods Netherlands B.V., Tyson Foods Products Limited, Tyson Foods Scotland Europe Limited, Tyson Foods Scotland Sales (Europe) Limited, Tyson Foods UK Limited, Tyson Foods Wrexham Limited, Tyson Foods oosterwolde B.V., Tyson Fresh Meats Inc., Tyson Fresh Meats Sales and Distribution LLC, Tyson Global Holding Sarl, Tyson Hog Markets Inc., Tyson India Holdings Ltd., Tyson International APAC Ltd., Tyson International Company Ltd., Tyson International Holding Company, Tyson International Holding Sarl, Tyson International Service Center Inc., Tyson International Service Center Inc. Asia, Tyson International Service Center Inc. Europe, Tyson Mexican Original Inc., Tyson Mexico Trading Company S. de R.L. de CV., Tyson New Ventures LLC, Tyson Opportunity Zone Fund LLC, Tyson Pet Products Inc., Tyson Poultry Inc., Tyson Prepared Foods Inc., Tyson Processing Services Inc., Tyson Refrigerated Processed Meats Inc., Tyson Sales and Distribution Inc., Tyson Service Center Corp., Tyson Shared Services Inc., Tyson Storm Lake Holdings LLC, Tyson Warehousing Services LLC, Tyson of Wisconsin LLC, Uninex SA, Universal Meats (UK) Limited, WBA Analytical Laboratories Inc., Wilton Foods Inc., Xamol Consultores e Servicos, and Zemco Industries Inc..
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Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc., through its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, and sells wood and concrete construction products. The company offers wood construction products, including connectors, truss plates, fastening systems, fasteners and shearwalls, and pre-fabricated lateral systems for use in light-frame construction; and concrete construction products comprising adhesives, specialty chemicals, mechanical anchors, carbide drill bits, powder actuated tools, fiber-reinforced materials, and other repair products for use in concrete, masonry, and steel construction, as well as grouts, coatings, sealers, mortars, fiberglass and fiber-reinforced polymer systems, and asphalt products for use in concrete construction repair, and strengthening and protection products. It also provides connectors and lateral products for wood framing, timber and offsite construction, structural steel construction, and cold-formed steel applications; and mechanical and adhesive anchors for concrete and masonry construction applications. In addition, the company offers engineering and design services, as well as software solutions that facilitate the specification, selection, and use of its products. It markets its products to the residential construction, light industrial and commercial construction, remodeling, and do-it-yourself markets in the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Portugal, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The company was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.
Telefonica Brasil S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides mobile and fixed telecommunications services to residential and corporate customers in Brazil. Its fixed line services portfolio includes local, domestic long-distance, and international long-distance calls; and mobile portfolio comprises voice and broadband internet access through 3G, 4G, 4.5G, and 5G as well as mobile value-added services and wireless roaming services. The company also offers data services, including broadband and mobile data services. In addition, it provides pay TV services through direct to home satellite technology, IPTV, and cable, as well as pay-per-view and video on demand services; network services, such as rental of facilities; other services comprising internet access, private network connectivity, computer equipment leasing, extended service, caller identification, voice mail, cellular blocker, and others; wholesale services, including interconnection services to users of other network providers; and digital services, such as entertainment, cloud, and security and financial services. Further, the company offers multimedia communication services, which include audio, data, voice and other sounds, images, texts, and other information, as well as sells devices, such as smartphones, broadband USB modems, and other devices. Additionally, it provides telecommunications solutions and IT support to various industries, such as retail, manufacturing, services, financial institutions, government, etc. It markets and sells its solutions through own stores, dealers, retail and distribution channels, door-to-door sales, and outbound tele sales. The company was formerly known as Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A. - TELESP and changed its name to Telefonica Brasil S.A. in October 2011. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Energizer Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and distributes household batteries, specialty batteries, and lighting products worldwide. It offers lithium, alkaline, carbon zinc, nickel metal hydride, zinc air, and silver oxide batteries under the Energizer and Eveready brands, as well as primary, rechargeable, specialty, and hearing aid batteries. The company also provides headlights, lanterns, and children's and area lights, as well as flash lights under the Energizer, Eveready, Rayovac, Hard Case, Dolphin, Varta, and WeatherReady brands. In addition, it licenses the Energizer and Eveready brands to companies developing consumer solutions in gaming, automotive batteries, portable power for critical devices, LED light bulbs, generators, power tools, household light bulbs, and other lighting products. Further, the company designs and markets automotive fragrance and appearance products, including protectants, wipes, tire and wheel care products, glass cleaners, leather care products, air fresheners, and washes to clean, shine, refresh, and protect interior and exterior automobile surfaces under the brand names of Armor All, Nu Finish, Refresh Your Car!, LEXOL, Eagle One, California Scents, Driven, and Bahama & Co; STP branded fuel and oil additives, functional fluids, and other performance chemical products; and do-it-yourself automotive air conditioning recharge products under the A/C PRO brand name, as well as other refrigerant and recharge kits, sealants, and accessories. It sells its products through direct sales force, distributors, and wholesalers; and through various retail and business-to-business channels, including mass merchandisers, club, electronics, food, home improvement, dollar store, auto, drug, hardware, e-commerce, convenience, sporting goods, hobby/craft, office, industrial, medical, and catalog. Energizer Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri.
The following companies are subsidiares of Ingersoll Rand: 13125882 Canada Inc., 211 E. Russell Road LLC, 4458664 Canada Inc., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES ASIA PTE. LTD., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES BORROWER S.C.A., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES LLC, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES MIDDLE EAST FZE, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES SERVICES LIMITED, ASTRUM IT GmbH, Accudyne Industries Acquisition S.A r.l, Accudyne Industries Canada Inc., Accudyne Industries S.A r.l., Air Dimensions, Air Dimensions Inc., Albin Pump SAS, BOC Edwards Global Low pressure Air business, CISA S.p.A., Cameron-Centrifugal Compression, Comercial Ingersoll-Rand (Chile) Limitada, Comingersoll-Comercio E Industria De Equipamentos S.A., CompAir, CompAir (Hankook) Korea Co. Ltd., CompAir Acquisition (No. 2) Ltd., CompAir Acquisition Ltd., CompAir BroomWade Ltd., CompAir Finance Ltd., CompAir GmbH, CompAir Holdings Limited, CompAir International Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CompAir Korea Ltd, CompAir South Africa (SA) (Pty) Ltd., Consolidated Distribution Holdings Ltd., DV Systems Inc., Dosatron International SAS, Emco Wheaton Gmbh, Emco Wheaton USA Inc, Enza Air Proprietary Limited, FlexEnergy Holdings LLC, Frigoblock Grosskopf Gmbh, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Investments Limited, GD First (UK) Ltd, GD German Holdings GmbH, GD German Holdings I Gmbh, GD German Holdings II GmbH, GD German Investments GmbH, GD Global Holdings II Inc., GD Global Holdings Inc., GD Global Holdings UK II Ltd., GD Global Ventures I B.V., GD Global Ventures II B.V., GD Global Ventures III B.V., GD Industrial Products Malaysia SDN. BHD., GD Investment KY, GD UK Finance Ltd., GPS Industries, Gardner Denver (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Austria GmbH, Gardner Denver Bad Neustadt Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Belgium NV, Gardner Denver Brasil Industria E Comercio de Maquinas Ltda., Gardner Denver CZ + SK sro, Gardner Denver Canada Corp (Canada), Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Limited, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Engineered Products India Private Limited, Gardner Denver FZE, Gardner Denver Finance II LLC, Gardner Denver Finance Inc & Co KG, Gardner Denver France SAS, Gardner Denver Group Svcs Ltd, Gardner Denver Holdings Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Ltd, Gardner Denver Iberica SL, Gardner Denver Inc., Gardner Denver Industries Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd., Gardner Denver International Inc., Gardner Denver International Ltd., Gardner Denver Investments Inc., Gardner Denver Italy Holdings S.r.L., Gardner Denver Japan Ltd., Gardner Denver Kirchhain Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Korea Ltd., Gardner Denver Ltd., Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Nash Brasil Industria E Comercio De Bombas Ltda, Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd., Gardner Denver Nederland BV, Gardner Denver Nederland Investments B.V., Gardner Denver Oy, Gardner Denver Polska Sp z.o.o., Gardner Denver Pte. Ltd., Gardner Denver S.r.l., Gardner Denver Schopfheim GmbH, Gardner Denver Schopfheim Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Schweiz AG, Gardner Denver Slovakia s.r.o., Gardner Denver Sweden AB, Gardner Denver Taiwan Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas GmbH (f/k/a ILMVAC GmbH), Gardner Denver Thomas Inc., Gardner Denver Thomas Pneumatic Systems (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Garo Dott. Ing. Roberto Gabbioneta S.r.l., Ghh-Rand Schraubenkompressoren Gmbh, HASKEL EUROPE LTD., HASKEL HOLDINGS UK LIMITED, HASKEL INTERNATIONAL LLC, Hamworthy Belliss & Morcom, Haskel France SAS, Haskel Sistemas de Fluidos Espana S.R.L., Hibon Inc., Highspeed Newco LLC, Hingerose Limited, ILMVAC (UK) Ltd., ILS Innovative Labor Systeme, ILS Inovative Laborsysteme GmbH, INGERSOLL RAND ITS JAPAN LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND (CHANG ZHOU) TOOLS CO. LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND (CHINA) INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING CO. LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND CHINA LLC, INGERSOLL-RAND COMERCIO E SERVICOS DE MAQUINAS E EQUIPAMENTOS INDUSTRIAIS LTDA., INGERSOLL-RAND DE PUERTO RICO INC., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL COMPANY B.V., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL SP. Z O.O., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL U.S. INC., INGERSOLL-RAND PHILIPPINES INC., INGERSOLL-RAND SPAIN S.A., INGERSOLL-RAND U.S. HOLDCO INC., IR HPS Holdco. Inc., ITO Emniyet, Ingersoll Rand Cyprus Investments Ltd., Ingersoll Rand Finance LLC, Ingersoll Rand Global Investments LLC, Ingersoll Rand Global Ventures LLC, Ingersoll Rand Hong Kong Investments Limited, Ingersoll Rand Inc., Ingersoll Rand Investments (SG) Pte. Ltd., Ingersoll Rand Investments B.V., Ingersoll Rand Schweiz Investments Gmbh, Ingersoll Rand Technology R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand (Australia) Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand (China) Investment Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (Guilin) Tools Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (Hong Kong) Holding Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (India) Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Ab, Ingersoll-Rand Air Solutions Hibon Sarl, Ingersoll-Rand Beteiligungs Und Grundstucksverwaltungs Gmbh, Ingersoll-Rand Colombia S.A.S., Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited (Uk), Ingersoll-Rand Company South Africa (Pty) Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Cz S.R.O., Ingersoll-Rand De Mexico S.A. De C.V., Ingersoll-Rand Equipements De Production S.A.S., Ingersoll-Rand Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Industrial Ireland Limited, Ingersoll-Rand International (India) Private Limited, Ingersoll-Rand International Holding Llc, Ingersoll-Rand Italia S.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Italiana Manufacturing S.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Korea Holding Llc, Ingersoll-Rand Korea Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Lux Investments II S.A R.I., Ingersoll-Rand Lux Investments S.A R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Luxembourg Industrial Company S.A R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Machinery (Shanghai) Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Malaysia Co. Sdn. Bhd., Ingersoll-Rand S.A. De C.V., Ingersoll-Rand Services And Trading Limited Liability Company, Ingersoll-Rand Services Company, Ingersoll-Rand Services Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Singapore Enterprises Pte. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand South East Asia (Pte.) Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand Superay Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Technical And Services S.A.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Technologies And Services Private Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Technology R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand Tool Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Trading Gmbh, Ingersoll-Rand Vietnam Company Limited, Instrum Rand JSC, Interflex Datensysteme, Ir Canada Holdings Ulc, Ir Canada Sales & Service Ulc, Ir France Sas, Kryptonite corp, Lawrence Factor Inc., LeROI, LeRoi International Inc, MILTON ROY (HONG KONG) LIMITED, MILTON ROY (UK) LIMITED, MILTON ROY EUROPA B.V., MILTON ROY EUROPE SAS, MILTON ROY INDUSTRIAL (SHANGHAI) CO. LTD., MILTON ROY LLC, MILTON ROY US PURCHASER INC., MP Pumps Inc., Maximum AG Technologies Inc., Maximus Solutions, Mb Air Systems Limited, Nash Elmo, Officina Meccaniche Industriali Srl, Oina VV, Oina VV Aktiebolag, Plurifilter D.O.O., Pt Ingersoll-Rand Indonesia, Robuschi, Runtech Systems, Runtech Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Runtech Systems Inc., Runtech Systems OY, SEEPEX, Seepex (M) SDN, Seepex Australia Pty Ltd, Seepex Beteiligungs-Gesellschaft mit Beschrankter Haftung, Seepex France S.a.r.l., Seepex GmbH, Seepex Inc., Seepex India Private Ltd., Seepex Italia SRL, Seepex Japan Co. Ltd., Seepex Nordic A/S, Seepex OOO, Seepex Pumps (Shanghia) Co. Ltd., Seepex UK Ltd., Shanghai CompAir Compressors Co Ltd, Shanghai Compressors & Blowers Ltd., Shanghai Ingersoll-Rand Compressor Limited, Shenzhen Bocom System Engineering Co., Superay, Syltone, TIWR Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, Tamrotor Marine Comp AS Norway, Tecno Matic Europe s.r.o., Thomas Industries Inc., Trane Technologies, Tri-Continent Scientific Inc., Vacuum and Blower Systems division, Welch Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zaxe Technologies Inc., Zeks Compressed Air Solutions Llc, Zinsser Analytic, Zinsser Analytik GmbH, Zinsser NA Inc., and crayon interface.
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Women in Langa have established guest houses or are renting out guest rooms on Airbnb through a non-profit organisation called Ikhaya Le Langa.
The aim is to transform Langa, which is regarded as South Africas oldest informal settlement, into a tourist attraction, stated the Rapport.
Around 240,000 guests booked accommodation in Cape Town through Airbnb in 2016, and throughout the country, Airbnb has helped bring in about R2.4 billion in revenue for hosts.
One Langa host said Airbnb breaks down barriers and helps visitors feel safer, as it lets them see with whom they will be staying.
So long as your host looks after you, safety wont be a problem, she said.
The community welcomes guests that stay here. It is really just the fear of the unknown that people must overcome.
Airbnb cofounder Brian Chesky has also visited guest houses in the area to offer advice on how to treat guests.
Cape Town rental crisis
Not all Cape Town residents are fans of the service, however, and have blamed the popularity of Airbnb for a rental crisis in the city.
According to reports, homeowners and investors now make more money from shorter stays than from long-term tenants.
Brett Herron, mayoral committee member for transport and urban development at the City of Cape Town, said efforts are underway to address the issue and that is not a problem unique to Cape Town.
Cape Town will need to provide an additional 650,000 housing opportunities across the city, at an estimated cost of R101 billion, over the next 20 years, he said.
Now read: Regulating Airbnb in Cape Town
Study: Why men harass co-workers at work
Steve Jobs' sandals sold for more than $200,000
Azerbaijan shells Armenian positions on border again
OPEC downgrades its forecast for global oil demand growth in 2022
White House: Biden and Xi Jinping agree on Blinken's visit to China
CNN: CIA chief Burns meets with SVR director Naryshkin in Ankara
Turkish FM Cavusoglu thanks Ararat Mirzoyan for condolences
Putin signs decree allowing stateless persons to serve in Russian army
Why haven't we met other intelligent life yet? NASA scientists have a sad theory for us
Airbus CEO: There is no question of them breaking off trade ties
Study says genetics influence COVID-19 symptoms
Armen Grigoryan receives Igor Khovayev
Britain and France sign agreement on strengthening cooperation on illegal migration
US updates its sanctions list for Russia: Milur Electronics LLC, an Armenian company listed
Potatoes prices grow by 20%: expert claims agriculture collapse in Armenia
Peskov says Russian-American talks in Ankara initiated by Washington
Morgan Stanley: UK and euro zone economies are likely to face recession
Microsoft says computers are running slower after Windows 11 update: How to solve issue?
Xi Jinping hopes for comprehensive dialogue between NATO, the EU and the US and Russia
Japan proposes to deploy Australian nuclear submarines
Manchester United to fine Ronaldo for scandalous interview
Biden calls talks with Xi Jinping at G20 summit frank
WB: Debt levels among low- and middle-income countries soared in 2021
Armenian national team arrive in Pristina (PHOTOS)
Xi Jinping: China does not intend to challenge the U.S.
Scholz: Adopting a joint G20 summit statement is a tough task
Biden and Xi Jinping oppose use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine
Nikol Pashinyan receives Russian co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group
Deschamps: Mbappe needs freedom
IMF head warns of risks for world economy because of rivalry between China and US
Irakli Garibashvili: Georgia is ready to promote in every possible way the dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan
Vivo's new smartphone, next 'king' of mobile photography: What is known about this phone and when to expect its release?
Red Wings airline launches direct flights from Makhachkala to Yerevan
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Olaf Scholz: EU should expand its cooperation with Southeast Asian countries
Messi: I'm not the one to make promises, I just always think that God is the one who decides
MTV EMA 2022 winners announced in Dusseldorf
Global Leadership Foundation will visit Armenia
Kurdistan Workers' Party denies its involvement in Istanbul terrorist attack
NATO Secretary General says they must not make mistake of underestimating Russia
Elon Musk shares his opinion on collapse of crypto exchange FTX and posts obscene meme with its founder: 'I know my bullshit meter was redlining'
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European U-18 Championship: Mamikon Gharibyan is bronze medalist
French and German central bank heads call for speeding up EU capital markets union
Benzema names favorites for World Cup 2022
Control of U.S. House of Representatives depends on several tight races
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Italy, Greece, Malta and Cyprus say they cannot accept migrants
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Cavusoglu thanks Mirzoyan for condolences on terrorist attack in Istanbul
Xi Jinping and Joe Biden begin first face-to-face meeting in Bali
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Armenian Defense Minister: After expiration of contract service 5 million drams will be provided to servicemen
Turkey refuses to accept U.S. condolences after terrorist attack in Istanbul
Defense Ministers of Georgia and Azerbaijan sign military cooperation plan for 2023
Russian Foreign Ministry denies reports about Lavrov's hospitalization in Bali
Armenian national team travels to Kosovo
Paul McCartney sells guitar for $77 thousand in support of Ukraine
Yellen hopes Biden and Jinping meeting leads to engagement on macroeconomic issues
Russian Defense Ministry confirms violation of ceasefire in Artsakh by Azerbaijani Armed Forces
Artsakh MOD denies accusations of Azerbaijani MOD
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IMF: World economic outlook even bleaker than predicted
Pashinyan: Azerbaijan calls Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh 'our citizens' and at the same time shoots at them
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Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is planning to come to Russia in early October and take part in the Russian Energy Week.
"Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro may visit Russia on the first days of October," an informed source at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City told Interfax.
"Maduro's visit is apparently going to coincide with the Russian Energy Week scheduled for October 3-7 and the Venezuelan president, if he comes, will take part in it", the source said.
The upcoming visit will go amid Venezuela's domestic political problems after the election to the country's National Constitutional Assembly and the recent complications in the relations between Caracas and Washington.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with his Venezuelan counterpart Jorge Arreaza on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week. "We are prepared for any scenario of the U.S. action. We don't rule out the military scenario either. We know that we can count on Russia. We are not friends, we are brothers," Arreaza said during the meeting.
The US would not deliver a strike on North Korea, as they are confident Pyongyang has nuclear weapon, which may be used in response, TASS reported quoting Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"On North Korea the US will not deliver a strike, as they not only suspect, but know for sure that they have nuclear bombs," he said. "President Putin reiterated a few times it is impossible to imagine the US or anybody else could have 100% information about absolutely all facilities."
"I am not protecting North Korea, I simply say practically all agree this analysis," he added.
According to the minister, this logic was shared by most counterparts on the margin of the UN General Assembly. At the same time, he stressed its base is the US experience of invading Iraq.
"They made a strike on Iraq exclusively as they had 100-percent information no mass destruction weapons remained there," Lavrov said. "There, a UN commission had been working, and they intrusively crossed the countrys territory, visited all facilities they wanted."
"Thus, as the commission came to the conclusion Iraq had not met fully the requirements, those who issued orders on strikes realized clearly those were lies," he continued. "Those, who ran that commission - lets not go into details, there was somebody from Australia - took a huge sin."
The foreign minister expressed hope analysts in Washington would consider the logics, he had outlined. Otherwise, he said, the situation may fail "and suffering would be thousands and thousands, dozens of thousands, or even hundreds of innocent people in South Korea, North Korea, of course, in Japan, and Russia and China are very close there".
By Ritah Kemigisa
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is desperately calling for international support for provision of adequate food to more than 1 million South Sudanese refugees.
This follows reports of protests by refugees at Nyumanzi settlement in Adjumani district over lack of food. The refugees claim that the 1kg of posho and 3kg of beans given to them every month is not enough.
According to Charlie Yaxley, provision of food rations remains a big challenge because underfunding of the humanitarian response has a direct impact on the assistance aid agencies ate able to provide.
The challenge of providing enough food for refugees in Uganda is perhaps one of the clearest examples of why further support from the international community is so desperately needed, Mr. Yaxley says.
He says currently, priority is given to the extremely like the elderly, orphans, new arrivals and disabled.
Yaxley adds that to address this, United Nations High Commission for Refugees is working with the World Food Program and Office of the Prime Minister on a program where refugees receive cash-based assistance instead of food rations.
A small cadre of residents and historians may have saved some of the last vestiges of the old Gettelman Brewery on Milwaukees West Side, but not as much as it had hoped.
The citys Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee on Tuesday recommended awarding permanent historic status to one of three 19th century buildings that once belonged to the Gettelman Brewery. It now rests on MillerCoors property.
Left out of the equation are two other adjacent structures. All three buildings were recently given temporary historic status by the citys Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). The zoning committee took up the issue after the HPCs ruling was appealed.
The committees decision, which will now go to the Common Council for final approval, opens the door for MillerCoors to move and preserve one of the buildings and demolish the other two.
"I feel very disappointed," said David Boucher, a West Side resident who nominated the three buildings for historic designation in an effort to save all of them from demolition.
MillerCoors originally targeted the Gettelman structures for demolition in March. They sit in a parking area on the MillerCoors campus, directly across the street from the companys visitor center. MillerCoors determined the buildings need to be demolished to create more space for employee parking and staging for semitrailer trucks.
The three buildings in question include a house, which was originally the home of the Gettelman family before it was used for offices, a small office addition and a large malt house. The structures are above lagering cellars, one of which dates to 1854.
MillerCoors acquired the buildings in 1961 and absorbed the Gettelman business in 1970.
The buildings are considered historically significant as standing examples of one of Milwaukees oldest regional breweries. The Gettelman Brewery is also considered a cultural touchstone, locally, for its popular advertisements and the technological inventions of Frederick "Fritz" Gettelman.
MillerCoors on Tuesday offered the zoning board a "compromise" proposal. It asked for permanent historic status for the Gettelman family house and said it would move the building across the street, next to the visitor center and preserve it. It proposed razing the office addition and malt house.
The zoning board voted in favor of MillerCoors proposal, approving it, 4-1, with only Ald. Nik Kovac opposing.
MillerCoors is prepared to cover the expected $406,000 relocating cost. What exactly MillerCoors would use the house for was not clear Tuesday. Company representatives said there would be some kind of display honoring the Gettelman Brewerys achievements.
Boucher and others have said Milwaukee too often discards its historic places, rather than preserving them. He said renovating the three buildings and perhaps turning them into a restaurant could revitalize the stretch of State Street between the MillerCoors campus and Wauwatosa.
Ald. Mike Murphy, who represents the area, said in an interview that Bouchers idea doesnt make sense. The area is zoned for industrial purposes and MillerCoors employs 1,400 people. Its important not to tamper with that, he said.
"I want to make sure those jobs are staying in our city and having those properties zoned industrial is important," Murphy said.
The Common Council is expected to consider the proposal at its next meeting on Sept. 26. If the council accepts the zoning committees recommendation, MillerCoors will still have to obtain a "certificate of appropriateness" from the Historic Preservation Commission in order to move the house.
Even though an inevitable Milwaukee winter is slowly creeping around the corner, this fall has been abnormally, obscenely warm. But hey, we arent complaining.
Despite 80-degree weather, the leaves are still changing colors, and the evenings are at least a little cooler. Theres no better time of year to visit our citys most beautiful parks and embrace the sublime of nature before the ground is covered in a thick layer of snow.
Some of Milwaukee County Parks greatest assets are the places to put your ass: park benches. We know benches are customary in most parks across the world, but Milwaukee park benches offer visitors better views than most.
Whether youre a lake lover or a skyline snob, theres a park bench out there calling your butts name. You'd better be quick, though those beloved benches get really cold, really fast. Here are our picks of Milwaukee's best places to take a seat and enjoy the view.
Lake Park
A park called Lake Park is, naturally, going to be home to some gorgeous views of Lake Michigan. The benches on Wahl Avenue offer the best viewing area. Plus, now that "Pokemon Go" has officially been controversially banned, the park is restored to its formerly serene glory.
Reservoir Park
Located in Riverwest, Reservoir Park boasts, in our humble opinion, the best view in all of Milwaukee. We know climbing up the stairs to the top of the hill is rough, but the payoff is well worth it. The two benches located on the southeast side of the hill offer a striking view of Milwaukees skyline and Lake Michigan.
South Shore Park
The best bench in this sprawling Bay View park is located under a large, looming tree facing Lake Michigan. The bench overlooks the South Shore Yacht Club, giving this tiny sliver of the shoreline a very nautical vibe. Ahoy!
Pere Marquette Park
This Downtown park is in nestled in the heart of Milwaukees hustle and bustle. There are a few benches in the park, but our favorite is overlooking the Milwaukee River.
Mitchell Park Domes
If youre craving Milwaukees signature summer weather, we recommend popping into the Domes, namely the Tropical Dome. The humidity permits the growth of countless exotic flowers, trees and other warm-weather plants. And yes, there are some prime photo-op benches inside each dome. Don't forget your camera!
The Swing Park
The Swing Park has two benches worth mentioning. The first, glowing bench (rather, set of benches) can be used for sand drawings and watching the gleeful tire swingers. The second notable bench is overlooking the park on North Commerce Street. We especially love this view on nights when Milwaukee's sparkling skyline is all lit up.
Red Arrow Park
Some folks prefer looking at buildings instead of nature. If you happen to be one of those people (we won't judge you), the bench at Red Arrow Park is calling your name. The park is surrounded by many historic Milwaukee buildings, making it the ideal spot for architecture nerds and/or budding historians.
Atwater Park
For those of us who are California dreaming, Shorewood's Atwater Park serves as a beachside oasis. Atwater Beach is the undisputed best beach in Milwaukee, and the bench on Lake Drive offers an unbeatable view of Lake Michigan complete with sandy shores and lush greenery. This is hands-down one of our favorite spots in the city, and we know you'll love it, too.
Jackson Park
In our humble opinion, Jackson Park is one of Milwaukees most underrated parks. Feed the huge duck population while sitting on the bench overlooking the parks peaceful lagoon.
A crane removes concrete stairs as rescuers pause at the remains of a quake-stricken building at Colonia Roma in Mexico City
A new earthquake sowed panic in Mexico City on Saturday, forcing a brief pause in rescue operations to free survivors from the more powerful tremor this week that devastated parts of the capital.
The latest quake, with a magnitude of 6.1, was smaller and further south than the 7.1-magnitude one that struck on Tuesday, killing more than 300 people and toppling 39 buildings in the capital.
As an alarm sounded, hundreds of startled residents raced out into the street, some barefoot, some carrying children.
Trauma from the previous quake was evident.
"Oh God, have mercy," exclaimed Teresa Martinez, 74, who stood in the street with other women, all crying.
Two women died of heart attacks as they tried to leave their homes, according to local media reports. One was in her 80s and the other was 52, according to the website of the daily Reforma.
Authorities said two people also died in the quake in the southern state of Oaxaca, where the epicenter was located.
A bridge collapsed near the town of Juchitan, Oaxaca, already hit hard by a September 7 quake that killed nearly 100 people. Some buildings with previous damage collapsed.
In a jittery Mexico City, the quake made buildings sway, but some didn't notice.
"This time, we didn't feel the ground move... maybe since the last one we're getting used to them," said Pablo Martinez, who had run out of his apartment building with his six-year-old daughter in his arms.
Rescue workers embrace after the seismic alert sounded in Mexico City
Elevated risk
The new tremor sparked concern it could have caused heavy rubble on top of survivors awaiting rescue in the capital to shiftposing a danger both to those trapped and to rescuers.
Rescue crews quickly evacuated five sites in the capital where they had been working.
They hesitated for a couple of hours, discussing the added risk, before going back in to look for survivors.
Mexico City's mayor, Miguel Angel Mancera, told Televisa television that around "30 people may yet be able to be found in this search and rescue operation."
So far, 69 people have been pulled alive from the rubble in Mexico City, according to authorities.
"We've been told they have detected areas with life. They've sent in dogs and the dogs have indicated life," Paola Solorio, a 35-year-old who had three relatives trapped, told AFP.
But the smell of decaying bodies wafting out from the buildings four days after the quake presaged grief for some relatives. Rescue workers wore face masks to shield themselves from the odor.
Still, they refused to give up hope.
"We're here to save lives. You have to have faith and believe (the people inside) are in a place with access to air and managed to survive," said Karin Kvitca, a 29-year-old with an Israeli rescue crew.
A rescue dog in Mexico City searches for possible earthquake survivors trapped under the rubble
Race to find survivors
Anxious families have been holding vigils at the flattened sites, urging exhausted emergency workers to keep trying.
"A lot of time has passed. But we won't give up," said the head of the civil protection service, Luis Felipe Puente.
"Time has gotten the best of us. There are structures that are very complicated to access. But we're going to keep fighting for the families," he told Televisa.
Many Mexicans remember "miracle" rescues a week after a 1985 quake that killed more than 10,000 people in the capital, spurring hopes that some might yet be pulled out alive.
Yet psychologists dispatched to the scene were already preparing to help relatives deal with tragic news.
"The families are still hopeful, but we psychologists are starting to prepare ourselves to counsel them in the context of mourning," said Penelope Exzacarias.
Rising death toll
The latest death toll stands at 305, of which more than half167 fatalitieswere in Mexico City.
The rest of the deaths occurred in the states of Morelos, Puebla, Mexico, Guerrero and Oaxaca.
In the south of Mexico City, at a flattened school where 19 children died, relatives and neighbors had placed wreaths of white flowers.
Families were starting to hold funerals. One of the first was that of Gabriel Morales and Agueda Mendoza, a married couple found locked in embrace under the rubble, along with their dog Quino.
Elsewhere, Japanese rescuers removed their helmets and bowed before a recovered body, rescuers sang the Mexican national anthem after concluding work at a building and a volunteer joked with a young woman pulled from the rubble that she would have to invite his crew to dinner.
2017 AFP
The regional leader of Spain's Basque Country, where nationalist sentiments run high, urged Madrid on Sunday to allow independence referendums like those held in Scotland and Quebec. The comments by Inigo Urkullu come as Catalonia's separatist leaders plan to hold a referendum banned by Madrid on October 1, although whether this will happen remains to be seen given the measures taken by Spain's central government and the courts to stop it. "In the eyes of the world, the Spanish government is part of the problem and not the solution," Urkullu told members of his Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) near Vitoria in northern Spain. Judges and prosecutors have fined and detained key members of the team organising the vote, and threatened to charge people who organised protests last week with sedition. Police have seized close to 10 million ballot papers as well as other items for the referendum. Madrid, which argues that a referendum violates the Spanish constitution, has also tightened control over Catalonia's finances. This has increased resentment in the region and led to claims by its leaders that Madrid has imposed "an undeclared state of emergency". Urkullu said the Spanish state was "lost in its labyrinth" and that it had "failed". "A starting point would be to recognise the existence of two nations (the Basque Country and Catalonia) who want to decide their future democratically, freely and with guarantees," he added. The Basque Country is still marked by decades of violence once waged by armed separatist group ETA, but the peaceful desire for independence remains strong. "We have the right and the capacity to decide our future. "The model is Scotland, or rather the United Kingdom which accepted its pluri-national reality and accepted that Scotland decide its future democratically and freely" in 2014, he said. Urkullu also cited the "Canadian model" that allowed Quebec to hold referendums in 1980 and 1995. Both the Scots and Quebec rejected independence. The sharp criticism comes at a time when the conservative government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy needs the support of the PNV in parliament to approve the 2018 budget.
By Ingrid Melander and Dominique Vidalon PARIS (Reuters) - French far-left opposition party leader Jean-Luc Melenchon drew tens of thousands to a rally on Saturday against President Emmanuel Macron's labour reforms, aiming to reinforce his credentials as Macron's strongest political opponent. Trade union protests against Macron's plan to make hiring and firing easier and give companies more power over working conditions seem to be losing steam, but Melenchon said his "France Unbowed" party was calling on unions to join them and together "keep up the fight". "The battle is not over, it is only starting," Melenchon told the crowd gathered on the Place de la Republique where the rally against what Melenchon has called "a social coup d'etat" ended. In a warning to Macron, who has said he will not bow to street pressure, Melenchon said: "It is the street that defeated the kings, it is the street that defeated the Nazis," while the crowd chanted "Resistance! Resistance!" It remains to be seen whether Melenchon and his party have the capacity to mobilise the kind of street resistance which forced the last two presidents to dilute their own attempts to loosen the labour code. Melenchon tweeted that over 150,000 demonstrators had turned up while police put the number at 30,000. A campaign rally in March, weeks before the presidential election, drew some 130,000 people, party officials had said. "Today we are sending an extraordinary strong message to the workers that they are not alone," Melenchon added. Macron campaigned for the presidency as someone who could bridge the divide between left and right. But since his election, he has already alienated many, especially on the left, by saying he would be a "Jupiter-like" president, above the fray, and with his avowed determination not to tolerate "slackers". Some of Saturday's protesters carried banners reading "The slackers are in the streets" or "Macron president of the wealthy". Party officials said about 150 buses had brought protesters from all over France. Brigitte Gerard, a 59-year-old school teacher from Rennes, in western France, carried a banner reading: "Watch out Jupiter, the people are rumbling". "There is a lot of anger," she said as the march set off for the Place de la Republique. "I don't think they're aware of it. They're cut off from reality." "ARM-WRESTLING CONTEST" The new labour rules, discussed at length in advance with unions, will among other measures cap payouts on dismissals that are judged unfair. "Emmanuel Macron has started an arm-wrestling contest with the French people ... but I think we can stop these decrees," France Unbowed lawmaker Adrien Quatennens told Reuters. A string of opinion polls showing the far-left maverick Melenchon as the strongest opponent to Macron's upstart En Marche (On The Move) party, highlight the weakness of the traditional mainstream parties. The Socialists, who ruled from 2012 to 2017, are in tatters, the conservative Republicans are divided over whether to back Macron, and the far-right National Front, whose leader Marine Le Pen reached the second round run-off against Macron, is weakened by internal fighting. Ironically, Melenchon's strength could be a good thing for Macron, because polls also indicate that he is not seen as a credible alternative but rather as a conduit for protest. In an Odoxa survey carried out this week, 66 percent of respondents said Melenchon would be a bad president. The centrist president formally signed the labour decrees on Friday, and they are due to enter into force by the start of next year. The measures are only the first step of a series of reforms that will also amend the unemployment benefit and pension systems, changes that could well provoke more protests than changes to the labour code. (Additional reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Arthur Connan, Cyril Camu, Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Stephen Powell)
A general's comment that the military could be forced to intervene in Brazil's corruption crisis has rattled a country that only exited a two-decades long dictatorship in 1985. The top Brazilian army commander, Eduardo Villas Boas, repeated earlier assurances Friday that the military "is committed to the consolidation of democracy." But the lack of any public disciplinary action against his subordinate, General Antonio Hamilton Mourao, has raised eyebrows. Mourao, a popular general, said in a talk to freemasons last week that "either the institutions resolve the political problem, through the judiciary and removing all those involved in illicit acts from public life, or we will have to impose this." "They will have to look for a solution. If they don't succeed, the time will come when we will have to impose a solution," he said in comments that were published online. Mourao said he was expressing "the army way of thinking." Villas Boas rejected the idea, saying that he alone could speak for the military. But he was vague on what consequences there had been for the general, saying only that he had informed Defense Minister Raul Jungmann on "the circumstances and measures adopted regarding the episode involving General Mourao." A spokesman for the army told AFP that measures were taken "internally" and that Villas Boas "considers the matter closed." Jungmann also gave the same assurances Friday. The state human rights body, however, appeared less convinced. "There is nothing in the Brazilian constitution allowing an autonomous intervention by the armed forces in an internal or external situation, regardless of the seriousness," a statement read earlier this week. - Untouchable - It's not the first time that Mourao, 64, has ruffled feathers. In 2015, he was removed from the command of the southern region after speaking out against the political class, which has been snared in the giant "Car Wash" corruption scandal. That same year, subordinates of his paid homage to the notorious dictatorship-era colonel Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, who headed internal repression and torture. But although Mourao was transferred to a desk job, he continues to enjoy high prestige and is considered almost untouchable. "Mourao is a great soldier, a fantastic figure," Villa Boas himself said this week. Nelson During, editor of the website DefesaNet, said that "if Mourao is punished, it would probably lead to mutiny, especially among young officers, from major on down. He represents the way the troops think." A columnist in Globo newspaper warned that with corruption scandals now rising all the way up to President Michel Temer, the government finds itself increasingly helpless. "The impossibility of punishing the general shows that... the government is losing its legitimacy," the columnist, Merval Pereira, said. As the crises mount, polls show that the military remains the most trusted of all institutions. The phenomenon has helped boost the career of rightwing legislator Jair Bolsonaro, a former paratrooper who has gone from a largely fringe politician to one of the leading contenders for October 2018 presidential elections. Among Bolsonaro's favorite provocative statements? Outspoken praise for "the hero" colonel Ustra.
Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani, on the eve of a disputed independence referendum, said Sunday that his people's "partnership with Baghdad has failed" and urged them to go to the polls. "We have reached the conclusion that independence will allow us not to repeat past tragedies," he told a news conference in Arbil, capital of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan in northern Iraq. "The partnership with Baghdad has failed and we will not return to it," said Barzani, who has resisted pressure from the central government, neighbouring states and Washington to call off Monday's referendum and to negotiate a new deal. He urged "all Kurds to vote in peace from tomorrow". "The referendum is the first stage of Kurdistan giving its opinion. After that, a long process will begin," the Kurdish leader said. "The referendum is not for defining borders or imposing a fait accompli. We want a dialogue with Baghdad to resolve the problems, and the dialogue can last one or two years," Barzani said, in reference to disputed zones such as oil-rich Kirkuk. Barzani said he hoped Turkey, a strong opponent of the referendum, would not close its border with Iraqi Kurdistan, warning that both sides would emerge "losers". As for the risks of violence, he said: "We never think of armed conflict but we are ready for everything. We have all the love for the Iraqi army and we are brothers. "We expect reactions from one side or another but we are convinced that whatever the risk and the price, it's better than waiting for a dark outcome."
Sea pirates shot dead at least three people, including a policeman, in an ambush in southern Nigeria's restive oil region, police said Saturday. Bayelsa state police spokesman Asinim Butswat said the incident happened on Friday. "A tugboat, towing a barge with a combined team of policemen from the Nigerian Inland Waterways, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC), and civilians on board was attacked by suspected sea pirates at Ekebiri Waterways," he said. "A reinforced team arrived shortly and rescued one policeman, three NSCDC personnel and four civilians," he said. "However, a policeman, one NSCDC personnel and a civilian were shot dead by the sea pirates, one policeman is still missing," he said. Other groups gave different reports on those killed in the ambush. Area NSCDC head Desmond Agu told AFP two police and one paramilitary officer were killed while three other security personnel were injured in the attack. An official of the Nigerian secret police who did not want to be named, said four security personnel were killed. "The operatives were ambushed around Okoron community while on their way to the Tebidaba flow station which is operated by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC)," he told AFP. Locals said there was a gunfight between the attackers and the security agents. "We heard a series of sporadic gunshot at about 7:00 pm on Friday night," Preye Fubara, a resident of Okoron community said. "The corpses of the slain security operatives have been recovered without their rifles." No group has claimed responsibility for the incident, but militants seeking a fairer share of Nigeria's multi-billion-dollar oil wealth stepped up their violent attacks on oil infrastructure last year, slashing output and hurting government revenue. A government truce with the oil rebels has halted the attacks, but sporadic incidents against security personnel guarding oil installations persist in the region.
Security officials said the giant Rocinha favela in Rio de Janeiro was back under control Saturday after hundreds of soldiers and police were sent to battle heavily armed drug traffickers. Five suspected gang members were arrested overnight, while a gang leader in another favela was arrested, along with a haul of semi-automatic rifles, police said. Although shooting was reported in the early hours of Saturday in Rocinha -- for the seventh day running -- officials said that Friday's deployment of 950 soldiers to reinforce police had brought the crisis under control. "There's a stability that is being maintained," Rio de Janeiro state security chief Roberto Sa told a press conference. General Mauro Sinott said the troops, who intervened after police admitted they were unable to cope with the chaos, would stay as long as needed. "We have no deadline for leaving," he said. The soldiers arrived Friday in convoys of trucks and armored personnel carriers. They are tasked with encircling Rocinha while police and special forces personnel hunt suspects inside. Three people have been killed and four injured in Alto da Boa Vista, local media report, citing police. With an official population of 70,000 and unofficial estimates running as much as three times higher, Rocinha is a sprawling, densely packed neighborhood of small homes on the hills overlooking Rio's posh Leblon district. Well organized drug gangs have long held sway in an uneasy coexistence with outgunned police. The status quo, however, collapsed last Sunday when a rival gang entered in an attempt to take over. Around a quarter of Rio's population of around 6.5 million live in favelas. The tight-knit neighborhoods are home mostly to working class people, but have suffered from decades of being ignored by the government, creating vacuums filled by gangs. Sa called the army-backed security operation a "big opportunity" to root out previously untouchable gunmen. However, Sinott warned that when the military does leave, Rocinha residents will have to close ranks to prevent the gunmen from immediately reestablishing their old ways. "They're the people who can help us clean out the community for a long time," he said. "They have to overcome their fear."
2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #38
Posted on 24 September 2017 by John Hartz
Story of the Week... Toon 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...
Also see:
Arctic sea ice summer minimum in 2017 is eighth lowest on record by Daisy Dunne & Robert McSweeney, Carbon Brief, Sep 20, 2017
We Charted Arctic Sea Ice for Nearly Every Day Since 1979. Youll See a Trend. by Nadja Popovich, Henry Fountain & Adam Pearce, New York Times, Sep 22, 2017
Toon of the Week...
SkS in the News...
A key paragraph in Tim Harford's Fatal attraction of fake facts sours political debate (Financial Times)...
Researchers have been studying the problem for years, after noting how easily charlatans could debase the discussion of smoking, vaccination and climate change. A good starting point is The Debunking Handbook by John Cook and Stephan Lewandowsky, which summarises a dispiriting set of discoveries.
Stephanie Keep's Commentary: Unsolicited and Unwelcome, Climate Denial Comes to Schools (PBS Nova Education - Science of Learning) includes a link to the Intermediate version of the SkS Rebuttal article, The 97% consensus on global warming. The following graphic is also included.
In his article, Consensus On Climate Change (The Gleaner, Jamaica, West Indies), A. Anthony Chen writes:
Let me start by stating a very crucial piece of statistics: 97 per cent of the experts on climate change, the climate-change scientists themselves, agree that humans have been the main cause of climate change since the 1950s. (See, e.g.), Consensus on consensus: a synthesis of consensus estimates on human-caused global warming, by John Cook, et al, in Environmental Research Letters. This consensus is different from another survey that used non-experts such as economic geologists and a self-selected group of those who reject the consensus.)
Regan Wilson also cites Consensus on consensus: a synthesis of consensus estimates on human-caused global warming in her article, Climate change contributes to Hurricane Irma posted in the Quad, the student newspaper of the West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
SkS Spotlights...
The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is an inter-disciplinary committee of the International Council for Science (ICSU), and was created in 1958. SCAR is charged with initiating, developing and coordinating high quality international scientific research in the Antarctic region (including the Southern Ocean), and on the role of the Antarctic region in the Earth system. SCAR provides objective and independent scientific advice to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings and other organizations such as the UNFCCC and IPCC on issues of science and conservation affecting the management of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean and on the role of the Antarctic region in the Earth system. Learn more about us and what activities are on the horizon.
Video of the Week...
The World's Soaring CO2 Levels Visualized as Skyscrapers
If you want an unusual but punchy telling of the worlds explosion of climate-warping gases, look no further than this visualization of CO2 levels over the past centuries soaring like skyscrapers into space.
A Brief History of CO2 Emissions portrays the cumulative amount of this common greenhouse gas that humans have produced since the mid-1700s. It also projects to the end of the 21st century to show what might happen if the world disregards the Paris Agreement, an ambitious effort to limit warming that 200 countries signed onto in 2015. (President Donald Trump still wants to renege on it.) At this point, the CO2-plagued atmosphere could see jumps in average temperature as high as 6 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit, the animations narrator warns, displaying a model of Earth looking less like planet than porcupine.
We wanted to show where and when CO2 was emitted in the last 250 yearsand might be emitted in the coming 80 years if no climate action is taken, emails Boris Mueller, a creator of the viz along with designer Julian Braun and others at Germanys University of Applied Sciences Potsdam and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. By visualizing the global distribution and the local amount of cumulated CO2, we were able to create a strong image that demonstrates very clearly the dominant CO2-emitting regions and time spans.
The World's Soaring CO2 Levels Visualized as Skyscrapers by John Metcalf, City Lab, Sep 19, 2017
Coming Soon on SkS...
The Mail's censure reveals conservative media bias on climate change (Dana)
(Dana) Factcheck: Mail on Sundays astonishing evidence about global temperature rise (Zeke Hausfather)
(Zeke Hausfather) Guest Post (John Abraham)
(John Abraham) Right-wing media could not be more wrong about the 1.5C carbon budget paper (Dana)
(Dana) New research, September 11-17, 2017 (Ari)
(Ari) 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #39 (John Hartz)
(John Hartz) 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Waming Digest #39 (John Hartz)
Poster of the Week...
Climate Feedback Reviews...
Climate Feedback asked its network of scientists to review the article, Analysis of Climate Scientists: Climate Models Have Overestimated Global Warming by James Barrett. The Daily Wire, Sep 19, 2017
Four scientists analyzed the article and estimated its overall scientific credibility to be very low.
A majority of reviewers tagged the article as: Biased, Inaccurate, Misleading.
Review Summary
This story at The Daily Wire describes a new study that evaluates the remaining amount of greenhouse gas that we can emit before global temperature rises to 1.5 C above pre-industrial times. The study suggests that we may have a little more room in the so-called carbon budget than previously estimated.
Scientists who reviewed the Daily Wire article found that it greatly misinterpreted the study by saying that it showed that climate projections have overestimated warming. This is incorrect. The study does not conclude that climate models are overly sensitive to warming, or that future warming will be less than projected. Instead, it investigates a discrepancy between the total amount of greenhouse gas emitted since the Industrial Revolution in the models and in the real world. This difference in estimated past emissions affects the studys calculation of the remaining carbon budget for future emissions.
According to the studys authors, articles implying their work indicates that global temperatures are not rising as fast as predicted (as published in Fox News, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, Breitbart) do not represent their work. Describing the inaccurate coverage of their study, two of the authors wrote, Crucially, the reason for the correction [of the carbon budget] was not that we had a new estimate of the climate response, or warming per tonne of CO2 emittedwe used exactly the current consensus rangebut that we took better account of past emissions and where human-induced warming has got to already.
Daily Wire article misunderstands study on carbon budget (along with Fox News, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, Breitbart), Climate Feedback, Sep 21, 2017
SkS Week in Review...
97 Hours of Consensus...
Andrew Weaver's bio page
Quote derived with author's permission from:
"We know that the world is warming, we've known that for a long time. We know that much of that warming, in fact the overwhelming majority of that warming is due to human activity, that is the combustion of fossil fuels and other GHGs going into the atmosphere."
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The proceeds from the fast-carving event were given to charity.
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Only 40 minutes were set for six artist woodcarvers from Slovakia, Poland and Czech Republic to create wooden sculptures. The unconventional competition in fast-carving took place in Janska dolina.
Sculptures were designated for auction with proceeds given for treatment of a 4-year-old boy with muscular dystrophy. In the past, money has been given to nursery schools or blind children.
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This event is organized mainly because people need it and want it, said main organizer Jan Strachan for the TASR newswire.
Fast-carving is a hard discipline, as noted one of the woodcarvers Adam Bakos. We have to be careful not to hurt ourselves and because of sharp saws we also must take care not to accidentally cut off a piece of the sculpture, he said for TASR.
Woodcarvers turn eight cubic metres of wood into sculptures during this event. A different theme for carving is given every year. This year it was a kingdom full of knights.
AutoZone, Inc. retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories. The company offers various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products. Its products include A/C compressors, batteries and accessories, bearings, belts and hoses, calipers, chassis, clutches, CV axles, engines, fuel pumps, fuses, ignition and lighting products, mufflers, radiators, starters and alternators, thermostats, and water pumps, as well as tire repairs. In addition, the company offers maintenance products, such as antifreeze and windshield washer fluids; brake drums, rotors, shoes, and pads; brake and power steering fluids, and oil and fuel additives; oil and transmission fluids; oil, cabin, air, fuel, and transmission filters; oxygen sensors; paints and accessories; refrigerants and accessories; shock absorbers and struts; spark plugs and wires; and windshield wipers. Further, it provides air fresheners, cell phone accessories, drinks and snacks, floor mats and seat covers, interior and exterior accessories, mirrors, performance products, protectants and cleaners, sealants and adhesives, steering wheel covers, stereos and radios, tools, and wash and wax products, as well as towing services. Additionally, the company provides a sales program that offers commercial credit and delivery of parts and other products; sells automotive diagnostic and repair software under the ALLDATA brand through alldata.com; and automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products through autozone.com. As of August 27, 2022, it operated 6,168 stores in the United States; 703 stores in Mexico; and 72 stores in Brazil. The company was founded in 1979 and is based in Memphis, Tennessee.
Ryder System, Inc. operates as a logistics and transportation company worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Fleet Management Solutions (FMS), Supply Chain Solutions (SCS), and Dedicated Transportation Solutions (DTS). The FMS segment offers full service leasing and leasing with flexible maintenance options, as well as maintenance services, supplies, and related equipment for operation of the vehicles; commercial vehicle rental services; and contract or transactional maintenance services of trucks, tractors, and trailers, as well as fleet support services. This segment also provides access to diesel fuel; offers fuel planning and tax reporting, cards, and monitoring services, and centralized billing; and sells used vehicles through its 63 retail sales centers and www.ryder.com/used-trucks website. The DTS segment offers equipment, maintenance, drivers, administrative, and additional services, as well as routing and scheduling, fleet sizing, safety, regulatory compliance, risk management, and technology and communication systems support services. The SCS segment comprises distribution management services, such as designing and managing customer's distribution network and facilities; coordinating warehousing and transportation for inbound and outbound material flows; handling import and export for international shipments; coordinating just-in-time replenishment of component parts to manufacturing and final assembly; and offering shipments to customer distribution centers or end customer delivery points, as well as other value added services, such as light assembly of components. This segment also offers transportation management services, such as shipment optimization, load scheduling, and delivery confirmation services; knowledge-based professional services; and e-commerce and last mile services. Ryder System, Inc. was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.
Juniper Networks, Inc. designs, develops, and sells network products and services worldwide. The company offers routing products, such as ACX series universal access routers to deploy high-bandwidth services; MX series Ethernet routers that function as a universal edge platform; PTX series packet transport routers; wide-area network SDN controllers; and session smart routers. It also provides switching products, including EX series Ethernet switches to address the access, aggregation, and core layer switching requirements of micro branch, branch office, and campus environments; QFX series of core, spine, and top-of-rack data center switches; and juniper access points, which provide Wi-Fi access and performance. In addition, the company offers security products comprising SRX series services gateways for the data center; Branch SRX family provides an integrated and next-generation firewall; virtual firewall that delivers various features of physical firewalls; and advanced malware protection, a cloud-based service and Juniper ATP. Further, it offers Junos OS, a network operating system; Contrail networking, which provides an open-source and standards-based platform for SDN; Mist AI-driven Wired, Wireless, and WAN assurance solutions to set and measure key metrics; Mist AI-driven Marvis Virtual Network Assistant, which identifies the root cause of issues; Juniper Paragon Automation, a modular portfolio of cloud-native software applications; and Juniper Apstra to automate the network lifecycle in a single system. Additionally, the company provides software-as-a-service, technical support, maintenance, and professional services, as well as education and training programs. It sells its products through direct sales, distributors, value-added resellers, and original equipment manufacturers to end-users in the cloud, service provider, and enterprise markets. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
General Mills, Inc. manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates in five segments: North America Retail; Convenience Stores & Foodservice; Europe & Australia; Asia & Latin America; and Pet. It offers ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and salty snacks, ice cream, nutrition bars, wellness beverages, and savory and grain snacks, as well as various organic products, including frozen and shelf-stable vegetables. It also supplies branded and unbranded food products to the North American foodservice and commercial baking industries; and manufactures and markets pet food products, including dog and cat food. The company markets its products under the Annie's, Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Blue Buffalo, Blue Basics, Blue Freedom, Bugles, Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, EPIC, Fiber One, Food Should Taste Good, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-Ups, Gardetto's, Go-Gurt, Gold Medal, Golden Grahams, Haagen-Dazs, Helpers, Jus-Rol, Kitano, Kix, Larabar, Latina, Liberte, Lucky Charms, Muir Glen, Nature Valley, Oatmeal Crisp, Old El Paso, Oui, Pillsbury, Progresso, Raisin Nut Bran, Total, Totino's, Trix, Wanchai Ferry, Wheaties, Wilderness, Yoki, and Yoplait trademarks. It sells its products directly, as well as through broker and distribution arrangements to grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, e-commerce retailers, commercial and noncommercial foodservice distributors and operators, restaurants, convenience stores, and pet specialty stores, as well as drug, dollar, and discount chains. The company operates 466 leased and 392 franchise ice cream parlors. General Mills, Inc. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The following companies are subsidiares of Johnson & Johnson: 3Dintegrated ApS, ALZA Corporation, AMO (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd Beijing Branch, AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd Guangzhou Branch, AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd., AMO ASIA LIMITED, AMO Asia Limited (Korea Branch), AMO Asia Limited Taiwan Branch (Hong Kong), AMO Australia Pty Limited, AMO Australia Pty Limited (New Zealand Branch), AMO Canada Company, AMO Denmark ApS, AMO Development LLC, AMO France, AMO Germany GmbH, AMO Groningen B.V., AMO International Holdings Unlimited Company, AMO Ireland, AMO Ireland Ireland Branch, AMO Italy SRL, AMO Japan K.K., AMO Manufacturing USA LLC, AMO Netherlands BV, AMO Nominee Holdings LLC, AMO Norway AS, AMO Puerto Rico Manufacturing Inc., AMO Sales and Service Inc., AMO Singapore Pte. Ltd., AMO Spain Holdings LLC, AMO Switzerland GmbH, AMO U.K. Holdings LLC, AMO United Kingdom Ltd., AMO Uppsala AB, AUB Holdings LLC, Abott Medical Optics, Acclarent Inc., Actelion Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Actelion Pharmaceuticals US Inc., Actelion Treasury Unlimited Company, Akros Medical Inc., Albany Street LLC, Alios BioPharma, Alza Land Management Inc., Anakuria Therapeutics Inc., Animas Diabetes Care LLC, Animas LLC, Animas Technologies LLC, AorTx Inc., Apsis, Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Aragon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, Atrionix Inc., Auris Health, Auris Health Inc., Backsvalan 2 Aktiebolag, Backsvalan 6 Handelsbolag, Beijing Dabao Cosmetics Co. Ltd., BeneVir BioPharm Inc., Berna Rhein B.V., BioMedical Enterprises Inc., Biosense Webster (Israel) Ltd., Biosense Webster Inc., Branch of Johnson & Johnson LLC (RU) in Kazakhstan, C Consumer Products Denmark ApS, CSATS Inc., Calibra Medical LLC, Campus-Foyer Apotheke GmbH, Carlo Erba OTC S.r.l., Centocor Biologics LLC, Centocor Research & Development Inc., Cerenovus Inc., ChromaGenics B.V., Ci:Labo Customer Marketing Co. Ltd., Ci:Labo USA Inc., Ci:z Holdings, Ci:z. Labo Co. Ltd., Cilag AG, Cilag GmbH International, Cilag Holding AG, Cilag Holding Treasury Unlimited Company, Cilag-Biotech S.L., CoTherix Inc., Coherex Medical Inc., ColBar LifeScience Ltd., Company Store.com Inc., Conor MedSystems, Cordis International Corporation, Cordis de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Corimmun GmbH, DePuy Hellas SA, DePuy International Limited, DePuy Ireland Unlimited Company, DePuy Mexico S.A. de C.V., DePuy Mitek LLC, DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., DePuy Products Inc., DePuy Spine LLC, DePuy Synthes Gorgan Limited, DePuy Synthes Inc., DePuy Synthes Institute LLC, DePuy Synthes Leto SARL, DePuy Synthes Products Inc., DePuy Synthes Sales Inc., Debs-Vogue Corporation (Proprietary) Limited, Dutch Holding LLC, ECL7 LLC, EES Holdings de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EES S.A. de C.V., EIT Emerging Implant Technologies GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery (Europe) GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc., Ethicon Endo-Surgery LLC, Ethicon Inc., Ethicon LLC, Ethicon PR Holdings Unlimited Company, Ethicon Sarl, Ethicon US LLC, Ethicon Women's Health & Urology Sarl, Ethnor (Proprietary) Limited, Ethnor Farmaceutica S.A., Ethnor del Istmo S.A., FMS Future Medical System SA, Finsbury (Development) Limited, Finsbury (Instruments) Limited, Finsbury Medical Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics International Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics Limited, GH Biotech Holdings Limited, GMED Healthcare BV, GMED Healthcare BV (Branch), Global Investment Participation B.V., Guangzhou Bioseal Biotech Co. Ltd., Hansen Medical Deutschland GmbH, Hansen Medical Inc., Hansen Medical International Inc., Hansen Medical UK Limited, Healthcare Services (Shanghai) Ltd., Hickory Merger Sub Inc., I.D. Acquisition Corp., Innomedic Gesellschaft fur innovative Medizintechnik und Informatik mbH, Innovative Surgical Solutions LLC, J & J Company West Africa Limited, J&J Pension Trustees Limited, J-C Health Care Ltd., J.C. General Services BV, JJ Surgical Vision Spain S.L., JJC Acquisition Company B.V., JJHC LLC, JJSV Belgium BV, JJSV Manufacturing Malaysia SDN. BHD., JJSV Norden AB, JJSV Produtos Oticos Ltda., JNJ Global Business Services s.r.o., JNJ Holding EMEA B.V., JNJ International Investment LLC, JOM Pharmaceutical Services Inc., Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy (Holding) Limited, Janssen BioPharma LLC, Janssen Biologics (Ireland) Limited, Janssen Biologics B.V., Janssen Biotech Inc., Janssen Cilag C.A., Janssen Cilag Farmaceutica S.A., Janssen Cilag S.p.A., Janssen Cilag SPA, Janssen Development Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Diagnostics LLC, Janssen Egypt LLC, Janssen Farmaceutica Portugal Lda, Janssen Global Services LLC, Janssen Holding GmbH, Janssen Inc., Janssen Irish Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Korea Ltd., Janssen Oncology Inc., Janssen Ortho LLC, Janssen Pharmaceutica (Proprietary) Limited, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Janssen Pharmaceutica S.A., Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., Janssen Pharmaceutical Sciences Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceutical Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. Japan Branch, Janssen Products LP, Janssen R&D Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Research & Development LLC, Janssen Sciences Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Scientific Affairs LLC, Janssen Supply Group LLC, Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Janssen Vaccines Branch of Cilag GmbH International, Janssen Vaccines Corp., Janssen-Cilag, Janssen-Cilag (New Zealand) Limited, Janssen-Cilag A/S, Janssen-Cilag AG, Janssen-Cilag AS, Janssen-Cilag Aktiebolag, Janssen-Cilag B.V., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Lda., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Ltda., Janssen-Cilag GmbH, Janssen-Cilag International NV, Janssen-Cilag Kft., Janssen-Cilag Kft. Branch Office, Janssen-Cilag Limited, Janssen-Cilag Manufacturing LLC, Janssen-Cilag NV, Janssen-Cilag OY, Janssen-Cilag Pharma GmbH, Janssen-Cilag Pharmaceutical S.A.C.I., Janssen-Cilag Polska Sp. z o.o., Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd, Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd (Branch), Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag s.r.o., Janssen-Pharma S.L., Jevco Holding Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Johnson & Johnson (Angola) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd. Beijing Branch, Johnson & Johnson (Egypt) S.A.E., Johnson & Johnson (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Ireland) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Jamaica) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Kenya) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. (DHCC Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. (JAFZA Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. Service Center (DAFZA Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Mozambique) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (New Zealand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Philippines) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Thailand) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (Trinidad) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Vietnam) Co. Ltd, Johnson & Johnson - Societa' Per Azioni, Johnson & Johnson AB, Johnson & Johnson AB Eesti filiaal (Branch), Johnson & Johnson AG, Johnson & Johnson AG (Zuchwil Branch), Johnson & Johnson Belgium Finance Company BV, Johnson & Johnson Bulgaria EOOD, Johnson & Johnson China Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Thailand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer B.V., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health Care Switzerland Branch of Janssen-Cilag AG, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Holdings France, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. (Dominican Republic Branch), Johnson & Johnson Consumer NV, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Services EAME Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Del Paraguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson Dominicana S.A.S., Johnson & Johnson Enterprise Innovation Inc., Johnson & Johnson European Treasury Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson Finance Corporation, Johnson & Johnson Finance Limited, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH (Branch Office), Johnson & Johnson Gateway LLC, Johnson & Johnson Gesellschaft m.b.H., Johnson & Johnson GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Guatemala S.A., Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc., Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions Inc., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Commercial and Industrial S.A., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Consumer Products Commercial Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson Hemisferica S.A., Johnson & Johnson Holding GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Inc., Johnson & Johnson Industrial Ltda., Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC Inc., Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Limited, Johnson & Johnson International, Johnson & Johnson International (Belgian Branch) (European Logistics Center), Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (Branch), Johnson & Johnson International Financial Services Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson K.K., Johnson & Johnson Kft., Johnson & Johnson Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Korea Selling & Distribution LLC, Johnson & Johnson LLC, Johnson & Johnson Lda, Johnson & Johnson Limited, Johnson & Johnson Limited (Sri Lanka Branch), Johnson & Johnson Luxembourg Finance Company Sarl, Johnson & Johnson Management Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical (China) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Proprietary) Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd. Beijing Branch, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Suzhou) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical B.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices & Diagnostics Group - Latin America L.L.C., Johnson & Johnson Medical GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical NV, Johnson & Johnson Medical Products GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical S.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.C.S., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.p.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical SAS, Johnson & Johnson Medical Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Ankara Branch), Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Izmir Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East - Scientific Office, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ - LLC (Lebanese Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Ghana Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Kenya Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC Branch (TSO) (Saudi Arabia Branch), Johnson & Johnson Morocco Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson NCB (Belgian Branch), Johnson & Johnson Nordic AB, Johnson & Johnson Pacific Pty Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pakistan (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Panama S.A., Johnson & Johnson Personal Care (Chile) S.A., Johnson & Johnson Poland Sp. z o.o., Johnson & Johnson Poland sp. z o.o. oddzial w Warszawie "Consumer", Johnson & Johnson Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd. Korea Branch, Johnson & Johnson Pty. Limited, Johnson & Johnson Romania S.R.L., Johnson & Johnson S.A., Johnson & Johnson S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson S.E. Inc., Johnson & Johnson S.E. d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson SDN. BHD., Johnson & Johnson Sante Beaute France, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision India Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson UK Treasury Company Limited, Johnson & Johnson Ukraine LLC, Johnson & Johnson Urban Renewal Associates, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson de Argentina S.A.C. e. I., Johnson & Johnson de Chile Limitada, Johnson & Johnson de Chile S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Colombia S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson de Uruguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Venezuela S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Ecuador S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Peru S.A., Johnson & Johnson do Brasil Industria E Comercio de Produtos Para Saude Ltda., Johnson & Johnson for Export and Import LLC, Johnson & Johnson s.r.o., Johnson Y Johnson de Costa Rica S.A., Johnson and Johnson (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson and Johnson Sihhi Malzeme Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, LTL Management LLC, La Concha Land Investment Corporation, Latam International Investment Company Unlimited Company, Legal Entity Name, MDS Co. Ltd., McNEIL MMP LLC, McNeil AB, McNeil Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co., McNeil Denmark ApS, McNeil Healthcare (Ireland) Limited, McNeil Healthcare (UK) Limited, McNeil Healthcare LLC, McNeil Iberica S.L.U., McNeil LA LLC, McNeil Nutritionals LLC, McNeil Panama LLC, McNeil Products Limited, McNeil Sweden AB, Medical Device Business Services Inc., Medical Devices & Diagnostics Global Services LLC, Medical Devices International LLC, Medos International Sarl, Medos International Sarl succursale de Neuchatel (Branch), Medos Sarl, MegaDyne Medical Products Inc., Menlo Care De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Mentor B.V., Mentor Deutschland GmbH, Mentor Medical Systems B.V., Mentor Partnership Holding Company I LLC, Mentor Texas GP LLC, Mentor Texas L.P., Mentor Worldwide LLC, Micrus Endovascular LLC, Middlesex Assurance Company Limited, Momenta Ireland Limited, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc., NeoStrata Company Inc., NeoStrata UG (haftungsbeschrankt), Netherlands Holding Company, NeuWave Medical Inc., Neuravi Limited, Novira Therapeutics, Novira Therapeutics LLC, NuVera Medical Inc., OBTECH Medical Sarl, OGX Beauty Limited, OMJ Holding GmbH, OMJ Ireland Unlimited Company, OMJ Pharmaceuticals Inc., Obtech Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Inc., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals NV, Ortho Biologics LLC, Ortho Biotech Holding LLC, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical LLC, Orthospin Ltd., Orthotaxy, PT Integrated Healthcare Indonesia, PT. Johnson & Johnson Indonesia, Patriot Pharmaceuticals LLC, Peninsula Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pharmadirect Ltd., Pharmedica Laboratories (Proprietary) Limited, Princeton Laboratories Inc., Productos de Cuidado Personal y de La Salud de Bolivia S.R.L., Proleader S.A., Pulsar Vascular Inc., Regency Urban Renewal Associates, RespiVert Ltd., RoC International, Royalty A&M LLC, Rutan Realty LLC, SYNTHES Medical Immobilien GmbH, Scios LLC, Sedona Singapore International Pte. Ltd., Sedona Thai International Co. Ltd., Serhum S.A. de C.V., Shanghai Elsker For Mother & Baby Co. Ltd, Shanghai Elsker Mother & Baby Co. Ltd Minghang Branch, Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Ltd., Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Sightbox LLC, Sodiac ESV, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Company, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Partnership, SterilMed, SterilMed Inc., Surgical Process Institute Deutschland GmbH, Synthes Costa Rica S.C.R. Limitada, Synthes GmbH, Synthes Holding AG, Synthes Holding Limited, Synthes Inc., Synthes Medical Surgical Equipment & Instruments Trading LLC, Synthes Produktions GmbH, Synthes Proprietary Limited, Synthes S.M.P. S. de R.L. de C.V., Synthes Tuttlingen GmbH, Synthes USA LLC, Synthes USA Products LLC, TARIS Biomedical, TARIS Biomedical LLC, TearScience Inc., The Anspach Effort LLC, The Vision Care Institute LLC, Tibotec LLC, Torax Medical Inc., UAB "Johnson & Johnson", UAB Johnson & Johnson Eesti Filiaal (Estonian Branch), Vania Expansion, Verb Surgical, Verb Surgical Inc., Vision Care Finance Unlimited Company, Vogue International, Vogue International LLC, Vogue International Trading Inc., WH4110 Development Company L.L.C., XO1, XO1 Limited, Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd., Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Beijing Branch Office, Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Shanghai Branch Office, Zarbee's Inc., and Zarbee's Naturals.
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Astronomers from the Pierre Auger Observatory has stated that the cosmic rays that hit earth come from the far Galaxy. This study has given an important clue about the origin cosmic rays, high-energy particles.
The research report came out when popular physics scientist Stephen Hawkings Breakthrough Listen project unlocked the mystery signals which may have been originated by extraterrestrial civilisations.
For many years, it was well known that the Earth is consistently affected by high-energy cosmic rays. Cosmic rays are nuclei of elements charged particles come from space outside of solar system. The energy that cosmic rays consist is very high. Its energy level is greater than the power made by a human-made particle accelerator. But after the recent study, a team of scientists thinks that they might have solved the question about the origin of these cosmic rays.
The researchers known as the Pierre Auger Collaboration, in a study of Published Science informed that the cosmic rays come from outside of the Milky Way. They have drawn their conclusion by recording from the Pierre Auger Observatory, Argentina. It is the largest cosmic ray observatory in the world.
The cosmic rays rarely reach the Earth. The energy level is estimated greater than two joules. When they came to earth and interacted with the Planets atmosphere, the rays come into contact of Nuclei. It then makes a shower of electrons, photons, and muons. After that, the cosmic rays become detectable by scientists.
Pierre Auger Observatory has 1,600 detectors spreading out over 3,000 square kilometres area. When the shower hits detectors, scientists can determine its origination direction. The researchers examined the direction of more than 300,000 cosmic particles and found that the arrival rate of cosmic rays varies from direction to direction. In some direction, the rate is higher.
The team said that the cosmic rays are coming from an area having a high distribution of galaxies. But the cosmic rays direction indicates toward a vast area of the sky. It is not easy to determine a particular source of rays. As per the researchers, the sun emits cosmic rays having low energy level.
After this new study, the researchers are now closer to disclose the origin of the cosmic rays and how these particles are created. This question is essential for the astrophysicist, Professor Karl-Heinz, from the University of Wuppertal informed.
If the mechanism behind the creation of cosmic rays can be revealed, it can explain certain things like formation process of galaxies.
The particles that have detected are so energetic that they have to come from astrophysical phenomena to have that energy level. Some theories say some galaxies have massive black holes. These black holes are more violent. So this can accelerate particles of very high energy and reach the Earth, researchers informed.
Recently, Dr. Vishal Gajjar, a postdoc at the University of California Berkley researching for the $100m Breakthrough Listen project, had successfully detected 15 strange and repetitive Radio signal bursts radiating out from a small galaxy using the Breakthrough Listen to the instrument at Green Bank on accumulating 400 terabytes of observations of FRB 121102s location. According to the reports of the latest discovery, the dwarf galaxy is said to be 3 million light years away from Earth and it is observed that the mysterious signals are coming out from that galaxy indicating the presence of aliens.
In a study previously published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, two researchers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) have pushed forward the path-breaking view that goes beyond the accepted hypothesis that aliens are behind the mysterious Fast Radio Bursts. In somewhat more scientific imprimatur, the new study has claimed that FRBs may be the effect of seepage from planet-sized transmitters, developed by an alien civilization to speed up interstellar probes or UFOs. Scientists believe that Fast Radio Bursts are responsible for fuelling alien starships.
Also, people tracking aliens and UFOs have spotted three mysterious objects flying past International Space Station recently. Alien seekers believe them to be Alien spaceship and claimed that aliens to linger around the ISS frequently and talk to astronauts aboard the space station.
Whatever, it might be, but it has once again given rise to the conspiracy that we are not alone in this universe. Apparently, the video has stunned the people as they started questioning NASA for revealing the truth behind the video. NASA officials are still silent on the footage and no one has come out explain whether the claim is correct or irrelevant.
Coast Guard drugs
Reuters
The cultivation of coca, the base ingredient of cocaine, in Colombia spiked 134% between 2013 and 2016, after hitting a low in 2012.
That period also saw the two largest year-over-year increases in cultivation ever in Colombia a 39% rise in 2014 and a 42% increase 2015.
Cultivation increased a little over 13% in 2016, but that growth brings Colombia to double the acreage under cultivation it had in 2012, its lowest point.
"This surge is very troubling and likely foreshadows an increase of importation, abuse, and overdose deaths in the United States," Anthony Williams, assistant administrator and chief of operations for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, told the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control on Tuesday.
Much of the cocaine from the region Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru are the world's biggest producers travels to the US, plying sea and air routes in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, as shown by the map below, which was prepared by US Southern Command and displayed at the hearing.
Central America drug trafficking map
Adam Isacson/US Southern Command
Narcotics are carried by a variety of ships, from normal commercial or fishing vessels to rudimentary submarines, or narco subs, built by traffickers in isolated parts of Colombia.
But "primarily, it's what we call pangas," Vice Adm. Charles Ray, the Coast Guard deputy commandant for operations, said during the hearing. "Those are pretty well purpose-built opened boats, anywhere from 25 to 35 feet long with multiple outboard engines."
While trafficking routes have changed over time, in recent years narco subs and other vessels leaving southwest Colombia or northwest Ecuador laden with drug cargos often head out in the Pacific, even around the Galapagos Islands, before turning north in an effort to skirt law enforcement closer to home which may include underwater sensors in Colombian waters as well as US-led interdiction efforts.
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Panga drug smuggling trafficking boat marijuana weed
Customs and Border Protection
The area covered by traffickers around the Galapagos Islands is as big as the continental US, Ray said, leaving Coast Guard assets assigned to the area stretched thin.
"On any given day we'll have between six to 10 Coast Guard cutters down here," he added. "If you imagine placing that on the United States ... it's a capacity challenge."
According to US Drug Enforcement Administration report issued this summer, 93% to 94% of the cocaine produced in Colombia and shipped to the US in 2016 transited the Mexico/Central America corridor, which includes the eastern Pacific. (Though there are signs of more trafficking in the Caribbean.)
Much of that traffic eventually makes landfall, and then it's "going pretty easily through Mexico and ... almost entirely crossing the land border" in the US, said Adam Isacson, senior associate for defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America.
"Some of it may take a jump out into the eastern Pacific and go up the coast of California in a panga boat or something," Isacson told Business Insider, "but ... this is almost all overland."
Even shipments that land in southern Central America often head north, traveling discreetly up the coast, rather than continuing through the Caribbean.
"A lot of that stuff you see going into Costa Rica, that's when they first track it and then it'll take these short hops up the coast," Isacson said. "Just like a little ant going up and up the coast in little hops and then probably getting into Mexico, where it'll start going overland. Sometimes they're making these trips from Ecuador but a lot of it is these short hops [that security agencies] can't really detect."
DEA drug trafficking routes map
US Drug Enforcement Administration
It's not quite clear why El Salvador and Nicaragua appear to have so little traffic on the map shown at the hearing, Isacson said.
Nicaragua's government claims its relatively low homicide rate and lower amounts of annual cocaine seizures indicate a successful counternarcotics strategy, though past cases suggest organized crime does operate there.
The US State Department named El Salvador "a major transit country" for narcotics earlier this year, with smugglers using go-fast boats and other vessels to move along the coast and refuel other smuggling vessels and using buses and tractor-trailers on the Pan-American Highway. An increase in maritime seizures in 2016 led to a fourfold increase in cocaine seizures, rising to 12.2 metric tons.
Panama drugs cocaine bust
REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
Panama's proximity to Colombia has made it a major transit point for Colombian criminal groups, both on land and water. Costa Rican officials have not only said Mexican cartels are recruiting and training local criminal groups, but also that there is no beach in the country smugglers haven't been able to use as a stopover point.
Guatemala, where smugglers rely on routes in its vast border regions, and Honduras were both named major transit countries for narcotics by the US State Department this year.
Guatemala cocaine seizure drugs
REUTERS/Jorge Dan Lopez
Guatemala saw a 10-year high in cocaine seizures in 2016, while 80% of all suspected drug flights leaving South America first landed in Honduras (though that number declined in 2016 and most cocaine arrives by boat).
The Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador are major operating areas for transnational gangs like MS-13.
Such gangs are believed to not have the economic and political clout to expand beyond local drug sales and trafficking, and the State Department reports that they "do not yet appear to be a formal part of the transnational drug logistics chain."
NOW WATCH: Here's what $1 billion worth of cocaine looks like
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William Bill A. Miller, 93, of La Crosse died Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, at Gundersen Health System, La Crosse.
He was born March 1, 1924, in La Crosse, to William and Meta Marie (Neubauer), the youngest of nine children. Bill graduated from Central High School in 1942. He proudly served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, in the South Pacific and aboard the USS Menard AP201. He made the landing at Okinawa, Easter Sunday, 1945, and took the occupation Marines into Nagasaki, where the second atomic bomb was dropped.
After receiving an honorable discharge Dec. 1, 1945, in 1948, Bill went to work for PPG Industries and in 1954, opened a branch in Glendale, Wis. In 1955, he opened a branch in Rochester, Minn., and that is where he met the love of his life, Kathryn Julie Kittley York. Bill and Julie were wed Oct. 5, 1963, at English Lutheran Church in Rochester. In 1964, he transferred to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to manage the PPG Industries branch. In 1969, after 21 years with PPG, Bill resigned and purchased a small glass company in Marshalltown, Iowa, and named it Hawkeye Glass, Inc.
While in Marshalltown, Bill was involved in many civic organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce, Elks Club and Elmwood Country Club, to name a few. He was also a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church, Chamber Ambassador Club, and was voted Small Business of the Year. In 1989, Bill retired and sold his business, staying on as a consultant for a year, before moving to La Crosse, in 1991. He joined Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and served several terms on the church council. He also delivered mobile meals for many years.
Prior to and after the Navy, Bill was active in scouting where he obtained the rank of Eagle with Palms. He also was the Scout Master with the Salvation Army Troop 27. Bill enjoyed attending many ship reunions over the years of the Menard, which consisted of World War II and Korean veterans.
Bill leaves behind his sisters-in-law, Ruth Miller and Janet Kittley; plus many nieces and nephews, great, great-great, and great-great-great-nieces and nephews.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents; brothers and sisters; and beloved wife, Julie.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 2135 Weston St., La Crosse. Pastor Bruce Iverson will officiate and burial with military honors will be in Mormon Coulee Memorial Park. A visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until time of service.
The Dickinson Family Funeral Home & Crematory is assisting the family with arrangements.
Bills family would like to thank the staff at Hillview Assisted Living, where he spent the past five years and said that every staff member and resident was like family. Also, thank you to Pastor Bruce, for coming to see Bill at Hillview Assisted Living and taking communion when he was no longer able to go to church and most recently, for visiting him while at Gundersen. Thank you to Gundersen Health System for Bills excellent care and for making every effort to see to Bills comfort during his final days.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, La Crosse.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.dickinsonfuneralhomes.com.
By Julien Toyer and Tomas Cobos MADRID (Reuters) - The mounting political crisis in Spain over Catalonia's campaign for independence intensified on Saturday with a new row over the control of the local police force as the regional government pressed ahead with plans to hold an illegal vote next weekend. The State prosecutor in Catalonia told all local and national police forces on Saturday that they had been temporarily placed under a single chain of command reporting directly to the interior ministry in Madrid. But Catalonia's interior chief, Joaquim Forn, said his department and the local police, or Mossos d'Esquadra, did not accept this decision. "We denounce the intervention of the state to control the police forces of Catalonia ... We will not accept this control," Forn said in a televised speech. It was not immediately clear whether the regional administration and the Mossos could actually oppose the decision, as Spanish laws allow for the possibility of state police taking the lead over the police of an autonomous community during a joint operation. The central government representative in Catalonia, Enric Millo, had earlier said the Mossos remained in charge of security in Catalonia though they would be "coordinated" directly by the interior ministry and not by the local authorities, together with two national police forces also on the ground in Catalonia. "We are not taking over the police competencies of the regional government," Millo told reporters after an event held by his People's Party (PP) in Palma de Mallorca, in Eastern Spain. Millo also called on Catalan leaders, including Forn, to stop encouraging street protests and demonstrations. Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia said the prosecutor's order would remain in place until at least Oct. 1, when the vote is due to take place. The Mossos are one of the symbols of Catalonia's autonomy and for many Catalans the prosecutor's decision may be reminiscent of the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War and subsequent dictatorship of Francisco Franco, when the Mossos were abolished. Several pro-independence groups have called for widespread protests on Sunday in central Barcelona. "Let's respond to the state with an unstoppable wave of democracy," a Whatsapp message which was used to organise the demonstration read. The Catalonian government opened a new website on Saturday with details of how and where to vote on Oct. 1, challenging several court rulings that had blocked previous sites and declared the referendum unconstitutional. "You can't stem the tide," Catalonia's president Carles Puigdemont said on Twitter in giving the link to the new website. But Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy insisted again that the vote should not go ahead. "It will not happen because this would mean liquidating the law," he said at the PP event in Palma de Mallorca. Acting on court orders, the Spanish state police has already raided the regional government offices, arrested temporarily several senior Catalan officials accused of organising the referendum and seized ballot papers, ballot boxes, voting lists and electoral material and literature. The finance ministry in Madrid has also taken control of regional finances to make sure public money is not being spent to pay for the logistics the vote or to campaign. Between 3,000 and 4,000 police officers coming from other Spanish regions have already arrived in Catalonia or are on their way. They will join 5,000 state police already based in the region and 17,000 local Mossos. (Editing by Greg Mahlich)
By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Six U.S. air strikes on an Islamic State desert camp in Libya killed 17 militants and destroyed three vehicles, the U.S. military said on Sunday, the first American strikes in Libya since President Donald Trump took office in January. U.S. Africa Command said in a statement that strikes on Friday targeted a camp 150 miles (240 km) southeast of Sirte, a city that was once the Islamic State stronghold in Libya. The camp was used to move fighters in and out of Libya, plot attacks and store weapons, the statement said. "ISIS and al-Qaeda have taken advantage of ungoverned spaces in Libya to establish sanctuaries for plotting, inspiring and directing terror attacks," the statement said, using an acronym for Islamic State. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strikes were carried out by armed drones. The last-known U.S. strike in Libya was on Jan. 19, a day before Trump's inauguration, when more than 80 Islamic State militants, some believed to be plotting attacks in Europe, died in U.S. air strikes on camps outside Sirte. That strike was led by two B-2 bombers, which dropped about 100 precision-guided munitions on the camps. Islamic State took over Sirte in early 2015, turning it into its most important base outside the Middle East and attracting large numbers of foreign fighters to the city. The group imposed its hard-line rule on residents and extended its control along about 155 miles (250 km) of Libya's Mediterranean coastline. But it struggled to keep a footing elsewhere in Libya and was forced out of Sirte by last December after a six-month campaign led by brigades from the western city of Misrata and backed by U.S. air strikes. Islamic State militants have shifted to desert valleys and inland hills southeast of Tripoli as they seek to exploit Libya's political divisions after their defeat in Sirte. The statement said the strikes were carried out in coordination with Libya's Government of National Accord. The United Nations launched a road map on Wednesday for a renewed international effort to break a political stalemate in Libya and end the turmoil that followed the countrys 2011 uprising. The U.N.-backed Government of National Accord established under a December 2015 deal never fully materialized in Tripoli, leaving Libya with three competing governments aligned with rival armed alliances. (Reporting By Idrees Ali; Editing by Grant McCool and Peter Cooney)
This is a current list of the top 250 companies by market capitalization on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Learn more .
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is one of the largest, and most recognizable, stock exchanges in the world. The NYSE is in New York City, New York at 11 Wall Street. The NYSE has been in existence since the earliest days of the United States becoming a nation, in 1792 and is primarily made up of blue-chip companies with large market capitalizations. In fact, many of the stocks that make up the Dow Jones Composite Index (i.e. The Dow) are listed on the NYSE.
This article gives a brief history of the New York Stock Exchange. In addition, it covers topics such as what kind of stocks trade on the exchange, what are the listing requirements, how trading is performed, and what the daily price movement of the NYSE tells investors about investor sentiment.
What Were the Origins of the NYSE?
Today, the New York Stock Exchange is known as the center of the financial universe. However, the exchanges origin is far more humble. On May 17, 1792, 24 stockbrokers signed the Buttonwood Agreement creating a centralized exchange to help provide order to the securities market in what was still a young nation. The "Buttonwood Agreement comes from the tree of the same name under which the founders signed the agreement.
An initial benefit of the exchange was how it removed the need for auctioneers when trading commodities like wheat and tobacco and to set a commission rate. The exchange initially focused on government bonds.
However, the exchange had no formal home. Business was usually conducted informally in the local coffeehouses. In 1817, the exchange changed its name to the New York Stock & Exchange Board which later became the New York Stock Exchange. At this time, the exchange adopted a constitution that set the rules for trading. A group of stockbrokers met twice a day at 40 Wall Street to trade 30 stocks and bonds.
Over time, the exchange moved became the financial hub of the country and moved to its current location in 1865.
What Kind of Stocks Trade on the NYSE?
As of June 2022, the NYSE includes approximately 2,400 companies with a market capitalization of over $28.2 trillion. Although the NYSE trades stocks of all market capitalizations, its best known for trading the stocks of large cap companies. These have the benefit of being mature companies in mature industries. And many of these companies reward shareholders with dividends.
However, that also means that many of these companies are better suited for value investors as opposed to growth investors. In bear markets this stability can be a benefit for investors as these stocks tend to perform less bad than more volatile stocks. But in a bull market, these stocks are not likely to provide investors with the growth that they look for.
An interesting fact about how the NYSE and NASDAQ operate is that the companies with the five largest market caps on the NYSE are also listed on the NASDAQ exchange.
What Are the Listing Requirements For the NYSE?
The NYSE has strict guidelines that govern the types of companies that can list on the exchange. Here are the major requirements that all companies must meet:
The company must have at least 2,200 shareholders
The company must trade over 100,000 shares per month
The company must have a market valuation of over $100 million
The company must generate more than $75 million in annual revenue
However, there is at least one advantage of having such stringent requirements. That is the companies that meet the requirements generally find it easier to get more investors funds when they hold their initial public offering (IPO).
Once a company begins trading on the NYSE, it must continue to meet these requirements. If it doesnt it can be delisted. In addition to these requirements, the stock must continue to trade above $1. If the price of a stock drops below $1 for more than 29 consecutive trading days, the stock receives an Initial Price Violation Notice.
At that point, the company has 10 days to provide the exchange with a plan for bringing their shares above $1.
How are Trades Executed on the NYSE?
For over a century, the floor of the NYSE was the place for investors to be. This meant trades were conducted by traders who ran buy and sell orders across the trading floor looking to broker a deal for their clients. But with the birth of the NASDAQ exchange in 1971, the New York Stock Exchange began conducting electronic trading.
However, the NYSE continues to conduct trades in an auction style. Brokers purchase stocks on behalf of their clients or firms. Every order features a broker who will enter the order electronically and a specialist who serves as the market maker for that stock. The specialist posts bid and ask prices and manages the actual execution of the trades. And there are still a handful of stockbrokers who still traffic buy and sell orders physically on the floor of the exchange.
How Does the NYSE Signal Investor Sentiment?
Like its counterpart, the NASDAQ, the NYSE measures the risk appetite of investors. When the NYSE is moving higher over a length of time, it signals that a risk on environment. Conversely when the NYSE moves lower over a significant period, it signals that investors are moving to a risk off position.
Some Final Thoughts on the NYSE
Financial news networks plan their programming schedule around the opening and closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange. Its still considered a distinguished honor when individuals or groups are invited to ring the opening bell. In fact, Warren Buffett is attributed with saying that in the short term, the stock market acts like a voting machine. A fact that many U.S. presidents will attest to.
The NYSE is the oldest and most recognizable of all the stock exchanges. It also has the most stringent requirements for inclusion. And those requirements must be maintained even after a stock begins publicly trading on the exchange.
Although the NYSE still has a small in-person Trading Floor, much of the trading is done electronically to provide traders with the speed to execute trades.
BlackRock, Inc. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. It also provides global risk management and advisory services. The firm manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. It also launches and manages open-end and closed-end mutual funds, offshore funds, unit trusts, and alternative investment vehicles including structured funds. The firm launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and real estate mutual funds. It also launches equity, fixed income, balanced, currency, commodity, and multi-asset exchange traded funds. The firm also launches and manages hedge funds. It invests in the public equity, fixed income, real estate, currency, commodity, and alternative markets across the globe. The firm primarily invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, SMID-cap, large-cap, and multi-cap companies. It also invests in dividend-paying equity securities. The firm invests in investment grade municipal securities, government securities including securities issued or guaranteed by a government or a government agency or instrumentality, corporate bonds, and asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities. It employs fundamental and quantitative analysis with a focus on bottom-up and top-down approach to make its investments. The firm employs liquidity, asset allocation, balanced, real estate, and alternative strategies to make its investments. In real estate sector, it seeks to invest in Poland and Germany. The firm benchmarks the performance of its portfolios against various S&P, Russell, Barclays, MSCI, Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch indices. BlackRock, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in New York City with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts; London, United Kingdom; Gurgaon, India; Hong Kong; Greenwich, Connecticut; Princeton, New Jersey; Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Sydney, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan; Singapore; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington, District of Columbia; Toronto, Canada; Wilmington, Delaware; and San Francisco, California.
Corning Incorporated engages in display technologies, optical communications, environmental technologies, specialty materials, and life sciences businesses worldwide. The company's Display Technologies segment offers glass substrates for liquid crystal displays and organic light-emitting diodes used in televisions, notebook computers, desktop monitors, tablets, and handheld devices. Its Optical Communications segment provides optical fibers and cables; and hardware and equipment products, including cable assemblies, fiber optic hardware and connectors, optical components and couplers, closures, network interface devices, and other accessories. This segment also offers its products to businesses, governments, and individuals. Its Specialty Materials segment manufactures products that provide material formulations for glass, glass ceramics, crystals, precision metrology instruments, software; as well as ultra-thin and ultra-flat glass wafers, substrates, tinted sunglasses, and radiation shielding products. This segment serves various industries, including mobile consumer electronics, semiconductor equipment optics and consumables; aerospace and defense optics; radiation shielding products, sunglasses, and telecommunications components. The company's Environmental Technologies segment offers ceramic substrates and filter products for emissions control in mobile, gasoline, and diesel applications. The company's Life Sciences segment offers laboratory products comprising consumables, such as plastic vessels, liquid handling plastics, specialty surfaces, cell culture media, and serum, as well as general labware and equipment under the Corning, Falcon, Pyrex, and Axygen brands. The company was formerly known as Corning Glass Works and changed its name to Corning Incorporated in April 1989. Corning Incorporated was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Corning, New York.
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.
Teleflex Incorporated designs, develops, manufactures, and supplies single-use medical devices for common diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in critical care and surgical applications worldwide. It provides vascular access products that comprise Arrow branded catheters, catheter navigation and tip positioning systems, and intraosseous access systems for the administration of intravenous therapies, the measurement of blood pressure, and the withdrawal of blood samples through a single puncture site. The company also offers interventional products, which consists of various coronary catheters, structural heart therapies, and peripheral intervention and cardiac assist products that are used by interventional cardiologists and radiologists, and vascular surgeons; and Arrow branded catheters, Guideline and Trapliner catheters, the Manta Vascular Closure, and Arrow Oncontrol devices. It provides anesthesia products, such as airway and pain management products to support hospital, emergency medicine, and military channels; and surgical products, including metal and polymer ligation clips, and fascial closure surgical systems that are used in laparoscopic surgical procedures, percutaneous surgical systems, and other surgical instruments. The company also offers interventional urology products comprising the UroLift System, an invasive technology for treating lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia; and respiratory products, including oxygen and aerosol therapies, spirometry, and ventilation management products for use in various care settings. It provides urology products, such as catheters, urine collectors, and catheterization accessories and products for operative endourology; and bladder management services. The company serves hospitals and healthcare providers, medical device manufacturers, and home care markets. The company was incorporated in 1943 and is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
United Rentals, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental company. It operates in two segments, General Rentals and Specialty. The General Rentals segment rents general construction and industrial equipment includes backhoes, skid-steer loaders, forklifts, earthmoving equipment, and material handling equipment; aerial work platforms, such as boom and scissor lifts; and general tools and light equipment comprising pressure washers, water pumps, and power tools for construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and government entities. The specialty segment rents specialty construction products, including trench safety equipment consists of trench shields, aluminum hydraulic shoring systems, slide rails, crossing plates, construction lasers, and line testing equipment for underground work; power and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment, such as portable diesel generators, electrical distribution equipment, and temperature control equipment; fluid solutions equipment for fluid containment, transfer, and treatment; and mobile storage equipment and modular office space. This segment serves construction companies involved in infrastructure projects, and municipalities and industrial companies. It also sells aerial lifts, reach forklifts, telehandlers, compressors, and generators; construction consumables, tools, small equipment, and safety supplies; and parts for equipment that is owned by its customers, as well as provides repair and maintenance services. The company sells used equipment through its sales force, brokers, website, directly to manufacturers, and at auctions. The company operates a network of 1,360 rental locations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. United Rentals, Inc. was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.
What's next for SD Gov. Kristi Noem as she heads into her second term?
Her kin signal what Kristi Noem hopes to accomplish in her second term: strengthening South Dakota households through various efforts.
Ten years in the making, a cookbook telling the stories of Santa Fe Farmers Market vendors and with recipes using ingredients found at the market was published this summer.
Local photographer and Farmers Market regular Doug Merriam started creating the book, Farm Fresh Journey: Santa Fe Farmers Market Cookbook, about a decade ago along with Santa Fe-based travel writer Lesley S. King.
Merriam describes the book as part cookbook, part history book, part photo book. Merriam sells it at the market most weekends and its also available in the market gift shop.
Initially, the idea was to honor the market and its farmers with recipes featuring their natural ingredients. Then he was inspired to also include profiles of nearly 20 farmers, with photos from the places where they produce their goods.
Merrimam said the idea came to him one day as he bought tomatoes from a farmer and he realized the same hands handing him the tomatoes were those that tended the specific plant that produced the fruit.
The light bulb went off that there was such a bigger story here, this very personal connection that you wont get at a supermarket or Whole Foods or anything, said Merriam. Youre buying directly from the hands that nourished that product.
The profiles are now on the Farm Fresh Journey website rather than in the book because the book became too large. Also, about half of the highlighted farmers no longer participate in the Santa Fe Farmers Market.
Pat Montoya, owner of Montoya Family Orchards in Velarde, was among the first people Merriam took photos of and hes still selling at the market. Since Merriam and King first came to his farm, he has retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory and farms full time. He said hes glad the book was finally completed and that it helps people better understand what kind of work goes into the products people see at the Farmers Market.
Were not like Walmart where it appears there out of nowhere Were busy behind the scenes growing this stuff, Montoya said.
Inside the book are more than 100 recipes that also correlate with the four seasons, matching up with when different produce and products are available at the Farmers Market. Merriam said he came up with some of the recipes and others were submitted by farmers willing to share.
Phil Loomis, owner of Jacona Farms in Santa Fe County and another of the farmers Merriam and King followed, provided his lamb stew recipe. The vegetable farmer adds fennel bulbs and other goods that can be found at his booth. Loomis said people have asked him to autograph the book, which includes photos of him and his stew.
Fennel is something that makes it really great, said Loomis. I make up recipes a lot, and Im usually pretty good at it.
A percentage of the proceeds from the book go back to the Farmers Market, although Merriam wouldnt disclose how much. Market general manager Amara Nash said the money will be used for upkeep, helping keep booth prices low for vendors.
Merriam wanted to finish the book for northern New Mexico farmers and help make them feel proud of their hard work.
Its not a lucrative endeavor, Merriam said. Its hard, backbreaking work. The farmers do it because they love it.
Walking into the Visitor Center of the New Mexico Veterans Memorial on Saturday afternoon, youd have thought a rock star had stopped in.
A throng of people were amassed around someone near the front of the centers banquet hall, cellphones and cameras flashing.
It was no rock star: it was one of New Mexicos own Battling Bastards of Bataan, Joe Romero, who was at last presented with his World War II medals during a ceremony there Saturday.
As long as there is a New Mexico National Guard, these men will never be forgotten, said New Mexico National Guard Adjutant General Kenneth Nava. We will never forget their sacrifices.
Nava pinned medal after medal including a Bronze Star for meritorious achievement in combat to Romeros chest, as many in the watching crowd shed tears.
Though almost 97 years old, wheelchair bound and unable to speak, Romero still has a sparkle in his eye and it was clear he understood and appreciated all that was happening.
Romero, a Las Cruces native, joined the National Guard in 1941 at 19, along with his younger brother, Frank.
He was soon deployed to the Philippines with the 200th Coast Artillery Regiment to participate in combat training.
But by the end of 1941, the 200th came under very real attack by the Japanese, though theyre credited as the first to fire.
After holding off Japanese forces for months, the U.S. troops were surrendered in April 1942.
Tens of thousands of American and Filipino soldiers were taken as prisoners of war and forced to march more than 60 miles in what became know as the Bataan Death March.
Its estimated that 10,000 died during the march.
But the Romero brothers survived.
Joe Romero spent 42 months as a prisoner of war, mostly doing hard labor in a lead and zinc mine, but also serving on burial duty, his daughter, Ana Marie Gonzales, said.
My dad said there was nothing more beautiful than seeing the flag when he was liberated, Gonzales said.
Gonzales said she doesnt know whether her father ever received his service medals.
So to ensure her father received the recognition he deserved, she undertook the tedious process of having his medals reissued.
Its taken me 40 years of trying to obtain these medals, always coming to a dead end, she said.
With the help of New Mexico Department of Veterans Services Cabinet Secretary Jack Fox, Romero finally received his medals.
Romero worked for many years at Levines Department Store in Albuquerque, where he now lives with Gonzales. He turns 97 on Tuesday.
In a 2012 Journal story on Bataan Death March survivors, Romero spoke of the feeling of liberation.
I was one of the happiest men in the whole world, he said, because I had freedom.
Medals received by Romero
Bronze Star for meritorious achievement in combat while serving in the southwest Pacific theater from Dec. 7, 1941, to May 10, 1942
Good Conduct Medal
American Defense Medal and Bronze Star
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal and Bronze Star
World War II Victory Medal
Philippine Defense Ribbon and Bronze Star
Philippine Liberation Ribbon and Bronze Star
Honorable Service Medal
Marksmen Badge and Rifle Bar
Rescue teams worked around the clock to find Maria Ortiz Ramirez in her Mexico City apartment building damaged by Tuesday's earthquake. Three days later they recovered her body from the rubble. (Angela Kocherga/Albuquerque Journal) A relative of a woman who was buried in rubble after her apartment split in half during the earthquake hugs a rescue worker who helped recover the body of Maria Ortiz Ramirez. (Angela Kocherga/Albuquerque Journal) Eduardo Lopez Ortiz thanks one of the search rescue workers who tried to find his mother who was buried in rubble after a powerful earthquake struck Mexico City. The team worked around the clock to reach Maria Ortiz Ramirez. Three days later they recovered her body as her family waited for word. (Angela Kocherga/Albuquerque Journal) Maria Ortiz Ramirez's relatives thank search and rescue workers who tried to find her in the rubble of her apartment building in Mexico City after the earthquake. Three days later as the family waited outside crews recovered her body. (Angela Kocherga/Albuquerque Journal) The Popocatepetl park in front of the apartment building where Angela Kocherga lived in Mexico City when she was a correspondent became one of the staging grounds for volunteers and donated supplies after Tuesday's earthquake. (Angela Kocherga/Albuquerque Journal) Donated shovels at staging ground set up for volunteers in the La Condesa neighborhood in Mexico City, one of the hardest that suffered the most damage in an earthquake on Tuesday. (Angela Kocherga/Albuquerque Journal) A flyer on a lightpost asks for help finding Carolina Solorio Romero, who disappeared on Tuesday when a powerful earthquake struck Mexico City. She was last seen in an office building that collapsed. (Angela Kocherga/Albuquerque Journal) Julia Reyes, a dear friend in Mexico City, drinks a cup of tea while she recounts how her family survived the earthquake that violently shook Mexico City Sept. 19. (Angela Kocherga/Albuquerque Journal) Angela Kocherga, Albuquerque Journal staff writer, reunited with Julia Reyes, a close friend, while in Mexico City covering the recent earthquake. (Angela Kocherga/Albuquerque Journal) A soldier stands guard in front of a building in the La Condesa neighborhood that was badly damaged by a powerful earthquake Tuesday. (Angela Kocherga/Albuquerque Journal) A 16 year old student was among the volunteers who helped pick through rubble after the earthquake searching for survivors in Mexico City. (Angela Kocherga/Albuquerque Journal) Marvinda Araiza, a Mexico City resident, at staging area for volunteers in the La Condesa neighborhood, one of the areas that suffered the most damage after the earthquake. Most of the volunteers who showed up to help are young people. (Angela Kocherga/Albuquerque Journal) Prev 1 of 12 Next
MEXICO CITY The deadly earthquake that violently shook central Mexico brought me back to my old neighborhood where I lived when I worked as a correspondent in the capital city for many years.
The 7.1 temblor toppled buildings and killed at least 273. One of the worst areas was right outside the front door of the place where I lived in La Condesa, surrounded by lush parks filled with people walking their dogs and sophisticated cafes. The streets were now a maze of yellow and red caution tape where buildings had collapsed and authorities feared more might fall.
A block down from my old apartment building, search and rescue teams worked around the clock trying to find a woman after the earthquake ripped her apartment in half. Her family waited anxiously outside for word.
Three days later, despite their best efforts, the crews pulled Maria Ortiz Ramirezs body from the rubble.
Eduardo Lopez Ortiz, speaking on behalf of relatives gathered at the scene, thanked the men and women in hard hats, several with tears in their eyes, for trying so hard to save his mother.
The park in front of my old apartment building was transformed into a staging area for the hundreds of volunteers who showed up to help pick through rubble to search for people or donate supplies for earthquake victims. There were piles of medicine, water, food and tools.
This is where I met Marco Antonio, a slim, 16-year-old with a baby face, in a crowd of men picking up hard hats and shovels. He had started volunteering the day after the earthquake.
We pulled 10 people out yesterday, seven were alive, three dead, he says. And we also saved a small dog.
Before I could get his last name, Marco had to rush off with the rest of the young men and women in his bucket brigade. There was work to do.
And it seemed everyone was pitching in to help.
I ran into Kathia Vidal and her husband Juan Rodriguez, carrying trays of food and drinks.
Were helping the volunteers heading out to the collapsed buildings, handing out coffee, juice, sandwiches and offering bathrooms and internet services, Kathia says.
I walked through a sea of volunteers on the way to check on the office building that housed the Mexico bureau where I worked in the nearby La Roma neighborhood. A block from my old office, search-and-rescue teams were picking through the rubble of a collapsed building in a race against the clock to find survivors.
On the sidewalk, two young women wrote the names of people reported missing on a large poster board. On a light post, one desperate family had put up a yellow flier with a photo of a smiling young woman with long, dark hair. It read Carolina Solorio Romero missing. She was in Alvaro Obregon 286. That is the address of the building that was now a pile of rubble.
A block away, I reached my old office. I remembered when my news organization had reinforced the glass windows on the side of our bureau facing the street after a death threat.
It came after a colleague and I reported a story that included video that showed how the ruthless Zeta drug cartel worked to terrorize entire regions of northern Mexico. I wondered if that glass was now shattered and the building badly damaged, like so many on Alvaro Obregon street.
I found the building intact. Outside, our old parking attendant, Javier Pena Moreno, now 47, greeted me warmly. He had witnessed the office building down the street collapse during the earthquake.
We heard a large boom and then saw a huge cloud of dust, he says. But were still here.
I also reconnected with Julia Reyes, my former housekeeper and now a dear friend. She like many has been traumatized by watching the story of children buried when their school collapsed. Eleven children were pulled out alive. Twenty-five people died, including many kids.
Even though its not your family, it hurts you to hear about those children, those little ones, Julia tells me, her eyes filling with tears.
Her 8year-old granddaughter fell as her classmates were being led outside their school during the earthquake. She was left behind. When a teacher realized she was missing after the earthquake, she went back inside the building to bring her out safely. Another heroic effort on a day when many took risks.
I also ran into Dudley Althaus, a longtime foreign correspondent in Mexico. Dudley has been here so long we all joke that he covered Hernan Cortez when he arrived in Mexico.
Dudley has experienced many earthquakes in Mexico but says he hurried out of his office building during this one like the Japanese running from Godzilla.
I tell him its time to move to Las Cruces, something hes contemplated. He just smiles. I doubt Dudley will leave Mexico anytime soon. Like many, he has learned to use dark humor to get through disasters.
Mexico is battered, bruised but will rebuild thanks to the determined young people who turned out by the tens of thousands when they were needed most. They embody the spirit of the citizens who helped one another after the devastating 1985 earthquake struck on the same day, killing at least 9,500.
Theres such incredible support, Marvinda Araiza says. From the moment the earthquake struck, and there was a catastrophe, weve been out here.
She, like most of the other volunteers, is young and has written her name and the phone number of an emergency contact on her arm as authorities advised. There were gas leaks, crumbling buildings and other hazards to contend with right after the temblor.
Now shes helping, taking care of lost pets found wandering after the earthquake and packing up food and other supplies to send to the neighboring state Morelos, which is also struggling to recover.
Were united and were going to move forward, the way we have in the past, the way we always do, she says.
As darkness falls and a light drizzle turns into a downpour, I watch the volunteers in my old neighborhood prepare for the long night ahead.
Still standing, still strong. Fuerza, Mexico.
UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Journal Las Cruces correspondent Angela Kocherga at 263-5008 or akocherga@abqjournal.com. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
Copyright 2017 Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE New Mexicos commuter rail system has two balloon payments to prepare for, in 2025 and 2026.
But another whopper is about to hit the Rail Runner a $50 million safety upgrade required by the federal government.
Rio Metro the agency that runs the railroad connecting Belen, Albuquerque and Santa Fe has until the end of next year to install equipment designed to automatically slow trains when they reach unsafe speeds and prevent them from crashing into each other.
The local transit district has had more than eight years to develop a plan to comply with the mandate, and the Federal Railroad Administration appears to be running out of patience. It rejected a recent exemption request by Rio Metro and granted only a fraction of the funding sought by the agency.
But Rio Metro says it may be approaching a solution: The agency now receives an extra $4 million annually in federal funds through a grant program that pays for transit repairs, officials say.
Rio Metro might be able to borrow money by issuing bonds, then using the extra grant revenue to make annual payments on the debt. The details, however, havent been worked out.
I can say that some of us are frustrated that were not further along, and we feel an urgency to get a plan in place, Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins said in an interview. For the Rio Metro board, safety is the No. 1 consideration in our operations.
Meanwhile, debt service on the Rail Runner costs the state Department of Transportation $28 million to $30 million a year, with the payments expected to reach $110 million in 2025 and 2026. And selling the commuter train isnt feasible, according to a 2015 study released by the Transportation Department.
As for Rio Metro costs, even if the financing plan works, the agency faces challenges.
It may have to reduce Rail Runner service in 2019 if the safety equipment isnt installed by then. The deadline can be extended if Rio Metro wins approval for a risk mitigation plan a process that may involve curtailing Rail Runner trips or changing its schedule to limit the risk of collisions.
Albuquerque City Councilor Isaac Benton said reducing service would be a really difficult pill to swallow, given all that weve gone through to keep the Rail Runner going and successful.
Rio Metro is operated by a board of elected officials from local governments in Bernalillo, Sandoval and Valencia counties.
Deadline extended
The Federal Railroad Administration appears to be frustrated with the slow progress in New Mexico.
In 2008, Congress gave passenger railroads until the end of 2015 to install the equipment, a deadline that was later extended.
Thomas Herrmann, director of technical oversight for the Federal Railroad Administration, reminded Rio Metro earlier this year that the agency had once had plenty of time to prepare for the installation of positive train control, as the system is called.
Several other public agencies have faced similar challenges over the same time period, yet have been able to make more measurable progress in installing, testing and implementing the PTC systems, he said in an August letter to Terry Doyle of Rio Metro.
Positive train control is aimed at preventing train collisions and other accidents. Supporters say it could have prevented the Philadelphia train derailment that killed eight people and injured 200 in 2015.
The system is the single-most important rail safety development in more than a century, Herrmann, the federal official, told Rio Metro in last months letter.
New Mexico isnt alone in struggling to meet the PTC mandate, but it certainly trails plenty of other rail systems.
About 71 percent of the agencies listed on the Federal Railroad Administration website have equipped at least some of their locomotives with PTC systems one of the many requirements.
Rio Metro is among those that havent equipped any trains yet.
Benton, the city councilor, said New Mexico simply doesnt have the financial flexibility enjoyed by large rail systems in other parts of the country.
We have had this on our radar screen for a while, he said, but we flat-out dont have a lot of resources to be paying for it.
The Rail Runner, he said, doesnt operate at high speeds or on routes populated with many other trains, making the risk less severe than that in more densely populated states.
Rio Metro, in any case, did secure about $3.6 million from the Federal Railroad Administration to help pay for the new technology. Rio Metro had requested $40 million.
Thats in addition to the extra $4 million in annual federal grant funding that might be used to back the bonds.
Hart Stebbins said the new grant funding hadnt yet been dedicated for a specific purpose, so its available to go toward the PTC system bonds. Rio Metro has separate federal grant funding another $4 million a year or so that helps cover regular repairs.
17 fatalities
New Mexico Rail Runner Express trains have struck and killed 17 people since the system began operating 11 years ago.
Rio Metro contends that none of those fatalities would have been prevented by the PTC equipment.
Furthermore, the agency says its doing its best to comply with the safety standards, said Augusta Meyers, Rio Metro spokeswoman.
Its a huge burden, being an unfunded mandate, she said. Theres no monies from the state that go into Rail Runner maintenance and operations.
FARMINGTON A Navajo Nation Council delegate is proposing that the distribution of sexually graphic images without a persons consent be listed as a criminal offense under tribal law.
The bill would make it illegal to electronically share, transmit or post images that depict nudity or specific sexual activities without a persons consent and with the intent to harm, harass, intimidate, threaten or coerce the person.
Delegate Jonathan Hale is sponsoring the bill, which was posted on the tribal councils website and is eligible for consideration by lawmakers starting Monday.
In a telephone interview earlier this month, Hale said that, with more tribal members using electronic devices to communicate, there is a need to develop this type of law to protect victims.
He added that he heard a report this year from the Naabikiyati Sexual Assault Prevention Subcommittee about a young woman who had explicit images of herself shared on social media without her consent.
The woman sought legal action in tribal court but found out no law existed to address image exploitation, he said.
The woman filed a restraining order against her perpetrator and researched revenge porn laws at the state level then asked tribal lawmakers why the tribe does not have a similar law for its members, Hale said.
Under the proposal, defendants can be criminally charged in tribal court and sentencing would depend on details of the case.
Proposed sentencing includes jail time, a fine up to $500 and removal of the distributed images that depict nudity or sexual activities.
The court may also order restitution or nalyeeh, which would be determined by the Navajo Peacemaking Program.
Nalyeeh is loosely translated as a mechanism used to restore harmony between parties by talking about the situation to correct the wrong.
Thirty-eight states have enacted laws that address the unauthorized sharing of explicit images, according to the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative.
The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative is a non-profit organization that advocates for the technological, social and legal innovation to fight online abuse.
New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, which the Navajo Nation has boundaries in, are among the states that have such laws.
Hale said the law in Arizona was used as a model for his proposal, which needs approval by the tribal council and the tribal president for enactment.
Samsungs Galaxy A (2018) series of Android smartphones will feature a dedicated Bixby button, one industry insider from China said on Sunday, suggesting that all upcoming additions to the companys mid-range lineup are set to succeed the feature introduced with this years high-end offerings from the South Korean tech giant. The source also suggested that the firm will commercialize its products come next year and wont unveil them before early 2018, which is in line with Samsungs usual product release strategy; with the holiday season being traditionally the most lucrative period for consumer electronics manufacturers, Samsung is likely to go all out with promoting its existing offerings over the final quarter of the year before moving on to unveiling new devices in January and February.
No other details on the matter were provided by the source, though the Galaxy A (2018) lineup has already been the subject of numerous rumors that emerged on the World Wide Web in recent months. The Seoul-based company is said to be preparing entirely new mobile chips for its next offerings, in addition to considering the idea of equipping them with bezel-less Infinity Display panels, industry insiders said earlier this year. Many features of the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Plus, and Galaxy Note 8 are hence expected to trickle down to Samsungs main mid-range phone series come next year and the same will presumably hold true for the Galaxy C (2018) lineup which traditionally consists of devices which are just one tier below Samsungs most premium smartphones.
The companys next-generation handset family will supposedly entail the Galaxy A3 (2018), Galaxy A5 (2018), and the Galaxy A7 (2018), though it remains to be seen whether Samsung opts for some more creative official monikers. The South Korean original equipment manufacturer traditionally hosts its own events for launching the Galaxy A-series devices and the same will presumably hold true this year. The Galaxy A (2017) family was officially unveiled this January and the lineup that succeeds it may be launched around the same time next year before hitting the market in late winter or early spring. The upcoming devices are likely to be sold in the West as Samsungs main mid-range offerings and retail for between $400 and $600, depending on the exact model and specific market.
How To Shave Your Balls
A Gentleman's Guide To Shaving Your Balls
Welcome to the dawning of a new grooming age. One where the modern gent takes pride in shaving his balls without succumbing to the public ridicule of coming off as less manly. You know this better as manscaping, and yes, its become the new it trend thats transcended the male grooming landscape and redefined our views of masculinity in the millennial era.
A hairy groin wont exactly score you points with the opposite sex these days, as most women are taking a liking to dudes with a smoother package. Think differently? Peep it. A study conducted between two public universities in the US documented in an issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine provided these intriguing stats:
49% percent of guys shaved off all their pubic hair at some point in a month
38% of all study participants claimed they were typically hair free
Roughly the same percentage of both sexes (76% women and 74% men) claim to shave their pubes
32% of men agreed shaving down their made them feel cleaner
Those numbers should sway you to perform some sort of deforestation. Still on the fence? OK. Another survey done by Gillette showed that 92% of women prefer a guy that keeps it nice and tidy down under. Argument done.
Its understandable how certain worries can plague your conscious such as taking a razor to such a delicate spot or the extra maintenance that comes with properly buzzing your grapefruits. But hey, its time to get with the program. Doing so can only give you less sweaty testes, provide for a more sensual oral experience, and result in an enticing bikini line, if youre all about the David Beckham, Euro-beach look.
So why shouldnt your nuts receive the same treatment as, say, your face, head, back, or nose? Heres an in-depth guide to how to shave your balls in style.
Learn To Proceed With Caution
The groin area harbours bacteria and yeast that can spread across the body when performing other manscaping duties using the same tools. Even the slightest laceration can result in that bacteria getting inside and leading to potential cases of abscesses, cellulitis, and Fournier gangrene: a necrotising infection that causes some pretty disgusting side effects.
Feel your scrotum and shaft for a second. Notice the several skin folds and grooves? The sensitivity of both areas makes them susceptible to cuts. Thats incredible scary when seeing how most common genital injuries reported take place in accident and emergency wards due to the direct consequence of hair removal. Ouch. So play nice down there.
Any good shave starts with providing a smooth cutting surface. Be sure to use your non-cutting hand to pull the skin back tight. The odds of nipping your jewels are less because youre preventing the skin from rolling underneath the blade. So tug that sack.
Maintaining a steady hand is vital for shaving your balls successfully as well. You might want to take a razor to the face first, so calm those nerves and practice precise strokes. This should build confidence when venturing down under. Shave in the direction of your hair and not against it, for this will stave off irritation and any post-shave stubble. Lastly, take the proper steps to implement a cleaning procedure such as wiping down your grooming tool of choice with rubbing alcohol. Wash your hands too before proceeding.
The Ballscaping Pre-Ritual
Common sense tells you at this point to never shave any body part under dry conditions. Thats just begging for a bloody or inflamed outcome. Hopping in the shower is the most effective way to soften crotch fur, for it will stimulate every lingering pube and allow for a smoother pass of the blade. Doing so opens your pores and lubricates the skin. Once out the tub, its all about prepping your sack with the right pre-shave and shaving solutions. The following three products fit the bill.
Body. Hair. Face. Shave. Lab Series covers all four verticals with a potent body wash that creates a rich lather formulated to purge the body of dirt, oil, and other pollutants. Its suitable for all hair and skin types with some reviewers co-signing its gentleness on coarse hair. The dense cushioning of its texture will deliver better razor glide and protect skin as well.
Lab Series Pro LS All-In-One Shower Gel, 20 at Boots
This multi-functional shaving elixir works to soften whiskers and soothe skin. The combination of active natural ingredients and essentials oils seep through hair to moisturise the shaving surface. And as an applicator, its incredibly active in cooling, healing, and tightening your sheath, which helps vastly when in taut mode.
Baxter Shave Tonic, 17 at Amazon
A shave gel is the best shaving agent to apply for many good reasons. Besides its translucent appearance, many come loaded with healing and moisturising properties. Nothing compares to Recipe For Mens foam-free offering, which gives forth maximum comfort by softening and lifting fur for slicker shaves. Aloe Vera, lemon extract, and menthol tame inflammation and nourish the nuts to prevent bacterial attacks and excess sebum from developing.
Recipe For Men Clear Shaving Gel, 16 at Amazon
Picking The Right Grooming Tools
No well-groomed gent enters the jungle without the necessary equipment to tame a hairy beast. Some guys prefer a razor over a body trimmer and vice versa. Others favour the more old-fashioned way of using scissors. Dont ask why. All these instruments complement each other when nipping hair off your balls. Just really depends on how close of a shave or trim you desire.
Hair growth patterns are genetic and some guys actually experience it near the base or lower shaft of their magic stick. Its considered normal. Shaving this form of pubic hair is a short-term quick fix. However, it must be shaved constantly as stubble regrowth is said to trigger irritation in a sex partner. Tweezers are known as the most popular solution because plucking hair out slows down the growth process. However, its very time-consuming. So why bother. Also, refrain from using any wax hair removal system because it can cause serious damage to your penis skin.
That being said, lets look and see how some of the others are beneficial to the ball-shaving experience.
Body Trimmers
Imagine your nut sack is your chin, only with a full-grown beard. No way youre going to take a straight razor to it before trimming it down. Before putting in any skin-level blade work, use a trimmer to shorten pubic hair to a manageable length. This will ensure you dont feel any hair pulling when getting closer to the skin surface.
Investing in one of these is a must. Guys with a bushy sack require the hardware to shorten their way through the weeds for a more intimate cut. A body groomer wont fully rid your privates of hair, but its the quickest and most useful way to achieve a basic shave.
The market has a variety of options available, some with multi-purpose features that come in handy for other manscaping needs.
AskMens pick for Best Body Hair Trimmer lives up to its hype with a skin-protecting shaving head made from hypoallergenic materials, plus five built-in trim options for precise trimming and a waterproof design. The premium foil design captures loose hair with every stroke. The self-sharpening blades also account for low maintenance care.
Philips Bodygroom Series, 58.06 at Amazon
Heres another waterproof electric body trimmer loaded with a nice list of bells and whistles. Were looking at seven different comb attachments and a trimming head that adapts to the contours of your body. Many have made mention of how great it is for sensitive areas, so word of mouth holds weight here.
Gillette Fusion Proglide Styler, 12 at Amazon
Manual Razors
The bolder route, cartridge-based razors deliver the cleanest and closest shave possible. But shaving like that requires more time and paying special attention to your testicles. No one wants a slashed up scrotum. Right? These selections just might encourage you to move forward.
Flexibility is everything when it comes to manscaping. Gillette makes one of the most resilient razors with patented FlexBall technology to reach every difficult curve down there. The cartridge is capable of pivoting in multiple directions and opens the lane for longer strokes to lessen the shaving time. Thinner blades are used for decreased facial resistance, which translates well on the balls.
Gillette Fusion ProGlide Razor, 10 at Amazon
As a razor, this 4-in-1 styling tool gets the job done. Though its biggest selling point is not the blade. Its the built-in power trimmer with three adjustable settings that executes trims at most lengths with finesse. Granted were not talking a fancy electrical trimmer here by any means, but the product is powerful enough to mow through pubes.
Wilkinson Sword Hydro 5 Groomer, 13.34 at Amazon
Scissors
Hairdressing clippers come in handy when looking to tame excessive hair growth. They prove to be incredibly useful for snipping through longer hair strands. Just dont expect a uniform finish or to complete a full trim in fast succession. If youre feeling that adventurous, wrap your fingers around these sharp sheers.
What makes these scissors such a popular item are its ultra sharp blades made from Japanese steel and tension screw for stable handling. Cutting offers balanced execution, doing all the work without forcing the user to apply extra pressure on thick hairs. Also comes with a removable finger rest for some extra comfort during an otherwise wholly uncomfortable grooming task.
Sanguine Professional Hairdressing Scissors, 12.40 at Amazon
A trusted name in facial hair shearing, Tweezermans cutters are serviceable enough to double as a pair of pubic hair scissors. Sharpness is guaranteed along the blades, whereas the curved tip guides the blades away from skin to reduce the risk of wounds. Men with coarse hair might need a more durable option, but those with more malleable threads will find cutting action to be reliable.
Tweezerman GEAR Stainless Steel Scissors, 17.45 at Amazon
Clean-Up Time
Thought the nightmare was over? Oh no. Just like your face, your balls deserve the same post-shave love. One word: Aftershave. The antiseptic agent keeps ingrown hairs and razor burn at bay. Dont settle for a splash-based formula. Why? Well, most liquid aftershaves contain alcohol. So unless you want your them burning up, look into an aftershave balm to hydrate and soothe the skin. Bonus: it provides a relaxing sensation during application.
Take other post-shave remedies into account, for some, if not all will be needed to take care of common skincare issues. Lacerations. Ingrown hairs. Razor burn. Common stuff basically. Add these to your virtual cart.
Half aftershave, half skin cream, Ahava employs an anti-bacterial formula that disinfects skin when spread sufficiently. Its a mineral-rich salve that absorbs quickly for instant moisturisation and relieves your nuts of any burns. Dead sea minerals are used as well to restore skin to its natural state.
Ahava Soothing After-Shave Moisturiser, 23.50 at Amazon
Sensitive types require something more gentle. DMC has the proper solution with an alcohol and fragrance-free balm made to calm skin from any discomfort. Its very cooling upon application. Then theres the impressive list of ingredients that condition skin incredibly well for a budget-friendly skincare product. Youre even left with a light, clean scent to freshen your underwear throughout the day.
Dove Men+ Care Sensitive Post Shave Balm, 15.99 at Amazon
Nothing better than an all-in-one.This unique moisturising deodorant is designed to keep you both fresh and hydrated all day long. The Crop Preserver is residue and oil-free, and is formulated with natural herbs that work to soften coarse hair in your most sensitive areas. Manscaping just got interesting. Comes in a set with a double-edged safety razor and disposable shaving mat.
Crop Preserver, 30 at Manscaped
Achieving the perfect ballscaping shave requires near-flawless strokes. So yea, accidents, even if minor, will occur. This is when an alum block comes in handy. Taylor's block is a post-shave healer with antiseptic qualities that calm razor burn and stop bleeding, all while closing skin pores to leave skin tight.
RazoRock Alum Block, 7.95 at Mankind
There Will Be Blood, But Dont Panic
If its your first rodeo, anticipate some slip-ups along the way. Keep a box of tissues on hand. In case you notice some minor bleeding, dont trip, just take a damp piece of bounty or toilet paper and apply pressure onto the cut. Hold it there for up to 10 minutes and it should stop the wound from leaking.
Follow these steps, practice patience, and your boys will be breathing hair-free going into the summer.
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Coming courtesy of our friends at JL Wrangler Forums , the featured renderings reveal the extent of the changes brought forward by the all-new model. Its worthy of highlighting the Photoshop goodness is based on the most recent JL spy pics and previews both the Rubicon and Sport models.Its a certainty the four-door Unlimited (JLU) will outsell the two-door JL in nearly every market where Jeep is present, but you know what? True off-road devotees know which of the two is better off the beaten path. The pickup truck derivative known as the Scrambler (JT), meanwhile, will cater to the needs of those customers who need the practicality of a workhorse.JL Wrangler Forums resident pixel wizard rendered the all-new model in seven exterior colors, as follows: Green, Gecko Green, Sunset Orange, Red, White, Gobi, and Nacho. The latter in Sport attire looks the business, especially thanks to the black-painted roof and black hood vents.According to the freshest info, production of the Wrangler JL and Wrangler JLU will begin on November 13. The Toledo plant in Ohio is currently tooling up to support production of the newcomer, and the first retail models are expected to arrive at U.S. dealers sometime during the middle of December.The JT Scrambler , on the other hand, is anticipated to enter production in October 2018. In regard to engine options, three will have to make do: 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6, and the 2.0-liter Hurricane turbocharged inline-4. All mills will be offered with an 8-speed auto.
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
AWD
The Euro NCAP andhave yet to put the newcomer through its paces. Knowing that it takes time until these organizations get their hands on the XC40 for the purpose of assessing its crash test performance, Volvo took to itself to prove how good the XC40 is.During development, the compact-sized utility vehicle was assessed at the Volvo Safety Center in the automakers home city. Theres video to prove the small crossovers proficiency at protecting occupants in the event of a crash. In the side impact test, the newest Volvo of them all holds its own at 50 km/h (31 mph), with the seat-mounted side and curtain airbags doing their job well.Even when it comes to the rear occupants, the crash test dummy appears to get out of the violent ordeal with nothing more than a scare. Being developed for hip people living life in the big city, the XC40 bristles with urban traffic-oriented safety and driver assist features. Pilot Assist, City Safety, Cross Traffic Alert with Brake Support, 360 camera system that aids with parking, Run-off Road protection and mitigation, theres a lot of clever tech in there.For this reason and the fact that its generously equipped from the get-go, the cheapest 2018 Volvo XC40 currently on sale starts at $35,200 in the United States. The T5Momentum is the culprit, and for its size, the 2.0-liter Drive-E turbocharged inline-4 is more than adequate thanks to 248 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. The T5 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid is on its way, as are lesser powertrain options and an electric take on the XC40.
To ilustrate what usually happens when such a go-fast machine hits the Nordschleife, we've brought along the piece of footage at the bottom of the page. The clip shows a BMW Z3 Coupe that decides to see if it can keep up with a Lamborghini Huracan The Z3 in question isn't the M model, though. Instead, we're dealing with a 2.8 model featuring a few circuit-savvy mods. In fact, those of you who are tuned into our Nurburgring tales might be familiar with this car, since its driver constantly gives us reasons to talk about the infamous German track, albeit while behind the wheel of a Z4 M Coupe.Unlike other adventures of the sort, this one wasn't exactly smooth for the driver of the Bavarian machine, as a fluid spill reportedly threatened to send his car into the guardrail.If you happen to be in a rush, you'll find this white-knuckle moment at the 5:37 point of the clip. Nevertheless, we'd stick around for the rest of the video, since we're talking about all sorts of stick shift Ring action here.Now, you might be wondering what goes through the mind of somebody who engages in such an underdog-fueled chase. Well, the Bimmer wielder took the time to share his thoughts with us in the description of the video."Lamborghini Huracan vs BMW Z3 Coupe (2.8) on a drying, but in the shade very slippery damp Nordschleife. Some oil/coolant in Bergwerk needed some swift action to prevent a crash. In the end big horse power won the day," the Ring aficonado explained.
24 September 2017 13:57 (UTC+04:00)
By Trend:
The Iranian ambassador to Baku, Javad Jahangirzadeh, has called for stepping up efforts aimed at widening bilateral trade ties.
"The latest statistics show a considerable growth in trade turnover between the two countries over the past eight months," the envoy told Trend.
He also forecast that the figure would witness a surge in the next four months.
According to the data available on the website of State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, the two countries trade over the first eight months of the current year valued $168.9 million, indicating an increase of about 40 percent.
"However, the sides need to put in a great deal of effort for further expansion of economic ties," Jahangirzadeh added.
He further touched upon the new appointments in the cabinet of President Hassan Rouhani following his re-election in May, saying the new members of the administration will definitely contribute to improvement of the atmosphere for economic cooperation between the two countries.
"The appointment of Mahmoud Vaezi as the chief of staff of presidents office will contribute to deepening of economic relations," he added.
Earlier this month, Iranian presidential administration decreed to appoint Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Masoud Karbasian as the new co-chair of Azerbaijan-Iran Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.
The development came after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani appointed the former co-chair of the commission, Mahmoud Vaezi, as the chief of staff of presidents office.
"The new Iranian co-chair of the joint commission, Karbasian, who has proper experience in customs issues, is seriously following up on the expansion of economic relations."
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24 September 2017 13:30 (UTC+04:00)
By Trend
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of the 110/35/6 kV Neftchala substation Sept. 24.
Chairman of Azerishig OJSC Baba Rzayev informed the president about the work done here.
Two transformers with a capacity of 40 MVA were installed in the substation. Large landscaping work was carried out in the territory of the Neftchala substation.
President Aliyev launched the substation.
The 35/6 kV Shahar substation was constructed in Neftchala district in 2015-2017. A new administrative building of Neftchala Electric Network was also built.
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24 September 2017 11:15 (UTC+04:00)
By Trend
Turkeys parliament on Saturday ratified a motion to extend for another year approval for the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq and Syria, Anadolu reported.
The motion was approved by a large majority in the assembly.
Deputies from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) joined ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party deputies in backing the motion, while opposition People's Democratic Party (HDP) deputies voted it down.
Parliament's decision in an extraordinary session came after northern Iraqs Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) refused to cancel its plans for an independence referendum, set for next Monday, Sept. 25.
The motion -- submitted by Premier Binali Yildirim's AK Party government -- had previously allowed the Turkish military to carry out cross-border operations from Oct. 2, 2016, until Oct. 31, 2017.
The motion stated that Turkey places great importance on the protection of Iraq's territorial integrity, national unity, and stability.
The non-binding referendum will see Iraqis in KRG-controlled areas -- and in a handful of territories disputed between Erbil and Baghdad -- vote on whether to secede from Iraq.
Along with Baghdad, Turkey, the U.S., Iran, and the UN have all spoken out against the poll, saying it will only distract from the ongoing fight against Daesh and further destabilize the region.
Iraqs central government has threatened to intervene militarily if the vote leads to violence.
The KRGs leader, Masoud Barzani, has said approval of the referendum would not result in an automatic declaration of independence but would simply lead to further negotiations with Baghdad.
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The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Oct. 3 in the Wisconsin gerrymandering case, Whitford v. Gill.
There are 12 plaintiffs in the Whitford case 12 Wisconsin citizens who chose to challenge the controversial voting districts adopted by the Legislature in 2011. And they won.
In November of last year, a majority decision by the U.S District Court for Wisconsins Western District found the discriminatory effect is not explained by the political geography of Wisconsin, nor is it justified by a legitimate state interest. Consequently, Act 43 [the 2011 redistricting plan] constitutes an unconstitutional political gerrymander.
Thanks to these 12 plaintiffs, court testimony revealed how the current redistricting process was manipulated for political advantage. Thanks to their case, we now know that the map boundaries were not drawn by our duly elected representatives, but by two legislative staffers and an outside consultant, paid for with taxpayer dollars.
We now know the extent to which highly sophisticated computer programs were used to achieve the maximum, predictable success of GOP representatives. We now know that each GOP legislator was shown his or her redrawn district, and had to sign a secrecy agreement not to disclose details until final approval by the full body.
Subsequent election results have shown the partisan misalignment of Wisconsins Assembly districts is among the worst in the nation. The entire country is awaiting the outcome of Whitford v. Gill, a landmark case with national implications. For that, we can thank 12 plaintiffs who are fighting for the constitutional rights of every Wisconsin voter.
Elizabeth Kruck, Genoa
Transparency and accountability underpin effective and efficient public policy, political probity and good corporate governance all of which are involved in the government's proposed overhaul of political influence laws, a response primarily to concerns about clandestine meddling in Australia by the Chinese Communist Party. There is good reason to toughen and update protections against foreign interference. Our laws were set up to protect against cold-war style spying, not the ``sub-espionage" level of commercial and institutional skulduggery that has emerged in recent decades along with globalisation. China and Australia flag Credit:Fairfax Media Attorney General George Brandis has been given evidence by Australia's intelligence officials of lobbyists associated with the Chinese government attempting to influence decisions by local, state and federal governments. Former head of Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Varghese, now Chancellor of Queensland University was one of the first senior officials to warn of interference by Beijing, which he worries might undermine the principle of academic freedom. Chinese tertiary students have become a leading source of export revenue for Australia, and universities are under scrutiny over commercial partnerships with enterprises linked to the Chinese government.
The threat to the integrity of the tertiary education system is concerning. There is evidence of coercion being used by Beijing to "guide" the behaviour of Chinese nationals in Australia, and even to stifle free debate. The pressure is dividing the Chinese student community here. It is disconcerting that Chinese interests have cultivated commercial and lobbying affiliations with former Australian politicians. A "community" association that is known to be a front for the Chinese Communist Party, is the Sydney-based Australian Council for the Promotion of the Peaceful Reunification of China, which has recruited a number of former politicians as honorary patrons. Big donations by the group have been accepted by former politicians, many of whom continue to exercise influence after their parliamentary terms. After a series of Fairfax Media investigations into improper external influence on Australian politics, Senator Brandis travelled to Washington in July for briefings about US legislation that curbs pernicious activities by "foreign agents". The laws require those working or lobbying for foreign powers to make full public disclosures, on pain of civil or criminal penalties. Australia is also looking at emulating the US by creating a publicly available register of foreign agents. That would seem well-advised, does not encroach on anyone's rights and in keeping with the principles of transparency and accountability. Senator Brandis plans to present the legislation later this year. It is part of a wider crackdown on espionage, and is consistent with the government's welcome mooted banning of foreign donations to political parties and candidates. He also intends to include protection for journalists who receive confidential information from whistleblowers and other sources. This is crucial. There needs to be a balance between civil liberties and community protection. The legislation is thought likely to contain new offences associated with passing on confidential government information.
Brisbane drivers just cannot catch a break, with two crashes on the M1 and a multi-vehicle smash on the Bruce Highway causing motorists to crawl on Sunday, as temperatures hit 30 degrees.
Australian Traffic Network reporter Olympia Kwitowski said the Bruce Highway northbound was backed up 15 kilometres between Narangba and Caboolture, before clearing just after midday.
Southbound traffic was heavy along the M1 through Rochedale thanks to two crashes in Slacks Creek. Credit:Department of Transport and Main Roads
However, as one set of delays cleared, another formed. A multi-vehicle crash just before midday through Narangba created more than 10 kilometres of northbound congestion back to Bald Hills. It took about 90 minutes for these delays to clear.
Meanwhile, two crashes in Slacks Creek saw southbound congestion on the M1 stretch back nine kilometres to Eight Mile Plains. However, after the crash cleared at 12.30pm traffic eased quickly.
After sitting in heavy delays on their way to the Gold and Sunshine coasts, beach-goers were hit by a case of deja vu on their way home, as both major highways heading back to Brisbane were deadlocked on Sunday.
Australian Traffic Network reporter Olympia Kwitowski said there were more than 15 kilometres of M1 delays and a grass fire closed a section of the Bruce Highway on the Sunshine Coast.
The M1 through Robina resembled a carpark as opposed to a highway. Credit:Department of Transport and Main Roads
Drivers returning from the Gold Coast were greeted by northbound congestion on the M1, which stretched from Currumbin Waters all the way up to Mudgeeraba by 4pm.
Meanwhile, a grass fire near the Bruce Highway at Bli Bli closed southbound lanes about 3.30pm, as fire crews contained the flames.
A woman has been charged after allegedly setting her own unit on fire in Brisbane's south on Saturday.
Emergency services were called to the building on Cromer Street in Coopers Plains just before 4pm and evacuated nearby units.
The alleged arson attack caused extensive damage to the woman's unit and several neighbouring residences. Credit:7 News Brisbane - Twitter
Although the fire was extinguished a short time later, the woman's apartment, where the blaze allegedly started, was extensively damaged along with neighbouring units.
A 26-year-old woman was arrested on Sunday morning after allegedly fleeing from the scene and charged with arson and endangering property by fire.
The minimum age of criminal responsibility for children should be lifted from 10 to 14, given mounting evidence of the lifelong harm the justice system does to children, and the huge risk of children becoming "entrenched" in the jail system if locked up young, one of Australia's leading criminologists says.
Children as young as 10 can currently be prosecuted for crimes in all jurisdictions in Australia.
Children as young as 10 should not be prosecuted, a leading criminologist says. Credit:Virginia Star
In Europe the average age of criminal responsibility is 14 and the United Nations has consistently called upon Australia to lift the age of criminal responsibility to at least 12, but preferably to 14, says Professor Chris Cunneen of UNSW.
"Increasing the age of criminal responsibility has the potential to reduce the likelihood of lifelong contact with the criminal justice system. It is well established that one of the key risk factors for criminal justice contact, is prior contact," Professor Cunneen will argue in a paper presented today to the Australian Social Policy conference.
Washington's budget gridlock could affect Australia if the United States' military leadership starts to "atrophy", including in the Asia region because the Pentagon cannot get the money it needs, a new think-tank report has warned.
Despite US President Donald Trump's sustained tough rhetoric about the various security challenges facing the world, such as North Korea, the new analysis states that partisan politicking in Washington may prevent the US projecting military power to play its traditional stabilising role in the world.
U.S. President Donald Trump during his address to the United Nations General Assembly this week. Credit:AP
The good news, the report published by researchers at the US Studies Centre at Sydney University has found, is that key congressional Republicans are pushing for existing resources to be shifted to Asia to tackle problems such as North Korea and China's maritime expansion.
But that is being offset by budget politics that "prevent sensible and strategic defence budget planning", the report states.
The city of Tomah and Tomah Area School District Youth Training & Community Development building project is under way.
The program gives students in Tomah High Schools building trades class the opportunity to observe and participate in the construction of a building from start to finish.
A property at 436 Arthur St. has been purchased to construct a three one-bedroom units apartment building thats handicapped accessible.
Construction will take about two years and is set to begin in spring after the preliminary site prep foundation pouring, initial plumbing and some heating begins this fall, Housing Authority and Community Development Block Grant director Rachel Muehlenkamp said.
Were hoping to have it poured by the end of October, but we can go into the mid-November time frame if the weather holds, she said.
THS building trades teacher Dan Wall is excited for the project.
I feel really good about where its at, and being new to the tech ed program, its exciting, he said. Im going to learn a lot in the process myself.
A math teacher at THS for 15 years, this will be Walls first experience leading a project of this size.
I have experience building but not being the lead on a project of this nature, he said. Its (going to be) a matter of just keeping the kids motivated on a schedule and continuing to make progress.
The project will be beneficial to the students, Wall said.
Theyre getting a chance to be part of something that will be around for many years and the ability to be more hands-on than just theoretical, he said. We could look at blueprints and talk about them, but now theyre putting skills into action instead of just drawing on paper or something more small scale.
The students will be involved in just about every aspect of construction, Muehlenkamp said.
Its not just going to be the carpentry trades, theyre also going to have the ones that are doing the plumbing, electrical, drywall, she said. All of the trades that are participating have indicated that they are going to be willing to actually allow the students to do as much as they can, under state and OSHA law, and also to give instruction in the classroom and on the job site.
The project will be beneficial to local businesses, Muehlenkamp said.
We got a lot of positive feedback from contractors and the general population ... (for) trying to get the students involved with the building trades as a career, she said. I do hope that its successful because we do want students to go where theres actual construction, more than a garage, and contractors are hoping to provide students with an incentive to go into the trade.
After meeting with the contractor, Muehlenkamp said businesses were excited to participate in the project.
Many were very interested in bidding on the project and participating in it not just because it would be a contract they were awarded but because they would have a chance to actually work with the students to get them interested in participating in that kind of an occupation, she said.
After Harvey flak, Joel Osteen opens Lakewood Church to Jews who lost synagogue in hurricane
Joel Osteen from Houston's Lakewood Church earlier received a lot of flak over offering his megachurch as a shelter for Hurricane Harvey victims as some felt he wasn't fast enough. Perhaps to make up for it, Osteen and his wife Victoria have opened the doors of their church to help a displaced Jewish congregation.
Congregation Beth Yeshurun suffered from devastating flooding because of Hurricane Harvey, and it couldn't have come at a worse time since they were preparing for an important religious event. Thankfully, Lakewood Church posted on its website that the Osteens were more than happy to come to their aid.
"This came at an especially bad time for Beth Yeshurun as the Jewish High Holy Days, (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), are this week. Beth Yeshurun's leadership reached out to us and Pastors Joel & Victoria offered to help," the announcement read.
The congregation of Beth Yeshurun, which is located in the Meyerland section of Houston, already has a foot of water in its main sanctuary. "This is the first time in our congregation's history, since we moved to this site in 1962, that we took on water," Senior Rabbi David Rosen told KHOU-TV. "It wasn't just a room or a series of rooms. Every square inch of the temple flooded."
After the High Holy Days, the 2,000-member Beth Yeshurun plans to hold its service at a different Houston synagogue while their own "spiritual home" is being fixed and repaired.
Rosen said the aid of the Osteens really came at an opportune time, and they will always be grateful for the helping hand. "I cannot thank Joel Osteen enough for his sensitivity and his encouragement," Rosen said. "It's a reaffirmation of the beautiful spirit of collegiality and interfaith conversation we have here in Houston."
Conservative pastor with 3 gay parents shares why he thinks the church is so bad at engaging the LGBT community
A California-based pastor, who has had three gay parents over the course of his life, stated that "there is a difference between acceptance and approval."
Caleb Kaltenbach, lead pastor for Discovery Church of Simi Valley, was recently interviewed by Dallas Theological Seminary Professor Darrell Bock on the school's podcast The Table.
During the podcast, Kaltenbach explained that he believed that "acceptance and approval" were not the same thing, including when it came to the debate on LGBT issues.
"I believe that we are called to accept everybody as an individual. That does not mean we approve of every life choice that somebody makes," said Kaltenbach.
"Every Sunday, anybody should be able to walk through my church doors when I preach and attend our church. But I already know that I shake hands every Sunday with people that have made life choices that week that I wouldn't approve of. But that doesn't mean that I accept them any less."
Kaltenbach also said on the podcast that Christians need to do a better job of engaging the culture of others, including the LGBT community.
"If a missionary goes overseas and is gonna share the Gospel with a particular culture, they have to do contextualization. They have to learn culture," continued Kaltenbach.
"They have to engage culture not as a means to water down the Gospel, but as a means to use culture as a vessel to share the Gospel, to communicate it. And I think that a lot of Christians are not, for one reason or another, willing to do that when it comes to certain people, including the LGBT community."
When Kaltenbach was 2 years old, his opposite sex parents both came out as gay and divorced. He was later raised by his mother and her lesbian lover.
Growing up, Kaltenbach attended many LGBT Pride events during the 1980s, and experienced homophobic rhetoric and hostility from Christian protesters.
"I remember at the end of one of these pride parades and again, this is in the 1980s there were all these Christians holding up signs saying, 'God hates you. Go away. Turn or burn.' And if that wasn't offensive enough, they were spraying water and urine on people," recalled Kaltenbach.
"You felt real hostility. And you saw what we might, in some cases, call the worst of people," noted Bock during the podcast. "[You were] on the receiving end from Christians who ... are hostile towards the gay lifestyle."
Kaltenbach became a Christian while in high school after being invited to a student-led Bible study, which he originally planned to attend as a way to attack their beliefs.
"I just kept on going back, and I just found that Jesus was not like the people on the street corners. The Apostle Paul was not like the people on the street corners holding up the signs," explained Kaltenbach.
"I had also reached a conclusion, the conclusion I still hold today, that God designed sexual intimacy to be expressed in the context of marriage between one man and one woman."
He likened his experience of revealing his conversion to his parents to that of a teenager coming out as gay to his Chrstian parents.
"I was a teenager coming out as a Christian to my three parents," he said. "The rejection that they feared from the Christian community and the rejection that they feared from me now that I was 'one of them, they, those, those people,' that's the same rejection they gave to me. The same rejection they were fighting to say that we need to not exhibit they were exhibiting because this is such an emotionally charged topic."
He documented this spiritual change and the need for better dialogue between the church and the LGBT community in his 2015 book Messy Grace: How a Pastor With Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction.
"Very few issues in Christianity are as divisive as the acceptance of the LGBT community in the church. As a pastor and as a person with beloved family members living a gay lifestyle, Caleb had to face this issue with courage and grace," notes the book's Amazon description.
"Messy Grace shows us that Jesus's command to 'love your neighbor as yourself' doesn't have an exception clause for a gay 'neighbor'or for that matter, any other 'neighbor' we might find it hard to relate to. Jesus was able to love these people and yet still hold on to his beliefs. So can you."
This article was originally published in The Christian Post.
Maximilian Kolbe: The priest who volunteered to starve to death
Father Maximilian Kolbe, who died today in 1941, was a Polish priest who perished in Auschwitz.
He's remembered as a saint and martyr because he volunteered to die in the place of another prisoner.
After Poland was overrun by the Germans, Kolbe helped run a publishing house at his monastery that issued several anti-Nazi publications. The monastery also sheltered refugees including 2000 Jews, whom he hid from the Germans.
He and four others were arrested on February 17, 1941, and taken to Auschwitz in May.
In the camp Kolbe suffered violent abuse, including lashings and beatings.
After the escape of three men in July, the camp commander, Karl Fritzsch, selected 10 men to be starved to death in retaliation. One of them, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out 'My wife! My children!' whereupon Kolbe volunteered to take his place. According to an eye-witness account, he spent his time standing or kneeling in prayer. After two weeks he was the only one to remain alive and was given a lethal injection of carbolic acid in his arm to finish him. His body was cremated the following day.
Kolbe was canonized as saint by Pope John Paul II in 1982. This recognition was not uncontroversial; he has been accused of printing articles with antisemitic themes and is not recognised by Israel as one of the 'Righteous among the Nations'. However, most Holocaust scholars do not agree that he was an antisemite.
Bill de Blasio and his surrogates have claimed repeatedly that previous New York mayors have ignored economic development in the outer boroughs. At a May press conference the mayor stated, the goal when we set out was to have a five borough economy. . . . We did not have that back in 2013, we just didnt. We had a government too focused on one borough, Manhattan, and we had an economy dominated by one borough, Manhattan. In August, the mayor commented on Brooklyns strong job growth, saying, once upon a time, no one would have believed that sentence, right? If you said job growth, you would have been saying Manhattan.
This narrativethat previous mayors have ignored the outer boroughs in favor of Manhattanis untrue. There has been some private-sector job growth outside Manhattan during the de Blasio years, but it has been largely continuous with employment increases starting in Michael Bloombergs third term. De Blasio is falsifying the history of economic-development policy in the city.
Outer-borough job growth has not significantly surpassed its pace during the last three years of the Bloomberg administration. Citywide, job growth over both periods was roughly the same: 5.7 percent over the period from 2011 to 2013, against 5.6 percent over the period from 2014 to 2016. Brooklyn has seen remarkable development under de Blasio, with 10.5 percent three-year job growth versus 6.7 percent growth from 2011 to 2013but job growth in Queens was unchanged and actually slowed in the Bronx, Staten Island, and Manhattan.
As for de Blasios predecessors ignoring the boroughs that arent Manhattan, consider the record of Ed Koch. In the mid-1980s, he pushed for funding to develop an area of downtown Brooklyn as an academic-industrial research park. MetroTech Center added millions of square feet of office space, and today is the site of back-office operations for financial companies, National Grid, the FDNY, and the 3-D printing pioneer MakerBot. Thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of economic activity derive from the enormous development, which has been key to the revitalization of Brooklyns downtown. Koch also directed billions into housing development in the South Bronx and central Brooklynareas that had been devastated by fire and neglect. Through aggressive and creative financing, the Koch administration assisted local civic organizations in building or rehabilitating tens of thousands of units of housing for working- and middle-class people, revitalizing decayed outer-borough neighborhoods.
Rudy Giuliani also promoted outer-borough job growth, including the designation of seven high-tech districts in the outer boroughs to encourage digital-technology companies to locate in areas such as Long Island City (Queens) and DUMBO (Brooklyn). The initiatives were only partially successful, but Giulianis primary contribution to outer-borough job growth and prosperity was initiating the Compstat Era of law enforcement, along with Broken Windows policing. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, low-level criminality in New York City was largely ignored, and the rate of serious crime soared. Murders peaked at 2,245 in 1990 but dropped to about 700 by the time Giulianis two-term mayoralty ended. Car theft, burglary, and other crimes underwent similar declines through the nineties. This type of street-level criminality, over years, had vitiated the commercial districts of outer-borough neighborhoods. Following the crime turnaround, from Kings Highway in Brooklyn to Roosevelt Avenue or Main Street in Queens, local businesses began to return to the outer boroughs and thrive there. It is impossible to disconnect economic prosperity throughout the boroughs from the security that Giuliani delivered through crime prevention.
Michael Bloombergs economic-development policies truly put the lie to de Blasios claims about his unique concern for outer-borough job growth. The Bloomberg administration was singularly focused on all-city development. It was Bloomberg and his economic development chief Daniel Doctoroff who undertook the rezoning of the waterfront for commercial and residential purposes, which anchors de Blasios ferry and streetcar transit solutions. Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, including the Barclays Center, has its detractors, but is nevertheless an important Bloomberg-era development having a major impact on central Brooklyn. Bloomberg also rehabilitated Industry City, now a thriving center of innovation after decades of decay.
Mayor de Blasio is to be congratulated for helping foster entrepreneurship and job growth throughout the five boroughs. But his false history regarding his predecessors should be corrected.
Photo by Julie Jacobson-Pool/Getty Images
Source: Cleveland Museum of Art
Museums are looking at the best attendance they've ever had, thanks to the way technology is revolutionizing the consumption of art. According to the American Alliance of Museums, U.S. cultural institutions see more than 850 million visits per year more than most sporting events and represent about $21 billion in direct economic activity. Those impressively large numbers may be poised to grow, as museums boost their technological prowess amid a boom in mobile applications and offerings designed to enhance the experience of tech-savvy visitors. To be sure, many art traditionalists are quick to criticize the integration of virtual reality and Van Gogh. However, museums are making a surprising discovery: technology isn't hindering the appreciation of physical art. In fact, museum attendance has skyrocketed more than ever since computers and iPads entered the art realm, some art experts say. It's allowing visitors to experience art in a new way, while bringing exhibits to others that may never even set foot in the institution at all. So why wouldn't visitors be tempted to abandon museums altogether in favor of scrolling Instagram? It boils down to physical experiences that make art more memorable just like with any relationship, according to the founder and CEO of Artsy, the world's largest online collection of art. "Ultimately, the physical experience of art is more just like online dating," Carter Cleveland told CNBC recently. "We want to meet someone physically in the end, but it's spurred with online platforms."
The best use of digital is to not make you aware of the technology, but to make you aware of the art. Jane Alexander chief information officer, Cleveland Museum
For certain segments of the population, museums are consistently highly valued, said Susie Wilkening, a spokesperson for museums at Wilkening Consulting. But that's only a sliver of the population. For a bigger chunk, museums are a means to an end; they're used as deliberate family time or to fulfill a trend. That's where tech comes in, Wilkening said. It caters to the visitors on the fence, making museums seem like an easier choice. "The best use of digital is to not make you aware of the technology, but to make you aware of the art," said Jane Alexander, chief information officer at the Cleveland Museum of Art. "It's about putting art on the forefront. [...] It's about better practices and thinking about how can this be a toolset to get people into the collection," she added. "How can people use our collection to bring art into their daily lives?" The museum is the home of the ArtLens Gallery, featuring high-tech gear like eye-tracking, motion detection and facial recognition that "surpasses barriers" in the service of drawing in art lovers. Using an application, visitors can touch art, favorite the exhibits they like most and "create your own tour," Alexander told CNBC. "Our goal is to get people into the galleries, and give them the tools." Spaces like the Gesture and Expression exhibit allow visitors to strike a pose like the figures of a painting, while a gaze tracker reveals where a visitor focuses when looking at a work of art. The six exhibits feature 14 "games" in total, allowing everything from altering the expression of figures in paintings, to decoding symbols.
Source: Cleveland Museum of Art
"This is not about digital for digital's sake," Alexander said. "This is about seeing an object that may have only been 4 feet high, and seeing it enlarged and how it was made. It makes [people] want to see the object, and they're left in awe. 'I cannot believe this object,' they say, 'it's so beautiful.'"
'Stronger than ever'
Cloudflare offers services that make companies' web sites faster and more reliable. In the case of Daily Stormer, Cloudflare was providing a service that made it harder for attackers to take it offline with what's known as a denial-of-service attack, where a web site is flooded with fake requests.
Cloudflare now has more than 500 workers and plans to have at least 600 by the end of 2017, said Prince, who declined to share business details such as revenue or the company's growth rate.
"We had to have the conversation now because at some point we'll be a public company. We had to prompt that discussion," said Prince, who added "we want to be ready internally by July 2018," for a possible stock offering.
"We were worried that people would say, 'We won't work with you anymore,'" Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince told CNBC.
The CEO who pulled the final plug on the neo-Nazi web site Daily Stormer said he removed it from his company's Internet service to protect his firm's business in the run-up to a potential initial public offering (IPO).
Members of the Charlottesville community hold a vigil for Heather Heyer at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, August 16, 2017.
In mid-August, as Cloudflare was starting its ninth year, Prince became embroiled in the political controversy over President Donald Trump's remarks about a deadly rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Daily Stormer, which espouses white-supremacist views, then praised Trump for citing violence on "many sides" rather than singling out those who organized the event and wrote "we are at now at war." The site also said it would help organize similar far-right rallies across the country.
Those writings came after one protester and two state troopers were killed during the Charlottesville rally, and prompted other internet service providers like Google and GoDaddy to cancel services they provided to the site, making it harder for Internet users to find.
Prince, however, hesitated to do the same.
That's because Cloudflare had a policy, stated on its own website, that it would not terminate a customer or take down content "due to political pressure."
The stance in favor of free speech put the company in the crosshairs of those who said it was being sympathetic to violent, right-wing groups.
"We were stuck. We had this problem, [and] were very alone," Prince told CNBC, as he sat on the rooftop of his company's headquarters in San Francisco during the company's annual Internet Summit in September.
But then comments from others forced the hand of Prince, who co-founded the company with COO Michelle Zatlyn in mid-2009.
First, another CEO "whom I admire," Prince said, tweeted that Cloudlare should boot the Daily Stormer off its services, as its rivals had done.
Prince called up the fellow executive, whom he declined to name, and during the discussion, this person made a "thoughtful, rational argument."
The Daily Stormer then raised the stakes with a claim that Cloudflare's management was supportive of its ultra-nationalist ideology.
Prince, in his blog post announcing the termination of service, called that assertion "the tipping point" in his decision.
The site disappeared from the internet for some time, but is now being hosted in Iceland and is once again accessible.
After canceling the Daily Stormer's service, Cloudflare faced criticism from free speech advocates, who worried it would set a dangerous precedent.
But Prince says he has no regrets.
"I would regret that as a policy, but it was just one instance. I don't regret the decision."
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Angela Merkel's conservative bloc will be the largest party in the next German parliament, but provisional election results point to a worse-than-expected majority for the German chancellor. Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister-party the Christian Social Union (CSU) won 33 percent of the vote. It would make them the largest parliamentary group, but that is down from 41.5 percent in the last election in 2013 and lower than recent polling. It is also their worst result since 1949, according to Reuters. Speaking after the exit polls, Merkel said her party had hoped for a better result at the federal election but was happy that it had achieved the main goals of the campaign. She vowed to win back voters from the nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The center-left Social Democrats (SPD), which are currently in a coalition with Merkel, slumped to 20.5 percent - a new post-war low. Party leader Martin Schulz said it was a "bitter day" for Germany's social democrats. He added that the result meant it was clear the party should go into opposition and he would seek re-election as party leader in December.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, leader of the Christian Democratic Union party Kai Pfaffenbach | Reuters
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) finished third and will enter parliament for the first time with a 12.6 percent of the vote. Only founded in 2013, the AfD party will be the first nationalist, right-wing party to enter the German parliament since World War II. Campaigning on an anti-immigrant, anti-euro stance, the AfD has become something of a protest party in Germany, mopping up voters on both sides of the political spectrum who feel disenfranchised and disaffected by Merkel's policies over recent years.
'A so-called Jamaica coalition'
A definitive final election result could take until Tuesday to be announced. Merkel's conservative bloc will then look to form a coalition with rival parties which could take months, according to some analysts. The pro-business FDP party, which looks set to win 10.7 percent of the vote, indicated that it would be open to coalition talks with Merkel's conservatives but leader Christian Lindner said that it would require a change of course from the German chancellor.
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"As anticipated, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) fared better than predicted in the final opinion surveys. A disastrous result for the Social Democrats (SPD) means that the party of Merkel's challenger Martin Schulz will go into opposition and that CDU/CSU, the liberal FDP and the Greens will have to begin talks to form a so-called Jamaica coalition, Germany's first four-party government in decades," Carsten Nickel, deputy director of research at Teneo Intelligence, predicted in a research note on Sunday evening. "While this government might at times produce noise, it will continue a centrist course, which will include a pragmatic and incremental approach to euro zone build-out with France."
He added that from a market perspective, euro zone build-out will be the main item to watch as coalition talks unfold. A so-called "Jamaica coalition" is so named due to the colors of the political parties involved. This was seen as the most likely scenario before the vote took place.
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Complex electoral system
Germany's complex electoral system means that coalition governments tend to be the norm in the country. The Bundestag must convene within 30 days of the vote but government formation could take up to 100 days. If Merkel's party manages to successfully form a coalition then she herself must be elected as chancellor with an absolute majority by the Bundestag's members at a later date. The candidate for chancellor is from the party that wins the most votes.
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The new leader of the Five Star Movement (M5S) party in Italy told CNBC that he would welcome support from rivals in a coalition after next year's election, but added that he wouldn't give away cabinet seats to receive the necessary backing. The 31-year-old Luigi Di Maio was appointed at the party conference this weekend in the coastal town of Rimini. Out of 37,000 votes cast, Di Maio secured 30,000 making him the effective leader. The Five Star Movement, known for its populist, anti-establishment and Euroskeptic rhetoric, shot to prominence in 2013, securing roughly 25 percent of the vote at the general elections even though the party had only been founded a few years before in 2009. M5S is currently polling around 28 percent - putting them on par with the governing PD Party (Democratic Party) of Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and party leader Matteo Renzi. Renzi stepped down in December after losing a referendum vote on changing the electoral law one that M5S was adamantly opposed to, throwing full weight behind the no vote. The founder of the party, comedian turned politician, Beppe Grillo, has called for Italy leave the European bloc in the past. However, the new leader's language toward Europe is softer than his predecessor.
Lower House Deputy speaker Luigi Di Maio (C) stands on stage after being chosen the Five Star Movement (M5S) candidate for Prime minister during a M5S party's congress in Rimini on September 23, 2017. ALBERTO PIZZOLI | AFP | Getty Images
In an interview with CNBC over the weekend, the suited Di Maio stressed that they do not want to leave the European Union and that they would "want to sit down and have an adult conversation with other" European leaders and to work towards "re-negotiating treaties within the EU that are capping the growth of Italy, adding that a euro referendum would be a last resort measure. "If the EU does not want to change anything, especially those regulations that are impacting our economy, then we'll ask the Italian citizens whether or not they want to remain in the euro zone. I hope the European institutions are willing to negotiate a different kind of union," he said. Asked whether there were any parallels between the party's current plan and that of the U.K.'s David Cameron when he pushed for concessions from the EU, Di Maio emphasized that holding a euro referendum was not an election pledge so it would be wrong to compare the two situations.
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Italy is set to hold a general election next year. With the current proportional representation law, no one party is projected to gain enough seats to govern with an absolute majority. Di Maio said they "are happy to receive the support of other political parties" but would not give them a representation in their government. He also said that it depended on what type of electoral law will be in place. The two center-right parties, the Northern League led by Matteo Salvini and Forza Italia led by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (who has made a political comeback), could gather more votes than either the PD or M5S if they form an alliance. Italy has seen a huge influx of migrants coming into the country and it has been a big topic of debate on a national level. The party is proposing three measures to address this issue: limiting the amount of migrants coming into the country, a modification of the Dublin agreement (rules on asylum), and providing more help to local councils to support the influx of people.
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Spaghetto al Pomodoro at Pietro Nolita, a New York City restaurant. Photo: Tyrell Gittens
In Manhattan's bustling and picturesque North of Little Italy (Nolita) neighborhood one of the city's hippest and popular residential areas rows of cozy restaurants and decorative street almost make random passersby wonder if they've been transported into an Instagram photo. As it happens, much of that is by design. According to business search site Yelp, the company has seen a spike in users searching for restaurants or foods that include the word "Instagram" over the past two years. For the month of August, Yelp recorded a surge of about 3000 percent (or 30-fold) in searches related to the picture-sharing site compared to May of 2015. Carl Bialik, Yelp's data science editor, told CNBC in a recent email that the Instagram effect is relatively small, yet still a "fast growing" segment of its searches. With the platform home to more than 700 million unique visitors, Yelp's findings are a function of how food establishments are actively catering to users seeking 'Instagrammable' moments, where an photo-op worthy experience is virtually as important as the food itself.
"It has become a platform in its own right, [and restaurants] have to think about how things are going to look on Instagram,' said Laureen Moyal, partner and branding expert at Paperwhite Studio, which has helped niche eateries go viral on social media. "Not considering it would be a huge mistake."
'A lot of love from Instagram'
The shift to social media arrives at a time when restaurants are struggling with ferocious competition and declining visitors. Recent data from market research firm The NDP Group showed that traffic growth for dine-in establishments has been stale in the past year, a dynamic that's likely to persist. For their part, restaurants are responding to the demand by adjusting lighting to photo friendly levels, and creating aesthetically pleasing environments. Take Pietro Nolita, a "healthy Italian" Manhattan restaurant, which features all pink designs and catchy phrases that have helped lure customers from around the world. It also has a hefty Instagram following of nearly 19,000 after a year in business. "I get a lot of love from Instagram," owner Pietro Quaglia told CNBC. He recounted how a tourist from Australia had a granddaughter who saw his Instagram-famous pink shirts online, and wanted one.
Photo: Spencer Ostrander
Born and raised in Milan, Quaglia wanted to open an Italian restaurant that felt like home and embodied the principles of his mother's cooking. His restaurant's decor reflects the current millennial obsession with all things pink, and his own Italian roots that reminded him of home.
Even Instagram can 'get old'
...MVC simply doesn't make any sense.
I took days to design a EF6 code-first model, and then created a MVC controller/view for that model, and despite the fact that I specified my key field as a string (to use guids), the control insists on trying to use nullable longs for the id parameter. Seriously, WTF is going on?
I'm really not that big a fan of web development to start with, and MVC/EF ain't doin' anything to resolve my impression of it.
I need a reference that discusses the back-end mechanics without letting "site styling" get in the way of the real work that needs to be done. Can anyone help?
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
Would you mind posting at least the Id portion of your model, and an Id dependent controller method? That way we can get on the same page.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
- Benjamin Disraeli
So, parsing/deserialization is not the problem. Unless I write actual sql to upsert a new record, I have to create the guid in the model (or viewmodel).
What I'm complaining about is that I can't find any useful reference material that talks about EF6 in the context of MVC, without having all kinds of needless crap about styling the UI on a website. I don't CARE about styling the web site yet.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
I have, however, used the GUID type for primary keys with EF6, and I don't remember having any special issues with it (unlike prior EF versions). You should be able to declare a POCO like so:
C# public class Foo { [Key, DatabaseGenerated(DatabaseGeneratedOption.Identity)] public Guid Bar { get ; set ; } ... }
But beyond that, I think I might be able to help in terms of the documentation piece. MVC.NET is largely targeted towards the sort of people that previously used WebForms, so it's more concerned with the UI than what you need right now. I would suggest looking at documentation for WebAPI instead, if you're trying to work on the backend more than the front. The concepts are just about identical, and none of the UI is injected into it. The only real difference is that in MVC.NET you'll usually end up passing the model to a View constructor rather than returning it directly.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
- Benjamin Disraeli
Hi Yaseer,
I have started the implementation of databinding using table given here.
In the example on this site, they have taken fix array to bind the data. As per your example of users database, I have added another page and typescript whose code is mentioned below.
Typescript code:
import { Component, OnInit, ViewChild } from '@angular/core'; import { UserService } from '../Service/user.service'; import { IUser } from '../Model/user'; import { DBOperation } from '../Shared/enum'; import { Observable } from 'rxjs/Rx'; import { Global } from '../Shared/global'; import { ManageUser } from './manageuser.component'; import { MdDialog, MdDialogRef } from '@angular/material'; import { UserFilterPipe } from '../filter/user.pipe'; import { DataSource } from "@angular/cdk/collections"; import 'rxjs/add/observable/of'; @Component({ templateUrl: 'app/Components/userlist.component.html' }) export class UserListComponent implements OnInit { users: IUser[]; user: IUser; dataSource: userDataSource; displayedColumns = ['FirstName', 'LastName']; constructor(private _userService: UserService) { } ngOnInit(): void { this.LoadUsers(); this.dataSource = new userDataSource(this.users); } LoadUsers(): void { this._userService.get(Global.BASE_USER_ENDPOINT) .subscribe(users => { this.users = users } ); } } export class userDataSource extends DataSource{ constructor(private _users: IUser[]) { super(); } connect(): Observable { debugger; return Observable.of(this._users); } disconnect() { } }
My HTML:
HTML < pre > < div class =' panel panel-primary' > < div class =' panel-heading' > User List using Table < /div > < div class =' panel-body' > < md-table #table [dataSource] =" dataSource" > < ng-container mdColumnDef =" FirstName" > < md-header-cell *mdHeaderCellDef > First Name < /md-header-cell > < md-cell *mdCellDef =" let element" > {{element.FirstName}} < /md-cell > < /ng-container > < ng-container mdColumnDef =" LastName" > < md-header-cell *mdHeaderCellDef > Last Name < /md-header-cell > < md-cell *mdCellDef =" let element" > {{element.LastName}} < /md-cell > < /ng-container > < md-header-row *mdHeaderRowDef =" displayedColumns" > < /md-header-row > < md-row *mdRowDef =" let row; columns: displayedColumns;" > < /md-row > < /md-table > < /div > < /div >
The issue is that I am not getting any scripting error but data is also not binding. Weird thing is that when I debug the typescript in browser, the data gets bind sometimes while debugging.
It will be good if you can throw some light on this.
Please find the steps to upgrade to material 2 . 0 .0-beta. 10 dependency below just for your reference.
1 . " @angular/material" : " 2.0.0-beta.7" --> No Change 2 . " @angular/material" : " 2.0.0-beta.8" 2 . 1 Include " @angular/cdk" : " 2.0.0-beta.8" in devDependencies 2 . 2 Change " rxjs" : " 5.0.1" to " rxjs" : " 5.0.3" in dependencies 2 . 3 map bundle ' @angular/cdk' : ' npm:@angular/cdk/bundles/cdk.umd.js' in systemjs.config.js 3 . " @angular/material" : " 2.0.0-beta.10" 3 . 1 Change " @angular/cdk" : " 2.0.0-beta.8" to " @angular/cdk" : " 2.0.0-beta.10" 3 . 2 map below bundles in systemjs.config.js ' @angular/cdk/a11y' : ' npm:@angular/cdk/bundles/cdk-a11y.umd.js' , ' @angular/cdk/bidi' : ' npm:@angular/cdk/bundles/cdk-bidi.umd.js' , ' @angular/cdk/coercion' : ' npm:@angular/cdk/bundles/cdk-coercion.umd.js' , ' @angular/cdk/collections' : ' npm:@angular/cdk/bundles/cdk-collections.umd.js' , ' @angular/cdk/keycodes' : ' npm:@angular/cdk/bundles/cdk-keycodes.umd.js' , ' @angular/cdk/observers' : ' npm:@angular/cdk/bundles/cdk-observers.umd.js' , ' @angular/cdk/overlay' : ' npm:@angular/cdk/bundles/cdk-overlay.umd.js' , ' @angular/cdk/platform' : ' npm:@angular/cdk/bundles/cdk-platform.umd.js' , ' @angular/cdk/portal' : ' npm:@angular/cdk/bundles/cdk-portal.umd.js' , ' @angular/cdk/rxjs' : ' npm:@angular/cdk/bundles/cdk-rxjs.umd.js' , ' @angular/cdk/scrolling' : ' npm:@angular/cdk/bundles/cdk-scrolling.umd.js' , ' @angular/cdk/table' : ' npm:@angular/cdk/bundles/cdk-table.umd.js' , 3 . 3 Change